New Airliners, Record Sales, Crew Rest Rules Are Among The
Top Stories
Where other segments of the industry had their ups and downs,
the news coming from commercial aviation was largely positive ...
including the certification of Boeing's Dreamliner, the
announcement of re-vamped A320 and B737 airliners, and record sales
figures for both Boeing and Airbus.
But crew rest rules announced by the FAA were a bit of a
counterpoint to the good news for the industry, in that they
do not set the same standards for pilots of passenger and
cargo flights. Here are the top stories from commercial aviation
for 2011.
January
Capt. Lee Moak (pictured (below, right)
took office on January 1 as the ninth
president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA).
He leads a team of national officers who are aggressively
implementing the strategic and political priorities established by
the Association’s Board of Directors. These elected pilot
representatives, acting for 53,000 members at 38 airlines and
supported by a highly experienced staff, will engage at all levels
on every issue that influences the careers and lives of commercial
airline pilots.
New leadership took charge at the Association of Flight
Attendants-CWA (AFA).
Veda Shook took office as AFA's
International President on January 1, while Sara Nelson took over
as International Vice President, and Kevin Creighan entered his
second full term as International Secretary-Treasurer.
The number of people fatally injured in a Boeing 727 accident in
northwestern Iran
climbed to 77, according to officials
there. Iran's official news agency IRNA reports that 36 men and 16
women lost their lives when the airliner went down.
The Boeing board of directors
accepted the resignation of director William
M. Daley. Daley submitted his request to resign January 7 following
his appointment as U.S. President Barack Obama's chief of
staff.
In late 2010, NASA awarded contracts to three teams —
Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, The Boeing Company — to study advanced concept designs for
aircraft that could take to the skies in the year
2025. At the time of the award, the team gave NASA a sneak peek of
the particular design they plan to pursue.
The Dreamliner
resumed flight test after an electrical panel
on ZA002 caught fire in November. ZA004 took off from Yuma, AZ on a
flight to show that the aircraft could safely jettison fuel, which
would be required before an emergency landing.
The Chinese Government has given final approval to the purchase of 200 Boeing
aircraft worth some $19 billion. China's approval of
airline contracts covers aircraft to be delivered over a three-year
period, 2011-2013. The approval helps Boeing maintain and expand
its market share in the world's fastest growing commercial aircraft
market. Comprised of 737s and 777s, the agreement positively
impacts more than 100,000 jobs including those at Boeing and with
its thousands of suppliers throughout the U.S.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York
approved Mesa Air Group’s Plan of
Reorganization, clearing the way for the
airline’s emergence from Chapter 11. Following a 12-month
restructuring, Mesa said it is set to emerge as a leading regional
air carrier flying primarily larger 70- and 86-seat regional jet
aircraft. Mesa’s creditors overwhelmingly supported the Plan
of Reorganization, which also applies to the eleven wholly owned
subsidiaries of Mesa that filed for Chapter 11 protection.
February
Just a month after saying it was "neutral" on the issue, TSA
Administrator John Pistole said he
will not expand a program which allows
airports to hire private contractors for passenger screening. The
head of the agency said Friday that the program would be shut off
at the current 16 airports which currently have contract
screeners.
There were a lot of proud smiles in Everett, WA, as the 1,000th B767 was unveiled to
hundreds of current employees, joined by Boeing retirees who worked
on the first 767, all of whom had gathered to celebrate the
occasion.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100
Type Certificate was presented by the Russian
Certification Authority IAC AR. The Official Ceremony was held at
the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (IAC AR)
Headquarters in Moscow in the presence of the Minister of Industry
of Russia, Mr. Victor Khristenko.
Boeing
unveiled its new 747-8 Intercontinental.
Approximately 10,000 guests, including customers, Boeing employees,
government officials, partners and suppliers, gathered in the
factory in Everett, WA, to witness the premiere of the
Intercontinental at an event themed "Incredible, Again."
The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) has announced a
significant reorganization which will shift
the focus of the organization to building advocacy and lobbying
capabilities and ensuring thought leadership on legislative and
policy matters.
