General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
Design changes to Dreamliner cause Boeing loss
Aircraft maker Boeing has blamed a third-quarter net loss of $1.6bn ( £974m) on rising production costs and poor market conditions. The latest results reflect charges incurred to modify Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and the new updated version of its 747 jumbo jet. The first 3 test Dreamliners were undergoing so much modification that they had no commercial market value. (BBC)
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Saudi Arabia plans to build three ‘airport cities’ and 13 airports
Saudi Arabia’s 3 main international airports in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam will be turned into ‘airport cities’, officials have said. The kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation is already looking at proposals by up to 30 private aviation firms to develop the three airports and the land around them. Aviation chiefs in Saudi Arabia have announced plans to develop 13 domestic airports in an effort to meet the growing traffic demand.
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Terror Act used on climate activist
Terror legislation was used to stop a British climate change activist from travelling to Denmark. Chris Kitchen was prevented from crossing the border when the coach he was travelling on stopped at the Folkestone terminal of the Channel Tunnel. Police boarded the coach and, after checking all passengers' passports, took him and another climate activist to be interviewed under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 which allows stop and search. (Indy)
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Pilots protest over long flying hours
Airline pilots are demonstrating across Europe because they say long flying hours are "putting lives at risk". European air crew unions argue current rules that govern how long they can fly for are unsafe, with fatigue a factor in 15% of accidents. The European Aviation Safety Agency says it is still considering a scientific report on the issue. In Brussels the protesters handed out fake boarding passes to the public, carrying health warnings. (BBC)
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Government in ‘Hannibal’ retreat over special administration regime for airports
The Government has ditched controversial proposals to impose a "special administration regime" on Britain's major airports that threatened to wreck the finances of BAA. The proposals, in March, by the DfT to have given ministers "step-in" rights if the company failed seriously concerned lenders to BAA. Lord Adonis has now said he will not proceed with the proposals. He plans to introduce instead a form of licence condition. (Telegraph)
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Aer Lingus to cut almost 800 jobs
Irish airline Aer Lingus said it would cut almost 800 jobs as it tried to save 97m euros a year by 2011. Fewer flights, new working methods and new IT systems will see 676 jobs go, in addition to 100 staff who have already been told their contracts will end. Under the proposals higher-paid staff will see their basic salaries reduced, and all employees will see falls in the allowances they receive. (BBC)
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Airlines plan ‘to cut emissions’ to half the 2005 levels by 2050
At a conference today in New York, Willie Walsh will say that the aviation industry is to pledge to cut CO2 emissions to half the 2005 levels by 2050. This will force air fares up and could prompt a race for green technologies among aircraft makers. The deal between airlines, airports and aircraft companies will be presented at the UN's climate summit. The aviation industry's plan is to head off criticism at Copenhagen over increasing emissions. (BBC)
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Problems Found in Airspeed Sensors on Airbus A330 Planes
A component suspected of playing a role in the crash of Air France 447 over the Atlantic Ocean on June 1 has also malfunctioned on at least a dozen recent Northwest Airlines flights, federal investigators have discovered. The part helps a plane measure its airspeed. The discovery suggests the problems on planes are more widespread than previously believed, and gives new urgency to airlines to replace the part, and find why errors went undetected. (NY Times)
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Chinese Investment Corporation buys 10% stake in Heathrow – so Ferrovial now owns only about 34%
China Investment Corporation (CIC), which is China's sovereign wealth fund, has bought a 10% stake in the firm that owns Heathrow airport - which was called BAA and is now Heathrow Ltd. CIC was set up in 2007 to invest some of China's foreign exchange reserves. Despite concerns in other countries about Chinese access to key assets, the UK has been developing closer business ties with China. This is CIC's 2nd major investment in UK infrastructure, as in January, it bought 8.68% of the firm behind UK utility group Thames Water. The latest airports deal will see CIC pay £450m for a 10% stake in Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd. CIC International, a subsidiary of China Investment Corp, is paying £257.4m to Ferrovial for a 5.7% holding in Heathrow Ltd and £192.6m to its other owners for an additional 4.3%. The deal comes less than 3 months after Qatar Holding, the Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund, reached an agreement with Ferrovial, Britannia Airport Partners and Singapore’s GIC to buy 20% of Heathrow Ltd for £900m. Ferrovial’s stake in Heathrow will fall from 49% to 33.7%.
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Government produces its carbon reduction strategy – including transport strategy
The government has produced its carbon reduction strategy. On transport, it says currenty UK transport (excluding non-domestic avaiation) now accounts for 21% of UK carbon emissions. This will be cut to 14% by 2020. On aviation there is nothing of substance, and nothing new: "reduce CO2 emissions from UK aviation to below 2005 levels by 2050, challenging the aviation industry to innovate and adopt better fuel efficiency, and hopes for Copenhagen.