BA-AMERICAN-IBERIA TIE-UP 'WON'T RAISE FARES'
Oneworld alliance members British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia claim their proposed tie-up will provide transatlantic customers with a wider choice of fares, greater access to discounts, and better-aligned schedules enabling smoother connections. The proposed tie-up has attracted objections from rivals including Virgin Atlantic, and regulators have demanded that BA and American give up London Heathrow landing slots in exchange for permission to combine operations. But the three Oneworld alliance members note that Oneworld has just 21% of the 42-airline non-stop market between European and US cities, compared with 35% for the Star Alliance and 28% for SkyTeam. And, says BA, the US-European "open skies" agreement has unlocked Heathrow to new transatlantic carriers including Star-linked US Airways and Continental Airlines, plus SkyTeam partners Air France, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines.
WATCHKEEPER ACHIEVES AUTOMATIC TAKE-OFF AND LANDING
Thales says the automatic take-off and landing milestone for the Watchkeeper unmanned air vehicle programme had been completed successfully. Thales is developing the Watchkeeper for the UK Ministry of Defence. With MoD personnel present, on 23 July Thales's automatic take-off and landing system, which does not need a global positioning system in operation and is called Magic, ensured the milestone's completion at Megido airfield in northern Israel. Thales claims Magic can provide the take-off and landing capability day or night and in all weather conditions for fixed-wing aircraft.
KHRUNICHEV PROTON RETURNS TO FLIGHT
International Launch Services' Khrunichev Space Center Proton rocket with a Breeze M fourth stage is to return to flight on 19 August after a hiatus of 11 months. The rocket suffered a second-stage malfunction on 6 September 2007, the second launch failure in eight months. Khrunichev instigated new quality controls and the launch scheduled for 04:43 local time on 19 August from Baikonur, Kazakhstan will send the EADS Astrium-built 5,960kg (13,140lb) Inmarsat-4 F3 communications satellite into orbit.
F27 FREIGHTER CRASHES ON APPROACH TO MOGADISHU
All three crew on board a Fokker F27 Mk500 freighter (5Y-BVF) operated by Kenyan regional carrier Fly540 were killed when it crashed on approach into the Somalian capital of Mogadishu on 13 August. The aircraft was on a charter freight flight from Nairobi. Fly540 says the F27, with two pilots and an engineer, crashed during an attempted landing in poor weather. The airline says that "it seems likely to have been the result of bad weather". Unconfirmed local media reports say the aircraft was seen approaching the airport twice before going around and colliding with a telecommunication antenna.
FAA PROPOSES REPLACEMENT OF P&W 4000 CONTROLS
The US Federal Aviation Administration is proposing that US operators of 730 PW4000-series engines with 239cm (94in) fan diameter inspect, identify and, over time, replace certain defective electronic engine controls (EEC) on each engine. Aircraft models powered by PW4000s with those diameters include Airbus A300s/A310s, and Boeing MD-11, 767-200s/300s and 747-400s. The proposed airworthiness directive is the result of a May 2006 in-flight shutdown of a Pratt & Whitney PW4152 turbofan due to defective EEC pulse-width modulator microcircuits that degraded over time, says the FAA. The work could take two hours per engine over one to six years.
VERN RABURN CUTS ECLIPSE TIES
Eclipse Aviation founder Vern Raburn has severed all ties with the very light jet maker, having declined the vice-chairmanship of majority shareholder Etirc Aviation. Earlier this month the Eclipse board voted to remove him as chief executive to pave the way for a cash injection from Etirc and board member Al Mann. Raburn is on the boards of Icon Aircraft, the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Source: Flight International
