22 JAN 2008 _______________________________________ *10 on U.S. jet hurt by turbulence *EU says Indonesia has further to go on air safety *Northwest Airlines to ditch DC-9s *India in touch with US, Euro regulators on aviation safety pact *American is setting up in-flight Internet access *middle east aviation safety summit sets global safety agenda *************************************** 10 on U.S. jet hurt by turbulence DENVER (AP) - United Airlines says 10 people were injured early this morning when turbulence hit a flight bound for Chicago. The airline says the flight was diverted to Denver International Airport at about 3 a.m. Eight passengers and two flight attendants were taken to Denver hospitals. There's no immediate word on their conditions. The Boeing 757 was carrying 187 passengers and crew when it left Los Angeles. The airline says maintenance crews inspected and cleared the plane and it completed the flight to Chicago. Last week, about the same number of people were hurt when an Air Canada jet from Victoria to Toronto ran into trouble over the Rockies and was forced to land at Calgary. No official cause for that incident has been identified, although turbulence is one of the reasons suspected. ************** EU says Indonesia has further to go on air safety BANDUNG, Indonesia - Indonesia has not yet made enough progress improving air safety for the European Union to lift a ban on the Southeast Asian nation's airlines, the EU's air safety chief said on Monday. A string of deadly disasters involving Indonesian airlines in recent years has raised questions about safety standards and led to the European ban last June on all 51 of the country's airlines, including national carrier Garuda Indonesia. 'Indeed we were glad to note that progress has taken place, but unfortunately it was not sufficient yet,' Roberto Salvarani told a conference in Bandung on aviation safety organised by the European Commission and the Indonesian transport ministry. He was referring to the results of a review made by EU officials who visited Jakarta in November. No Indonesian airlines currently fly to EU member states, but some plan to and the ban is also a threat to the local tourism sector since it obliges tourist agencies to warn customers that Indonesian airlines are unsafe if they sell package tours that use such carriers. Indonesian Transport Minister Jusman Syafi'i Djamal conceded that some airlines had put profit before safety, describing a series of accidents as 'a wake up call to the Indonesian people'. But he rejected suggestions that his country was in denial over problems in the aviation sector and denied Indonesia was involved in 'political drumbeating' to overturn the ban. 'Indonesia is not the barbarian at the gate. We do not want to kill our people. Accidents can happen even under a good regulator, good operators and good airplanes,' he said. He later told reporters that the government was proposing to the European Union to lift the ban on four of the 51 Indonesian airlines on the blacklist in the first phase. These airlines were Garuda, privately-run Mandala Airlines and two charter companies, he said. Garuda, which stopped flying to Amsterdam in 2004 because the route was not profitable, wants to fly to Europe again to benefit from a recovery in tourism. Salvarani said the EU ban on Indonesian airlines could be lifted 'when all the implementing measures that are still pending would be successfully completed and evidence of that fulfilment would be made available to Europe'. The European Union would not cave in to any political or diplomatic pressure, he said. In March last year, a Garuda aircraft crashed at Yogyakarta airport in Java, killing 21 people. A transport safety committee report said the pilot of the plane ignored 15 warnings as he descended too rapidly. That crash came after a plane belonging to budget carrier Adam Air crashed into the sea off Sulawesi island in January. All 102 on board are presumed dead. Air travel in Indonesia has blossomed since the liberalisation of the sector in 1999, but the rapid growth has raised questions over whether safety has been compromised. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20080121-0404-indonesia-eu-aviation .html ************** Northwest Airlines to ditch DC-9s Northwest Airlines has plans to downsize its fleet, grounding one-quarter of its DC-9 planes over the course of the year, the company confirmed Monday. Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest (NYSE: NWA) sent a note to pilots last week, informing them of its intent to cut its fleet of 103 DC-9s to 68 by the end of 2008. The DC-9s in Northwest's fleet, which had interior rehauls in the 1990s, average about 35 years old and are less fuel efficient than newer models. The carrier is hoping to save some money by grounding them, as oil prices climb. Northwest's made such moves before, shifting to newer or more fuel-efficient planes. In a statement, NWA said it is continuing to meet with aircraft manufacturers to review possible options for replacement aircraft. NWA further detailed that it planned to continue to increase pilot staffing despite the decision to cut back on planes. http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/01/21/daily4.html **************** India in touch with US, Euro regulators on aviation safety pact The pact, once inked, would pave the way for automatic acceptance of Indian aviation products in these countries Bangalore: India is in touch with American and European regulatory authorities for signing the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA), which would pave the way for automatic acceptance of Indian aviation products in those countries, a civil aviation official said on 22 January. However, it was a lengthy process and likely to take five-six years before the pact was inked, said R P Sahi, joint director general, Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Teams from American and European regulatory authorities have