Flight Safety Information July 1, 2011 No. 133 In This Issue No evidence of technical failure on crashed Tu-134 Three senior Jet Airways pilots flunk DGCA checks Baltia still awaits FAA certification Philippines airports to improve flightpath efficiency Design exemptions pave way for 'roadable aircraft' Oregon man stung by scorpion on Alaska Airlines Airplane Stowaway Olajide Noibi Nabbed in LAX, But Not by TSA The move to overhaul and strengthen India's airline safety set-up is welcome UPS To Retrofit Air Fleet With Full Facemasks For Pilots Alaska: Disproportionate air crashes Private companies hold the key to space travel's future Vietnam Airlines to expand fleet to 110 aircraft by 2015 No evidence of technical failure on crashed Tu-134 Russian investigators have found no evidence of technical failure on the RusAir Tupolev Tu-134 which crashed while landing at Petrozavodsk on 20 June. The inquiry is still examining the training given to the crew of the twinjet, which struck trees and powerlines after diverging from the approach course. Information from the aircraft's flight recorders and technical documentation has not indicated deficiencies in the operation, said the Interstate Aviation Committee. But it added that there is no sign on the flight recorders of technical failure before the accident. All the control systems were intact during the final moments and the Tu-134's flight- control surfaces were deflecting "in accordance with movement of the controls". "All the destruction to the airframe was the result of excessive loads resulting from the collision with forest vegetation, the impact with the ground and subsequent fire," it said. Neither engine was damaged prior to the accident and both were operational. Crucial spatial-positioning and navigation instruments - providing altitude and speed data - were all functioning. Work has been completed to clean the noise on the cockpit-voice recorder and identify those who were communicating on the flightdeck. Investigators are also preparing a report summarising the testimony of witnesses to the accident. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Three senior Jet Airways pilots flunk DGCA checks The checks follow DGCA's March crackdown on young pilots, some of whom had used fraudulent mark sheets to obtain licences; around a dozen pilots were arrested during the drive New Delhi: Three senior pilots of Jet Airways (India) Ltd who examine young student pilots have themselves flunked tests conducted by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is seeking to assess the competence of senior trainers and examiners at the country's airlines. The checks follow DGCA's March crackdown on young pilots, some of whom had used fraudulent mark sheets to obtain licences; around a dozen pilots were arrested during the drive. Jet Airways' examiner Manoj Manha, 52, and M. Shain, 52, both experts on Airbus A330 aircraft, were found to have "inadequate subject knowledge" during the checks conducted by DGCA in June. Jet subsidiary JetLite's Anupam Khanna, 43, a check pilot on Boeing 737 aircraft, was hauled up by the regulator for a "casual" approach during the checks, lacking in "cockpit discipline", according to a government official familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. Jet's spokesperson said in an email that the airline would be sending Manha and Shain for "corrective training", after which they will resume their duties. "The only unsatisfactory evaluation was for one specific item in the pre-sessions briefing. In fact, as per the recommendations of the DGCA evaluator, both these senior instructors continue with the airline as line trainers," the airline said. "They will be undergoing corrective training internally and, thereafter, re-evaluation with DGCA and on successful completion will be cleared for simulator duties as examiners." The spokesperson did not comment on Khanna. An aviation expert welcomed the checks, but said it raised uncomfortable questions. "It puts a question mark on all those who were trained by them (the two examiners) and all those who went through a proficiency check (conducted) by them," said Mohan Ranganathan, a Chennai-based air safety expert and a member of the government- appointed Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (Casac). All three pilots have been barred from conducting any checks on other pilots for the moment, the government official said, and added that DGCA would continue to test more pilots at other airlines. Jet's spokesperson said the results of DGCA's checks are no reflection of its procedure for testing pilots. The airline uses "advanced psychometric evaluation methodology and medical checks, followed by simulator tests and a comprehensive interview process, before subjecting its pilots to any ab initio evaluation" and only 3% of the 4,000 commercial pilot licence holders that apply to the airline make the flying grade, according to the spokesperson. Casac's Ranganathan said that in any international airline even the slightest deviation would have led to the the examiner/instructor pilot being stripped of his position. Clearance to become an examiner, instructor or a check pilot is granted by DGCA. "If a trainer is found wanting he should not be allowed to continue because his initial assessment has been based on higher standards and