FLUG REVUE update: Week ending June 27, 2004

UPDATE
Week ending 27 June 2004

+++ First private manned mission to space +++ NASA announces transformation +++ Spacewalk problems +++ Rolls-Royce delivers 1000th Trent +++ European SILENCE research +++ News in brief +++

First private manned mission to space
SpaceShipOne erreicht 100 km Höhe

On 21 June, the world witnessed the dawn of a new space age, as investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen and Scaled Composites launched the first private manned vehicle beyond the Earth's atmosphere. The successful launch demonstrated that the final frontier is now open to private enterprise. Under the command of test pilot Mike Melvill, SpaceShipOne reached a record breaking altitude of 328,491 feet (approximately 62 miles or 100 km), making Melvill the first civilian to fly a spaceship out of the atmosphere and the first private pilot to earn astronaut wings.
This flight begins an exciting new era in space travel,” said Paul G. Allen, sole sponsor in the SpaceShipOne program. “Burt Rutan and his team at Scaled Composites are part of a new generation of explorers who are sparking the imagination of a huge number of people worldwide and ushering in the birth of a new industry of privately funded manned space flight.”
The historic flight also marks the first time an aerospace program has successfully completed a manned mission without government sponsorship. “Today's flight marks a critical turning point in the history of aerospace,” said Scaled Composites founder and CEO Burt Rutan. “ We have redefined space travel as we know it.”
“Our success proves without question that manned space flight does not require mammoth government expenditures,” Rutan declared. “It can be done by a small company operating with limited resources and a few dozen dedicated employees.” A large crowd watched the momentous flight live from the grounds of the Mojave Airport, joining millions of others around the world who tuned in by television, radio, and the internet. Dignitaries attending the event included U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher, the Commanding Officer of Edwards Air Force Base, General Pearson and the China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center, Admiral Venlet; former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and Konrad Dannenberg, one of Werner Von Braun's lead scientists on this country's original space development effort. Hundreds of media representatives were also on hand to record history in the making.

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NASA announces transformation
Umstrukturierung bei NASA

In the latest of what will be ongoing briefings, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe announced a transformation of NASA's organization structure designed to streamline the agency and position it to better implement the Vision for Space Exploration. In a report released last week, the President's Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy found, "NASA needs to transform itself into a leaner, more focused agency by developing an organizational structure that recognizes the need for a more integrated approach to science requirements, management, and implementation of systems development and exploration missions." "Our task is to align Headquarters to eliminate the 'stove pipes,' promote synergy across the agency, and support the long-term exploration vision in a way that is sustainable and affordable," said Administrator O'Keefe. "We need to take these critical steps to streamline the organization and create a structure that affixes clear authority and accountability."
This transformation fundamentally restructures NASA's Strategic Enterprises into Mission Directorates to better align with the Vision. It also restructures Headquarters support functions and clarifies organizational roles and responsibilities. The Mission Directorate organizational structure includes: Aeronautics Research: Research and develop aeronautical technologies for safe, reliable and efficient aviation systems. Science: Carry out the scientific exploration of the Earth, Moon, Mars and beyond; chart the best route of discovery; and reap the benefits of Earth and space exploration for society. A combined organization is best able to establish an understanding of the Earth, other planets and their evolution, bring the lessons of our study of Earth to the exploration of the Solar System, and to assure the discoveries made here will enhance our work there Exploration Systems: Develops capabilities and supporting research and technology that enable sustained and affordable human and robotic exploration; includes the biological and physical research necessary to ensure the health and safety of crew during long duration space flight Space Operations: Direct space flight operations, space launches and space communications, as well as the operation of integrated systems in low-Earth orbit and beyond
Two agency-wide priorities will continue with direct responsibility for all related activities across NASA. Safety and Mission Assurance Officer: Reports directly to the Administrator and reflects NASA's commitment to provide a clear and direct line to agency senior leadership for issues regarding safety. Chief Education Officer: Directs the agency's important work to improve scientific and technological literacy and inspire a new generation of explorers NASA functional offices will be restructured as Mission Support Offices. Headquarters and field center offices will be aligned to improve communications and responsibility.

