News Desk

The Fears Were Certainly Credible, Given That Oil Broke Past the Us$140 (a$145) a Barrel Mark on June 26, Sending Airline Share Prices Around the World Lower and Raising Further Concerns Over the Viability of a Number of Start-up Carriers Around the World Which Have in Recent Years Placed Large Orders With Boeing and Airbus.

However, Cancellations Could Open Up Slots for Other Airlines Which Require More Fuel Efficient Aircraft, Particularly Those in North America. American Airlines Has Recently Said That It Would Seek to Speed Up Delivery of Boeing 737-800s to Replace More Than 300 Md-80s Which It is Retiring.

Boeing Ponders New 777 Instead of 787-10

Boeing is Reportedly Re-evaluating Whether to Push Ahead With the 787-10 Stretch to the 787 or to Launch a New Aircraft Line Which Would Eventually Replace the 777.

Boeing Ceo Scott Carson Has Indicated That Instead of Stretching the 787 That the Manufacturer Could Instead Develop a Range of Airliners Which Would Offer Up to 425 Seats and Plug Any Gaps Between the 787-9 and 747-8 Intercontinental.

Boeing Had Previously Suggested It Would Build a 300-seat Stretch of the 787, Dubbed the 787-10 “at Some Point in the Future. ” a Number of Airlines Including Qantas and Emirates Have Put Pressure on Boeing to Launch the Stretched 787, but Boeing Has Been Hesitant to Do So, Mostly as It May Cannibalise the Market for the 777. Delays in the 787 Flight Program and Design of the Derivative 787-9 and 787-3 Are Also Diverting Significant Resources Away From Design Work on the 787-10.

The Manufacturer Would Also Face the Choice of Possibly Having to Choose Between Designing and Bringing to Market a New Heavy Twin or a Replacement for the 737. Work on a New Narrow Body Has Already Been Suspended, With a Launch of a Successor to the World’s Most Sold Aircraft Now Not Likely to Hit the Market Until Sometime Late in the Next Decade.

Ge Mulling Return to Turboprops General Electric is Reportedly Examining a Possible Return to Manufacturing Turboprop Engines for Regional Airliners and Could Challenge Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Dominance of the Market.

According to a Report in ‘flight International’, Ge Infrastructure President and Ceo John Rice Confirmed That the Manufacturer Was Currently Evaluating the Market for Turboprops. He Also Said That Growth in This Area is What Led Ge to Purchase Czech-based Piston and Turboprop Manufacturer Walter Engines Last Year, and That Any Return to This Market Would Be Through Walter. Walter Currently Manufactures Turboprop Engines for the Czech-made Let 410 and L-420 Aircraft.

Ge Produced the Ct7 Turboprop to Power the Saab 340 and 2000, Both of Which Ended Production in 1999. Since Then, Ge Has Focused on Large Jet Engines for Widebodies, Such as the Ge90 and the New Genx Which Powers the Boeing 787.

Ge Could Possibly Leverage Its Strong Relationship With Embraer as the Platform for a New Range of Turboprop Engines. Ge is Currently the Only Engine Supplier to Embraer’s Line of E-jets, and the Brazilian Manufacturer Has Been Considering Launching a New Turboprop Regional Airliner, as High Fuel Prices Have Killed Off Demand for Its Smaller 35 and 50-seat Erj Regional Jet Range.

Power on! 787

Takes First Breaths Boeing’s First 787, Dreamliner One, Has Achieved Power on for the First Time, Breathing Life Into a Program Which Has Been Becalmed Due to Program Delays of More Than 15 Months Caused by Ongoing Supply Chain Problems.

The Important Milestone, Which Saw Electrical Power Applied to All the Aircraft’s Critical Systems in a Staged Process Over Several Days, Means the Program Can Now Progress Towards a Long Series of Ground Tests Known as Gauntlet Testing Where the Aircraft’s Systems Are Manipulated as if in Flight, Before First Flight is Performed in the Fourth Quarter.

“We Are Very Methodical in Ensuring the Integrity of the Airplane’s Systems,” Boeing’s Vice President and General Manager of the 787 Program, Pat Shanahan Said in a Statement. “in Completing the Power on Sequence, We Have Verified Both That the Electrical Power Distribution System is Installed as Designed and That It Functions as Intended. ” the Sequence Commenced in Mid June With the Aircraft’s Flight Deck Displays, and Was Gradually Migrated to Other Areas of the Aircraft.

“the Team Has Made Great Progress in Bringing the Bold Innovation of the 787 to Reality,” Shanahan Added. “There is Plenty of Work to Be Done Between Now and First Flight, but With Every Step Forward We Grow More and More Confident. ” Dreamliner One, Also Known as Za001, Was Temporarily Moved Out of Its Everett Assembly Hall on June 20 So That Fatigue Test Article Zy998 Could Be Moved Three Doors Down to Its Test Rig in a Corner of the 767 Assembly Hall. Flight Test Aircraft Za002 and Za003 Were Then Moved Up Into Their Assembly Places, While the Major Components of the First Fully Supplier-furnished Za004 Were Due to Arrive at Everett in a Modified 747-400 Dreamlifter by the End of the Month.

Airbus “on Track” With Cost Saving Plan Airbus’s Parent Company Eads Says That It is Still Working on a Number of Additional Cost Savings at the Manufacturer and May Not Have the Final Plan Ready by the Northern Summer as Had Been Expected.

Despite the Apparent Delay in Announcing Where the Savings Will Come From, Eads Ceo Louis Gallois Said That the Company is “on Track” to Meet Its Target of Making an Additional €2. 1bn (a$3. 4bn) in Savings by 2010, and Had Hoped to Announce the Cost Cutting Measures in the Second Quarter of This Year. Gallois Told Reporters at a Media Luncheon on June 18 That the Plans “will Be Ready When Its Ready”, Adding, “i’m Not Going to Let My Calendar Be Influenced by Pressure From Outside the Company. ” the Cost Savings Come on Top of Airbus’s Long Running Power8 Program, Which Was Aimed at Reducing Costs at the Company to Combat the Effects of the Depreciation of the Us Dollar. A Number of Key Initiatives in This Program, Such as the Sale of Sites in Germany and France, Have Previously Fallen Through.

Nevertheless, the Company is Confident That It Will Conclude the Sale of One of Its German Plants for Which It Has Announced a Thales/diel Joint Venture as the Preferred Bidder.

Gippsland Launches Next Generation Nomad Gippsland Aeronautics Will Restart Production of the Gaf N24 Nomad After Purchasing the Type Certificate From Boeing Australia.

“the Nomad Has a Bright Future,” Said David Withers, President of Boeing Australia Limited. “we’re Delighted With Gippsland’s Plan to Continue Providing Outstanding Support to Existing Customers While Greatly Expanding the Market for This Remarkably Versatile, Australian-designed Aircraft. ” Gippsland Will Manufacture the Nomad at Its Latrobe Airport Facility Alongside the Popular Ga-8 Airvan. The New Nomad Will Feature a Glass Cockpit and Be Powered by Two Rolls-royce 250b17f Engines Driving Lightweight Hartzell Propellers, and is Expected to Have Lower Acquisition and Running Costs Compared to the Competing Dornier 228 and Dhc 6-400 Twin Otter.

The Nomad Was Originally Designed in the 1960s as a Short Takeoff and Landing (Stol) Utility Aircraft for Both Civil and Military Use in Two Versions – the 13 Seat N22 and 17 Seat N24, of Which a Total of 170 Were Sold Before Production Ended in 1984. It is Believed That There Are Currently Over 50 Nomads Still in Service Around the World.

Boeing Obtained the Type Certificate via Its Acquisition of Rockwell in 1999. Rockwell Had Previously Acquired Aerospace Technologies of Australia (Asta) Which Was Previously Known as the Government Aircraft Factories (Gaf).

Gippsland Aeronautics Estimates That There is a Worldwide Demand for 400 Nomads Over the Next Ten Years, With Most of the Demand to Come From Southeast Asia. Gippsland Has Already Secured Two Letters of Intent From Curry Kenny Aviation on the Sunshine Coast and Airfreight Solutions in Bathurst.

787 Ready for Power-on the First Boeing 787 Started a Number of Electrical Systems Tests Last Week Ahead of Its Scheduled ‘power-on’ Later This Month, Raising Hopes That the Thrice-delayed Aircraft Will Start Its Flight Test Program Either on or Ahead of Schedule.

Dreamliner One, Dubbed Ap1, Started the ‘gauntlet Tests’ Which Will Evaluate the Entire Systems Performance of the Aircraft. The 787 Features a Number of New Electrical System Features, Including a New Electrical Engine Start System. The Systems Tests Are Expected to Take Up to Two Weeks, After Which the Aircraft Will Be Readied for a First Flight in Either Late October or Early November, Ahead of Deliveries to Customers From the Third Quarter of 2009.

In Other 787 News, Boeing Has Concluded the Purchase of Vought Aircraft Industries’s 50 Per Cent Stake in Global Aeronáutica, a Major 787 Sub-assembly Plant in South Carolina.

“as a Partner in the Global Aeronáutica Joint Venture With Alenia North America, Boeing Looks Forward to Applying Its Proven Lean Manufacturing Expertise to Enhance the Efficiency and Productivity of the Facility’s Operations and Ensure the Timely Delivery of High Quality Assemblies to Our Everett, Washington Facility,” Said Pat Shanahan, Vice President and General Manager of the 787 Program.

A350 Puts on Weight

Airbus Has Told Customers at a Program Performance Review of the A350 in Late May That the Forthcoming Airliner’s Maximum Takeoff Weight Has Increased.

The Manufacturer Has Raised the Maximum Takeoff Weight of the A350’s Three Variants by Three Tonnes to Ensure They Meet Promised Payload/range Targets. The Increases Could Affect the Expected Fuel Efficiency of the Aircraft, Although Some Airline Sources Believe That This Would Be Minimal, With Emirates President Tim Clark Telling ‘flight International’ That the Increase Was “manageable at the Moment”.

Reports Last Month Claimed That the A350 Was Up to Eight Tonnes Overweight. Airbus Has Admitted That the Aircraft is Currently Above Its Targeted Empty Weight but That It Has Been Working to Reduce the Weight of the Aircraft.

Third Time Lucky for Airbus in Site Sales?

Despite Failing Twice to Sell Production Facilities in Germany and France,  Airbus Has Selected a Joint Venture Between Diel and Thales as Its Preferred Bidder for the Manufacturer’s Facility in Laupheim, Germany.

The Plant in Laupheim, Which Manufactures Cabin Lining, Air Ducts and Compartments for the Whole Airbus Line, Employs Over 1100 People and Will Also Have a Major Role in Supplying the A350 Xwb.

Airbus Says That It Hopes to Quickly Seal the Sale With Thales/diel. The Company Has Recently Been Forced to Abandon the Sale of Other Sites in Germany and France Due to Financing Issues With Companies Including Latecoere and Mt Aerospace.

Airbus Has Been Pursuing the Sales as Part of Its Power8 Cost Reduction Program.

Commercial Briefs

the Chinese Government Has Approved the Merger of China Aviation Industry Corporation I (Avic I) and China Aviation Industry Corporation Ii (Avic Ii). The Two State-owned Companies Are Expected to Merge by the End of July.

Problems Ramping Up Production at German Galley Manufacturer Sell Are Leading to Delays of Up to a Month for Boeing 777-300ers Destined for Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Airbus Has Shipped Its First Sections of an A320 From Hamburg to Tianjin, China, for Final Assembly There. Assembly of the A320 Will Begin in August and the First Will Be Delivered to Sichuan Airlines in the First Half of 2009.

the Sukhoi Superjet 100 Resumed Flight Testing on June 22 After Conducting Fuselage Pressure Tests.

Xi’an Aircraft Industry Rolled Out Its First Ma600 Turboprop on June 29, an Improved Version of the 50/60-seat Ma60 Which is Itself a Development of the Antonov an-26. The Ma600 is Expected to Enter Service Next Year, and Xiac Forecasts a Worldwide Demand for 300 Aircraft Over the Next 10 Years.

Boeing is Investigation Using Manganese-lithium Ion Batteries on the 787 as Part of the Main and Auxiliary Power Supplies of the Aircraft. The Manufacturer is Considering the New Batteries Due to Concerns About the Service Life of Regular Lithium Ion Batteries.

Embraer Has Delivered Its 400th E-jet, an E-175 Operated by Republic Airlines in the United States. The 300th E-jet Was Delivered in October 2007.

Airbus Has Named Its Second Roll-on-roll-off Seagoing Vessel ‘city of Hamburg’. The Ship is Used to Transport Wing and Fuselage Sections of the A380 From Germany, Spain, and the Uk to the French Port of Bordeaux for Road Transport to Toulouse.

Boeing’s Third Dreamlifter Took to the Air Two Weeks Ago After the Modified 747-400 Completed Its Conversion With Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation in Taiwan. The Aircraft is Expected to Be Delivered Back to Boeing in the Next Few Weeks, and Will Be Operated by Evergreen International Airlines Carrying Sections of the 787 to Final Assembly.

Bombardier Aerospace Raised Its Earnings Before Interest and Tax for the Quarter Ending April 30 by 83 Per Cent to Us$206m (a$215m) on Revenues of Us$2. 4bn (a$2. 5bn). The Manufacturer Received 118 Net Orders for the Quarter, Consisting of 58 Business Jets, 28 Commercial Aircraft and One Cl-415 Amphibian.

Airbus Has Reportedly Told Customers That It Will Increase the Maximum Takeoff Weight for All Models of Its Forthcoming A350 Xwb by Three Tonnes to Ensure the Aircraft Can Achieve Its Promised Payload/range Figures. The Manufacturer Has Reportedly Missed the Previously Quoted Weight Figures of 245t, 265t and 295t for the A350-800, -900 and -1000 Respectively.

Sales

All Nippon Airways Has Ordered Three Bombardier Dash 8-q400 Netgen Turboprops.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines Has Ordered Two Boeing 737-800s With Options for Another Two.

Brazilian Regional Carrier Trip Linhas Aereas Has Ordered Five Embraer E-175s and Has Taken Options for 10 and Purchase Rights for Another 15 E-jets.

Air Astana of Kazakhstan Has Ordered for Six Airbus A320s.

Saudi Arabian Airlines is Acquiring 12 Boeing 787s and Eight Airbus A330-300s, According to Reports.

Italian Carrier Air One Has Ordered 12 Airbus A330-200s and 12 A350s.

Romanian Carrier Blue Air Has Ordered 3 Boeing 737-900ers.

Military

Farewell 707

the Raaf’s Last Operational 707 Tanker Transport Was Retired From Service at a Ceremony at Raaf Base Richmond on June 30.

The Aircraft, A20-624 ‘city of Richmond’, Commemorated the Event by Conducting Its Last Passenger Flight With Current and Former Serving Members and Their Families Over Raaf Williamtown, Sydney Airport, Sydney Harbour and Over Richmond, and Then One More Final Flight Consisting of Two Passes Over the Official Retirement Parade.

The Parade Was Hosted by the Outgoing Commanding Officer of 33sqn, Wgcdr Lindley ‘jim’ Ghee and Was Attended by the New Air Commander Australia (Acaust), Avm Mark Skidmore, and the Commander of Air Lift Group, Aircdre Brian ‘jack’ Plenty. The Parade Also Commemorated the Winding Up of 33sqn at Raaf Richmond and the Handing Over of Command of the ‘new’ 33sqn, Which Stood Up at Raaf Amberley on July 1 in Preparation for the Arrival of the New Kc-30b Tankers Next Year, to Wgcdr Guy Gibson.

