Preflight

Qantas is arguing for “action to level what all sides of politics agree is a distorted playing field.” QANTAS CFO GARETH EVANS

Under the agreement an existing daily Singapore Airlines 777-300ER Singapore- Auckland service will be upgraded to A380s, initially on a seasonal basis, while Singapore Airlines’ second, five times weekly Auckland 777-200ER flight will be replaced by a daily Air New Zealand 777-200ER service.

With the airlines codesharing on each other’s services the two carriers will be able to offer a double daily Singapore-Auckland schedule which they say means an increase of seat capacity on the Singapore-Auckland market “by up to 30 per cent year round over time. ” Under the deal Air New Zealand will also codeshare on Singapore Airlines’ existing daily Singapore- Christchurch service, and the codeshare alliance will also see Air NZ place its code on Singapore Airlines flights to the UK, Europe, South-East Asia and Africa and SilkAir’s regional Asia

The tie-up with Singapore is Air New Zealand’s second codeshare deal with a major Asian airline.

flights, and Singapore Airlines in turn codesharing on Air New Zealand’s domestic network and to “select” international ports.

The two airlines say the new arrangements would take effect from December 2014, pending approvals from the Competition Commission of Singapore and New Zealand Minister of Transport.

“Air New Zealand is on a positive growth trajectory with a clear focus on Pacific Rim destinations. An alliance with Singapore Airlines clearly fits our business objectives of working with the right partners in the right markets to deliver seamless customer journeys,” Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon said.

Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong, meanwhile, noted: “This alliance is another example of our commitment to the important Southwest Pacific market, andour commitment to the further enhancement of our network. This is a genuine win-win partnership, enabling Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand to work together to provide more flight frequency and enhanced travel options to our customers. ” The tie-up with Singapore Airlines is Air New Zealand’s second codeshare deal with a major Asian airline to be revealed in recent months, after announcing a partnership with Cathay Pacific covering Hong Kong flights last November.

Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines are both members of the Star Alliance, and are both shareholders in, and alliance codeshare partners with, Virgin Australia. Currently, Air New Zealand offers flights to Singapore via Brisbane connecting on to Etihad Airways Brisbane-Singaporeservices, under an interline arrangement which will continue after the Singapore Airlines alliance is formalised. Etihad is the third key airline investor in Virgin Australia.

Air New Zealand previously code-shared on Singapore Airlines services to Singapore until 2007. Singapore Airlines was also a major shareholder in Air New Zealand at the time of the Ansett collapse (which Air NZ then owned) in 2001. After the New Zealand government recapitalised and effectively renationalised Air New Zealand following the Ansett collapse, Singapore’s stake in the kiwi carrier was diluted to 6. 3 per cent. It subsequently sold out of Air New Zealand in 2004.

With the Singapore deal in place, Air New Zealand’s Luxon has noted that South America is the last gap in his airline’s route network.

Virgin Atlantic withdraws from Australia

May 4 withdrawal will leave British Airways the only Euro carrier to serve Australia direct

Virgin Atlantic has announced it will cease services between Hong Kong and Sydney from May this year.

The airline, which flies a daily service from London Heathrow to Sydney via Hong Kong using Airbus A340-600 equipment, says it will now terminate that service at Hong Kong, citing low profitability.

“Unfortunately we intend to withdraw our services between Sydney and Hong Kong,” airline CEO Craig Kreeger said. “Despite the best efforts of our employees, external factors such as increasing costs and a weakening Australian dollar have affected our profitability. These are still difficult times for the airline industry and as part of ourstrategy to operate more efficiently, we need to deploy our aircraft to routes with the right level of demand to be financially viable. ” The airline’s final service from Hong Kong to Sydney will depart on the evening of May 4, and the final Sydney to Hong Kong service on the afternoon of May 5. Sydney is Virgin Atlantic’s only Australian destination.

“The Australia-Europe market has undergone profound change, each step adding more competition,” consultancy CAPA – Centre for Aviation observed in a report. “Gulf carriers occupy a powerful presence, there are new and expanded entrants like China Southern and Garuda Indonesia, Qantas partners with Emirates while British Airways and Cathay Pacific, as well as AirNew Zealand and Cathay, have become friends. The result of these partnerships and new carriers is to offer more options, opening up multiple destinations in what is a fragmented market. London-Sydney is the largest market between Europe and Australia, but accounts for only around a tenth of passengers in that market. ” The withdrawal of Virgin Atlantic leaves just British Airways as the sole remaining European carrier to operate RPT services to Australia with its single daily service from London Heathrow to Sydney via Bangkok.