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Spacewalk problems
Probleme beim Weltraumspaziergang

On June 24 a spacewalk intended to replace a faulty circuit breaker on the exterior of the International Space Station was cut short when the primary oxygen bottle on Astronaut Mike Fincke's Russian space suit began losing pressure faster than expected. The overall pressure in Fincke's suit remained stable at all times and he was not in danger. A backup oxygen tank available on his suit was not needed.
Fincke and Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka opened the Pirs docking compartment hatch at 4:56 p.m. CDT. Immediately after Fincke floated out of the airlock, flight controllers in Moscow saw readings that indicated the primary oxygen bottle on Fincke's suit was losing pressure. The two spacewalkers returned to the airlock and closed the hatch about 14 minutes later. After conducting preliminary troubleshooting activities, Padalka and Fincke were asked to remove the Orlan-M spacesuits and assist with troubleshooting of Fincke's suit. Russian flight controllers could not immediately determine the cause of the malfunction.
Fincke and Padalka then climbed out of the suits, returned to the Station's living quarters and began working with ground controllers to reconfigure the Station's systems for normal operations. The duration of Fincke and Padalka's spacewalk was 14 minutes, 22 seconds. Mission managers in Houston and Moscow agreed to conduct further evaluation of the problem before setting a new target date for the spacewalk. The earliest the spacewalk could now be performed is June 29 based on Russian ground communications coverage. Fincke told Mission Control in Houston that he was pleased flight controllers in Moscow had discovered the oxygen tank problem so quickly, and thanked both control teams for their efforts. He indicated the crew would sleep late tomorrow, and then resume their regular sleep schedule until it was time to prepare for another spacewalk.

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Rolls-Royce delivers 1000th Trent
1000. Trent ausgeliefert

Rolls-Royce has delivered its 1,000th Trent engine, marking the milestone with a handover ceremony involving its largest Trent customer, Singapore Airlines (SIA). The event, which took place at the company's large engines assembly facility in Derby, UK, featured a Trent 800 which was delivered in person to General Bey Soo Khiang, Singapore Airlines' Executive Vice President (Technical). The engine will be installed on SIA's 60th Boeing 777. John Cheffins, Chief Operating Officer, Rolls-Royce, said: “The Trent family of engines has played a key role in the transformation of Rolls-Royce over the past decade into the world's number one supplier of large engines. Of the 45 customers who have selected Trent power, over half are new to Rolls-Royce in this size category, and nine have ordered more than one type of Trent.
“It is appropriate that Singapore Airlines, recognised for its innovation and focus on technical excellence, should receive the 1,000th Trent. SIA's selection of the Trent 800 in 1995 provided a major validation of the programme in its early years, and it currently operates the world's largest fleet of Trent-powered Boeing 777s. In addition, SIA recently set new time and distance records for commercial flights with the Trent 500-powered A340, and in 2006 will be the launch customer for the A380 using the Trent 900.” Last month the total service experience of the Trent family passed 10 million flying hours, with over a million of these being logged by SIA's Trent 800s. Firm and option orders have been placed for a total of more than 1,700 Trents of all types, giving the family a market share of 50 per cent across the latest generation of widebodied jets from Airbus and Boeing.

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European SILENCE research
Forschung zur Lärmreduzierung

European-funded research projects to reduce aircraft noise and fuel consumption are now running at full speed. Included is one of Europe's largest-ever noise-reduction research ventures, known as SILENCE. A consortium of 51 companies is testing new technologies to reduce aircraft noise by up to 6 decibels (dB) by 2008, with the EU contributing half the funding for Silence(R), with a total budget over 110 million euros. Other significant initiatives include Friendcopter, to reduce helicopter engine and rotor-blade noise; Tnago, to create lighter aircraft structures; EEFAE, to build aero-engines that reduce fuel consumption and emissions; and Awiator, to decrease aircraft structural weight, reduce noise and improve performance.
European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin said: “Through EU funding and co-operation within the “Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe” (ACARE) technology platform, Europe's key aircraft manufacturers, research institutes, universities and small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are working together to create cheaper, cleaner and quieter aircraft. These projects will help minimize the environmental downside of increased air traffic, while also helping to maintain the competitiveness of the European aerospace industry.” Noise is now considered a serious health hazard, not just a nuisance, with a third of Europeans experiencing noise levels that disturb sleep. Current research programs expect a reduction in noise (by 10dB) to halve jet noise within the next decade.
The four-year Silence project is assessing noise reduction technologies based on cost, weight and performance. These tests include low-noise fans, novel intake liners, bypass and hot-stream liners, nozzle jet noise suppressers, active control techniques and airframe noise reduction technologies. The Friendcopter project aims to provide engine and cabin noise reduction, low-noise flight procedures, noise-absorbing engine inlets, methods to identify cabin noise leaks, control technology to reduce rotor noise, vibration and fuel consumption and a model rotor for testing in a wind tunnel at Mach speed. The Tango project aims to achieve a 20% reduction in weight and cost in current aircraft structures and manufacturing processes to improve competitiveness. Four aircraft sections (including a lateral wing box, center wing box, fuselage section and advanced metallic fuselage section) are being tested to help improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

