10 apr 2015.pdf

5102 01

http://www.phuketgazette.net

Senior transport officials to discuss aviation crisis with

ICAO, Germany and Australia

PHUKET: In a bid to ease the country's current aviation woes, the

Transport Ministry is seeking help from the International Civil

Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and preparing a team to visit Germany

and Australia, while South Korea decided yesterday to temporarily

allow Jet Asia Airways to operate charter flights to the country.

Transport Minister ACM Prajin Juntong yesterday said his team - led

by the deputy minister and the Civil Aviation Department director-

general - was scheduled to meet with the ICAO president in Canada

from April 20-22 to discuss the situation concerning aviation safety in

Thailand and the impact of air restrictions and bans imposed by

several countries in Asia.

"The ministry is now drawing up an aviation action plan, which will

be completed this week and will be sent to the ICAO, airlines and

aviation authorities in the countries we plan to visit," he said.

The meeting with the head of the ICAO is expected to help ease

restrictions and a ban on Asian air travel due to significant safety

concerns in Japan and South Korea.

The ban resulted in five airlines registered in Thailand being unable

to operate charter flights, extend new routes or increase flight

frequencies into Japan and South Korea during the summer season,

which ends in September.

ACM Prajin said South Korea's Office of Civil Aviation had, however,

given temporary permission to Jet Asia Airways to operate charter

flights to the country, effective through April 15.

The temporary permission is not extended to Asia Atlantic Airlines

and NokScoot, although the two carriers have asked to be allowed

to change their charter-flight service to scheduled operations, he

added.

http://www.phuketgazette.net

(Continue) "The three airlines had planned a number of charter flights to South Korea throughout April, carrying 22,119 passengers," said the minister.

As to scheduled flights by Thai Airways International and Thai AirAsia X,

the South Korean authorities said they may relax the rules if the carriers

planned to increase the number of flights.

During talks with South Korea last week, the ministry asked the country to

reconsider its position and grant special permission for Nokscoot and Thai

AirAsia X to operate charter flights into Korea, as the two Thai-based

carriers had shared foreign ownership - with Singaporean and Malaysian

businesses, respectively.

The transport minister said his team was scheduled to meet with the

aviation authorities in China yesterday and today, as well as visiting

Germany and Australia after the Songkran Festival for similar discussions,

despite those countries not having issued restrictions such as those

imposed by Japan.

Meanwhile, Tony Tyler, director-general and chief executive officer of the

International Air Travel Association (IATA), said it was not looking good for

Southeast Asian travellers as two of the region's biggest countries -

Indonesia and Thailand - were in the spotlight for safety and other lapses.

"To ensure safe flights and comfort, and to realise the full benefits of plans

to liberalize the region's air travel market, Indonesia and Thailand must fix

problems that have been highlighted by global bodies," said an IATA

expert.

As part of plans for Asean to operate as a single aviation market, which

Singapore has been strongly pushing for, all 10 member nations, except

for the Philippines, now allow neighboring carriers to fly without any

restrictions to their capital cities.

Almost all restrictions have also been lifted for flights to other cities.

Alan Tan, professor of aviation law at the National University of Singapore,

said the problems of inadequate infrastructure - airports, runways,

crewing, safety and air traffic control - affected many countries in the

region.

- See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/thailand-news/Senior-

transport-officials-discuss-aviation-crisis-

ICAO/56822#sthash.hyYMCfrs.dpuf

http://www.channelnewsasia.com

Thailands Transport Ministry seeks to address concerns over the safety of planes based in the country, and bring

the Thai aviation sector in line with international

standards. BANGKOK: Thailands Transport Ministry is drawing is up an action plan to address concerns over the safety of planes based

in the country, The Nation newspaper reported.

"The ministry is now drawing up an aviation action plan, which

will be completed this week and will be sent to the the

International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), airlines and

aviation authorities in the countries we plan to visit," Transport

Minister Prajin Juntong told The Nation.

The daily also reported that Mr Prajin and his team from the

Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) will head to ICAO

headquarters in Canada from Apr 20 to 22 to discuss the ongoing

safety situation surrounding Thai aviation.

ICAO, a United Nations body, recently reported "significant safety

concerns" to the DCA after an audit earlier in the year.

