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Survey Indicates Europe Leading in ATC Modernization
According to an ATM industry survey conducted by Helios in conjunction with last month's ATC Maastricht 2006 Exhibition, 76% of respondents believe that Europe is leading in ATC modernization; 27% think is okay to mandate the use of CPDLC (controller-pilot datalink communications); and 28% believe the A-SMGCS (advanced - surface movement guidance and control system) will bring the greatest safety benefit over the next five years.

Continental Renews Contract with ARINC for Multiple Datalink Services

Garmin Introducing New Multi-Function Display
Garmin is introducing a new multi-function display with a viewing area that is almost 20% larger than other panel-mounted MFD units.

Jeppesen to Provide Map Data for Airbus Onboard Navigation System
Jeppesen will provide the airport-surface map database for the Thales-developed Airbus OANS (on-board airport navigation system).

AOPA Welcomes Improved WAAS Minima
The U.S. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) says it welcomes the FAA's move to lower the nominal decision altitude for WAAS (wide area augmentation system)-based approaches to 200 feet from 250 feet.

Universal Avionics Flight Tests New FMS Software for WAAS Approaches
Universal Avionics has completed flight tests for its new FMS (flight management system) that incorporates WAAS (wide area augmentation system) capabilities for en route, terminal and instrument approach procedures.

Mercury Computer Introducing New Version of Portable SVS
Mercury Computer Systems is releasing a new version of its portable multi-function flight display system with synthetic vision images that integrates XM satellite weather information.

Max-Viz Promoting Usefulness of Its EVS for Helicopter Operations
Max-Viz is promoting the usefulness of its EVS (enhanced-vision system) for helicopters that need to operate in low visibility conditions, including darkness, by itself or in concert with NVGs (night vision goggles).

Gulfstream Says EVS Now on More Than 200 of Its Business Jets
Gulfstream says that 213 of its in-service business jets were equipped with operational EVS (enhanced vision systems) at the end of 2005.

FAA Extends WAAS Approach Decision Altitude to 200 Feet
The FAA is extending the lowest decision altitude capability of WAAS (wide area augmentation system)-enabled approaches from 250 feet above an airport's surface to 200 feet.

Boeing Acquiring Carmen Systems
Boeing is acquiring Carmen Systems, a Swedish company that provides crew scheduling and disruption management software for airlines and railroads.

UPS to Retrofit B-757s and B-767s with Boeing EFBs
UPS will retrofit 107 of its B-757s and B-767s with Boeing's EFBs (electronic flight bags), and will install Boeing EFBs on eight new B-747-400 freighters it ordered last year for delivery beginning in 2007.

Pilatus PC-12s to Get IS&S Display Upgrades
Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) says it has received orders from two customers to install flat panel displays on Pilatus PC-12s.

NTSB Wants TAWS and FDRs on Many Helicopters
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wants the FAA to require all U.S.-registered turbine-powered helicopters certificated to carry at least six passengers to be equipped with TAWS (terrain awareness and warning system).  The Board also wants FDRs (flight data recorders) on larger helicopters as well.

FAA Certifies Honeywell Fuel-Tank Fire Suppression System on B-737s
The FAA has certified Honeywell's nitrogen generation system (NGS) for B-737s, which uses an "inert" gas to displace oxygen in fuel tanks to reduce the risk of an explosion or fire.

O'Malley Named FAA Chief of Staff
Michael O'Malley, who is currently the deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy for U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta, will become FAA Administrator Marion Blakey's new chief of staff.

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Survey Indicates Europe Leading in ATC Modernization

According to an ATM industry survey conducted by Helios in conjunction with last month's ATC Maastricht 2006 Exhibition, 76% of respondents believe that Europe is leading in ATC modernization; 27% think is okay to mandate the use of CPDLC (controller-pilot datalink communications); and 28% believe the A-SMGCS (advanced - surface movement guidance and control system) will bring the greatest safety benefit over the next five years.

