Dreamliner Review

 

 

US regulators have ordered a review of the 787 Dreamliner plane after a series of incidents put a question mark over the safety of Boeing's flagship plane.  The review by the Federal Aviation Administration will look at the design and manufacture of the planes.

It is not clear whether the planes in the air at the moment will be grounded.   An electrical fire, a brake problem, a fuel spill and cracks in the cockpit's windshield have affected Dreamliner flights in the past week.  "We are absolutely confident in the reliability and performance of the 787," Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said. "We are working with the FAA and our customers to ensure we thoroughly understand any introductory issues that arise.  While we take each issue seriously, nothing we've seen in service causes us to doubt the capabilities of the airplane."

More 787 Dreamliner Problems

 

 

It has been confirmed that a brake problem forced an All Nippon Airways flight to be cancelled in Japan  - the third glitch in as many days involving a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

It was scheduled to fly from the Yamaguchi prefecture in western Japan to Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

But the domestic flight was grounded by Japan's ANA because brake parts to the rear left undercarriage needed replacing, a spokesman at Yamaguchi Ube Airport said.

An ANA spokeswoman said: "In the cockpit, an error message related to its brake system was displayed.

"The exact nature and the cause of the error message is not clear yet."

All 98 passengers on board were switched to another flight for Tokyo.

On Tuesday, a Japan Airlines jet was grounded at Boston Logan International Airport in the US following a fuel leak, a day after another plane of the same type suffered a fire.

About 40 gallons (150 litres) of fuel spilled from the jet that was supposed to be bound for Tokyo from Boston last night.

On Monday, smoke was spotted in the cabin and cockpit of a JAL Boeing 787

Russian plane 'crashes into road outside Moscow'

 

 

Breaking News

Lufthansa Moves Scottish Route

 

German airline Lufthansa Regional has switched its Düsseldorf service from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow Airport.

From 8 April 2013, Lufthansa will run six flights per week from Glasgow, then a daily service from 24 June.

Glasgow Airport said it was delighted to host the route which connected two "economic powerhouses".

Edinburgh Airport said it could not understand the commercial logic behind the move and believed its service would have better served Scottish passengers.

Glasgow said Lufthansa's decision would see it host direct flights to Düsseldorf for the first time in 20 years.

Etihad Looks Into Two Indian airlines

 

 

Etihad Airways has looked at expansion for a long time and reported this week,  it has identified two Indian airlines as potential targets for investment. 

Etihad boss James Hogan wouldn’t be drawn on the names of the two airlines he’s been looking at, however all indications are going to be troubled Kingfisher Airlines who issued a statement saying it was in talks with the Gulf carrier. The other airlines could be its codeshare partner,  India’s Jet Airways. 

Etihad is keen to exploit India’s fast-growing aviation market after India opened the aviation sector to overseas investment for the first time in September of this year.   “We’re looking at a couple of opportunities in India,” Mr Hogan said in an interview in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. “We’re going through the due diligence at the moment. If we believe we can meet the criteria, we’ll then discuss that with our board.”

If any deal is done, it would be a minority stake, “we don’t want to take over someone’s airline,” he added. Owned by Abu Dhabi’s oil-rich government, Etihad last year bought a 29.2 per cent stake in Air Berlin and has also expanded its global network through three other equity stakes including a 10 per cent holding in Virgin Australia, a 40 per cent stake in Air Seychelles and 2.987 per cent in Aer Lingus.

Virgin & BA to Clash Over Scotland

 

 

Virgin plans to compete with British Airways on Heathrow links with Scotland.  It is to fly six round trips between the London airport and Edinburgh, with three round trips linking it with Aberdeen.

The airline says 150 people will be employed as a result of the move.  Virgin Atlantic will take over landing slots from BMI, after it was bought by British Airways owner, IAG.

From 31 March 2013, the planes are to be operated by Aer Lingus, but will be in Virgin Atlantic livery.

Delta To Buy Virgin Stake

The US airline, Delta has agreed a super deal to buy the 49% Singapore Airlines' stake in Virgin Atlantic for $360m (£224m).

Virgin Group and Sir Richard Branson will retain a 51% shareholding, and the Virgin brand will remain in place, the new partners said in a joint statement.   Obviously the deal is subject to regulatory approval in both the US and Europe.  Already expected is a challenge from the horrifically immoral Willie Walsh,  boss of IAG group, owners of BA and financially crippled Iberia.    
Mr Walsh offered to wager a "knee in the groin" in a bet with Sir Richard over whether the Virgin brand would still be around in five years.  However Branson, hit back offering a £1million bet offered by Sir Richard on Monday.

Virgin and Delta said the deal would allow allow them to "overcome slot constraints" and offer more flights from Heathrow.  The carriers will operate 31 peak-day round trips between the UK and North America.  "Our new partnership with Virgin Atlantic will strengthen both airlines and provide a more effective competitor between North America and the UK, particularly on the New York-London route," said Delta boss Richard Anderson.

Sir Richard said it was an "exciting day" in Virgin's history.  "It signals the start of a new era of expansion, financial growth and many opportunities for our customers and our business."  Singapore Airlines says it is selling its stake, which it has owned since 1999, because of increased competition in its local market, where it wants to keep its focus.