Dassault Falcon celebrated another milestone in the roll out of their new, advanced flight deck with EASA approval last week and receipt of FAA certification for the Falcon 2000EX EASy. “This marks the second successful application of the EASy flight deck.' said Jean-Louis Cuvillier, 2000EX, Vice President of Falcon Aircraft Programs. “The new, Dassault inspired technologies behind the highly intuitive EASy system vastly improve crew situational awareness and safety.' The new EASy flight deck made its debut late last year on Dassault's flagship 4500 nm Falcon 900EX. In the past year and a half, the 2000EX EASy test aircraft flew 143 flights, accumulating 335 flight hours. “We are especially pleased with the excellent reliability exhibited by the software.' said Patrick Darses, head of the engineering flight test group. “I must also give credit to the Honeywell team for their dedication to our needs and critical schedules.' Honeywell supplies the hardware for the flight deck including four 14 inch Primus Epic screens.
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Bombardier Aerospace announced that it has received regulatory approval from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the Honeywell TFE731-20BR engine upgrade. The FAA approval paves the way for Bombardier to begin delivering production aircraft in the U.S. with the improved engine performance later this month. Bombardier will also issue a service bulletin this month to current Learjet 45 operators allowing them to upgrade their aircraft at a Bombardier Aircraft Services facility. Certifying the -20BR engine upgrade provides the final step for Bombardier to offer a complete Learjet 45 XR package. The Bombardier Learjet 45 XR is designed to deliver greater payload-range capabilities through a 1,000-pound (454-kg) increase in maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) and enhanced performance from its Honeywell TFE731-20BR turbofan engines, leading to significantly reduced balanced field lengths at higher temperatures.
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Aermacchi signed a contract with the Logistics Command of the Italian Air Force (IAF) for the support and updating of the flight line of MB-339A, MB-339CD and SF-260 military trainers, including flight simulators and ground equipment. The contract amounts to about Euro 33 million. In addition to the provisioning of spares, overhauls, technical and engineering support to the flight lines, the contract includes MLU (Middle-Life Updating) operations for the enhancement of MB-339A systems and structures. The MB-339 of the Italian Air Force are used as initial military basic/advanced trainers and in a secondary role as Close Air Support (CAS) and Slow Movers Interceptor (SMI). The MB-339CD has been recently used, in a local air defence contest, as “SMI” during U.S. President visit Rome to improve air defence capabilities in the air space above Rome.
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More than 100 Boeing and Southwest Airlines employees celebrated as Southwest received its 400th Boeing 737 passenger airplane at a Boeing Field delivery ceremony. The new airplane is one of nine 737-700s Southwest will receive this month, part of a total 47 slated for the airline this year. The ceremony was one of a number of celebratory events this week marking both the milestone delivery and Southwest's 33 years of operation. "This represents a remarkable milestone in our long partnership with Boeing," said Jim Parker, Southwest's vice chairman and chief executive officer. Southwest, the launch customer for the 737-700, has received 163 of the model since 1997.
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Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin Corporation, AAI Corporation and Textron Systems Corporation have reached an agreement in principle to form the Core Team for TEAM EAGLE EYE to develop, produce and market the Eagle Eye Vertical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VUAV) System. The Eagle Eye System consists of one or more Eagle Eye tiltrotor unmanned air vehicles, ground control equipment, payload (sensors, weapons and other items carried internally or externally by the air vehicle), communications, and integrated logistics support. The Eagle Eye System offers a potential revolution in vertical unmanned warfighting in the tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (TUAV) environment. The unique combination of speed, range and versatility of Bell's tiltrotor technology, the precision control and downlink capability of the AAI One System ground control equipment, Textron Systems' innovative tactical UAV munitions solutions, and LMC's advanced technology make the Eagle Eye System the clear solution for all vertical tactical UAV requirements.
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The U.S. Army's tenth AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter battalion has been certified combat-ready after completing extensive training in its Boeing helicopters at Fort Hood, Texas. The 2nd Battalion, 6th Cavalry Brigade, based in Illesheim, Germany, completed eight months of training with the AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters built at the Boeing Mesa, Ariz., plant. To qualify, the men and women of the battalion, known as the Fighting Sixth, completed a series of comprehensive classroom, flight and field exercises. Soldiers underwent a rigorous field examination, three live-fire exercises and completed approximately 3,200 flight-hours during the training program. The unit fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 as an AH-64A Apache battalion. Upon their return, the helicopters were returned to Mesa where they were remanufactured into next-generation AH-64D Apache Longbows The U.S. Army is modernizing AH-64A Apaches into next-generation AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters that link a wide range of avionics, electronics and weapons into one fully-integrated weapons system. Boeing was awarded a contract in September 2000 valued at $2.3billion over five years to complete the remanufacture of aircraft.
