News Desk

Thai’s Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered A380s are being delivered in a 507-seat configuration. (Airbus)

the united states says it has complied with a world trade organization ruling on illegal subsidies to boeing, but the european union says it will study the measures to ensure full compliance.

The development is the latest in a bitter trade dispute between the us and eu over subsidies to boeing and airbus, with both sides accusing the other of misconduct.

The us has asked the wto to approve retaliatory sanctions of as much as us$10 billion over claims that the eu has failed to comply with an earlier order to halt illegal subsidies to airbus. The eu says it has complied with the ruling.

The wto ruled in march that boeing had received at least us$2. 6 billion in il- newsdesk over before it started bae-eads merger fails coming home ap-3c deployment ends parting salvo raaa chair speaks out in this section commercial 5 military 6 airlines 8 airports 14 cargo 14 general aviation 14 business aviation 15 atc & airspace 15 legal government subsidies in the form of us research and defence contracts.

But boeing launched another broadside against rival airbus, saying the eu had continued to provide billions in launch aid for the a350 and was “propping up” the a380.

“the illegal subsidies to airbus, most importantly the pernicious, market distorting practice of launch aid, must stop,” boeing said. “the us government remains committed to ending these subsidies, and boeing fully supports the actions the us government has taken to end them. ”

Ntsb calls for genx inspections

that us national transportation safety board has recommended inspections of all new boeing 787 and 747-8 general electric genx engines after a trio of recent incidents blamed on cracks in the engine’s turbine midshaft.

“we are issuing this recommendation because of the potential for multiple engine failures on a single aircraft and the urgent need for the faa to act immediately,” ntsb chairman deborah hersman said, adding that the faa, ge and boeing had already taken important steps in addressing the problem.

The first incident occurred in july when a 787 genx-1b engine failed during ground tests in south carolina, expelling metal debris and starting a small grass fire. In late august, an inspection of a genx-1b on a separate 787 that had yet to fly turned up a crack in the fan midshaft.

Soon afterwards a boeing 747-8f aborted takeoff from shanghai after losing power in one of its four genx-2b engines, which are closely related to the 787 engines. Again, initial inspections indicated damage to the engine’s turbine section.

In response, ge has developed an ultrasonic method that can be used to inspect the engines without removing them from the aircraft, the ntsb said. All genx-1bs used on 787s have already been inspected, as have all genx‑2bs used on passenger and freighter versions of the 747-8.

Ge believes it has determined the cause of the cracks and has changed the way the shafts are coated during production, the ntsb said.

Boeing predicts cargo turnaround

boeing has predicted a 5. 2 per cent annual growth rate for air cargo services over the next two decades despite near-term market weakness.

Growth will be driven by increased global commerce as countries continue to liberalise trade policies, while air cargo costs will drop thanks to more efficient aircraft and improved infrastructure, boeing said. “current industry uncertainty has brought a disparity of viewpoint concerning the future of the air cargo business, but economic activity – particularly world gross domestic product and industrial production – remains the key driver of the air cargo market,” said tom crabtree, regional director, business development & strategic integration, boeing commercial airplanes. “over the long term, indicators such as gdp growth at 3. 2 per cent and the need for greater operational efficiency will prevail in the marketplace. ” while the air cargo industry has been mired in a slump since the global financial crisis, boeing predicts a turnaround will see the global air cargo fleet grow from 1,738 to 3,198 aircraft by 2031. Widebody freighters will account for 36 per cent of that fleet – up from 31 per cent – while passengerto- freighter conversions will account for two-thirds of new cargo aircraft, boeing said.

Airbus delivers 100th chinese a320

airbus has delivered its 100th chinese-built a320 family aircraft just over three years after delivering its first.

The 100th aircraft was delivered to air china for use on domestic services out of shanghai.

Eleven chinese customers have taken delivery of aircraft from the airbus tianjin delivery centre since the first a320 was handed over on june 22 2009, airbus says.

Military

eads-bae merger collapses

merger talks between airbus parent eads and bae systems have collapsed after european governments failed to reach agreement over their respective stakes in the would-be conglomerate.

Eads and uk-based bae said they had agreed between themselves on a merger plan based on “sound industrial logic,” but dropped the talks after months of negotiations had failed to bridge differences between germany, france and britain over the ownership and industrial structure.