The FAA informed Southwest Airlines that it has accepted the carrier's transition
plan to combine the operations of Dallas-based
Southwest Airlines and Orlando-based AirTran Airways, following the
financial close of its transaction to acquire AirTran.
The Carolinas Aviation Museum
acquired the “Miracle on the Hudson” Flight
1549 Airbus A-320 airframe from Chartis, a
property-casualty and general insurance company, the organization
announced Friday.
March
Mesa Air Group
emerged from its reorganization under Chapter
11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Mesa and its related
subsidiaries entered bankruptcy protection on January 5, 2010 and
Mesa’s exit from bankruptcy protection in 13 months places it
among the fastest reorganizations in aviation history. Mesa said it
was well positioned to compete aggressively in the regional
aviation industry, having shed inefficient aircraft, significant
debt and extending its partnership with US Airways.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Chicago Mayor Richard
M. Daley, executives from United Airlines and American Airlines and
U.S. Senators Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk
announced a $1.17 billion
agreement that will allow the
O'Hare Modernization Program to move forward, add runway capacity,
and prevent flight delays from growing to unacceptable levels.
Philip Trenary, President and CEO of Pinnacle Airlines Corp.,
decided to
resign his position effective March 24 to
pursue other interests outside the company. Pinnacle Board of
Directors Chairman Donald J. Breeding assumed the role of Interim
CEO until a permanent replacement was found.
Aaron Jason Cope, age 32, of Norfolk, VA, was indicted by a
federal grand jury in Colorado on
one count of operation of a common carrier under the
influence of alcohol. According to the indictment, on
December 8, 2009, Cope unlawfully operated and directed the
operation of an commercial aircraft while under the influence of
alcohol.
Boeing's maxed-out 747-8 Intercontinental successfully began its flight test
program, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, WA,
before several thousand employees, customers, suppliers and
community leaders. The airplane landed four hours and 25 minutes
later at Boeing Field in Seattle.
The first systems for Bombardier's CSeries airliner program were developed and
tested at partners and vendors in Canada, the
United States and Europe prior to delivery to Bombardier's Complete
Integrated Aircraft Systems Test Area (CIASTA). The installation of
the systems rigs at the CIASTA was reportedly progressing on
schedule.
The government in Delhi, India is investigating as many as 4,500
people who
may be flying without proper licenses,
including as pilot-in-command for the airline IndiGo. Air travel
has become increasingly popular, particularly among India's
burgeoning middle class, and airlines have had difficulty hiring
enough pilots to keep up with demand.
The NTSB opened an investigation into an
air traffic control service interruption
incident that occurred at Washington Ronald Reagan
National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia. On March 23, 2011,
between approximately 12:04 am and 12:28 am EDT, an air traffic
control service interruption occurred when two air carrier aircraft
and controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration's Potomac
Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) were unable to establish
contact with the supervisory controller working alone in the DCA
control tower. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt
moved quickly to address the issue of
overnight staffing at control towers.
Stockholders in AirTran Holdings voted overwhelmingly to approve the merger of a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines with and into
AirTran. More than 98.6 percent of the votes cast and 77.5 percent
of shares outstanding were voted in favor of the transaction.
The FAA investigated an incident that occurred on Sunday March
27, 2011 when an air traffic controller in the Central Florida
Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) requested assistance from
an airliner in
checking on a Cirrus SR22 aircraft that had
been out of radio contact for over one hour. The Cirrus was on
course for Kissimmee, FL and maintaining altitude at 11,000 feet.
Air traffic controllers at Jacksonville Center (ZJX) repeatedly
tried to reach the aircraft without success.
The official release of the World Trade Organization ruling
concerning alleged illegal subsidies to the world's two largest
planemakers seems to have done little to clarify the situation, as
both Boeing and Airbus claim the ruling supports their
position.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) said it supported
TSA's new program that will
promote an alternate screening of crewmembers.
The new program, sponsored by the Air Line Pilots Association
(ALPA) and the Air Transport Association (ATA), began testing later
in the year.
April
The National Mediation Board (NMB) granted the Association of
Flight Attendants-CWA's (AFA) request to declare that the
United/Continental merger has created a single transportation
system for the
purposes of Flight Attendant representation.