Loizos Heracleous, professor of strategy and organization at Warwick Business School, said the airline had always faced this issue and that the move really reflected Singapore Airline's disappointment with its investment.
"Singapore Airlines has made it known years ago that it was considering options with respect to its Virgin stake. Virgin Atlantic has not been very profitable, posting a loss for the most recent financial year and slim returns in the years where it did make profits.
Singapore Airlines has itself launched a low-cost carrier, Scoot, and has been putting money into its regional service, SilkAir.

Crash Test Not Dummies.

A test crash of a Boeing 727 in the Sonoran desert to learn more about what actually happens to passengers when a plane goes down found that simply bracing for impact could help save lives.

In one of the most ambitious tests ever undertaken in the name of airline safety, Discovery TV had a Boeing 727 equipped with more than a half a million dollars worth of crash test dummies, 38 specialized cameras and sensors, and a crew of incredibly daring pilots. The pilots, who'd donned parachutes, bailed out of a hatch in the back of the aircraft minutes before the huge jetliner careered into the ground in a horrific crash that tore the plane apart.

Staged last spring as part of the Discovery Channel's "Curiosity Plane Crash," the test crash was the result of four years of planning and consultations with a huge team of experts, all to better understand what happens to passengers when an aircraft goes down.

Air Canada To Hire More Staff

Air Canada plans to hire about 1,100 employees, including 200 at its new low-cost carrier, as the airline moves ahead with growth plans following a spate of labour conflicts with its major unions.

The airline, which currently employs some 27,000 people worldwide, said Thursday the jobs are part of its strategy to "seize new commercial opportunities, enhance customer service and renew our workforce."

China to Melbourne

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Sichuan Airlines has joined a growing number of carriers flying direct from Asia to Melbourne. Source: AAP

ANOTHER Chinese airline has joined a growing number of carriers flying direct from Asia to Melbourne.

Sichuan Airlines, majority-owned by the Sichuan provincial government, will fly directly from Chengdu three times a week and establish its Australian headquarters in Melbourne.

Announcing the deal during a trade mission to China, Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu said it was a significant step in positioning the state as Australia's gateway to China.

"Direct air services between Melbourne and Chengdu will increase business, education and tourism ties between Victoria and China," he said.

Chengdu is one of the largest cities in western China, with a population of 14.7 million, and has presented itself as a key driver of China's economic growth in recent decades.

China Eastern, China Southern and Air China all fly directly from China to Melbourne.

New African Airline

AT a time many Nigerian airlines are folding up due to tough operating environment and government’s policies, some are braving the odds to offer new airline services to the huge Nigerian travelling public.

The question is, won’t new entrants like Med-View Airlines, which had taken bold steps to dare to step into a difficult terrain not encounter the same problem as many other airlines that have become extinct?

The Guardian learnt that about three more airlines are at the advanced stages of securing all the important Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the aviation regulatory body, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The decision of a new airline, First Nation Airways and others to commence scheduled domestic and regional operations has elicited joy in the sector and afforded older carriers to begin to strategize to continue to retain their market share.

New spirit in air over America

The last great Texas fares war took place 40 years ago, when a cheeky new start-up airline called Southwest launched flights from Dallas to Houston. The flat one-way fare was $20 – saving at least five bucks on rivals' fares. The incumbent airline, Braniff, slashed its fares in response. Southwest hit back with a flat $13 – promoted by full-page newspaper ads reading: "Nobody's going to shoot Southwest Airlines out of the sky for a lousy $13." In fact, business travellers on expenses were encouraged to pay $26, which qualified them for Southwest's rudimentary loyalty scheme: a bottle of whiskey or vodka.

On Thursday, battle commenced once more between the two biggest cities in Texas – with Southwest this time as the incumbent. Its challenger: Spirit Airlines, which describes itself as "arguably the best airline in the Americas". I call it America's answer to Ryanair.

Ethiopian Shows Off Dreamline

Following its landmark as the first Africa airline to operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the 777-200LR, Addis Ababa-based Ethiopian Airlines has achieved another milestone by becoming the first African airline to operate the Boeing 777 Freighter (Boeing 777F). The aircraft was delivered at the Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport on Thursday, September 20. Ethiopian leased its first Boeing 777F from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) with plans to order five more of those. The airline currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of 737, 757, 767, 777, and 787 jets in passenger service and 757, MD-11, 747, and 777 freighters in cargo operations.

JAL cuts flights and share price falls

A Japan Airlines Boeing 747 plane taxis at Tokyo's Haneda Airport

HONG KONG -- Shares of Japan Airlines tumbled Friday after the airline announced it was cutting flights to China amid a dispute over islands in the East China Sea.

Monarch Flight Runs Off Birmingham Runway

Breaking News 

Birmingham Airport's runway has been shut after a plane skidded off it.

Airport officials said the Monarch flight ZB467 from Nice in France skidded off the runway shortly after 13:10 BST.

The airport said the flight had been operated by Lithuanian company Aurela Airlines. There were not thought to be any injuries.

The airport said all flights were suspended and "airfield services" were assisting the airline crew.

Inbound flights have been diverted to East Midlands Airport.