British Airways subsequently issued a statement saying it will continue to operate services to Australia. As the last Europeanairline to soon be operating RPT services to Australia, BA says it is expanding its services to the Asia region and was “reaffirming its commitment to servicing the needs of the Australian market. ” “British Airways has a long and proud history of servicing Australia. We’re committed to this market and have been for nearly 80 years,” said BA’s regional commercial manager for South West Pacific, Nicole Backo in a statement. “The Kangaroo route is vital to the strengthening of our global business. We have continued to invest in it with new planes and new products, and we’re seeing an increase in passengers year-on-year. This is largely due to the alternative routes we provide to Europe and the rest of the world. ”

RAAF home from South Sudan

The RAAF completed its last airlift flight in support of United Nations relief efforts in South Sudan on January 12 when a C-130J flight operated the last of the eight C-17 and two C-130J flights that had delivered approximately 200 tonnes of equipment since January 3.

“Overall, the C-17s carried out eight flights from Brindisi, Italy and Djibouti to deliver more than 175 tonnes of equipment,” said DG of Air and Space Operations, AIRCDRE Gavin Turnbull.

“The C-130Js carried out two flights into Juba via Monrovia in Liberia and Yaounde in Cameroon, carrying UN personnel and equipment for the UN.

The first Hercules flight arrived in Juba on January 11 carrying six Nepalese police officers and cargo and the second flight arrived on January 12 with UN cargo to support peacekeeping operations. ”

BAMS-D milestone

Australian companies Lovitt Technologies and Marand Precision Engineering have won work on Boeing’s F-15 Eagle program.

Under the auspices of the DMO’s Global Supply Chain program, Boeing’s Office of Australian Industry Capability has been able to secure work for Lovitt to produce F-15 trailing edge fairings and for Marand to supply fuel tank installation equipment, specialised hand tools and structural support pieces.

BAE Taranis UCAV breaks cover

The UK MoD has released some details about the first flight of the BAE Systems Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle concept demonstrator last year.

After several months of unconfirmed rumours, the MoD confirmed on February 4 that the aircraft made its first 15-minute flight on August 10 2013 from an “undisclosed” test facility, and added that the aircraft then made “a number of flights” up to one hour duration “at a variety of altitudes and speeds. ” The facility is most likely the ADF’s test range at Woomera in South Australia – footage from a video released by the UK MoD shows outback-like terrain under the flying aircraft and a runway alignment which corresponds to that of Woomera.

BAE has previously tested its Herti and Mantis unmanned systems at Woomera due to an abundance of airspace, its remoteness, and benign weather patterns.

“The first flight of Taranis represents a major landmark for UK aviation,” Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director of BAE Systems said in the statement. “The demonstrator is the most advanced air system ever conceived, designed and built in the UK. It truly represents an evolution of everything that has come before it. This milestone confirms the UK’s leading position as a centre for engineering excellence and innovation. ” The Taranis demonstrator has been jointly funded by the MoD and BAE to the tune of £185m (A$336m), and is designed to demonstrate a system capable of “undertaking sustained surveillance, marking targets, gathering intelligence, deterring adversaries and carrying out strikes in hostile territory. ”

RAAF hits Vegas

The RAAF deployed seven F/A-18 classic Hornets and an E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C to Las Vegas in February for Exercise Red Flag 14-1.

Led by OC 81WG GPCAPT Robert Chipman, the deployment was the first major exercise of 2014 for the RAAF and comprised an intense two-week campaign of day and night missions against real target sets and adversary representative fighters, and high-fidelity electronic and air defence systems over the Nevada Test & Training Range.

“Exercise Red Flag is the most advanced international air combat training activity in the world,” Commander Air Combat Group, AIRCDRE Tony Grady said in a release. “It provides our pilots, combat controllers and intelligence officers with the most realistic and demanding tactical training available. Exercise Red Flag is designed to not only test, but also teach the crews through a rigorous flying program of day and night missions against a large number of ground threats and adversary air. ” Red Flag 14-1 was also being attended by combat units from the USAF (F-22, F-16C/CM, F-15C, F-15E, E-3, B-2, EC-130, E-8, RC-135, HC-130, HH-60, KC-135), USN (EA-18G, P-3C, EP-3E), USMC (EA-6B & F/A-18) and the RAF (E-3D, Typhoon & Tornado).

Pentagon chief tester finds “deficiencies” on P-8

The office of the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E), Dr Michael Gilmore has found the Boeing P-8A Poseidon isn’t yet mission-effective and has some key “deficiencies” in its systems.

The section on the P-8 in the annual report into major programs to Congress was based on operational testing of the aircraft conducted between September 2012 and March 2013, and found problems with the aircraft’s radar performance, sensor integration and data transfer.