The failure of the deal again highlighted the role of competing national interests even as european government seeks to build unity to tackle the continent’s debt crisis. The merger would have created an industrial giant to rival boeing, the world’s largest defence and aerospace company.

Opposition to the deal was seen as especially strong in berlin, with the german government concerned that plans to headquarter the civil aviation business in france and the defence business in britain would marginalise german influence.

Berlin had sought a direct stake in the company equalling that of france as well as long-term guarantees for german jobs.

The uk government had also expressed concerns that putting bae under european government ownership would handicap its ability to compete for us military contracts, though those concerns had reportedly been overcome.

“we are obviously disappointed that we were unable to reach an acceptable agreement with our various government stakeholders,” bae systems ceo ian king said in a statement. “we believe the merger presented a unique opportunity for bae systems and eads to combine two world class and complementary businesses to create a world leading aerospace, defence and security group. ” eads ceo tom enders said the two companies, which have cooperated on a number of projects including the eurofighter typhoon, would continue to seek opportunities to work together.

Raaf orions coming home a decade later

two raaf ap-3c orion surveillance aircraft are heading home after nearly a decade deployed to the middle east.

Raaf edinburgh-based number 92 wing has had orions deployed to the middle east since 2003 which have conducted isr operations over iraq, afghanistan, the persian gulf and the north arabian sea. Most recently, the aircraft have patrolled the coast of somalia as part of international counter-piracy missions.

“the middle east deployment witnessed the aircraft’s role expand from being almost exclusively maritime-focused to becoming an invaluable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance asset supporting land operations,” defence minister stephen smith said in a statement. “one of the aircraft’s main roles was to transmit real-time surveillance video to ground force commanders in order to provide them with essential situational awareness. ” mr smith said an increased availability of reconnaissance resources had brought the orion’s deployment to an end after some 2,400 missions.

About 3,500 members of number 92 wing have rotated through the middle east as part of the wing’s deployment.

Bae wins jsf integration contract

bae systems australia has been awarded a nine-month contract to develop an operational model for integrating the f-35 joint strike fighter into the australian defence environment.

Under the contract, bae will work with the adf and new air combat capability (nacc) program to “develop a model that outlines all requirements for jsf operations and sustainment including maintenance, supply, training needs and fleet asset management,” according to bae.

The company said it has appointed dave harrison, an employee from its uk jsf team, to lead the project. Mr harrison has more than 10 years experience with the aircraft and played a “pivotal role” in working with the british joint combat air project to support the integration of the aircraft into the uk defence force, according to the company.

The project will also include planning for follow-on phases that will support the continued integration of the jsf through to initial operating capability, which is planned for 2019/20.

A330 mrtt loses boom over spain

an a330 mrtt bound for the united arab emirates lost its refuelling boom during a test flight over spain on september 10.

Airbus military said the boom separated cleanly at a mechanical joint as the a330- based aircraft flew at about 27,000 feet near the spanish- portuguese border. No one was injured and the aircraft itself suffered minimal damage, airbus said. The boom was later located on the ground.

Airbus said it was investigating the incident, which was the second time an mrtt has lost its boom. An australiabound kc-30a was refuelling a portuguese f-16 during flight testing in january 2011 when its boom broke off.

Airbus and the raaf later agreed to a number of modifications, including changes to the flight management system and a stick shaker for the boom.

The modifications are scheduled for completion by the end of the year, with the raaf having elected not to use the boom on its kc-30s until after the mods are incorporated.

Australia operates four of the tankers, with a fifth expected to arrive this year. Airbus said the aircraft’s hose-and-drogue refuelling system could still be used but advised against using the boom while the investigation continues.

Defence signs p-8 upgrade deal

the department of defence has announced the signing of a $73. 9 million increment 3 project arrangement with the us navy for the p-8a poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

The signing formalises australia’s continuing participation in the development of the boeing 737-based p-8a, which is set to partially replace the raaf’s fleet of 19 ap-3c orions under project air 7000. The ap‑3c is slated to be withdrawn from service around 2019.

The increment 3 project arrangement is the first planned upgrade to the australian p-8a fleet and aims to provide a range of upgraded capability to the increment 2 aircraft, including a networked maritime strike weapon, air-sea rescue kit and enhanced target tracking.