Over 24,000 Flight Attendants were set to vote for Flight Attendant
union representation at the combined airline.
Representatives from ALPA and ATA met with TSA Administrator
John S. Pistole and received approval from TSA for testing of a new crewmember screening
system. This enhanced identity and employment
verification system for airline pilots will make airport checkpoint
screening more efficient for all who depend on air
transportation.
The FAA
issued an emergency AD for three series of
Boeing's workhorse 737 single aisle airliners. AD 2011-08-51 was
been sent to owners and operators of The Boeing Company Model
737-300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. The emergency AD was
prompted by a report indicating that a Model 737-300 series
airplane experienced a rapid decompression when the lap joint at
stringer S-4L between body station (BS) 664 and BS 727 cracked and
opened up.
FAA administrator Randy Babbitt told a U.S. Congressman that the
agency had uncovered another incident of an of
air traffic controller sleeping on the job.
Representative Tom Latham (R-IA) asked Babbitt directly if there
had been other examples of a controller sleeping on duty after an
incident at Washington Reagan National Airport in which two
airplanes landed without clearance from ATC. "Yes sir, we actually,
I'm disappointed to say, in our investigation, we did find another
incident," Babbitt responded. "And it was, unfortunately,
willful."
While the day's news was soon spiraling all about an emergency
landing executed by a stricken B737-300 that blew out a section of
the fuselage and decompressed in very short order, necessitating an
unplanned landing in Yuma, AZ,
another Boeing 737 undertook an emergency
landing with little fanfare or notice in New
Orleans.
The Air France A380 (F-HPJD) taxiing for takeoff collided with a Comair Bombardier
CRJ-700 (N641CA) taxiing to a gate at JFK
International Airport Monday night, causing the regional jet
to spin violently about 90 degrees. The event was captured on video
at the airport. Sources indicate no one on board either aircraft
was injured.
Capt. Don Wykoff, former ALPA executive administrator, was elected the 17th president of the
International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations
(IFALPA) at the Federation’s 66th annual
conference, held this year in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Wykoff, who has
served as IFALPA’s deputy president since 2010, succeeds
Capt. Carlos Limon of Mexicana Airlines.
NATCA president Paul Rinaldi praised the move made by FAA
Administrator Randy Babbitt and DOT secretary Ray LaHood to increase staffing on overnight shifts at
27 airports around the country. The move came after
the resignation of ATC Chief Hank Krakowski following a growing
number of incidents in which controllers have been caught or
admitted sleeping while on the job on overnight shifts in control
towers.
The respective Unions representing Southwest Airlines and
AirTran Airways Pilots, as well as both Companies signed a
Four-Party Process Agreement that provides for the two pilot groups
to
begin their seniority integration discussions
prior to legal closing of the AirTran acquisition.
Boeing and Aviation Industries Corporation of China (AVIC)
celebrated the
opening of a new factory that doubles the
footprint of their joint venture, Boeing Tianjin Composites Co.,
Ltd.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced new airline
passenger protections that will
require airlines to reimburse passengers for bag
fees if their bags are lost, provide consumers
involuntarily bumped from flights with greater compensation, expand
the current ban on lengthy tarmac delays, and disclose hidden
fees.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
issued a complaint against the Boeing Company,
alleging that it violated federal labor law by deciding to transfer
a second production line to a non-union facility in South Carolina
for discriminatory reasons.
The NTSB has updated its investigation of the April 1, 2011
incident involving Southwest Airlines flight 812, which experienced
a
rupture in the fuselage while in flight. The
Boeing 737-300 registration N632SW, experienced a rapid
depressurization caused by a rupture in the fuselage.
The attorneys general of nine states have written a letter to
the acting general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) calling on the board to
drop its complaint against Boeing. The NLRB
recently filed the complaint charging the planemaker was violating
labor regulations by opening up a non-union assembly facility for
the 787 Dreamliner in right-to-work South Carolina.
May
The French agency charged with investigating aviation accidents
has recovered the
Cockpit Voice Recorder from Air France Flight
447, which went down in the Atlantic Ocean on June 1 2009. The find
follows the recovery of the data module for the
Flight Data Recorder earlier. The data was
determined to be readable after two years under water.