Other significant responses included the following:

• Forty percent see increased flight efficiency as the main reason for creating functional airspace blocks.  (FABs are airspace blocks whose control is predicated on operational requirements, rather than political boundaries, to ensure their more integrated management.)

• Twenty-eight percent think ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) will be used primarily as a second layer of coverage with single radar in Europe, while 26% percent see it as a "gap filler" for existing radar coverage.

• Fifty-three percent believe more direct routes will be the main effect of Europe's Single Sky reforms on civil flight operations.

Helios noted in its description of the survey's results that since nearly 80% of respondents are based in Europe, it is perhaps not surprising that Europe was the clear overall choice about where ATC leadership resides.  But Helios noted also that 75% of North American respondents answered similarly, and while 40% of respondents from Asia and Pacific areas designated their own region, 60% choose Europe.

ADS-B Development in Europe

Overall, the survey suggests that ADS‑B in Europe will develop as a second layer of coverage with single radar, but once again responses appeared to be somewhat parochial; in this case varying according to the respondent's industry role: ANSPs (air navigation service providers and airport operators saw ADS-B principally as filling gaps in existing radar coverage (31% and 36% respectively); aircraft operators and regulators saw it as a radar substitute (42% and 26% respectively); and most responders from North America (31%) saw ADS-B as a radar substitute.  (See chart below.)

Continental Renews Contract with ARINC for Multiple Datalink Services

Continental Airlines renewed its contract with ARINC for all of its air-ground operational datalink communications.  The seven-year service agreement includes ARINC's GLOBALink VHF (very high frequency), HFDL (high frequency datalink) and satellite offerings.  03-16-2006.  (Top)

Garmin Introducing New Multi-Function Display

Garmin is introducing a new multi-function display with a viewing area that is almost 20% larger than other panel-mounted MFD units.

The GMX 200 has a high resolution (640 x 480 pixels) display, and an advanced backlighting scheme that dramatically improves the color and contrast, resulting in chart depictions and images that are brighter and more vivid in all lighting conditions, according to Garmin.

It has multiple functions and features to allow the pilot to select between several charting options and easily add or remove details, and a rotary knob has been added to allow for quicker map scale changes and entry of data.  A split-screen function allows the pilot to simultaneously view two charting options along with the vertical profile for the elevation of the terrain along the route of flight.

Worldwide terrain and hydrography data is preloaded, and Jeppesen NavData is used to draw airports, airways, navaids, airspace, and other features at range scales from ¼ mile to 2,500 miles.

When combined with Garmin's GDL 69 one can get today's most advanced weather depictions and information instantly via XM Satellite Radio. And a user interface can provide more than 150 channels of XM audio.

Split-Screen Example View

Graphical NEXRAD Weather Example View

Elevation of Terrain Relative to Flight Level Example View

The source for all views is Garmin. More are available on its Website.

The GMX 200 Traffic version supports interfaces to Garmin's TIS (traffic information service)-capable transponders and ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) transceivers, and can be connected to select TCAS traffic alert and collision avoidance system) units.  A Radar/Traffic version can also be interfaced with Garmin's GWX 68 weather radar.

The system should be certified this summer.  03-16-2006.  (Top)

Jeppesen to Provide Map Data for Airbus Onboard Navigation System

Jeppesen will provide the airport-surface map database for the Thales-developed Airbus OANS (on-board airport navigation system).

The Airbus OANS will provide pilots with high-resolution airport surface moving maps, displayed on large-format LCDs (liquid crystal display) that depict the aircraft's position.  The system and Jeppesen AMDB (airport mapping database) are designed to be common for the A380, A330/A340 and A320 families. 

The AMDB currently provides approximately 300 major airports worldwide and additional airports are being added based on customer requests.  Its information is captured via satellite imagery and ground survey points and includes: runways, taxiways, guidance markings, gates, aprons, parking areas, deicing pads and the location of buildings.