The Aircraft, Along With Two Previously Retired 707s, as Well as 285sqn’s 707 Simulator Which Was Retired on June 25, Will Be Bought by a Private Company, Believed to Be Omega Air, for Its Leased Tanking Service for Us and Other Air Arms.

Hornets Gain More Sting

the Raaf’s Fleet of F/a-18a/b Hornets Gained a New Level of Potency Recently With the Declaration of Operational Capability of the Aircraft’s New Gps-guided Jdam Bombs.

The Capability to Employ Jdams and the Weapons Themselves Were Acquired Under Project Air 5409, a Side Element of the Larger Hornet Upgrade Program (Hug).

“these Upgrades to the F/a-18 Hornet Will Provide the Royal Australian Air Force With Leading-edge Technology, Ensuring the Hornet’s Continued Ability to Operate as Australia’s Frontline Fighter Aircraft,” Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon Said in a Statement. “the Jdam ‘smart Bomb’ Will Provide the Air Force With Greatly Improved Accuracy and Weapon Effectiveness, Reducing the Likelihood of Collateral Damage During Offensive Operations. ” the Raaf Has Also Flown Its First Hornet Fitted With the New Raytheon an/alr-67(V)3 Radar Warning Receiver (Rwr) and Its Associated Equipment After a Successful Test Campaign Wrapped Up at the Us Navy’s China Lake Test Range Earlier This Year.

The Alr-67(V)3 Was Selected Under Phase 2. 3 of the Air 5376 Hug Program, and Was Acquired in Late 2006 After the Previously Selected Bae Systems an/alr-2002 Was Deemed as Being Unsuitable in the Fast Jet Environment. Along With the Rwr Sensors Themselves, the $700 Million Phase 2. 3 Will Also See a New Saab Bol Countermeasures Dispenser System (Cmds) Added to the Outer Wing Pylons of the Aircraft, the Addition of an Externally Carried Elta El-l-8222 Jamming Pod, and Various Cockpit, Data Recorder, and Maintenance and Support Enhancements.

Bae Acquisition of Tenix Defence Finalised

the Terms of the Acquisition of Tenix Defence by Bae Systems Australia Have Been Finalised After Receiving Government Go-ahead.

The $775 Million Agreement Which Was Announced in January Will See the Creation of Australia’s Largest Defence Company With More Than 550 Employees and Annual Sales of More the $1. 2 Billion. “this Transaction Significantly Enhances the Depth and Breadth of Our Capabilities in Australia,” Bae Systems Australia’s Ceo, Jim Mcdowell, Said in a Statement. “it Adds a Major Naval Business to Our Portfolio and Significantly Increases Our Land Capability. ” “our Strategic Intent Had Been to Foster International Growth for Tenix’s Defence Businesses,” Added Tenix Group Md and Ceo, Greg Hayes. “so the Sale to Baes, With Its Scale, Depth of Production and Experience, Will Certainly Help to Achieve This Objective. ” the Approval From Government Was Conditional on the Deal Passing a Foreign Investment Review Board Review, and on Bae Agreeing to a Deed Which Will Prevent It From Acquiring Asc if and When It is Offered for Sale by the Commonwealth.

Billion Dollar Capital Works Approved

About $1. 1 Billion Worth of Upgrade Works to Adf Facilities Have Been Approved by Parliament.

The Works Will Include $64. 2 Million for Wedgetail Aew&c Support Facilities at Raaf Base Tindal; a Further $58. 7 Million for Redevelopment of Tindal’s Engineering, Fuelling and Other Facilities; $49. 8m for the Redevelopment of Raaf Base Darwin Including New Headquarters and Office Facilities, a New Fuel Farm, and a Mechanical Equipment Workshop; and $168. 7 Million for the Facilities to Support the Army’s New Mrh-90 Transport Helicopters in Brisbane, at Hmas Alabtross Near Nowra and at Raaf Townsville Including Operational, Maintenance and Training Infrastructure to Support the Introduction and Operation of the New Aircraft.

Ran 805sqn Decommissioned the Ran’s 805 Squadron Was Decommissioned at a Ceremony at Hmas Albatross Near Nowra on June 26.

The Decision to Decommission the Unit Was Taken After the Rudd Government Cancelled the Long Overdue Seasprite Project Earlier This Year. The Unit Was Initially Founded in 1940, and Was Most Recently Reformed in 2001 to Operate the Seasprite. “past and Present Members of the Squadron Had Achieved a Number of Good Results Despite Difficult Circumstances,” Said Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement, Greg Combet. “the Limited Release Achieved by the Seasprite Helicopters Enabled Navy to Train Personnel at Hmas Albatross in Aeroskills and Mechanical Expertise, With 29 Attaining Qualifications as Aeronautical Maintenance Tradespeople. Members From 805 Squadron Will Be Transferring Into Other Squadrons and Support Roles. ” the Squadron’s Standard Was Lowered and Presented to the Outgoing Commanding Officer of 805sqn, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Royals.

A400m Rolls-out the First Airbus Military A400m Transport Has Been Rolled Out at a Ceremony in Seville, Spain.

The Scheduled First Flight of the Aircraft Has Reportedly Slipped to September or October to Allow for the Completion of the Initial Engine Test Program Onboard a Modified C-130 Testbed at Marshall Aerospace in the Uk.

Tanker Wars – the Umpire Strikes Back! In Yet Another Extraordinary Twist in the Battle to Supply the Usaf With a New Fleet of Air-to-air Refuelling Tanker Aircraft, the Us Government Accountability Office (Gao) Has Upheld an Appeal by Losing Bidder Boeing Against the Usaf’s Decision to Award the Kc-45 (Formerly Kc-x) Contract to Replace 45+ Year Old Kc-135 Tankers to a Northrop Grumman-led Consortium.

The Decision Comes After the February 29 Decision to Acquire Up to 179 Airbus A330-based Tankers in Preference to Boeing’s Smaller and Cheaper Kc-767. Boeing’s Appeal Was Ostensibly Based Upon It Being Misled by the Usaf on Some of the Bid Criteria and in Perceived Favour Being Given to the Northrop Grumman Bid in Other Areas.

The Gao Claims Boeing’s Appeal Had Merit in Key Areas, Including That the Usaf “did Not Assess the Relative Merits of the Proposals in Accordance With the Evaluation Criteria Identified in the Solicitation, Which Provided for a Relative Order of Importance for the Various Technical Requirements,” and That the Usaf’s “use as a Key Discriminator That Northrop Grumman Proposed to Exceed a Key Performance Parameter Objective Relating to Aerial Refuelling to a Greater Degree Than Boeing Violated the Solicitation’s Evaluation Provision That ‘no Consideration Will Be Provided for Exceeding [key Performance Parameter] Objectives’,” and That the Usaf “improperly Increased Boeing’s Estimated Non-recurring Engineering Costs in Calculating That Firm’s Most Probable Life Cycle Costs to Account for Risk”.

“our Review of the Record Led Us to Conclude That the (Usaf) Had Made a Number of Significant Errors That Could Have Affected the Outcome of What Was a Close Competition Between Boeing and Northrop Grumman,” the Gao’s Managing Associate General Counsel for Procurement Law, Michael Golden Said in a Statement. “we Therefore Sustained Boeing’s Protest. ” but the Gao Denied Some Elements of Boeing’s Protest. “we Also Denied a Number of Boeing’s Challenges to the Award to Northrop Grumman, Because We Found That the Record Did Not Provide Us With a Basis to Conclude That the Agency Had Violated the Legal Requirements With Respect to Those Challenges. ” the Protest Process Has Gotten Dirty Since Boeing Appealed in Early March, Often Being Fought Out in the Us Media With Claims and Counter Claims About the Merits of Each Aircraft, the Usaf’s Merit or Culpability in Making the Decision, Which Company Stood to Create More Jobs With Their Build Programs, and Even the Relative Percentages of Us Made Components in Each Aircraft. As Part of Its Bid, the Northrop Grumman/eads Consortium Had Promised to Assemble All but the First Four Aircraft at a New Facility in Mobile, Alabama, as Well as Move A330f Freighter Production to the Same Line. A Planned June 28 Groundbreaking Ceremony for the New Facility Has Now Been Postponed Indefinitely.

The Usaf Now Has 60 Days to Respond to the Gao’s Findings and Inform It of Its Intentions, at Which Time It May Then Re-bid the Competition (for the Third Time) as Has Been Recommended by the Gao, With a Resulting Further Delay of at Least Another 12 Months. Alternatively, the Usaf May Choose to Ignore the Recommendation and Proceed With the Contract Awarded to Northrop Grumman, Although It Would Then Likely Face a Drawn Out Battle Against Vocal Supporters of Boeing in the Us House of Representatives, Most of Whom Are From States With Boeing Facilities.

Boeing Was Originally Awarded the Kc-x Contract in 2002 Under a Complicated Lease-buy Arrangement, but This Deal Was Overturned After It Was Found a Former Usaf Acquisition Manager, Darleen Druyen Who Had Oversight of the Contract, Had Been Promised and Subsequently Given a Senior Executive Position With Boeing. Ms Druyen and Boeing’s Cfo Were Subsequently Indicted on Conspiracy Charges and Received Prison Sentences for Their Parts in the Contract Award.

Fitzgibbon “disappointed” With Further Wedgetail Delays Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon Has Expressed His Disappointment at the Latest Round of Delays to the Raaf’s Troubled Wedgetail Aew&c Project During a Visit to the Project’s Electronic Support Measures (Esm) Supplier Bae Systems’ Facility in Adelaide.

As We Reported Last Week, Boeing Has Revealed a Further Delay to a Project Which Was Already Running 28 Months Behind Schedule, With Delivery of a Training Capability Now Not Due Until July Next Year, and of an Operational Capability in January 2010, Some 38 Months Later Than the Originally Contracted Schedule of November 2006.

“the Wedgetail Project Continues to Cause a High Degree of Concern for Me,” Mr Fitzgibbon Said. “as the Lead Customer for the Aircraft, We Are Currently Bearing Significant Risk in Bringing This Capability Into Service. Given the Cost and Importance of the Wedgetail Project, It is Something the Government is Paying Very Close Attention to. ” “i Was Disappointed to Be Informed Recently by the Prime Contractor on the Project, Boeing, That There Will Be a Further Slippage of 10 Months in the Delivery of the First Fully Capable Aircraft,” He Added. “while I Am Assured by Defence That This Current Delay Can Be Managed Without Materially Impacting Australia’s Air Combat Capability, Industry Must Continue to Make a Sustained Effort Until Program Completion in Order to Meet Australia’s War Fighting Capability Requirements. ” the Delays Have Been Attributed to Difficulties in Integrating the Aircraft’s Esm and Electronic Warfare (Ew) Suites With Its Other Systems Including the Northrop Grumman Mesa Radar.

Raaf 10sqn Recognised for Long Deployment the Raaf’s 10sqn Has Been Recognised by Defence Minister Fitzgibbon for Recently Completing a Five Year Long Deployment to the Middle East Area of Operations (Meao).

The Squadron Deployed to the Persian Gulf Region in April 2003, and Had Up to 70 Personnel Continuously Deployed to the Region Up Until April This Year, the Longest Deployment for the Unit Since Ww2.

“10 Squadron Personnel Should Be Proud of What They Have Achieved,” Mr Fitzgibbon Said. “their Work is an Important Component of Australia’s Contribution to Coalition Operations in the Meao. The Orion Task Group Personnel Are Not Always Given the Public Recognition They Deserve Due to the Classified Nature of Most Missions. This Makes Today’s Ceremony So Important. ” Many of the Missions Include Overland Electronic and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (Isr) Missions in Support of Troops on the Ground, a Far Cry From the Unit’s More Traditional Maritime Patrol Role. The Ap-3c Orion Has Been Continuously Upgraded Over the Past Decade With Advanced Electronic, Radar and Electro-optical Sensors Which, Along With New Datalinks, Give It the Capability to Provide Real-time Situational Awareness to Headquarters, Surface Vessels or Dismounted Troops.

The Orions of 10 and 11sqns, Two or Three of Which Have Been Deployed Continuously to the Meao Since 2002, Have Flown More Than 11,300 Hours in Support of Operations in and Around Iraq.

Fitzgibbon Dumps New Air Launched Torpedo

Defence Minister Fitzgibbon Has Taken the Axe to Another Poorly Performing Project, the Jp2070 Phase 2 Effort to Integrate the New Eurotorp Mu90 Lightweight Torpedo Onto the Raaf’s Ap-3c Orions and Navy’s S-70b Seahawks.

Whilst the Phase 3 Effort to Integrate the Mu90 Onto Navy’s Anzac Class Frigates Has Been Successful, the Air Launched Element of the Project Has Suffered From Integration Difficulties for Several Years. “I Am Pleased That We Have Been Able to Make the Mu90 Work Off the Navy’s Warships,” Mr Fitzgibbon Was Quoted as Saying in ‘the Australian’ on June 21. “However, I Was Not Prepared to Follow the Previous Government’s Practice of Gambling With Taxpayers’ Money by Proceeding With the Allocation of $300 Million to Fit the Torpedo to Various Aircraft While Doubt Remained That It Would Work Properly in That Role. A Complicated Systems-integration Task Involving Old Aircraft Sets Off Several Bright-red Warning Lights for Me, Especially When Australia Would Have Been the Only Country Attempting to Make That Aircraft and Weapon Combination. ” Apart From the Anzac Ships and Orion and Seahawk Aircraft, the Mu90 Was to Have Been Employed by the Sh-2g(a) Seasprites Which Were Also Cancelled by Minister Fitzgibbon Earlier This Year, and the Navy’s Ffg Frigates Which Are Struggling to Return to an Operational Footing After a Complex and Drawn Out Upgrade. The Cancellation Means the Orions and Seahawks Will Have to Soldier on With the Older (and Heavier) Mk-46 Torpedo Which Has Limited Application in Shallow Water and Against Modern Countermeasures.

Melbourne-based Production Parts Was Recently Selected to Provide Hulls and Internal Components for the Multi-national Mu90 Program of Which Australia is a Development Partner.

F-35b Makes First Flight

the First Stovl F-35b Variant of the Jsf Made Its First Flight at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth Facility on June 11.

Aircraft Bf-1 Completed the Flight, Albeit in Conventional Form, 19 Days After the Originally Scheduled Date of May 23, but More Than Two Weeks Ahead of a Revised Schedule Put in Place After a Turbine Blade Failure in an F135 Stovl Test Engine Last September.

The 44 Minute Flight Was Piloted by Graham Tomlinson, a Raf Harrier Veteran. Bf-1 is the Second F-35 Development Aircraft to Fly and the First to Be Manufactured to the ‘optimised’ Weight Specifications Which Were Re-defined in 2004.

The Aircraft is Scheduled to Commence Short Takeoff and Landing Trials Later This Year at the Us Navy’s Patuxent River Test Facility Near Washington Dc, Before Transitioning to Vertical Flight Early Next Year.

A400m Engine Commences Ground Runs a Development Europrop Tp400-d6 Engine Commenced Ground Runs Aboard a C-130 Testbed on June 10, a Key Step in Allowing a Flight Test Program on That Aircraft to Begin in the Next Couple of Months.

Engine Integrator Marshall Aerospace Says the Engine Will Be Ground Tested for About 30 Hours Before Flight Tests Commence. “the Ground Runs Will Enable the Engineers to Test and Measure the Engine Starts, Nacelle Ventilation, Intake Distortion, Engine Noise Behaviour and Undertake the Vibration Stress Survey to Clear the New Ratier-figeac/hamilton Sundstrand Propeller,” the Company Said in a Statement.

