Canadian Tech Experts Join Crash Probe

Feb 13, 2009

Frances Fiorino fiorino@aviationweek.com

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent a 12-member Go Team to Buffalo, N.Y., today to begin its probe of the Feb. 12 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 while on night instrument approach to Buffalo-Niagra International Airport. According to preliminary accident data, the aircraft, a Bombardier Dash8-Q400 (N200WQ) had departed Newark-Liberty International Airport at about 9:20 p.m. (EST) with 44 passengers and five crewmembers onboard, according to Colgan Air. The regional carrier, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle, was operating the flight as Continental Connection. Colgan Air has confirmed the names of crewmembers who were onboard Flight 3407: Captain Marvin Renslow, First Officer Rebecca Shaw, off-duty pilot Joseph Zuffoletto, and Flight Attendants Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco. The Q400, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada P&W150A turboprop engines, was on approach to Buffalo-Niagra's 8,100-foot Runway 23 when it crashed into a residential neighborhood about 6 miles northeast of the airport, killing all onboard. The aircraft and at least one home were destroyed in the resulting fireball. At this writing at mid-day Friday, investigators are trying to determine how many people on the ground were killed and if the flight crew had radioed controllers of any problems prior to the accident. According to FAA data, winds at the time of the accident were from 240 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots. There were a few clouds at 1,100 ft., broken clouds at 2,100 ft., and an overcast ceiling at 2,700 ft. The Q400 had about 3 miles visibility while operating in light snow and mist. Both temperature and dewpoint were 0.6C (33 deg. F.), just above freezing--which indicates that icing may have been a factor. Investigators will be examining all possibilities. The 74-seat accident aircraft was manufactured and put into service last April, according to Colgan Air. The carrier this month finalized terms for option rights to 15 Q400 NextGen aircraft, which are in addition to its firm order for 15 Q400s placed on Jan. 15. The Feb. 12 accident was the seventh involving the Dash 8 aircraft type and the second involving a Q400 model. In December 2002, a Changan Airlines Q400 was destroyed when it crashed into a terminal building at Xian-Xianyang Airport, China, while doing an engine runup. There were no fatalities. Since 1988, five other Dash 8s, five -100s and one -300, were involved in accidents that killed 46 people. A Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada accredited representative will be involved in the NTSB probe, as will technical advisors from the TSB, and aircraft and engine manufacturers, Bombardier and Pratt & Whitney, respectively. The NTSB's Lorenda Ward is Investigator-in-Charge of the probe, and NTSB Member Steven Chealander is serving as main spokesperson at the on-site investigation. AviationWeek will continue to report updates as the investigation progresses. See also www.ntsb.gov and www.colgan.com. For links to news coverage and video, see Feb. 13 posts on AviationWeek.com/wings. Photo credit: AP/Wide World source: www.aviationweek.com

Lufthansa Against Airbus Guarantees

Jan 30, 2009

By Jens Flottau

Lufthansa is against the planned government support for Airbus delivery financing. “We want competition, but we want fair competition,” Lufthansa’s Senior Vice-President of Corporate Fleet, Nico Buchholz, told The DAILY. “This [plan] is annoying,” he said on the sidelines of the first Embraer 195 delivery to Lufthansa subsidiary Air Dolomiti in Sao José dos Campos/Brazil. The French government proposed earlier this week to provide around EUR5 billion in export guarantees for Airbus customers that have difficulties finding fincancing for current aircraft deliveries. Due to cancellations and deferrals, Airbus has virtually no overbooking left of its 2008 production and is keen to protect the planned deliveries. Following the French proposal, the German and Spanish governments study similar aid packages, too. In spite of the much-reduced demand, Lufthansa is sticking to its plan to take delivery of 50 new aircraft this year. The acquisitions are paid through its own operating cash-flow and are equivalent to an investment of EUR2.5 billion. Lufthansa no longer expects to take delivery of its first two Airbus A380s this year, but it is still confident to introduce them for the summer timetable in March 2010. Among the 50 new aircraft are the first 15 of 30 Embraer 190/195s on firm order. Five aircraft are earmarked for Air Dolomiti, and 25 are likely to be operated by regional subsidiary CityLine. According to Buchholz, Lufthansa will start the acquisition process for either the Airbus A350XWB or the Boeing 787 in the summer, but a decision this year is “very unlikely. With capacity to be kept flat as a reaction to the global downturn, Lufthansa is actively marketing part of its existing fleet. Five widebodies, including A340s and A300-600s, are up for sale and the airline is also selling some of its Boeing 737-300s. Photo: Lufthansa source: www.aviationweek.com

