Tag: plane (Page 4 of 8)

French Judges Drop Charges Against Air France Over 2009 Crash, Blames Pilots

September 5, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

PARIS, Sept 5 (Reuters) – French judges have dropped charges against Air France and Airbus over a mid-Atlantic plane crash in 2009 that killed all 228 people on board, blaming the pilots for losing control of the plane.

In their conclusions, seen by Reuters, the judges said the pilots of the Airbus A330 had failed to process all the warnings and instrument readings provided by the aircraft.

The plane plunged into the ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris after entering an aerodynamic stall and falling from an altitude of 38,000 feet during a storm, its engines running but its wings losing lift.

“The direct cause of the accident is the crew’s loss of control of the aircraft’s trajectory,” the judges determined.

Other crews, faced with similar situations, had successfully maintained control of their aircraft, their ruling said.

The judges overruled the prosecutors investigating the case, who had recommended that Air France stand trial over the crash in July.

In their 2012 report, French civil accident investigators found the startled crew of AF447 mishandled the loss of airspeed readings from pitot sensors blocked with ice and pushed the jet into a stall by holding the nose too high. The report also cited poor training and the lack of a clear cockpit display for speed problems.

The three-year civil investigation was not designed to cast blame, which was the purpose of the separate judicial probe culminating in the decision on Thursday.

A lawyer representing the families of victims said an appeal against the judges’ decision would be lodged immediately.

“The judges have just written in black and white that the icing of the pitot sensors had nothing to do with the accident. It’s nonsense,” Sebastien Busy told Reuters. “If the pitot sensors hadn’t iced up, there wouldn’t have been an accident.”

The accident was the deadliest in the history of Air France and in the history of the A330.

A decade later, the aviation industry is still implementing lessons learned from the crash. Changes have focused on training, cockpit procedures and the tracking of aircraft in remote zones.

It took salvage teams nearly two years to locate the A330’s flight recorders on the ocean floor.

(Reporting by Sophie Louet and Emmanuel Jarry Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

Alitalia Rescuers to Ask for Another Delay

September 5, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

MILAN, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Companies hoping to rescue Italian carrier Alitalia will ask for a deadline for presenting their plan to be extended as they are still negotiating key aspects, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Italian railway group Ferrovie dello Stato, which is leading an effort to take control of Alitalia, is expected to ask administrators running the carrier for a “substantial” delay to the Sept. 15 deadline, one of the sources said.

It would be the sixth delay since Ferrovie expressed its interest in investing in the carrier at the end of last year.

Ferrovie, infrastructure group Atlantia and U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines have been discussing a joint plan for Alitalia for nearly two months, but they are at odds over highly-profitable North American routes, three sources familiar with the matter said.

The Italian partners in the consortium want Alitalia to have more freedom to expand its North American routes compared to what Delta is currently offering under a new cooperation agreement dubbed Blue Skies that it has set up with Air France KLM and Britain’s Virgin Atlantic.

How Alitalia would share the revenue coming from North American routes with Delta and other partners in the Blue Skies alliance is also under negotiation.

“The role of Alitalia in the Blue Skies alliance is a point of contention,” one of the sources said.

Long-haul flights to the United States and Canada account for more than one third of Alitalia’s revenue and are considered key to reviving the Italian carrier, which was put under special administration in 2017 after workers rejected the latest in a long line of rescue plans.

Administrators appointed by Italy’s government have cut costs and renegotiated plane leasing contracts to make Alitalia more efficient, but the carrier still burns cash and had been kept afloat thanks to a 900 million-euro bridging loan granted by Italy’s treasury.

Alitalia had only 410 million euro left in its coffers in July and would need fresh funds by the end of the year when it is expected to post a loss, according to another source.

Delta and Ferrovie declined to comment. (Additional reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

American Airlines Mechanic Charged with Alleged Sabotage of Plane Amid Union Dispute

September 5, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

WASHINGTON, Sept 5 (Reuters) – An American Airlines mechanic was on Thursday charged with purposely damaging an aircraft in July amid a dispute between the airline and its mechanics union involving stalled contract negotiations.