According to Jeppesen, its AMDB and the processes for data collection, quality assurance and maintenance meet the requirements set forth by RTCA DO272 and EUROCAE ED99 documents which outline user requirements for aerodrome mapping information.  03-15-2006.  (Top)

AOPA Welcomes Improved WAAS Minima

The U.S. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) says it welcomes the FAA's move to lower the nominal decision altitude for WAAS (wide area augmentation system)-based approaches to 200 feet from 250 feet.

The FAA's action means that pilots flying instrument GPS approaches enhanced by WAAS can get virtually the same performance as they do now from a ground-based ILS (instrument landing system).

AOPA says this is potentially great news for thousands of general aviation airports that can now get instrument approaches with the same minima as ILS, without all the expenses of an ILS system.

The organization's president, Phil Boyer said, "We have urged both Congress and the FAA to press ahead with the program because it improves air safety by providing the precision vertical guidance needed especially in poor weather conditions.  And it makes better use of the nation's system of airports because thousands that currently may only be used in good weather can become all-weather capable."

According to AOPA, it currently costs the federal government between $1 million and $1.5 million per runway end to install an ILS, while mapping and publishing a new WAAS-based LPV (localizer precision with vertical guidance) instrument approach procedure costs about $50,000.

But to get the lowest minima possible from WAAS, an airport needs much of the ancillary ground infrastructure required for an ILS system, including approach lights, precision runway markings, and a parallel taxiway, features that many general aviation airports don't have.

Although the FAA hasn't announced its implementation plans, AOPA expects that the first WAAS LPV approaches with the improved minima are likely to be overlays for existing ILS approaches.  Although these approaches are "quick wins," the real benefit to general aviation will come at airports or runways that do not currently have an ILS, AOPA says.  03-09-2006.  (Top)

Universal Avionics Flight Tests New FMS Software for WAAS Approaches

Universal Avionics has completed flight tests for its new FMS (flight management system) that incorporates WAAS (wide area augmentation system) capabilities for en route, terminal and instrument approach procedures.

A Universal King Air 350 test-bed aircraft equipped with the company's EFI-890R flight display suite was used for the flights that evaluated the company's new "W" series FMS (UNS-1Ew, 1Fw and 1Lw) and its new software (SCN 1000) that adds WAAS capability.

Testing and certification of the system should be completed later this year.  03-08-2006.  (Top)

Mercury Computer Introducing New Version of Portable SVS

Mercury Computer Systems is releasing a new version of its portable multi-function flight display system with synthetic vision images that integrates XM satellite weather information.

Mercury Computer's VistaNav is a tablet PC that can be used as a backup navigation system to display multiple flight functions, some of which are 3D synthetic images of the outside world.  It runs Microsoft Windows and can be used either in flight - but not for primary navigation - or on the ground for flight planning and other activities.

VistaNav's new version 1.5 software can provide the pilot with synthetic 3D views of the outside world and an approach display, with "highway-in-the-sky" flight guidance.  It can also display 2D navigation in either full or split-screen formats.  Version 1.5's integration of XM satellite weather information will give the pilot access to NEXRAD (next generation weather radar) precipitation and cloud information, live TFRs (temporary flight restrictions), METAR (meteorological aviation routine weather reports), TAFs (terminal area forecasts), and other information.

The complete VistaNav system includes an INU (inertial navigation unit), a WAAS (wide area augmentation system)-enabled GPS receiver, and a Bluetooth wireless interface for communications.  The entire unit is powered by the aircraft power supply and includes rechargeable batteries that will operate for up to one hour in the event of an aircraft electrical failure.  03-08-2006.  (Top)

Max-Viz Promoting Usefulness of Its EVS for Helicopter Operations

Max-Viz is promoting the usefulness of its EVS (enhanced-vision system) for helicopters that need to operate in low visibility conditions, including darkness, by itself or in concert with NVGs (night vision goggles).

Law enforcement and rescue helicopter operators have used adjustable and movable infrared systems for years in those specific roles, but only recently have they and other operators, such as EMS (emergency medical services) and even corporate flight departments, begun to consider using them as a visual aid for piloting in low visibility.