Aircrew training for the RNZAF is currently conducted on CT-4E piston trainers and Beechcraft B200 King Airs, but both of these types are due to be withdrawn by 2018. “The new system is expected to be operational for the first trainee intake in early 2016,” Dr Coleman added.

“It is estimated it will produce up to 15 graduate pilots and 12 Qualifying Flying Instructors per year over the next 30 years. ” The T-6C was chosen ahead of a competing bid from Pilatus and Hawker Pacific offering the PC-9M.

In the report, Gilmore said that “Many of these deficiencies” led him to determine the P-8A “is not effective for the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission, and is not effective for wide area anti-submarine search” when subject to realistic combat testing.

Despite his report claiming the aircraft is not yet ready for deployment, the US Navy deployed six P-8As to the western Pacific region at Atsugi Naval Base in Japan late last year. A January 10 statement by 7th fleet commander VAdm Robert Thomas said the aircraft “represents a significant improvement” over the older P-3C Orion, “providing the opportunity to detect, track and report on more targets than ever before. ” The US Navy has taken delivery of 14 P-8As out of a requirement for 113 aircraft, and is currently converting its third squadron to the type. The P-8 is also the nominated manned successor to the RAAF’s AP-3C Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft under Project AIR 7000 Phase 2B.

NZ selects Beech T-6C for pilot training requirement

New Zealand Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman has announced that the RNZAF will acquire 11 Beechcraft T-6C turboprop trainers as part of a NZ$154 million training package.

The January 27 announcement says the aircraft are part of a larger training system. “This modern, safe and reliable pilot training system will enable our military pilots to be trained to the highest standards, and is in line with the training systems used in Australia, the UK, the US and Canada,” Dr Coleman said.

“The NZ$154 million package includes ground simulators, classroom and computer-based training packages to complement practical flying experience in turbo-prop T-6C aircraft. The T-6C has a proven track record in service with other militaries, and meets the NZDF’s performance and safety standards. ” The simulators will be acquired from CAE Simulation to subcontract to Beechcraft. CAE Australia will support the simulators and Safe Air will provide maintenance support to the aircraft at Ohakea. Aircrew training for the RNZAF is currently conducted on CT-4E piston trainers and Beechcraft B200 King Airs, but both of these types are due to be withdrawn by 2018. “The new system is expected to be operational for the first trainee intake in early 2016,” Dr Coleman added.

“It is estimated it will produce up to 15 graduate pilots and 12 Qualifying Flying Instructors per year over the next 30 years. ” The T-6C was chosen ahead of a competing bid from Pilatus and Hawker Pacific offering the PC-9M.

Virgin appoints new COO

Virgin Australia has appointed 25-year US airline industry veteran Gary Hammes as its new chief operating officer (COO), with effect from February 11.

Hammes joins Virgin Australia from World Airways, where he served as chief operating officer. Prior to World Airways he served as senior vice president and chief operating officer of ASTAR Air Cargo. He has also worked for Northwest, United Airlines where he was 737 fleet operations manager, and Evergreen International.

As COO at Virgin Hammes will have responsibility for ground handling, flight operations, line maintenance, engineering, safety, catering and network operations teams.

Hammes will be based in Virgin’s Brisbane office. He replaces Sean Donohue, who left the airline last October to take on the role of CEO at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

New boss for Boeing in Australia

Boeing’s Australia & South Pacific president Ian Thomas has been appointed as president of Boeing China.

Thomas will be succeeded in Australia by Maureen Dougherty (above right) who comes to the role from heading up Boeing’s KC-46 tanker program, and who knows Australia well after previously being Boeing’s lead on its 737 AEW&C program.

Qantas bids for Moree but AirLink backs away from Cobar/Mudgee

Fallout from Brindabella collapse continues

QantasLink announced on February 7 that it has applied to operate services between Moree and Sydney under the NSW government’s five-year regulated route licensing agreement.

The route lost its RPT services with the collapse of Brindabella Airlines in December, and has been subject to a new tender.

Qantaslink launched short-term relief flights to and from Moree in the wake of the Brindabella collapse, and is currently operating two daily return services during an interim period which ends in March.

What we can’t do is give staff false hope, we’ve got to be realistic. sebastian hams

Meanwhile, Rex has announced its subsidiary AirLink will not take up the licences it was granted for services on former Brindabella routes between Sydney and Cobar and Mudgee because “negotiations on partnership agreements with both councils” had broken down.

In a February 7 statement, AirLink CEO David Brooksby said that the two routes represented a “significant commercial risk” and that the airline was unable to come to an agreement with the councils representing the towns before the service was due to commence.