In response, Japan last week blocked new flights from Thailand in

a move affecting charter services by budget carriers Thai AirAsia

X and NokScoot as well as Asia Atlantic Airlines, said the DCA,

adding existing flights would not be impacted. Charter flights

from flag carrier Thai Airways have also been hit.

On Tuesday, South Korea allowed Thai-based Jet Asia Airways to

temporarily operate charter flights to the country, but several

other Thai carriers remain unable to do so or increase their flights

to South Korea and Japan until September.


(Continue)

The action plan drawn up by the Transport Ministry involves

getting the DCA in shape so that they can handle the inspection

of safety standards of all Thai-based carriers.

The first part of the plan involves drawing up a new safety

standard which will be in line with those set out by the ICAO. The

second part focuses on retraining - the DCA needs to upgrade the

qualifications of existing staff and hire more staff.

Seven years ago, there were 10 airlines operating out of Thailand,

now there are more than 40. In the past, most of the new hires at

the DCA would have to begin work straight away without having

to undergo proper training. Now, over the next year, the DCA

hopes to bring the training of its staff in line with the required

international norms.

The third part of the plan would involve the re-certification of all

planes in the country.

The DCA will continue to be in discussions with its counterparts

in South Korea and Japan to ensure the safety standards of

existing planes meet international standards. These will go on for

the next few months to a year while the Thai authorities work to

improve the overall structure of aviation in the country.


The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore says these

inspections have ramped up after the International Civil

Aviation Organisation (ICAO) reported significant safety concerns in Thai carriers earlier this year, but no restrictions have been imposed.

SINGAPORE: The surveillance and ramp inspections of Thai carriers aircraft operations in the Republic have been stepped up, said the Civil

Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) in a news release on Thursday

(Apr 2).

Its statement came after the International Civil Aviation Organisation

(ICAO) reported significant safety concerns in Thai carriers earlier in the year. The Thai government has since said it would urgently improve airline

safety in the country.

CAAS added it has not imposed any restrictions on Thai airlines. This is

unlike other countries like Japan, who blocked new flights from Thailand

last week a move which affected charter services by budget carriers such as Thai AirAsia X and NokScoot.

In the release, CAAS said it has in place a Foreign Operators Surveillance

Programme (FOSP), under which foreign carriers are required to have an

Operations Permit from CAAS to operate in Singapore.

The release said that CAAS evaluates an application for an Operations

Permit using a risk-based methodology, which takes into consideration factors such as the safety oversight capability of the State of Operator, the

operational capability of the carrier and the safety records of the aircraft.

In assessing a foreign carrier's operations, CAAS takes into consideration safety information from other aviation authorities including the outcomes

of the inspections or audits they conduct, it added. CAAS also conducts periodic ramp inspections on the foreign carrier's aircraft when they are in Singapore; the frequency of which is dependent

on CAAS assessment of the carrier. The regulator assured that any major deficiencies found in the ramp

inspections have to be addressed by the carrier for it to continue

operations in Singapore.

http://www.dnaindia.com

US watchdog upgrades India's aviation safety

ranking to Category-1

India's aviation safety ranking was on Wednesday

upgraded to Category-1 by US aviation watchdog Federal

Aviation Administration (FAA), a move that could pave

the way for domestic airlines to expand their services to

that country.

The upgradation, which saw restoration of the safety

ranking, came more than 14 months after it was

downgraded to Category-2 following the failure of

aviation regulator DGCA to meet the international safety

norms during two safety audits by FAA.

Announcing the upgrade here today after a meeting with

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Ganapathi Raju, US

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said that India

has "worked hard" to get back the status.

http://www.orissadiary.com

Etihad Airways, Jet Airways sponsor Mumbai

Indians

Mumbai: Etihad Airways and Jet Airways will be the official airline

partners and principal sponsors for the Pepsi Indian Premier League

(IPL) team, the Mumbai Indians, for the 2015 Twenty20 tournament.

The announcement was made ahead of the Mumbai Indians first match against the Kolkata Knight Riders in West Bengal on 8 April.

It will be the second consecutive year that Etihad Airways and Jet

Airways have partnered with the Mumbai Indians, which has become

one of the largest sports brands in India and followed by millions of

cricket fans around the world.

