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UPDATE 
Week ending November 11, 2001
+++ Concorde is back +++ IATA confirms effects of September 11 +++ EADS pushes Mako +++ Eurofighter fights in the Netherlands +++ BR710 for Chinese regional jet? +++ Germany tests Taurus in South Africa +++ Emirates in order spree +++ AEA wants more political support +++ News in brief +++

Concorde is back
Überschall-Airliner wieder im Dienst

The world's fastest passenger jet returned to the skies on Wednesday, November, 7. A British Airways Concorde packed with some of the UK's top business leaders and hosted by the airline's chief executive Rod Eddington is departed at 10.30am, arriving just over three hours later at New York's JFK airport at 9.25am. Rod Eddington said: "Concorde is back. Its return comes at a symbolic time. British business leaders have been invited on this first flight as a thank you for their support for Concorde over the years and to reaffirm our commitment to business travel between the UK and USA. We look forward to carrying our customers supersonically on our flagship plane for many years to come." Also onboard will be representatives from the government, the aviation industry and the media. Mayor Giuliani, said: "New York has been home to Concorde for more than 20 years and it is with great pride that we welcome this symbol of European and American commerce back to New York. Welcome home Concorde. You were missed." British Airways is resuming Concorde flights with an initial six times a week service between London Heathrow and New York JFK, and from December a weekly service from Heathrow to Barbados.
Air France also restarted New York flights on November 7 2001. On board were Jean-Cyril Spinetta, President d' Air France, accompanied by Jean-Claude Gayssot, French Minister for Transport and several personalities of the aeronautical world. For the President of Air France, the resumption of the flights of supersonic is " the sign of our confidence in the future of air transport as well as the occasion to pay homage to the citizens New York ". This first commercial flight will signal the resumption of the supersonic connections between Paris-New York with Concorde, at the rate of 5 weekly flights: Flights from Roissy-Charles-of-Gaulle, Concorde will take off Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday with 10h30 (instead of 11h00 previously) and land 3h55 later, J.F. Kennedy Airport New York. On the same days, Concorde will leave New York with 8h00 morning tand arrive at Paris-Roissy with 17h45.

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IATA confirms effects of September 11
Zahlen bestätigen Luftverkehrskrise

In a monthly fall of a size not seen since the immediate aftermath of the Gulf war, more than 10 years ago, passenger traffic on the international scheduled services of IATA airlines declined 17 percent in September, compared to September 2000, and as a result showed no growth in the first nine months of the year. Carriers were unable to adjust their seat supply quickly enough; the passenger load factor fell from 78 percent in August to 69 percent in September. During the first nine months of 2001, total traffic (passengers plus freight) fell by nearly 3 percent, against a total capacity increase of 2 percent. Carriers most severely affected were those registered in North America; their passenger and freight traffic fell more than 30 percent in September. European and Far Eastern carriers experienced a 12 percent fall in passenger traffic overall, but carriers with a high US component in their services fared worse.

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EADS pushes Mako
Mako-Verträge mit den VAE

At the Dubai Air Show 2001, the Mako partners, U.A.E. institutions and the equipment industry have increased the momentum of the trainer light combat aircraft program by signing additional MoUs. The new Mako members on the suppliers' side are Autoflug (fuel system), Flight Visions (display and controls) and Rockwell Collins (displays and controls, navigation, communication). As far as the U.A.E. are concerned, the U.A.E. University at Al Ain, the Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company (GAMCO), and the Higher College of Technology (CERT) have joined forces with the Mako team. Other Mako highlights at the Dubai Air Show 2001 are the display of the full-scale twin-seater mock-up and the fully functional Mako Cockpit Demonstrator. The U.A.E. Air Force & Air Defence (U.A.E. AF & AD) and Military Aircraft of the EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company are teamed in the Mako programme since the Dubai Air Show in 1999. The two partners, who have already signed their second MoU during the IDEX exhibition in March this year are intensively working on further program progress. For this purpose the U.A.E. AF & AD / EADS team continues to present the common results of the jointly developed technical and operational definitions to selected aerospace companies and conducted a number of workshops with major systems suppliers. The encouraging number of in total 15 MoUs with powerful partners and potential suppliers to share risks and revenues shows both the confidence in the maturity of the program and its market potential as well as the dedication to cope with changing economical conditions prior to the launch of such a new project.