The arrangement falls under the production, sustainment and follow-on development memorandum of understanding between defence and the united states navy, which was signed in march this year and provides the framework by which the p-8a will be acquired, sustained and developed through its service life.

Usn orders next poseidon batch

boeing has received the third phase of low-rate initial production orders from the us navy for the p-8a poseidon.

The us$1. 9bn contract for 11 aircraft will take the total usn fleet to 24. Boeing has so far delivered three production p-8a aircraft, built alongside the company’s commercial 737-800 aircraft. The usn is slated to purchase 117 aircraft to replace its p-3 fleet.

The raaf is planning to replace the ap-3c orion maritime patrol fleet with the p-8a platform under air 7000 phase 2b, although the project was delayed by one year in the 2012-13 budget. Second-pass approval is now expected in 2014.

Hercules reunion planned for c-130h retirement

the raaf’s 37sqn will hold a farewell for the c‑130h hercules as the airlifter goes into retirement after 34 years of australian service.

A reunion for past and present members of the c-130h community will be held at raaf base richmond on november 24, just ahead of the aircraft’s retirement in december.

More information on the reunion can be found at www. Hfarewell. Com.

Defence announced plans to move up retirement of its final eight c-130h aircraft as part of cost-cutting efforts under this year’s budget, but in turn australia has also ordered smaller c-27j tactical airlifters, which will take over some of the roles that had been performed by the c-130h.

Australia earlier this year donated four c-130h aircraft to indonesia and is in talks to sell indonesia six more of the planes for a reported us$15 million each.

37sqn will continue to operate its 12 c-130j-30 hercules.

Military briefs

• the indonesian air force has taken delivery of the first two of nine airbus military c295 transports ordered earlier this year. Indonesia will operate the aircraft as the cn295, using them for a variety of military, logistical, humanitarian and medical evacuation missions.

All nine are scheduled for delivery by mid-2014.

• for all fans of the venerable dhc-4 caribou, plans are underway to fly the aircraft owned by the historical aircraft restoration society (hars) to the caboolture warplane museum’s “antique aircraft day” in caboolture on november 18. It is planned for the caribou to be in caboolture from november 16-19 in support of this event.

Airlines

qantas-emirates tie gets gov’t blessing

the federal government has thrown its support behind qantas’s proposed alliance with emirates, saying the tie-up would benefit consumers and bolster competition (see story elsewhere this issue).

The backing by the department of infrastructure and trade came after qantas withdrew its request to the accc for interim approval of the alliance, which had drawn objections from rival virgin australia. Qantas said it would be able to begin planning for the alliance without the interim approval and would instead focus on making its case for final approval. The accc is expected to issue a draft ruling by the end of the year.

In its submission to the accc, the transport department noted that more than 30 airlines fly between australia and europe, with competition growing from chinese carriers in particular.

“australia is a key market for a range of international airlines and they are unlikely to cede ground to qantas and emirates,” the department said, adding that the tie-up would “broaden qantas’s international network at minimal capital cost” and “enhance consumer choice. ” qantas has argued that without the tie-up it will be forced to cut european routes and rely on a “virtual network” at a detriment to australian travelers.

But virgin australia, which maintains its own code sharing alliance with etihad, claims the qantas-emirates deal would put its rival in a dominant position in the australian market, undermining competition.

Air new zealand, meanwhile, has raised its own concerns about qantas- emirates cooperation on trans-tasman routes, arguing that the tasman portion of the proposed alliance should be considered separately from the long-haul arrangement.

Qantas has begun selling flights from april through dubai to london, a keystone of the proposed tie-up.

Virgin: qantasemirates deal would hurt consumers

virgin australia has laid out its arguments against the proposed qantas-emirates alliance, saying consumers would benefit more if the deal is rejected.

In a submission to the accc, virgin argues that the proposed tie-up is too broad and questions qantas’s claim that it cannot survive as an international carrier without the deal. Virgin also argues that the alliance would entrench qantas’s dominant position in the domestic and corporate market to the detriment of australian passengers.

“the decline in qantas’s marketshare has been the result of increased competition from international and domestic carriers that have entered the market over the past 10 years,” virgin says.