The Max-Viz EVS-1000 system uses uncooled, long-wave infrared sensors to gather data for images that are enhanced, relayed and displayed on any video-capable HDD (head-down display) system in the cockpit.  It shows black-and-white images of actual terrain and obstructions during darkness, and also in light fog, haze, snow and rain.

The nose-mounted, wide-angle system costs about the same as NVGs, but the EVS-100 doesn't require FAA flight crew certification or recurrent training, according to Max-Viz officials.

The EVS-1000 is currently installed on the Agusta A109A, Bell 212 and 214, Eurocopter EC 135, 145, and AS 355, and Sikorsky S-76 A/B/C/D.  STCs (supplemental type certificates) are pending for the Bell 206 and 407.  03-07-2006.  (Top)

Gulfstream Says EVS Now on More Than 200 of Its Business Jets

Gulfstream says that 213 of its in-service business jets were equipped with operational EVS (enhanced vision systems) at the end of 2005.

EVS is standard equipment on the 92 Gulfstream ultra-long-range G550 and long-range G450 delivered by year-end 2005.  EVS also is available as optional equipment on the company's new G500s and G350s, and as a retrofit on its GVs, GIV/GIV-SPs, G400s and G300s.

To date, Gulfstream has retrofitted EVS into 118 customer aircraft. Three test and experimental aircraft - a G450, a G550 and a GV - also are equipped with EVS.

The system was developed in cooperation with Kollsman, and incorporates a specially designed FLIR (forward-looking infrared) camera that projects a real-world image on a Honeywell HUD (head-up display).  03-07-2006.  (Top)

FAA Extends WAAS Approach Decision Altitude to 200 Feet

The FAA is extending the lowest decision altitude capability of WAAS (wide area augmentation system)-enabled approaches from 250 feet above an airport's surface to 200 feet.

The change will allow an operational capability similar to a standard category I ILS (instrument landing system) where suitable airport conditions exist.

The FAA says the first procedures that allow operations down to 200 feet will be published in 2007.  The FAA currently has more than 300 vertical-guidance procedures, based on WAAS, and is expecting to publish 300 additional ones in 2006.

WAAS is a satellite-based navigation system that improves the accuracy, availability and integrity of GPS signals needed in these low-visibility flight operations.  When first commissioned in July 2003, WAAS was approved to provide vertical guidance down to 350 feet.  Localizer performance with vertical guidance procedures down to 250 feet was later developed to take advantage of the system's increased performance.  Over the past two years, WAAS has provided coverage to roughly 99 percent of the continental U.S. and has been available 99.87 percent of the time, according to the FAA.

There are approximately 3,000 WAAS-equipped aviation users operating in the national airspace system.  03-07-2006.  (Top)

Boeing Acquiring Carmen Systems

Boeing is acquiring Carmen Systems, a Swedish company that provides crew scheduling and disruption management software for airlines and railroads.

Carmen Systems' capabilities will be added to Boeing's product and services portfolio through its Jeppesen subsidiary.

Lou Mancini, a Boeing vice president and general manager of Boeing Commercial Aviation Services, said that Carmen's applications will complement Jeppesen's existing aviation products and bring us new capabilities.

Carmen Systems is headquartered in Gothenburg, and has approximately 300 employees.  It also has significant operations in Australia and Canada.  03-08-2006.  (Top)

UPS to Retrofit B-757s and B-767s with Boeing EFBs

UPS will retrofit 107 of its B-757s and B-767s with Boeing's EFBs (electronic flight bags), and will install Boeing EFBs on eight new B-747-400 freighters it ordered last year for delivery beginning in 2007.

According to Boeing, high fuel costs was an important factor in the cargo carrier's decision to become the launch customer for Boeing's class-3 EFB in the U.S. as well as its EFB launch customer for 757s and 767s.  (Class-3 EFBs are a permanent part of an airplane's cockpit, and are fully integrated into its systems.)

