Civil Aviation News

FAA Clears Boeing’s 787-10 Dreamliner for Commercial Service

Boeing on January 23 announced that the 787-10 Dreamliner received an amended type certificate (ATC) from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), clearing the airplane for commercial service.

The awarding of ATC caps a successful flight test programme that began in March 2017 and involved three flight test airplanes that accumulated about 900 test hours. Boeing’s flight test programme team took the airplanes through a series of tests to confirm the airplane’s handling, systems and overall performance met internal requirements and certification standards to ensure safety of flight.

“We are pleased to have met the rigorous standards set forth by the FAA and are eager to bring the airplane to market for our valued customers,” said vice president and general manager of the 787 programme, Brad Zaback. “After years of design and testing, our team has proven the quality, safety and reliability of the newest member of the Dreamliner family and we look forward to seeing the airplane in service later this year.” Other aviation regulatory agencies are expected to follow the FAA’s lead and certify the airplane before it enters service.

The 787 Dreamliner is a family of super-efficient airplanes with new passenger-pleasing features. As a stretch of the 787-9, the 787-10 retains over 95 per cent commonality while adding seats and cargo capacity, setting a new benchmark for fuel efficiency and operating economics at 25 per cent better fuel per seat and emissions than the airplanes it will replace. The airplane can fly 330 passengers, in a typical two-class configuration, up to 6,430 nautical miles (11,910 km).

To date, Boeing has over 170 orders for the 787-10 from nine customers worldwide. First delivery is expected to Singapore Airlines in the first half of 2018.

 

IndiGo Facilitates Visit of Armed Forces’ Officers to Simulation Training Centre

IndiGo airlines celebrated Veterans’ Day, Army Day and Republic Day (14, 15 and 26 January respectively) by facilitating a visit of military officers to CAE Simulation Training Pvt Ltd (CSTPL) in Greater Noida.

The group consisted of serving as well as veteran officers who had expressed their keenness to understand some aspects of flight operations in an airline. The visit brought together members of aviation industry and defence forces such as Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal SB Deo and Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole-time Director, IndiGo.




The visit began with a walkthrough of the facility and was followed by SIM safety briefing and a presentation by IndiGo. Sharing his views, Aditya Ghosh said, “Republic Day represents the true spirit of an independent and democratic India. No one epitomises the ideals of selfless service, sacrifice and patriotism, more than the Indian Armed Forces. At IndiGo, we are deeply grateful to the brave men and women of the military who defend our freedom. We are indeed honoured today to host some of our most decorated members of all three services, the Air Force, the Indian Army and the Indian Navy at our state-of-the-art flight simulator training facility along with their better halves. I hope everyone has a fun day and experiences first hand, how much training goes into IndiGo managing its operations with precision. As we prepare once again to celebrate our republic, we at IndiGo see this only as a small token of our appreciation and thank all our brave officers of the armed forces in service of a great nation.”

CSTPL became operational in June 2013 with six simulator bays. The centre currently offers training for A320 aircraft.

 

Turkish Airlines and Airbus Signs MoU for 20+5 A350-900

Turkish Airlines and Airbus on January 8, signed a MoU to acquire 20+5 optional A350-900 aircraft. The agreement was signed at the Élysée Palace, Paris, during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s official visit to France with French President Emmanuel Macron.

“With Turkish Airlines serving more destinations than any other airline around the world, we will be delighted to rely on our new A350 XWB to further develop our major international routes from Turkey,” said Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines, M. İlker Aycı. He added, “With this agreement today, we have signed our goodwill to carry on and finalise the acquisition with Airbus. Our agreement is a significant step forward in enhancing our passengers’ flight experience. This order is set to play a key role in our growing business in the years to come. As we will be strictly evaluating during the talks to finalise the order, furthermore the increased business volume for the local Turkish supplier industry by Airbus will be a great gain for the sector.”

Turkey is an integral part of the Airbus supply chain for almost 20 years, being a partner in all Airbus aircraft programmes, including the prestigious A350 XWB. While Airbus focusses on the continued development of long-term cooperation projects with Turkey, the Turkish aeronautical industries progressively have embarked and built-up a remarkable portfolio of high capabilities and skills over the last 10 years.

 

Honeywell Launches New Future Air Navigation System Testing Capability

Honeywell on January 4 launched a new Future Air Navigation System testing capability as part of its GoDirect Datalink services. The new built-in tool will give operators using GoDirect Datalink the ability to test the system on their aircraft after installation, thus verifying that the system is installed and correctly working. This helps operators and pilots know that they have access to efficient satellite communication and navigation before take-off.

Once operators schedule testing through Honeywell’s GoDirect Flight Service, they can use the new capability to verify Future Air Navigation System (FANS) installation and service on their aircraft after maintenance, while receiving troubleshooting support, a preflight FANS check before take-off and inflight testing. The system also provides a final, additional verification by giving pilots a report showing results and required communication performance before they fly. All of this lets pilots know they have the right technology working on-board their aircraft to comply with industry regulations before starting the engines.

“By expanding the capabilities of our GoDirect Flight Services, Honeywell is becoming the go-to technology provider for all business and general aviation customer needs,” said senior director, Connectivity Services, Honeywell Aerospace, John Peterson. “Having a successfully installed FANS system lets pilots more efficiently communicate with air traffic control. Access to FANS testing provides operators with peace of mind that their system is working and ready to perform the mission.”

Operators, who already have the GoDirect Datalink service installed on their aircraft, will automatically have access to the FANS testing capability upon request, which will be accessible without any additional installation of hardware. GoDirect Datalink provides seamless datalink communication worldwide, including free text messaging, pre-departure clearances, oceanic clearances, terminal weather information for pilots, custom short codes and Controller Pilot Data Link Communication to ensure pilots stay connected to air traffic control wherever they are while reducing pilot workload. Plus, customers will have round-the-clock access to aviation experts via phone, email, text, datalink message or fax.

