Aviation Jobs, Gist and Rumors!: July 2016

Saturday 30 July 2016

Nigeria: Local Airlines Lose N32 Billion to Paucity of Aviation Fuel

Domestic carriers may have lost over N32billion in revenue and additional costs paid for Jet A1 as the price of the product continues to soar owing to its scarcity.

Air France had to scrap 139 long-haul and medium-haul flights on Friday (July 29) at its Charles de Gaulle-Roissy Paris hub on the third day of a strike by flight crew, airport sources said.

Troubles are mounting for regional airline Air Pegasus with lessors approaching the aviation regulator to deregister its planes so that they can take them away. Bangalore-based Air Pegasus, which did not operate a single flight for the second day running on Thursday, has defaulted on payments to leasing companies due to a severe cash crunch. The airline has cancelled flight operations indefinitely, HT reported on Thursday.

New aviation minister Lord Ahmad has announced he will examine the way alcohol is sold at airports amid a spate of incidents on planes involving drunk passengers.

Cameroonian president, Paul Biya, has approved a multi-million dollar bailout for struggling national carrier Camair-Co (QC, Douala) Minister of Transport, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o, told state radio this week.

AirAsia and Jetstar flights narrowly avoid collision at Gold Coast Airport

An investigation is under way into how an AirAsia plane and a Jetstar plane came dangerously close to colliding at Gold Coast Airport on July 21.

Congo Airways (CGA, Kinshasa N'Djili) has secured its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the Congolese civil aviation authority (Autorité de l'Aviation Civile du Congo - AACC).

Kenya Airways mulls debt-to-equity deals to ease pain

Kenya Airways (KQ, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) is considering debt-to-equity deals as one of the possible solutions to its ongoing financial woes. The revelation comes as the struggling carrier's financial standing worsened last week after it reported its fourth straight annual loss.

The US online retail company Amazon will begin field tests for its drone program in the UK rural areas following a breakthrough permission to fly drones outside pilot's line of site, media reported Tuesday.

After news of celebrities sharing praises about a new airline in Malaysia on social media, the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has come forward to announce that it is taking action against the company.

An EgyptAir flight that crashed into the Mediterranean in May likely broke up in midair after a fire erupted in or near the cockpit, the New York Times reported Friday.

An aircraft operated by Dubai’s Emirates headed to Maldives from Dubai made an emergency landing in Mumbai on Tuesday afternoon after smoke was detected in the cockpit and cabin, Indian media outlets have reported.

State-run Turkish Airlines has fired more than 100 employees, including management and cabin crew, as part of a purge at state institutions to root out supporters of an abortive coup.

IFALPA president Martin Chalk, an Airbus A380 captain, spoke with AIN at the recent Farnborough Airshow.
(Photo: Ian Whelan)

Airlines can strike a balance between safety and productivity on their flight decks by instituting fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) as an overlay to flight-time regulations and company policies. Such systems require a “just culture,” a working environment in which pilots can provide feedback without fear of punishment, says the president of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA).

The Solar Impulse II aircraft has successfully completed its annual flight around the world, fuelled solely by the sun.

Arik alerts travelers of severe aviation fuel scarcity

Arik Air on Friday alerted air travelers of severe aviation fuel (Jet A1) scarcity which may hamper flight operations. The airline said the scarcity became evident few days ago when oil marketers started rationing supply to airlines owing to limited stock at the depots.

The biggest news out of this year's Farnborough International Airshow has nothing to do with jet orders. Midway through the global gathering, Airbus had outscored Boeing, 223 orders to 121. But ritualistic order-upmanship at the aviation industry confab outside London is at best a narrow window on current market trends.

Airbus and rival Boeing Co. spent the week adding to their backlogs at the Farnborough International Airshow, combining for more than $60 billion in orders and commitments at list prices during the trade portion of aviation’s biggest event of the year.

Harare– The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the African Union Commission (AU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand strategic cooperation to foster economic and social development on the continent with the benefits of safe, efficient and sustainable air transport.IATA represents some 260 airlines accounting for 83 percent of global air traffic. The industry already supports 6,8 million jobs and generates $72,5 billion of economic activity on the continent.

Boeing [NYSE: BA], South African Airways (SAA) and low-cost carrier Mango today celebrated Africa's first passenger flights with sustainable aviation biofuel. The flights coincided with Boeing's 100th anniversary and centennial celebrations worldwide.

Newcomers From China, Russia Want a Piece of Aviation Market

China and Russia are making their presence felt in the multibillion-dollar aviation market.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS RAKES IN THE AWARDS FOR BRAND AWARENESS, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

South African Airways (SAA) has raked in a number of awards confirming its position as the leading airline on the African continent when it comes to brand recognition and innovative product offering.

Six pilots of IndiGo have come under the scanner of aviation regulator DGCA for allegedly taking pictures in the cockpit with family members.

Days after it announced an investment in South America's LATAM Airlines Group, Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int'l) says it has now signed a contribution and shareholders agreement with Alisarda, the parent company of Italian operators, Meridiana fly (IG, Olbia) and Air Italy (I9, Milan Malpensa).

Emirates named world's best airline in 2016 Skytrax awards

The world's best airline for 2016 is Emirates, according to a survey of millions of airline passengers conducted by Skytrax.

Father-Daughter Team Turns Old Airplane Into a Clubhouse

If you thought airplanes were just for flying, think again.

A father-daughter team in the U.K. has re-purposed an old Airbus A320, converting it into the first of what they hope will be many "Aeropods."