Pilots of a flight from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas on July 17 aborted take-off plans after receiving an error message involving the flight computer, which reports speed, pitch and other data, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court of Southern Florida.

It said after returning to the gate for maintenance, a mechanic discovered a loosely connected pitot tube that measures airspeed and connects directly to the flight computer.

A later review of video surveillance footage before the flight captured “what appears to be the sabotage of the aircraft” by a man walking with a limp, the complaint said.

When suspect Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani was interviewed, he told law enforcement he was upset at the stalled contract between the union and American, which he said had affected him financially, according to the complaint. It said Alani claimed to have tampered with the aircraft to cause a delay or have the flight canceled in anticipation of obtaining overtime work.

Unions have complained that American is trying to outsource more maintenance jobs, a move American has indicated is necessary to cover increased wages.

A U.S. federal court last month issued a permanent injunction against American’s mechanics union, which the airline had accused of illegal slowdowns it said had devastated its operations during the peak summer travel season.

A spokesman for American said the airline had an “unwavering commitment” to safety and security and had placed passengers on the July 17 flight subject to the criminal complaint on another plane to get to their destination.

“At the time of the incident, the aircraft was taken out of service, maintenance was performed and after an inspection to ensure it was safe the aircraft was returned to service,” the spokesman said. “American immediately notified federal law enforcement who took over the investigation with our full cooperation.”

The Miami Herald reported that Alani is set to make an initial court appearance on Friday. Court records did not indicate if Alani had an attorney.

The U.S. federal court order last month prohibits employees from “calling, permitting, instigating, authorizing, encouraging, participating in, approving, or continuing any form of disruption to or interference with American’s airline operations,” including a refusal to accept overtime or complete any maintenance repairs in the normal course of work.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Writing by Jamie Freed; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Airbus Pulls Out of Canada Fighter Jet Race

August 30, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Airbus SE <EADSY> on Friday pulled out of a multibillion-dollar competition to supply Canada with 88 new fighter jets, a decision that boosts the chances of rival Lockheed Martin Corp <LMT>.

The defense arm of Airbus, which indicated last month it might withdraw, cited onerous security requirements and a late decision by Ottawa to loosen the rules for how much bidders would have to invest in Canada.

Airbus and other contenders had already complained the government appeared to be tilting the race in favor of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 plane, which the Royal Canadian Air Force wants. Canada is part of the consortium that developed the plane.

Canada launched the long-delayed competition last month and said it was confident no favoritism had been shown. Ottawa says the contract is worth between C$15 billion ($11.30 billion) and C$19 billion.

Canada’s official opposition Conservative Party, which is seeking to defeat Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an October election, accused the government of gross mismanagement.

Reuters revealed in July that Airbus and Boeing Co <BA.N> had written to Ottawa to say they might pull out.

The firms are unhappy that in late May, the government dropped a demand that bidders must guarantee to give Canadian businesses 100% of the value of the deal in economic benefits.

Such legally watertight commitments, which Boeing, Airbus and Sweden’s Saab AB <SAABb.ST> had already agreed to, contradict rules of the F-35 consortium. Ottawa’s move allowed Lockheed Martin to stay in the competition.

“One of the strongest points of our bid was the fact we were willing to make binding commitments,” said an Airbus source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation.

“Once this was loosened up to a point where these commitments were no longer valued in the same way”, the firm decided “that’s just too much”, added the source, who also cited security challenges.

European jets must show they can meet stringent standards required by the United States, which with Canada operates the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

“NORAD security requirements continue to place too significant of a cost on platforms whose manufacture and repair chains sit outside the United States (and) Canada,” Airbus said in a statement.

Canadian Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough said she respected the Airbus decision, adding Ottawa was determined there should be a level playing field.

“This included adapting the economic benefits approach to ensure the highest level of participation among suppliers,” she said in emailed comments.

Canada has been trying unsuccessfully for almost a decade to purchase replacements for its aging F-18 fighters. The former Conservative administration said in 2010 it would buy 65 F-35 jets but later scrapped the decision, triggering years of delays and reviews.

Trudeau’s Liberals took power in 2015 vowing not to buy the F-35 on the grounds that it was too costly, but have since softened their line.