“this competition and consequent decline in qantas’s marketshare has not been to the detriment of australian consumers. To the contrary, competition has brought significant benefits to australian consumers, resulting in lower fares, more choice of carrier and service model. ”in its own submissions to the accc, qantas has argued that a rejection of the deal would force it to cut services to europe and fall back on a “virtual network,” hurting australian travelers. Qantas lost $450 million on its international services last year.

But virgin pointed to a recent qantas decision to extend services to frankfurt through october next year as a sign that qantas is overstating the extent to which it would be forced to curtail its international network.

Virgin also argues that the ten-year alliance sought by qantas and emirates is too long.

“given the number of markets affected by the proposed conduct and the breadth of the proposed conduct, if authorised, the competitive effects and public benefits should be tested over a shorter period,” the airline told the accc.

The accc is expected to issue a draft ruling on the proposed alliance by the end of the year.

Raaa chairman lambasts attack on just culture

outgoing chairman of the regional aviation association of australia (raaa), michael bridge, has fired a broadside at what the raaa and broader industry claim is “an attack” on aviation safety culture.

“our industry’s just culture principles that support the reporting of safety-related incidents are under attack,” bridge told the raaa convention in mid october. “we have a system that has been developed over many years, works well but may be changed to such an extent that confidential reports to the atsb could be accessed in detail by the regulator. In my view such changes may kill mandatory reporting stone dead and weaken seriously the flow of data that often leads to substantial aviation safety improvements. Both the atsb and casa have argued that this is not the intent but sections within the draft part 119 seem to indicate otherwise. ” bridge also criticised the new draft cao48 affecting flight and duty time regulations, adding: “there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that the current system is failing. The raaa will continue to work closely with casa to ensure that change is not being driven by fatigue theories untested in the aviation environment. ” while mentioning the “rocky” introduction of airservices’s new metron flow management system, aviation security policy too came under fire from the chairman.

“I have ongoing concerns regarding australia’s aviation security policies. If threat levels continue to rise, surely this is a national issue and not one that should be continually charged to industry. If threat levels diminish what are the mechanisms for reducing security infrastructure and cost? The latter question has drawn a blank from government.

Has aviation security become an industry its own right, bent on growth with little connection to threat levels? “why can I walk onto a domestic nz flight in a boeing or airbus aircraft without passing through any security measures but must undergo the most rigorous of security at some of our regional and remote airports in australia? Are the security threats that different between our near neighbours and ourselves or have we been captured by a new leech living off our industry’s efforts?” chairman for seven years, michael bridge steps down as membership of the association reaches 100, a milestone he says reflects the confidence the regional aviation community has in the raaa to lobby effectively on issues that affect the viability of its airlines and airport members.

So much for that fare war?

Despite months of heated rhetoric and plans to bolster domestic capacity, qantas and virgin australia have apparently thought better of a fare war as they seek to preserve their bottom lines.

The australian financial review reports that flight cancellations at both carriers spiked during august and september as they sought to bolster load factors. The two rivals had flagged plans to increase capacity on their busiest east coast routes by around 10 per cent this year in what analysts had described as a burgeoning fare war likely to drive down ticket prices and the airlines’ margins. In the end, neither carrier appears to have had the stomach for the fight.

Qantas ceo alan joyce confirmed that his airline had begun backing away from the capacity increases. “we will not reduce capacity to ensure the qantas group retains around 65 per cent of domestic market share, which is the profit maximising level for us,” he said. Qantas is expected to replace 747s with refurbished 767s on its routes between the east coast and perth, the financial review said.

Federal government supports lower cost aircraft finance

australia has announced it will sign up to the cape town convention in a move that should provide access to lower-cost aircraft finance, minister for infrastructure and transport, anthony albanese, announced at the recent annual regional aviation association of australia (raaa) conference.

From 2014, when the government expects the treaty to be brought into law, it is claimed airlines could save around $330,000 on the purchase of a new atr 72, or up to $2. 5 million on an a380. Savings on the purchase of used aircraft will also be available, which the government suggests will be valuable to regional airlines.

The cape town convention aims to standardise financial transactions and registration on movable assets including aircraft, rail stock and space equipment. Lower cost finance is facilitated through the treaty by providing creditors with an internationally-recognised set of rights in the event of default by a debtor, and allows creditors to register their interests in an international register that guarantees priority of their claim against other parties.

Around 50 countries are now parties to the convention, which came into force from 2004.

