AVNews ΕΝ: ASIA

Air Berlin Airbus A320-214 D-ALTL

Take off at MUC-EDDM "Franz Joseph Strauss"

Air Jamaica Airbus A340-313X 6Y-JMM

Short finals at LHR-EGLL "London Heathrow"

American Airlines Boeing B777-223ER N755AN

Short finals at LHR-EGLL "London Heathrow"

Aegean Airlines Boeing 737-3YO SX-BGK

Short finals at SKG-LGTS "Makedonia Airport"

United Airlines Boeing 777-222 N778UA

Take off at MUC-EDDM "Franz Josef Strauss"

Emirates Airbus A340-541 A6-ERG

Take off at ZRH-LSZH "Zürich-Kloten"

Reliance Industries Bombardier BD-700-1A10 GE VT-DHA

Taxiing at ZRH-LSZH "Zürich-Kloten"

Lufthansa Airbus A330-343 D-AIKJ

Take off at MUC-EDDM "Franz Josef Strauss"

Dornier Do31-E3 D-9531 (Prototype)

Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Oberschleißheim

Varig McDonnell Douglas MD-11 PP-VTJ

Touch down in MUC-EDDM "Franz Josef Strauss"

Olympic Airlines Boeing B737-484 SX-BKF

Taxiing at SKG-LGTS "Makedonia Airport"

Lufthansa Junkers Ju52/3m D-ANOY (fake reg)

Displayed at visitor's park MUC-EDDM "Franzt Josef Strauss"

Germanwings Airbus A329-112 D-AKNO

Take off at MUC-EDDM "Franz Josef Strauss"

Thunder Aviation Ltd Canadair CL-600-2B16 VP-CAP

POST-DESCRIPTION-HERE

Posts mit dem Label ASIA werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen

Falcon 7X receives type certification by Chinese Authorities

On February 2, Dassault Falcon recently received Type Certification for the 5,950 nm Falcon 7X from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The Falcon 7X is the latest current production Falcon to be certified by the Chinese authorities. The Falcon 900 family and Falcon 2000 family were both certified several years ago.

“Before the end of the first quarter of this year, we will have delivered three Falcon 7Xs in mainland China,” said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. “As an industry, we’ve been waiting for China to emerge as a strong force for several years. That time has arrived and this certification will not only help Dassault Falcon continue to grow in China but will be of vital importance to all of our operators.”

The Falcon 7X can connect Beijing with Paris, France; Sydney, Australia and San Francisco, California. It can also connect Shanghai with Auckland, New Zealand; Seattle, Washington and London, England.

The Falcon 7X is the first and only business jet to incorporate a digital flight control system which provides more positive, operational safety and a smoother flight. The aircraft also comes standard with the award-winning EASy flight deck. The EASy flight deck is designed to reduce pilot workload and improve pilot interaction through elevated situational awareness in the cockpit. Announced at the Paris Air Show in 2001, the Falcon 7X was the first large cabin jet to be simultaneously certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on April 27, 2007. It’s powered by three highly reliable and efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A engines which help to give the Falcon 7X a greater airport performance and increased peace of mind during long over water flights. The Falcon 7X also has 15-30% greater fuel efficiency than other aircraft in the large cabin, long range class. With a range of 5,950 nm (eight passengers, M.80 with NBAA IFR reserves), the aircraft can comfortably connect 95% of the commonly used business aviation city pairs worldwide.

source: Dassault

ASIA, ASIAN GENERAL NEWS, CAAC, Dassault |

Bahrain plans to privatise Gulf Air

MANAMA – Bahrain plans to privatise the country’s loss-making carrier Gulf Air within about a year, after its turnaround programme bears fruit, said the chief executive of the top economic planning body in the Gulf Arab state.Bahrain also plans to privatise other public services, from hospitals to waste management, as it seeks to diversify its economy from oil and build up a viable private sector and a tax-based economy.