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Boeing announced it is offering the 737 airborne early warning and control system in response to a proposal from the Republic of Korea for EX, an airborne surveillance and command and control program Boeing submitted its response on June 11. Turkey is also under contract for four 737 AEW&C aircraft and mission system design activities are well underway. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2007.
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Raytheon and RAM-System GmbH (RAMSYS), a joint company of Diehl/BGT and EADS GmbH, have extended their Cooperative Program Agreement (CPA) on the U.S./German Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) program for an additional 10 years. The cooperation between the two governments and industries began 25 years ago with the signing of the RAM Development MoU for the engineering development of an advanced surface-to-air missile. This cooperative program was the result of both countries' urgent need for an effective ship self- defense missile system. In 1994, German and U.S. industry enhanced their cooperation by signing a CPA. This agreement established the principles of cooperation, primarily equal sharing of production, development and obligations associated with third party sales. Both Raytheon and RAMSYS act as prime contractors, alternating based on their governments' procurements.
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Rolls-Royce regrets to announce that due to a long convalescence, Euan Baird has decided to resign as Chairman and as a director of the Company with immediate effect. Lord Moore of Lower Marsh has been serving as Acting Chairman in Euan Baird's absence and will serve as Interim Chairman until a permanent successor to Euan Baird is appointed. Lord Moore commented “Euan Baird has made a significant and lasting contribution to Rolls-Royce in his period as Chairman and the Board is very sorry that he has had to stand down”.
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The steep rise in fuel costs since the beginning of the year and the absence to date of cost concessions from its prime aircraft maintenance partner have prompted SWISS to adjust its EBIT objective for 2004. Current projections suggest that the company's business performance for the year could fall short of a breakeven operating result. Additional measures to improve results have already been introduced. The SWISS Board of Directors noted the revised projections for the year when it met recently. The meeting was also informed by Board member André Kudelski that he would be relinquishing his seat, in view of differences of opinion on the alliance issue. The latest developments in the price of crude oil and the associated steep increase in aviation fuel costs are having an adverse impact on SWISS's business results. If the price of kerosene remains at its current level of USD 360 per tonne, the company will incur unplanned additional costs of approximately CHF 85 million for this expenditure item. If SWISS had retained the fuel hedges which it sold earlier in the year, these unplanned additional costs would have amounted to CHF 65 million. SWISS sold these hedges in the first quarter to add CHF 20 million to its liquidity position. The sale, coupled with further actions on the cash management front, has provided the company with sufficient liquidity. This is substantially above the CHF 250 million originally projected, and remains unendangered by the current fuel price situation and excessively high maintenance costs. SWISS may be unable to achieve its previously-declared EBIT objective for 2004 also in view of its inability to date to achieve cost savings with maintenance, repair and overhaul provider SR Technics, its most important partner in expenditure terms. Under its “Foundation for Winning” restructuring programme, SWISS successfully negotiated cost reductions with all other partners and suppliers. Only with SR Technics has an acceptable result not yet been achieved, despite nine months of tough negotiations.
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Boeing and Korean Air said the carrier is becoming the third Boeing 747-400 Special Freighter customer, with an order for up to 20 kits that convert 747-400 passenger airplanes into freighters. A Boeing-approved modification center will convert the first airplane, which will be re-delivered to Korean Air in August 2006. Korean Air's Aerospace Division will convert the remaining airplanes. “The 747-400 Special Freighter allows us to increase our cargo revenue with a cost-effective solution and also improves the residual value of these airplanes,” said Mr. M. G. Kim, managing vice president of Purchasing for Korean Air Lines. The converted airplanes are in addition to the two new 747-400 Extended-Range Freighters Korean Air ordered earlier this month. Those newly produced freighters are scheduled for delivery during 2005. Korean Air currently operates 17 Boeing 747-400 freighters. During the next decade it wants to become the world's largest cargo operator as Asia's cargo market expands.
