Groundings of U.S. Commercial Transports Are Rare

G650 switched batteries a year before certification.

The European Commission (EC) in November proposed to temporarily exempt non-European flights from the European Union's Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), but the 27 member states and the European Parliament (EP) must endorse the deal. More worrisome is that many airlines operating to Europe might have misinterpreted the buoyant “stop the clock” message of EU Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard and wrongly believe that they are no longer required to comply with the system at all.

The Indian airline market has great potential and myriad problems

Jim Wurth, a former Eastern Airlines pilot and Pratt & Whitney engineer, became interested in batteries when his MD-500 helicopter would not start after a night out in the cold in New Mexico years ago. He and a friend had camped in a remote area and faced a long walk out even to get cellphone coverage. Fortunately, a warming sun got them on their way that afternoon. But Wurth thought there had to be a better answer for batteries.

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. (SCAC), the designer and manufacturer of Russia's new Superjet 100 regional aircraft, is undergoing a leadership transition following the rocky start of series production.

Boeing is telling its 787 supply chain “ business as usual” even as the aircraft —its highest-profile development effort —is in its third week of being grounded and deliveries have been suspended.

The temporary change of the geographical scope of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) obligation has averted a trade war with key air transport partners such as China, India and the U.S., but airlines now have to amend their verified 2012 emissions plan and separate emissions from intra-European flights operated in 2012 from the flights between Europe and third countries. On the latter, operators do not have to surrender CO2 allowances if they opt to use the one-year derogation.