In this regard, UPS intends to use the EFB to display its "merging and spacing" application that enables pilots to fly more efficient paths into a terminal area such as its main base at Louisville.  This application, which relies on ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) information, is part of a program called SafeRoute that UPS is working on with Phoenix-based Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems (ACSS).

During taxi, SafeRoute's "surface area movement management" function will provide pilots with display and voice alerts of potential dangers that could result in a runway incursion accident.

In addition to SafeRoute, UPS is continuing to evaluate whether the devices can be used for applications such as a digital maintenance logbook.  And as with other adopters of EFBs, UPS will likely use the devices for such things as enhanced electronic checklists, and real-time weather and NOTAM (notice to airmen) information.  Boeing's Jeppesen subsidiary will supply the digital navigation charts, manuals and documents for the system that will be displayed on hardware developed for Boeing by Astronautics Corp. of America.

This retrofit program is believed to be the first of its type attempted by any airline, cargo or passenger, said Bob Lekites, a UPS vice president in charge of its airline and international operations.  It "basically reflects our belief that this technology is ready and should be applied to jets now in service."  03-09-2006.  (Top)

Pilatus PC-12s to Get IS&S Display Upgrades

Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) says it has received orders from two customers to install flat panel displays on Pilatus PC-12s.

The IS&S Cockpit Information Portal consists of a pilot and copilot suite of high resolution multi-color, flat-panel AMLCDs (active matrix liquid crystal displays), which IS&S sees as a cost effective way to upgrade PC-12s with a flat panel display system and obtain RVSM (reduced vertical separation minima) compliance at the same time.

IS&S's two customers, EPPS Aviation and Western Aircraft, are authorized distributors of the turnkey Pilatus PC-12 packages.  03-08-2006.  (Top)

NTSB Wants TAWS and FDRs on Many Helicopters

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wants the FAA to require all U.S.-registered turbine-powered helicopters certificated to carry at least six passengers to be equipped with TAWS (terrain awareness and warning system).  The Board also wants FDRs (flight data recorders) on larger helicopters as well.

These recommendations are two of five contained in the final report of a 2004 fatal helicopter accident in the Gulf of Mexico.

On March 23, 2004, an Era Aviation Sikorsky S-76A++ crashed into the Gulf about 70 nautical miles south-southeast of Galveston, Texas.  Although visual meteorological conditions existed, it was a dark night with very few external visual cues. The aircraft was being flown by two pilots and was transporting eight oil service personnel.

The Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure to identify and arrest the helicopter's descent for undetermined reasons, which resulted in controlled flight into the water.

"A terrain warning system would have given the pilots enough time to arrest their descent and save the lives of all aboard," Mark V. Rosenker, the NTSB's acting chairman said. "It is well past time for the benefits from these standard safety devices to be made available to passengers on helicopter transports as they are on fixed wing planes."

The Board noted that when the FAA required TAWS for airplanes having six or more passengers in 2000, the technology had not been developed for the unique characteristics of helicopter flight.  The technology is now available for helicopters and should be required, the Board said.

Flight Data Recorder 

In the Era Aviation accident, the aircraft wasn't equipped with a flight data recorder, and the cockpit voice recorder was improperly installed, rendering its information almost unusable.  Because of these shortcomings, the Board wasn't able to determine the sequence of events that led to the helicopter's inadvertent descent.

In 2003, the FAA exempted S-76A and several other helicopter models from its requirement that they be equipped with flight data recorders. The Board disagreed with that assessment, and noted that it had participated in the investigation of another S-76 helicopter crash in Estonia, the first accident known to involve a large helicopter for which FDR data was available. Those data were extremely valuable to investigators, the Board said.

The lack of FDR data significantly hampered the Era investigation, the Board said, and it urged the FAA to require FDRs on commercial helicopters such as the one involved in the Gulf of Mexico crash.

The Board also recommended that cockpit voice recorders on aircraft be functionally checked before the first flight of each day and that a periodic maintenance check be accomplished as part of the approved maintenance check of the aircraft.

