FAA wants to restore Chicago air traffic site by mid-October
The Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, said on Sunday that it has set a target of October 13 to restore to service a Chicago-area air traffic control site.
The ATCC was set on fire by a field technician, as delays and cancellations continued at Chicago airports.
Air traffic controllers managed about 60 percent of typical traffic on Sunday at O'Hare International Airport and over 75 percent at Chicago Midway International Airport, the FAA said.
More than 600 flights were canceled at O'Hare and Midway on Sunday, and delays were about 30 minutes, the city's aviation department said.
The fire forced the evacuation of the FAA control center in Aurora, Illinois. It has severely affected the air traffic, with an estimated 2,100 flights canceled at major airports across the country on Friday.
Another 1,100 flights were canceled Saturday.
FAA is on site working 24/7 to install new equipment and restore service to full capacity as quickly as possible.
O'Hare, one of the world's busiest airports, is the largest hub of United Airlines and a major hub for American Airlines. The airport averaged about 2,700 flights a day in August with a daily average of about 220,000 passengers in the month, according to its website.
The FAA said that air traffic controllers who normally work at the Aurora facility are now working at other surrounding FAA facilities to help maximize traffic flow in and out of Chicago-area airports while repairs are being made.
The FAA said on Saturday that it had decided to completely replace the central communications network in a different part of the same building to restore the system as quickly as possible.
The first shipment of replacement equipment is scheduled to arrive late on Sunday night, and teams will be working around the clock to install it, the FAA said.
Source: Reuters
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Airbus A350 wins European safety approval
Europe's aviation regulator EASA, said on Tuesday it had awarded safety approval for the Airbus A350, said Reuters. This is an important step in completing the regulatory steps needed for the jet to start flying passengers.
The European Aviation Safety Agency said Airbus, had demonstrated the airworthiness of its first light-weight, mainly carbon-fibre jet during over a year of flight trials.
The version off the jet certified by EASA on Tuesday, the A350-900, is designed to seat 314 passengers. It is due to enter service with Qatar Airways before the end of the year in direct competition with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.
A larger model, the 350-seat A350-1000, which targets the 'mini-jumbo' market occupied by the Boeing 777, is due to enter service in 2017 after a separate safety certification process.
Source: Reuters
The European Aviation Safety Agency said Airbus, had demonstrated the airworthiness of its first light-weight, mainly carbon-fibre jet during over a year of flight trials.
The version off the jet certified by EASA on Tuesday, the A350-900, is designed to seat 314 passengers. It is due to enter service with Qatar Airways before the end of the year in direct competition with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.
A larger model, the 350-seat A350-1000, which targets the 'mini-jumbo' market occupied by the Boeing 777, is due to enter service in 2017 after a separate safety certification process.
Source: Reuters
Sunday, September 28, 2014
First flight of Airbus A320 neo
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| The A320neo is airborn for the first time 2014.09.25. Photo: Airbus. |
Portable Electronic Devices (PED) on board
Portable Electronic Devices (PED) is now allowed on board on European Flights.
Portable Electronic Devices (PED) include any kind of electronic device brought on board the aircraft by a passenger such as a tablet, a laptop, a smartphone, an e-reader or a MP3 player.
From the 26 September 2014 EASA has made it possible for airlines to allow passengers to use their PEDs throughout the flight, regardless of whether the device is transmitting or not, i.e. in ‘aeroplane mode’ or not.
It is now up to each airline to allow the use of PEDs or not.
In order to do this, the airlines will have to go through an assessment process, ensuring that the aircrafts are not affected in any way by the transmission of signals from the PEDs.
For safety reasons, EASA describes certain conditions for using such devices on board aircraft operated by European airlines. Based on these conditions, airlines may describe when PEDs can be used. In other words, airlines may be more restrictive than the EASA provisions are.
Because it is a decision of each airline, you may experience differences among airlines whether and when PEDs can be used. In addition, you may experience differences within one airline depending on the type of aircraft you are flying on.
As a passenger you should be aware of the following:
1. If you are unsure on the use of PEDs, you may check the airline’s website prior to the flight.
2. Please remeber that the safety briefing provided by the airline crew is for your benefit. Please pay attention and listen carefully.
