LUFTHANSA AND NETJETS PARTNER AGAIN
Lufthansa has entered into a new co-operation agreement with fractional ownership provider NetJets Europe to provide flights for the German carrier's LPJ private jet offering. The collaboration comes less than four years after the duo disbanded their original agreement brought on by an overwhelming demand for the NetJets fleet from Lufthansa customers. This put a strain on the fractional provider's resources despite its success.
AOPA WARNS OVER GPS BLACKOUT
Aviation's largest advocacy group is calling on the US Federal Communications Commission to reverse a conditional authorisation by its international bureau that gives broadband provider LightSquared a green light to begin deploying a new L-band 4G network in the US. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says its members face a "significant threat of irreparable disruption to the GPS system and to the future air travel system that depends on it". The approval is conditional on the finding of a government/industry working group that has until June to analyse the extent of impacts.
NEURON DEMONSTRATOR GETS ITS WINGS
EADS has delivered the wings for the Neuron UCAV demonstrator to prime contractor Dassault's Istres, France site for further assembly. The Neuron UCAV is a project between six European countries and their respective aerospace champions: France/Dassault, Spain/EADS, Sweden/Saab, Italy/Alenia Aeronautica, Greece/HAI and Switzerland/Ruag.
SLOW PROGRESS ON TILTROTOR PROJECT
Bell and AgustaWestland have disclosed that their jointly developed BA609 twin-engined tiltrotor continues to fly at a "low pace" in its delayed certification process, says Giuseppe Orsi, AgustaWestland's chief executive. Originally expected to receive regulatory approval in 2011, the BA609 is now scheduled to be certificated in 2015 or 2016, AgustaWestland says. The timing of certification is based on the progress of de-icing testing, which will not begin until the third test aircraft starts flying in 2013.
CATHAY SPECIFIC OVER NEW AIRCRAFT DEALS
Cathay Pacific has ordered 27 widebodies worth HK$51 billion ($6.55 billion) at list prices to its fleet under agreements inked with Airbus, Boeing and International Lease Finance. These are an additional 15 A330-300s and 10 more 777-300ERs direct from the manufacturers, and an extra pair of A350-900s under a deal with ILFC. The airline says it will take delivery of all of the aircraft before the end of 2015. Cathay says it now has a total of 91 new aircraft on order for delivery by 2019.
NEW NAVIGATION TIE-UP FOR NORTHERN NATIONS
The air navigation service providers of four northern European nations have announced their intention to co-operate more closely to improve air traffic management in their airspace, with the prospect of expanding alliances even more widely in the region. The announcement on 8 March brings together the existing UK/Irish functional airspace block with that of the Denmark/Sweden block in an alliance "designed to drive forward progress towards greater flight efficiency, cost efficiency and operational consistency in line with Single European Sky performance goals".
Source: Flight International