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Eurofighter fights in the Netherlands
Niederlande erhalten Eurofighter-Angebot

On November 9, Rainer Hertrich, CEO EADS, and Steve Mogford, COO BAE SYSTEMS today unveiled details of a Euro 7 billion (Gld 15 approx.) industrial partnership programme that could benefit Netherlands industry. The package was presented on behalf of the Eurofighter Partner Companies (Alenia Aerospazio, BAE SYSTEMS, EADS-Deutschland, EADS-CASA) in support of the Eurofighter bid as candidate in the programme for a replacement of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) F-16 fleet. The industrial package is geared to both short term participation in production programmes, and long term, high-value defence and aerospace partnerships across the defence and aerospace activities of the Eurofighter partner companies.
Highlights of the proposed industrial partnership cover two phases of activity. In a first phase Netherlands industry participate directly in the Eurofighter Enhancement Programme to compliment participation by the RNLAF. As such, RNLAF would be working with the existing four nation Eurofighter customers in defining future operational requirements and capabilities of the weapon system. Other industrial activity may also cover production for the initial batch of Eurofighter aircraft now in progress. This initial package provides a guaranteed return of -a400 million to Netherlands industry. A second phase will see Netherlands industry participate in production and further development of the Eurofighter Weapon System to meet the requirements of all partner air forces and the RNLAF.
Hertrich stated 'We understand that the Netherlands Government has set out a requirement for a financial contribution by industry if it is to participate in a U.S. programme. I believe this is a unique situation. Investment by Netherlands industry is not a pre-requisite for joining the Eurofighter programme. If, however, the Netherlands Government policy is for industry to contribute to a future programme, then we certainly expect to be treated on an equal basis to ensure a fair competition.' In his presentation Steve Mogford emphasized the benefits of joining the Eurofighter programme at this time based on low risk, enhanced and unrestricted technology access combined with exceptional commercial conditions.

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BR710 for Chinese regional jet?
Rolls-Royce Deutschland sieht Chance in China

Rolls-Royce and Chinese aerospace representatives on 1 November signed a collaborative agreement involving a new regional jet application for the Rolls-Royce BR710 engine. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed by representatives of Rolls-Royce Deutschland and the China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), involves the potential use of the 14,000lb - 17,000lb thrust BR710 on China's new ARJ21 regional jet. The ARJ series, currently in the early stages of development, consists of a 70 - 90 seat family of aircraft. The MoU was signed during the state visit to the People's Republic of China by the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder. BR700 series engines are produced by Rolls-Royce at the company's Dahlewitz facilities near Berlin. John Cheffins, President - Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, said: "This is an exciting opportunity in an expanding market sector in which Rolls-Royce is building a market - leading position. The BR710 is the ideal partner for new generation regional and corporate jets. Our relationships with China's aerospace industry are well established and highly valued and this agreement will build on them." Under a separate agreement, AVIC and the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment will work with Rolls-Royce Deutschland and the German Aerospace Centre on a joint study of aerodynamic issues involving the new aircraft and the fuselage-mounted engine installation.

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Germany tests Taurus in South Africa
Taurus-Tests in Südafrika

OTB, Denel's missile test range near Bredasdorp in the Western Cape has been chosen by the German BWB (Bundesamt fûr Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung) as the venue for a flight test campaign scheduled to take place during November 2001. This follows the successful negotiation of a multi-million Rand umbrella contract with BWB for support on development programmes over a period of four years, as well as contracts for upgrading of facilities at OTB to meet all the technical requirements of BWB.The test campaign involves a major deployment of personnel and equipment to South Africa, including the ferrying of two Tornado fighter aircraft from Germany to the Test Flight and Development Centre (TFDC) of the South African Air Force adjacent to OTB. A Boeing 707 tanker of the SAAF's 60 Squadron has been providing in-flight refuelling for the aircraft during their three-day journey from Germany to South Africa via the Canary Islands and Ascension Island. The aircraft touched down on South African soil at TFDC on Wednesday afternoon, 31 October 2001.