Gulf Air, which said in November it expected making an operating loss of about $500 million in 2009, plans to return to profits by focusing on regional routes and cutting costs. “The intention is to privatise but if you’re going to privatise something, people want something that doesn’t have a hundred-tonne anchor weighing it down,”Sheikh Mohammed bin Essa al-Khalifa, head of the Economic Development Board, told Reuters. “It will take realistically a year.” The Economic Development Board controls all government decisions on economic policies, making Sheikh Mohammed the small island kingdom’s top policy-maker in economic matters. Management of the King Hamad Hospital, currently under construction, and of petrol stations owned by state-run Bahrain Petroleum Co (Bapco) could be tendered to the private sector at the end of the year. Contracting out management of postal services and waste water treatment was currently under study, he added.

The country is also planning to phase out subsidies in the long run to relieve public finances, a sensitive issue that has sparked protests.

Ending gasoline subsidies is the biggest bone of contention, and Sheikh Mohammed said these would not be touched any time soon. “Fuel prices are not going up any time soon,” he said.

Bahrain plans to target other subsidies, including on electricity, to only the needy instead of all consumers, but that would be a gradual process taking some years, he added.

source: business.maktoob.com

ASIA, ASIAN AIRLINES, Gulf Air |

Thai International Airways route update

Per 21JAN10 GDS timetable display, THAI’s Bangkok – Athens service is to be operated by Boeing 777-300, starting 28MAR10, replacing Airbus A340-500.

Service is operating 4 weekly, increase from 3 weekly.

JAL may drop international routes

Japan Airlines may lose its entire international operation under a plan that would reduce the mighty but profitless airline, Asia’s largest, to a mere domestic carrier. All Nippon Airways would take over all of Japan Airlines’ international services under the plan that the government is considering. Government and Japan Airlines’ sources apparently leaked the details to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is opposed to the proposal, but the Mainichi cites some Japan Airlines executives as saying it is not a bad idea.
The rules governing state-directed rescues are forcing consideration of such a radical move. A restructuring agency, the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan is working on a bailout plan for the struggling airline but can help companies only if they can be turned around within three years. The government is evidently concerned that a profit within three years would be unachievable if Japan Airlines kept its international network.

The loss of foreign services would greatly diminish the stakes in the ongoing tussle over Japan Airlines’ alliance membership. The giant carrier is a prized partner in Oneworld, whose leading member American Airlines has been trying to ward off attempts by Delta to lure Japan Airlines to Skyteam. But if All Nippon gets the international operations, the big winners will be that carrier’s partners in the Star Alliance. While restructuring Japan Airlines is a pressing issue, keeping it afloat by warding off a cash crunch is the immediate problem. To do that, the Development Bank of Japan has agreed to increase its unsecured lending to the company, reports Jiji news agency. The state bank had previously agreed to extend ¥100 billion without security to the airline, which has taken up ¥55 billion. The increase followed a meeting between the bank and two ministers, including Transport Minister Seiji Maehara. The restructuring agency has raised the possibility of bankruptcy and court-directed reorganization of Japan Airlines with creditors. That move has increased pressure on the company’s 8,800 retirees to accept a 30% cut in benefits. It also raises the risk that shareholdings in the business would be wiped out. The stock fell to a record low this week.
source: aviationweek.com

ASIA, ASIAN AIRLINES, JAL |

Air India pilots arrested after mid-air brawl

DUBAI – Two Air India pilots involved in a brawl with cabin crew have been bailed after their arrest and questioning by police, Indian newspapers reported on Tuesday.
Passengers on flight from Sharjah to Delhi on Oct. 3 looked on as crew members threw punches and hurled abuse at each other after a female attendant accused the pilots of sexually harassing her.

Police have registered a case against the pilots for “outraging the modesty of a woman”.
“The two pilots joined the investigations on Tuesday. We interrogated them and arrested them. But the charges against them were bailable and they were let off after they obtained bail from the investigating officer,” Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
source: aviationnews.eu

Air India, ASIA, ASIAN AIRLINES |

Qatar Airways makes first flight with gas

Qatar Airways said it has completed the world's first commercial passenger flight powered by fuel made from natural gas, highlighting the aviation industry's continued efforts to reduce its dependency on oil-based fuel.

