March 2010 Archives

I received a very nice picture today from the office of R Srinivasan, managing director of Hindustan Aeronautics' (HAL) helicopter complex.

It shows HAL's light combat helicopter (LCH) having its first flight on 29 March in Bangalore.

This helicopter was originally due to have first flight in 2008 but, not surprisingly, there were some delays.

The helicopter is destined for India's defence forces, which seems to have a requirement for everything right now.

Beijing-based Deer Jet has taken delivery of China's first Boeing Business Jet.

Its BBJ has local registration B5266 and is configured with 18 passenger seats and a bedroom, conference room and open bar, says the airline.

Deer Jet is primarily a business jet operator and it is controlled by Hainan Airlines.

The picture below shows the BBJ touching down at Beijing airport. There's know doubt China has a lot of potential for business aviation now that it has so many newly minted billionaires.

 

 

Low-cost carrier Viva Macau's AOC has been cancelled due to its failure to pay its dues. The airline had to get financial aid from the government earlier this year, but that does not appear to have been enough for it.

The Macau tourism market, as a whole, has had a bad patch since the economic downturn began two years ago. That has had an impact on the airlines, Viva Macau and Air Macau (which had to be bailed out by shareholder Air China).

We spoke to CEO Reg MacDonald earlier this year (see video below) and he appeared to be optimistic at that time. It appears as though the carrier could restart operations if it gets its house in order - let's see how this unfolds.

Japan Airlines made an amazing announcement yesterday, saying that it will stop dedicated freighter services from end-October. For JAL, a company with a long history of cargo operations, to do this is simply sensational.

But it sure will be odd not seeing the distinctive all-silver JALCARGO aircraft. I'm not sure if it is due to the carrier's ongoing financial woes, or a reflection of the sharp drop in the cargo market last year. Yes, the market is recovering but it is coming back from a big drop.

There could also be major implications for manufacturers like Boeing, which would have been hoping that airlines like JAL would have been major customers for its 747-8F. The ongoing tribulations in the freighter market could still have some time to run.

I received some pictures last night from Bob Stangarone, who handles PR for Cessna.

The pictures shows some of the Cessna Skycatcher aircraft that have arrived in the USA from China's Shenyang Aircraft (SAC), which has a contract to manufacture the aircraft. SAC is aiming to deliver 350 Skycatchers this year.

Okay, i am on an Australia roll - but here is a short one. It is exciting that the Super Hornets will finally be in Australia tomorrow (a video of the aircraft, kindly provided by Boeing Defence Australia, is above).

Canberra is the first export customer and it will be great to see how the twin-engine F/A-18Fs operate in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Boeing will be hoping that there are no hiccups in their entry into service, given that the Super Hornet is also in contention in competitions in India and Japan. Australia also expect the aircraft to be in service for a long time, although there is still no confirmation on when (rather than if, if you ask me) some of them will be converted into the EA-18G Growler configuration.

Depending on when Australia gets its Lockheed Martin F-35s (now scheduled for 2014, although there could be delays), there is the possibility that Canberra could order additional F/A-18Fs. Boeing will certainly be hoping so.

Our man in Australia, Will Horton, will cover tomorrow's event and you can read all about it on his blog and flightglobal.com.

A few weeks ago, Boeing Defence Australia invited me up to their facility at Amberley, just outside Brisbane. This is where work is being done on Project Wedgetail, the programme to develop a 737-based airborne early warning and control system for Australia.

I managed to see the inside some of the aircraft in various stages of modification, but was not allowed to take pictures or a video due to their strict rules. But I did get some nice video, which you can see above, and interview with Ben Storer of Boeing Defence Australia. I will also try to post some pictures of the facility in a short while.

Boeing is keen to export the system to other countries, especially in Asia where there is a requirement for AEW&C capabilities. India and Japan have been mentioned as a possible candidates. That could result in more work for this Australian facility.

It has not been an easy ride for Qantas Airways CEO Alan Joyce since he took over at the helm of the Australian carrier in November 2008.

He ran smack into the headwinds caused by the high fuel prices and economic downturn, and as capacity into the country increased despite the slowdown. Undoubtedly, there are numerous challenges facing Qantas.

Yet, the man who appears on this month's cover of Airline Business magazine is confident that the carrier is doing whatever is needed to emerge stronger. It has unveiled a fleet revamp, growing its domestic capacity and using low-cost subsidiary Jetstar to expand regionally.

It remains to be seen if this will prove to be a successful strategy, but Joyce is certainly optimistic about the future. Let's wait and see if he is proven correct.

An Embraer EMB-120 turboprop came down in Darwin yesterday just after take-off from the Northern Australian city's main airport during a routine training exercise.

According to local news report, the aircraft was seen banking sharply before crashing into trees and bushland near a golf course on the Royal Australian Air Force near Darwin Airport.

From the reports and the video, it appears as though the aircraft crashed on its belly. The impact, it seems, resulted in a fire that melted parts of the plane and burnt holes into its fuselage, with the tail the only part untouched.