“As the deadline has beenreached, we consider the matter closed,” Brooksby said. “Even if the deadline is extended, Rex is not confident of reaching an agreement given the ambivalent position of one of the mayors. ” Rex has also said it will not apply for the Moree licence as that council had not responded to the airline’s call for expressions of interest.

Meanwhile, 135 Brindabella Airlines staff were formally retrenched on December 23 after administrators KordaMentha were unable to find a buyer for the failed regional airline.

“What we can’t do is give staff false hope, we’ve got to be realistic and there’s no point in prolonging the inevitable,” KordaMentha executive director Sebastian Hams was reported as saying.

“We understand it’s an incredibly difficult time for staff. We’re trying to make the best of a very, very bad situation. Obviously two days before Christmas is terrible for staff and their families. ” A small number of staff were being retained to maintain Brindabella aircraft while a buyer can be found for them. About half the airline’s staff were based in Canberra, where the airline was headquartered.

The retrenchments followed Transport for NSW revoking Brindabella’s exclusive air licences for services from Sydney to Moree, Narrabri, Cobar, Cooma and Mudgee.

“This provides the green light for airlines who said publicly they are able to provide services to these communities on a temporary basis,” the NSW state government agency said in a December 19 statement.

Brindabella entered receivership on December 15.

New route for JQ 787s

With the entry into service of its third Boeing 787-8 in late January, Jetstar commenced 787 services between Melbourne and Phuket from February 9.

The new aircraft – VH-VKD – joined -VKA and -VKB in the Jetstar fleet, allowing the airline to gradually introduce the 787 onto its international routes as its experience with the type accelerates. Jetstar’s services between Melbourne and Phuket will operate once a week initially, increasing to three per week from the end of March.

Skycouch for Air China

China Airlines has been named as the first customer for Air New Zealand’s innovative Skycouch. Introduced on Air NZ’s 777‑300ERs in 2011, Skycouch comprises a row of three economy seats that extend to create a flat space passengers can stretch out on.

Virgin’s new ATR routes

Virgin Australia has announced it will add an additional four flights per week between Bundaberg and Brisbane and an extra eight flights per week between Moranbah and Brisbane. An airline statement says the new services will be operated by 68-seat ATR 72 turboprops. The new services come after a period of several months where the airline had suspended growth in its regional operations as it battled compliance issues.

Qantas confirms offshoring of 747-400 maintenance

As CFO confirms plans to hold domestic ‘line in the sand’

Qantas has announced that heavy maintenance of its remaining 747-400 airliners will move offshore once its Avalon heavy maintenance facility near Geelong closes in March.

In a January 21 statement the airline said: “We indicated when we announced the closure of our Avalon maintenance base that maintenance on our Boeing 747 aircraft may need to be done by one of the specialist global maintenance providers, as there are no suitable facilities in Australia. ” The airline says while it will send two 747s to Hong Kong for maintenance checks later this year, it will also begin a “rigorous tender process to choose a suitable maintenance provider to maintain our Boeing 747 fleet for the long term. ” The move comes after the retirement of a large proportion of the airline’s older 747-400 fleet which the airline says has meant Avalon has become a “sub-scale maintenance facility”. The airline will continue to perform heavy maintenance in Australia on “the majority of (its) aircraft” such as Boeing 737s, 767s and Airbus A330s, but says where its fleets are “small or sub-scale”, it is not “economic to do this work at our facilities in Australia. ” The Australian Workers Union (AWU) described Qantas’s decision as “short sighted, lazy and unnecessary. ” In a January 21 statement, the AWU said options still exist for the airline to perform the maintenance locally. “Even given Qantas’s intention to move 747 maintenance

(The) decision is simply a case of lazy management. AWU statement

out of Avalon, the company has a range of options to keep that work in Australia,” AWU national vice president Daniel Walton said. “Maintenance facilities in both Sydney and Brisbane have the available slots to perform this work in Australia at a world class standard, as it has always been done. We have engineers in this country with the skills to keep doing this job and doing it well.

“(The) decision is simply a case of lazy management,” he added. “Instead of working with Australian operations to slot 747 maintenance into existing facilities, they have simply pulled the offshoring ripcord. ” Meanwhiie, in an op-ed piece published in Fairfax newspapers and the Qantas media website on January 24 entitled ‘Armchair Experts in the Cockpit’, Qantas CFO Gareth Evans has taken aim at some of the airline’s detractors, and has restated the Group will not relinquish its 65 per cent domestic marketshare ‘line in the sand’.

