http://www.flightglobal.comen-gbTue, 13 May 2008 22:11:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223660/boeing-halts-ch-47-assembly-pending-investigation.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223660/boeing-halts-ch-47-assembly-pending-investigation.htmlBoeing indefinitely ceased all assembly work today on the Philadelphia-based production line for the H-47 Chinook helicopter.Tue, 13 May 2008 22:11:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223594/boeing-secures-over-130-orders-for-upgrade-package-for-older-model-777s.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223594/boeing-secures-over-130-orders-for-upgrade-package-for-older-model-777s.htmlA quarter of operators of older Boeing 777s have purchased a new performance improvement package that should boost...Tue, 13 May 2008 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223587/space-station-partners-agree-six-crew-transport-operation.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223587/space-station-partners-agree-six-crew-transport-operation.htmlLater this month the International Space Station's partners will formally agree the arrangement for the transport and emergency return of the station's crew...Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223622/iata-accident-rate-up-but-fatalities-lower-in-2007.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223622/iata-accident-rate-up-but-fatalities-lower-in-2007.html IATA’s bid to slash the commercial air transport accident rate for Western-built aircraft has suffered a setback after losses in Indonesia and Africa drove the figure up by 15% last year. The organisation set a target to reduce the 2006 figure of 0.65 hull losses per million flights to just 0.49 in 2008. But accidents in Indonesia quadrupled the Asia-Pacific region’s rate to 2.76, while Africa and Latin America showed only marginal improvements to 4.09 and 1.61 respectively. Brazil was the scene of the year’s worst accident, the TAM Airbus A320 overrun at Sao Paulo Congonhas in July, which resulted in nearly 200 fatalities. IATA points out that the overall number of fatalities fell by nearly a fifth, to 692, despite the number of accidents rising to 100 Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223640/ipod-integration-part-of-new-ife-at-air-new-zealand.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223640/ipod-integration-part-of-new-ife-at-air-new-zealand.html Allowing passengers to play music and video content from their own Apple iPod players over installed in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems is one of several features that will be offered onboard Air New Zealand aircraft in the near-term. The carrier has opted to equip 13 Airbus A320s and five Boeing 767s with Panasonic’s X Series IFE systems. In addition to iPod integration, the IFE platform from August will offer video and audio on demand (AVOD), moving map, games, USB media player, and other entertainment options. As Air New Zealand’s long-term strategy evolves, advanced functionality can easily be added to the system, says Panasonic. “The Panasonic X Series meets our needs because of its capability and reliability. It was also important that the systeTue, 13 May 2008 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223549/australia-launches-defence-procurement-review.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223549/australia-launches-defence-procurement-review.htmlThe Australian government has launched a review of the country's defence procurement activities, following a number of controversial acquisitions including...Tue, 13 May 2008 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223581/heavylift-cargo-airlines-buys-ozjet.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223581/heavylift-cargo-airlines-buys-ozjet.html Australian entrepreneur Paul Stoddart has sold Australian airline OzJet to Sydney-based HeavyLift...Tue, 13 May 2008 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223605/futura-gets-europes-first-737-900ers.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/13/223605/futura-gets-europes-first-737-900ers.htmlFutura International Airways has received the first two Boeing 737-900ERs to enter European service. The deliveries...Tue, 13 May 2008 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223607/esa-to-begin-third-round-of-astronaut-selection-in-30-years.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223607/esa-to-begin-third-round-of-astronaut-selection-in-30-years.htmlThe European Space Agency launched its third astronaut selection round on 8 May at the UK's Science Museum in...Mon, 12 May 2008 17:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223637/aaib-restriction-to-the-fuel-flow-caused-the-uncommanded-power-reduction-that-led-ba-777-to-crash-land-at-heathrow.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223637/aaib-restriction-to-the-fuel-flow-caused-the-uncommanded-power-reduction-that-led-ba-777-to-crash-land-at-heathrow.html AAIB: Restriction to the fuel flow appears to have caused the uncommanded power reduction that led a British Airways Boeing 777-200 to crash-land at Heathrow Restriction to the fuel flow between the fuel tanks and the engine fuel pumps appears to have caused the uncommanded power reduction that led a British Airways Boeing 777-200 to crash-land 300m short of the runway at London Heathrow airport on 17 January, according to a just-released Air Accident Investigation Branch interim statement. But the AAIB makes it clear it has, so far, found no evidence of a physical obstruction in the fuel lines, although there are signs that the fuel pressure at the inlet to the engine high pressure (HP) fuel pumps had dropped because the pumps showed signs of “unusMon, 12 May 2008 17:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223635/pictures-first-images-of-qantas-a380-cabin-interior.