Key execs depart air nz as airline announces share buyback

two key executives are departing air new zealand as the airline reshapes its management team ahead of the departure of ceo rob fyfe at the end of the year.

Head of people and technical operations chief vanessa stoddart is leaving after 10 years with the airline, while glen sowry, general manager – operations is also leaving after a 10 year career with the company, having been appointed ceo of housing new zealand corporation.

The key departures come as christopher luxon prepares to take the reins as ceo of the airline from january, replacing rob fyfe, who announced his departure from the airline in june.

The changes were announced ahead of air new zealand’s annual general meeting on september 28, where the airline announced a share buyback.

Through to september 2013 the airline will buy back three per cent of its stock on the new zealand and australian stock exchanges. Cornerstone shareholder the new zealand government, which holds 73. 09 per cent of air new zealand’s ordinary shares, is not participating as a seller into the share buyback, which means its stake in the airline will increase to 75 per cent.

“the air new zealand board has decided to undertake the share buyback as it believes that the current share price does not fairly reflect the underlying value of air new zealand’s shares,” the airline said in a statement.

Tiger adds mackay – sydney/melbourne, continues cairns

tiger australia has announced two new services from mackay, operating from melbourne four times a week from december 18 and sydney five times a week from december 17. The airline has also announced an extension to its melbourne-cairns services through the summer season.

Tiger has gradually expanded its network as it bounces back from a six-week safety grounding last year.

The airline said mackay came out on top of an online poll asking passengers where they wanted tiger to fly next.

“mackay is among australia’s fastest growing regions,it is a key tourism destination in its own right and a fantastic gateway to the whitsundays,” tiger australia ceo andrew david said.

“we have also witnessed a strong demand for great value fares year-round from the flyin, fly-out (mining) sector. ” around 20 jobs will be created in mackay as a result of the new services, which are seen as a significant boost to tourism and the local economy.

Virgin, sq to start adelaide codeshare to europe

codeshare arrangements between virgin australia and singapore airlines from adelaide are being extended to 12 destinations in europe and the uk. Subject to regulatory approval, amsterdam, barcelona, copenhagen, frankfurt, london, manchester, milan, moscow, munich, paris, rome and zurich will be added, with reciprocal lounge and frequent flyer benefits applying to the new services.

The announcement coincides with emirates launching direct flights to adelaide on november 1.

Meanwhile, virgin australia is seeking permission to extend codeshare flights with singapore airlines to selected new zealand services.

The airline filed its request with the international air services commission alongside a similar request to extend codesharing services with delta air lines on flights to indonesia.

The push to extend its alliance with singapore airlines across the tasman comes as qantas and emirates eye codesharing flights to new zealand as part of their proposed alliance.

Qatar in oneworld ups the ante

in a move that may spell unease for the recently consummated relationship between qantas and emirates, qatar airways has ended months of speculation by announcing it is joining oneworld. Its membership will add 15 new destinations and three countries to the alliance network, bringing the total to 856 destinations and 159 countries served by the 14 member airlines.

Exactly how qatar and emirates will relate to qantas in the oneworld context will be interesting to measure. Alliance membership intrinsically demands member airlines offer cross benefits to customers, but the 10-year deal between qantas and emirates will compete directly with qatar’s own middle east hub strategy.

In a clear reference to the potential challenges presented by the new qf/ek relationship, oneworld said in a statement: “oneworld’s flexible approach to bilateral co-operation with carriers outside our alliance means that links already established between our member airlines with other carriers from this region may continue in tandem with qatar airways’ addition to oneworld. ” the three airlines and the alliance executive have around 18 months to find solutions to these very real dilemmas.

Qatar will inaugurate its oneworld membership after it has transferred its operations to the new doha international airport during 2013.

Virgin adds regional capacity from bne

virgin australia will increase flights between brisbane and emerald, newcastle and rockhampton, citing strong demand from the corpo-rate and resource sectors.

Weekday brisbane-emerald flights will increase from three to four per day, while a third service will be added on sundays and a saturday service will be introduced for the first time. Brisbane-rockhampton flights will increase from seven to eight per weekday, while brisbane-newcastle will increase from two to three flights mondays to fridays.

In all, virgin said the increases would add 2,450 seats per week to its network. The emerald and rockhampton services are aboard atr 72 turboprops, while the newcastle service is aboard a fokker 100 wet leased from alliance airlines, extending an existing arrangement.