In particular, Evans singled out former company economist Tony Webber, saying Webber was “retrenched several years ago”, had recommended that Qantas “significantly shrink” its regional services which would have ignored the airline’s “role in the community” and “left the door open” to more competitors, and had a “one dimensional view of supply and demand that ignore how a multifaceted market actually works. ” Evans attributed most of Qantas’s recent woes to “record” oil prices, a “subdued” world economy, and interestingly considering the airline’s 2013 tie-up with Emirates, “Asian and Middle Eastern carriers, who can do things a lot cheaper, expand aggressively into our markets. ” He stressed that while the airline is “not asking for a government subsidy”, it is arguing for “action to level what all sides of politics agree is a distorted playing field. ” Regarding the 65 per cent marketshare claim, Evans said that strategy was about “…giving our customers a market-leading choice of destinations, frequencies and seats at the times they want to travel,” adding that it “…reflects the investment we have made over many years in our regional operations and in building a national low-fares network with Jetstar. ” Evans also addressed claims that Jetstar had adversely affected the Qantas Group’s profitability, saying “Jetstar Australia is a business that has been profitable in every year of its existence, opening up low-cost air travel for Australians and creating a new market alongside Qantas as part of a uniquely successful two-brand strategy. We coordinate which brand flies which route to best serve our customers and to maximise the return for the Qantas Group. If Qantas hadn’t created Jetstar, someone else would have – and Qantas would have been the loser. ”

Adelaide LHD hull arrives in Melbourne

The hull of the RAN’s second Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD02) arrived in Melbourne from Navantia’s Ferrol shipyard in Spain on February 7.

Like the LHD01 (NUSHIP Canberra) before it, the hull of LHD02 – which will be named HMAS Adelaide in RAN service – was transported from Spain on the heavy lift ship MV Blue Marlin. The hull was floated off the Blue Marlin and moved into BAE’s Williamstown shipyard where it will be fitted out with its island superstructure and internal spaces equipment.

“In the last few months, work has proceeded at a rapid pace in preparation for the hull’s arrival,” director of maritime for BAE Systems Australia, Bill Saltzer said in a statement. “Construction, consolidation and advance outfitting of the four sections of the superstructure has been undertaken at our Williamstown yard with fabrication of the mast modules undertaken at our Henderson shipyard in Western Australia. ” In the meantime, NUSHIP Canberra is expected to commence sea trials in March and will be accepted by the RAN towards the end of the year. The vessel has effectively been completed and has successfully conducted a number of vehicle load trials to validate the utility of its vehicle ramps and vast storage and operational spaces.

A350 spreads its wings

A350 flight testing progresses

The Airbus A350 development program ticked off a number of key milestones in its testing program in the new year period, culminating in the display of a development aircraft at the Singapore Airshow on February 11 and 12.

Airbus says the A350 static test airframe successfully completed ultimate load wing testing in early December, where the wing was subjected to loads 1. 5 times greater than those it could expect in service, and where the wingtip deflection exceeded five metres.

Development aircraft MSN02 was rolled out in early January wearing a distinctive carbon composite-look livery. The aircraft is the third development to fly, and features a full cabin fitout for testing inflight entertainment, catering, electrical, air conditioning, galley, lavatories and other key systems, as well as for customer demonstration flights.

Next up was a series of high altitude testing conducted at Cochabamba in Bolivia by MSN03 in mid-January, which also was the A350’s first trans-continental flight. In a statement the company said the high altitude test flights, from Cochabamba (8,300ft) and La Paz (13,300ft) were designed to validate engine and systems, materials functionality and overall aircraft behaviour. “A number of take-offs with all engines operating and with simulated engine failures are being performed at each of the airfields to collect data on engine operating characteristics and validate the aircraft take-off performance,” the statement read. “The autopilot behaviour will also be evaluated during automatic landings and go-arounds. ” Just a week after the high altitude testing, MSN03 flew to Iqaluit in Canada for a week-long cold weather trial. The trial saw the aircraft subjected to temperatures of -28°C and, after a prolonged cold soak period, the aircraft’s APU and engines were started, its avionics and other systems behaviour verified, and low speed taxi and RTO tests were conducted.

In early February MSN03 was again on the move, this time first to Doha in Qatar before continuing on to Singapore for the airshow, and for which the aircraft was painted in a hybrid Qatar Airways and Airbus scheme.

The stop at Doha was part of its entry-into-service preparations for Qatar Airways which is the aircraft’s launch customer, and also gave an opportunity for airline CEO Akbar al Baker and Qatar government officials to tour the aircraft.

MSN03 arrived in Singapore on February 9 and conducted impressive flying and static displays before returning to Toulouse on February 13. “I am very pleased to… bring the A350 XWB to Singapore,” Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO said. “The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing market for the air transport industry and will drive future demand for widebody aircraft in all seat categories. The A350 XWB will set new standards in the mid-size category and will consolidate our position as the provider of the world’s most modern, comprehensive and efficient widebody product line. ” Carriers from the region to have ordered the A350 include AirAsia X, Air China, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Thai Airways International and Vietnam Airlines.