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223635/pictures-first-images-of-qantas-a380-cabin-interior.html The first images have been released of Qantas's A380 cabin...Mon, 12 May 2008 16:30:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223595/ge-confirms-studies-into-new-engine-for-turboprop-sector.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223595/ge-confirms-studies-into-new-engine-for-turboprop-sector.html General Electric could be set for a return to the civil turboprop sector. The company's general manager for CF34 project development, Chuck Nugent, says...Mon, 12 May 2008 16:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223629/dutch-report-f-35-faces-one-year-delay.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223629/dutch-report-f-35-faces-one-year-delay.htmlA letter by the Dutch military chief to Parliament, dated 7 May, says JSF programme executives are considering a one-year extension, but no reasons for the potential delay were cited. Mon, 12 May 2008 15:29:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223583/diamond-to-avert-thielert-crisis-with-own-diesel-engine.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223583/diamond-to-avert-thielert-crisis-with-own-diesel-engine.html Diamond Aircraft is launching its own diesel engine as an alternative to the Thielert Centurion 2.0 in its single-engine DA40 and DA42 twin. The announcement - which will be formally made at this month's ILA show in Berlin - comes just three weeks after Thielert Aircraft Engines filed for insolvency, but Diamond had been working on the project long before the German engine builder's financial troubles became widely known and hinted at its plans during the past year. Diamond hopes the 170hp (125kW) Austro engine will be certificated by July and aims to introduce it on all new-build DA42s and diesel-powered DA40s, as well as its new, larger DA50, from September or October. From the first quarter of next year, it will offer a retrofit package on the around 500 DA42s and 360 diesel-powered DA40s Mon, 12 May 2008 14:30:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223580/mihin-lanka-closes.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223580/mihin-lanka-closes.htmlSri Lanka's second state-owned carrier Mihin Lanka has suspended all its operations, but hopes to resume services to all its destinations in June. Mihin...Mon, 12 May 2008 14:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223556/faa-mandates-near-term-a320-stabiliser-inspections.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223556/faa-mandates-near-term-a320-stabiliser-inspections.htmlThe US Federal Aviation Administration has finalised an airworthiness directive for tailplane trim inspections after concerns about incorrect installations...Mon, 12 May 2008 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223578/single-european-sky-is-born-in-rome.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223578/single-european-sky-is-born-in-rome.htmlAfter a long and painful gestation, the Single European Sky (SES) was born in Rome on 6 May. Nearly 500 people from the industrial and institutional partners...Mon, 12 May 2008 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223603/gulf-air-names-new-chairman-and-appoints-ex-ba-exec-to-board.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223603/gulf-air-names-new-chairman-and-appoints-ex-ba-exec-to-board.html Bahrain’s Government has appointed Talal Al-Zain as chairman of flag-carrier Gulf Air, succeeding Mahmood Al-Kooheji. Al-Zain is the chief executive of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s investment division, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, and was formerly at financial firms Investcorp and Chase Manhattan.Former British Airways flight operations director Lloyd Cromwell Griffiths has also been appointed to the Gulf Air board.Gulf Air’s board of directors includes Jawad Habib Jawad, Adel Kanoo, Mohammed Farooq Al-Moayyad, Khalid Omar Al-Romaihi, and Mustafa Al Sayed. Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence news Mon, 12 May 2008 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223608/honeywell-pw-win-us-army-demonstrator-engine-contract.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223608/honeywell-pw-win-us-army-demonstrator-engine-contract.html The US Army has awarded a $108 million contract to a joint venture between Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney to develop the companies' HPW3000 next-generation...Mon, 12 May 2008 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223552/uae-raytheon-partner-on-laser-guided-rocket.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2008/05/12/223552/uae-raytheon-partner-on-laser-guided-rocket.htmlAn Abu Dhabi-based firm has signed a co-operative development agreement with Raytheon to develop a laser-guided rocket for military customers in the United...Mon, 12 May 2008 11:00:00 GMT