Crowned champions of the 2013 IPL, the Mumbai Indians will be

hoping to build on their efforts in the Pepsi IPL 2014 when they

progressed to the semi-final stage having played the first five

matches in the United Arab Emirates.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Commercial Officer, said: The Pepsi Indian Premier League is recognised as one of the most exciting competitions in world sport, with the Mumbai Indians its

biggest team, so its great news for Etihad Airways to be named as the teams joint airline partner and principle sponsor alongside our friends at Jet Airways.

We can't wait for the Mumbai Indians season to start against the Kolkata Knight Riders and to continue the fan engagement activities,

particularly in social media, which were so popular in 2014. Following the same format as last year, the Etihad Airways logo will

be located at the top of the back of the shirts worn by the Mumbai

Indians for home matches and the Jet Airways logo will be featured in

the same position for away matches.

http://www.orissadiary.com

(Continue)

Raj Sivakumar, Jet Airways Chief Commercial Officer, said: The Mumbai Indians partnership is without question one of our most

exciting sponsorship properties and were thrilled to work with the team again for the 2015 Pepsi IPL.

The brand exposure that both airlines will gain throughout the next two months of the IPL will be phenomenal and we look forward to

supporting the Mumbai Indians as Rohit Sharma and his team looks

to win the title for the second time. Akash Ambani of Mumbai Indians said, We are delighted to renew our association with international brands like Etihad Airways and Jet

Airways as Principle Sponsor. The core values of our brands are

synergistic in aiming to delight our patrons.

This renewal reinforces the unique value that Mumbai Indians represents and offers to its partners. We look forward to

strengthening our relationship across all platforms. Among the highlights of the sponsorship agreement will be the

display of extensive Etihad Airways and Jet Airways branding and

messaging beamed across LED pitch-side advertising and on giant

screens in the Wankhede Stadium.

that India has "worked hard" to get back the status.

.

http://www.straitstimes.com

SIA Engineering, Boeing get green light for aircraft

maintenance joint venture SINGAPORE - SIA Engineering and Boeing have received

the all-clear to set up a new firm that will provide aircraft

maintenance, repair and overhaul services.

In giving the green light, the Competition Commission of

Singapore said on Thursday that the proposed joint

venture "will not substantially lessen competition in any

market in Singapore" and therefore will not infringe any

competition rules.

The new firm aims to offer services to the Singapore

Airlines (SIA) group and other third-party customers

primarily based in the region.

Aircraft maker Boeing will own 51 per cent of the

company with SIA Engineering taking the remaining

stake.

- See more at:

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/transport/st

ory/sia-engineering-boeing-get-green-light-aircraft-

maintenance-joint-ven#sthash.pvWNTPPn.dpuf

http://www.wacotrib.com

New TSTC, American Airlines partnership creates

job pipeline for pilot graduates A new partnership between American Airlines and Texas

State Technical College aims to put more of the colleges flight training graduates in the cockpit of the companys planes.

The college on Wednesday signed a pipeline agreement

with Envoy Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines

Group that flies under the American Eagle brand.

Through the arrangement, Envoy personnel will directly

mentor and recruit aircraft pilot training students to enter

the companys pipeline instructor program, which could lead to direct hiring opportunities with American Airlines.

We like to partner with somebody that we can put our name (with) and be proud of and we want to be part of,

and thats with TSTC, said Nick Brice, director of pilot recruitment for Envoy.

TSTC graduates about 20 students from the aircraft pilot

training associates degree program each year, said Carson Pearce, director of the colleges aerospace division.

The partnership is an effort to address an expected

shortage of pilots in the next few years because of

retirements. Pearce said the airline industry projects a

shortage of 6,000 to 8,000 pilots by 2018.

Brice said Envoy estimates that it could be down 600

pilots in the next few years based on the 20 pilots per

month who transition to American Airlines.


(Continue) Thats just basic attrition. That does not count those who get sick or quit aviation or they go work for another

company. (And) thats just to American, Brice said. That number will increase, so thats why we want to be partners in a pipeline program with schools like TSTC,

so that we get a constant flow of pilots for the future so

that we can keep flying our schedule. TSTC has a similar agreement with Utah-based SkyWest

Airlines. But the partnership with the Fort Worth-based

American Airlines aligns more closely with the colleges mission of producing graduates for the Texas workforce.