The flight from London Gatwick to Doha, Qatar, Monday was operated with an Airbus A340-600 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Group engines, using a mixture of synthetic gas-to-liquids, or GTL, kerosene and conventional oil-based kerosene fuel developed by Royal Dutch Shell, the airline said in an emailed statement.

"This milestone flight is the first step in making this alternative fuel available to airlines," Qatar Airways' Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in the statement.

The aviation industry is under growing pressure from environmental groups to reduce harmful emissions. Airline executives last month pledged to cut emissions to 50% below 2005 levels by 2050.
A number of airlines, including Virgin Atlantic, Continental Airlines (CAL) and Air New Zealand, have been testing biofuels on commercial flights as an alternative to existing pollutants.
Last December, Air New Zealand successfully flew a test flight powered by second-generation biofuel.
It was the world's first test flight using jatropha biofuel and followed a Virgin Atlantic test flight earlier in the year using a blend including coconut oil and babassu nut oil.
In February 2008, Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. (EADSY), flew an A380 powered by GTL fuel.
However, Qatar Airways claims to be the first airline to use GTL kerosene on a commercial passenger flight.
"We are now well on the way to launching GTL on a world scale for the first time," said Malcolm Brinded, Shell's executive director upstream international.
Qatar Airways didn't provide any details on by how much the GTL fuel would reduce emissions compared with conventional kerosene.
The Persian Gulf state of Qatar, holder of the world's third-largest gas reserves after Russia and Iran, will become the world's leading producer of GTL kerosene when it is put into commercial production from 2012.
It is already the world's top exporter of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, and by the end of the decade will have a total capacity of more than 77 million tons a year.
Shell and Qatar Petroleum are building the world's largest GTL plant in the Gulf state. The first phase of the Pearl GTL facility being built at Ras Laffan Industrial City is scheduled for completion by the end of next year.
The plant will produce around 1 million tons per annum of GTL kerosene from 2012, enough to fuel a commercial aircraft for 500 million kilometers, the Qatar Airways' statement said.
"Commercial aviation is one of the exciting new markets that this opens up, helping us maximise the value from our natural resources," Abdulla bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Qatar's deputy prime minister and minister of energy and industry said in the statement.
GTL jet fuel, a 50:50 blend of synthetic GTL kerosene and conventional oil-based kerosene fuel, was approved as safe for use in civil aviation by ASTM International last month.

source: business.maktoob.com

ASIA, ASIAN INDUSTRY, Qatar Airways |

Emirates rules out 747-8I, but 'very keen' on 777 developments

Emirates Airline has ruled out ordering the Boeing 747-8I passenger variant as it focuses on building its fleet of Airbus A380s. However, it is "very keen" to hear Boeing's plans to develop the 777.

"With the A380 as it is today, and as popular as it is today, why would you go back to the 747?" says Emirates Airline president Tim Clark.

The Dubai carrier had been pushing Boeing to develop a version of the 747-8I with the range capability to operate year-round services between its base and Los Angeles with an economic payload of around 370 passengers.

In parallel with Airbus's A380 weight reduction effort, Emirates has been working on its own savings says Clark. "On our own we've already taken out about 2.2t of operator items." This was partly due to a reduction in the potable water carried for the two on-board showers.

Through Airbus's effort, Clark believes that "by 2012 [deliveries] the manufacturer's empty weight of the A380 will be a minimum of 2t lighter on top of our 2.2t". However, he thinks the A380 will "always be challenged" to serve Los Angeles from Dubai.

The airline operates a 266-seat 777-200LR on the Dubai-Los Angeles service, and while Clark rules out the larger -300ER being capable of serving the route with an economic payload, he is awaiting news about the Boeing's plans to develop or replace the 777.

"Boeing knows we're very keen," says Clark, who expects to hold a meeting with the airframer "soon" to discuss ideas that could lead to a 777-300ER-sized aircraft capable of operating the Los Angeles route. "Even if they give us 8-10% [performance gains] by modifying the current 777, then we've got a chance getting that to Los Angeles," he says.

source: flightglobal.com

ASIA, ASIAN AIRLINES, Emirates |

Sukhoi Superjet 100 begins high altitude trials

At Gyumri SSJ100 will undergo a series of tests, assessing takeoff and landing performance as well as climb rate characteristics. These tests shall demonstrate the capability of the aircraft to sustain safe take off and landing, including missed approach in such complicated natural conditions. Besides, this test series is aimed at evaluation of main aircraft systems performance, while main focus will be on engine and auxiliary power unit operation.

