Jetihad casualty. Nikos Kardassis resigns as Jet CEO

Ever since the Jetihad deal was announced in late April, where Jet agreed to sell 24 per cent stake for Rs. 2,042 crore to Etihad Airways, we industry watchers were waiting to see when the casualties of senior management at Jet Airways would commence. Officially Etihad will get three seats on the Jet board, including the CEO, but it is widely expected that Etihad will place sympathetic officers, across most of the senior management at Jet.

In a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange, Jet informed that its chief executive Nikos Kardassis has resigned effective June 5, and present chief operating officer Capt. Hameed Ali is the interim CEO.

This was the second stint for Kardassis having returned to Jet on October 15, 2009 as acting CEO after Wolfgang Prock-Schauer quit, and appointed CEO from May 20, 2010. Kardassis served from 1994 to 1999

Media reports claim under the deal Etihad reportedly demanded a change in the management under the deal, including removal of promoter Naresh Goyal's wife, Anita Goyal, who apparently actually ran the airline.

For the quarter ended March, Jet has reported increased losses of Rs. 495.53 crore compared to a loss of Rs 298.12 crore from a year ago, though for the fiscal year 2013, the airline reduced its losses to Rs 485.5 crore from Rs 1,236 crore in FY2012.

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Video: Cathay Pacific fashion show - flight attendant uniforms through the years

Enjoy this video showing off the various uniforms of the cabin crew of Cathay Pacific Airways through the years. From the very militaristic style post world war II, to the mini skirts of the 1960s, the 1970s introduction of designer uniforms from Pierre Balmain, to Hermès, and Nina Ricci.

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Video: First A350 XWB undergoes slow speed taxi testing, first Rolls Royce Trent XWB engine start-up

The A350 XWB program appears to be moving along well towards the first flight of this new aircraft soon.

Here is some video of the first taxi tests of MSN1. Below is an official video from the Airbus channel showing the first start of the massive Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines. The white smoke emanates from the engine as the protective layer of oil on various components is burnt off as the engine starts up for the first time and heats up.

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Video: A day in the life of an airline airport staffer

Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific Airways has produced an excellent series of videos showing a typical work day of one of their ground staff at Hong Kong International Airport.

These staff work ten hours each day, often commencing work at 5am (which many a frequent flier day-tripper will realise, requires them to get up well before 4am). While we can catch up on our sleep during the flight, these staffers need to keep working performing many different tasks, requiring many different skills and abilities, many needed to be done with a smile. Try smiling 250 times and then check how sore your facial muscles are.

So enjoy the video and empathise with them the next time you get the urge to vent your anger or frustration at them.

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PurePower 1100G-JM engine for A320neo conducts first flight

The Pratt & Whitney (PW) PurePower PW1100G-JM engine meant for use on the upcoming Airbus A320neo successfully completed its first flight May 15, launching the engine family’s flight test program.

Ironically, the engine which is meant for an Airbus aircraft flew on a Boeing aircraft. Pratt & Whitney’s 747SP flying test bed at the company’s Mirabel Aerospace Centre, in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada.

The engine was ground tested for 365 hours before being cleared for the first flight. Three additional engines are undergoing rigorous ground testing.

The PW1100G-JM engine is planned to be certified by the third quarter of 2014 with entry into service (EIS) planned for the fourth quarter of 2015.

The PurePower GTF (Geared Turbo Fan) engine family uses an advanced gear system allowing the engine’s fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine to reduce fuel consumption and noise.

Even in these early stages, testing has yielded an optimisation in the engine fan’s configuration. Airbus and PW agreed to simplify the propulsion system by removing the Variable Area Fan Nozzle (VAFN) from the A320neo nacelle after the fan blade demonstrated better performance across the flight spectrum.

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Airbus announces crew for A350 XWB first flight

Airbus S.A.S. has announced the six person crew which will go aboard the first flight of the first A350 XWB to fly, known as MSN1.

Two test pilots and the project test flight engineer will be seated in the cockpit:

• Peter Chandler, an Experimental Flight Test Pilot with Airbus since 2000 and Chief Test Pilot since 2011;
• Guy Magrin, an Experimental Flight Test Pilot with Airbus since 2003 and Project Pilot for the A350 XWB;
• Pascal Verneau, who has held various positions in Airbus’ flight test division since 1999 and is the A350 XWB Project Test Flight Engineer.

The three remaining first flight test crew members, all of them Experimental Flight Test Engineers, will be working at dedicated flight test stations and managing the progress of the flight profile in the main body of the aircraft:

• Fernando Alonso, Flight Test Engineer with Airbus since 1982 and Head of Airbus Flight & Integration Test Centre since 2007;
• Patrick du Ché, Flight Test Engineer with Airbus since 2001 and currently Head of Development Flight Tests since 2012;
• Emanuele Constanzo, Flight Test Engineer with Airbus since 2004 and lead Flight Test Engineer for the Trent XWB engine.

Airbus has also released the first edition of the new online Airbus A350 XWB Magazine.

Image courtesy and copyright Airbus S.A.S.

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