he is expected to maintain those high standards," Ranganathan said. Jet Group, the country's largest airline by passengers carried, has 1,400 pilots. India has about 5,000 unemployed commercial pilot licence holders, according to DGCA estimates. DGCA's rules or the civil aviation requirements available on its website clearly state that "pilots recommended for approval as examiners/instructors/check pilots...should not have failed in any of the proficiency checks on simulator/aircraft during the preceding two years." http://www.livemint.com/2011/06/30002023/Three-senior-Jet-Airways-pilot.html?h=B Back to Top Baltia still awaits FAA certification US startup Baltia hopes to obtain FAA certification to launch operations soon, but the company is backing away from declaring a target date for regulatory approval. The airline has been attempting to launch flights from New York John F Kennedy International airport to St Petersburg Russia since 2009. Carrier vice-president of finance Barry Clare told Air Transport Intelligence that the carrier "has been at a long time" with respect to the certification process. But, he highlighted Baltia is "making a lot of progress". Clare declined to offer a target date for certification and launch for Baltia, other than noting he hopes it occurs "sooner rather than later". In the mean time one of two Baltia Boeing 747s has just completed a heavy check and during the next four weeks is completing exterior painting at a facility in California, said Clare. Once the painting is complete the aircraft will head to JFK to participate in the certification campaign. Baltia also has entered into a five-year lease agreement with Japan Airlines Management Corporation (JMC) to lease office space at JFK previously occupied by Japan Airlines. "The new office space is equipped to house the entire company including our reservations and operations control," said Baltia. Baltia is also leasing a maintenance facility from JMC adjacent to its new headquarters while "retaining the station office at Terminal 4 for passenger service". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Philippines airports to improve flightpath efficiency Eleven airports in the Philippines are to implement performance-based navigation procedures to generate more efficient, flexible tracks under a programme assisted by Airbus's flight division Quovadis. Development of the network will involve the French civil aviation authority, DGAC, and its Philippine counterpart. "When complete, this project will enable the entire region to benefit from the advantages of increased air traffic management capacity and reduced emissions through shorter tracks," said Airbus. It added that Philippine carriers - among them Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific - are backing the project. Philippines civil aviation authority director general Ramon Gutierrez said: "As safety is our first priority, the performance-based navigation concept matches perfectly with the needs of the country." Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Design exemptions pave way for 'roadable aircraft' The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has granted Terrafugia's petition for temporary exemption from four federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) requirements for the company's Transition roadable aircraft or "flying car." In granting the petition, which AOPA supported last December in formal comments, the NHTSA agreed that Terrafugia has made good faith efforts to comply with the standards, but that compliance would cause the firm "substantial economic hardship." The agency imposed stricter time limits than those sought by the company for two of the four individual exemption requests. "Terrafugia is a new company, and the Transition is a unique, dual-purpose vehicle designed for both flying and driving," the agency said in its June 29 decision. "Many of the impediments to compliance that Terrafugia has encountered are a direct result of the dual nature of the Transition, including the need to meet the strict weight requirements of an LSA (light sport aircraft). Despite these impediments, Terrafugia has devoted significant resources towards compliance, has attempted to mitigate the risks associated with noncompliance, and has developed a plan for full compliance with three of the four listed FMVSSs by the end of the requested three-year period." The unique nature of the roadable aircraft supported a public-interest rationale for the exemptions, the decision said. The potential for Terrafugia to become the source of up to 500 manufacturing, engineering, and support jobs by 2015, once the Transition goes into production, also carried weight during the agency's review. The NHTSA agreed with the position-emphasized by AOPA in its comments on the exemption request-that the Transition could enhance aviation safety by giving VFR-only pilots who are confronted with deteriorating weather the option to divert to the nearest airport and continue their travel by road. Public interest would be served by reducing VFR-into-IMC accidents, it said. The NHTSA granted Terrafugia three-year exemptions from requirements for tire selection and rims for motor vehicles (FMVSS No. 110), and glazing materials (FMVSS No. 205). It granted one-year exemptions from requirements for occupant crash