Commercial Aviation News

The Federal Aviation Administration has certified two unmanned air vehicles for commercial operations, with the AeroVironment Puma and Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle becoming the first such systems to be allowed to conduct such flights in the USA.

The certifications represent the US regulatory body’s first sustained allowance of UAV usage by private citizens, and the first at all for commercial services. While small UAVs are often flown in the USA, their operations are largely illegal, and the FAA regularly warns and fines operators.

The FAA plans to order inspections of LiveTV in-flight entertainment system radomes on certain Boeing 737NGs, after 26 reports of radomes being cracked due to mishandling during installation or maintenance. In a draft directive published Aug. 5, the FAA says a “lack of dimensional controls” on manufacturing drawings can lead to preload stress on a radome during assembly with the fairing that surrounds it on top of the fuselage.

Although Boeing executives have declared the issue behind them, Poland's LOT is still pursuing compensation claims over delays caused by the four-month 787 grounding earlier this year. The airline appears to be using diplomatic channels to keep pressure on the US manufacturer.

In a 7 August meeting, Poland's Treasury Minister Vladimir Karpinski raised the issue of LOT's claim for compensation from Boeing with US Ambassador to Poland Stephen Mull, the ministry says in a statement. "The US ambassador said that this issue is the subject of talks between the two companies and hope that it will result a proposed solution acceptable to both parties," the statement adds.

IAG, the parent of British Airways and Iberia, on Wednesday placed firm orders and options for up to 220 Airbus A320s, with 120 for its Barcelona-based subsidiary, Vueling. International Airlines Group said the new aircraft would help Vueling to replace some of its existing A320s and expand its business. The planes are to be delivered to Vueling between 2015 and 2020, subject to approval from IAG's shareholders. The airline group, Europe's third-biggest airline by market value, said the Vueling agreement includes 58 options and 62 firm orders for engines, for 30 A320ceo and 32 A320neo. The company also has 100 A320neo options that could be used for any of its airlines.

(Reuters)

A US bankruptcy court judge deferred making a decision on American Airlines' reorganisation plan until at least 29 August, as the court awaits briefs on the impact of a US government challenge to the carrier's proposed merger with US Airways.

Ryanair Passenger Misses Flight After Failing to Pay Extra Baggage Charges

A Ryanair passenger missed his flight after he could not pay the budget airline's £50 surcharge for bringing a duty-free carrier bag on board.

22-year-old Guy Horne offered to leave the whisky bottle, which was a birthday present for his father, behind, but the no-frills carrier still barred him from boarding. The student was left stranded in Spain's Malaga airport with less than £10 to his name, and a £36 bottle of Glenmorangie.

Follow our people as they admire features of our new #A319, including leather seats, inflight entertainment & more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orOKDC-zBJ0&feature=youtu.be

Lufthansa Expected to Place $10bn Order

German flagship carrier Lufthansa is expected to approve an order for approximately 50 wide-body planes next month, valued at over $10 billion at list prices, Reuters has reported.

Aerial turf war brewing in Canada?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01fgwwb

Thanks to Xiamen Airlines for ordering six 787s. Here’s the Dreamliner in Xiamen livery

Boeing and Xiamen Airlines have finalized an order for six 787-8s. Originally announced by Xiamen Airlines in May 2011, the order is valued at $1.3 billion at list prices.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theboeingcompany/9597936757/

Thanks to Xiamen Airlines for ordering six 787s. Here’s the Dreamliner in Xiamen livery

Boeing and Xiamen Airlines have finalized an order for six 787-8s. Originally announced by Xiamen Airlines in May 2011, the order is valued at $1.3 billion at list prices.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theboeingcompany/9597936757/

Ryanair told to cut Aer Lingus stake by Competition Commission

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23860836

WestJet eying big.

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/08/29/westjet-airlines-ltd-pens-deal-to-buy-65-of-boeings-new-737-max-planes/

Big Opps!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2013/08/28/aa-apologizes-mistakenly-added-fuel-fee-to-free-tickets/2721169/

Russia's first civil aircraft produced since the fall of the Soviet Union bagged a clutch of deals with mainly domestic buyers on the first day of the MAKS airshow near Moscow, as the country battles to revive its aircraft industry amid stiff foreign competition. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev pledged at the event on Tuesday to make Russian aircraft more competitive as part of the Kremlin's drive to sell planes worth USD$250 billion by 2025.