3. Airline crew may request at any time to switch-off all PEDs and to stow them.
4. Passengers must follow the instructions given by the airline crew as safety is the responsibility of everyone on board the aircraft. Safety is everyone’s priority.
Source: EASA
Portable Electronic Devices (PED) include any kind of electronic device brought on board the aircraft by a passenger such as a tablet, a laptop, a smartphone, an e-reader or a MP3 player.
From the 26 September 2014 EASA has made it possible for airlines to allow passengers to use their PEDs throughout the flight, regardless of whether the device is transmitting or not, i.e. in ‘aeroplane mode’ or not.
It is now up to each airline to allow the use of PEDs or not.
In order to do this, the airlines will have to go through an assessment process, ensuring that the aircrafts are not affected in any way by the transmission of signals from the PEDs.
For safety reasons, EASA describes certain conditions for using such devices on board aircraft operated by European airlines. Based on these conditions, airlines may describe when PEDs can be used. In other words, airlines may be more restrictive than the EASA provisions are.
Because it is a decision of each airline, you may experience differences among airlines whether and when PEDs can be used. In addition, you may experience differences within one airline depending on the type of aircraft you are flying on.
As a passenger you should be aware of the following:
1. If you are unsure on the use of PEDs, you may check the airline’s website prior to the flight.
2. Please remeber that the safety briefing provided by the airline crew is for your benefit. Please pay attention and listen carefully.
3. Airline crew may request at any time to switch-off all PEDs and to stow them.
4. Passengers must follow the instructions given by the airline crew as safety is the responsibility of everyone on board the aircraft. Safety is everyone’s priority.
Source: EASA
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Least expensive flights in India
GoEuro (www.goeuro.com), the online platform that compares and combine trips by train, bus and plane throughout Europe, has released its worldwide Transportation Price Index based on the train, bus and flight information for 51 countries across five continents.
The U.S. came in as the 22nd least expensive out of 51 countries ranked in the Global Transportation Price Index.
Taking into account factors including distance, scheduling and taxes, GoEuro compared the cheapest bus, train and flight connections between the two most populous cities in each of the countries, among other routes, and analyzed the data in the price index.
Countries were then rated according to average price per 100km for each type of transportation.
On average, in the U.S., flights costs $ 10.36 / 100km.
The most expensive country for transport overall is Switzerland, where flights cost $125.07/100km.
The cheapest country for transport overall is South Africa, where flights cost just $11.63/100km.
India came in as the 14th least expensive out of 51 countries ranked in the Global Transportation Price Index.
Finland tops the list with the most expensive flights with 107 Euro / 100 km.
India is the least expensive nation to fly in with an average cost of 8 Euro / 100 km.
On average, in India, flights cost $ 10.20 / 100km.
The cheapest country for transport overall is South Africa, where flights cost just $ 11.46 / 100km.
The cheapest countries for air travel are India ($ 10.20 / 10 0km), Malaysia ($ 11.26 / 100 km) and South Africa ($ 11.46 / 100 km), whilst the most expensive are Finland ($ 136.83 / 100 km), Switzerland ($ 123.20 / 100 km) and Lithuania ($ 114.99 / 100 km).
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Air India New Star Alliance Member
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| Photo: Air India |
This makes connecting to, from and across India easier. Anyone who does business in India will appreciate that it is never done in one place.
A morning in Delhi airport illustrates flying is simply part of the daily commute.
With Air India being a member of Star Alliance, you can fly into one of the 12 international airports and connect to over 60 other destinations across India, making it easier for you to reach every business centre.
The biggest airport hub where Star Alliance connects nationally and internationally, is the brand new Terminal 2 in Mumbai.
This state-of-the-art airport with 188 check-in counters enables you to travel into and on from India’s financial and economical capital more comfortably.
All Star Alliance flights to Delhi operate via the same place:
Terminal 3, so you don’t have to change to another terminal between flights, which could cut down your connection times.