Southwest Airlines has
closed on its purchase of all of the
outstanding common stock of AirTran Holdings, Inc. the former
parent company of AirTran Airways (AirTran).
The FAA proposed a substantial and wide-ranging overhaul of air carrier crew
training. The supplemental Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (SNPRM) addresses comments from the January 2009
proposal and provisions laid out in the Airline Safety and Federal
Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010.
Both Boeing and the European Commission released statements
indicating that the ruling by an appellate body of the WTO vindicates their position on
government subsidies to the planemakers.
The French accident investigating agency BEA released a document
culled from the initial findings from the Air France Flight 447
accident which occurred nearly two year ago. The report indicates
the Airbus
entered a deep stall from which the cockpit
crew was unable to recover.
As part of an ongoing effort to use technology to enhance flight
safety, improve efficiency and protect the environment, Alaska
Airlines
issued iPads to its pilots. The 1 1/2-pound
iPads replace up to 25 pounds of paper flight manuals that pilots
are required to carry when they fly. The iPads were distributed to
all Alaska Airlines pilots
June
The European Union got set to
expand its cap-and-trade scheme for carbon
reductions to airlines serving all EU airports next year, a move
which has drawn protests from the Chinese government. But EU
officials say that the non-European carriers could possibly win
exemptions from the rules. It later defended its
inclusion of non-European airlines in the
emissions plan to require non-EU-flagged airlines to participate
through the purchase of carbon credits, the plan was a topic of
much discussion at the IATA general meeting in Singapore.
Elected officials and representatives from numerous community
and business groups, suppliers and subcontractors joined more than
1,000 Boeing employees at its North Charleston, S.C., facility for
a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the new 787 Dreamliner Final Assembly
building.
Three Montana airports which applied to the TSA for permission
to hire private screeners
were denied earlier this year, and one airport
director says TSOs showed up in uniform at his airport telling
passengers they would be "less safe" if private companies were
permitted to conduct security screening.
Boeing announced plans to
increase the production rate for its
Next-Generation 737 to 42 airplanes per month. Once implemented in
the first half of 2014, the 737 program expects to build on average
two 737s each workday and nearly 500 airplanes each year.
A RusAir Tu-134 airliner
went down on approach to Petrozavodsk airport
in northwest Russia near midnight local time Monday, fatally
injuring 44 people on board. Eight people are said to have survived
the accident, but were seriously injured.
TSA employees across the country elected the American Federation
of Government Employees as their
exclusive union representative with a
8903-8447 vote over the National Treasury Employees Union.
Rolls Royce and Qantas reached an
out-of-court settlement in a case stemming
from the uncontained catastrophic failure of an engine on a Qantas
A380 last November. The airplane returned to Singapore and landed
without further incident.
July
The recent surge in commercial jetliner orders, particularly for
the Airbus A320neo at the Paris Air Show, may be
just the tip of the iceberg as U.S. airlines
reportedly are prepping major fleet upgrades. Fuel economy would
appear to be at the root of the plans to transition out of older
airplanes.
For the first time in Australia's history, the nation's
regulators grounded an entire airline to look into serious
questions about its safety culture. The Civil Aviation Safety
Authority (CASA)
barred Tiger Airlines from operating domestic
flights for a week, but has now determined it will need the rest of
this month to complete its investigation into the safety issues,
and the airline's response to its inquiries.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said it may
have to subpoena documents it has requested from the NLRB relating
to a
complaint against Boeing. The committee has
set July 26th as the deadline for the Labor Relations Board to
produce the requested documents.
United Continental Holdings offered approximately 100 to 200
positions to
pilots currently on furlough from its United
subsidiary to fly aircraft for its Continental subsidiary. The
positions will meet the needs currently anticipated for the
combined company's operation in 2012.
The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) called on
lawmakers to drop proposals to
increase aviation passenger taxes to address
the national debt limit, saying that hiking aviation taxes would
slow economic recovery, further burden customers and cost jobs.
As a result of a lawsuit brought by EPIC, the D.C. Circuit Court
of Appeals has ruled that the
TSA violated federal law when it installed
body scanners in airports for primary screening across the country
without first soliciting public comment.