“Justin Trudeau has spent the past four years delaying and dithering on new fighter jets for Canada only to completely mismanage the competition process,” said Conservative defense spokesman James Bezan.

Lockheed Martin declined to comment while Boeing and Saab did not respond to requests for comment.

($1 = 1.3275 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by David Gregorio)

Spirit Airlines Looking at Airbus and Boeing Planes for Growth, Debuts WhatsApp

August 26, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Spirit Airlines <SAVE>, a fast-growing, low-cost U.S. carrier that flies an all-Airbus SE <EADSY> fleet, is looking at both the Airbus A321neo and a larger Boeing Co <BA> aircraft to fuel its growth, Chief Executive and President Ted Christie said on Monday.

“The A321neo is certainly something we’re looking at, but we’re also in conversations with Boeing about their larger airplane too, so it’s all on the table,” Christie said at an aviation conference.

(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

MIRAMAR, Fla., Aug. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Spirit Airlines, the fastest growing airline in the United States, continues its commitment to invest in the Guest experience with an industry-leading technology to connect with its Guests via the messaging application WhatsApp. Beginning in September, the technology, powered by global conversational commerce solutions provider LivePerson, will open a new direct line of communication between Spirit’s English and Spanish-speaking Guest Relations and Reservations teams and the millions of Spirit Guests in the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America, who already use WhatsApp every day.

“We launched this service to better connect with our Guests, both domestically and abroad, as many have told us that they would rather communicate on a familiar and convenient service like WhatsApp,” said Bobby Schroeter, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Spirit Airlines. “We know WhatsApp is incredibly popular in the United States, but also in the more than two dozen destinations we serve in the Caribbean and Latin America. From travel updates to adding a bag to your reservation, this new messaging service allows Guests to communicate with us in English and Spanish and to opt in to WhatsApp messaging. It is all part of our goal to elevate and improve our Guest experience.”

The launch of WhatsApp support comes as a direct result of Spirit’s new partnership with LivePerson, a global leader in conversational commerce solutions. Beyond WhatsApp, the partnership also makes it possible for Spirit Guests who call to get immediate support by opting to begin a messaging conversation with Spirit representatives instead.

These new Guest solutions will also leverage LivePerson’s new AI-powered Maven Assist capability, which recommends the optimal next actions for human agents to take, including surfacing content or suggesting virtual assistants capable of responding to a Guest’s intent. Guests will still retain the ability to message with a live representative at any time during the process to address questions, comments and situations that are best suited for a live specialist.

“We’re excited to enable this new connection for America’s fastest growing airline, providing a powerful, engaging way for Guests to connect with Spirit on their own time,” said Rick Winnard, Global Head of Gainshare Programs at LivePerson. “Guests want to be able to ask questions, add products, and get immediate help without waiting, and with Spirit we’re making it possible for them to do so in the messaging channels they prefer.”

In addition to new WhatsApp and messaging support, Spirit will continue to serve its Guests via its social media channels, on Twitter and Facebook. Over the past two years, Spirit has heavily invested in the Guest experience touching all aspects of the journey, including on-time performance, Guest care technology, and in-flight products.

Airbus Mimics Nature With ‘Bird of Prey’ Concept Plane

July 19, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

An Airbus concept aircraft with a wing design inspired by nature, dubbed Bird of Prey, is displayed at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Raf Fairford, near Fairford

RAF FAIRFORD, England (Reuters) – Airbus <EADSY> on Friday unveiled a concept aircraft with splayed wingtips and a fanned tail inspired by the feathers of an eagle as it experiments with “biomimicry” technology that could eventually lead to quieter landings and less pollution.

The European planemaker’s UK subsidiary sought to capture the imagination of future engineers by showing off a model of the raptor-like airliner at a military air show in England.

The propeller-driven aircraft would have individually controlled “feathers” on the wingtips to provide what Airbus calls “active flight control” used by an eagle or a falcon.

Also evident is the absence of a traditional vertical tail, relying instead on a split, wedge-shaped tail to reduce drag.

The regional aircraft would carry as many as 80 passengers up to 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) and burn 30% to 50% less fuel than today’s equivalent planes, Airbus said.

