New Delhi is first airport terminal globally to register at UN as ‘Clean Development Mechanism’ project

By BA Staff
Terminal 3 (T3) of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New Delhi, has become the first terminal in the world to have successfully registered with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project for its emission reduction initiatives.

The 'Mudras' wall at Terminal 3, New Delhi IGI airport. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal. Used with permission.

T3 has adopted various energy efficient measures thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions of 16,413 tons of CO2 annually into the atmosphere. These measures include energy efficient initiatives for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), improved roof insulation, radar sensor based escalators, and travelators and a tempered cooling system.

The project made use of the approved CDM methodology AMS II.E (Energy efficiency and fuel switching measures for buildings) for calculating the emission reduction potential. CDM is one of the flexibility mechanisms defined under Kyoto Protocol, which provides market based measures to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions.

UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty that was announced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) (informally known as the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.

‘Energy Efficiency’ is one of the core objectives of the ‘National Action Plan on Climate Change’ of India and which T3 of IGIA has successfully addressed. The CDM project results in reduction of total energy consumption and saving in the use of fossil fuels and its associated greenhouse gas emissions.

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US Federal Aviation Administration gives Santa One a go for launch

By BA Staff

The US regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Santa Claus, his elfin crew and the Santa One sleigh are GO for the annual round-the-world flight that will deliver presents to good boys and girls everywhere.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said:

“This is my first holiday season as Secretary of Transportation, and I feel a special responsibility to make sure Santa’s flight goes off without a hitch,” 

While there were no external changes to Santa One this year, FAA inspectors put in many hours ensuring that the sleigh’s systems – and especially its crew – met all applicable regulations. The agency approved installation of a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi system so Santa’s helpers can use their Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) to connect with the internet. Thanks to the FAA’s policy change in late October, the elves may now use their PEDs from take-off to landing to keep in touch with the North Pole.

The Jolly Old Elf himself will employ modern computer technology in the sleigh’s captain’s seat. After an evaluation period, FAA inspectors gave Santa a thumbs-up to use a tablet computer instead of paper documents to store his flight plan, chimney approach charts and Naughty-or-Nice checklist.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said:

“We’re helping Santa fly smarter and faster while making sure he has a safe and successful mission”

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Boeing delivers first 747-8 with performance-improved engines

By BA Staff

Boeing image

Boeing delivered the first 747-8 with performance-improved GEnx-2B engines as part of the airplane's Performance Improvement Package (PIP.)

A Cathay Pacific Airways Cargo 747-8F Freighter was the first aircraft delivered with the new PIP engines.

The engine is the first of the package's three improvements to enter service. The two other components, Flight Management Computer (FMC) software upgrades and reactivation of the horizontal tank fuel system on the passenger version, the 747-8 Intercontinental, are expected to enter service later this month and in early 2014, respectively.

The PIP engine improves the airplane's efficiency by 1.8 percent. All three PIP components can be retrofitted on the 747-8. The tail fuel reactivation is applicable only for the 747-8 Intercontinental and the FMC upgrades can also be made to existing 747-400s.

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Air Caraïbes places order for three A350-1000s and will lease a further three A350-900s from ILFC.

By BA Staff

Air Caraibes has signed a firm contract with Airbus S.A.S. for three A350-1000s, the largest member of Airbus’ new generation A350XWB Family.

The airline will also lease three new A350-900s from ILFC. The aircraft will enter into service between 2016 and 2022.

The Air Caraïbes’ A350-1000s will seat 439 passengers in three classes, and the -900 will seat 387 passengers. 

The aircraft will be operated on the airline’s routes from Paris to Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Marteen, Haïti, Saint-Domingue and French Guyana which are currently flown by five A330s.

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Season's Greetings from Bangalore Aviation

Dear friends and supporters

We at Bangalore Aviation wish you very happy Seasons Greetings. May your holidays be merry, your celebrations be safe, and may the new year bring you lots of happiness, prosperity, joy, and success.

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British Airways Boeing 747 slices into house

by Devesh Agarwal

This picture by Twitter user @HarrietTolputt says it all. A British Airways 747 sliced through a brick house at Johannesburg OR Tambo airport.

Looking at the proximity of the house, and the length of the wing that has gone in to the house, I am wondering "Why has this not happened before?" A house could not spring up overnight. Looks like the pilot took the wrong taxiway, an amateurish mistake one does not expect from the very professional and well trained pilots of British Airways.

Surely this falls in to the category, "strange but true".

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