Industry analysts says Boeing may be taking the success of its
popular 737NG too much for granted, and that the recent surge in
sales for the Airbus A320neo may force the US manufacturer to change its product development
strategy.
American Airlines announced a
massive fleet replacement plan that includes
orders and options for as many as 300 Boeing 737's, and 260 Airbus
A320 family aircraft. AA committed to order a variant of the 737
featuring new, more fuel-efficient engines, pending final airplane
configuration and launch approval of the program by the Boeing
board of directors.
Boeing's new Dreamliner
landed at Wittman Regional Airport. The
airplane, No. ZA001, made one photo pass over the runway before
banking right and coming around on a short final.
August
The FBI said it may have what it describes as a "credible lead"
in the
nation's oldest hijacking case ... a mystery
which has gone unsolved since 1971. It was in that year that a man
calling himself "D.B. Cooper" hijacked an airplane demanding
$200,000. He received the money, and parachuted out of the airliner
as it flew over the Pacific northwest. It turned out not to be true. A necktie
that was said to have belonged to the person calling himself D.B.
Cooper has not produced definitive evidence that L.D. Cooper was
the infamous hijacker.
The re-engined Boeing 737 promised as part of a massive order
with American Airlines will
not necessarily be built in Renton, WA,
according to a statement by Boeing Chief Executive James McNerney
last week. In fact, the executive said it might not even be built
in the Puget Sound region.
The new Boeing 747-8 freighter successfully
completed its certification flight test
program, with two airplanes landing at Paine Field in
Everett, WA. Flight test airplane RC522 completed testing of the
flight management computer (FMC) and RC523 completed function &
reliability (F&R) testing.
An industry group comprised of safety experts, airline industry
officials, and labor representatives has recommended to the United
States Congress that airline pilots
be better trained in manual flying skills, as
well as enhanced leadership skills, and be afforded better access
to advanced simulators.
Boeing received
FAA and EASA certification for the new 747-8
Freighter, passing two of the final landmarks on the airplane's
journey to entry into service. The FAA granted Boeing an Amended
Type Certificate (ATC) and an Amended Production Certificate for
the 747-8 Freighter, while the EASA also granted the company an ATC
for the airplane.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt announced that the agency has approved production of the Boeing 787
Dreamliner. At an event at Boeing’s facility in
Everett, Washington, Administrator Babbitt presented Boeing
executives with two certificates for the design and production of
the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with Rolls-Royce engines.
Boeing and Delta Air Lines announced
an order for 100 Next-Generation 737-900ER (extended range)
airplanes. The order, with a list-price value of more
than $8.5 billion, is part of Delta's fleet renewal effort to
replace its less efficient domestic airplanes.
The question as to whether Boeing will re-engine its workhorse
737 or design a completely new airplane
was finally answered. The company's board of
directors has approved the launch of the new engine variant of the
market-leading 737, based on order commitments for 496 airplanes
from five airlines and a strong business case.
September
Members of the Russian ice hockey team Lokomotiv were among
those fatally injured when the Yak-42 jet they were aboard went down near the city of
Yaroslavl on the Volga River Wednesday. Two people
reportedly survived the accident. As a result, Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev has called for "radical changes" for Russia's civil
aviation system.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure committee passed H.R. 2594, the
European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011.
Committee leadership calls the bill a strong bipartisan response to
EU plans to impose a costly fee on any civil aviation operators
landing in or departing from EU airports.
Boeing
called off the much-ballyhooed celebration for
the delivery of their 1st B747-8... because the customer, Cargolux,
was unhappy.
Boeing and ANA signed the formal documents
completing the contractual delivery of the
first 787 Dreamliner. The signing comes after a series of flights,
inspections and the transfer of funds.
In the probable cause report released concerning the rapid
decompression of an American Airlines B757 departing from Miami on
October 26, 2010, the NTSB says
'incorrect manufacturing' was the source
of an 18x7 inch hole which opened up in the upper fuselage of the
airplane.
October
A federal judge denied a request by ALPA on behalf of United
Airlines pilots to
delay the finalization of the merger of United
and Continental Airlines over an issue regarding the integration of
pilot training procedures.