Virgin pilots reject contract offer

the union representing virgin australia pilots has urged continued negotiations after its members rejected the airline’s contract offer.

Nearly two-thirds of pilots voted against the new enterprise bargaining agreement put forward by the carrier, the virgin international pilots’ association says.

“the virgin australia pilot group has spoken loud and clear,” union executive director simon o’hara told sky news. “this vote sends a very clear message to all parties involved that the pilot group wants the negotiations for a replacement pilots’ eba to resume and for virgin australia to table a better offer. ”

Emirates in talks with american

emirates and qantas could expand their alliance to include flights to north america, emirates boss tim clark has said after revealing the dubaibased carrier is in alliance talks with american airlines.

Mr clark said talks with american parent amr have been ongoing since late last year and involve codesharing and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits. He said he hoped to finalise a deal “fairly soon. ” american and qantas are both part of the oneworld alliance and currently codeshare on flights between australia and the us. Mr clark said qantas’s relationship with american had no bearing on emirates plan to partner with the us carrier, pointing out that the qantas-emirates deal does not extend to the us. However, he added, “that could change. ” american currently codeshares with emirates rival and virgin australia partner etihad, and it’s not clear what would happen to that deal if emirates and american reach an agreement. American is also in the midst of reorganisation under us bankruptcy laws after filing for protection from its creditors late last year.

Mr clark’s comments came during a us trip to mark the launch of direct flights from dubai to washington, emirates’ seventh destination in the us.

Air nz plans north american boost

air new zealand will increase capacity to san francisco, los angeles and vancouver as it moves to replace seats lost by qantas’s exit from new zealand-california flights earlier this year.

Air nz will increase san francisco services from five times weekly to daily, los angeles services from 12 per week to twice daily and vancouver services from two to three times per week during off-peak periods, the carrier said. The changes, due to take effect in april 2013, will add roughly 5,000 seats a month across the three routes.

Air nz said the capacity increases to los angeles and san francisco would make up 75 per cent of the seats lost when qantas withdrew from the auckland-los angeles route in may as part of cost-cutting measures.

Qantas to close singapore first class lounge

qantas will close its first class lounge at singapore’s changi airport as it shifts the focus of its international operations to dubai, australian business traveller has reported.

The airline had launched renovations of the singapore lounge in may but saysthe work will be dropped as a result of its alliance with emirates, which will see qantas route its london services through dubai rather than singapore. With no a380s flying to singapore, qantas will no longer operate first class configured aircraft to or from changi.

Qantas has said it plans to retime its services to singapore, which currently run overnight.

Qantas will still operate a business class lounge at changi.

Jetstar nz adds aircraft, capacity

jetstar will add a ninth a320 aircraft to its new zealand fleet as it boosts domestic and trans-tasman capacity.

The qantas subsidiary said it will add up to 20 additional weekly flights between wellington and auckland and up to seven extra flights from christchurch to wellington and auckland. An extra weekly flight from queenstown to sydney and melbourne will also be added.

However, jetstar will cut its five weekly flights between christchurch and queenstown and will cut back flights between christchurch, the gold coast and melbourne.

The airline said it was cutting the christchurch- queenstown services because customers were now flying directly into queenstown.

The changes are due to take effect on november 15.

Jetstar said the addition of the new aircraft would help create 50 new jobs.

Air nz to upgrade 777-200ers

air new zealand will spend $100 million upgrading its fleet of boeing 777-200ers to match its newer long-haul aircraft.

The carrier said its eight -200ers, which entered service in 2005, will be upgraded starting in the second quarter of 2014 and should be complete within a year. The work will bring the -200ers in line with air nz’s 777-300ers and the 787-9 dreamliners scheduled to begin arriving in mid-2014.

The upgrades will include new panasonic in-flight entertainment systems and new seats across business premier, premium economy and economy classes.

Some of the updated aircraft will also receive the airline’s new livery.

The work will be undertaken at air nz’s auckland engineering base.

Qantas-saa alliance scores two-year extension

qantas’s efforts to extend its codesharing partnership with south african airways have won a partial victory despite concerns over its effect on competition, with the tie-up tentatively approved through 2014.