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Emirates in order spree
Waghalsige Bestellungen von Emirates

On November 4, Emirates announces its largest-ever aircraft order -- valued at a massive US$15 billion. In a dramatic gesture underlining its confidence in the entire long-term future of Dubai and air travel, the award-winning airline today announces that it is acquiring 25 Boeing 777s, 22 Airbus A380s, eight Airbus A340-600s and three A330s by the end of the decade. Emirates' initial order, signed at Britain's Farnborough Air Show in July 2000 as a Letter of Intent, was for seven A380s , making it the world's first airline to commit to the A380. Today it adds a further 15 A380s to give it a total fleet of 22 firm orders, valued at US$7 billion plus 10 options, 25 new Boeing 777s in two versions and valued at US$6.6 billion, eight A340-600s valued at US$1 billion, and three A330s valued at US$415 million. Combined value of the 58 Boeings and Airbuses on order is $15 billion, which the airline will raise without a dollar in subsidy from any source to boost Emirates' total fleet to 100 by the year 2010. The visionary 21st century fleet plan was unveiled today at Dubai's International Airshow, opened by His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, by Emirates' Chairman HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum.

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AEA wants more political support
Europäische Airlines fordern mehr Unterstützung

Airline Presidents representing the 28-member Association of European Airlines met in Paris. Evidently, the meeting concentrated on the consequences for the industry of the terrible events of September 11th. The Presidents heard that, in the five weeks following the tragedy, passenger traffic had lost 18.3% compared to last year, projected job losses at AEA carriers ran to 20,000, and instead of a predicted financial breakeven for the year, expected losses could amount to 2.5 billion Euros. Much of the debate centred around the European authorities response to the airlines' predicament. The Assembly was addressed by Daniel Calleja, Head of Cabinet to Commission Vice-President Loyola de Palacio, who outlined the setof relief measures produced by the Commission, having taken the decision, in principle, that the industry needed to be supported. From the airlines' point of view, however, the Commission's initiative, while welcome, had been translated by the Council of Finance Ministers into a package scarcely appropriate to the magnitude of loss suffered as a direct result of the outrage. Said Jean-Cyril Spinetta: "The Commission have warned us that we must be absolutely meticulous in relating our losses back to the US airspace closure, yet when we do this, it is clearer than ever that the impact goes well beyond their own arbitrarily-imposed limits of four days, on North Atlantic routes only".