Star Alliance Member Airlines 2014
Adria Airways JP
Aegean Airlines A3
Air Canada AC
Air China CA
Air India AI
Air New Zealand NZ
ANA NH
Asiana Airlines OZ
Austrian OS
Avianca AV
Brussels Airlines SN
Copa Airlines CM
Croatia Airlines OU
EGYPTAIR MS
Ethiopian Airlines ET
EVA Air BR
LOT Polish Airlines LO
Lufthansa LH
Scandinavian Airlines SK
Shenzhen Airlines ZH
Singapore Airlines SQ
South African Airways SA
SWISS LX
TAP Portugal TP
THAI TG
Turkish Airlines TK
United UA
Source: Star Alliance
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
The top 20 safest Airlines 2014
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| Photo: Air New Zealand |
1. Air New Zealand, index: 0,007
2. Cathay Pacific Airways, 0,008
3. Finnair, 0,010
4. Emirates, 0,010
5. Eva Air, 0,010
6. British Airways, 0,011
7. Tap Portugal, 0,012
8. Etihad Airways, 0,012
9. Air Canada, 0,012
10. Qantas, 0,013
11. Qatar Airways, 0,013
12. All Nippon Airways, 0,015
13. Virgin Atlantic Airways, 0,015
14. Hainan Airlines, 0,015
15. Virgin Australia, 0,015
16. Jetblue Airlines, 0,015
17. KLM, 0,015
18. Lufthansa, 0,016
19. Shenzhen Airlines, 0,018
20. Easyjet, 0,018
Source: JACDEC.
Cathay Pacific Airways best Airline 2014
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| Photo: Cathay Pacific Airways |
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| Photo: Cathay Pacific Airways |
The Skytrax awards are based on a survey of 18.85 million airline passengers from around the world.
Passengers from more than 160 countries participated in the latest survey, which covered 245 airlines worldwide.
Cathay becomes the first airline to win the award four times, having previously taken the title in 2003, 2005 and 2009.
Garuda Indonesia took out the award for the best cabin crew, ahead of Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines.
Singapore Airlines won the award for best first class cabin, Qatar for best business class and Korea's Asiana for best economy class cabin.
Among budget airlines, AirAsia and offshoot AirAsia X took out the top two spots, with Jetstar ranked fourth best.
The awards are not without controversy.
Etihad Airways announced it would withdraw from the awards, citing unhappiness with Skytrax's rating system.
World's top 10 airlines
1. Cathay Pacific Airways
2. Qatar Airways
3. Singapore Airlines
4. Emirates
5. Turkish Airlines
6. ANA All Nippon Airways
7. Garuda Indonesia
8. Asiana Airlines
9. Etihad Airways
10. Lufthansa
Best inflight entertainment
1. Emirates
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Turkish Airlines
4. Qantas
5. Cathay Pacific Airways
6. Virgin Atlantic
7. Qatar Airways
8. Air New Zealand
9. Virgin Australia
10. Etihad Airways
Best cabin crew
1. Garuda Indonesia
2. Cathay Pacific
3. Singapore Airlines
4. Asiana Airlines
5. Malaysia Airlines
6. Qatar Airways
7. EVA Air
8. ANA All Nippon Airways
9. Thai Airways
10. Hainan Airlines
Source: worldairlineawards.com
Friday, August 29, 2014
Volcanic Eruption on Iceland 20140829
The Icelandic Meteorological office issuad a Warning this morning 2014.08.29 that a fissure eruption has started north of Dynjujökull.
Vedurstofa Islands, the Icelandic Meteorological office, also raised the Aviation colour code for the Bardarbunga Volcano from Orange to Red.
The Aviation colour code for the Askja Volcano has also been raised to Yellow.
An eruption started in Holuhraun north of Dyngjujökull at around 00:02. Seismic tremor was observed on all seismic stations and the web camera installed in the area by Mila has showed pictures of the eruption. It is a small fissure eruption and at 02:40 AM the activity appears to have decreased.
Soure: Icelandic Meteorological office
Vedurstofa Islands, the Icelandic Meteorological office, also raised the Aviation colour code for the Bardarbunga Volcano from Orange to Red.
The Aviation colour code for the Askja Volcano has also been raised to Yellow.
An eruption started in Holuhraun north of Dyngjujökull at around 00:02. Seismic tremor was observed on all seismic stations and the web camera installed in the area by Mila has showed pictures of the eruption. It is a small fissure eruption and at 02:40 AM the activity appears to have decreased.
Soure: Icelandic Meteorological office
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