The international air services commission (iasc) earlier this year rebuffed a qantas request to extend the codeshare for five years, instead proposing to terminate the 12-year-old partnership at the end of the year. Qantas appealed that decision to the federal court, arguing that the decision could force qantas and saa to cut services between sydney, perth and johannesburg.

Qantas later dropped the legal action after the iasc extended its approval of the codeshare to march next year while it considers a new application.

Cobham wins new fifo contract with modified jet

cobham aviation has won a two-year fly-in fly-out contract to transport xstrata nickle australasia employees to a remote gravel airstrip at the cosmos nickel mine in wa.

The contract utilises cobham’s recently introduced bae 146-100 jets fitted with special ‘gravel kits’ giving the jets the capability to operate on rough airstrips.

The kits include rubber paint to protect the underside of the fuselage, a nose wheel stone deflector and a kevlar undercarriage shield around the main landing gear. The introduction of the gravel kits on the 71-seat bae 146 came after an 18-month test period and final approval by casa in january.

Cobham ceo peter nottage said the contract with xstrata demonstrates strong demand for the jet services from the mining sector.

Airline briefs

• philippine airlines will increase its flights to australia from five to seven flights per week from october 28 and will discontinue its current triangular services from manila to sydney and melbourne in favour of direct flights between the philippine capital and australia’s two largest cities.

• air new zealand has announced it will operate a second season of services between auckland and bali. The airline will operate three times a week between june 1 and october 15 2013 using 767-300s.

The extension of the season by three weeks is in response to a 38 per cent increase in demand for winter flights to bali.

Airports

Avalon goes international

the victorian state government has welcomed the federal government’s decision to declare avalon airport as the state’s second international airport.

Avalon airport will now benefit from a $50 million investment by the state government for design, planning, land acquisition and preliminary construction works for a rail link to the airport, as well as a further $3 million to install a fuel line directly to the airport.

The ability to offer two international airports without curfew limitations will provide melbourne with a significant strategic advantage over other states, and potentially unblocks avalon’s ability to attract engineering and maintenance developments by international carriers as well as dedicated freight services.

Albanese warns on airport access

the federal minister for infrastructure and transport anthony albanese has warned regional airlines they must remain vigilant as access to major airports continues to be under pressure.

Addressing the raaa convention, the Minister said that although he would work to retain access to major city airports for regional airlines, major airport operators were continuing to press for change.

He cited a recent representation from Sydney Airport in which the desire to remove regional airlines from the airport remains palpable.

“So be vigilant. The threat is there. There is no second airport [and there is] increased pressure,” Albanese cautioned, while urging regional operators to continue to work with the government to push against ongoing pressure from major airports, particularly Sydney.

Albanese said the recent expansion of services by Rex and Virgin Australia between regional centres and major cities in Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales highlighted the critical ongoing need for regional carriers to continue to have access to capital city airports.

“I again state this government’s support for regional airlines to be able to use major airports including during peak times,” the Minister said. “This is absolutely vital to Australia. This commitment includes Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport. ” In his address, Albanese also addressed the chronic shortage of new recruits to the industry, an issue of concern to leaders across all sectors of the aviation industry.

“I am aware that many of you are concerned about the lack of skilled workers that are needed now and into the future,” the Minster said, adding the Federal Government’s Vocational Education Training Program has placed 2,850 students in aviation courses in addition to the national apprenticeship scheme, which is placing people in engineering and maintenance roles in regional areas.

No Case For Syd-cbr Fast Rail – Report

The NSW infrastructure authority has dismissed the idea of a fast rail link between Sydney and Canberra as an expensive and impractical solution to overcrowding at Sydney Airport.

The group’s State Infrastructure Strategy instead argues that a second airport should be built in Badgery’s Creek in Sydney’s west, an idea that has been ruled out by both the state and federal governments.

The federal government is moving ahead with a study of a second airport site in Wilton, while NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has opposed a second airport anywhere in Sydney and has instead pushed the idea of a fast rail link to an expanded Canberra Airport.

But Infrastructure NSW said the rail link was a risky and unproven idea.

“A commitment of this scale requires a high degree of certainty that it will achieve its

identified objectives,” the report said. “to date, infrastructure nsw believes the case has not been made as to why a rail option would provide such transformative benefits that it would compete with aviation, even with a heavy subsidy. ” the cost of an east coast high speed rail network from brisbane to melbourne has been estimated at between $68 and $108 billion.