protection, specifically advanced air bags (FMVSS No. 208) and electronic stability control systems (FMVSS No. 126). The agency noted that granting shorter exemptions than those requested by the company, in the case of the one-year grants, did not preclude Terrafugia from applying for more time when those exemptions expire. The exemptions become effective June 1, 2012. However, given the benefits of advanced air bag systems and the passage of time since the requirements were established, the NHTSA said it was re-examining its exemption policy, and had come to a "tentative" conclusion that cost alone may no longer justify exemption from the requirement. "The costs of compliance with the advanced air bag requirements of FMVSS No. 208 are costs that all entrants to the U.S. automobile marketplace should expect to bear," it said. In a June 30 news release, Woburn, Mass.-based Terrafugia said the exemptions "pave the way for Terrafugia to begin deliveries once Terrafugia's rigorous Transition certification testing program is complete." The Transition's dual uses as an aircraft and ground vehicle require application of FAA regulations and standards for LSA, and federal motor vehicle safety standards for automobiles. http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/ Back to Top Oregon man stung by scorpion on Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Anchorage PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - All Jeff Ellis could do was wait as he sat terrified 30,000 feet in the air staring at the wriggling scorpion that stung him on a flight to Alaska. He repeated to himself that a doctor said he'd be fine - probably. Ellis, of Portland, Ore., first had to wait 30 minutes to see whether he succumbed to anaphylactic shock. "In the movies, scorpions kill people," Ellis, 55, said Thursday. "I was just nervous, on edge, making sure that my heart was beating normal, that I wasn't sweating." Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said the scorpion probably crawled on board the plane during a stop in Austin, Texas. The plane then landed in Seattle, where Ellis boarded for a flight to Anchorage. About three hours into the flight, Ellis dozed off. Then, he felt something tickling his arm. "I felt it on my shirt-sleeve and brushed it off, I thought it was a little spider or something," Ellis said. "Then I felt it back on my elbow." Just after that, Eliis felt a sting. He grabbed it with his napkin and his girlfriend, Suzanne Foster, called a flight attendant, who tossed the scorpion into a clear plastic bag. The writhing arachnid terrified children seated nearby. "Their mother told the flight attendant, 'Get that thing out of my face,' " Ellis said. As Ellis monitored himself for signs of a fatal allergic reaction, emergency responders in Anchorage were told to get ready; the flight would be landing soon. But they had a problem, Ellis said: Scorpions aren't common in Alaska, and the EMTs didn't know what to do. "They had to Google it," he said. News traveled quickly through the cabin, but Ellis said no one panicked. He was the first to get off the plane, he said, where he was met by a police officer. In the end, it turned out that the doctor on the flight was right. Ellis was OK, and all that's left of the incident is a mark on his arm. Egan said the airline has never had a poisonous creature on one of its flights before, but it wasn't the first time someone found a scorpion on a plane. During a Southwest Airlines flight in 2009, an Arizona man was stung while traveling from Phoenix to Indianapolis. His 10-year-old son found the rest of the family of scorpions in the luggage compartment over their seats. Ellis thinks - based on photos he took of the eight-legged pest - that he was stung by a striped bark scorpion, which is common in Texas. He said he is happy with the flight crew's response, and said the airline has offered him 4,000 frequent-flier miles and two round-trip tickets. His return flight to Seattle, he said, was uneventful. Back to Top Airplane Stowaway Olajide Noibi Nabbed in LAX, But Not by TSA Olajide Noibi, a Nigerian man who managed to take a Virgin America flight from J.F.K. to Los Angeles on Friday using an outdated boarding pass that wasn't in his name was arrested Wednesday at LAX during an apparent attempt at a repeat performance. ABC reports that Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi was taken into custody at Los Angeles International after he showed up at the airport carrying more than ten outdated boarding passes and tried to fly to Atlanta. Noibi was charged with being a stowaway. He will be fined and could even face jail time. An FBI investigation is underway, but an FBI spokesman has already said there is no reason to believe that Noibi was a threat to anyone. The freeloader's entire plot was predicated, after all, on airport personnel paying no attention to their jobs and unraveled completely when a Delta gate agent refused to let him board a plane carrying somebody else's ticket. A Virgin America stewardess also discovered Noibi's ruse, but only after the plane was in the air, CNN reports. Apparently, the stowaway told law enforcement personnel that he managed to get through security using just a University of Michigan student ID and a police report saying his passport had been stolen. The TSA has