GoDirect Flight Services is part of Honeywell’s GoDirect family — the industry’s most complete portfolio of more than 50 value-adding aviation services and applications that provide operators, flight crews and maintenance teams with critical information to control their services and network. All GoDirect Flight Service customers have access to GoDirect Flight Bag Pro, an electronic flight bag application from Honeywell.

 

Russian Helicopters Book Order for Seven Kа-32А11BC

Russian Helicopters (part of State Corporation Rostec) will deliver 7 multirole Kа-32A11BC helicopters to foreign customers in 2018. The machines are being built at Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise (KumAPP).

At the end of last December Russian Helicopters has delivered two Kа-32А11ВС helicopters to Fire Department of the Department of Public Safety, Qingdao, China, and two more machines will be handed over to United Helicopters, China, this year.

The first Kа-32А11BC has already been built at the plant and is being prepared for delivery to Kaan Air, Turkey; the second and third machines will be handed over to the customer this year. Furthermore, two more helicopters will be delivered to Southeast Asian countries in 2018.

“Kа-32А11BC is one of the best helicopters for firefighting, it deserved credibility of operators all around the world thanks to its unequalled performance and maintainability. I am glad to note that new partners join to traditional operators of this machine. I am convinced that the first Kа-32А11BC experience will be successful in these countries and become the foundation for future deliveries,” said CEO, Russian Helicopters Andrey Boginsky.

The medium multirole coaxial Ка-32А11BC is designed for search and rescue missions and for work at high altitudes, for the most complicated fire-fighting operations, internal and external cargo transporting, skidding, medical and casualty evacuation, as well as for patrolling and support of special operations.

The helicopter perfectly serves purposes of lifesaving, wild land fire-fighting and high-rise fire-fighting. It has been applied successfully for fire-fighting wildfires and man-made fires in various locations. Kа-32А11BC is used in Russia, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, China, South Korea, Indonesia and other countries.

 

Airbus Launches New iflyA380 iOS App

Airbus has launched a new iflyA380 iOS app that takes advantage of Apple’s latest technology, to open the doors of its iconic A380 aircraft to more passengers worldwide. The new app enhances Airbus’ existing iflyA380.com booking assistant with more choices, features and content and new possibilities to interact with the A380, including taking a sneak peek at the cockpit.

Customers today increasingly expect to design their own experiences and the app gives them the power to do so. Booking flights and staying updated with real-time notifications is just the beginning. Travellers will also enjoy a wide range of exclusive innovative services linked to the A380, including the option to explore destinations based on geo-location and personal interests and cabin discovery in Virtual Reality. They will also enjoy a connected and immersive in-flight experience based on an Augmented Reality feature.

“Response to the iflyA380.com website has been fantastic,” said Airbus Digital Transformation Officer, Marc Fontaine. “The iflyA380 app is a new step for Airbus towards offering digital services that directly benefit consumers and allow them to design their own experiences.”

With this new app, Airbus is set to make the passengers’ favourite flying experience even more memorable, from travel inspiration to their final destination.

 

Virgin Atlantic Cargo Becomes First UK Airline to Use CSafe RAP Container for Pharmaceutical Shipments

Virgin Atlantic Cargo is continuing to give customers a wider choice of pharma solutions by becoming the first UK airline to approve the use of CSafe’s new RAP container for temperature-sensitive life-enhancing healthcare products.

Following its approval by both the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the unit has been approved by Virgin Atlantic’s own Operations specialists to be carried across the airline’s international network. The CSafe RAP is the only FAA and EASA approved active compressor-driven container permitted in both the upper deck and lower deck cargo sections of commercial aircraft.

Under the terms of its Master Lease Agreement with CSafe, Virgin is now accepting bookings for the new RAP container, providing customers with another highly cost-efficient solution for large shipments of pharmaceutical and life science products. Virgin already offers customers the opportunity to lease the CSafe RKN container as well as Envirotainer’s RKN t2, RAP t2, RKN e1 and RAP e2 units for temperature-controlled pharma products.

The CSafe RAP uses CSafe’s active Temperature Management System (TMS) which utilises compressor driven cooling technology and a radiant heating system (depending on the ambient temperature), in conjunction with CSafe’s innovative and proprietary ThermoCor vacuum insulation panel technology. This enables the unit to maintain a strict payload temperature setting throughout transportation, regardless of the actual ambient condition. With a maximum payload weight of 4,819 kg, the CSafe RAP is designed to accept up to 4 US wooden pallets or as many as 5 Euro pallets. It can also be bulk loaded directly on the floor of the container to increase payload volume due to the unique design of the under-floor air recirculation system, and offers an extended battery run time of up to 100 hours for typical shipments.

Manager – Products and Partnerships at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, Darren Sherlock said, “We are delighted to be the first UK airline to be able to offer the CSafe RAP to customers, extending the choice of temperature-controlled active and heating and cooling containers Virgin can supply. With our pharma volumes growing by more than 20 per cent in 2017 and coming just weeks after the opening of our new Pharma Zone at London Heathrow, this latest enhancement to our service offering underlines our commitment to be a leading provider of pharma transportation by offering our customers the widest choice of solutions, supported by the highest levels of customer service.”

VP of Global Marketing and Partner Management at CSafe Global Brad Jennings added, “CSafe is very excited to add Virgin Atlantic to the roster of airlines that have gained flight approval for our newly developed CSafe RAP active container. The combination of Virgin Atlantic’s expansive network and the superior quality and performance of the CSafe RAP offers a powerful solution for the transportation of temperature-sensitive products around the world.”

 

 

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