TAIWANESE RUNWAY INCURSION RESULTS IN REVIEW
Taipei's Taoyuan International airport is reviewing air traffic control procedures and has suspended several controllers after a 15 July runway incursion in which miscommunication between the pilot of an Antonov Airlines An-124 freighter and controllers resulted in the aircraft entering the runway while a Singapore Airlines Airbus A330 was taking off. The aircraft were 1,100m (3,600ft) apart.
AIRSTAIR REDESIGN RECOMMENDED AFTER FALL
UK air accident investigators have asked Boeing to add a removable barrier to the forward airstair on 737s, following a July 2009 accident at London Stansted in which a three-year-old girl boarding a Ryanair 737-800 fell through the space between the platform and the handrail of the jet's integrated airstair.
COMAC C919 FUSELAGE MANUFACTURE BEGINS
Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation has begun work on the first forward and aft fuselage sections for the Comac C919 airliner. Comac is aiming for first flight in 2014, with service entry scheduled for 2016.
EL AL PLANS TO FORGE NEW ALLIANCE
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is forming a new airline alliance with Russia's UTAir, Ukraine's AeroSvit and Armenian carrier Armavia after abandoning attempts to join one of the three main existing alliances. Israeli sources say there are hopes of 20 airlines joining the Eastern-Western alliance by the end of 2011.
MAS EXPECTS DELAYED A380 IN APRIL 2012
Malaysia Airlines will receive its first Airbus A380 in April 2012, more than five years behind schedule. The carrier ordered six aircraft in 2003, but Airbus has pushed back delivery three times, making compensation for the setbacks.
YAKUTIA PLANS FOR 767S AND 757 FREIGHTERS
Siberian carrier Yakutia intends to acquire Boeing 767s plus 757 freighters under a tentative five-year fleet development programme. The carrier has arranged one 757-200F for autumn delivery and wants another. It plans to replace some of its current 757-200s with bigger, longer-range 767-300s.
NEW EUROPEAN CO-ORDINATOR FOR AIRSPACE TALKS
European Commission regulators have appointed a co-ordinator to assist the development of functional airspace blocks as part of the restructuring of the continent's air traffic control networks to meet the 4 December 2012 Single European Sky deadline.
SOUTHWEST EVALUATES ADDING BOEING 737-800S
Boeing 737-700 operator Southwest Airlines is evaluating possible introduction of the larger 737-800 and wants to finalise plans by 1 December to support deliveries from early 2012. Southwest has a fleet of 544 737s, of which 346 are 137-seat 737-700s. The 737-800 can be configured with 189 seats.
AMERICAN TO CHARGE EXTRA FOR FRONT ROW SEATS
American Airlines is to charge a premium averaging $19 or more for seats in the front of economy cabins, allowing passengers who pay extra to be among the first to board. The seats can be purchased at airport self service check-in machines.
Source: Flight International
