General Aviation/Helicopter News

Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland (LTAI), a Lufthansa unit, is considering closing, Lufthansa's maintenance division said on Friday. LTAI - a jet engine overhaul facility in Rathcoole, south of Dublin, with 400 employees - will begin immediate negotiations with three unions and employee representatives, it said in a statement. The decision follows an extensive review of operations at LTAI, in the context of declining revenues and shrinking international market opportunities, it said.

(Reuters)

Court approval is still required but American Airlines and US Airways Group have now been cleared to join forces after pledging to lose numerous high-value US airport slots, it's been reported. The merger, which would create the largest airline in the world, had previously been contested by the US Government, which argued it would stifle competition and increase the price of air fares.

For the rotorheads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_35146K1rg

Merger between American Airlines and US Airways is official. January 7th, 2014 is the date set of the new American to take off as the world's largest airline.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCPOuV7bshQ

KoreanAir and Boeing have started construction of a aviation training center at Incheon’s Free Economic Zone.

China sent several fighter jets and an early warning aircraft into its new air zone over the East China Sea, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday, raising the stakes in a standoff with Japan, the United States and South Korea.

Lufthansa Technik is in early stage talks with Cloud Investment Partners about a possible takeover of its Dublin air maintenance plant, according to a report in The Irish Times. The exploratory talks with the aviation investment specialist come at a key time for the 400 employees of the Lufthansa Technik Airmotive plant at Rathcoole in south Dublin which is threatened with closure.

Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Monday there was no change to Japan's policy of not notifying Chinese authorities when its commercial aircraft fly through China's new air identification zone.

Asked if the Japanese government planned to alter its earlier request to domestic air carriers that they not notify China of their flight plans, Suga said, "Our stance won't be changed." Japan Airlines and ANA earlier said they had made no change to their plans of not notifying China of their flight plans for aircraft flying through the zone.

(Reuters)

Airbus is clearly happy today...

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved a deal for American Airlines to transfer 17 slot pairs at New York LaGuardia airport to Southwest Airlines and Virgin America. Southwest would keep five pairs that it already leases from American and receive six additional pairs for new service at New York’s close-in airport, while Virgin America would receive six pairs in order to begin service to LaGuardia. (FG)

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved a deal for American Airlines to transfer 17 slot pairs at New York LaGuardia airport to Southwest Airlines and Virgin America. Southwest would keep five pairs that it already leases from American and receive six additional pairs for new service at New York’s close-in airport, while Virgin America would receive six pairs in order to begin service to LaGuardia. (FG)

Bond Air Services has temporarily grounded its fleet of 22 Eurocopter EC135T2 and P2 helicopters after an unspecified fault was discovered yesterday on a model operated for North-West Air Ambulance.

A look at two helicopters from Eurocopter as they are confident of gaining certification for both its EC175 and EC145T2 helicopters in the first half of 2014.

The US aerospace industry expects sales to grow modestly in 2014, helped by the civilian sector, after a relatively flat performance in 2013 under the shadow of budget cutbacks, the industry's chief trade group said on Wednesday. The Aerospace Industries Association forecast sales of USD$232.1 billion in 2014. That is up from USD$220.1 billion this year, which in turn will be down slightly from USD$222 billion in 2012. Civil aircraft sales are seen rising to USD$72.1 billion in 2014, up from USD$67.0 billion this year.

US aerospace exports grew by USD$12.5 billion this year, resulting in a USD$73.5 billion balance of trade for the industry, up from USD$65.7 billion in 2012, the AIA said in its annual report. Export growth is forecast for the next several years due to a large backlog of civil aircraft orders. Industry employment is forecast to have declined by 13,000 jobs to a total of 618,200.

US budget cuts, including the across-the-board cutbacks known as sequestration, are "clearly hurting our industry's skilled and professional workforce and ultimately may stifle US global competitiveness," the group said. The association said its major concern is erosion of the industry through further federal budget cuts called for until 2021 - about USD$1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, of which USD$500 billion would be absorbed by military spending.

(Reuters)

Eurocopter is being out-played by its rivals in the medium-weight class, according to the airframer's chief executive, although he believes the arrival of its new 7.5t EC175 next year will reverse its fortunes in the segment.

FAA on aerial drones...


The US FAA took a step toward opening the skies to aerial drones on Monday, approving six sites where unmanned aircraft can be tested for a variety of uses. The Federal Aviation Administration already had approved limited use of drones in the US for law enforcement, surveillance, atmospheric research and other applications. But Monday's move will give companies, universities and other entities locations at which to test much broader use, such as crop spraying, catching exotic-animal poachers or delivering packages.

"It provides the platform for this research to be carried out on a very large scale across the country," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told reporters. The first test site is expected to be open in six months and the sites will operate at least until February 2017. The FAA said the test sites will be developed by the University of Alaska, the state of Nevada, Griffiss Airport in New York state, the North Dakota Department of Commerce, Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, which includes locations in New Jersey.

The FAA is required to write initial rules governing commercial operation of drones by 2015. The test sites will operate longer, allowing rules to evolve with further testing, Huerta said. Drones are smaller and less costly alternatives to manned aircraft, and are a growing business for aerospace companies such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and AeroVironment. Beyond military capabilities, they also offer uses to businesses and researchers. Amazon recently unveiled plans for drones to deliver small packages to homes. Global spending on unmanned aircraft will almost double to USD$11.6 billion a year by 2023, according to the latest estimate by aviation and aerospace industry research firm Teal Group.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), an industry group, estimates the industry could contribute more than USD$80 billion to the US economy over a decade and create more than 100,000 jobs. But the vehicles also have raised privacy and safety concerns, since they could be used for spying or could interfere with already crowded airspace. The FAA chose the six sites from 25 applications it received from 24 states. "These test sites will give us valuable information about how best to ensure the safe introduction of this advanced technology into our nation's skies," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. Huerta said the FAA would first address the use of drones in small civil applications and expected to issue a proposed rule in early 2014.

(Reuters)

1 January 2014 marked exactly 100 years since the birth of commercial aviation. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) invites everyone with an interest in aviation to join a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary and take part in a conversation about what needs to happen to make the next 100 years even more momentous.

Heathrow comes out ahead on twitter followers

No other airport has more Twitter followers than London Heathrow, according to the results of a recent study. More than 194,000 people currently follow the UK's flagship airport on the online social media platform, solterbeck.net's Twittairport study showed.

Apparently 2013 was the Safest Year for Commercial Aviation in the last decade

Commercial airline fatalities dipped significantly in the year of 2013. The sharp dip in fatality figures thus made last year the safest ever in the past decade for commercial air travel. A total of 17 airline accidents caused 224 deaths in 2013, as opposed to an annual average of 27 accidents and 703 fatalities during the years between 2003 to 2012.