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

The future funding and implementation of Galileo, Europe's own Global Satellite Navigation System, will be major topics for decision at the ESA ministerial on 14-15 November and at the EU's Transport Council in December. In the meantime, ESA is forging ahead with developing and testing the technology for the billion-Euro project. Galileo will consist of 30 satellites in medium Earth orbit supported by a global network of ground control and monitoring stations. A user with a receiver will be able to determine his or her position to within a few metres from signals broadcast by three or four of the satellites. Work on new technologies needed for the constellation and the ground segment has been continuing apace at ESA's technical centre, ESTEC in the Netherlands. Critical technologies include the development of on-board clocks for the satellites, signal generators to produce the variety of positioning signals that the Galileo spacecraft will broadcast; power amplifiers; antennae; timing units to correct the on-board clocks; and a system simulation facility to test strategies for coping with contingencies when the full system is up and running. In addition, ESA has started working on technologies needed for hand-held Galileo receivers.
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Dortmund, Germany-based Eurowings, a Team Lufthansa affiliate, has taken delivery of the first two new 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets from a firm order for 15 aircraft placed by Lufthansa in April, 2001. That transaction also included options on 30 Bombardier CRJ200 twinjets. Eurowings, which is 24.9 per cent owned by Lufthansa, began Bombardier CRJ200 service in May with five leased aircraft. These will be taken off lease as the purchased aircraft come on line. Eurowings is using its Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft primarily on routes taken over from Lufthansa, although they are also replacing Eurowings turboprop aircraft on some long-haul routes. The airline expects to carry 3.6 million passengers this year.
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On November 9, Boeing and Lockheed Martin held a constructive initial discussion about ways in which Boeing could potentially add value to Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter team. Boeing presented an overview of its strengths and capabilities, and Lockheed Martin representatives agreed to consider them further, in relation to the government's cost and schedule constraints. Both companies now have a much better understanding of each other's business considerations and have committed to a further meeting, following internal evaluations of what they learned today. The parties will meet again at a time to be mutually determined.
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NASA announced the selection of 10 scientific investigations as part of the 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission. The 2005 MRO will carry six primary instruments that will greatly enhance the search for evidence of water, take images of objects about the size of a beach ball, and search for future landing sites on the Martian surface. The investigations selected include two Principal Investigator (PI) Instrument Investigations and eight Facility Team Leader or Member Investigations. The two PI Instrument proposals selected by Dr. Edward Weiler, Associate Administrator for Space Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, were judged to have the highest science value among the 26 proposals submitted to NASA in August 2001 in response to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 2005 Announcement of Opportunity.
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ESA astronaut Claudie Haigneré and her two Russian colleagues were welcomed back to Earth on October 31 after successfully delivering a new 'lifeboat' to the International Space Station. The Andromède crew safely descended to Earth in a Soyuz capsule, ending a 10 day Russian-French mission on a dewy autumn morning in Baikonur, Kazakhstan at 05:59 CET. Together with fellow crew members Commander Victor Afanassiev and Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev, French born Claudie spent eight days on board the Space Station and described the mission as "a challenging and intensely fulfilling experience". The Andromède crew's prime objective was to deliver the Station's new lifeboat and exchange it for an older Soyuz vehicle which had been attached to the Station for the past six months, for their lift back to Earth.
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The launch of the SERVIS-1 spacecraft will be performed with the Rockot launch vehicle, Eurockot Launch Services of Bremen, Germany announced following the signing of a Launch Service Agreement with the Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer (USEF) of Tokyo, Japan. The launch of SERVIS-1 is now planned for the 2003 time frame and will take place from the dedicated facilities of Eurockot at Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia. SERVIS-1 is an acronym for the first flight of the "Space Environment Reliability Verification Integrated System" programme, and is being developed by USEF under the contract from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The objective of the SERVIS-1 mission is to develop technologies for the use of commercial off-the-shelf parts under space environment conditions. Rockot will launch the spacecraft into a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 1000 km. USEF selected Eurockot to provide the launch services following an international competition. The signing of the Launch Services Agreement with USEF marks the first contract of Eurockot in Japan and the Asian market. The contract was concluded through the contribution of Eurockot's representative in Asia and Oceania, Mitsui Bussan Aerospace.