Updated Apache Flies With New UAV System

Jan 29, 2009

Bettina H. Chavanne chavanne@aviationweek.com

An AH-64D Apache Block III attack helicopter took its first flight recently, equipped with an upgraded version of the video from unmanned aircraft systems for interoperability teaming - level 2 (VUIT-2), called the Unmanned Aerial Systems Tactical Common Data Link Assembly (UTA). The Longbow UTA, as Lockheed Martin is calling it, is a two-way, high-bandwidth data link for Apache aircrews that allows sensor and flight path control of UAVs. During the recent test, the UTA acquired and tracked a Boeing unmanned Little Bird in flight. Apache crews will now be able to exercise control of UAVs at long ranges and receive real-time, high-definition streaming video of their multi-function displays. While VUIT-2 is a federated system, UTA is fully integrated with the Apache Arrowhead Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor system. The Longbow UTA system, as currently configured by the U.S. Army, consists of either a fire control radar or a UTA, a fire-and-forget radar frequency Hellfire millimeter wave-guided missile and an all-digital M299 launcher. The new system will be fielded beginning in 2012. Image credit: Boeing source: www.aviationweek.com

SAS Finally Sells Major Spanair Stake

Jan 30, 2009

Darren Shannon darren_shannon@aviationweek.com

SAS Group has completed the sale of an 80.1% stake in its Spanish subsidiary Spanair for a nominal price of EUR1 (US$1.28), although the total book loss to the financially troubled Scandinavian airline group is valued at almost SEK4.9 billion, or roughly US$580 million. The definitive agreement was reached with a group of investors from the Spanish region of Catalonia, led by the Consorci de Turisme de Barcelona and Catalana d'Inciatives, SAS said in a Jan. 30 release. Under the deal, SAS will retain a 19.9% stake in Spanair, and as an "industrial partner" will assist in implementing a new strategic plan. This plan "aims at further strengthening Spanair's position in Spain and as the leading carrier in the Barcelona region." Spanair is currently headquartered on the island of Majorca with hubs in Barcelona and Madrid. The sale, although nominally for EUR1, will account for almost SEK4.9 billion of losses in SAS's fiscal 2008 financial results. Of this, SEK1.6 billion is from lost goodwill in Spanair accounted for in the first three quarter of fiscal 2008, SEK1.3 billion in lost earnings before tax, SEK914 million in restructuring costs, SEK712 million in lost capital, and SEK273 million in a write-down of deferred tax assets. Almost SEK2.2 billion of this will be accounted for in SAS's fourth quarter results, including the entire capital loss. SAS has also committed EUR50 million in potential funding for the new Spanair, and confirmed that it will pay EUR18 million worth of Spanair's loans. The purchase agreement also allows SAS to convert EUR20 million of its debt into Spanair equity, and retains EUR99 million of Spanair's debt to its previous owner. "We are confident that we have now secured a platform for Spanair as a Spanish-based company with Spanish majority owners," said SAS Group President and CEO Mats Jansson. "Due to unprecedented market conditions, the transaction will have a significant negative impact on the [fourth quarter] earnings of the SAS Group, but we believe that the new owners will secure the future of Spanair and develop the company to the benefit of Barcelona and the Barcelona region. We will retain an interest in Spanair as a minority shareholder to support its strategic plan." Separately, SAS confirmed today the completion of a management buyout of its 47.2% stake in Latvian carrier AirBaltic. That sale, which SAS in December said was "in line with our strategy not to maintain minority holdings in our airlines," raised about SEK175 million in capital for the Scandinavian airline group. On Jan. 14 SAS also announced it had divested its holding in Mallorca-based carrier AeBal, which operated five Boeing 717s for Spanair. SAS posted a net loss of SEK200 million because of that divestment. Photo: Marek Slusarczyk via Wkipedia source: www.aviationweek.com

Airbus 2008 commercial results

15 January 2009

In 2008 Airbus delivered a new record number of 483 aircraft, 30 more than in 2007. This number is made up of 386 A320 Family aircraft, 85 A330/A340 and 12 A380s. The order intake in a difficult year was remarkably strong. Overall, Airbus won 777 net orders (900 new gross orders) valued at US$100 billion at catalogue prices or 54 per cent of market share of all aircraft units over 100 seats. These include 472 A320 Family aircraft, 138 Long-Range aircraft (A330/A340) and nine A380s. The recently launched A350 XWB won 163 new firm orders increasing the total to 478 from 29 customers, making it the fastest selling aircraft in aviation history. At 2008 year end, Airbus had increased its backlog to a new record of 3,715 aircraft. These figures underline the continuing strong demand for Airbus products. Airbus’ turn-around programme, Power 8 again exceeded targets for the second year in a row, delivering cost savings of about 1.3 billion Euros. The savings are over half way towards the 2010 objective and Power 8+ will add a further 650 million euros in savings by 2012. In 2008 Airbus has also successfully completed its aerostructures strategy. The former Airbus site in Laupheim and Filton’s manufacturing unit were sold to leading partners. The German sites Nordenham, Varel and Augsburg were merged into Premium Aerotec and the French sites Meaulte and St. Nazaire Ville into Aerolia. The two companies became fully operational on January 1st, 2009. They are well positioned to become major players on the global market. These divestments and restructuring allow Airbus to concentrate on its core activities of aircraft architect and integrator, while capital investments, risks and benefits in developing new aircraft technologies are shared. “We all know that 2009 will be a very challenging year for the aeronautics industry. At Airbus we are prepared and confident: our leadership team is aligned, our workforce is motivated again, integration is progressing well and we have a solid financial basis, thanks to our improvement programs, our prudent cash and production management, and our strong orderbook,” said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO. Airbus is an EADS company.