The A350 first flew in June 2013 and is scheduled to achieve certification in September this year, with first deliveries to Qatar Airways to follow by the end of December.

787-9 visits Auckland, Alice Springs

The second of three Boeing 787-9 flight test aircraft, N789FT (designated by Boeing ZB002), touched down in Auckland on the evening of January 5 en route to Alice Springs for week-long hot weather testing.

ZB002 landed at Auckland after a 13 hour, 49 minute direct flight from Seattle, with Boeing taking advantage of the 787-9′s first trip outside the US to show the aircraft to launch customer Air company record for Airbus, and represents the 12th year of increased aircraft deliveries. Airbus is also able to boast the bigger aircraft order backlog, at 5,559 aircraft compared to Boeing’s 5,080.

Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier told a press conference in Paris in mid-January that he expected new aircraft orders to slow in 2014.

“We don’t expect to reach 1,500 net orders again in 2014,” Brégier said. “That would probably not be in line with the market trend. ” New Zealand en route to Australia.

The kiwi flag carrier, which is due to take delivery of its first 787-9 in July, has 10 on firm order and options for another eight.

The 787-9 test aircraft then flew on to Alice Springs via Brisbane where it cleared customs and immigration. Once at Alice Springs it undertook a number of hot soak tests where the aircraft’s environmental control system’s ability to cool the aircraft, both on the ground and inflight, after prolonged periods sitting on the ground in temperatures above 38°C (100°F), were tested.

ZB002 was also due to undertake autoland tests at Alice Springs, which are not hot weather dependent but were added to the Alice Springs visit to ensure the most efficient utilisation of the aircraft.

After the tests N789FT transited Cairns on January 13 and after clearing customs and taking on more fuel, departed Australia for Honolulu, where it arrived nine hours later.

Airbus claims sales supremacy

Airbus has won bragging rights for the most commercial airliner orders for 2013, announcing on January 13 that it took net orders for 1,503 aircraft worth US$225 billion at list prices, which compares to Boeing’s earlier-announced net order tally for 2013 of 1,355 aircraft worth US$198 billion.

But Boeing delivered more aircraft, handing over a record 648 jets in 2013, compared to Airbus’s 626 deliveries, which is still a The second of three Boeing 787-9 flight test aircraft, N789FT (designated by Boeing ZB002), touched down in Auckland on the evening of January 5 en route to Alice Springs for week-long hot weather testing.

ZB002 landed at Auckland after a 13 hour, 49 minute direct flight from Seattle, with Boeing taking advantage of the 787-9′s first trip outside the US to show the aircraft to launch customer Air company record for Airbus, and represents the 12th year of increased aircraft deliveries. Airbus is also able to boast the bigger aircraft order backlog, at 5,559 aircraft compared to Boeing’s 5,080.

Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier told a press conference in Paris in mid-January that he expected new aircraft orders to slow in 2014.

“We don’t expect to reach 1,500 net orders again in 2014,” Brégier said. “That would probably not be in line with the market trend. ”

2013 a bumpy year for Bombardier

Bombardier Aerospace was able to increase its production rate in 2013 but was unable to maintain a healthy backlog of regional airliners and corporate jets on the back of waning orders across its product lines.

In 2013 the company’s business aircraft lines delivered a total of 180 aircraft, an increase of one aircraft over 2012, comprising 29 Learjets, 89 Challengers and 62 Global series aircraft. Net orders for the company’s business aircraft dropped by 11 per cent over the previous year total of 343, with a total of 305 orders placed in 2013.

On the commercial side, Bombardier delivered 55 aircraft in 2013 compared to 50 the year before, comprising 29 Q400s and 26 CRJ Series aircraft. But orders for its commercial lines were also down from the previous year, with just 30 CRJs, 17 Q400s and 34 CSeries airliners ordered in 2013 for a total of 81, compared to 73, 50, and 15 respectively for a total of 138 orders in 2012.

“The global economy has remained persistently sluggish, and with its recovery taking longer than originally anticipated, 2013 continued to be a challenging year for aviation,” Guy Hachey, president and chief operating officer, Bombardier Aerospace said in a statement. “Despite this difficult environment, we put in a solid performance overall. We had a successful order intake that included firm orders from a broad base of customers located in both traditional and emerging markets. ” As a result of its flagging sales, the company announced it will cut up to 1,700 jobs from its Canadian and US facilities this year. Media reports in the US say the manufacturer needs to reduce costs as it gears up for production of its delayed CSeries airliner and new Lear 85 business jet, and that 1,100 jobs will go from its commercial facility at Mirabel in Canada, and as many as 600 from the its Learjet factory in Wichita, Kansas. The Wichita total is reported to include 200 contractors whose contracts had already expired last December.