The C-130 is Scheduled to Conduct About 50 Hours of Flight Test Before the First A400m Flies, Which May See Airbus’s Plan to Fly the A400m During the Northern Summer Delayed to October or November.

Pitch Black 08 Kicks Off the Raaf’s Largest Biennial Air Combat Exercise, Pitch Black, Kicked Off on June 6 at Raaf Bases Darwin and Tindal in the Northern Territory.

This Year’s Exercise Involves Participants From the Raaf as Well as Malaysia (Six F/a-18ds and One Kc-130m Tanker), Singapore (Eight F-16ds, Six F-5e/fs, One Kc-135r and One E-2c), Thailand (10 F-16a/bs), the Us Marine Corps(12 F/a-18c/ds and a Kc-130 Tanker), France (an E-3f) and Nato (One E-3a). The Raaf Contingent Includes 24 F/a-18s From 3 and 75sqns, Six F-111cs From 1sqn, a Caribou Transport, an Ap-3c, and the Raaf’s Last 707 Tanker (on Possibly Its Final Large Scale Deployment).

The Exercise Will Pit ‘blueland’ Against ‘redland’ in Several Offensive and Defensive Counter Air Scenarios Across the Northern Half of the Nt, Including the Delamere Bombing Range West of Tindal.

The Exercise Runs Until June 27.

Further Delays for Wedgetail Boeing Officials Have Confirmed That the Wedgetail Aew&c Program for the Raaf Has Slipped Further Due in Part to Delays in Integrating the Aircraft’s Electronic Warfare (Ew) System.

The Company Has Confirmed That the First Two Modified 737s Will Now Be Delivered in July Next Year Instead of February as Per the Revised Schedule Revealed in 2006. While These First Aircraft Will Have an Operational Mesa Radar and Other Systems Suitable for Training, They Will Not Be Delivered With the Ew Suite. The Following Four Aircraft (a/c Three Through Six), All of Which Will Include an Operational Ew Suite, Will Now Be Delivered in 2010 in Their Definitive Configurations, Instead of by the End of 2009 as Had Been Planned. The First Two Will Then Undergo an Upgrade to Have Their Final Ew Systems Installed in 2010.

Boeing Says “Additional Time is Required to Complete Mission System Integration and Verification Testing,” but Adds That “Radar Development Has Been Substantial Enabling Entrance Into Formal Verification Testing With the Commonwealth in July. ” at Present the First Three Aircraft, Including the First Australian Modified Wedgetail, Are Undergoing Flight Testing From Boeing Field in Seattle, While Aircraft Four, Five and Six Are Undergoing Conversion Work to Their Wedgetail Configuration at Raaf Base Amberley.

The Latest Setback Pushes the Delays in the Program Out to More Than 33 Months From the Originally Planned Delivery Timetable of Late 2006 for the First Two Aircraft.

First A330 Arrives for Tanker Conversion the First of Four ‘green’ Airbus A330-200s Has Arrived at Brisbane for Conversion Into a Kc-30b Tanker by Qantas Engineering.

The Aircraft, the Second Kc-30 for the Raaf After the First Was Converted by Eads’s Military Transport Aircraft Division in Spain , Will Take About 12 Months to Complete Its Tanker Conversion Before Delivery in Mid 2009. The Conversion Will See More Than 2000 Structural Parts and 5500 Systems Parts Added or Modified, and the Installation of More Than 400 New Wiring Harnesses Totalling More Than 58km.

An ‘induction’ Ceremony Was Held in Brisbane on June 6 to Mark the Aircraft’s Arrival, With Work Set to Get Underway on the Aircraft This Week.

Subsequent Aircraft Are Due to Be Delivered From Airbus to Qantas Engineering for Conversion at Roughly Six Month Intervals. The First Aircraft is Currently Due to Be Delivered to the Amberley Based 33sqn in March Next Year, With All Five Kc-30s Scheduled to Be in Service by the End of 2010.

Usaf Releases B-2 Crash Data and Footage the Usaf Has Taken the Almost Unprecedented Step of Releasing Data and Footage of the Crash of a B-2 Spirit Bomber at Andersen Afb on Guam on February 23.

The Footage Taken From a Security Camera Shows the Aircraft Pitch Up Sharply Immediately After Takeoff Followed by a Series of Corrections Before Settling Back Onto the Runway’s Fringe in a Left Wing Down Attitude. As the Left Wing Hits the Ground, the Two Pilots Are Seen to Eject Before the Aircraft ‘boomerangs’ Into the Ground and Explodes. The Aircraft Was Returning to Its Home Base in Missouri After a Deployment to Guam With Several Other B-2s.

The Crash Was Attributed to Moisture in the Aircraft’s Port Transducer Unit Which Saw Distorted Information Being Fed to the Bomber’s Air Data System. This Caused the Air Speed Indicator to Mistakenly Show the Planned Rotation Speed of 140kt at Takeoff When in Fact the Bomber Was Only Travelling at 124kt, Resulting in an “Uncommanded 30 Degree Nose-high Pitch-up on Takeoff, Causing the Aircraft to Stall and Its Subsequent Crash. ”

Boeing Pulls Out of Us Jca Partnership Boeing Has Pulled Out of a Partnership With Alenia Aeronáutica and L-3 Comm to Jointly Build the C-27j Tactical Airlifter for the Usaf and Us Army Joint Cargo Aircraft (Jca) Program.

Boeing Says the C-27j Decision Was Based Purely on the Fact That the “business Case Just Wasn’t There. ” the Jca Production Line Will Still Be Established at Cecil Field in Florida as Per the Original Program Bid, With Alenia Going It Alone in the Production Process.

Observers Believe the Move May Be Linked to Boeing’s Appeal of Its Loss to the Northrop Grumman/eads Partnership in the Usaf’s Kc-45 Tanker Program, as One Its Arguments Was Over Foreign Workshare. The Us Government Accountability Office (Gao) is Due to Hand Down Its Decision on Boeing’s Appeal by June 19.

If This Affects the C-27j’s Air 8000 Phase 2 Bid to Replace the Caribou in Australia is Unclear. Most of the Marketing for That Aircraft Has Been Undertaken by Alenia to Date, but Boeing Was Believed to Be Pitching C-27j Raaf Through Life Support Work. The Air 8000 Decision Has Been Delayed Into 2009 to Follow the Findings of the Defence White Paper and an Adf Air Lift Study.

Military Briefs

the Third Mrh-90 Helicopter for the Australian Army Was Delivered to Australia Aboard an Raaf C-17 Transport on June 22. The Delivery Flight Was the First Time an Nh90 or Derivative of Had Been Carried in a C-17. The Aircraft Was Delivered to Local Contractor Australian Aerospace for Acceptance Testing.

an Army Ch-47d Chinook Was Damaged in a Heavy Landing Near Townsville on June 25. The Aircraft Was Making a Landing Approach at the High Range Area and Sustained Damage to Its Undercarriage and Fuselage, and None of the Crew or 16 Army Personnel on Board Was Injured. The Aircraft is Yet to Be Recovered From the High Range Area.

a Report Into the 2006 Crash of a Black Hawk Off Fiji Has Revealed Another Black Hawk Was Heavily Damaged During a Similar Manoeuvre in East Timor Last Year. Following a June 30 Report in the ‘sydney Morning Herald’, Federal Opposition Leader and Former Defence Minister Brendan Nelson Admitted He Knew of the Timor Accident, Which He Described as a “heavy Landing”, but the Adf Said It Felt No Need to Report It as It Wasn’t Considered “newsworthy”. No-one Was Seriously Injured in the Timor Incident, but the Aircraft Has Not Been Repaired.

the Wreckage of a Former Raaf Hudson Bomber Has Been Found in the Papua New Guinea Jungle. The Aircraft, A21-126, Was Shot Down by Japanese Fighters While Attacking Shipping on February 11 1942, and Until Recently, It Was Not Known What Had Become of the Aircraft or Its Four Man Crew. Lost in the Crash Were Flying Officer Graham Gibson, Pilot Officer Frank Thorn, Sergeant Barton Coutie, and Sergeant Arthur Quail.

the Rnzaf Has Announced That the First of Its Two Boeing 757 Transports Has Successfully Completed a Series of Test Flights Following an Extensive Cargo Modification. The Former Commercial Passenger Aircraft Has Been Fitted With a Side Cargo Door, Strengthened Floor, More Powerful Engines and Other Modifications by Mobile Aerospace Engineering in Mobile, Alabama, and Boeing Integrated Defence Systems in Wichita, Kansas. The Second Aircraft is Currently Undergoing Its Modification Work and Both 757s Are Due to Be Returned to Active Service Early Next Year.

the Us Congress Has Voted to Extend Funding for the Boeing C-17 Production Line for a Further 15 Aircraft Under a Us$3. 6bn (a$3. 8bn) Funding Allocation.

Brazil Has Ordered Four Sikorsky S-70b Seahawks With Options for a Further Two Aircraft to Replace Their Ageing Ash-3d Sea Kings.

During His Visit to Raaf Edinburgh and the Adjacent Dsto Facilities, Defence Minister Fitzgibbon Broke Ground to Mark the Commencement of a $30 Million Upgrade to Edinburgh’s Air Movements Terminal, Ramp Area, and Heavy Cargo Handling Facilities. The Upgrades Were Funded Under the Previous Government’s C-17 Acquisition Program.

Alenia Aeronáutica Has Reportedly Proposed a Number of Special Mission Variants Including Gunship, Signals Intelligence and Airborne Early Warning Capabilities, as Well as a Stretched Version of Its C-27j Spartan as It Seeks New Customers for the Popular Airlifter. The Proposed Stretch Would See the Airframe Lengthened by Three Metres to Accommodate Additional Troops, Vehicles, Stretchers or Paratroopers. The C-27j is Favoured to Be Selected for the Raaf’s Air 8000 Phase 2 Program to Replace the Venerable Caribou Tactical Airlifter.

Indonesia Says It Will Soon Take Delivery of Six Mil Mi-35 Hind Attack Helicopters From Russia to Add to the Two Delivered in 2003.

Us Deputy Secretary of Defence, Gordon England, Has Reportedly Offered to Assist New Zealand in the Sale of 18 a-4k Skyhawks and 18 Mb-339 Macchi Jet Trainers Which Have Been Laid Up Since the Rnzaf’s Fast Jet Fleet Was Disbanded in 2002. The New Zealand Government Has Reportedly Been Offered Up to Nz$150m (a$120m) for the Aircraft by a Us Company, but the Aircraft Have Been Lying Idle Due to Us Restrictions on Their Export From Nz.

the Us Navy Will Soon Test a Uav Which Can Be Launched From the Sonar Buoy Tube of a Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The Coyote Uav Will Be Tested From a P-3c Orion. After Being Ejected and Slowed by a Braking Parachute, the Uav Deploys Its Flight Control Surfaces and Can Provide One Hour’s Endurance at 20,000ft and 60kt.

the Uk’s Raf Took Delivery of Its Sixth and Last C-17 Transport on June 11. It Joins a Current C-17 Worldwide Operational Fleet of 173 With the Us Air Force and Four Each With Australia and Canada.

the Us Army Has Deployed Its First General Atomics Mq-1c Sky Warrior Uavs to Iraq for the First Time. The Sky Warrior is a Development of the Usaf’s Predator a, but Uses a Heavy Fuel Engine and Has Enhanced Sensors and Communications. The Adf is Believed to Be Considering the Mq-1c for a ‘middle Tier’ Armed Uav Capability to Support Australian Ground Combat Forces.

Insitu, Imsar and Boeing Have Successfully Tested a Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sar) Aboard a Scaneagle Uav. The Privately Funded Imsar Nanosar System Weighs Just One Kilogram and is Smaller Than a Shoe Box, and Can Be Carried by a Scaneagle Without Compromising the Aircraft’s Electro-optical Sensor Payload.

Boeing Has Successfully Flight Tested a Sniper Xr Targeting Pod on a Usaf B-1b Bomber. The Pod Will Allow B-1bs to Employ Laser Guided Weapons and to Provide Real-time Targeting Data to Gps Weapons Such as Jdam.

Lockheed Martin Has Successfully Flight Tested Its Scalpel Laser Guided Weapon. Scalpel is a Development of the Enhanced Laser Guided Training Round (Lgtr), and Will Allow Precision Attacks Against Small or Soft Targets While Minimising the Risk of Collateral Damage. The Privately Funded Scalpel Can Be Carried by All Aircraft Currently Able to Employ the Gbu-10 to -24 Series of Laser Guided Bombs.

Lockheed Martin Has Received a Us$470m (a$500m) Contract to Build Six Development Hc/mc-130j Aircraft for the Usaf Special Forces Command as Forerunners to a Potential Order for Up to 70 Aircraft to Replace Current Hc-130n/ps and Mc-130e/p Combat Talon I/iis.

Us Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Has Asked Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Us Air Force Chief of Staff General Michael Moseley to Resign Following Two Recent Major Nuclear Weapons Blunders Including the Accidental Transfer of Nuclear-armed Cruise Missiles From One Us Air Base to Another Last Year, and a Mistaken Shipment of Nuclear Weapons Fuses to Taiwan. Both Men Were Reportedly Also Supportive of Various Weapons Programs Such as the F-22 Raptor Which Do Not Figure in Gates’s Future Plans for the Usaf.

an Italian Army Nh90 Helicopter Crashed at Lake   Bracciano Near Rome on June 1 During Practice for an Airshow. Amateur Footage of the Crash Shows the Helicopter Completing a Split-s Manoeuvre at Low Altitude and Hitting the Water at High Speed and Breaking Up After Failing to Pull Out of a Dive. The Pilot Died in the Crash, but Two Other Crew Members Survived. The Crash Was the First of Any Nh90.

the First Operational Ea-18g Growler Electronic Attack Aircraft Has Been Delivered to the Us Navy at Whidbey Island in Washington State for Operational Evaluation.

the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade is Calling for Submissions for Its Inquiry Into the Treatment of Raaf F-111 Deseal-reseal Workers and Their Families. Interested Parties Should Check the Terms of Reference and Other Details of the Inquiry at Www. Aph. Gov. Au/house/committee/jfadt/deseal_reseal/index. Htm.

Following the Successful Launch Last Year of the First Wideband Global Satellite (Wgs) Communications Satellite and Its Operational Declaration Last Month, the Adf Has Successfully Joined the Network as a Program Partner Following a Successful Demonstration Hook-up With an Anzac Frigate at Sea by the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement, Greg Combet, on June 3. Six Wgs Satellites Will Be Acquired in Total, Five by the Us Dod, While Australia Will Fund the Sixth in Exchange for Access to the Network. The Wgs Network Will Become the Top Tier of the Adf’s Future Networked Force.

Airlines

More Cancellations as Engineers Dispute Rolls on at Qantas

Qantas Cancelled Over 100 Flights Last Week as a Result of Stoppages by Engineers Still Pushing for a Pay Increase.

The Engineers Took Four and Five Hour Strikes in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Despite the Disruptions, Qantas Has So Far Refused to Lift Its Current Pay Offer of Three Per Cent, but Will Meet With the Association of Licensed Aircraft Engineers of Australia on July 2 After the Alaea Agreed to Suspend Further Strike Action Depending on the Outcome of the Talks. “We Have No Stoppages in the Pipeline at the Moment, So It Gives Qantas the Week to Negotiate With Us,” the Alaea’s Steve Purvinas Said in a Statement.