already visited the Bangalore-headquartered Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and also audited DGCA's accounts as part of the process. Similar technical agreement have already been signed with Russia, Chile and Israel, and they are currently awaiting government ratification. Air passenger traffic growth in India was between 46% and 49% in the last two years. http://www.livemint.com/2008/01/22111142/India-in-touch-with-US-Euro-r.html *************** American is setting up in-flight Internet access Surfing the Internet and checking e-mail during an American Airlines Inc. flight may only be a few months away. The Fort Worth-based airline installed its first Aircell LLC wireless Internet system last week on one of its Boeing 767-200 airplanes. The system still has some regulatory hurdles to cross, and the airline will spend the next few months doing testing and additional installations before customers get their first taste of the broadband service. But American says customer testing on its fifteen 767-200 planes should begin no later than the end of June. American will be the first carrier to offer broadband service, although other carriers have announced similar tests for this year. For Kentucky salesman John Gebka, the new service can't come soon enough. "It would shorten my day, that's for sure," said Mr. Gebka, racing to upload his email and charge his computer between flights at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport last week. Now, for frequent business travelers, time spent in the air means more time for e-mails and voicemails to pile up. Once off the plane, they power up their BlackBerrys and other handheld wireless devices and laptop computers to retrieve those missed messages. Time Mr. Gebka, who flies every week, said having an Internet connection during a flight would shave the time spent catching up once the plane lands. Kevin Hager, a consultant based in Flower Mound who flies two or three times a month, is also eager to stay connected during flights. "It adds two to three hours of productivity to your day," he said. "Now, that's just dead time." Pricing is still being worked out. But a spokeswoman for Aircell said access during trips over three hours long would cost travelers $12.95; shorter flights would cost around $10. The company is working on daily, monthly and yearly subscriptions for frequent travelers. Surveys by Forrester Research showed 55 percent of leisure travelers were interested in connectivity during flights of four hours or more and 45 percent were willing to pay $10 for it. Those taking shorter flights also had strong demand, with 41 percent saying they'd be interested when on flights of two to four hours and 24 percent saying they'd be interested on flights between one and two hours. "There's no question that passengers want and even expect airlines to be able to offer in-flight Internet access to them in this day and age, and they're willing to pay for it," said Henry Harteveldt, a Forrester Research analyst. He said Forrester surveyed leisure travelers because for them, unlike business travelers, in-flight connectivity would be discretionary and paid for out of their own pockets. Demand from business travelers, Mr. Harteveldt said, is expected to be stronger. American has committed to installing the system on its 767-200s, which typically fly the carrier's transcontinental routes. "If this goes well, we'll want to install it [to other fleets] as quickly as possible," said H. Douglas Backelin, American's manager of in-flight communications and technology. The Aircell installation is a project nine years in the making for American, which began working to develop a suitable technology for in-flight Internet access with peers at United Airlines and Delta Air Lines in 1999. The airlines formed a joint venture with Connexion by Boeing in 2000. But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the economic downturn that followed, American and the other airlines pulled out. Connexion operated on several non-U.S. carriers, including Lufthansa AG and Singapore Airlines, but the service was discontinued in 2006 after adoption continued to be slower than expected. John Dern, a spokesman for Boeing Co., said use on any given flight was typically in the "low single digits." Analysts and industry insiders say the surfboard-size antenna used to link the nearly 1,000-pound system to a satellite network was too heavy to make economic sense for narrow-body planes used for domestic flights. It was too costly to install and too expensive to operate. The system might just have been ahead of the market, Mr. Backelin said. "People are much more plugged in these days," he said. "This is the right time." The Aircell system American is installing requires two small antennas on the belly of the plane, plus a few pieces of equipment that can add about 125 pounds. The access points in the cabin resemble air hockey mallets and are tucked behind the overhead bins. Installation for the first aircraft took about five days at American's Kansas City maintenance base. "We're already working to shorten that," said Todd Myer, an American engineer overseeing the project. Aircell officials said the system could eventually be installed in as little as one day. Limits, advantages Mr. Backelin declined to say what the airline was spending on the broadband system. However, Aircell officials said the system costs around $100,000 per installation. Each of American's 767-200s will have three access points, with each able to handle 256 users at a time. Aircell's affordability is based in part on the fact that it uses equipment Wi-Fi hotspots use, but modified for air travel, rather than new technology. The system, which sends data to a network of towers on the ground, will be compatible with most wireless-enabled devices. Users will be able to access secured corporate sites, shop online and even download entertainment. The system will not allow passengers to make calls with their laptops