released a rather sheepish statement saying that Noibi did go through security: "It is important to note that this passenger was subject to the same physical screening at the checkpoint as other passengers." At least he wasn't carrying a water bottle. According to what appears to be his LinkedIn profile, Noibi is the President of Crystal Hills, a Lagos-based marketing company. http://news.travel.aol.com/2011/06/30/airplane-stowaway-olajide-noibi-nabbed-in-lax- but-not-by-tsa/ Back to Top The move to overhaul and strengthen India's airline safety set-up is welcome Airline regulatory body does not have a single pilot on rolls The government's decision to expand the powers of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and form a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is welcome. Today, the DGCA looks after aviation safety, issues licences and investigates crashes. In addition to these, the CAA will also have powers to monitor ticket prices and rule on consumer grievances. These are necessary powers, because in the past, airlines have shown that they are capable of colluding to raise prices during peak season or in sectors where some flights have been temporarily disrupted. In addition to these powers, the CAA should also be the agency monitoring India's air traffic control (ATC), a key component of our air safety systems. India's ATC, said to be among the most efficient in the world, operates under tremendous pressure in fairly adverse circumstances to keep an ever-growing number of aircraft safe in air and guide them through landing and takeoff, in mostly-congested airports. The cloud of aircraft hovering above India is getting bigger - and is forecast to only grow over time. To minimise the chances of accidents, it is necessary to boost safety measures, the quality of airports and the ATC's capability. For example, India's civil aviation sector will need 1,500 aircraft over the next 20 years. In another 10 years, the number of people travelling by air is forecast to rise six times, from today's 60 million to above 360 million. The government has realised that this will need a massive boost to building physical infrastructure and has called in the private sector to build and operate airports. Already, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi have airports built by private players; more will surely come. When private airports and airports owned by public sector Airport Authority of India coexist, it makes sense to divest ATC from the Airports Authority and bring it under the umbrella regulator. Air safety, like policing, is too vital a task to be left to private players; therefore, the government will need agencies like the CAA and the ATC to make sure that the ever-growing crowd of people taking to the skies finish their journeys safely. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ Back to Top UPS To Retrofit Air Fleet With Full Facemasks For Pilots July 1, 2011 - UPS announced it would retrofit the cockpits of its air fleet with quick- donning, full-face oxygen masks with integrated smoke goggles. Installation of the enhanced pilot safety equipment comes at the recommendation of the Joint UPS- Independent Pilots Association (IPA) Safety Task Force. This comes after a UPS Airlines Flight 6 which was a cargo flight operated by UPS Airlines crashed. On September 3, 2010, a Boeing 747-400 flying the route between Dubai International Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport crashed close to Dubai airport, killing the two crew members. The aircraft had departed Dubai International earlier, but returned after reporting smoke in the cockpit. It was the first fatal air crash for UPS Airlines. The crash caused an examination of safety procedures protecting airliners from cockpit smoke. Back in April UPS had announced it would equip its air fleet with the Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS), becoming the first international air carrier to take such a step. In the event of smoke in the cockpit, EVAS helps maintain a pilot's critical field of vision by displacing the smoke with a transparent Inflatable Vision Unit (IVU). "EVAS allows pilots to see their flight path, vital instruments and perform the key tasks of flying in dense-smoke situations," said Bertil Werjefelt, the president of Vision Safe, which manufactures the device. "It's a real safety enhancement and we're very pleased to be working with UPS Airlines." "Safety is an absolute priority for our employees, our customers' shipments and our aircraft," said UPS Airlines President Mitch Nichols. "These facemasks will be an important inclusion in our cockpit safety environment. That is why we continue to adopt solutions like these facemasks to further augment the safe operation of our airline." Installation on UPS's Boeing 747-400, MD-11, B-767 and B-757 fleets is expected to take place over the next 24 months, beginning with the MD-11 and 747 fleets. The UPS Airbus A-300 fleet is already equipped with integrated masks. The new, one-piece facemasks can be put on with one hand in just three seconds, five times faster than the separate oxygen mask and smoke goggle units currently on most aircraft. The new masks meet performance standards for protective breathing equipment established by the Federal Aviation Administration and offer a better fit for crewmembers