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Bombardier Aerospace announced that it has received Transport Canada certification for the Bombardier Learjet 40 business jet, which has set new standards in performance, comfort, value and versatility in the light jet market since entering corporate service last January. “This latest milestone is terrific news for Canadian business jet operators,” said Christophe Chicandard, Director, Sales, Canada, Bombardier Aerospace, Business Aircraft. “The great range and superior cabin of the Learjet 40 allows Canadian operators to comfortably fly non-stop from Toronto to most major cities in North America, including Calgary, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Miami and Monterrey, Mexico.”
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The SAS Group has in connection with the full year result in February and at the 1st Quarter result in May stated that it is the primary aim of the Board and the management of the SAS Group to attain a positive result before taxes, capital gains and other non- recurring items for the full year 2004 and take the necessary decisions for this to be achieved. As a result of the continued large overcapacity on many markets and heavy price pressure, yields have, primarily for Scandinavian Airlines, developed very weak during April and May. The other airlines in the group have developed according to plan. Yields for May were down 22,5% compared with May 2003. (for Scandinavian Airlines). In addition jet fuel prices has been at very high levels during 2nd Quarter 2004. The passenger volumes has during 2004 developed well and Turnaround 2005 incorporating cost reductions of SEK 14 billion develops according to plan and has resulted in and will continue to give significant unit cost reductions for all airlines in the group. Due to the development during January through May and the continued uncertainties about yields and the competitive situation, the Board and the management's previous aim about a positive result before taxes, capital gains and non-recurring items, for the full year 2004 is expected not to be possible to achieve.
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CAE announced the appointment of Robert E. Brown as president and chief executive officer, effective August 12, 2004. Mr. Brown, who is currently chairman of Air Canada and was previously president and CEO of Bombardier, will succeed Derek H. Burney immediately following the company's annual general meeting, Aug. 11. In order to ensure a smooth transition, Mr. Burney will serve as vice-chairman of CAE until his formal retirement, Oct. 31.
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The first ATP freighter to be converted by Romaero as part of a programme agreed between the Romanian commercial aerostructures manufacturer and BAE Systems Regional Aircraft has been rolled out at a ceremony at the company's Baneasa facility, near Bucharest. Following customer acceptance, the aircraft (msn 2041) will be delivered shortly to West Air Sweden on a lease from Regional Aircraft. A second aircraft for West Air Sweden is nearing completion, with two further freighter conversions also underway. Romaero has been contracted by Regional Aircraft to build 10 Large Freight Door installation kits for the ATP and also to carry out repairs to a number of ATPs that were damaged in severe hailstorms. While in Romania a number of these aircraft will be converted to freighter configuration.
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Boeing selected Goodrich Corporation to supply the Proximity Sensing System for the new Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner. Cindy Egnotovich, Segment President, Electronic Systems for Goodrich commented, "We're very pleased to have been chosen to provide this key system and we look forward to working with the Boeing team to deliver this technology on the 7E7." The Goodrich designed Proximity Sensing System for the 7E7 will sense and monitor the position of the landing gear, fuselage doors, cargo doors, and thrust reverser components. The system consists of proximity sensors located throughout the aircraft, remote data concentrators, which digitize the sensor data, and system software. The software performs the higher-level aircraft proximity functions such as door indication, door control, air/ground indication and thrust reverser indication. The system software is hosted in a central computing environment.
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An upgraded Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force, was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral. The satellite features significant performance upgrades, including an advanced antenna panel, which will increase power for GPS receivers. This was the 11th successful launch of the new-generation GPS IIR spacecraft. The satellite, designated GPS IIR-12, will join 28 other operational GPS satellites now on orbit, and will improve global coverage and increase the overall performance of the GPS constellation. The company has delivered nine more of these satellites to the Navstar GPS Joint Program Office, Space and Missile Systems Center, to sustain the GPS constellation.
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Saab Ericsson Space AB in Gothenburg, Sweden, has received an order for Ku-band frequency converters for the JCSAT-10 payload from Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems in Newtown, Pennsylvania. “This is our first order from Lockheed Martin. We are very pleased that we have been given this opportunity to prove ourselves as a supplier to them and to have it confirmed once again that we have a strong product line of frequency converters,” says Bengt Mörtberg, president and CEO of Saab Ericsson Space. “It is of high importance to us to have several customers of similar products to be able to offer a cost-efficient product portfolio,” adds Mörtberg. The order is for Ku-band frequency converters for the JCSAT-10 satellite payload to be delivered on a 12 months schedule. The converters are similar to converters earlier supplied to Boeing Satellite Systems and to EADS Astrium. Minor adaptations will be made to make the product fit with the Lockheed Martin A2100AX satellite platform standards.