“We have no indication to how long it will be. We think a lot of it is based on the market turning around. We are hopeful that these will be short-term,” Bob Wood, spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers told Associated Press on January 21.

Bombardier also announced that its all-new CSeries airliner will now not enter service until the second half of 2015, a further delay of up to a year.

At the time of the CSeries’ first flight on September 16 last year, Bombardier was planning on first deliveries about 12 months later. Despite the second flight test CSeries – FTV2 – making its first flight on January 3, the company said in a January 16 statement that; “The flight test phase will require more time than originally anticipated to ensure, amongst other things, that the aircraft has the overall system maturity to support a successful entry-into-service. ” Bombardier says the larger CS300 will enter service “approximately” six months after the CS100, suggesting an early 2016 timeframe. “We are taking the required time to ensure a flawless entry-into-service,” said Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president Mike Arcamone. “We are very pleased that no major design changes have been identified, this gives us confidence that we will meet our performance targets. ” In better news for the program, Saudi Arabia-based Al Qahtani Aviation Company has signed a firm purchase agreement for 16 CS300s with options for an additional 10. With that deal Bombardiers says CSeries orders and commitments stand at 445, including 198 firm orders.

ATR’s record year

Franco-Italian regional aircraft manufacturer ATR has again set new delivery and order milestones in 2013. The company delivered 74 new ATR 42 and ATR 72 regional turboprop airliners in 2013, 10 more than its previous mark set in 2012. The manufacturer also took 89 firm orders plus 106 options for its aircraft, an increase of 20 per cent over the previous year. The company’s backlog now stands at a record 221 firm orders, with a retail book value of US$5. 3 billion. Importantly for ATR, its 70-80-seat ATR 72-600 model continues to outsell the Bombardier Q400 in its category, with 79 firm orders in 2013 compared to just 17 for its rival. “Once again, this year we continued to expand our presence worldwide and consolidate the attractiveness of our products and our services to some 190 operating companies,” company CEO Filippo Bagnato said in a statement. “We are very proud to have the largest portfolio of operators out of all the manufacturers of regional aircraft. ”Since 1981 ATR has taken a total of 1,328 orders for its 42 and 72 product lines to December 31, and has delivered 1,107 of those aircraft.

Lockheed Martin’s new civil Hercules

Lockheed Martin has filed a request with the US Federal Aeronautics Administration for a type design update for a civil-certified version of the C-130J-30 Super Hercules.

The internally-dubbed Model L-382J will be marketed as the LM-100J, and represents a vast improvement over the previously available commercial L-100 version of the military C-130E which Lockheed manufactured 114 examples of in short and long-fuselage forms from 1964 to 1992. While aimed at the commercial market, most L-100sended up in military or government service with nations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and today about 60 remain in commercial and military service worldwide, including six in Indonesia.

The new model will utilise the many cargo handling improvements, modern avionics and navigation systems, and performance enhancements offered by the latest military C-130J model.

“The LM-100J is a natural expansion of the Super Hercules family,” George Shultz, vice president and general manager,C-130 programs said. “It is a modern answer to the existing, multi-tasked L-100 airlift fleet which, true to Hercules form, is a workhorse that has been a critical cargo asset for 40 years. ” Lockheed Martin originally commenced development of a civil C-130J in the late 1990s in parallel with the military version, but this was shelved in order to focus on the military version. The company hasn’t identified any potential customers for the LM-100J as yet, but anticipates a possible market for 75 such commercial airlifters.

Airwork-operated Toll 737-300F damaged in hard landing

photoAn Airwork Group 737-3B7F freighter operated on behalf of Australia’s Toll Holdings has been extensively damaged in a hard landing in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

ZK‑TLC was at the end of a scheduled service from Brisbane when its starboard main gear collapsed after landing on January 26.

The aircraft came to a rest on its starboard side engine nacelle and rear fuselage. The crew of three was uninjured and the aircraft was dragged clear of Honiara’s single runway so that damage to the runway could be assessed andairport operations could resume.

Auckland-based Airwork operates a number of freighters including seven 737s. The damaged aircraft ended up in military or government service with nations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and today about 60 remain in commercial and military service worldwide, including six in Indonesia.

The new model will utilise the many cargo handling improvements, modern avionics and navigation systems, and performance enhancements offered by the latest military C-130J model.

“The LM-100J is a natural expansion of the Super Hercules family,” George Shultz, vice president and general manager, is reportedly a former US Airways airliner which was converted to a freighter and acquired by Airwork in 2007.