Inaugurating the display to curious military chiefs and visitors to the Royal International Air Tattoo, Britain’s Trade Secretary Liam Fox said it highlighted Britain’s technical capability and its attractiveness as a place to invest.

Airbus said its concept plane would have a geodesic or curved fuselage in a throwback to the contours of the Wellington bomber designed by British aircraft designer Barnes Wallis.

That aircraft was built in Broughton in Wales from the 1930s to keep it beyond the range of German bombers.

Airbus now uses the same site to produce wings for over 800 jetliners a year. But it has warned the plant faces competition from European nations such as Germany, or others such as Korea, for future generations following Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. Brexit supporters are sceptical Airbus would take such a step given Britain’s experience with wingmaking.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Tom Brown)

Another Skydiving Accident Kills Nine in Sweden

July 16, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Planned skydiving landing area marked by pin

Just three weeks after a skydiving plane in Hawaii crashed on take-off killing all 11 aboard, nine people were killed in a Swedish skydiving accident on July 14, 2019. The Skydive Umea AB GippsAero Airvan 8 reportedly lost control and crashed on Storsandskar island, in the Ume River, about 1km south of Umea Airport, Umea, Sweden. The aircraft was operating a skydiving flight from Umea and had reached the planned jump height of around 13,000ft, when the airplane lost control. The last reported contact with the flight was when the pilot advised that they were starting the jump. The accident happened during daylight hours.

The Gippsland GA8 Airvan is a single-engine light utility aircraft designed and manufactured by Australian company GippsAero. Mahindra Aerospace, an Indian company, acquired a majority shareholding in GippsAero in 2010

Airbus Pulls Anniversary Book Over Fraud Probe Concerns

July 12, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus has halted sales of a new book that the planemaker had commissioned for its 50th anniversary to avoid hampering the manufacturer’s attempts to win a settlement in a bribery probe, two people familiar with the matter said.

The move is the latest sign of tension in Airbus as it nears the climax of a roughly $400 million, four-year internal probe carried out in support of an Anglo-French investigation into the use of intermediaries to win jetliner and other deals.

Airbus has already fired more than 100 people over ethics and compliance issues as its probe has progressed.

The book, “Airbus: The First 50 Years”, written by former New York Times journalist Nicola Clark, charts the rise of Airbus against challenging odds to become a European rival to Boeing and has a chapter focusing on the probe.

Sources said Airbus hoped to present its findings to the UK Serious Fraud Office and France’s PNF police by the end of the year. By doing so, they said it would seek more leniency under a system of prosecution agreements that allows for heavy fines rather than charges that might bar it from public contracts.

The two people said Airbus halted the book’s sales because it was concerned its official links to the publication could hamper talks with the authorities or discussions over other litigation as it seeks a fresh start under new management.

Airbus confirmed it had decided not to go ahead with the commissioned book, but denied any link to the bribery probe. It declined comment on the progress of the investigation itself.

“We continue to co-operate in full with the ongoing investigation,” an Airbus spokesman said. “The investigation and the book are two separate topics”.

Clark told Reuters she was “deeply disappointed with the very belated decision by Airbus to withdraw (the book)”.

UK-based publisher Urbane Publications declined to comment.

The book stems from an unusual initiative launched in 2016 under which Airbus granted Clark unprecedented access and full independence to give an unvarnished account of 50 years of industrial co-operation just as Europe’s political unity wavers.

It was published on Amazon’s Kindle service on May 29, half a century after Airbus was launched at a meeting of Franco-German founders including Roger Beteille, who died last month.

The book was quickly withdrawn from online sale and plans to distribute already-printed copies at the Paris Airshow in June were scrapped at the last minute, casting confusion over the company’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

But copies have been circulating and a review was published by Leeham News, a website covering the aviation industry.

Airbus said the version seen by the public was a draft. “The draft wasn’t consistent with our ambition for celebrating 50 years of pioneering progress,” the Airbus spokesman said.