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"More than 30 airport and air navigation authorities in the USA, Asia, Europe and the Middle East have responded with great imagination to the serious operational and financial difficulties faced by airlines in the wake of September 11. They deserve our praise," said IATA Director General & CEO Pierre J. Jeanniot. Jeanniot was referring to measures taken by certain airports and ATS providers to actually reduce charges and rates to airlines, at least temporarily; to defer charges increases; to increase the period for paying bills; to halt all non-essential spending and to take other measures to reduce the costs which they pass on to their prime customers, the airlines. "These service providers have shown what can be achieved, given an appreciation for the current plight of civil aviation", continued the Director General. "Regrettably others - particularly certain European Air Traffic Services providers - have shown rather less imagination. They have decided that their services have an irreducible cost and are not ready to make any attempt to reduce that cost. They simply divide the cost by their notion of likely traffic and arrive at charging rates which are in some cases 20 percent higher in 2002 than those for the current year."
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Goodrich Corporation's Avionics Systems Division announced that it has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) approval for its new SkyWatch HP Traffic Collision Avoidance System. Deliveries for the SkyWatch HP system are planned to begin immediately. SkyWatch HP is an active surveillance traffic advisory system that operates as an air-to-air or ground-to-air interrogation device. After receiving replies to its interrogations, the SkyWatch HP system computes the responding aircraft's range, bearing, relative altitude and closure rate, predicting potential traffic conflicts. Aural traffic alerts are annunciated through the aircraft's existing audio system or headsets and visual targets are displayed using TCAS-like symbology.
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The third pre-production AB139 made its successful first flight on October 22, 2001, at Agusta's Vergiate plant in Italy. The certification program foresees a Tie Down Helicopter (TDH) and three pre-production aircraft. The TDH had started tests commencing in December 2000. The AB139's first flight took place on February 3, 2001 at Agusta's Cascina Costa plant in Italy, and with the second pre-production AB139 achieving its first flight on June, 4th, 2001, the flight test program is both well underway, on time and on budget. The two pre-production aircraft have as of this point flown for a total of more than 100 hours.
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On November 8, Northrop Grumman and Newport News Shipbuilding announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which Northrop Grumman will acquire Newport News Shipbuilding. The boards of directors of both companies approved the terms of the transaction in which Northrop Grumman will acquire all the outstanding shares of Newport News. In an exchange offer, Newport News Shipbuilding's shareholders may elect to receive either $67.50 per share in cash or a number of shares of Northrop Grumman common stock designed to provide a value of $67.50, subject to certain limitations and proration procedures. Northrop Grumman expects to promptly amend its existing offer documents in order to reflect the merger agreement.
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Officials from both Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica and GKN company, announced they are initiating a joint effort focusing on U.S. government medium lift helicopter markets with immediate attention toward combat search and rescue opportunities with the U.S. Air Force. According to the agreement, AgustaWestland and Lockheed Martin will jointly bring the US101 aircraft - an American version of AgustaWestland's extremely versatile and mission-proven EH101 helicopter - to U.S. markets. The most technologically advanced helicopter of its class in production today, the three-engine EH101 has been ordered till now by United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Denmark and Japan.
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Bombardier Aerospace, ExecuJet Aviation Group and Alpha 55 of Dubai are pleased to announce they are establishing a joint venture to open a factory service facility in Dubai. The new facility will offer Bombardier customers in the Middle East a full range of business aviation services including aircraft charter and aircraft management. It will also provide them with comprehensive support and maintenance for the entire family of Bombardier business jet aircraft. The joint venture will further act as the exclusive representative for Bombardier Learjet series in the Middle East. The state-of-the-art facility, scheduled to open in 2002, will further complement Bombardier's growing presence in Dubai, the capital foraviation in the Middle East and an ideal location for expanded services. With the new facility, the company's operations in Dubai will encompass aircraft sales, flight operations, maintenance and spares.
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Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline announced sharply higher results for the half year ended 30th Sept 2001. Passenger traffic grew by 37% to 5.3 million passengers, load factors rose to 77% (84% if the no show passengers are included as they are by other low fare airlines). Average yields declined during the period by 6%, a fall that was slightly lower than the 8% decline during the first quarter. Another strong performance by ancillary revenues (up 35%), resulting in total revenue growth of 29% to EUR344.2m. Costs continued to be tightly controlled, particularly marketing and distribution costs which have declined by 30% (despite 37% volume growth) thanks to the successful development of RYANAIR.COM, Europe's biggest travel website.
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Bombardier Aerospace announced the order of five new Bombardier Global 5000 high-speed intercontinental business jet aircraft from TAG Aeronautics, the exclusive representative and distributor for Bombardier widebody aircraft in 22 Middle East and Arab countries. The order, announced at the Dubai Air Show, comes just 11 days after Bombardier introduced the Global 5000, its 12th new aircraft in 12 years, specifically designed to establish new standards in the super-large jet niche market. The first aircraft are scheduled to enter service in 2004.