The FAA was set to propose that the minimum number of hours
required to be an airline First officer be
boosted to 700 hours, which is substantially
higher than the 250 hours under current requirements but less than
half the 1,500 hours proposed by Congress.
Qantas and Airbus finalized a contract for 110 A320 Family
aircraft, to help with the airline’s fleet renewal and
expansion plans in the coming years. The firm order for 78 A320neo
and 32 A320s is the
largest single order in Australian aviation
history by aircraft units and follows a commitment
signed in August.
The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) issued a
statement expressing "disappointment" in response to the preliminary opinion issued by
the Advocate General in the European Court of Justice regarding the
lawsuit challenging the unilateral application of the European
Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to international
aviation.
Boeing and Cargolux Airlines resolved their differences and completed delivery of the first Boeing
747-8 Freighter. Following delivery at the Boeing
Delivery Center at the company's Everett site, the airplane
departed for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the new
freighter will receive its first cargo load, destined for Cargolux
headquarters in Luxembourg.
The DOT gave
final approval to a slot swap proposed by
Delta and US Airways that will mean changes in the number of
flights each airline offers at LaGuardia and Reagan National
airports.
Final assembly of the first Dreamliner slated for delivery to a
domestic airline was
completed by Boeing, finishing the first major
step in the aircraft's production. United Airlines will be the
first North American carrier to take a 787 delivery.
Airbus completed installation of the first Rolls-Royce Trent XWB flight test engine
on its A380 “flying-testbed” aircraft.
After its purchase by Pinnacle Airlines last year, regional
carrier Mesaba Airlines announced that it will be permanently closing its
headquarters in Eagan, MN south of St. Paul and moving
to Memphis, TN. The move is expected to come right after Christmas,
and cost 193 people their jobs. Just over 600 will remain employed
by the airline in Minnesota.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation
prohibiting the implementation of a new
carbon-trading regime for aircraft flying from the U.S. to the
European Union. The legislation, entitled "The European Emissions
Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011" (H.R. 2594), was passed
overwhelmingly.
Labor actions by three different unions were blamed for the fleetwide grounding of a major
international airline. The management of Qantas
announced that "as of 2000 AEDT on Monday 31 October 2011, it will
lock out all employees who are covered by the industrial agreements
currently being negotiated with the Australian Licensed Engineers
Union (ALAEA), the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Australian
and International Pilots Union (AIPA)." The airline was
flying again by mid-afternoon on the 31st.
November
Some spectacular video made the rounds on the Internet of a LOT
767 making a
gear-up landing in Warsaw, Poland. All 230
people on board the airliner were evacuated with no injuries. The
pilot was being
hailed as a hero in his country, and along the
way burnishing the reputation of polish pilots which had suffered
following a 2010 accident in Russia which fatally injured Poland's
President.
After finally getting the first 747-8 freighter off to its new
owners, Boeing wrapped up certification test flights for the passenger version of the stretched jumbo
jet. The final function and reliability tests were
completed by the crew on a flight from Barbados to Everett, WA.
The European Union said it would
proceed with its plan to assess a carbon tax
on airlines operating in European airspace beginning January 1st
despite an ICAO white paper warning of a potential trade war over
the payments. The ICAO document has the backing of the U.S., China,
Japan, and Russia, according to the French news service AFP. It
strongly recommends that the EU exempt non-European carriers from
the rules scheduled to go into effect at the first of the year.
The new 737 family, designated 737 MAX, will be powered by CFM International LEAP-1B
engines with a 68-inch fan diameter. The optimized
engine design will provide the lowest fuel burn and operating costs
in the single-aisle market, the company says.
Airbus said that while pre-Final Assembly Line (FAL) activities
for the A350 XWB composite airliner have started, production of the airplane will be
delayed due to the late availability of some key
composite and detailed parts. The start of the FAL is now scheduled
for the first quarter of 2012. Entry into service is now
rescheduled to first half of 2014.
Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and
Hainan Airlines announced that they will
jointly sue the EU over the tax. The move
follows a joint action taken by the Air Transport Association of
America, American Airlines and United/Continental to block ETS from
taking effect, which was rebuffed in the High Court in London last
year.