Clark said Airbus had not described the book as a draft before notifying her of the decision to withdraw it.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Edmund Blair)

FILE PHOTO: An Airbus A350-1000 performs during the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris

JetBlue Named #1 Domestic Airline by Travel + Leisure World

July 10, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) today proudly announced it has been named the number one domestic airline in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2019. Each year, the readers of Travel + Leisure, the largest travel brand in the United States, vote on their favorite airlines, destinations, hotels, and more. Now approaching 20 years of low-fare flying, JetBlue continues to put the customer at the center of the travel experience in ways no airline can match.

“Whether it’s new planes on new routes, our customer comfort and inflight connectivity, or our airport amenities and caring crewmembers, JetBlue strives to lead the industry in every aspect of air travel,” said Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s president and chief operating officer. “Honors like this from Travel + Leisure show that the dedication of our 22,000+ crewmembers is truly making a difference in the experiences of our customers each day and we couldn’t be prouder.”

This recognition comes as JetBlue recently took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo aircraft and announced future orders for the A321LR, A321XLR and A220-300 aircraft. Together the aircraft will usher in the next chapter of the JetBlue story with unmatched fuel savings, a best-in-class customer experience from award-winning crewmembers, and the promise to broaden the customer-focused airline’s reach within the Americas and into Europe in the years ahead.

At the same time, JetBlue continues to make significant investments in its current fleet and customer experience through the restyling of its A320 aircraft. JetBlue’s newest Airbus A320 cabin experience officially took flight this spring and introduces a new era of comfort and connectivity to travelers, bringing to the skies the widest seats available for this aircraft and the most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (a). The refreshed experience also offers an unparalleled inflight entertainment (IFE) experience with 100+ channels of DIRECTV® and hundreds of free movies and shows, expanded coverage of free Fly-Fi® broadband connectivity almost everywhere JetBlue flies (b) and much more.

Additionally, JetBlue continues to expand its award-winning premium Mint experience on cross-country routes and in the Caribbean and Latin America. Currently, the airline operates more than 80 daily Mint flights in 15 JetBlue cities. On most of these routes, JetBlue is the only airline to offer regularly scheduled flights with a lie flat seat, which complements other Mint amenities including tapas-style dining, Hayward and Hopper amenity kits, dessert from local artisanal ice cream makers and award-winning service from hospitality-trained crewmembers.

“For 24 years, our readers have been voting in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards,” said Jacqui Gifford, Editor in Chief, Travel + Leisure. “This annual franchise is a global collection of the top hotels, islands, cities, cruise lines, airlines, and more. Brands and properties from all over the world—from Peru to Japan, India to Italy, and right here at home in the United States—are recognized by our audience because they deliver on exceptional experiences, rooted in a sense of place. I congratulate all of this year’s winners, who have worked so hard to be among the world’s best.”

JetBlue’s honor from Travel + Leisure comes on the heels of JetBlue being named Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Low Cost Carriers in the J.D. Power 2019 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. The airline has also recently picked up awards for its TrueBlue loyalty program, the JetBlue mobile app and was awarded for “Best Regional Business Class” and Overall “Passenger Comfort” in North America by TripAdvisor.

Travel + Leisure’s 2019 Top 5 Domestic Airlines can be found here: https://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best/domestic-airlines-in-us

Boeing Deliveries Fall 37%

July 9, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

(Reuters) – Boeing Co said on Tuesday its deliveries fell about 37% to 239 planes in the first half of 2019, hurt by the grounding of its best-selling 737 MAX jets, putting it on track to lose the world’s biggest planemaker title after eight years.

Boeing’s deliveries lagged those of European rival Airbus SE, which handed over as many as 389 planes in the same period, up 28% from a year earlier, according to sources.

A new problem identified with the grounded MAX jets last month has delayed the aircraft’s entry into service until at least the end of September, disrupting schedules for airline operators and possibly adding to costs for Boeing.

The American planemaker’s net orders for the first six months was in the negative, with a total of minus 119 net orders. Boeing had minus 125 net orders as of the end of May.

Deliveries of the MAX aircraft were stopped in March, a few days after an Ethiopian Airlines crash killed all 157 people on board. Since then, Boeing has not reported any new order for the MAX planes.

Last month, British Airways-owner IAG signed a letter of intent to order 200 MAXs.

Boeing shares were down 0.5% at $349.4 in morning trade.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Anil D’Silva)

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