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Bombardier Aerospace announced that it has selected ExecuJet as an authorized service facility for its family of Bombardier Learjet and Bombardier Challenger business jets in Europe. Under this agreement, ExecuJet will provide complete maintenance service for all the Bombardier Learjet models, specializing in the Learjet 31A, Learjet 45 and Learjet 60 business aircraft as well as all Bombardier Challenger models. With the opening of this facility, Bombardier Aerospace now has 22 Learjet authorized service facilities located in 13 countries. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, the 35,000-square-foot (3,150-sq-m) facility has the capacity to service four Bombardier Challenger business jets and several narrow body aircraft simultaneously. The ExecuJet facility is fully operational and is expected to service 30 aircraft annually. Zimex Aviation Group, a leading provider of international aviation services, will conduct parts management on behalf of ExecuJet andfulfill all of the facility's labour requirements.
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On November 2, Boeing delivered its first Next-Generation 737-700 Convertible with Quick Change options. The customer, a private corporation, wishes to remain unidentified. The 737-700 Convertible, or 737-700C, is the first member of the new Boeing 737 family to be offered in both an all-passenger or all-cargo layout. The Quick Change option is simply a 737-700C with pallet-mounted seats. This reduces the conversion time from passenger to freighter configuration, and vice-versa, to less than an hour. "This delivery is another example of the exceptional flexibility of the new 737 to meet the needs of a variety of markets," said Carolyn Corvi, vice president/general manager of the 737 program. "This airplane is an excellent fit for airlines looking to maximize their assets by extending utilization in an environment that's seen a decline in passenger traffic."
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On Friday, October 26, Lockheed Martin received a $18.9 billion contract for the Joint Strike Fighter to move the program into the next phase, System Development and Demonstration (SDD). "We've received our contract, we now have funding, our government customer has established an aggressive set of program milestones, and our team is off and running - the SDD phase has begun," said Tom Burbage, executive vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin JSF program.Since contract award, Lockheed Martin has also received its formal out-brief on Tuesday by Paul Schneider, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Navy, and members of the JSF Source Selection Evaluation team. The government team included Major General Mike Hough, USMC, former JSF Program Director; Brig. Gen. Jack Hudson, USAF, JSF Program Director and senior JSF Program Office (JSFPO) management and Integrated Project Team (IPT) leads. Details of the out-brief have been designated "Source Selection Sensitive" and therefore proprietary to the Source Selection Team.
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Before they learned to fly, the Wright brothers learned to glide. A life-size reproduction of one of the aviation pioneers' early gliders has undergone wind tunnel tests at NASA's Langley Research Center's Full Scale Tunnel in Hampton, Va. During the experiment, which is being underwritten by the Langley Research Center, engineers took a number of different measurements to determine how the Wright 1901 glider performed. The 22-foot wingspan aircraft was the second glider designed by Orville and Wilbur Wright as they worked to create the first human-powered flying machine."It's fitting that we invest in wind tunnel tests to document the Wrights' discoveries. Orville Wright was on the advisory committee that established Langley Research Center in 1917, just fourteen years after that first historic flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C. Wright also visited Langley a number of times," said Mike Finneran, head of Langley's Office of External Affairs. "Our first engineers built on the Wright brothers' early successes and helped advance aeronautics into a modern science." The wind tunnel tests are part of ongoing research being done by Old Dominion University (ODU) of Norfolk, Va., and The Wright Experience of Warrenton, Va. The Discovery of Flight Foundation, a non-profit organization also in Warrenton, has contracted with The Wright Experience to uncover and document how the Wright brothers, neither of whom finished high school, managed to conquer the principles of flight in five short years.
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Heightened airline and airport security measures are beginning to pay off, according to a comprehensive new air travel survey sponsored by Boeing. The survey found that 9 out of 10 Americans who have flown commercially since Sept. 11 felt "safe" or "very safe.""Once people get back to the airports and onto airplanes, they are seeing the extra safety procedures and feeling more secure about flying," said Donna Mikov, vice president of Communications for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Among those who have flown since Sept. 11, 91 percent feel air travel is safe. Ninety-six percent of all people surveyed feel Americans should enjoy the freedom to fly safely, 92 percent believe air travel is critical to the U.S. economy, 91 percent of employees say their company has no air travel restrictions, and 92 percent think air travel will return to normal within the next year.Also according to the survey, men are somewhat more comfortable about flying right now than are women."While we're heartened by those people who have resumed flying, our focus going forward will be on those who still have concerns," Mikov said. "We are committed to doing everything we can to rebuild confidence in air travel."
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Boeing announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with El Al Israel Airlines to study the feasibility of creating a joint venture to establish a world-class security and safety business for airlines, airports and governments worldwide. The joint venture, if formed, could include developing technology, manufacturing products, designing systems and procedures, and training personnel and staffing. "There is no more important job for the aviation industry today than to make sure that all aspects of air transport are as safe and secure as possible," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Alan Mulally. "El Al's indisputable leadership in security practices, combined with the resources and intellectual capital that we at Boeing possess about all aspects of the air transport system, could create a formidable source of knowledge for the entire industry."