This newspaper article also has a graphic showing where the tragic accident happened.

Air New Zealand has had a weekend to forget after having to apologise for the racial profiling of some of its customers in a 2008 cabin crew manual. The airline says that the manual has since been "updated".

But among the more controversial aspects of the old manual, which the Sunday Star Times wrote about, are advice that Tongans will "drink the bar dry", and that the female Japanese customer needs a male customer to answer on her behalf.

There are some funny things too - it helpfully advises its cabin crew that "chipped nail polish is unattractive" and "fragrance and body sprays can be attractive when used in moderation". Hmmm, if the crew don't already know that, ANZ has bigger problems that its dodgy manual!

Two bits of stomach-churning advice for its staff were "we want you to be you, not someone else" and "feel natural, so accentuate your good points and don't overdo what you don't need."

Every airline has its cabin crew manual but this one takes it a little bit too far (and puts in black and white what is passed down by word of mouth), or am I being simply naive here? Anyone out there knows how other airlines do this?

In any case, here is a selection of some of Air New Zealand's suggestions and expectations:

JEWELLERY
"A little bit of sparkle is good, a lot is a distraction."

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
"You may find it helpful to wear a pedometer, which will measure how many steps you are taking each day and hence give you a measure of how active you are and can aim to be."

MAKEUP
"Make the most of your features and be confident that you're looking your best."

SKINCARE/HYGIENE
"Cleansing each night is important to help prevent clogged pores and allow your skin to breathe."
"Chipped nail polish is unattractive."
"Fragrance and body sprays can be attractive when used in moderation."
"Sleep - in a peaceful environment - is a key factor in preventing puffy eyes and dull skin."
"While on duty regularly use mouth freshener, breath spray or mints to maintain fresh breath."

HANDLING COMPLAINTS
"Adopt a concerned body posture, voice tone and facial expression."

CUSTOMERS
Koreans: Expect good manners and patience from crew.
Japanese: Expect reading material, water with meal. "Do not be surprised if you ask a Japanese female a question and a male customer answers on her behalf."
Chinese: Mainland Chinese aren't fussy. Hong Kong Chinese are extremely demanding.
Tongans: There is "no need to shout at customer" as "they tend to be a softly-spoken, reserved people". Watch out though: "As alcohol is free on board a lot will be trying to drink the bar dry." Also "many young Tongan males look older than their actual age; if unsure ask for ID. This will not offend them."
Samoans: Coming from a tropical climate, they greatly appreciate rugs.

"Air China is like a python - it will slowly squeeze the competition in China until it becomes the country's biggest carrier," an industry official told me last month. Two events over the last month point to that coming true.

Today, Air China announced that it was buying a majority stake in Shenzhen Airlines (after several twists and turns, with some senior Shenzhen officials arrested and others replaced by outsiders). This gives it a substantial presence in the Pearl River Delta area, traditionally the preserve of Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines.

Last month, Air China formalised its proposed cargo joint venture with Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific (another convoluted deal by any measure). This Shanghai-based cargo airline will turn the screws on China Eastern Airlines, whose board rebuffed Air China's takeover bid two years ago. The rejection led to Air China starting a Shanghai-based passenger airline operation to compete with China Eastern.

Beijing-based Air China, say industry sources, is using its financial muscle and political connections to become China's pre-eminent airline. It has a politically connected chairman and a young and capable CEO. It is determined to succeed.

China Eastern and China Southern will do well to watch out for their rival.

Questions and Responses:

1. What has happened to the various Caribous?

Response - One has been transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force Museum at Point Cook in Victoria, while another has been transferred for use by the Australian War Memorial, both as static displays.

 

Two more have been transferred within Defence for use as static displays (Amberley and Townsville).  The remaining aircraft and associated equipment are being readied for sale.

 

Defence expects that up to two Caribou aircraft will be tendered with the intention that they be retained in Australia in flying condition as items of military heritage.  Up to a further seven will be tendered for sale as going concerns or as exhibits for display.

I received some pics from Airlines PNG showing the ATR 72-500 doing some trial flights in Papua New Guinea.

Airlines PNG operates Bombardier Dash 8-100s and de Havilland Twin Otters but plans to step up to larger turboprops.

The aircraft in the pictures is actually owned by Malaysian carrier Berjaya Air, but Airlines PNG plans to wet-lease it for a total of five years and use it for mining charter work.

This means the aircraft will be landing on some pretty basic airstrips and operating in very mountainous areas.

I received some very nice pics from a contact at China Avicopter showing the first flight of the AC313, China's largest helicopter.

This helicopter can transport 27 passengers and can also be used for cargo, search and rescue, fire-fighting, offshore exploration and medical evacuation missions

At the ceremony to mark the first flight Avicopter also had a signing ceremony in which AVIC I International Leasing signed a contract to purchase five AC313s. Flying Dragon Special Aviation then inked a deal to lease the helicopters and be the launch operator.