In the Meantime, the Airline Was Forced to Take a Number of Steps to Alleviate the Cancellations, Including Moving a Number of Engineers in Management Positions Out Onto the Apron to Ensure That Disruptions Were Minimised.

The Airline is Also Conducting a Number of a-checks on Its Boeing 747-400s at Los Angeles and Avalon Where Engineers Have Not Been Involved in the Strikes. Qantas Ceo Geoff Dixon Said in ‘the Australian’ That Performing the Checks Overseas or at Avalon Was a Permanent Change Being Made by the Airline.

Qantas Denies Singapore Merger Rumours

Qantas Ceo Geoff Dixon Has Denied Industry Rumours That the Airline is Looking at a Merger With Singapore Airlines, as Both Carriers Face Higher Fuel Prices.

“we Have Not Had Any Discussion With Singapore Airlines on Any Issue Involving the Two Companies, I Don’t Think, for Three Years,” Said Geoff Dixon. “I Said Hello to the Chief Executive of Singapore Airlines at the International Air Transport Association Annual Meeting and Had Not Seen Him for 12 Months Before That. ” Both Airlines Are Expected to Be Hit by the Rising Cost of Fuel Due to the Number of Long Haul Flights They Each Make. Qantas Has Already Responded by Announcing Plans to Cut Some Capacity, While Singapore Airlines Has Been Progressively Lifting Its Fuel Surcharges.

There Was Strong Industry Speculation in 2006 That the Two Rival Carriers Could Merge, After Then Prime Minister John Howard Said That There Would Be Benefits From a Tie-up Between Them. However, It is Believed That There Have Not Been Any Talks Between the Two Companies Relating to a Possible Merger.

Casa Grounds Aero Tropics Casa Has Grounded

North Queensland Regional Airline Aero-tropics After the Airline Reportedly Failed to Meet a Number of Pilot Training and Safety Standards.

The Airline, Which Operates 15 Aircraft Out of Cairns, Was Served With a Notice to Ground All of Its Aircraft on June 27 After a 10 Month Investigation, With Casa Claiming It Posed “a Serious and Imminent Risk to Air Safety. ” “We’ve Tried to Work With the Airline to Get Them to Improve the Standards, They’ve Failed to Do That,” a Casa Spokesman Told Aap. “That Also Leads Us to Have a Lack of Confidence in the Management of the Airline to Actually Treat Their Commitment to Safety as Seriously as They Should. ” the Airline Now Has 40 Days to Have the Grounding Decision Overturned.

Delta, Northwest Reach Joint Pilot Agreement the Merger Between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines Looks Set to Occur at a Faster Pace After a Joint Contract Was Negotiated Between Both Airlines’ Pilot Groups.

“we Are Pleased That the Delta and Northwest Pilot Groups Have Reached a Tentative Agreement and Have Outlined a Process for Seniority Integration That Will Allow Us to Move Forward With a Unified Pilot Group,” Said Delta Ceo Richard Anderson. “achieving a Joint Contract and Combined Seniority List in Advance of the Closing of the Merger is Something That Has Never Been Done in This Industry and is a Testament to the Leadership of Alpa and a Working Together Culture. ” the Pilots’ Agreement Has Been Seen as a Major Issue to Be Resolved as Part of the Merger Process Between the Two Airlines, Particularly as This Has Presented Ongoing Problems for Us Airways Since Its Merger With America West Airlines in 2006.

Bad News for Airlines as Oil Hits Us$140 After a Week of Relative Stability, the Price of Oil Spiked to Record Highs During Trade on June 26, Sending Airline Share Prices Around the World Lower.

The Price of Oil Actually Dropped the Day Before Back to the Us$130 Mark After the Us Department of Energy Said That Oil Reserves Had Risen as a Result of Lower Demand. But Thursday Saw the Price of Light Sweet Crude for August Delivery Hit Us$140. 39 (a$146. 60) a Barrel in Intraday Trade.

The Spike Was Largely Attributed to the Weaker Us Dollar, Which Depreciated After the Us Federal Reserve Failed to Lift Interest Rates. It Also Came After a Warning by Opec President Chakib Khelil That Oil Was Likely to Hit Us$170 (a$177) a Barrel Before the End of the Year, Although It Would Be Likely to Fall by the End of the Year.

Jetstar Cuts Ties With Jetstar Asia

in a Move Which Could Have Repercussions for the Airline’s Asian Expansion, Jetstar Asia Has Ended Its Affiliation Agreement With Jetstar.

Orangestar Holdings Pte Ltd, Which is the Holding Company for Jetstar Asia and Valuair, Has Been Operating Under an Mou in Which Jetstar Provided Reservations, Revenue Management, Marketing, and a Number of Other Services to the Two Carriers. It is Believed That the Two Partners Have Been Working Together to Change the Arrangement to Bring It Into Line With the Business Services Agreement Which Jetstar Has With Its Vietnamese Affiliate Jetstar Pacific.

“This Move Essentially Reflects the Confidence We Have in Our Own Talent and Ability,” Jetstar Asia’s Ceo, Chong Phit Lian Told Singapore Media. “it Also Gives Us Better Cost Advantage. Still, We Will Continue Working With Jetstar Australia in Many Areas Including Maintaining a Common Website. ” Jetstar Spokesman Simon Westaway Said That the Two Carriers Would Continue to Have a Close Working Relationship, Adding “Jetstar Asia Wants to Do a Few Things More Independently and We Can Deal With That. They Have Decided for Local Reasons to Have More Independence. ” but That Independence is Likely to Cause Some Strain Between the Airlines, Particularly as Jetstar Embarks on Its Plan to Expand Its Presence in Southeast Asia, and May Influence Jetstar Not to Choose Singapore as Its Hub for Long-haul Flights to Europe.

Qantas Will Maintain Its 49 Per Cent Stake in Orangestar Holdings, but is Believed to Disagree With Orangestar’s Second Biggest Shareholder, the Singapore Government Owned Temasek Holdings, About How to Expand Jetstar Asia. Temasek is Also a Major Shareholder in Key Rival Tiger Airways and Has the Controlling Shares in Singapore Airlines.

Jetstar Launches Perth Services

Jetstar Launched Its Newest Services From Perth on June 16, Which Will See It Replace Qantas’s Services to Jakarta and Denpasar.

Jetstar Will Operate Jq116 to Denpassar on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays From October 27, While the Jq114 Service to Jakarta Will Operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. In Addition, Jetstar Will Start Its Five Times Weekly Sydney-darwin-ho Chi Minh City Service to Be Operated by an Airbus A320 From September 2.

“we Are Excited by the Prospects That These Three New International Routes Present for Jetstar,” Said Jetstar’s Gm Commercial, Bruce Buchanan. “they Will Broaden Our Footprint Across Southeast Asia and See Us Establish Our Seventh Australian Port for International Operations. ” Jetstar Will Soon Begin Recruiting Pilots and Cabin Crew for Its Perth Base to Support These Operations, Which Are Likely to Initially Use a Single A320.

Virgin Blue Ceo Finds Fuel ‘challenging’ Virgin Blue Ceo Brett Godfrey Says That the Current Record Fuel Prices Are the “biggest Challenge Ever That the Airline Industry Has Faced,” and That It is “worse Than September 11 and Sars. ” Godfrey Made the Comments on Abc Tv’s ‘lateline Business’ in an Interview on June 19, but Emphasised That the Deepest Impact of the Fuel Prices Would Be Felt Worse in North America and Europe Rather Than in the Australian Market.

“i’m Quite Comfortable That in This Market It’s Going to Be Tough – It’s Definitely Tough Already in Fact – but With Good Management, and Good Cash Management in Particular, I Think All Airlines in the Country Will Get Through It,” Said Godfrey. “[but] Not One Single Airline, Not One Single Company in Australia is Going to Be Unaffected if Fuel Hits $200 a Barrel. ” He Also Said That the Carrier Was in Talks With Embraer About Delaying Deliveries on Some of Its E-jets, as Well as a Number of Other “levers” Which the Carrier Could Pull Should the Price of Fuel Rise Above the Current Us$166 (a$175) Per Barrel Level. These Include Charging for Checked Baggage, Withdrawing More Capacity or Increasing Fares Further.

But He Denied That the Airline Would Need a Capital Injection in the Short Term Under Any of the Scenarios Which the Airline Has Been Modelling. “none of Those Three Year Scenarios Have Us Looking at Any Further Capital,” He Said.

V Australia, Qantas Begin Pacific Duel Qantas Has Drawn First Blood in the Competition With V Australia on the Sydney-los Angeles Route by Offering a Limited Number of Return Airfares From La for Us$380 (a$401).

The Fare Was a Promotion Ex-usa Only to Coincide With the Launch of A380 Services on the La Route in October, but Has Been Seen Widely as Also a Competitive Move Against V Australia Which Has Vowed to Offer Fares Up 16 Per Cent Lower Than the Lowest Qantas Fares. Qantas Has Not Publicly Committed Itself to Further Sales on the Route but is Likely to Launch Some Promotions Before V Australia’s First Flight in December.

Meanwhile, There Has Been Some Speculation That V Australia Will Either Defer or Not Take Up Options on Additional Boeing 777-300ers Due to the High Cost of Fuel. V Australia Had Been Expected to Announce Further Routes Over the Last Few Weeks, but May Instead Choose to Focus Only on the Us Market in the Current Climate.

Qantaslink to Cancel Melbourne-wollongong

Qantaslink Has Announced That It Will Cancel Its Service Between Melbourne and Wollongong and Dispose of the Last of Its Dhc-8-100s in Response to the High Cost of Fuel.

Qantaslink Will Suspend the Underperforming Route From July 18, and Will Withdraw the Remaining Six Dash-8-100s by August. The Retirement of These Aircraft Will Also Necessitate the Closure of Qantaslink’s Mildura Maintenance Facility. “we Will Work Closely With the Affected Staff in Mildura to Minimise Redundancies by Offering Alternative Job Opportunities at Other Qantaslink Locations,” Said Qantas Group Ceo Geoff Dixon.

Qantaslink Will Also Permanently Withdraw From the Currently Suspended Services to Melbourne and Sydney From Newcastle. The Services Were Suspended Earlier This Year Due to a Crewing Shortage, but Jetstar Will Continue to Serve Both Routes, While Aeropelican Offers Up to Eight Daily Services on Newcastle-sydney.

Australia, Eu Start Open Skies Talks

European Transport Ministers Have Approved a Mandate Which Will Allow the European Commission to Negotiate a Collective Open Skies Agreement With Australia, Possibly Opening the Way for More Flights.

“an ‘open Skies’ Agreement Could Remove Many – if Not All – of the Existing Regulatory Limitations on Australian and European Airlines Operating Between Our Two Continents – Allowing Them to Offer More Flights and a Wider Range of Services at the Most Competitive Prices,” Said Transport Minister Anthony Albanese in a Statement on June 17.

An Open Skies Agreement Would Open Up Significant Opportunities for Qantas, Jetstar and V Australia, Including the Possibility of Opening Up New City Pairs Which Were Not Possible or Not Economic Under the Previous System of Bilateral Agreements. Any Move Into Europe for the Qantas Group Would Likely Depend on the Delivery Dates for Its Boeing 787s, the First of Which is Not Expected to Be Delivered to Jetstar Until Late Next Year.

The New Agreement Could Also Entice European Operators to Return to Australia, as Most Currently Only Codeshare on Services via Asia, Although This May Be Largely Dependent on the Price of Fuel Falling in the Medium Term.

Oil Prices to Lead to Catastrophic Losses in Us Airline Industry the Us Air Transport Association Predicts That Us Carriers Will Lose Us$10bn (a$10. 5bn) This Year Due to the High Price of Fuel, Which Another Report Predicts Will Devastate One of the Biggest Industries in That Country.

The Ata Says That 14,000 Jobs Have Already Been Lost From the Industry and Over 100 Communities Have Lost Their Air Services as a Result of Cuts by Airlines at All Levels. The Association Has Also Warned That Losses Could Blow Out to Us$13bn (a$13. 7bn) This Year and Another 100 Communities Face Losing Their Services if Oil Prices Push Upwards.

“the Impact of These Unprecedented Jet Fuel Prices on the Airlines is Devastating and Airlines May See 2008 Losses Nearing $10bn (a$10. 5bn), on Par With the Worst Financial Year in Aviation History,” Ata President and Ceo James C. May Said. “this Year, Airlines Will Spend More Than Us$61bn (a$64bn) on Fuel, Slightly More Than the Total Fuel Bill Combined for the First Four Years of This Decade. ” Meanwhile, a Report Commissioned by the Business Travel Coalition and Conducted by Airlineforecasts Lcc Says That With Oil Prices at Us$130-140 (a$136-146. 50) a Barrel That the Industry is Headed for a Major Collapse and Has Called on Congress to Make Stabilising the Industry a National Priority.

“we Urgently Need a New Energy Policy That Will Give the Airlines a Fighting Chance to Survive and Recover – and Serve All Members of the Travelling Public for Many Years to Come,” the Report Said.

Vivajet to Launch Domestic Flights in November

Vivajet, a New Melbourne-based Airline, Says It Intends to Launch in November This Year, Offering Both Passenger and Freight Services Between a Number of East Coast Cities.

The Company Has Been Registered in Victoria Since October 2006 and is Backed by a Number of German Investors. Vivajet Says It Will Operate Embraer E-170s and E-190s, Atr 72s and an Airbus A300 Freighter, and Plans to Connect Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. It is Believed That Vivajet Has Already Secured Slots at a Number of These Airports and It is Believed That the Airline Will Start Flying in November With Four E-190s and One E-170.

According to a Press Release Circulated by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation the Carrier Will Offer a Service Standard, “never Experienced Before in Australia. And All This on a Low Fare Basis, Including Complimentary Meals and Drinks. ” Few of the Existing Competitors in the Domestic Market Have Made Any Comment Yet on Vivajet’s Ambitions, Except for Virgin Blue Ceo Brett Godfrey Who Said in an Interview on Abc Tv’s ‘lateline Business’, “i’ve Never Discounted Any Competitor, but I Think It Would Be Kind of Moronic to Be Trying to Come Into This Market Now, and I Wish Them the Best of Luck. ”

Virgin Blue Makes Cuts Virgin Blue Has Announced It Will Raise Fares, Reduce Capacity and Seek Out Other Cost Savings to Offset the Record Cost of Jet Fuel.

On June 13 the Airline Raised Fares by an Average of $5 on Approximately 55 Per Cent of Its Domestic Network and Announced That It Will Reduce Capacity in the September Quarter by Six Per Cent by Removing Four Aircraft. A Further Two Per Cent of Capacity Will Be Reallocated From Loss-making Routes, and Vb Will Cease Its Weekly Sydney-proserpine Service From July and Drop the Three Times Weekly Darwin-melbourne Service From August. Other Cost Savings of $50 Million Will Also Be Made for the 2008/09 Financial Year, Including a Salary Freeze for All Management Staff for the Year.

“It’s Not a Case of Planning Interim Measures to Offset a Spike in the Cost of Fuel, All Airlines Must Come to Terms With a New Reality in Our Industry,” Said Ceo Brett Godfrey.

The Carrier is Also Planning to Seek Out Further Cost Reductions to Deal With the High Cost of Fuel, but Still Plans to Stick to Its ‘new World Carrier’ Strategy Which Has Come Under Fire in Recent Weeks. Virgin Also Said That It Has Hedged 53 Per Cent of Its Fuel for the Next Financial Year at an Oil Price of Us$108 (a$115) Per Barrel.

