Alaska Airlines renews IOSA registration, completes IATA safety audit

By BA Staff

Alaska Airlines announced it successfully completed the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and has been renewed on the IOSA Registry. The airline has been on the registry since 2006.

Brad Tilden, Alaska Airlines CEO said:

"Ensuring the safety of our customers and employees is core to our responsibility. Meeting this internationally recognized benchmark is one of many ways we maintain our unwavering commitment to safety."

The IOSA Registry is a key element of IATA's efforts to promote global airline operational safety. To achieve IOSA registration, Alaska Airlines satisfied more than 900 standards in eight operational areas, including flight operations, operational control, flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, aircraft ground handling, cargo operations and operational security.

Tom Nunn, Alaska Airlines' vice president of safety said:"The IOSA audit is a comprehensive assessment that validates the safety, quality and operating standards in place at Alaska Airlines."

The IOSA program contributes to improved aviation safety worldwide by establishing a universally accepted set of safety audit standards. Preparing for and completing IOSA registration is a condition of membership in IATA, which represents more than 94 percent of international airline passenger traffic.

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AirAsia shifts operations to New International Terminal Chennai (NITC)

By BA Staff

AirAsia is shifting its operations in Chennai, from Anna International Terminal, Chennai Airport to the New International Terminal, Chennai (NITC) effective from 21 October 2013.

From the effective date onwards, flight departure from Chennai will be based and operated at the NITC. Arrivals will be at the old terminal.

AirAsia guests with flights from the NITC are advised to arrive early at the terminal—at least three hours prior to departure—in order to familiarize themselves with the new layout and processes.

The airline’s ground personnel will be at hand to help guests navigate through the new airport.

The state-of-the-art integrated terminal was built at an investment of over Rs. 2,000 crore and could handle 4 million passengers annually. It has a well equipped five-level structure (basement, arrival, mezzanine, departure, VIP levels) with an area spanning 6,51,300 sq. ft and 52 check-in counters.

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Maps: Potential United Boeing 787 operations for 2014

by Vinay Bhaskara

Image Credit: United Airlines

With the announcement of thrice weekly San Francisco - Chengdu to commence in June 2014, Chicago-based full service carrier United Airlines has the planned the following long haul routes for its fleet of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners in 2014.

San Francisco - Chengdu --> 3x weekly
San Francisco - Osaka Kansai --> Daily
Seattle - Tokyo Narita --> Daily
Denver - Tokyo Narita --> Daily
Los Angeles - Tokyo Narita --> Daily
Los Angeles - Shanghai Pudong --> Daily
Houston - Lagos --> 5x weekly

Now in order to properly rotate aircraft from the 787-8's current base at Houston, it would also make sense for United to operate daily Houston-Denver and Houston-San Francisco flights domestically using the 787. Such an operation would fully utilize United's planned fleet of 11 Boeing 787-8s with frame utilization as follows:

1 frame - San Francisco - Chengdu
1 frame - Seattle - Tokyo Narita
1 frame - San Francisco - Osaka Kansai
3 frames - Los Angeles - Tokyo Narita and Los Angeles - Shanghai Pudong (a Houston flight can be added here as well to improve utilization)
2 frames - Houston - Denver and Denver - Tokyo Narita
2 frames - Houston - San Francisco and Houston Lagos
1 frame - Spare

The 787 will be primarily used as a trans-Pacific aircraft in 2014, with six of seven long haul routes focused on Trans-Pacific flights; all from the Western United States. The maps below outline the planned (and proposed domestic) 787 routes for United in 2014. It appears that the 787 has already begun to fulfill its promised role of expanding US-Asia air links as the 767 did on trans-Atlantic flights.

Trans-Pacific

Other

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz.

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Turkish Airlines increases frequency in Valencia

Middle Eastern carrier Turkish Airlines has announced that it is increasing frequency to Valencia, Spain from five flights per week to seven per week on 27th October 2013. Flight schedules are as shown below.

TK 1301 Istanbul-Valencia 1010-1305 Daily
TK 1302 Valencia-Istanbul 1405-1850 Daily

The aircraft will have a one hour turnaround in Valencia, and Turkish Airlines will offer the quickest connection between India and Valencia, as it does for most of Spain. 

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Qatar Airways bringing its 787 Dreamliner to Bangalore and New Delhi

AirlineRoute is reporting

As per 10AUG13 GDS timetable/inventory display, QATAR Airways plans to operate Boeing 787 aircraft on flights to Bangalore and Delhi, during the month of September 2013. Planned operation as follow.

Doha – Bangalore 01SEP13 – 29SEP13 1 daily (BLR departure 02SEP13 – 30SEP13)
QR226 DOH 2020 – 0310+1 BLR 788 Daily
QR227 BLR 0440 – 0625 DOH 788 Daily

Doha – Delhi 01SEP13 – 29SEP13 QR232/233 1 daily (DEL departure 02SEP13 – 30SEP13)
QR232 DOH 2100 – 0325+1 DEL 788 Daily
QR233 DEL 0450 – 0630 DOH 788 Daily

Pity we plane spotters will not be able to photograph this bird at night.