I think this helicopter has a lot of potential for export, particularly to counties aligned to China such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar and North Korea.

The fact it can be used for fire-fighting and search and rescue means there is enormous potential for China to station these aircraft overseas to provide humanitarian aid.

We've confirmed that India has ordered another 29 RAC MiG-29K fighters for its navy, in addition to the 16 it ordered a few years ago, to go with the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier that is now scheduled to enter into service in 2012.

This will give it a total of 45 carrier-borne fighters and there is no doubt that it will need more as its aircraft carriers enter into service, but I wonder how many more it needs and what it will buy?

Does it, also, need to operate three different types of fighters? A naval variant of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is still delayed, but on the way. New New Delhi issued a RFI last year to Western suppliers for naval fighters, while it may yet go for more MiG-29s.

The light-medium-heavy combination of fighters makes sense in an air force (in India, it will eventually be the LCA-MMRCA-Su-30MKI/FGFA), but is that necessary in the navy too?

I was talking to Vincent Aviation's CEO Peter Vincent the other day because we were writing a story about the carrier's move to put a Dash 8 in Darwin for its Darwin-Groote Eylandt service rather than continuing to rely solely on Beechcraft 1900s.

Peter was good enough to email me some pictures of his Dash 8. As you can see from the pics, this aircraft has been to a lot of places. It was until recently being used in the Solomon Islands for example.

Peter's company is actually New Zealand based but it does work in Australia, the South Pacific and places in Southeast Asia such as Timor Leste and Cambodia.

New Zealand is a relatively small country but I think the size of that market actually acts as a great impetus for successful New Zealand companies to expand internationally in order to grow.

By comparison, I think some Australian companies are just too comfortable playing in the Aussie domestic market and fail to make a big enough effort to expand overseas into Asia.

The success of Vincent Aviation's businesses overseas is testament to the importance of thinking globally.

 

I received some aircraft photos from Arul Nathan, director of operations at Asialink Cargo Express, an Indonesian cargo carrier that started flying in January.

The pictures show the airline's first aircraft, a Fokker F27. The carrier has two F27s and is due to receive a third in this year's second or third quarter. All were previously with Turkish cargo carrier MNG Airlines.

Flightglobal's ACAS database says these ex-MNG aircraft were built in the late 1970s and early 80s.

Even though the aircraft are well over 20 years old, based on this picture, the aircraft look in pretty condition all things considering.

Coincidentally, I was in Indonesia earlier this week and talking to Soenaryo Yosopratomo, who is a former director general at the Indonesian DGCA, the country's civil aviation regulator.
Soenaryo is also a former Fokker F27 pilot and had nothing but praise for the F27. Said it was an incredibly reliable aircraft.

There you go - India seems rather keen on going ahead with plans for a turboprop regional aircraft, which it is calling the RTA-70 (model above).

Diehl unveiled a proposed cabin mock-up (below) at India Aviation 2010 that it produced in consultation with the National Aerospace Laboratories, which is leading the efforts to develop the RTA-70.

NAL officials say that they plan to design the RTA-70 with the Indian market in mind, adding that existing turboprops do not meet those requirements. These include higher fuel efficiency, short landing and take-off capability, and the ability to transport cargo.

This will give the aircraft 25% lower acquisition costs, 25% lower operating costs and 50% lower maintenance costs than existing turboprop regional aircraft, says NAL.

The 70-seat aircraft will have a range of 1,100nm (2,000km), and require a take-off field length and landing field length of 900m (2,950ft). The aircraft would have a length of 28.6m and a wing-span of 29.4m. The aircraft would have a service ceiling of 30,000ft, a cruising speed of 300kt, and the noise level would meet Stage 4 criteria.

The cabin, which would be able to seat four abreast, would have a length of 3.01m and height of 3.35m. The cargo hold would have a volume of 25m³ (880ft³).

NAL is eyeing a composite airframe. The aircraft will be powered by two "next generation turboprop engines", it adds. It would have a fly-by-wire control system, open distributed modular avionics, ADS-B navigation capabilities, and advanced displays.

This will primarily compete with ATR turboprop aircraft if the Indians go ahead. As to why they seem to think the world needs another regional aircraft is another issue altogether.

After months of silence, Tiger Airways has come out swinging against its rivals and dismissed the AirAsia-Jetstar alliance as mere "hot air".

Its CEO Tony Davis (above) has had an uncomfortable few months, telling reporters that he was unable to speak to the press because of stock exchange regulations related to the airline's listing in January.

But in a wide-ranging interview with Flightglobal's sister publications Air Transport Intelligence and Airline Business, he laid into his rivals and says that his Singapore-headquartered carrier is not into "publicity stunts" and that it was more focused on being profitable.

He also told ATI that the carrier was looking to set up a third base after Singapore and Australia, and that it will increase it fleet to 33 Airbus A320s by March 2012.

Tiger's profile may not be as high as its rivals', but it is determined to get its fundamentals rights in the increasingly competitive Southeast Asian low-cost carrier market.