who wear eyeglasses. The full-face equipment is manufactured by Zodiac Aerospace, a French conglomerate whose Eros oxygen equipment is used by many carriers, including UPS. "These facemasks will be an important inclusion in our cockpit safety environment," said IPA and Safety Task Force member Capt. Bob Brown. "Between the facemasks and the recent addition of the Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS), the union and the company are very much in sync on flight safety." Since last fall, the UPS-IPA Joint Safety Task Force has been researching strategies and technologies for improving flight safety. Focused primarily on in-flight fire mitigation, the group has worked extensively with the FAA, aircraft manufacturers, safety vendors and other industry experts. Research efforts point to tiered solutions for detecting, managing and suppressing in-flight fires on the flight deck, in cargo compartments, in unit load devices and even within boxes. The facemasks are the second task force recommendation to be adopted. In April, UPS announced that it would become the first international carrier to equip its air fleet with EVAS, an in-cockpit transparent inflatable vision device designed to allow pilots to see in dense smoke situations. http://avstop.com/news_july_2011/ Back to Top Alaska: Disproportionate air crashes ATLANTA, June 30 (UPI) -- A disproportionate number of commuter and air taxi crashes occur in Alaska -- one-fifth of all U.S. commuter and air taxi crashes occur there, officials say. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says from 1990 to 2008 there were 1,566 commuter and air taxi crashes in the United States, but approximately 20 percent of the fatal crashes and deaths occur in Alaska. The report, published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, says working as a pilot in Alaska is a risky occupation. From 1990 to 2008, aviation crashes in Alaska caused 147 occupational pilot deaths -- not including military -- an average of eight pilot fatalities per year. These 147 fatalities over 19 years among a commercial pilot workforce of approximately 2,600 result in an annual pilot fatality rate of 298 per 100,000 pilots, the report says. "Pilots need to be proficient and exercise good judgment when flying. Passengers should be prepared for worst case scenarios and not push pilots to make unsafe decisions," the report says. "Future safety interventions should focus on providing weather information and improving pilots' situational awareness; proficiency in piloting skills and aeronautical decision making should be emphasized." Back to Top Private companies hold the key to space travel's future New Mexico's desert will be the first stop for the space tourism industry Right now, a ticket on Richard Branson's SpaceShip2 costs $200,000 Private companies, like Branson's, are vying to replace NASA's manned space program The final space shuttle launch is scheduled for July 8 Atlantis' journey to the International Space Station will be NASA's 135th and final mission in the space shuttle program, which began 30 years ago. Sierra County, New Mexico (CNN) -- There are no roller coasters near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. No Ferris wheels, either. Yet this desert town could soon be a hot destination for thrill-seekers from around the world. That's because nearby, within New Mexico's high desert valley, is the future home of Spaceport America -- the world's first commercial spaceport. And it's the first stop for those who want to travel into space. The $207 million facility, paid for by New Mexico's taxpayers, is based on the dream of a British billionaire. Gingrich: 'NASA is in the way' "People used to tell me it would be impossible to build your own spaceship and your own spaceship company and take people into space," says Richard Branson, who heads Virgin Galactic. "That's the sort of challenge that I love: to prove them wrong." So far, 500 people have signed up to be among the first space tourists. The cost of the first flights: $200,000 per person. When they fly, the tourist astronauts' craft will be attached to a mother ship called WhiteKnight 2. It will climb high into the sky, and will then release the spacecraft, called SpaceShip 2, which will roar above the Earth, reaching an altitude of about 350,000 feet. They will experience weightlessness for about four minutes. Branson says the $200,000 price tag will come down as flying into space becomes more commonplace -- just like the first airliners. Branson's family holds tickets for the inaugural flight. "We've got extensive tests over the next 15 months before myself and my children go into space," he told CNN in May. "And my wife won't forgive me if I don't bring the kids back." Space travel is no small feat. It's expensive and risky. And now, companies like Virgin Galactic are trying to do what only governments have been able to achieve -- and they have a wallet thick enough to try. While Branson's company is geared toward tourism, other companies are trying to win contracts to carry supplies and people to the International Space Station. It's all part of NASA's plan to help these companies succeed and to continue U.S. access to the space station, once the shuttle program ends in July. "Ideally, we'd like to have multiple competitors who come down to at