Tiger Cuts Newcastle but Calls for International Flights

Tiger Airways Australia Will Cut Its Melbourne-newcastle Service but Insists That the Airline is Well Positioned to Pick Up Services at a Time When Jetstar and Qantas Have Cut Services, and Plans to Press Its Case to Be Allowed to Fly Internationally From Australia.

Tiger is Dropping Its Daily Service From August 11, the Same Date That Additional Services From Melbourne to Adelaide and Canberra Start. According to Some Sources, the Change is as a Result of One of the Aircraft Destined for Australia Being Diverted to Asia.

Despite This Scale Back, Tiger Claims That With Its Strict Cost Controls and Commitment to Low Fares That It is Well Placed to Pick Up on Any Routes Abandoned by Its Three Competitors as a Result of the High Cost of Fuel.

“the Price of Fuel is the Canary in the Mine That Has Simply Highlighted the Lack of Cost Discipline of Our Competitors,” Tony Davis, Tiger’s Ceo, Claimed. “tiger Airways is Clearly Now the Undisputed Low Fare Leader in Australia and We Are Determined to Give Even More Australians Access to Genuine Low Fares. ” Tiger Has Also Stated That It Hopes to Hold Talks With the Government to Allow It to Fly Internationally From Australia, Citing the Qantas Group’s “abandonment” of Services to Malaysia in Favour of More Flights to Japan From the Gold Coast. As a Foreign (Singaporean) Owned Carrier, Tiger Currently Can Only Fly to Singapore and New Zealand From Australia.

Overtime Bans Affecting Maintenance on Qantas Aircraft the Current Work-to-rule Industrial Action Being Taken by Qantas Engineers is Leading to More Aircraft Being Dispatched With “allowable Defects”, According to the Association of Licensed Aircraft Engineers of Australia (Alaea).

Alaea Federal Secretary Steve Purvinas Told Abc Radio on June 9 That on Average There Were 750 Allowable Defects Across the Qantas Fleet Which Allowed the Aircraft to Fly for a Certain Period of Time Before Being Rectified. But Over the Prior Three Weeks With the Overtime Bans in Place, This Had Risen to Over 1800.

“if They Don’t Have Enough Engineers to Repair Those Defects That Are Reaching Their Final Days . . . Well Then They Will Have Problems and Have to Remove Some Aircraft Out of Service I Dare Say,” He Told Abc Radio.

Alaea and Qantas Have Reached a Stalemate in Pay Negotiations Which Have Stretched on Since Last Year, With the Carrier Refusing to Up Its Offer of a Three Per Cent Pay Rise With an Extra One Per Cent in Superannuation. Alaea Has Not Ruled Out Further Industrial Action on Top of Its Overtime Ban, but Has Not Yet Advised of Any More Strike Action.

Sharp Airlines Has a Stellar Start in Sa Sharp Airlines Says It Has Had a Great Start to Its Operations in South Australia, With Strong Passenger Numbers on Its Adelaide-port Augusta and Adelaide-mildura Services.

During May, Sharp Carried 794 Passengers on the Adelaide-port Augusta Route and 770 on Adelaide-mildura. For Both Routes, These Are the Highest Numbers for a Single Month Since 2000.

“Our New South Australian Services Have Exceeded All Expectations”, Said Managing Director and Chief Pilot Malcolm Sharp. “We Are Very Pleased With the Uptake”.

“the Trend Suggested by the May Figures Are Excellent, Confirm Our Decision to Move Into South Australia, and Give Us Confidence to Fly Into the Future. ” Hamilton Based Sharp Airlines Started Flying From Adelaide on April 28 and Provides 40 Flights a Week From There With a Fairchild Metroliner. Sharp Also Plans to Take Advantage of the Boom in Resources in South Australia and Offer Its Aircraft for Charters.

Asian Airlines Scale Back Thai Airways, China Airlines and Eva Air Have All Announced Capacity Cuts in the Familiar Trend of Combating Record Fuel Prices.

Thai Plans to Cancel Its Non-stop Services Between Bangkok and New York and Los Angeles From October and Will Sell the Four A340-500s Used to Operate the Routes. The Carrier Says Continuing to Operate These Flights Would Have Resulted in Annual Losses of Us$120m (a$128m). Thai Will Also Route Its Existing Boeing 777 Services to Los Angeles Through Japan.

In Taiwan, China Airlines and Eva Air Have Announced That They Plan to Cut Capacity by 10 and Five Per Cent Respectively, but Have So Far Not Announced Any Fleet Reductions. It Seems Likely That With the Opening Up of Flights to China by the Taiwanese Authorities That the Capacity Cut From Their Existing Networks May Be Deployed on These Markets.

But the News is Not All Negative, With Lufthansa Recently Stating That It Plans to Increase Its Capacity to the Asia Pacific Region by Six to Seven Per Cent This Year.

Airlines to Make Losses as Passenger Growth Slows Iata Opened Its 64th Annual General Meeting in Istanbul on June 1 With the News That It Has Downgraded Its Projected Airline Industry Profit for the Year to a Loss of Us$2. 3bn (a$2. 4bn).

The Downgrade is a Major Shift From Its Prediction in March That the Industry Would Achieve a Collective Profit of Us$4. 6bn (a$4. 8bn), Based on the Assumption That the Average Oil Price for the Year Would Be Us$86 Per Barrel. But With Recent Hikes in the Oil Price, Iata Now Predicts That With an Average Oil Price of Us$106. 5 Per Barrel That the Industry Could Swing to a Loss of Us$2. 3bn, Which Could Rise to Us$6. 1bn (a$6. 4bn) if Oil Remains at Us$135 Per Barrel for the Remainder of the Year.

“oil is Changing Everything,” Said Iata’s Ceo Giovanni Bisignani. “there Are No Easy Answers. In the Last Six Years, Airlines Improved Fuel Efficiency by 19 Per Cent and Reduced Non-fuel Unit Costs by 18 Per Cent. There is No Fat Left. To Survive This Crisis, Even More Massive Changes Will Be Needed Quickly. Governments, Industry Partners and Labour Must Deliver Change. ” but Despite the Dire Prediction, Bisignani Suggested That the Impact of Higher Fuel Costs Would Be Felt More by the Low Cost Airlines as Fuel Represents Their Highest Input Cost, Whereas Other Carriers Still Have Other Costs Such as Labour Which May Be Controlled to Offset the Fuel Price.

Iata is Also Concerned With What Appears to Be Slowing Demand for Air Travel Worldwide. In April, Passenger Numbers (Year-on-year) Grew by 3 Per Cent, but This Was Outweighed by a 5 Per Cent Rise in Capacity Which Put Load Factors Back 1. 5 Points to 75. 4 Per Cent. Demand Growth in the Asia-pacific Region Was Down to 2. 6 Per Cent, Compared to 4. 3 Per Cent in March as a Result of a Slowing Japanese Economy.

Qantas Makes International Cuts

Qantas Will Cut a Number of Services to Japan and Other Southeast Asian Markets, on Top of the Domestic Fleet and Route Cutbacks Announced in Late May, a Result of the Continued High Cost of Fuel.

From September, Qantas Will Cut Its Three Times a Week Service From Melbourne to Tokyo , While It Will Reduce Service on the Sydney-tokyo Route to Seven Return Services a Week. Qantas Will Also Cut Its 14 Times Weekly Service From Cairns to Tokyo and Replace It With a Daily Jetstar A330 Service From December, While Jetstar Will Also Withdraw From the Cairns-osaka-nagoya Service in December. As a Result, Qantas Will Also Close Its Pilot Base in Cairns , With Pilots Offered Basing in Sydney and Elsewhere.

“we Have to Look Closely at Each Individual Market, Including the Number of Frequencies We Operate and Which of Our Flying Businesses is Better Suited to Serve Those Destinations,” Said Qantas Group Ceo Geoff Dixon.

“the Japan-far North Queensland Market Has Also Been Particularly Difficult for Qantas for a Number of Years. At Current Fuel Prices, the Group Would Lose More Than $100 Million Operating to Japan Under Our Existing Schedule. ” Jetstar Will Also Commence a Five Times a Week Service From the Gold Coast to Tokyo From December. In Order to Support This New Service, the Budget Carrier Will Withdraw From the Sydney-kuala Lumpur Route and Replace Its A330 Service From Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City With a Five Times Weekly A320 Service Operating via Darwin From September. Jetstar Will Also Replace Qantas’s Services From Perth to Denpasar and Jakarta With A320s Operating Up to Four and Three Times Per Week Respectively From December.

Qantas Will Also Cut Two Weekly Melbourne – Los Angeles Services From Later This Year When the A380 Enters Service on the Route.

Air New Zealand Shifts Capacity, Raises Fares

Air New Zealand Will Raise Its Fares From June 16 and Make a Number of “tactical Network Changes” to Offset the Higher Cost of Fuel.

The Carrier Will Raise Its Fares on Short Haul Services Sold in New Zealand , Australia and the Pacific From June 16 by an Average Four Per Cent. Long Haul Fares Will Also Be Raised by the Same Amount From June 20.

Air New Zealand Also Plans to Make a Number of Adjustments to Its Schedule From August This Year, With the Carrier Reducing Services From Three to Two Per Week on the Hamilton-sydney Route Until November. Dunedin to Sydney Will Also Reduce to Two Times a Week Between September and November, While It Will Also Cut Eight Flights on Wellington-sydney Services During August.

On the Long Haul Side, Air New Zealand Plans to Reduce One Weekly Service to Japan Between September and November. The Carrier Will Also Drop Its Seasonal Twice Weekly Auckland-hong Kong Service From December-january but Retain Its Daily 747-400 Auckland-hong Kong-london Service. Air New Zealand Also Plans to Up-gauge a Number of Services During October on the Auckland-san Francisco Route to Be Operated by a 379-seat 747-400.

“as a Small, Nimble Operator We Have the Benefit of Being Able to Quickly Adjust Schedules to Maintain a Cost Effective Operation That Ensures That Capacity Meets Current Demand in the Markets We Serve,” Said Air New Zealand Ceo Rob Fyfe.

Concern Over Virgin Blue After a Ubs Report Last Week Warned That Virgin Blue Could Make a Loss of $40 Million in the Next Financial Year, Jpmorgan Has Stated That the Airline Could Go Bust if It is Not Able to Raise Fares to Offset the High Price of Fuel.

Ubs Warned Last Week That the Carrier Would Need a Capital Injection From Shareholders in 2009-10 if Fuel Prices Stayed at Their Current Highs. But a Jpmorgan Report Released Later in the Week Was Quoted by a Number of Media Outlets as Saying That if the Carrier Did Not Raise Fares by at Least 10 Per Cent That the Carrier Would Be Bankrupt by the Same Year.

But Virgin Ceo Brett Godfrey Slammed the Reports, Saying That They Were Short-sighted and Did Not Account for Other Options Which Were Available to the Airline, Including Reducing Capacity as Qantas Has Done Already.

“There’s Been No Discussion in This Document as to Other Options Not One Discussion About What We Could Do With Our Frequent Flyer Program or All the Planes That We Own; Not One to Do With What We Could Do With the Orders From Boeing or the Slowing of Deliveries or Offering Aeroplanes for Sale,” Godfrey Said in ‘the Australian’ Last Week.

Jpmorgan Later Issued a Statement of Clarification That Comments in Its Report Had Been Misquoted by the Media. “we Expect Virgin Blue to Report Fy08 Profit of $82 Million, Followed by $19 Million in Fy09 Before Rebounding Almost 600 Per Cent to $133 Million in Fy10,” the Company Said.

Garuda Increases Australian Services Garuda Indonesia is Boosting Service to a Number of Australian Cities Due to Increased Demand From Tourists Heading to Bali.

From June 25, the Carrier Will Operate an Additional Return Service From Denpasar to Darwin Departing on Wednesdays. This Will Be Followed by the Addition of a Fourth Weekly Service on the Denpasar-melbourne Route Which Will Arrive on Tuesday and Leave on Wednesday, Effective July 22. Another Service on This Route Will Be Added From September 2, as Well as a Sixth Weekly Flight to Sydney.

Us Airlines Make Major Cuts United, Continental and Northwest Airlines Have All Announced Major Capacity Cuts in Order to Minimise the Damage of High Fuel Prices.

Having Called Off Merger Talks Last Week With Us Airways, United Has Announced That It Will Withdraw Its Fleet of 94 Boeing 737-300s/500s by the End of 2009. The Carrier Will Also Abandon Its Low Cost Carrier Ted, and Reconfigure the A320s It Operated to Go Back to United. The Carrier is Also Expected to Announce Redundancies of Up to 1600 Workers. Continental Will Also Retire Its Fleet of 67 737 Classics and Slash 3000 Jobs.

Northwest, Which Has Plans to Merge With Delta Air Lines, Has Said That It Will Remove 15-20 Aircraft From Service, and Has Already Withdrawn Two Dc-9s. The Remainder of the Fleet Cuts Are Expected to Be Other Dc-9s, 757s and A319/20s, With the Overall Aim to Reduce Capacity System-wide by Five Per Cent.

Airline Briefs

Qantas Placed 14th in the Latest Principals and Synovate Authentic Brand Index, a Drop From First Place Two Years Ago, but is Still Considered the Most Authentic Airline Brand. Other Airlines in the Index Include Virgin Blue, Which Placed 33rd, Followed by Jetstar (73), Emirates (74), British Airways (79), Virgin Atlantic (87) and Tiger Airways (100).

Tiger Airways Has Cut Its Flights Between Melbourne and Darwin From Seven to Four Per Week Due to “seasonal Demand. ” Virgin Blue Has Added a Second Daily E-170 Return Flight Between Sydney and Port Macquarie, Doubling the Number of Seats to and From the Nsw Hastings Region to 1092 Per Week.

United Airlines Will Furlough 950 Pilots as a Result of Its Domestic Capacity Cuts, Representing About 15 Per Cent of Its Pilot Workforce. The Airline Will Also Cut 1600 Administrative and Management Positions, With Most to Come From Its Illinois Operations Center.

According to the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 4. 13 Million Passengers Were Carried Domestically in April, an Increase of 7. 5 Per Cent on the Same Month in 2007. Strongest Growth Was Experienced on the Darwin-melbourne, Albury-sydney, Gold Coast-melbourne, Canberra-sydney and Maroochydore-melbourne Routes.

Dubai’s Proposed Low Cost Carrier Has Been Named Flydubai. The Airline is Preparing to Commence Operations From Mid 2009, and Will Focus on Flying to Areas Four Hours From Dubai, Will Be Managed Separately to Emirates.

Air Tahiti Nui is Celebrating Its 10th Anniversary This Year, and Has Designed a Special ‘10 Years’ Logo. Air Tahiti Nui Flies From Papeete to Sydney, Auckland, New York and Los Angeles.

Virgin Blue Has Launched a New ‘airpass’ for Non-australian Residents Which Will Allow International Visitors to Access Any Available Seat Within Three Bands. Bookings Will Be Able to Be Made Through a Dedicated Website Which Will Go Live in August.

Etihad Airways Has Received a Commendation for Its Work in Preventing Improperly Documented Passengers Using the Airline to Travel to Australia.

Emirates Will Donate $150,000 Over Three Years to Support the Bradman Foundation. The Majority of the Funds Will Go Towards the Bradman Foundation Xi Cricket Team.

Singapore Airlines Has Once Again Increased Its Fuel Surcharge. Sia and Silk Air Will Now Charge Us$40 (a$42) Per Sector on Flights Within Asean, Us$150 (a$158) Per Sector on North American Routes and Us$110 (a$116) on All Other Sectors, Including Those to and From Australia.

Continental and United Airlines Have Announced a New Cooperation Agreement, With Continental Being Invited to Join the Star Alliance on June 19. Continental is Currently a Member of the Skyteam Alliance Alongside Northwest and Delta, Which Are Set to Merge Later This Year.

Skyairworld Will Commence Services Between Brisbane, Cloncurry and Cairns From August, Operating Two 50 Seat Embraer Erj-145s. The First Erj Arrived in Brisbane Earlier This Month, With the Second Due to Arrive by Month’s End.

Singapore Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines Have Signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Further Cooperation on Routes to Saudi Arabia. The Two Carriers Will Introduce Code-sharing, Joint Marketing and Other Initiatives Under the Mou.

Macair Airlines Has Joined With Woolworths in Sponsoring a Program Which Rewards Students at Some Outback Schools in Northern Queensland if They Regularly Attend School. Most of the Schools Involved in the Program Are in Cities Served by Macair.

Air Korea, the Low Cost Subsidiary of Korean Air Lines, Will Change Its Name to Jin Air. Jin Will Commence Domestic Services in Mid July With Three Boeing 737-800s and Will Later Add an Airbus A300.

American Airlines is Reportedly Considering Accelerating the Delivery of Its 737-800s as It Phases Out Its Ageing Fleet of Md-80s by August. The Airline is Currently Scheduled to Take Delivery of About 70 737s Over the Next Two Years, but Needs to Replace More Than 300 of the 20+ Year Old Md-80s.

Qantas Achieved the Highest Ranking for on Time Performance in April, With 80. 3 Per Cent of Departures on Time and 80. 9 Per Cent of Arrivals on Time, According to Figures From the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. Industry Performance for April Decreased Compared to the Previous Month, With an Average of 79. 6 Per Cent for on Time Departures, 77. 7 Per Cent for on Time Arrivals, and 2. 4 Per Cent for Cancellations of All Scheduled Flights.

Ozjet Has Applied to the International Air Services Commission to Operate Two Flights a Week to New Caledonia and a Weekly Flight to Nauru.

Air Pacific Will Raise Its Return Bula Fares From Australia to Fiji by Four Per Cent From June 11, Citing the High Price of Fuel.

Airasia X Now Offers Paypal as a Method of Payment for Australian Bookings Made Through Its Website.

Oasis Hong Kong Airlines Has Been Formally Wound Up. The Low Cost Long Haul Carrier Ended Flights in March After Failing to Secure Additional Financing.

Emirates Says It Will Conduct Its First Commercial Flight to New York ‘s Jfk on August 1 Rather Than in October as Had Been Originally Planned. The Airline Says Ek3801, a Supplementary Flight to Its Two Daily Flights, Will Departs Dubai at 1100 on August 1, Arriving at Jfk at 1645 the Same Day. Emirates is Due to Take Delivery of Its First A380 on July 28 at a Ceremony in Hamburg.

Skywest Has Started Encouraging Passengers to Check in 60 Minutes Before Their Flights at Perth Airport With Check-in to Close 30 Minutes Before Departure From July 1. The Revised Closeout Time is Due to a Need to Bus Some Passengers to Aircraft Parked Away From Perth ’s Terminal 3.

the First Erj-145 Regional Jet for Skyairworld Arrived in Brisbane on June 8 After a Slightly Delayed Delivery Flight From Warsaw . After Gaining a Type Certificate From Casa, the First of Two Aircraft is Due to Enter Service on the Brisbane-cloncurry-cairns-cloncurry-brisbane Route in July.

Skyairworld Has Applied to Commence Domestic Services in the Solomon Islands Using Its E-170/190 Jets and Cessna Caravans. The Airline Advertised Locally for Turbine-rated Crews on June 5, and Hopes to Commence Services Between Honiara and the Upgraded Munda Airstrip Later This Year.

Norfolk Air Will Switch Its Aircraft From a Boeing 737-200 Operated by Ozjet to a 737-300 Operated by Nauru ’s Our Airline From May 21 Next Year.

Air Niugini’s New Boeing 767-300er Entered Service on June 1 When It Operated Its First Flight From Port Moresby to Brisbane . The Airline Will Also Retain Its 757 and Embraer E-190 Which is Operated by Skyairworld.

Royal Brunei Airlines Will Raise Its Services Between Auckland , Brisbane and Bandar Seri Begawan to a Daily Service. Three Times a Week, the Service Will Stop in Brisbane on the Southbound Journey Before Returning Direct From Auckland to Bandar. On the Other Days, It Will Reverse This Journey.

Uk All-business Class Carrier Silverjet Has Been Placed in Administration After It Failed to Secure Extra Investment to Keep Its Operations Afloat. The Company Hopes to Restart Operations Under New Investors at Some Point in the Future.

Malaysia Airlines Has Reintroduced Its First Airbus A330 Featuring a Refurbished Cabin Into Service, With the Remaining 13 to Be Refurbished by the End of the Year. The Refurbishment Includes New Fabrics in Both Business and Economy Seats, New Carpets and Vinyl and the Addition of More 38cm Drop-down Screens Every Four Rows.

Hawaiian Airlines Has Acquired Four Boeing 717s on Long Term Leases to Increase Capacity on Its Inter-island Routes Within Hawaii . Hawaiian’s Major Competitor on These Routes, Aloha Airlines, Shut Down on April 1.

Singapore Airlines Has Taken Out the Airline of the Year Award at the 26th Oag Airline Industry Awards. Easyjet Took Out the Award for Best Low Cost Carrier While Qantas Won the Award for Best Airline Based in Australasia/pacific.

Environment

Opposition to Eu Trading Scheme Gets Louder a Number of Airlines Have Come Out Against Moves by the European Union to Include Aviation in Its Emissions Trading Scheme (Ets).

Member States of the Eu Have Reached an Agreement Which Would See Aviation Included in the Ets From 2012, With Carriers Forced to Buy Permits for Some or All of the Carbon-dioxide Emissions Above the Level at That Year. These Would Be Sold in Ets Auctions, With Airlines Expected to Purchase Up to 15 Per Cent of Their Permits Through This System.

The International Air Carriers Association, Which Represents 38 Leisure Airlines, Says the Proposal Effectively Caps the Growth of the Aviation Industry. “Fifteen Per Cent Auctioning in 2012 is Unaffordable and Unacceptable for Our Airlines Given Today’s High Fuel Prices and Weakening Demand,” Said Iaca Director General Sylviane Lust.

Iata Ceo Giovanni Bisignani Called on the Eu to Abandon Its Single Focus on the Ets and Work With Airlines to Reduce Emissions Through More Efficient Navigation. “tunnel-vision on Emissions Trading is No Solution at All. Airlines Are Working Hard to Reduce Their Two Per Cent Share of Global Carbon Emissions. Europe is Fixated on Punitive Measures. Unilaterally Bringing Aviation Into the Ets Seeks to Limit Mobility and Adds €4. 2bn (a$6. 9bn) to the Cost of Travel. But Reducing Emissions is More Effective Than Charging for Them. ” the Us Air Transport Association Also Expressed Strong Concern Over the Proposal, and Issued a Statement Saying, “this is Bad Policy, Particularly in Light of the Devastating Effects High Fuel Prices Already Are Having on the Industry. As Numerous Countries Have Pointed Out, It is a Clear Violation of International Law. We Hope the European Legislature Will Think Twice About This in the Final Vote That is Expected Soon. Otherwise, We Would Expect That This Matter Will Be Heading to the Courts. ”

Lufthansa Commits to Using Biofuels by 2020 Lufthansa Has Committed to Using a 10 Per Cent Mix of Biofuel Across Its Aircraft Fleet Within the Next 12 Years.

Lufthansa Announced the Commitment on June 16 as Part of a Wider Set of 15 Environmental Guidelines Which Also Apply to Its Other Flying Subsidiaries Such as Swiss. Other Guidelines Include Pursuing Noise Abatement Projects, Support for Ecologically-oriented Incentives to Reduce Emissions and Also the Endorsement of the Iata Efficiency Targets, Which Would See It Reduce Emissions by 25 Per Cent by 2020.

“our Strategic Environmental Programme for Safeguarding Mobility Clearly Demonstrates That We Are Firmly Intent on Doing Our Share in the Future in Shouldering Our Responsibility for Environment and Climate Protection,” Said Lufthansa’s Chairman and Ceo Wolfgang Mayrhuber.

Lufthansa is the Second Airline After Air New Zealand to Have Set a Timeline for Introducing Biofuels Into Regular Passenger Services. Lufthansa is Believed to Be Focused on Biofuels Which May Be Sourced From Algae and Other Sources Which Would Not Compete With Food Plants.

Malaysia Airlines Has Launched Its ‘towards a Greener Future’ Voluntary Carbon Offset Scheme. The Funds Generated From Passengers Offsetting Their Flights Will Go Into a Trust Managed by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, Which Will Use It to Contribute to Forest Conservation Projects in Malaysia.

United Airlines and Southwest Airlines Have Both Signed Up to Pratt & Whitney’s Ecopower Engine Washing Program. Ecopower Washes Jet Turbines of Soot and Other Contaminants and Claims to Deliver Significant Fuel Burn and Emissions Reductions.

Environment Briefs

Cessna Has Established an Environmental Strategy Council to Work on Strategies to Minimise the Company’s Environmental Impact.

Japan Air Lines Has Committed to Test Flying a Boeing 747 Powered by Biofuels by March Next Year. Jal is the First Asian Carrier to Commit to Testing Biofuels, and Will Be the Fourth Worldwide After Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand and Continental Airlines.

the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative Says That It is on Target to Achieve Certification for 50 Per Cent Synthetic Fuels in Aviation Fuel by the End of the Year. Synfuels May Be Generated From Biomass, Coal and Natural Gas Through the Fischer-tropsch Catalytic Process, but Creates More Emissions Than Petroleum Fuel Due to the Extra Processing Required.

General Aviation

the Polish Ministry of Health Has Ordered 23 Eurocopter Ec 135s for the Country’s Nationwide Emergency Medical Services.

Heliflite Has Opened Its Newest Robinson and Agustawestland Sales and Service Centre at Jandakot Airport. Tony Bates Will Be the Centre Manager and Heliflite Plans to Recruit a Number of Staff in the Near Future.

Careflight Launches Wa Air Ambulance

Ems Operator Careflight Australia Officially Launched Its Perth Base on June 13 to Provide Critical Medical Retrieval Services in Conjunction With Pel-air and Ramsay Health.

The Wa Service Will Utilise an Iai Westwind Ii Which Will Be Provided and Crewed by Pel-air, While Ramsay Health Will Provide a Critical Care Doctor, Nurse and Other Medical Staff for the Medevac Flights From the Joondalup Health Campus. The Service Will Be Primarily Aimed at Conducting Critical Patient Retrieval From South East Asia. It Will Also Be Available to Mining Companies and the Wa Health Department for Other Critical Care and Disaster Missions Within Wa, but Will Not Compete With the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Although Officially Opened on June 13, the Westwind Has Already Been in Service, Having Operated a Medevac Flight on June 7 to Bali and Back to Retrieve a Critically Injured 53 Year Old Patient Who Had Been Involved in a Car Crash.

With the Wa Based Aircraft, Careflight Australia Now Has Five Jets Based Across the Country Dedicated to Air Ambulance Services in Addition to Its Helicopter Rescue Services in New South Wales and Queensland.

Pip Borrman Reveals Samson Aerobatic Champion Pilot Pip Borrman Has Revealed His Newest Mount, a Replica Pitts Samson Which Made Its First Flight at Shepparton Airport Recently.

Borrman’s Samson is a Replica of the Original Designed by Curtis Pitts, Which Was Flown in 1948. Unlike the Original, the Replica is Powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 With Modern Materials. The Replica Was Designed and Built by Barry Manktelow of B & R Aviation in Toowoomba, Who Started Construction in 1995. The Aircraft Was Finished by Borrmann in 2006 After It Was Shipped to Shepparton.

Samson is Currently Undergoing Flight Tests With Accomplished Agriculture Pilot Andy Ski. After These Are Complete, Castrol Sponsored Borrman Will Develop an Airshow Routine to Demonstrate the Aircraft’s Capabilities, and Intends to Display It Alongside His Edge 540 at Airshows Around the Country.

Eclipse Launches Single Jet

Eclipse Aviation Has Started Taking Orders for Its New Eclipse 400 Single Engine Very Light Jet, Formerly Known as the Eclipse Concept Jet.

The Four-seat Jet Will Be Powered by a Single Pratt & Whitney Canada Pw615f Turbofan Mounted Between the V-tail, Have a 1250nm Range and a Maximum Cruise Speed of 330kt Tas With a Ceiling of 41,000ft. List Price Will Be Us$1. 35m (a$1. 4m), With Deliveries to Start From the Fourth Quarter of 2011.

Eclipse is Offering Current Customers of the Eclipse 500 the Chance Receive a Us$125,000 Discount on the 400 by Placing Deposits Before July 25. After That, Eclipse Plans to Display and Take Further Orders at the Eaa Airventure at Oshkosh in Late July.

General Aviation Briefs

Mooney Has Endorsed a Fractional Ownership Scheme Operated by Us Aviation for the Acclaim Type S. Us Aviation Plans to Market the Scheme at the Eaa Airventure Convention Alongside Mooney’s Exhibit in July.

Lycoming is Working on Receiving Approval for Its Io/o-360 Engine to Run on Regular Unleaded Automobile Fuel. Approval, Which Will Only Be for Operation of the Engine, is Being Targeted for the Third Quarter of the Year.

a Team of Australian and British Pilots Will Fly a Flexwing Ultralight the Long Way Around the Top End From Perth to Brisbane in July and August to Raise Funds for Leukaemia Research and the Royal Flying Doctors Service. For More Information, Visit Www. Youvegotwings. Com.

Kevin Bennet, a Teacher From Kent Street Senior High School ’s Aviation Program, Has Been Given a High Commendation From Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Hawker Pacific Delivered Australia ’s First Beechcraft King Air C90gti to General Flying Services of Moorabbin in May. The Gti Features a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Avionics Suite and is Able to Fly 20 Per Cent Faster Than Its Predecessor.

Business Aviation

Canadian Business Operator Execaire Placed an Order for Nine Cessna Citations Valued at Us$87 Million at the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention on June 20. The Order is for Four Citation Mustangs, Three Sovereigns and Two Citation Xls+ Aircraft, With the First of These to Be Delivered in 2010.

Gulfstream Has Rolled Out the 200th G550/g500 Jet From Its Savannah, Georgia, Manufacturing Facility. There Are 172 G550/g500s Currently Flying, Which Have Collectively Logged Over 200,000 Flying Hours Since the First G500 Was Delivered in September 2003.

the Hawker Beechcraft Company Delivered the First Hawker 4000 on June 18. The Aircraft Received Its Certification a Week Before, Following a Protracted Development Which Required the Original Aircraft to Be Re-certified.

an Unnamed Middle East Client Has Ordered Two A318 Elite Airbus Corporate Jets (Acjs). The Acj Can Fly Up to 7800km, Sufficient Range to Cover Anywhere in Europe From the Middle East or One Stop to the Us.

Hawker 4000 Deliveries to Begin

Hawker Beechcraft Announced on June 12 It Has Received Faa Type and Production Certification for the Long Delayed Composite Fuselage Super-midsize Hawker 4000, Allowing Customer Deliveries to Finally Begin This Month.

The 4000 Originally Received Provisional Certification in 2006 but the Aircraft Required a Number of Modifications, Which Meant That It Had to Be Recertified.