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Vested interests shaping government policy helped AirAsia partner Tatas too

by Devesh Agarwal

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Aviation insiders have known for many years what AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes dared publicly state the day before yesterday, after his meeting with civil aviation minister Ajit Singh. Vested interests have shaped, nay, distorted Indian civil aviation policy.

One of the more shameful rules of Indian civil aviation is the policy of allowing Indian carriers to operate international flights only after they have been in operation for five years, and have a fleet of at least 20 aircraft.

The worst aspect of this rule is that it applies only to Indian carriers. So while even newly formed airlines from our neighbours like Mihin Lanka, flyDubai, etc., could fly to India, a perfectly capable IndiGo or SpiceJet were forced to watch their competitors establish themselves, while they themselves had to sit idly by. Even today GoAir is unable to operate international flights since its fleet is smaller than the mandated 20 aircraft, forcing the airline to lobby and seek an exemption from the rule.

Image © Devesh Agarwal. All rights reserved.

The blind ambition to operate international flights before it completed the five year requirement, was one of the driving reasons for Vijay Mallya promoted Kingfisher Airline's disastrous acquisition of the loss-laden Air Deccan, which is now acknowledged as a major reason for the ultimate demise of the liquor baron's airline.

We completely agree with Fernandes that this bizarre rule has held back Indian airlines while other airlines in the region have formed and grown to become large stable businesses, thus causing a loss to the nation.

Fernandes appeared to confirm insider information when he used the name "Naresh", most likely referring to Naresh Goyal, the politically super-connected boss of Jet Airways, who was the "vested interest" behind this bizarre policy decision.

Fernandes though, should remember history and use caution when blaming "vested interests" for distorting government policy. Back in 2006, his partners in AirAsia India, the Tatas, actively lobbied the finance departing to apply a different yard-stick from the then national auto policy, and made their fledgling Indica car qualify as a "small car" and obtain lower excise duty benefits which it was otherwise not be entitled to, while its competitors would.

A 2006 report explains

While the Auto Policy defines a small car as being up to 3.8-metre long and the 6-digit excise notification in the official tariff book places a cap of 1,000 cc on the engine capacity for a car to qualify as 'small', the Budget made cars up to 4 metre in length and having an engine capacity of 1,200 cc (petrol) and 1500 cc (diesel) eligible for the lower, 16% excise slab.

This means, had the finance minister stuck to the existing definition, petrol models such as Hyundai Santro and Maruti WagonR would not have become eligible for lower excise. Under this definition, the upcoming diesel variants of Swift and Getz will also become eligible for lower excise since the engine capacity cap for diesel versions has been placed at 1,500 cc. But, just a few weeks after the budget was passed, two major automobile companies have begun lobbying for extending these concessions further.

Officials confirmed that two companies, including the Ratan Tata-led Tata Motors, have sought further relaxation.

Fernandes' outburst is understandably,  also vested. After all, he is responsible to the shareholders of his business for delivering results. One way for his new venture AirAsia India to quickly grow, would be to operate internationally.

Today AirAsia cannot carry passengers all the way from south east Asia to the middle-east on its narrow body A320s, since the distance it too great. At the same time. some of the routes would not have enough traffic to fill the wide-body A330s of AirAsia X. But if AirAsia India flies overseas, it can be fed by its sisters AirAsia, and Thai AirAsia who would bring passengers to the Indian hubs and transfer them on their Indian sister along with Indian passengers for the onward journey to the middle-east.

Is this a case of the pot calling the kettle black? Or is Tony Fernandes genuinely interested in universal change to fair play rules? Share your thoughts via a comment.

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Video: 737 door operation - debunking the mid-flight door opening threat

We hear of drunk passengers threatening to open the door mid-flight, and we have occasionally seen Hollywood or Bollywood showing the door of a plane opening mid-flight. It is just not possible to do such a thing.

Below is a video showing the operations of the door of a Boeing 737 aircraft. Observe, that to open the door outwards of the aircraft, the door has to first move inwards. Since the aircraft interior is pressurised to an altitude of about 8,000ft, there is a huge positive air pressure differential with the outside air pressure which is much lower since the aircraft is typically at 25,000ft or higher. The differential keeps the door pressed against the seal and there is way to move the door inwards to commence the opening process.



Now you know.

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Air Cargo Germany suspends operations

by Devesh Agarwal

German air freight operator Air Cargo Germany announced a "temporary" but indefinite suspension of all of its operations as of Thursday, April 18.

ACG Boeing 747-400 freighter at Mumbai. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal

The carrier, with an IATA code of 6U and based out of Frankfurt Hahn airport, has a fleet of four Boeing 747-400 freighters that are operated from both Hahn and Frankfurt Main airports to destinations across Africa, Latin America and Asia, including Mumbai in India.

A statement by CEO Michael Schaecher posted on carrier's website, says

It is with regret that I have to inform you that we will have a temporary interruption of our services, effective today April 18th, 2013. The suddenness of this interruption is beyond our control and was neither expected nor foreseen in any way.

Our Shareholders are supporting in any way possible and you can be assured that we work around the clock to find sustainable solutions to recommence our services to you. Despite the surprise of this measure, we remain very confident that the operations can be resumed in the next few days.

One of ACG's large shareholders is Volga-Dnepr Airlines, the Russian freighter operator which specialises in over-sized cargo requiring the use of the famous Antonov An-124 mega freighter aircraft.

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