TSTC in 2013 switched to a new state funding formula in

which it is allocated state money based on the earnings

of graduates who obtain jobs in Texas.

Its very, very, very important now that we are able to have this opportunity for (students) to be able to get

jobs, TSTC Vice President of Student Learning Dale McCall said at the signing ceremony for the agreement.

Part of our funding will now come from placing our students . . . so this affords us to do that. Pearce said TSTC students will benefit from being able

to interact with a major airline earlier in their studies and

will gain insight into the culture of American Airlines

before they begin their careers as pilots.

The partnership will target students who have graduated

and are beginning work as flight instructors at TSTC.

Fast track


(Continue)

The agreement is to get our seasoned graduates on a fast track to American Airlines, Pearce said. Envoy is coaching them, providing them with guidance to advise

them on their career, giving them the ability to see their

facilities in Dallas at DFW (International Airport),

interacting with their people, and put them in a place to

get an interview. Pearce said the initiative also will allow graduates to

more quickly earn the minimum flight hours they need to

apply for positions with a commercial airline. Pearce said

airlines typically require a minimum of 1,250 flight hours,

but pilot students usually graduate from TSTC with

about 250 hours.

Flight instructors then can earn about 170 hours of flight

time a month, so it would normally take graduates about

six months after completing the program to earn the

hours needed to seek a position at an airline.

Its a very good thing for the college, its a very good thing for our graduates, and of course its a very good thing for the flying public, Pearce said. TSTC produces top-notch aviators, and the airlines are clamoring for our

graduates.

http://centreforaviation.com/

Lufthansa SWOT: new low cost platforms are

smarter strategy than resorting to protectionism The Lufthansa group reported an operating margin of

3.9% in 2014, up from 3.5% in 2013 (based on its

operating result before restructuring and project costs).

However, adjusting 2013 for the change in depreciation

policy implemented in 2014, its margin would have been

fallen by 0.7ppts year on year, the result of a damaging

pilot strike and weak pricing. Lufthansa expects a

significantly improved result in 2015, when ASK growth

will be 3%, although it expects unit revenue to fall. All its

capacity growth will be on the long haul network, where

unit revenue was weakest in 2014.

The development of strategic joint ventures to resist

growing long haul competition from Gulf-based airlines

makes sense. Its growing use of lower cost platforms in

both short haul and long haul point to point markets is

also welcome, but Lufthansa faces an ongoing challenge

in taking its pilots with it on this course of action.

Moreover, Lufthansa's protectionist instinct as a

response to competition may have short term delaying

value - but if it is intended as a serious strategy, it is high

risk.

We consider Lufthansa group's strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities and threats in the context of these, and

other, issues.

http://centreforaviation.com

www.psnews.com.au

Transport Agencies link for air safety Australia's transport safety investigator and civil aviation safety

regulator have signed an agreement to cooperate to improve

aviation safety.

Chief Commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau

(ATSB), Martin Dolan and Director of Aviation Safety at the Civil

Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Mark Skidmore signed the

new Memorandum of Understanding on 30 March 2015.

Mr Dolan said the MoU spelled out how the two Agencies would

cooperate in the interests of improving aviation safety.

"We are working together-with the ATSB identifying safety

issues through its investigations and findings, and CASA and

the industry responding to those issues, as appropriate-to

promote high standards of aviation safety," he said.

ATSB and CASA sign MoU

The MoU contains protocols for interactions between the two

Agencies, including notifications of accidents and incidents and

procedures around access to evidence, exchange of information

and initiating safety action.

Both Agencies have reiterated a commitment to tell the other

Agency about matters they reasonably believe the other Agency

needs to know for safety purposes.

Mr Skidmore said it was important for the Agencies to share

safety information ''while recognising that there are limits to

what the accident investigator can provide to the regulator''.

"CASA will only ask for information if it is clearly in the interests

of safety," he said.

"The ATSB makes the decision on what information is provided

to CASA. If CASA has information it believes relevant to an

ATSB investigation, it will let the ATSB know."