Embraer's president of Commercial Aviation Paulo Cesar Souza e
Silva said that the company plans to re-
engine its E-Series regional jetliners and
will not enter into a direct competition with Boeing and Airbus for
a share of the single-aisle narrowbody market. Silva's remarks came
during a news conference at the Dubai Air Show.
Both Airbus and Boeing have released their
market forecasts for the Middle East at the
opening of the Dubai Air Show, and both companies see reasons for
optimism about airline growth in the region.
U.S. House Congressional leaders released a report highlighting
a
decade of TSA mismanagement and failures. The
report, entitled “A Decade Later: A Call for TSA
Reform,” calls for dramatic reform of the nation’s
bloated transportation security agency.
Airbus says it won a total of
211 orders and commitments at the 12th Dubai
Airshow worth $20.5 billion. The order intake includes 135 firm
orders worth US$13.7 billion (130 A320neo and five A380s) and 76
memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth US$6.8 billion.
Boeing officials say the company enjoyed a
highly successful Dubai Airshow, highlighted
by strengthened alliances with partners in the Middle East,
landmark commercial airplane orders, high-level customer engagement
and an unprecedented display of technologically advanced
aircraft.
Boeing basked in the glow of what it says was a history-making week that
resulted in orders and commitments for 359 airplanes.
Boeing said it was reportedly seriously considering closing its modification center in
Wichita, which got the attention of lawmakers and
union leaders in the state.
AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, Inc.
("American") and AMR Eagle Holding Corporation ("American Eagle"),
filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization
paperwork in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the
Southern District of New York.
United Continental Holdings
received FAA approval for a single operating
certificate, marking another significant milestone in
the integration of United and Continental Airlines. The two
carriers went through a rigorous 18-month process of aligning
operating policies and procedures to obtain a single operating
certificate from the FAA.
December
Boeing reached a
tentative agreement with the IAM for a
four-year contract extension that reflects a new era of working
together between the company and its IAM-represented employees. The
deal, which must be ratified by IAM members in Washington, Oregon
and Kansas, provides significant economic gains for workers,
demonstrates Boeing’s long-term commitment to airplane
production in the Puget Sound region. It also announced the 737 MAX
would be built in Renton.
A name change for an established trade association is a fairly
rare occurrence, but in a move is says will better represent its
overall mission, the Air Transport Association
officially changed its name to Airlines for
America.
Following a review with independent experts of what obligations
resulted from the WTO’s ruling, Europe has adopted a course
of action it says addresses all forms of adverse effects, all
categories of subsidies and all models of Airbus aircraft covered
by the WTO report. As a result, Europe
says it has ensured full implementation of the
WTO recommendations and rulings.
Airbus filed a lawsuit in Austin, TX, against Boeing partner
Aviation Partners Inc., claiming its
patent on winglets is invalid, and that the
European planemaker should not have to pay royalties for the
"sharklets" it plans to use on the A320neo aircraft.
A bill introduced in the United States Senate would prohibit
U.S. aircraft operators from participating in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme
(EU ETS).
The 787 Dreamliner
established two world records with the 787
Dreamliner, setting new marks for both speed and distance for the
airplane's weight class.
The NLRB has
closed its case against Boeing filed by the
Machinists union which was fighting the planemaker's plans to
construct 787 Dreamliners in South Carolina, a right to work
state.
Boeing received
certification for the new 747-8
Intercontinental from the FAA. Certification clears
the way for delivery of the new airplane early next year.
Boeing and Southwest Airlines announced a firm order for 150 of
Boeing's re-engined 737 MAX airplanes. Southwest is the first
customer to finalize an order for the 737 MAX and becomes the launch customer for the new-engine
variant.
The final rule
overhauling commercial passenger airline pilot
scheduling was posted to the Federal Register. U.S.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Acting Administrator
Michael Huerta said the new rules in the 314-page document will
ensure pilots have a longer opportunity for rest before they enter
the cockpit.
A report issued by the office of the DOT Inspector General
concludes that the FAA's oversight of air carrier training programs
and pilot performance and proficiency programs "
lacks the rigor needed to identify and track
poor performing pilots and address potential program risks."