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The SA-60 low-altitude surveillance airship made a successful test flight in St. Mary's County, Maryland, demonstrating its capabilities and proving all systems operable. The airship is a prototype of new ships being built by Techsphere Systems International, using research and development of 21st Century Airships. It flew with a two-man crew at 1500 feet for an approximately three mile radius. Future ships will fly at much higher altitudes and in an unmanned capacity.
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On the night of Monday-Tuesday, Bremen-based EADS Space Transportation sent the new, more powerful upper stage of the Ariane 5 “ten tons” version on its way to the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The journey onboard the special container vessel “MN Toucan” to Kourou will take about two weeks. The new upper stage ESC-A, which was built at the German competence center of EADS, and the new Vulcain II main-stage engine will increase payload capacity of the Ariane 5 from six tons to ten tons. Launch of the new Ariane 5 “ten tons” version is scheduled for autumn this yea
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Pratt & Whitney (P&W) completed the final large military demonstrator engine for the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) program in a “last bolt” ceremony held recently at the company's Middletown, Conn., engine center. The experimental test engine (XTE67/1) was developed to demonstrate improved thrust and weight performance and reduced production and maintenance costs. These new technologies can then be incorporated into existing and developing product lines, providing reliable advanced technology insertion with demonstrated benefits to the customer. P&W will begin testing on engine XTE67/1 at its West Palm Beach, Fla., facility next month. The IHPTET program, which began in 1987, is a joint government/industry effort with support from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, NASA and DARPA.
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Only four weeks after its launch on the Munich - Los Angeles route, Lufthansa FlyNet is now also available on routes to Asia. On Monday 21 June, flight LH 714 from Munich to Tokyo will mark the beginning of a new Internet era for passengers travelling to Asia. Over the coming weeks and months, FlyNet will be offered on further routes from Munich. Through the partnership with Connexion by Boeing, Lufthansa passengers can surf the World Wide Web, send and receive e-mails with attachments or set up a secure data connection to their company's Intranet or mail server via a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Wireless LAN (WLAN) allows easy and convenient inflight connectivity.
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Italian leading charter carrier Eurofly has signed a contract for one A319 Long Range aircraft and plans to acquire a second, becoming a new customer for the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) family. Milan-based Eurofly is already an Airbus operator, flying five A320s and two A330-200s on services within Europe and to destinations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
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It´s celebration time at Munich Airport: a year ago on June 29, 2003, the airport´s new Terminal 2 opened its doors for business in the early hours of the morning at three a.m. Two hours later at 5:10 a.m., the first aircraft pulled back right on time from the terminal and out onto the runway. On its first day alone, Terminal 2 saw more than 50,000 passengers, and a year on, that strong pace has not let up. Some 16.4 million passengers have used Terminal 2 in its first year of operation, with around 240,000 aircraft movements having been registered. One of the strongest contributing factors to the terminal´s smooth start of operations has been its highly efficient baggage handling system, which processed 10 million pieces of luggage in the past year.
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Lufthansa Technik Logistik (LTL Hamburg) has signed a consulting agreement with Dubai-based airline Emirates. The deal is intended to help the airline's engineering stores and logistics section to design warehousing and supply chain logistics systems for aircraft materials at its new engineering centre. The German aviation logistics experts, working with Emirates' specialists, will study existing processes and procedures and develop plans for an ultra-modern warehouse and logistics centre to improve efficiency in the supply of spares for the airline's present and future aircraft fleets. The state of the art semi-automated warehouse in the new Engineering Centre will be ready for use by mid-2005.
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Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG has managed to get positive results for 2003, despite a turbulent market. Also, Germanwings is on a good track to achieve profitabilty in 2004. The Eurowings group had a profit of 0,9 million Euro in 2003 (down from 5,3 million in 2002), despite heavy investments in Germanwings build up. The operating result was 8 million Euros, down from 12,8 million. Seat occupancy rose to 68,9 per cent. 5,325 million passengers were counted, among them about 2,4 million at Germanwings.
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