Located at high altitudes (5000 ft/1524m), international Shirak Airport serves Gyumri — the second largest city of Armenia. Built in 1961, it has been upgraded in 2007 to meet ICAO First Class Airport requirements. It is peculiar for being clutched in the surrounding mountains and, hence, available for takeoff and landing only from the south. Its runway is 3220 m long, 45 m wide.

source: aviationnews.eu

ASIA, ASIAN INDUSTRY, Sukhoj |

Mitsubishi Aircraft Announces Final MRJ Configuration

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (MJET) announces that the MRJ configuration has been finalized, placing the regional jet on the path to completing critical design review and design freeze in the coming months. The new configuration incorporates a number of significant improvements that reflect design progress and promise greater value to our respected customers.

These improvements are the result of discussions with and feedback from our customers. The improved design will allow the MRJ to meet and exceed the expectations of the market. Specifically, these enhancements will boost the MRJ’s value where it matters most - in the marketplace and in airline operations. In this issue we elaborate on some of the improvements and changes that have been made.

First, the cabin has been modified to better meet customer requirements. The new configuration will offer a wider cabin with more head clearance than the competitor’s. The cabin height has been raised an additional 1.5 inches. This also translates into an additional 12% volume of space in the overhead bin, which will better serve airlines and passengers by accommodating more carry-on baggage,

including large-size roller bags.

A second addition involves improvements to the cargo compartment. We have also moved to reflect the feedback of valued customers by introducing another efficiency-boosting modification in the design of the cargo compartments. We have combined the forward and aft cargo compartments into a single aft cargo compartment. The total cargo volume remains unchanged at 644 cubic feet, but will now be located in one place, resulting in a design that makes baggage handling simpler with the added bonus of improved stacking efficiency.

In addition, with the updated design the MRJ will feature an aluminum wing box, which will make it easier to manufacture the optimal wing structure. Easier optimization means enhanced competitiveness across the MRJ family: the MRJ70, the MRJ90 and the MRJ stretch version, a 100-seat jet, which is a recently announced potential addition that we are excited to tell you about in greater detail below.

The aluminum wing box will allow for a shorter lead-time to make structural changes, and with an aluminum wing box, the wings can be optimized to match the attributes of each member of the MRJ airplane family. This will maximize the performance of all MRJ models, including the possible stretch version.

As mentioned above, to better respond to the demands of our customers, we are now considering adding a stretch version of the MRJ to the MRJ family. While the MRJ90, the 92-seat jet, and the MRJ70, the 78-seat version, have both been launched, a 100-seat version is being proposed, contingent on sufficient market demand to trigger a full-scale launch of the program. In conjunction with these changes, our production schedule will also be adjusted with the first flight to take place in the second quarter of 2012, and the first delivery to take place in the first quarter of 2014. We remain more committed than ever to our mission of revolutionizing the regional jet market through the application of mainline jet technology and mainline customer support in a way that offers unprecedented value for the environment, passengers and airlines.

We thank you for your continued attention, interest

and support.

source: mrj-japan.com (.pdf)

Turkish plans massive rebrand

Turkish Airlines (THY) intends to undergo a complete rebranding effort and has contracted UK design group Priestmangoode to handle the wok.

The contract calls for an interior re-design across the entire Turkish fleet as well as the airline's ground services, lounges and check-in counters, says a spokeswoman for Priestmangoode.

"Retrofitting the new design concept across the entire fleet will happen simultaneously with the start of ground service projects, defining key brand messages through signature colours and creating a clear link between the cabin interiors and the entire passenger experience through the airport terminal," says the spokeswoman.

Priestmangoode will also consult on the airline's livery.

The contract comes as Turkish is engaged in a fleet renewal programme. According to Flightglobal's ACAS database, Turkish holds orders for seven Airbus A300-300s and 12 Boeing777-300ERs.

source: flightglobal.com

Blog Archive