or wireless devices using voice over Internet protocol, but the cockpit and flight crews will have a wired phone for their use. Ultimately, the system could enable American to upload a library of programming for travelers, such as movies and television shows. But, Mr. Backelin said, the carrier is focusing on broadband access for now. Because Aircell is a ground-based system, it won't work over the ocean. Mr. Backelin said American continues to talk with suppliers and will be "prepared to take action" to add that capability if in-flight broadband proves profitable. Start-up Virgin America Inc. also plans to install the Aircell system in 2008. JetBlue Airways Corp. has tested a system that enables e-mail and text messaging only, and Alaska Air Group's Alaska Airlines has said it will test a satellite-based system this spring. For American, the Aircell system represents an important opportunity for a new source of revenue. Mr. Backelin said being the first to offer broadband could translate into "[market] share shift" in high-end business customers. "There's going to be a marketing advantage," he said. "We really think the frequent business traveler is going to value being able to keep up with their e-mail because they can be more productive." http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/techtelecom/stori es/012208dnbusaainternet.2927f43.html **************** middle east aviation safety summit sets global safety agenda Aviation experts from around the world met in Abu Dhabi yesterday (21/01/08) at the start of a two-day conference to hammer out a civil aviation safety roadmap that will enhance aviation safety across the globe. The first Middle East Aviation Safety Summit is being jointly hosted by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) under the patronage of of H.H Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister of the UAE. In his opening remarks, HE Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Development for Government Sector and chairman of the GCAA, said that rapid developments in the aviation industry made it imperative to introduce a raft of safety initiatives to ensure safety standards kept ahead of innovations in the industry. "The introduction of mega sized aircraft, new composite micro-carbon fiber airframes, super high by-pass ratio engines, air traffic management problems including joint use airspace, a severe shortage of trained air traffic controllers and pilots, ageing aircraft, complex airport runway systems and meteorological changes are just some of the current challenges to safe aviation," Al Mansoori said. HE Khalifa Al Mazrouei , chairman and managing director of ADAC, said that the Summit was the first of its kind to be held under the parameters of the recently launched Global Aviation Safety Road Map, an initiative of the International Safety Strategy Group (ISSG). "The significance of the roadmap is that it is an initiative that involves all the stakeholders of the aviation community worldwide. It involves international organizations and associations, airport operators like ADAC, aircraft operators, and manufacturers, service providers and professional pilots. This approach changes the culture and paradigms of global aviation safety." The ISSG was formed two years ago and its members include the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); International Air Transport Association (IATA); Airport Council International (ACI); International Federation of Airlines Pilots Association (IFALPA); Flight Safety Foundation (FSF); Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO); and aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. Al Mansoori said case studies of best practices from around the world would provide the aviation sector with a clear direction for future safety initiatives. "The inclusion of the UAE on the Steering Committee of the ICAO - Africa Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety underlines the advanced status of the UAE in the international aviation community, as well as the level of our commitment to the overall advancement and improvement of civil aviation worldwide," Al Mansoori said. He added that the UAE, in cooperation with ICAO, IATA and the FSF, will host a major summit in October of this year to address the shortage and development of a new generation of aviation professionals. "The newly established, state of the art aviation training facilities in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaima are yet more indication of the UAE's commitment to aviation safety," he added. HE Mohammed Abdullah Al Salami, deputy chairman, director general of GCAA said that the Summit will declare the Abu Dhabi Resolution for a Regional Aviation Safety Plan of Action, in accordance with the Global Road Map. "The summit will further serve as the institutional and organizational blue prints for other regions to launch similar initiatives. With commitment, vision, planning and determination, we are on our way to make Abu Dhabi, the capital of aviation safety and security". "In a relatively short time, the UAE has established a strong and leading presence within ICAO and its worldwide community in the campaign for global aviation safety and security. This outstanding success is an excellent indication of good will and visionary approach of the UAE Government to build a modern aviation infrastructure and positively influence the making of similar initiatives around the world." Said Ambassador Edward Stimpson, Chairman of the Board of the Flight Safety Foundation. Khalifa Al Mazrouei said that the aviation sector needs to constantly learn from the painful lessons of the past, such as the tragic disaster in the Tenerife, in 1977 that wasted of 583 lives. He said that safety must be seen as an ongoing challenge and that the Abu Dhabi Summit provides a forum for tackling the many and complex challenges for a safer future. http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/UAE/221297 ****************