Read the press release in French.

Read the press release in German.

Read the press release in Spanish. source: www.airbus.com/en/

Singapore Airlines takes delivery of first A330

21 January 2009

Singapore Airlines has added a new Airbus type to its fleet with the delivery of its first A330-300. Acquired under a lease agreement with Dublin-based AWAS, the aircraft was handed over to the airline at a ceremony in Toulouse today attended by Mak Swee Wah, Executive Vice President Operations and Services, Singapore Airlines, Frank Pray, President and Chief Executive Officer of AWAS and Tom Enders, President and Chief Executive Officer, Airbus. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, the A330 fleet will be operated by the carrier on regional and medium haul routes, initially linking Singapore with destinations in Australia and Japan. The airline is configuring its A330s in a high comfort layout seating 285 passengers in two classes, with accommodation for 30 in Business Class and 255 in Economy. The A330 joins an existing Airbus fleet at Singapore Airlines that includes the double deck A380 and the ultra-long haul A340-500. The carrier has also selected the all-new A350 to meet future requirements in the mid-size widebody category, with the delivery of 20 aircraft on firm order due to begin in 2013. "The delivery of the A330s continues the ongoing process of renewal of our fleet," said Mak Swee Wah. "These aircraft also help fill capacity gaps in the regional and medium haul fleet prior to the delivery of the next generation of wide-body airplanes, such as the A350, in future years." "The delivery of these new aircraft also provides us the opportunity to enhance our product offering to customers on regional and medium haul routes. This reaffirms our commitment to constant innovation of the products and services we offer to customers, tailored around their needs on particular flights." Frank Pray, President & Chief Executive Officer at AWAS said: "This is the first of six A330 aircraft that AWAS will deliver to Singapore Airlines over the next year. This significant delivery marks the beginning of our goal to further diversify our aircraft portfolio and broaden the appeal to our airline customers. We are delighted to add Singapore Airlines, a premium global carrier, to our list of valued customers. "This delivery marks another milestone in the long partnership between Singapore Airlines and Airbus," said Tom Enders. "With the super-efficient A330 in its fleet the airline will be able to take full advantage of the aircraft's proven passenger appeal and low operating costs, while also benefiting from its high level of commonality with the A380 and A340." Tom Enders added: "Today's delivery also strengthens our relationship with AWAS, whose confidence in the A330 underscores the attractiveness of the aircraft within the financial community as a strong asset offering excellent returns on investment and high residual values." The twin engine A330 is one of the most widely used widebody aircraft in service today. To date, Airbus has won more than 1,000 orders for the various versions of the aircraft. More than 550 A330s have already been delivered and the aircraft is currently flying with over 70 airlines worldwide. Airbus is an EADS company.

Read the press release in French.

Read the press release in German.

Read the press release in Spanish. source: www.airbus.com/en/

Support For More F-22 Soars in Congress

Jan 20, 2009

By Amy Butler

Even before President-elect Barack Obama to takes office Jan. 20, U.S. lawmakers are making a push in letters addressed to him to secure the future of the stealthy F-22 production line in Marietta, Ga. Sens. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to Obama Jan. 16 requesting funding for production for the twin-engine fighter. Citing a flyaway cost reduction of 35 percent, the senators also say the end of the fighter’s production could further drain the U.S. economy in the midst of a recession. A decision is needed by early March to avoid gaps in the production line. Flyaway cost is now estimated at about $153 million. Lockheed Martin has seen approval to produce 187 fighters, but the Air Force continues to say it will require more of the aircraft to handle future threats such as the SA-20 and S-300/400 advanced air defense systems thought to be proliferating among potential adversaries. A similar letter is being circulated among House members and is said to have at least 150 signatures. Though departing Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England has been cool on the idea of continued F-22 production, Defense Secretary Robert Gates - who is staying on under Obama - has signaled interest in at least considering additional buys. The senators, in their letter, claim the F-22 “provides over $12 billion of economic activity to the national economy.” Layoffs are likely if the production line doesn’t receive additional funding. The F-22 program is estimated to cost $64.5 billion, including the research and production phases. Photo: USAF source:www.aviationweek.com