Cargo

Qantas puts faith in freight

qantas has announced it will sell its 50 per cent share of startrack to australia post and in parallel will acquire full ownership of australian air express (aae). Since 2003 qantas and australia post have each owned 50 percent of startrack and aae.

In a move that aims to optimise return on the airline’s airfreight investments as it seeks to bolster its flagging financial position, the full acquisition of aae will also provide qantas a near-seamless airfreight product across its international and domestic networks under a single qantas airfreight brand. Post-acquisition, it will retain close links with australia post and startrack, which will remain significant customers of the airfreight business.

The planned ownership changes, subject to approval by the accc and australia post’s government shareholder, are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

General aviation

Gapan launches 2013 scholarships

the australian region of the guild of air pilots &navigators (gapan) has launched its 2013 scholarship program, with invitations issued for two programs.

Griffith university has joined with gapan to offer an aviation management scholarship, which covers tuition fees for the full griffith university master of aviation management program. Further details can be obtained by emailing postgradscholarship@ gapan. Org. Au. Applications close on january 18 2013.

The second scholarship program is being offered jointly with assessment services limited and covers cpl and atpl theory examinations.

Two scholarships will be awarded, the first covering the casa/asl examination fees for the complete set of cpl examinations. The second covers the casa/ asl examination fees for the complete set of atpl examinations.

Further details can be obtained from www. Gapan. Org.

Au or by email from scholarship@ gapan. Org. Au. Applications close on march 25 2013.

Business aviation

Boeing bizjet sets speed record

boeing’s 737-based boeing business jet (bbj) has set a speed record while flying from los angeles to auckland for installation of a vip interior, boeing says.

The modified 737-700, owned by korean electronics giant samsung, made the 10,479km trip in 13 hours, seven minutes and 54 seconds, marginally faster than commercial airlines typically travel the route. The flight, monitored by the national aeronautic association in washington, set a record for “speed over a recognised course,” boeing said.

The samsung-owned bbj is equipped with seven auxiliary fuel tanks and features a cabin altitude of 6,500ft as compared with the standard 8,000ft, which boeing says contributes to greater passenger comfort.

The aircraft was flown tonew zealand for installation of its interior by altitude aerospace interiors, an air new zealand subsidiary.

Atc & airspace

“Loss of separation assurance” for two qantas jets over darwin

an raaf air traffic controller has been suspended after placing two qantas aircraft,a 717 and a 737, on conflicting flightpaths over darwin, according to the atsb.

“the callsign label for a boeing 717 aircraft inbound to darwin was assigned to another aircraft in the air traffic computer system and displayed on the approach controller’s radar display,” the atsb said.

“the other aircraft was overflying darwin and not on the approach controller’s frequency, or under approach control at the time. The actual radar return for the 717 was displayed on the controller’s display as an unlabelled track. Based on the displayed information, the 717 was cleared to descend through the level of a boeing 737 that was outbound from darwin. ” preliminary investigations indicate that the incorrect call sign label assignment was identified by the approach controller, who commenced a compromised separation recovery procedure that placed level restrictions on both aircraft.

The 717 was operated by cobham aviation on behalf of qantas and was flying to darwin from alice springs.

The 737 was departing darwin for melbourne.

Casa studying richmond use

casa is studying the effects of introducing civilian operations at raaf base richmond as part of an analysis of the short-term future of sydney’s airspace.

The study will look at a forecast period of five years to evaluate proposed changes including the integration of bankstown and camden airports into the current airspace architecture and the possible introduction of limited commercial services at richmond.

The federal government has flagged civilian use of richmond as a potential way to relieve overcrowding at sydney’s kingsford smith airport, a possible stop-gap as the government meanwhile moves ahead with a detailed study of a proposed site for a second sydney airport in wilton.

Casa said its study would not consider the implications of a second airport at wilton since such a development falls outside its five-year timeframe, nor will casa look at sydney airport’s long-term operating plan or its government-imposed aircraft movement cap and curfew.

“this is part of routine work undertaken by casa’s office of airspace regulation, with the objective being to ensure appropriate airspace arrangements are in place,” casa director of aviation safety john mccormick said in the organisation’s monthly newsletter.