In its other recommendations, the Board said the FAA should expedite its initiative to improve flight following where traditional radar coverage doesn't exist, such as in portions of Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, and improve training for certain flight control systems.

A summary of the Board's findings is available at www.ntsb.gov.  Look under "Publications."  The entire accident report will appear on the website in several weeks, according to the Board.  03-09-2006.  (Top)

FAA Certifies Honeywell Fuel-Tank Fire Suppression System on B-737s

The FAA has certified Honeywell's nitrogen generation system (NGS) for B-737s, which uses an "inert" gas to displace oxygen in fuel tanks to reduce the risk of an explosion or fire.

(Nitrogen is nonflammable and it will not support combustion. It's commonly thought of and used as an inert gas; but will react with oxygen at very high temperatures, as in furnaces.  Nevertheless, it is inert under most other circumstances.)

The B-737 certification comes less than two months after the company received similar approval for the inerting system on B-747 models.

The Honeywell NGS injects nitrogen-enriched air into an aircraft's fuel tanks that are susceptible to heat build up.  The nitrogen fortification is produced by separating oxygen from conditioned engine-bleed air through micro-fiber components supplied by Parker Aerospace.

Eric Wendling, Honeywell's NGS program manager said the company has completed flight testing of the NGS system and has entered full-scale production. Currently, Honeywell is evaluating the system on four in service commercial airplanes.  "Our next steps will be to pursue certification for additional applications," Mr. Wendling said.  03-07-2006.  (Top)

O'Malley Named FAA Chief of Staff

Michael O'Malley, who is currently the deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy for U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta, will become FAA Administrator Marion Blakey's new chief of staff.

In his new position, O'Malley will be assisting Ms. Blakey on day-to-day administration and management issues, but he will also be working on such things as congressional reauthorization of FAA programs and the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) initiative.  03-16-2006.  (Top)

Aer Lingus is acquiring two A330s to be delivered in mid 2007.  03-16-2006.

TAP Portugal took delivery of its first A330-200.  03-16-2006.

AeroRepublica purchased five GE CF34-powered Embraer 190s and took options for 20 more.  Deliveries will begin in November.  03-16-2006.

Alaska Airlines should be taking delivery of 39 B-737-800s between 2006 and 2008 as part of its fleet modernization program.  It has firm commitments for 13 aircraft, options for 24 more, and purchase rights for an additional 27 in 2009 and beyond.  03-16-2006.

Bombardier Aerospace delivered its 250th CRJ700 to Skywest Airlines.  03-16-2006.

Finnair is acquiring an A340-300 from Virgin Atlantic Airways for delivery in July.  03-16-2006.

Aer Lingus purchased one A330-200 and A330-300 to be delivered in mid-2007.  03-16-2006.

Cargolux ordered two B747-400 Freighters to be delivered in 2007 and 2008 and 10 B747-8 Freighters with purchase rights for 10 more.  Deliveries will start in 2009.  03-16-2006.

SkyQuest International sold an Embraer 120ER to Network Aviation Holdings of Australia on behalf of SkyWest Airlines.  03-16-2006.

Pegasus Airlines ordered six B737NGs and purchased rights for six more with deliveries beginning in 2008.  03-16-2006.

Kenya Airways is purchasing six B-787s for delivery between 2010 and 2011. Kenya is also leasing three B737-800s from Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprises that will be delivered in 2006. 03-15-2006.

Swiss Regional Darwin Airlines added a fourth Saab 2000 to its fleet.  03-15-2006.

Petroleum Air Services (PAS) of Cairo, Egypt, is acquiring an additional Bombardier Q300.  03-15-2006.

Australia's National Air Support (NAS) is acquiring three Q300s from Bombardier for its Surveillance Australia Coastwatch program. In addition, NAS will purchase and convert two Dash 8/Qs from the existing fleet of its sister company National Jet Systems.  03-15-2006.

The FAA certified Raytheon Aircraft Company's new Hawker 850XP. Deliveries will begin immediately and foreign certifications are already being pursued.  03-15-2006.