But analysts think that target will be tough as the flagship Superjet 100 struggles to recover from delays and a fatal crash on a 2012 test flight in Indonesia due to pilot error. Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier, meanwhile, are predicting strong orders from Russia, where older fleets need replacing and passenger numbers are rising. "To promote Superjet 100s abroad we are implementing a set of measures to support exporters," Medvedev said, according to an Interfax report, as he watched a Superjet in flight as one of the opening acts of the four-day MAKS airshow.

Interest on loan and leasing payments are higher in Russia than abroad, making its products less competitive, he added, without giving details on the planned new measures. Superjet manufacturer Sukhoi signed contracts with leasing firm Ilyushin Finance to deliver 20 of the 100-seater aircraft, of which 15 are destined for customers in South-East Asia and the Middle East. It also signed a delivery contract for six Superjet 100s with Russia's UTair Aviation and the leasing arm of state development bank VEB. To push the Sukhoi jet in international markets, where it is likely to compete mostly with Bombardier and Embraer planes, it struck a deal with the leasing arm of Russian state bank Sberbank.

But the deals were overshadowed for some attendees of the show by the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has appeared in the past to talk up the industry's prospects. Russia is also developing the MS-21, a 150-seater passenger jet built by Irkut which is the country's main attempt to rival planes made by Airbus and Boeing. Irkut on Tuesday signed deals to deliver 52 planes to VEB Leasing and IFC.

INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE

The world's aircraft makers, scenting a major opportunity in replacing Russian fleets, were also touting their wares. "Three of largest replacement markets in the world are the US, Europe and Russia, where many older airplanes need to be phased out and more efficient airplanes brought in," Mike Barnett, managing director, marketing, at Boeing commercial planes told a news conference on Monday. Boeing says it expects air carriers in Russia and the former Soviet states to take delivery of 1,170 planes over the next 20 years at a cost of USD$140 billion.

Airbus, which on Tuesday struck a cooperation deal with Russian industrial conglomerate Rostec, also has buoyant growth forecasts for 2012-2031, expecting Russia to take sixth place globally in terms of new passenger aircraft demand. Driving the market is economic growth, which is contributing to a rise in the number of people flying within Russia - the world's largest country stretching from Vladivostok in the east to Finland to the west - and to international destinations. That in turn is increasing demand for larger planes. But the former Soviet Union is a region where foreign manufacturers already dominate according to Boeing figures which show around 70 percent of fleets consist of Western-built planes as opposed to less than 2 percent in the mid-1990s.

(Reuters)

November 25 trial date set for U.S. challenge to AMR/US Airways merger

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/november-25-trial-date-set-155219262.html

British Airways is expected to deploy Boeing 787s on a new trans-atlantic route to the city of Austin, in Texas, next year. The airline will begin operating the flights from London Heathrow in March 2014. "This new route presents an important opportunity for business growth across the Atlantic, particularly in the thriving technology sector,” says BA's executive vice-president for the Americas, Sean Doyle.

Another new #A380 route! Flying Singapore - Shanghai with @SingaporeAir from 27 October, 2013.

Etihad involves 500 inflight Nannies

Etihad Airways is trying to appeal to familes and thus have launched an on-board child care assistance programme across their long haul flights. It is aimed at helping to take the pressure off parents by entertaining restless children. It'll also ease those younger travellers who are flying alone. This includes serving their meals earlier in the flight, and providing challenges and activities to keep them occupied. Best of all, the service is completely free, with the entire army of nannies to be deployed across Etihad Airways flights by the end of 2013.

Go! Airlines cited as most unreliable airline in America

If you heard the name of an airline with the name go! you would expect it to provide a speedy and efficient service. This however, proves not to be the case. Cited by travel intelligence company Skift as the most unreliable carrier in America, go! was the only airline to have a flight that was chronically delayed for four consecutive months.