The MoU is for three years with an annual review of its content.

http://centreforaviation.com

http://www.deccanchronicle.com

Improved bag handling technology saves air

transport industry $18 billion New Delhi: The air transport industry has cut the rate of

mishandled bags by 61.3 per cent globally since 2007, creating US

$18 billion in total estimated cost savings, according to air

transport IT specialist, SITA.

The SITA 2015 Baggage Report showed that the rate of mishandled

bags in 2014 was 7.3 bags per thousand passengers, down from a

peak of 18.88 bags per thousand passengers in 2007. This decline

comes despite a significant rise in passenger numbers over the

same time period, peaking at 3.3 billion passengers in 2014.

Francesco Violante, CEO, SITA, said, This improvement in baggage handling over the past seven years is largely a result of

strong technology investment and innovation in baggage systems

automation and processes. However, rising passenger numbers

will continue to place pressure on baggage infrastructure and

processes, so the industry cannot afford to become complacent.

With IATA forecasting continued passenger growth of around 7 per

cent in 2015, all industry partners will need to continue to invest,

collaborate and focus on baggage management. From 2013 to 2014, global passenger numbers rose 5.5 per cent,

and aircraft load factors increased globally to 79.7 per cent. This

increased pressure on existing systems nudged the rate of bag

mishandling up in 2014 to 7.3 bags per thousand passengers, from

its all-time low of 6.96 the previous year.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com (Continue)

More than 80 per cent of the mishandled bags in 2014 were

delayed, with transfers between connecting flights the

leading cause of late delivery. In 2014, mishandled transfer

bags accounted for 49 per cent of all delayed bags or 11.81

million bags; however, the majority of bags were reunited

with passengers within one to two days.

Airlines and airports are continuing to invest in new

technology to optimize passenger and baggage processing,

including self bag tagging, self bag drop, systems

automation and bag ticketing.

According to SITAs 2014 Airport IT Trends Survey, baggage processing and management ranked among airports top investment priorities, with investments in self-service

processes, such as kiosk and bag-drop technology leading

the way.

Over the next three years, 59 per cent of airports said they

would invest in major self-service programs, as passengers

increasingly express a desire to have more control over

their journeys, including their baggage.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com (Continue)

By 2017, around 69 per cent of airlines said they would provide

passengers with real-time updates on the location of their bags,

with 66 per cent looking to provide these updates via smartphone

apps. In addition, both airlines and airports are looking for new

ways to enable passengers to file missing bag reports themselves.

Around 18 per cent of airlines already offer passengers the ability

to report missing bags via self-service kiosks and 10 per cent via

smartphone apps; by 2017, nearly two-thirds of airlines expect to

offer these services.

Baggage tracking is set to improve further in coming years as a

result of IATA Resolution 753: Baggage Tracking. The resolution,

which goes into effect in 2018, requires IATA members to maintain an accurate inventory of baggage by monitoring the acquisition

and delivery of baggage. For example, BagJourney, SITAs end-to-end baggage tracking solution for the air transport community, provides a cost-efficient

and accurate method of tracking passengers bags anywhere along their journey from check-in to the destination airport. It can also

enable passengers to access information on the location of their

bags at any time when the airline provides this service and

passengers subscribe to it.

SITA has led the air transport industry in providing baggage

tracking and tracing solutions for the air transport community

more than 20 years. Today, more than 200 airports and 500 airlines

worldwide use its baggage management solutions. By facilitating

communications between airlines and local baggage handling and

reconciliation systems, SITA helps ensure that bags reach their

correct destination.

Its proprietary BagMessage system delivers more than 2.5 billion

messages between airline departure control systems and

automated baggage systems annually. And more than 2,800 airport

locations use WorldTracer, SITA's system which traces mishandled

bags globally.

http://www.dailysabah.com

Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing in

Germany due to cracked window

A Turkish Airlines passenger plane en route to Istanbul

made a forced landing at Germany's Nuremberg Airport on

Wednesday, after its left cockpit window shattered, the

airline said.

The Dusseldorf to Istanbul flight diverted to Nuremberg,

landing at 0658 GMT, a spokeswoman for the airline said.

Passengers were evacuated from the aircraft and taken to

the terminal to wait for the next flight, whilst technical

experts examined the damaged plane, the spokeswoman

added.