Ryanair took delivery of its 100th B-737-800.  The airline ordered 239 of the type, so still has 139 to be delivered.  03-15-2006.

Royal Air Maroc took delivery of a new B737-700. 03-15-2006.

Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes exercised two more options from its order for 101 B-737-800s, increasing its number of firm orders to 67.  It has 34 options remaining.  03-15-2006.

Indonesian low-cost carrier, Adam Air, will modernize its fleet by acquiring and leasing 30 A320s.  03-15-2006.

Yemenia-Yemen Airways, based in Sanaa, is acquiring six A350s plus options for another four. Deliveries will start in 2012. 03-15-2006.

Canada's Phoenix Heli-Flight is buying the first Canadian-certified AS355N from Eurocopter Canada.  03-15-2006.

Canada's Great Slave Helicopters purchased three AS-350B2s, three AS350B3s, and one EC-130.  03-15-2006.

U.K. charter airline Excel Airways is leasing two B-737-900ERs and two B-737-800s from GECAS, plus two B-737-800s from ILFC, and two more from Royal Bank of Scotland.  The 900ERs will be delivered in May 2008, and the 800s will be delivered in the first half of 2007.  03-15-2006.

India's Helicop is acquiring three Eurocopter EC155s from Global VECTRA.  03-15-2006.  (Top)

Lufthansa said that in the year since launching its Lufthansa Private Jet services, customer response has been "entirely positive," and with up to ten bookings, daily, has "far exceeded initial expectations." The service will now be expanded with the addition of further destinations and new services.  03-17-2006.

Airbus said it sold 71 aircraft in the first two months of 2006 compared to 43 in the year-ago period.  03-17-2006.

Nav Canada said its January 2006 traffic increased by an average of 1.2% compared to the same month in 2005.  Its fiscal year-to-date traffic was 3.2% higher than in fiscal year 2005.  Nav Canada's fiscal year runs from September 1 to August 31.  03-17-2006.

IATA reported international passenger traffic increased 6.2% in January while airfreight grew 5.3%. Total passenger capacity increased 4.6%.  Middle East airlines saw traffic increase 18.3% on an 11.7% increase in ASKs.  African carriers' RPKs increased 7.4% on a 10% increase in capacity, while Asia/Pacific airlines experienced a 6.4% gain in traffic against a 4.3% increase in ASKs. European carriers' RPKs increased 5.2% while ASKs increased 3.6%.  North American carriers had a 3.6% increase in international RPKs against a 3.8% rise in ASKs.  Latin American traffic increased 2.8% while capacity increased 2.2%. 03-17-2006.

The overall scheduled traffic for AEA member carriers increased 5% to 54.38 billion RPKs on a 3.5% rise in capacity to 74.89 billion ASKs.  Far Eastern traffic grew 15% while the European market posted a 4% increase in RPKs comprising a 4.7% climb in cross-border traffic and 2.3% growth in domestic traffic.  Traffic on the North Atlantic decreased 1.2%.  03-17-2006.

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) said the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 78.8% in January, an improvement over both January 2005's 71.4% and December 2005's 71.0%.  In January, the carriers canceled 1.7% of their scheduled domestic flights, a smaller rate of cancellations than both January 2005's 4.2% and December 2005's 1.9%.

Seven percent of the carriers January flights were delayed by aviation system delays, compared to 9.46% in December 2005; 5.61% by late-arriving aircraft, compared to 8.18% in December; 5.81% by factors within the airline's control, such as maintenance or crew problems, compared to 8.06% in December; 0.87% by extreme weather, compared to 1.13% in December; and 0.04% for security reasons, compared to 0.10% in December. (Weather is a factor in both the extreme-weather category and the aviation-system category.)

In January, 4.70% of flights were delayed by weather, down 23.45% from January 2005, when 6.14% of flights were delayed by weather, and down 11.49% from December 2005 when 5.31% of flights were delayed by weather.

Detailed information is available http://www.bts.gov.   03-17-2006.  (Top)

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