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International Launch Services (ILS) and Space Communications Corp. (SCC) of Tokyo have signed a contract for launch of the SUPERBIRD-6 satellite in October 2003. Financial terms were not disclosed. The contract calls for a launch on an Atlas IIAS rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. SUPERBIRD-6 is a Boeing 601 model, which will deliver business communications services from its orbital location of 158 degrees east longitude. This is the second SUPERBIRD satellite to be launched by ILS; the previous, SUPERBIRD-C, was also a 601 model flown on Atlas IIAS in 1997.
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International mail destined for Germany is set to reach its destination quicker than ever following the launch by Royal Mail of a new charter air service dedicated to transporting its mail to Germany. Scheduled passenger flights have traditionally been used to carry the 1.6 billion items of international mail handled by Royal Mail every year around the globe. The new service, operated by Channel Express, represents a significant investment in mail services to Germany, one of the top five destinations for mail leaving the UK. Channel Express will be utilising one of their newly acquired Boeing 737-300 aircraft, which is based at Stansted Airport and can carry over 17,000kgs of cargo. The aircraft is one of two Boeing 737-300s that Channel Express operates.
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On Monday October, 29th 2001, in Teterboro, New Jersey, was unveiled the new Dassault Aviation's aircraft, Falcon 7X. The introduction of the Falcon 7X marks the beginning of a new chapter in Dassault's timeline, as the first of a new generation of aircraft whose hallmarks will include full transonic and low-speed optimization. The Falcon 7X, which was first unveiled in June at the Paris Air Show as the Falcon FNX, can reach .90 Mach and can travel nonstop for 5,700 nautical miles, or from Paris to Tokyo, which is 25% farther than current longest-range Falcon class aircraft, the Falcon 900EX.
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GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) has signed a contract with CargoLifter Development GmbH in Brand, Germany, to power a fleet of new airships now under development in Germany. Under terms of the contract, GE will supply up to 400 CT7-8L installed engines and spares, as well as maintenance services for 10 years, at a potential value of $500 million. The CT7-8 engine was co-developed and will be co-produced by GE Aircraft Engines and Fiat Avio of Italy. Following heated competition among engine suppliers, CargoLifter selected the CT7-8L turboshaft engine to power the CL160 Airships. The first deliveries of the CT7-8 engines to CargoLifter are expected to begin in 2003, followed by the first flight of the CL160 prototype in 2004. CargoLifter anticipates Airship production to continue beyond this decade.
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On the 25th of October, the first Falcon 2000EX took to the skies above Mérignac, France, for a one hour, 45-minute flight. Test pilots Patrick Experton and Hervé Laverne took the plane to an altitude of 35,000 feet and a maximum airspeed of .82 Mach during the flight. The Falcon 2000EX, s/n 001, performed very well in engine and systems tests during the gear-up flight. It is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney Canada 308C engines, offering a 3800 nautical mile range (a 25% improvement over the Falcon 2000).
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Honeywell announced that it has delivered its 10,000th TFE731 turbofan engine. The engine was presented to Bombardier Aerospace, which will install the TFE731-20AR on a Learjet 45 super light business jet at its aircraft operation facility in Wichita, Kansas. "The TFE731 was a landmark design in aviation, the first high-bypass fuel efficient engine for business aircraft that was not a derivative of an older military engine," said Steve Loranger, President and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace's Engines, Systems & Services business. "The fuel efficient TFE nearly doubled the range of existing business aircraft in the 1970's, and was the first production propulsion engine to use an electronic engine control providing flight crew with precise power settings. The TFE was a good neighbor by reducing noise levels during airport operations and ten-thousand engines is testament to the TFE731's enduring impact on business aviation."
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The collapse of the Belgian Sabena airline and the grounding of its flights on Tuesday evening has made air traffic into and out of Belgium problematical for both travel agencies and passengers. To dispel the uncertainty, Lufthansa has substantially increased capacities between Belgium and Germany so as to lay on more flights for all of the increased passenger volume in the short term. Capacities have been raised on existing connections to Brussels from Frankfurt and Munich, and additional frequencies have been laid on on both routes. Additionally, frequencies have been greatly increased between Brussels as well as Berlin and Stuttgart.
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The Supervisory Board of Lufthansa Cargo AG has appointed Heinz-Ludger Heuberg (42) to the Executive Board of Lufthansa Cargo AG, effective March 1 2002. Heinz-Ludger Heuberg succeeds Walter N. Gehl in charge of finance and human resources.
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Astral Aviation, Inc., d/b/a Skyway Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Midwest Express Airlines, has placed an order with Fairchild Dornier for four additional 328JETs and 10 options. The order is valued at $177 million. Skyway Airlines, which currently operates eight 328JETs, will take delivery of the first of these new aircraft in January 2002, and the remaining three aircraft by December 2002. Skyway was Fairchild Dornier's launch customer for the aircraft in North America, taking delivery of its first 328JET in August 1999. With the new orders, the Skyway 328JET fleet will grow to 12 aircraft by December 2002, and with the exercise of the options, to 22 aircraft.