least two that we can use so that we always have an alternative should one falter or fail," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. NASA has already paid out about $1 billion to several companies to help them develop cargo- and crew-carrying ability. In the meantime, the United States will be paying Russia more than $63 million per astronaut to get to the International Space Station. NASA says this will allow it to concentrate its money on missions to the moon, Mars, or to an asteroid. If all goes, as planned, one company, SpaceX, will begin delivering cargo to the International Space Station next year and eventually carry astronauts to and from the station. SpaceX can receive up to $400 million in NASA money if it succeeds. "We've been sending astronauts to Earth orbit, for geez, it's like, almost five decades, almost half a century. It's not the cutting edge," SpaceX founder Elon Musk said. "It's time for NASA to hand that over to commercial industry, who can then optimize the technology and make it more reliable, make it much lower-cost, and make it much more routine, as happened with the aircraft business." Musk, the co-founder of PayPal, has already had two successful flights with his spacecraft, called Dragon, launched aboard his Falcon 9 rocket. Last year, Dragon orbited the Earth twice and splashed down successfully in the Pacific Ocean. Dragon may dock with the International Space Station this year. Musk says the transition to the private sector brings the future a lot closer a lot faster. "I think our rocket is the most advanced in the world and is the only one designed in the 21st century to see flight," he told CNN. "You don't make progress by trying to hang on to the past. ... Can you imagine how much difficulty people went through and how scared they were in the transition from horses to cars? "But you've got to make this transition; otherwise, society doesn't move forward." The end to the space shuttle program -- without another viable space vehicle ready to fly -- raises some concerns. There's no doubt that spaceflight will always be risky. However, many in the industry wonder if the transition to the private sector should have been more gradual, while the space shuttle was still flying. "Personally, I tend to think that it happened a little abruptly," said Atlantis space shuttle commander Chris Ferguson, who will lead the final shuttle mission, which is scheduled to launch on July 8. "Does that mean it was wrong? I don't believe it was wrong. I believe it was a big risk." And, Ferguson says, "with big risks -- it's like investments -- come big rewards." But, he says, "We could also lose." It's a reminder of the early, experimental days, when failure and tragedy were part of the learning process, when flight was in its infancy. "There's going to be some failures along the way, just like we did in the days of barnstorming. Lots of wreckage left on the ground," said Alvin Drew, a space shuttle mission specialist. "I'm worried about when those wrecks occur, what effect that's going to have on the public's confidence in our ability to get to Earth orbit ... what it's going to cost, and not just dollars -- but possibly in lives and in aspirations." George Musser, a space science editor at Scientific American magazine, believes that having a fleet of specialized space vehicles -- and multiple private companies -- is the best way to conduct a space program. "Eventually, everyone's dream is that we'll have Hilton hotels and Hertz taxis in space, and go up there and have a great time," he said. Yet he acknowledges the risk of ending the space shuttle program without having another viable space vehicle ready to fly. "It's definitely a roll of the dice," Musser said. It's a question of whether it's a better roll of the dice than continuing the shuttle would be." Entrepreneurs, like Branson and Musk, will press forward on their dreams of space travel, driven by competition from other teams vying for the same dollars in this new space economy. "That's what competition does: It brings out the best in people," Musk said. "That's why we have the Super Bowl. That's why we have the World Series. "It'd be kind of boring if there was one team." Back to Top Vietnam Airlines to expand fleet to 110 aircraft by 2015 HANOI, July 1 (Reuters) - National carrier Vietnam Airlines has sought government approval to invest $8.38 billion to expand its fleet, taking it to 110 aircraft by 2015 in the first phase, a state-run newspaper reported on Friday. The airline is currently operating around 300 flights a day with 68 aircraft, including two Fokkers. It wants to take its total fleet to 170 by 2020, according to plans submitted to the government for approval, Dau Tu (Investment) newspaper, which is run by the Planning and Investment Ministry, said. The fleet would by then include wide-body Airbus A350-900s, Boeing 787-9s, Airbus A380s as well as narrow-body A320s and A321s plus ATR-72s and Bombardier (BBDb.TO) C series, the report said. The airline will soon buy jet fuel produced by Dung Quat oil refinery, the country's only such facility, which will meet up to a third of the national carrier's annual fuel demand, state-run newspapers said on Friday. ATR is a joint venture of Europe's EADS and Italian group Finmeccanica . Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC