This edition of the Weekly News Summary is being sent to 3,857 e-mail subscribers

| Search FTO with Google | Non-Copyright Policy | Contact Us |

| Share News with Flt Tech Online | Advertise in FTO | Subscribe to FTO |

What is RSS?

Russia Agrees to Abolish Siberian Overflight Payments
The European Commission (EC) has succeeded in negotiating an agreement with the Russian Federation to abolish Siberian overflight payments after obtaining a mandate from European Union (EU) member states.

ADS-B Technologies Nears Completion of China ADS-B Project
ADS-B Technologies and the Civil Aviation Flight University of China have installed the fifth ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) ground broadcast transceiver in China's Sichuan Province, meaning the project should be completed by the end of the year.

Lithuania's ANSP to Use Ubitech's Aeronautical Information System
Oro Navigacija, Lithuania's ANSP (air navigation service provider), will use Ubitech's AIS (aeronautical information system), making Lithuania the first Eurocontrol member state to do so.

Six European ANSPs Will Study the Feasibility of a Super Airspace Block
Six European ANSPs (air navigation service providers) will study the feasibility of creating a joint FAB (functional airspace block) over the heart of the continent.

Royal Thai Air Force Upgrading Its C-130 Avionics
Thai Aviation Industries (TAI) has awarded Rockwell Collins a contract to upgrade six Royal Thai Air Force's (RTAF) C-130s with an integrated avionics suite to give them CNS/ATM (communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management) capability.

Northwest to Use Jeppesen's Bidding System for Flight Attendants
Northwest Airlines will use Jeppesen's PBS (preferential bidding system) for its 8,500 flight attendants.

TAROM to Modernize Its Flight Data Capabilities
TAROM has chosen Teledyne Controls to enhance its flight data monitoring (FDM) capabilities on its Airbus fleets.

ILFC Chooses FlightVu Cockpit Door Video Security System
International Lease Finance Corporation is having Boeing install AD Aerospace's Flight Deck Entry Video Surveillance System (FDEVSS) on three new B-737-700s it has ordered.

Vienna International Airport Getting Sensis Surface Radar
Sensis Corporation will supply Austro Control with a surface movement radar for Vienna's international airport to help its air traffic controllers to track aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface in all weather conditions.

Sichuan Airlines selects Rockwell Collins Avionics and IFE
Sichuan Airlines has selected an avionics package along with an IFE (in-flight entertainment) system from Rockwell Collins for the twelve new A320 family aircraft it will begin receiving in June 2007.  Sichuan also has options for 10 more single-aisle Airbus models.

Check Out Additional Fleet Changes

Airbus Raises Its 20-Year Aircraft Sales Forecast
Airbus predicts in its latest Global Market Forecast that 22,700 new passenger and freight aircraft valued at US $2.6 trillion will be required by aircraft operators between 2006 and 2025.  This estimate represents an increase of some 5,400 aircraft compared with the manufacturer's previous projections.

If you have comments on anything you see in Flt Tech Online, you may send an email to editor@flttechonline.com.

Check Out Current Industry Events

Note:  If you would like FTO to highlight your meeting or conference, please send an e-mail to editor@flttechonline.com.

Russia Agrees to Abolish Siberian Overflight Payments

The European Commission (EC) has succeeded in negotiating an agreement with the Russian Federation to abolish Siberian overflight payments after obtaining a mandate from European Union (EU) member states.

The agreement solves a 20-year conflict between the EU member states and Russia, which cost around €300 million to EU airlines in 2006 alone.  According to the EU, the Federation's longstanding fee-collection practice hasn't been consistent with international law, and in particular, the Chicago Convention.  In addition to normal air navigation charges, EU airlines have been required to pay royalties to Russia's Aeroflot for the right to fly over Siberia, which is the shortest distance between the Europe and Japan, China and South Korea.

The main aspects of the new agreement mean that:

• EC carriers will not have to conclude mandatory commercial agreements with Aeroflot for the use of Trans-Siberian routes.
• New operations by EC carriers on the Trans-Siberian routes in the transition period will be free of payments.
• Not later than December 31, 2013, all royalty payments will be abolished and airlines will have to pay only air navigation charges in line with the Chicago Convention.
• During the period between 2010 and 2013, existing payments will be gradually reduced.
• All fees and charges in the new system will be cost-based and transparent.
• EC airlines will be able to keep overflight frequencies currently leased from Aeroflot in the new system.
• The Russian Federation will grant new frequencies in the framework of bilateral negotiations.
• All principles agreed between the EU and the Russian Federation will have to be implemented in bilateral air services agreements between EU member states and Russia before May 2007.

11-30-2006.  (Top)

ADS-B Technologies Nears Completion of China ADS-B Project

ADS-B Technologies and the Civil Aviation Flight University of China have installed the fifth ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) ground broadcast transceiver in China's Sichuan Province, meaning the project should be completed by the end of the year.

Besides installing five ADS-B ground-based UATs (universal access transceivers), the China program also required the installation of flight-following displays for ground controllers, and avionics on 150 aircraft.

Skip Nelson, the president and CEO of Anchorage, Alaska-based ADS-B Technologies, called the development "the largest end-to-end ADS-B deployment in Asia, [and] perhaps the largest in the world, since the FAA's Capstone Program in Alaska."

Mr. Nelson said that since beginning the installations in June of this year, "with the University's intense flight training schedule, we've now accumulated more than 30,000 flight hours of ADS-B experience without a single significant problem.  By networking the ground stations, a controller at one airfield can see an aircraft taxiing at another airport more than 1,000 kilometers away."  11-28-2006.  (Top)

Lithuania's ANSP to Use Ubitech's Aeronautical Information System

Oro Navigacija, Lithuania's ANSP (air navigation service provider), will use Ubitech's AIS (aeronautical information system), making Lithuania the first Eurocontrol member state to do so.

The Ubitech InfoStore AIS commissioned for Lithuania will have both static and NOTAM (notice to airmen) databases that are compatible with ARINC 424 and AIXM (aeronautical information exchange model) standards.  (AIXM is a relational data model that reflects European-based aeronautical data structures.)

According to Ubitech, its InfoStore can:

• Validate and store both international and national NOTAMs that can be automatically distributed according to their originating NOF (NOTAM office) and series.
• Produce NOTAM bulletins.
• Manage NOTAMs, including automatic detection of expired and missing NOTAMs, automatic processing of incoming checklists, processing of multi-part and multi-subject NOTAMs, schedule the production of summaries or checklists, and maintain a NOTAM transaction history.
• Allow all fields as selection criteria when retrieving NOTAMs.
• Manage static data.

Ubitech says InfoStore's modular design will allow Oro Navigacija to upgrade the system with additional components such as its flight plan database, OPMET (operational meteorological system) database, Internet pilot-briefing terminals, and EAD (European AIS database) system interface.

The Ottawa, Canada-based concern established its European division just outside of Frankfurt in Ronneburg, Germany in 2005.  11-27-2006.  (Top)

Six European ANSPs Will Study the Feasibility of a Super Airspace Block

Six European ANSPs (air navigation service providers) will study the feasibility of creating a joint FAB (functional airspace block) over the heart of the continent.

Switzerland and France, as well as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, had previously announced plans to establish FABs, which prompted Belgium's Belgocontrol, France's DSNA, Germany's DFS, Luxembourg's LAA, the Netherlands' LVNL, and Switzerland's skyguide, along with their respective supervisory authorities, to jointly establish a single, more encompassing FAB Europe Central instead.

The study will include both the upper and lower airspace in the six states and will take into account the FAB feasibility project work already underway.  Besides the ANSPs, the project will also involve the military of the participating states and Eurocontrol.  All the partners are represented in the high-level policy group which will oversee the project.

The creation of FABs in Europe is one of the cornerstones of the European Union's Single European Sky project, which is intended to improve the capacity and efficiency of Europe's airspace.  Under the Single European Sky, airspace should no longer be defined by national borders as it is currently the case, but should be organized supranational in accordance with users' needs.

The results of this study are expected in the beginning of 2008.  It will examine the potential contribution such a FAB might have in improving airspace safety, capacity and performance.

More information about the study is available at: www.skyguide.ch/en/Dossiers/DossierSingleEuropeanSky/FAB.  11-26-2006.  (Top)

Royal Thai Air Force Upgrading Its C-130 Avionics

Thai Aviation Industries (TAI) has awarded Rockwell Collins a contract to upgrade six Royal Thai Air Force's (RTAF) C-130s with an integrated avionics suite to give them CNS/ATM (communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management) capability.

The Rockwell Collins' retrofit, based on its Flight2 avionics system, will include an Ethernet-based IPC (integrated processing center) with flight management capabilities, large format multifunction liquid crystal displays, as well as Rockwell Collins' MMR (multi-mode receiver), TCAS II (traffic alert and collision avoidance system), weather radar, autopilot, and satcom, HF (high frequency) and V/UHF (very high and ultra high frequency) radios.

The upgrade will give the aircraft ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) and CPDLC (controller/pilot datalink communications) capability and therefore unrestricted access to civil airspace, according to Rockwell Collins.

Rockwell Collins will team with TAI on the first two installations, after which TAI will do the remaining four.  All the installs will take place at TAI's facilities at Takhli airbase in Thailand.

This program follows a number of CNS/ATM upgrades for Rockwell Collins, including the U.S. Air Force's C/KC-135 GATM (global air traffic management) fleet upgrade and several other international C-130 retrofits.  11-30-2006.  (Top)

Northwest to Use Jeppesen's Bidding System for Flight Attendants

Northwest Airlines will use Jeppesen's PBS (preferential bidding system) for its 8,500 flight attendants.

Jeppesen's Carmen Crew Pairing application is part of its Total Mission Solution, which includes flight planning, scheduling and resource optimization, plus navigation services and document logistics management.

This agreement is Northwest Airlines' third major deal with Jeppesen since 2003, when Crew Pairing was implemented for over 15,000 crew members.  In July 2005, NWA signed an agreement for the use of Jeppesen's PBS for 5,300 pilots.  11-26-2006.  (Top)

TAROM to Modernize Its Flight Data Capabilities

TAROM has chosen Teledyne Controls to enhance its flight data monitoring (FDM) capabilities on its Airbus fleets.

The Romanian national flag carrier purchased Teledyne's FDIMU (flight data interface management unit) for flight data acquisition and recording, along with Teledyne's AirFASE and Vision ground-based applications to replay, analyze and animate its downloaded flight data.  Used in conjunction, these three products are designed to provide an operator an end-to-end FDM system.

Dumitru Dragusin, who manages TAROM's Flight Analysis Centre, said the airline would use the multi-task FDIMU, along with AirFASE and Vision software, to manage its flight data for safety analysis purposes and to help train its pilots.

Teledyne's FDIMU was designed to acquire and record flight data along with other mandatory and ACMS (aircraft condition monitoring system) data.  Its recorded data can be transferred to a ground computer equipped with AirFASE and Vision through a removable PC card.

AirFASE does the data processing, flight analysis and reporting tasks, while Vision creates 3-D animations, and provides enhanced visualization tools to show complex operational scenarios, and to facilitate incident investigation.

The FDIMU is available for installation on the Airbus 318, 319, 320 and 321, as well as the A330 and A340.  It comes as a single LRU (line replaceable unit), because of Teledyne's unique design that combines the multiple functions of traditionally separated systems into one hardware package.  11-28-2006.  (Top)

ILFC Chooses FlightVu Cockpit Door Video Security System

International Lease Finance Corporation is having Boeing install AD Aerospace's Flight Deck Entry Video Surveillance System (FDEVSS) on three new B-737-700s it has ordered.

The FlightVu FDEVSS, which has Boeing technical approval to offer its customers, uses three video cameras outside the flight deck door, which are linked to the flight crew's MFD's (multi function displays).

FlightVu cockpit door monitoring systems have been or are being installed on aircraft for, Air Seychelles, bmi, Britannia, BWIA, Corsair, easyJet, Hainan, Germania, Hapag Lloyd, Britannia Nordic and MyTravel amongst others.  11-30-2006.  (Top)

Vienna International Airport Getting Sensis Surface Radar

Sensis Corporation will supply Austro Control with a surface movement radar for Vienna's international airport to help its air traffic controllers to track aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface in all weather conditions.

The X-Band Sensis SMRi radar features high resolution and frequency diversity to enhance its detection ability, even in heavy rain rates up to 100mm/hour, which exceeds the ICAO standard.  11-30-2006.  (Top)

Sichuan Airlines selects Rockwell Collins Avionics and IFE

Sichuan Airlines has selected an avionics package along with an IFE (in-flight entertainment) system from Rockwell Collins for the twelve new A320 family aircraft it will begin receiving in June 2007.  Sichuan also has options for 10 more single-aisle Airbus models.

The avionics package will feature Rockwell Collins' fully automatic WXR-2100 MultiScan radar, which can detect thunderstorms and other turbulence hazards out to 320 nautical miles.

Other Rockwell Collins' equipment includes its ADF-900 automatic direction finder, DME-900 distance measuring equipment, HFS-900D high frequency long-range communications system, CPL-920D coupling unit and the VOR-900 VHF navigation radio.

Sichuan's A320 family aircraft also will be equipped with Rockwell Collins' PAVES (programmable audio video entertainment system) to provide its passengers with 22 channels of high-fidelity digital in-seat audio programming, plus overhead video on retractable 10-inch liquid crystal displays.