777X begins high speed wind tunnel testing

Boeing began high speed wind tunnel testing of the 777X at its transonic wind tunnel in Seattle in early January.

The company says the data gained from the tests “will help engineers with the configuration development of the aircraft, validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions and support preliminary loads cycle development. ” Low speed wind tunnel testing, which is evaluating the 777X’s low speed performance is being conducted at QinetiQ in the UK.

CFM logs record year in 2013

Engine manufacturer CFM International has announced it achieved record production numbers in 2013 for its CFM56 turbofan and record orders for the CFM56 and forthcoming LEAP high-bypass turbofan.

The joint-venture company between Snecma (Safran) and GE delivered 1,502 CFM56 engines in 2013, primarily for installation on the Airbus A320 Family and Boeing’s 737 (and its military derivatives such as the P-8 Poseidon), up from 1,420 in 2012.

CFM also took orders for 1,330 CFM56s and 1,393 LEAP engines in 2013 valued at US$31bn (A$33bn), a massive jump from a total of 1,998 engines ordered in 2012.

“2013 was a big year for us in so many ways,” Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM said on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow. “The LEAP engine hasseen the highest order ramp up in commercial aviation history and we are still more than two years away from entry into service. At the same time, the level of CFM56 engine orders is incredible – they nearly matched our LEAP orders for the year. ” The LEAP engine will be available on the A320neo, 737MAX and the Comac C919 lines from 2016, and is projected to reduce fuel consumption by about 16 per cent over the CFM56.

Jetstar fined for workplace breaches

Action taken against Jetstar by the Fair Work Ombudsman in the Federal Court has seen the airline fined a total of $90,000 for unlawfully charging six cadet pilots for training costs and making deductions from their wages.

The six pilots were recruited between October 2010 and January 2011, and were employed on individual contracts by a New Zealand-based Jetstar subsidiary company during their training. Despite advice that wage deductions contravened workplace laws, the subsidiary deducted monies from the cadets’ wages between June and September 2011, before a complaint by the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) saw the practice halted and the money was refunded later that year.

The Fair Work Ombudsman is conducting ongoing actions against other Jetstar companies including Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd and Valuair Limited where it is alleging that cabin crew employed by Valuair and another company to work on Australian domestic flights for Jetstar should also be subject to Australian workplace laws.

King Air turns 50 as Beech turns Cessna

Just days after being sold to Cessna parent company Textron, Beechcraft has celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight of its venerable King Air turboprop.

The first flight was conducted on January 20 1964 by a Model 90, and that event was commemorated in 2014 by a three-ship pass of three current model King Airs – a C90GTx, a 250, and a 350i – over Beech Field in Wichita, Kansas.

“The significance of that first flight 50 years ago cannot be overstated, nor can the work of Beechcrafters over the past five decades to turn that one model into the legendary King Air brand,” Bill Boisture, CEO of Beechcraft said. “The King Air captures more than 50 per cent of the worldwide business turboprop market each year because we’ve continued to innovate and build upon its foundation with the latest advancements in technology, durability, utility and comfort. Today’s celebration launches a year-long commemoration of the King Air legacy that began in earnest with the first flight of that first prototype. ” Almost 7,200 King Airs have been sold worldwide since 1964, with the global fleet having surpassed 60 million flight hours.

Meanwhile, Textron has reached agreement to acquire Beechcraft under a US$1. 5 billion deal that comes 10 months after the latter exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The acquisition, to be completed over the next few months, will bring together two of general aviation’s iconic brands within the one company. Of primary interest to Textron is Beechcraft’s King Air line and the military T-6 Texan II turboprop trainer. Less clear is the future of Beechcraft’s Bonanza single and Baron twin piston-engined lines, and what plans Textron has for Beechcraft’s 3,300 strong workforce. Both Cessna and Beechcraft are based in Wichita, Kansas.

Under the deal Textron is also acquiring the type certificates to the out-of-production Hawker 4000 and Premier IA, plus support organisation Hawker Beechcraft Services.

“Textron’s experience in the industry and its willingness to invest in and maintain the iconic Beechcraft brand make it an ideal parent company, one that will help us continue to satisfy our customers and meet our business objectives at a faster pace,” Boisture said in announcing the deal in late December.

“The acquisition of Beechcraft is a tremendous opportunity to extend our general aviation business,” Textron chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly said. “From our customers’ perspective, this creates a broader selection of aircraft and a larger service footprint – all sharing the same high standards of quality and innovation. The iconic King Air product line perfectly complements our Caravan and Citation jet line-up and our combined global service network will deliver the superior level of services expected by our Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker customers. ” Textron also owns Bell Helicopter, Avco, and Lycoming engines.