FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2004
2004-05 - 0012.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT REGULATION Airlines win concession over disabled Airline associations have won an early concession from the European Commission over planned legislation concerning disabled passengers, writes Justin Wastnage. The EC published a draft ver sion of its rights of persons with reduced mobility (PRM) when travelling by air in February, which has been put out for industry con sultation before a likely formal proposal by the second quarter. The paper sets out possible legis lation with three main areas: airlines will be forbidden from refusing transport for PRMs; air lines will be obliged to cater for disabled passengers once on board; and it will be mandatory for European airports to assist PRMs from arrival at the depar ture airport through to final departure point at the destination airport, rather than from check-in to baggage claim. Although the draft foresees air ports being liable for the provision of this service, mainline carriers are likely to be granted a clause allowing them to use any existing wheelchair and buggy facilities at their hubs, says a senior source at the EC's protection of air pas sengers department of the transport directorate general. The European Disability Forum welcomes the move. The EC says 10% of EU citizens suf fer from reduced mobility, and are often excluded from travelling. Airline associations say much of the detail is missing. The European Regions Airline Association says the bill would place a burden on small carriers. Airport operators are expected to oppose the proposal, as previous legal rulings in various countries placed de facto responsibility on airlines to provide assistance to PRMs, which would be reversed through this proposal. Members of the European Parliament have questioned the legality of creat ing a monopoly of disabled passenger assistance providers in airports obliged to put ground handling services out to tender. AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT GUY NORRIS / SEATTLE Boeing rethinks engine strategy for 7E7 variants Shrinking thrust requirement enables one powerplant configuration for all versions Boeing's exploratory studies of multiple "one-and-a-half" engine builds for the 7E7 family have been terminated, with proposals now being sought for a single type for all three models. "The logic to stay with our origi nal plan is overwhelming," says 7E7 engineering and manufactur ing vice-president Walt Gillette. "When we began we had one engine build across the fleet and that's been our mainstay. We spent six to eight weeks looking at 'what if we had a sort of engine-and-a- half family with a common core and two fan sizes. In the end we saw the value and simplicity of one engine build is somewhat better." Part of the reason for refocusing on one engine for all three versions is a shrinking thrust requirement around the 55,000-70,0001b (245- 310kN) range. "Part of that is because when we looked at the short-range, or 7E7-300SRX version, we saw it needs plenty of climb power, and the more we looked at the stretch [7E7-400X], the more we saw it was a really efficient aircraft that needed slightly less power than we thought," says Gillette. The latest phase of engine evalua tion has begun with a final decision on the finalist - or finalists - due before mid-year, possibly by April. "We have just stated 'cycle four' and we will have the results back from the engine companies in a few weeks," says Gillette. In a separate development, Boeing says it has opted for electric brakes on the 7E7, having scrapped its original plan for an advanced conventional hydraulically actu ated system. Boeing is expected to issue a request for proposals on 1 March to several companies, expected to include Dunlop Aerospace, Good rich, Messier Buggatti and Smiths Aerospace. The requirement covers steering and landing gear actuation as well as brake control. The deci sion represents the first major use of electric brakes on any large air craft. Around 55% of the remain ing 7E7 systems by value have yet to be awarded. In answer to the concerns of some prospective 7E7 customers about the vulnerability of the air craft's composite primary structure to ramp damage, Gillette says Boeing is working on a pair of tem porary structural repairs (TSR) aside from the standard "bolted repair". "They will be applied at between 40°F [4QC] and maybe 120°F, and will be good for a day's flying or, in the case of the second TSR, until the next D check," he adds. • Boeing has reached the 50% design release point of the 777- 200LR and expects a slightly greater range capability of 17,170km (9,280nm) based on a "read across" from flight test results of the -300ER. EXPANSION LEITHEN FRANCIS / SINGAPORE Air Asia to set up Singapore carrier Malaysian low-fare carrier AirAsia is to establish an associate carrier in Singapore in partnership with two local companies. Two undisclosed Singapore com panies will hold 50%, plus one share, in the new carrier, while AirAsia (Malaysia) will control the remainder, says AirAsia chief execu tive Tony Fernandes. "We will disclose our joint ven ture partners [to the public] when we get our air operator's certificate [AOC]," says Fernandes, who says Singapore AirAsia has already secured one joint venture partner AirAsia's Singapore arm will fly Boeing 737s from Changi airport and is aiming for one more. He says the Singapore joint ven ture partners will be from outside the airline industry and are expected to inject at least S$120 mil lion ($72 million) into the airline. "We submitted an AOC applica tion to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore [CAAS] three weeks ago and plan to start an airline in Singapore as soon as we receive approval from the CAAS," he adds. This could take between six and nine months. Fernandes says the new airline will be forced by CAAS to operate out of Singapore's main Changi air port rather than its first choice, the secondary Seletar airport. Two other low-fare carriers are being prepared for launch in Singapore - Tiger Airways, which is part-owned by Singapore Airlines, and ValuAir. 10 24 FEBRUARY-1 MARCH 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