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As result of the terrorist attack in the USA the heavy cost burden stroke the airlines hard. The Board of Airline Representatives in Germany has contacted the Ministry of Transport, Finance and Interior requesting to find a way to reduce the heavy cost burden of the airlines, which are also suffering of severe income losses. Together with the three Ministries a political solution has to be found for financial release of airlines and in order to support the air traffic location Germany, which is important for the whole economy. Martin Gaebges, BARIG Secretary General pointed out that a main task of a country is to protect its citizens. The costs for more security, decided after the 11 of September, have to be financed by the Government. Gaebges:"We absolutely don't find it normal that the increase of costs automatically has to be carried by the airlines and their customers". The Security Charges will be increased by the Ministry of the Interior very severely as of 01 January 2002. For example the security fee increase in Frankfurt will be DM 1.94 which means DM 11.16 in total, in Berlin Tegel the increase will be DM 1.32, in total DM 6.46 and in Köln/Bonn an increase of even DM 2.44 with a total of 11.81 DM. The commitment of the Ministry of Transport to establish consistent security standards in Europe has been welcomed by the BARIG members, because only worldwide consistent security standards will raise the quality of security controls. However the airline industry is in urgent need of support from the Government at the time being. BARIG Chairman Jörgen Möllegaard: "Competitiveness of the business location Germany is only possible in the near future with the solidarity of Airlines, Airports and Government".
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Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company has announced plans to further streamline operations and reduce indirect business costs to increase its competitive posture. This is part of a continuing effort that began in late 1999 to integrate several space-related operations within Lockheed Martin Corporation as part of the Space Systems Company. This initiative has already resulted in savings of over $40 million per year.
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French space agency CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) has chosen Alcatel Space to provide operations and maintenance services for various control stations at its Aussaguel site near Toulouse in southwest France. Taking effect January 1, 2002, this contract will foster synergies between CNES's Network Operations Center (COR), already run by Alcatel Space teams, and the Aussaguel 2-GHz network station, all operations being progressively transferred to the Network Operations Center. The contract covers a total of 12 stations, including the 2-GHz station of the satellite tracking network (orbital positioning and routine operations) and the control stations for Jason and Stentor satellites.
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ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company, Brigham City, Utah, successfully conducted a static test firing of a full-scale Space Shuttle reusable solid rocket motor (RSRM) yesterday. The test took place at the company's Promontory, Utah, facility, located approximately 90 miles north of Salt Lake City. The engineering test motor (ETM) program is part of the Shuttle's on-going safety program to verify materials and manufacturing processes. The ETM-2 static test provided an opportunity to evaluate unique certification, development, validation, and verification objectives to characterize the performance of new processes, materials, components and design changes. It also provided an increased opportunity to advance design and process understanding through flaw and "push-the-envelope" testing. The test simulates many of the conditions that would be experienced in flight.
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The U.S. military's high-tech Joint STARS and Global Hawk airborne surveillance systems will soon fly over Afghanistan, a senior DoD official said. "The deployment orders, in fact, have been released to deploy Global Hawk and J-STARS" in the Afghan theater of operations, DoD Spokesperson Navy Rear Adm. John D. Stufflebeem today told Pentagon reporters. "The specific capabilities that they'll bring in this theater, I won't specify," said Stufflebeem, Joint Staff deputy director of operations for current readiness and capabilities. However, he noted, the capabilities of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System are a matter of public record, and they come in handy "when you're looking for trucks or SUVs that are moving around." The admiral suggested that Global Hawk, an unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicle, has a long "dwell time" that allows it to remain airborne longer than other aircraft to collect intelligence information.
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Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (P&WC) is pleased to announce the successful first run of a complete PW625F engine demonstrator, a key milestone in its program to develop a new family of engines for the general aviation and small business aircraft markets. The PW625F light-jet propulsion system achieved its full takeoff power of 2,500 pounds of thrust after only five hours during the test run, which took place October 31. The engine demonstrated operating characteristics much better than anticipated. A first run of the high pressure compressor (HPC) gas generator was also successfully achieved, providing valuable insight into the HPC characteristics.
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First Air, one of Canada's largest scheduled airlines, headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) has completed its purchase of 4 ATR 42-300s. The aircraft will be introduced progressively in First Air's fleet, starting in November 2001 First Air selected the aircraft as a replacement for the Hawker Siddeley 748 aircraft. The ATR 42-300 joins First Air's fleet of 24 aircraft, which includes six Boeing 727s and three Boeing 737s.
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Emirates, the international airline of the UAE, and Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer, announced their intention to create a joint venture company to provide a range of aviation services. The services offered will include trading in used aircraft and used spares, as well as airline consultancy. Consultancy will be offered to airlines to cover items such as fleet, route and business planning. On the used aircraft and spares front, the aim will be to act like a remarketing agent or broker, realizing value for airlines from assets that are no longer needed.
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