“we’ve Put a Tremendous Amount of Effort Into the Hawker 4000 and Are Eager to Fulfil Our Substantial Backlog of Worldwide Customer Orders,” Said Hbc Chairman and Ceo Jim Schuster.

The Hawker 4000 Was Announced at the 1996 Nbaa Convention as the Hawker Horizon, With Deliveries at That Stage Planned for the Second Quarter of 2001.

First Hawker 750 Delivered

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Has Delivered Its First Hawker 750 to Jetasia Limited on May 28.

The 750 is a Development of the Hawker 800 Which Was Launched in October 2006 and Features a New Cabin Interior, With the 800’s Ventral Fuel Tank Replaced by an Externally Accessed Heated Baggage Compartment.

the Cessna Citation Xls+ Has Earned Certification From the Faa. The First Delivery of an Xls+ is Expected by the End of the Year.

Gulfstream Celebrated the Rollout of the 200th G200 Mid-cabin Business Jet on June 4 From Israel Aircraft Industries’s Manufacturing Plant at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel . The G200 First Entered Service in January 2000.

Business Aviation Briefs

Gulfstream is Now Offering Its Planebook Portable Electronic Document Manager for the G150 and G200. Planebook is a Tablet Fujitsu Pc Which Comes Loaded With the Aircraft Flight Manual, Operating Manual and Quick Reference Handbook.

Cargo

Australia & New Zealand Ready for E-freight Iata Has Identified Australia and New Zealand as Well as Nine Other Countries as Being Ready to Begin Using E-freight Solutions.

Iata’s E-freight Solution Aims to Rid the Airfreight Industry of the Need for Paper Documentation by Placing the Appropriate Technical and Legislative Frameworks in Place to Allow Airlines, Freight Forwarders, Customs Administrators and Government Agencies to Exchange Information Electronically. Canada, Sweden, the Uk, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Netherlands Have Been Operating on E-freight Since Last Year, With Germany, Mauritius and South Korea to Launch Live Projects Later This Year.

“the Momentum to Rid Air Cargo of Costly Paper Processes is Building Quickly,” Said Giovanni Bisignani, Director General & Ceo of Iata. “already We Are Live in Six Locations Today. We Will Be Operating at 14 Locations by Year-end. ” Other Countries Identified as ‘e-freight Ready’ Include the Usa, Dubai, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Switzerland, Iceland and Denmark. Iata Has Been Assessing Over 200 Locations Over the Past Six Months, With 43 (Including Those Identified) Having Passed a High Level Assessment for E-freight.

All Nippon Airways Has Taken Delivery of the First 767-300er Boeing Converted Freighter After It Was Handed Over on June 16 at St Aerospace’s Facilities at Singapore’s Changi Airport. Ana Has Seven 767-300bcfs on Order, All of Which Will Be Converted by St Aero.

Us-based Acmi Operator Gemini Air Cargo Filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection on June 18, but Plans to Continue Operating. Gemini Operates Dc-10 and Md-11fs for a Number of Clients Including Airlines and Freight Forwarders.

Airbus Freighter Conversion Has Changed the Design for Its Passenger-to-freighter A320/a321 to Move the Large Cargo Door From the Forward to the Rear Fuselage. Afc Expects Its First Commitment for the A320f at the Farnborough Airshow, With Conversion Due to Begin in 2011.

Cargo Briefs

Cathay Pacific, Air France-klm, Martinair and Sas Have All Agreed to Collectively Pay Us$504m (a$526m) to the Us Department of Justice for Their Parts in a Cargo Price-fixing Cartel. The Doj Has Now Received Us$1. 27bn (a$1. 32bn) in Fines From the Investigation, Which Also Led to an Eight Month Prison Sentence for Qantas Cargo’s Former Vp of North America, Bruce Mccaffrey.

Finance

Standard and Poor’s Has Withdrawn Its Credit Rating From Air New Zealand as It Has Not Received Enough Information on What the Airline is Doing to Combat the High Price of Fuel. S&p Listed Air Nz as Bb/stable Before It Withdrew the Rating.

Security

Uk Raises Ga Terrorism Fears the British Government’s Independent Advisor on Security Has Raised Fears That General and Business Aviation Aircraft May Be Used as Weapons in a Terrorist Attack.

The Comments Came in a 60 Page Report From Lord Carlisle of Berriew on Britain’s Vulnerability to Terrorist Attack. “I Know That Some Knowledgeable Police Officers and Officials Have Ongoing Concerns About the Relative Simplicity of Terrorism Conducted in This Way, Given the Very Large Number of Private Aircraft and Small Airfields,” He Said.

Carlisle Also Raised Concerns About the Ease With Which a Foreign Aircraft Arriving From the Eu May Be Able to Enter the Uk Without Being Subject to Searches Upon Landing, Saying That This Was, “self-evidently Unsatisfactory. ” Despite the Comments, Uk Home Secretary Jacqui Smith Played Down the Comments, Saying That There Was Little Intelligence to Suggest That the Use of Ga and Business Aircraft Featured in the Thinking of Terrorist Groups. The Uk Branch of the International Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Also Claimed That Pilots and Airports Already Monitor Movements and Suspicious Activity and So Should Not Be Subject to Further Security Imposts.

the External Advisory Group on Airport Security Screening Has Started a Review of Airport Security Practices, and Will Look at Advances in Screening Technology, the Design of Screening Points and Ways of Improving the Passenger Experience. The Review is Expected to Be Completed by December This Year.

Security Briefs

Smiths Detection Has Launched a New Handheld Vapour Detector Which is Designed to Pick Up the Vapours of Chemicals Commonly Used in Homemade Bombs. The Sabre Exv Unit Can Identify Explosive Chemicals in 10 Seconds, Using Smiths’s Ion Mobility Spectrometry Technology.

an Amendment to the Aviation Transport Security Act is Being Made Which Will Allow Air Security Officers to Lawfully Discharge a Firearm on an Australian-registered Aircraft or an Aircraft Operating in Australian Airspace. The Bill Had Its Second Reading in the Lower House on June 26.

Maintenance, Support & Training

Minister Unveils

Aviation Training Package Transport Minister Anthony Albanese Has Given Greater Detail About the Government’s Aviation Training Package Which Aims to Increase the Skills Within the Industry.

One of the Key Platforms of the Policy Includes Harmonising the Standards and Requirements for Aviation Qualification Between the Adf and Casa, Particularly Pilots. The State and Territory Training Systems Would Also Be Harmonised Under the National Training System, Allowing for Nationally Recognised Pilot Training Qualifications.

“we Are Committed to a Strong, Vibrant and Well-skilled Australian Aviation Industry, One With Certainty and Incentives to Invest for the Future,” Said Minister Albanese.

Qantas Engineers Strike Set to Affect Schedules Qantas Engineers Are Again Striking on June 23 in Their Push for a Pay Increase.

Engineers in Sydney and Melbourne Are Striking for Four Hours on Monday June 23. As a Contingency, Qantas Has Already Cancelled a Number of Flights and is Rebooking Affected Passengers on Other Services. The Airline Says That It Expects to Get All Passengers to Their Destinations on the Day, Although Some May Be Delayed.

“it’s About the Money,” Said Steve Purvinas From the Association of Licensed Aircraft Engineers of Australia (Alaea) in an Interview With ‘bloomberg’. “we Are Almost in Agreement About Work Conditions but Qantas Said They Won’t Negotiate While We Have Action Planned. ” the Alaea Also Claims That the Airline is Dispatching Aircraft With More “allowable Defects”, Claiming That on Just One Recent Day, There Were More Than 750 Allowable Defects Across the Qantas Fleet. “if They Don’t Have Enough Engineers to Repair Those Defects That Are Reaching Their Final Days . . . Well Then They Will Have Problems and Will Have to Remove Some Aircraft Out of Service I Dare Say,” Purvis Told Abc Radio.

The Engineers Have Been Waiting for a New Pay Deal for 18 Months, Having Refused a Previous Offer From Qantas of a Three Per Cent Pay Rise With an Additional One Per Cent Superannuation. The Alaea Has Implemented Overtime Bans and Limited Strike Action Since May in an Effort to Push for a Five Per Cent Pay Rise.

Jandakot Airport Sponsors High School Aviation Program Jandakot Airport Holdings Has Announced That It Will Provide Funds to Allow More Students From Kent Street Senior High School to Undertake Instructional Flights as Part of the School’s Specialist Aviation Program.

Jah is Making the Sponsorship Through Its Community First Program, Which Aims to Engage With Local Community Programs Around the Airport. “given the Current Staffing Shortage in the Aviation Industry We See This Partnership as an Investment in the Future of These Students and That of General Aviation,” Said Jah Managing Director John Fraser.

The Support Was Welcomed by Kent St Principal Rod Beresford Who Said, “the Funding Will Allow Two Members of Staff, Who Are Both Practicing Commercial Pilots, More Time in the Air With Students. ” Kent St Currently Has 125 Students in Its Aviation Program, Which Was the First Aviation High School Program in the Southern Hemisphere. The School Operates Three Aircraft, Including a Student-built Vans Rv-6, Which Are Used for Familiarisation Flights.

Rolls-royce Has Approved Asia Pacific Aerospace as an Authorised Maintenance Centre for Its Model 250 Helicopter Turbine.

New Zealand Company Airside Simudrive Has Delivered Its First Aircraft Towing Simulator to Air New Zealand, Which is Using the System to Train Ground Staff in Towing Operations. The Software Was Designed by Simudrive.

Hawker Goes for Nz Growth Hawker Pacific Has Appointed Steve Siddall as Its New Gm New Zealand as the Company Pushes to Grow Its Presence in That Market.

Hawker Pacific Has Been in New Zealand Since It Acquired Wing and Rotor Ltd in 2004. Since Then, It Has Been Growing Its Presence in the Country, and Has Now Added Avionics to Its Business There. With the Expansion of Auckland ’s Ardmore Airport, Including New Taxiways and Apron Areas, Hawker Pacific Also Now Offers Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Services on the Beechcraft King Air/1900 Range of Turboprops as Well as Some Business Jets.

Maintenance, Support &training Briefs

Embraer Has Launched Its ‘flyembraer’ Internet Portal Which Will Offer a Range of After-sales Service for Operators of Embraer Aircraft. The Portal Includes Parts Ordering, E-commerce, Order Tracking and Access to Engineering and Other Technical Documents.

New Zealand’s Massey University Has Purchased Five Portable Spidertrack Satellite Tracking Systems Which Will Allow It to Track the Flight of Its Training Aircraft in Real Time. The University Says That the Units Will Help Enhance Safety for Student Pilots When Flying Outside of Controlled Airspace.

Air Safety

Government Releases Regulation Review After Criticism

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese Released the Aviation Review Taskforce’s Report Just Days After Vocal Criticism From Taskforce Member Dick Smith.

“the Taskforce Was Established by the Previous Government in Response to Concern by Some Aviation Industry Participants That the Civil Aviation Safety Authority Regulatory Reform Program Was Not Achieving the Desired Objective of Lower Cost, Less Prescriptive and More Effective Regulation,” Said Minister Albanese.

“the Taskforce Has Made Recommendations to the New Government on the Way Forward. I Accept the Broad Thrust of the Recommendations and Believe the Taskforce’s Report Will Make a Practical Contribution to Improving Aviation Safety. ” the Taskforce Was Convened on April 4 Last Year by Previous Transport Minister Mark Vaile to Assist Him and Casa Chief Bruce Byron to Establish Priorities for Aviation Regulatory Reform. The Taskforce Was Chaired by Dr Allan Hawke and Included Bruce Byron, Aviation Safety Consultant Rob Graham, Jeff Boyd of Brindabella Airlines and Dick Smith, While Qantas’s Egm Engineering David Cox Was Added in July.

The Report Was Only Publicly Released by the Minister’s Office After Dick Smith Gave Back the $10,000 He Was Paid by Casa to Take Part in the Review, Claiming That the Government Was Trying to Cover Up the Taskforce’s Findings.

Qantaslink Q400 Makes Emergency Landing at Weipa a Qantaslink Q400 Flying From Horn Island to Cairns on June 20 Was Forced to Make an Emergency Landing at Weipa After the Starboard Engine Had to Be Shut Down.

The Q400 Was Carrying 56 Passengers and Was Believed to Be Approximately 30 Minutes Into the Flight When, According to Passenger Reports, the Starboard Engine Surged. According to a Qantas Spokesperson, the Pilots Took the Precaution of Shutting Down the Engine in Response to a Cockpit Warning. “the Crew Responded in Accordance With Their Training and the Aircraft Landed Normally Without Incident,” She Said.

The Aircraft Flew 20 Minutes on the Power of Its Port Side Engine Before Lancing at Weipa, With All Passengers Disembarking Safely, Although It is Believed That Some Damage to the Nose Landing Gear Was Sustained.

The Incident Was Reported to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Qantaslink Was Continuing Its Own Investigations.

Casa Opens Operations Hq

in Brisbane Casa Has Opened Its Operations Headquarters at a New Building Near Brisbane Airport.

The New Operations Hq Will House All of the Planning, Direction and Management Functions of Casa’s Surveillance Capability. This Will Now Be the Centre of the Air Transport Operations and General Aviation Operations Groups, and Should Make It More Accessible to the Industry. The Address for the New Centre is 12-14 the Circuit, Brisbane Airport.

Casa’s Corporate Headquarters and Functions Remain in Canberra, as Do the Industry Complaints Commissioner, Personnel Licensing, Education and Training Group and the Office of Airspace Regulation.

Thirty People Died After a Sudan Airways Airbus A310 With 203 Passengers and 11 Crew Onboard Burst Into Flames Shortly After Landing at Khartoum Airport on June 10.

Senate Inquiry Into Casa Launched the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Has Launched an Inquiry Into the Administration of Casa and Related Matters.

The Inquiry Will Focus on Assessing the Effectiveness of Administrative Reforms Made to the Authority Since 2003, Effectiveness of Casa’s Governance Structure, and Its Relations With the Industry. It is Expected That the Findings From These May Go Into the Drafting of the National Aviation Policy Green Paper Which is Scheduled to Be Released Later This Year.

The Committee is Inviting Written Public Submissions, Which Should Be Received by June 30, and is Also Proposing to Hold Public Hearings. The Committee Expects to Report Its Findings on Casa on July 9.

Air Safety Briefs

Casa Will Be Conducting a Sweep Operation to Conduct Safety Checks and Give Advice to Operators Across Northern Australia During July. The Safety Sweep Will Cover Locations Such as Cairns, the Torres Strait, the Gulf Country, Mt Isa, Darwin, Katherine and Broome, and Will Involve Both Small and Large Aerodromes.

the Indonesian Director General of Civil Aviation Cancelled the Air Operator’s Certificate of Adam Air on June 16. The Airline Had Been Grounded Since March 18 Due to Training and Other Deficiencies.

a Casa Survey Conducted by Roy Morgan Research Shows That 78 Per Cent of Australians Are Either Completely or Very Confident About Their Safety When Flying Between Capital Cities. The Survey Also Found That 55 Per Cent of Australians Believe That Flights Between These Cities Are Safer Than Other Developed Countries Such as the Us.

Atc & Airspace

Airservices Australia Releases Workforce Plan Airservices Australia Used the Waypoint Aviation Industry Conference Last Week to Release a New Workplace Planning Strategy.

The Strategy Came From Three Years of Work by Airservices, and Focuses on How Best to Attract and Retain Air Traffic Controllers, Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting Personnel and Other Technical and Engineering Staff.