Using an old airplane that would have otherwise been sent to the garbage, the pair's company, DappR Aviation, created a livable and versatile outdoor space.

Though their first Aeropod has been designed to function as a garden room, complete with aviation-inspired furniture, the pods can be turned into anything from a playroom, to a home gym, the ultimate man cave, or even a sauna. According to the team, the possibilities are endless.

But they don’t come cheap. These one-of-a-kind clubhouses are currently going for £22-25,000, or roughly $28-32,500.

The idea for these airplanes-turned-pods came as the result of the collaboration between David Palmer, an aviation enthusiast and his daughter, Emily, a furniture designer.

“It was a huge leap of faith to buy our first plane but we’re delighted with the result -- we think it looks stunning,” David Palmer said.

The airplane used for this first project has operated across the world under various airlines over the years. The plane took her last flight to the U.K. in November 2014 and still bears her AtlasJet branding.

This is the first Aeropod the father-daughter team created and it has yet to be purchased.

(culled from abcnews.go.com)

Rumored SA Airlink “Hijacked” Plane Finally Lands

The South African Civil Aviation Authority has cleared the air on the supposedly hijacked SA Airlink plane which disappeared from its controls mid day today.

At least three flights in Indonesia reported “disturbances” on Saturday (July 9) after almost coming into contact with giant balloons released into the air as part of Idul Fitri celebrations, a news website reported.

As airlines and airports increasingly become targets of cyber attacks, the EU’s aviation safety agency has urged taking cyber threats “seriously” by launching a common strategy.

Straightening out costly and disruptive kinks in its production processes is a key priority for Airbus in 2016. As the first half of the year came to a close, the European airframer appeared to be making some progress on issues that have dogged both its A350XWB and A320neo programs.

CAE announces today at the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow a series of contracts, including long-term training agreements with airlines in Asia as well as the sale of 9 full-flight simulators (FFSs) to commercial airlines, aircraft manufacturers and operators worldwide.

A grand unveiling of the Irkut MC-21-300 on June 8 established a relatively firm project timeline for the 160- to 212-seat narrowbody, and marked a measure of vindication for what many in the West have disparaged as a fringe project.

CFM International (Outdoor Exhibit 22) is preparing its support network for the entry into service of its new Leap series of engines with six customers this year.

British engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce (R-R) is “really happy” with good Trent XWB-97 performance results that have generated a “high confidence of achieving targets.” By mid-June, test engines had completed more than 1,350 hours and 1,950 cycles, built “upon the solid foundation of Trent XWB-84,” said head of marketing Tim Boddy.

Delta Plane Mistakenly Lands at South Dakota Air Force Base

More than 100 Delta passengers on board a flight bound for Rapid City, South Dakota got an unexpected surprise Thursday night when their plane mistakenly landed at an Air Force Base, about five miles north of the aircraft's intended target.

Global airline passenger traffic increased 4.6 percent in May, slower than expected, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported last week.

The Israeli prime minister's office says pieces of wreckage believed to be from the EgyptAir plane that crashed in May have been found on the coast of Israel.

An MQ-9 Reaper drone operated by the U.S. Air Force has crashed in northern Syria, though there is no evidence that the aircraft was shot down, military officials say. There have been no reports of injuries.

Ghanian Aviation workers to begin strike on Friday

Mr Simon Allotey, the Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority

Workers of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) will from Friday, July 8, 2016 withdraw partial services provided at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

Virgin Australia says its low-cost unit Tigerair Australia will become an all Boeing 737 operator within three years as part of fleet simplification efforts at the airline group.

Experts investigating the EgyptAir plane crash in May need more time to analyze and match the information gathered before they can reach “very basic conclusions,” the Egyptian-led investigative committee said on Tuesday.

Air India taken to court over hiring pilots who flunked psych test

Air India is recruiting pilots who failed in psychometric test in the first attempt, alleges a petition filed before the Kerala High Court.

While Boeing continues to express confidence in its ability to smoothly manage the transition between the current-generation 777 and the new 777X, one of the keys to its success hangs on preparation for a new automation process that has proved every bit the challenge some had anticipated. In fact, while speaking with a group of reporters recently BCA vice president of 777 and 777X operations Jason Clark characterized the learning process associated with the move to a fuselage automated upright build, or FAUB, as “really hard.”

Having now flown close to 300 test flights with four flight test airplanes, Boeing says its 737 Max 8 program remains firmly on schedule as company engineers work to close testing on the first airplane by the end of September. Scheduled for certification and entry into service with Southwest Airlines during the third quarter of 2017, Boeing executives say that as well as living up to its “Right at First Flight” mantra, the program has also executed a virtually flawless flight test campaign.

ATR (Chalet B25) and Elbit (Hall 1, Stand A100) are collaborating to develop new optional equipment for improved safety in poor visibility, using a wearable display. The system combines infrared-based enhanced vision with flight parameters. Compared to a conventional head-up display (HUD), a benefit of the ski goggle-shaped device is the greater field of view. Certification is expected in the summer of 2017.

Information from the flight's cockpit voice recorder suggests the pilot tried to extinguish a fire in the cockpit before the plane crashed

Saturday 30 July 2016

Friday 29 July 2016

Wednesday 27 July 2016

Saturday 16 July 2016

Friday 15 July 2016

Wednesday 13 July 2016

Tuesday 12 July 2016

Saturday 9 July 2016

Thursday 7 July 2016

Wednesday 6 July 2016