Previously Sichuan selected the same avionics package for four new A319s which it began receiving in 2004.  11-26-2006.  (Top)

Finnair will exercise four remaining options on Embraer 190s and take new options for four more.  11-30-2006.

Air Berlin said it will buy 60 B-737-800s.  It had ordered 15 737-700s earlier this year.  Deliveries will occur between November 2007 and the end of 2014.  11-30-2006.

Singapore Airlines took delivery of its first of nineteen GE90-115B-powered B-777-300ERs (extended range).  11-30-2006.

Galaxy Airlines, a subsidiary of Sagawa Express Co. Ltd, took delivery of the first A300-600F in Toulouse, France.  11-30-2006.

Lufthansa CityLine leased another BAe 146-200 from Eurowings and agreed to extend its leases with Eurowings on seven others.  11-30-2006.

Korean Air took delivery of the first of its two A300-600Fs.  The airframe was formerly flown by Korean Air as a passenger aircraft.  11-30-2006.

Régional - Compagnie Aérienne Européenne, a subsidiary of the Air France Group, took delivery of its first Embraer 190.  11-30-2006.

M1 Travel Ltd., a major shareholder in Geneva-based Flybaboo, ordered two Bombardier Q400s and took options on an additional four.  The aircraft will be operated by Flybaboo. 11-30-2006.

Cessna delivered its first Citation Mustang to the Mustang Management Group (MMG), who will lease the business jet back to Cessna for 10 months for use as a demonstrator.  MMG then plans to use the Mustang in its Scott Aviation subsidiary for flight training.  11-30-2006.  (Top)

Airbus Raises Its 20-Year Aircraft Sales Forecast

Airbus predicts in its latest Global Market Forecast that 22,700 new passenger and freight aircraft valued at US $2.6 trillion will be required by aircraft operators between 2006 and 2025.  This estimate represents an increase of some 5,400 aircraft compared with the manufacturer's previous projections.

Some 21,900 new passenger aircraft of more than 100 seats will be needed, according to the forecast, creating an average delivery close to 1,100 passenger aircraft per year, up from around 800 two years ago.  This requirement results from an average annual traffic growth in RPKs (revenue passenger kilometers) of 4.8%, leading to a growth in passenger traffic of around two-and-a-half times, and an increase of some 14,600 aircraft globally.

Freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) are forecast to increase by six per cent annually over the same period, generating the need for 3,580 freighter deliveries (mostly conversions), of which 800, or 22 per cent, will be factory-built freighters.

The period will be marked by an increasing demand for new more fuel-efficient airliners, to help address airline operating costs as well as environmental concerns, Airbus believes.  This factor will lead to a higher replacement rate of over 12,000 aircraft.

Transpacific, Europe to Asia and Transatlantic long haul routes will increase by 60 per cent, according to the forecast, and hub cities will see their traffic nearly doubling over the next 10 years.

In the very large aircraft sector, Airbus predicts a demand for 1,660 aircraft valued at US$503 billion or 20 per cent of total sales value, of which some 1,260 are new passenger aircraft; Asia-Pacific will account for 56 per cent of these.  The top 20 airport hubs will account for more than two thirds of the world's destinations of very large aircraft.  In addition, there will be a demand for some 400 aircraft over 120 tonne of payload from the very large freighter category.

The requirement for twin-aisle passenger aircraft will continue to grow strongly with some 5,300 new twin-aisle aircraft, valued at some US$1,009 billion, being delivered in the next two decades. These will be about 42% of the total value of all passenger aircraft delivered.  The largest segment will be in the 250 and 300 seat market with a need for some 3,750 new aircraft.  Another 1,550 larger twin aisles will be needed in the 300 to 450 seat category, Airbus predicts.

More than 70% of all aircraft delivered within the next 20 years will be single-aisle types, with 100 to 220 seats, which translates into more than 15,300 aircraft or 42% of all passenger aircraft delivered.  While mainline single-aisle aircraft demand will be highest in Europe and North America, Airbus expects the low-cost market in Asia to quintuple its fleet from 236 presently to over 1,300 by 2025.

The 2006 Global Market Forecast includes the Commonwealth of Independent States for the first time.  A number of dedicated regional carriers added to the more than 400 airlines already covered as well.  11-28-2006.  (Top)

Non-Copyright 2006 Flt Tech Online.  No rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Flt Tech Online is absolutely allowed, sanctioned, approved and even encouraged. – News should be free. Spread the word!