“it Covers the Program of What I Describe as ‘people Initiatives’ That Are Now Established Priorities in Our Change Program and is a Commitment From Me, as the Ceo of This Organisation to Airservices People, Our Customers and Stakeholders About Our Future,” Said Greg Russell, Ceo of Airservices Australia.

The Importance of the Plan Was Highlighted by Waypoint Conference Attendees Being Told That Airservices Lost 14,700 Sick Days From Its 900 Strong Air Traffic Controller Body in 2007, and on-going Reports of Controlled Airspace Closures Due to Controller Shortages.

Air Traffic Controllers Seeking 63 Per Cent Pay Rise the Union Representing Australia ’s 876 Air Traffic Controllers Have Launched an Extraordinary Bid for Pay Rises of Between 32 and 63 Per Cent.

The Civil Air Union Says the Country is Suffering From a Critical Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers Due to Many Being Lured Overseas and Others Leaving the Industry Due to Poor Pay and Conditions. The Demand Was Submitted to Air Services Australia on May 12 as Negotiations for a New Agreement to Replace the Current One Which Expires at the End of This Year Commenced. To Date, the Union Says It Has Received No Official Response to Its Demands.

“This is Our Vision to Solve the Problems of Attraction and Retention,” Atc Union Civil Air Executive Secretary Peter Mcguane Told ‘the Weekend Australian’ Newspaper. “There is a Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers. Significant Numbers Have Been Lured Overseas by More Lucrative Conditions and This Means Extra Overtime . . . Which Has Contributed to Increased Fatigue. ” the Demands Call for an Immediate Pay Rise of Between 21 and 49 Per Cent Depending on Seniority, Followed by Further Increases of Four Per Cent in Each of the Next Three Years.

Atc & Airspace Briefs

Iata Has Presented Eagle Awards to Airways New Zealand, Incheon Airport and Tampa International Airport for Outstanding Performance in Customer Satisfaction, Cost Efficiency and Continuous Improvement as Air Navigation Service Providers. Iata Presented the Awards at Its Agm in Istanbul on June 2.

Letters

Thanks for the Recent Article Entitled ‘replacing Seahawk’ (Aa, June 2008) Contrary to the Thrust of Your Article, the Nfh is Highly Unlikely to Be Embarked and Safely ‘operated’ Without a Proven Securing and Traversing System, Be That Rast, Assist, the European Probe and Grid (Plus Securing and Traversing Subsystem) or Some Hybrid.

The Word “operate” as You Use It Requires I Think, Qualification Because It Could Be Taken to Mean Once-only Landing or Long Term Embarkation of the Aircraft in the Host Ship-which of Course is What Phase 8 of Air 9000 is About. But the Two Conditions Are at Different Ends of the Spectrum of Exposure. Also, Quantifying the Helicopter’s Flight Envelope (or Shol) in Terms of Sea State and Aircraft Weight/wind Limits is Not Useful. Rather Than Sea State Alone, It is Actually About at Least Ship Motion and Relative Wind. And ‘operating’ in Terms of Phase 8 Includes Landing, Launching, Moving Out of and in to the Hangar, Folding Boom, Spreading Rotors, Fuelling, Arming and Being Safely Secured at All Positions Within the Fatigue and Strength Thresholds of Personnel, Aircraft and Ship.

The Mrh/nfh90 is Likely to Have a Sideways Static Toppling Angle of About 35 Degrees (It is Probably a Slightly Higher Figure Fore and Aft), Likely Similar Figures to the S-70b2. Residual Rotor Thrust, Undercarriage Characteristics and Accelerations Provided by Ship Motion, Wind and Friction Are Likely to Affect This, and in Unfavourable Cases, Reduce It. Thus, It is Entirely Possible to Achieve Ship Roll Approaching Aircraft Unsecured Static (and Dynamic) Rollover Angles in Well Less Than Sea State 6. But a Potentially Hazardous Roll is Certainly More Likely in Sea State 6.

However and Perhaps Conversely, One of the Unwritten Ethics of Operating Helicopters at Sea is That You Can Generally Find a Safe Flying Course Whatever the Sea State. But It Will Take Time and Reduce the Ship’s Freedom of Manoeuvre While You Do So. You Actually Need a Restraining System That Will Enable You to Safely Sustain Otherwise Hazardous Ship Motion  While You Wait for the ‘quiescent Period’ When the Ship is Upright and You Can Launch or Land Safely. Apart From Stability, Clearance and Control Authority Considerations, Safely Moving a Ten Tonne Helicopter by Manual Means About a Moving Flight Deck in Any Sea State is Impracticable. So, Sea State 6 Alone is Not a Precise Measure of Effectiveness Without Definition of the Motion and Relative Wind That Can Be Tolerated. And This Will Vary From Ship Type to Ship Type.

Not Restricting the Ship’s Freedom of Manoeuvre While Effectively and Safely Performing the Defined Operational Tasks in All Weathers at Day and Night is One of the Key Requirements of a Successful Embarked Ship’s Flight Aircraft, and I Respectfully Propose That You Have Missed This Point. I Believe That We Are at Risk of Not Understanding the Difference Between This Phase 8 Requirement and Operating the Army Variant Off an Lpa in Some Weathers, Relatively Benign Conditions and With Possibly Some Constraints Upon Ship’s Manoeuvre. The Forthcoming First of Class Flight Trials of Mrh 90 Will Illuminate These Issues.

I Suggest That the Capability of Both Seahawk and Nfh Cannot Be Effectively Canvassed Without Consideration of Both Aircrafts’ Restraint and Traversing Systems. And I Propose That the Risk and Cost Implications of Either Certifying Nfh for Rast or Modifying Our Air Capable Ships for the Securing and Traversing System Presently Fitted to Nfh is a Discussion That Remains Important, Even Key to the Objectives of Air 9000.

I Will Avoid the Temptation of Getting Into the Risks Presented by the Still Developmental System Side of Nfh 90 and What Our Requirements Might Be. I Fully Believe That the Nfh 90 is Likely to Be a Very Fine Embarked Aircraft When It is Produced and Matured. But We Need to Understand the Risks to Be Managed During Its Transition Into Operational Service.

Capt Cris George Ran, Nowra

People

Former Deputy Chief of Air Force (Dcaf) Avm John Blackburn Retired From the Raaf on June 30 After Handing Over to Avm Geoff Brown on June 26.

Former Air Commander Australia (Acaust) and Incoming Chief of Air Force, Avm Mark Binskin Handed Over the Acaust Reigns to Avm Mark Skidmore in a Ceremony at Raaf Glenbrook on June 27. Avm Binskin Will Be Promoted to Air Marshall (Airmshl) and Will Assume the Role of Caf From Airmshl Geoff Shepherd Who Will Retire From the Raaf on July 3.

Rob Strummer Has Been Appointed as the Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand of Ifs, a Services Company With a Growing Client Base Within the Region’s Manufacturing, Asset Management, Aviation and Defence Organisations.

Sikorsky Aircraft Australia Limited – Helitech Has Announced the Appointment of Jan Domanski as Managing Director to Replace Glen Battershill.

Barbara Ward and Richard Goodmanson Have Been Appointed as Directors to the Board of Qantas. Ward is a Former Ceo of Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services and is Also Currently Chairman of Country Energy, While Goodmanson is a Former Ceo of America West Airlines.

Air Pacific Has Appointed Mark Kugelman as Sales and Marketing Manager for Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Etihad Airways Has Appointed Emanuel Tzafaris as the Airline’s Sales Manager for New South Wales/act. Tzafaris Replaces Sandi Mcguinn Who is Moving to Abu Dhabi to Take Up Another Role Within the Airline.

Matthew Filipowski, Who Led the Construction of the Wilkins Ice Runway in Antarctica, is to Receive the Australian Antarctic Medal for His Role in the Project Which Opened Last December.

Shelly Roberts Has Been Named as the New Managing Director of Tiger Airways Australia, Replacing Chris Ward Who is Moving to Incheon Tiger Airways in Korea. Roberts Was Formerly a Director of Macquarie Airports Limited.

Etihad Airways Has Appointed Lindsay White as Its General Manager Australia, as Current Gm Cramer Ball Has Been Promoted to the Role of Regional General Manager Asia Pacific South and Australasia.

David Forsyth Has Been Appointed as Chairman of Airservices Australia . Forsyth Replaces Nick Burton. Henk Meertens and Alice Williams, Who Have Been on the Board Since January 2005, Will Stay on the Board, and Will Be Joined by Dr Warren Mundy.

Commander Harry Julian Dsc Ran

Commander Harry Julian, Dsc Who Passed Away 13th of June 25, 2008 Was a Distinguished Naval Aviator and Test Pilot Who Flew Sea Furies During the Korean War.

Born in Cornwall, Harry Joined the Royal Navy as an Air Apprentice in 1941 and Was Accepted for Flying Training in 1944, Only to Have His Course Cancelled as the End of the War Neared. He Then Recommencing His Engineering Training Graduating as an Engineer Midshipman.

Persisting in His Wish to Fly, He Re-commenced Flying Training in 1948, Graduating as a Fighter Pilot and Was Appointed to a Fighter Squadron as Part of the Air Group in Hms Theseus Serving in the Far East. The Ship Was Committed in Support of Un Forces in the Early Part of the Korean War and It Was During Operations on the East Coast That Harry’s Aircraft Sustained Critical Flak Damage Forcing Him to Crash Land at High Speed on a Recently Regained Airfield. During the Landing the Aircraft Over Turned, Crushing Harry in the Cockpit Resulting in Damage to Four of His Vertebrae From Which He Recovered After Some Weeks of Hospitalisation. He Was Subsequently Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

On Return to the Uk, He Was Selected to Undergo the Empire Test Pilot’s Course and Then Undertook Testing of Naval Aircraft for Carrier Operations.

Following a Period in the Uk Ministry of Defence, He Was Posted as Defence Attaché in Denmark Where His Flair for Languages Stood Him in Good Stead.

He Applied to Join the Ran in 1967, and After After a Period of Service, Resigned and Entered the Aviation Industry, Later Returning to the Ran Until 1984, When He Retired Again to Set Up His Own Consultancy Business.

Harry Was an Outstanding Pilot and Aeronautical Engineer, Scholar, and Linguist, but Above All, He Was a Gentleman.

Norman Lee, Long Time Friend.

Airports

Report Recommends Newcastle Go International a Report Released on June 10 by Events Nsw Chairman (and Sports Administrator) John O’neill Has Recommended That Newcastle Airport Be Upgraded to an International Facility.

As Well as Citing a Need for a New Rail Link Between Newcastle and Sydney, and Other Initiatives to Be Explored, a Key Recommendation Was the Establishment of a Second International Airport, With Newcastle Seen as the Most Logical Location. The Suggestion Has Received Much Support From Business and Tourism Groups in the Hunter Region, Who Believe That It Could Open Up New Opportunities for the Region, as Has Happened in the Gold Coast.

But the Suggestion Has Had Cold Water Poured on It by Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, Who Said That There Are Other Sites Between Newcastle and Sydney Which Need to Be Considered Ahead of Newcastle. The Airport is Located on Raaf Base Williamtown, Which is Home to Much of the Raaf’s Fighter Force.

“I Very Much Welcome a Debate About an International Airport of That Type in the Hunter, but Not at Raaf Williamtown,” Fitzgibbon Said, Who Represents the Federal Seat of Hunter, to the West of Williamtown.

Tourism Nsw Chief John O’neill (Who Coincidentally Has the Same Name as the Report’s Author) Resigned From His Position a Day After the Report, Which Was Also Critical of His Organisation.

Australian Airports Set for Strong Growth New Data From the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (Birte) Shows That Australia ’s Airports Enjoyed a Record Number of International Arrivals in 2007, With Passenger Numbers Expected to Double by 2025/26.

The Number of International Passenger Movements Across Australia Jumped by 6 Per Cent for the Year to 22. 8 Million. Of These, the Majority Sydney Accounted for the Majority of Passengers, With 45. 6 Per Cent Coming Through the Airport, Followed by Melbourne , Brisbane and Perth . Perth Experienced the Highest Growth in Passenger Numbers With an Increase of 17 Per Cent From 2006. The Data Also Showed That Australian Carriers Have Been Losing Market Share Over the Ten Years Between 1997 and 2007, With Only 33 Per Cent of Passengers Flying an Australian Carrier.

Bitre Expects the Strong Growth Last Year to Be Followed by a Sustained Growth in Passenger Movements of Four Per Cent Over the Next 20 Years, Bringing Total Passenger Movements in Australia to 227. 9 Million. The Highest Growth is Expected to Come in Perth , With Growth to Average 4. 7 Per Cent Per Annum, With Passenger Movements to Reach 17. 7 Million by 2025/26. Sydney Airport Will Continue to Handle the Greatest Number of Passengers With 63 Million Expected to Pass Through the Airport by 2025/26.

“the Report’s Long Term Predictions Pose a Fundamental Question for Both Government and the Aviation Industry Will Australia Be Able to Cope With the Growing Number of People Wanting to Fly,” Said Transport Minister Anthony Albanese.

“already Many of Our Major Airports Are Operating at Close to Capacity During Peak Times; Pilots, Engineers and Air Traffic Controllers Are in Short Supply; Flight Delays and Cancellations Are Becoming More Frequent; and Planes Account for at Least Two Per Cent of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions. ”

International Terminal at Avalon Fails to Fly

the Federal Government Has Denied Planning Approval for Linfox Airports to Build a New International Terminal at Avalon Airport, Southwest of Melbourne.

Linfox Airports General Manager Tim Anderson Said He Was “very Disappointed” With the Decision to Deny Approval for the Terminal, and That His Company Would Continue to Work With the Government and Department of Defence to Resolve Planning Issues. Local Tourism and Business Leaders in Geelong Also Expressed Disappointment With the Decision.

Linfox Announced Plans for a $30 Million International Terminal at Avalon Last Year, as Well as a $4 Upgrade to the Existing Domestic Terminal. The Plan Called for the Terminal to Open in March Next Year to Allow Airasia X to Serve the Melbourne Region From Kuala Lumpur. The Carrier is Now Expected to Name Melbourne-tullamarine as Its Next Destination.

Melbourne to Get Cat Iii Ils

Melbourne Airport Will Be the First Airport in Australia to Be Certified to Conduct Category Iii Ils Approaches During Times of Heavy Fog, Which Has in Recent Weeks Forced Aircraft to Divert Elsewhere.

Melbourne Will Be Upgraded to Cat Iii Status After the Addition of New Centreline Lighting and Upgrades to the Airport’s Ils System, Which Are Being Conducted as Part of the Airports $330 Million International Terminal Expansion. It is Believed That Sydney and Canberra Airports Have Also Spoken With Casa About Obtaining Cat Iii Certification.

A Number of Aircraft Coming Into Melbourne Last Week Had to Be Diverted to Alternate Airports, Including Avalon, Adelaide and Sydney Due to Early Morning Fog at Tullamarine.

Airport Briefs

According to a Urs Report Commissioned by Sydney Airport , the Airport Contributes $16. 5 Billion to the Gross State Product of New South Wales, and Directly Employs 75,580 People With a Further 130,550 Jobs Indirectly Related to the Airport.

Events

Fuel to Be Focus at Aviation Summit the Spiralling Cost of Fuel and Its Impact on the Airlines is Likely to Feature Prominently at This Year’s Australia Pacific Aviation Outlook Summit in July.

The Summit is on From July 28-31 at the Four Seasons in Sydney and Will Feature a Number of Airline Executives, Including Geoff Dixon, Brett Godfrey, Azran Osman-rani, James Hogan and Tony Davis. For More Information, See Www. Terrapinn. Com/2008/aviation/.