Airports Council International (ACI) reports that from a global viewpoint, China, India and Brazil are leading a gradual recovery of domestic passenger traffic, while Europe and North America show promise for moderate gains domestically. International traffic, however, is likely to be dominated by the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. In addition, freight traffic this year is projected to increase with hubs such as Anchorage, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Dubai, Hong Kong, Incheon, South Korea, and Memphis, Tenn., leading the way.
Colombian carrier Avianca and Central American airline group TACA have been granted regulatory approvals to proceed with a planned merger. The two operators would remain separate entities but are now owned by Bahamas-based Avianca-TACA—a holding company 67% owned by Avianca’s parent, Synergy Aerospace. The remaining 33% is held by Kingsland Holding, TACA’s owner. The Central American airline’s chairman and CEO, Roberto Kriete, has been named the company’s president, while Avianca’s CEO will continue in the same role at the new entity.
Northrop Grumman is now a full member of the Niteworks Partnership, a U.K. Defense Ministry/industry initiative to provide decision support, ranging from in-depth experimentation to rapid consultation and analysis. Niteworks was established in 2003 to aid in implementing the Network Enabled Capability, but has morphed into a more flexible decision support body , examining defense options that include current operational issues and acquisition planning.
The competitive landscape in the 70-240-seat aircraft market is poised to shift as Airbus, Boeing and Embraer update their product strategies in the coming 12 months. The stakes are high not just for the manufacturers, but also for the engine makers vying for aircraft positions.
Astra/Eutelsat joint venture Solaris Mobile has signed up Europcar to demonstrate hybrid mobile satellite service offerings for automobile s. The demonstration will involve a small selection of rental cars in the Paris area, where Solar recently began trials . Cars will be equipped with TV and radio receivers, either purpose-mounted or embedded in cars’ multimedia systems. The demonstrations use an S-band payload on Eutelsat’s W2A, which was launched last year, and a terrestrial network provided by TowerCast and AlcatelLucent.
With nearly $12.5 billion in the proposed U.S. Navy and Army rotorcraft budget for Fiscal 2011, it would seem the services are flush with funding. And yet there is an eerie theme common to the programs receiving dollars: None of them is new.
South Africa could buy up to a dozen tactical airlifters to replace capabilities presently met by the obsolete C-47 and a handful of C-130s. The EADS CASA C-295 and Alenia Aeronautica C-27J are the two main candidate platforms to meet what is sometimes called Project Saucepan. The South African Air Force’s (SAAF) C-130s are expected to be withdrawn from service in 2013, and one option Pretoria has been exploring is a Foreign Military Sales purchase of nine C-27Js from the U.S.
Amy Butler (Washington), Michael Bruno (Washington)
The Obama administration’s proposed 2011 spending plan includes some changes to major missile defense and space programs that emphasize a focus on space situational awareness and ballistic missile tracking capabilities. The proposal also underpins the aging nuclear weapons infrastructure, while adhering to the aim of eventually scrapping nuclear forces altogether and securing so-called nuclear loose material worldwide.
The U.S. and Israel have started development of an upper-stage component to Israel’s Arrow-3 missile defense architecture. Arieh Herzog, director of Israel’s missile defense program, says the main element will be a highly maneuverable exoatmospheric interceptor that zeros in on an incoming missile. The decision to add the component, which will be jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing, stems from a study conducted in 2006‑07 that identified a need for it in Israel’s ballistic missile defense system.
Missile Defense Agency Executive Director David Altwegg used the MDA’s Fiscal 2011 budget request briefing to scold its contractors for poor performance. “We continue to be disappointed in the quality that we are receiving from our prime contractors and their subs—very, very disappointed [with] quality-design issues, but [also] in quality of products delivered, which then results in rework,” Altwegg said. One example was a C-17-launched target made by Coleman Aerospace for a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense intercept test in December.
The Russian government will go ahead with a plan to significantly expand Aeroflot by merging six smaller airlines with the flag carrier. The decision—which quashes an alternate proposal to combine the smaller operators into a second major airline under state control—will double the flag carrier’s traffic and give it hubs in northwest and central Russia and the Russian Far East.
Finmeccanica will furlough 1,500 workers due to a production slowdown. The slowdown mainly affects the company’s aeronautical activity, but defense electronics and space businesses also have been impacted. Worst hit is Alenia Aeronautica, which will furlough 1,050 people.
Israel Aerospace Industries has unveiled design changes to its Birdeye flying wing unmanned aircraft. The Birdeye 650 supersedes the 450 , by adding batteries to extend mission endurance of the electric-powered unmanned aircraft to 180 min.; the earlier model could fly for only 1 hr. The wingspan has been retained at more than 3 meters (10 ft.), as has payload capability at 1.2 kg. (2.6 lb.) , but the vehicle weight has doubled to 11 kg. owing to the increased number of batteries. Mission radius of the Birdeye 650 is 20 km. (12.5 mi.).
The U.K.’s military faces fundamental upheaval, while London needs to forge better partnerships with its key allies—Washington and likely Paris—to eke the best out of defense expenditures.
Europe and the U.S. will proceed with development of the Jason-3 ocean altimetry satellite, following approval of a Eumetsat plan to increase its contribution for this transatlantic mission. The Eumetsat council had accepted the move in December, but the decision was dependent on approval of funding by its member states. More than 80% of Eumetsat members—19 nations, including the five biggest—agreed to support the Eumetsat contribution, which amounts to €63.6 million .
China’s Avicopter appears to be pushing forward with its plan to drop the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engine from the Z-15, the Chinese version of the EC175 built in cooperation with Eurocopter. Turbomeca has long been considered the front-runner to power the Z-15 long-term, and Eurocopter President Lutz Bertling says partner Avicopter has now decided to use a yet-to-be-built turboshaft from the French helicopter engine maker. A Pratt official says the company has not been formally notified of the change.capability at 1.2 kg.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) plans to award Inmarsat a contract to develop a space-based terminal to provide persistent broadband data communications between satellites in low Earth orbit and the ground. Inmarsat will modify the airborne terminal for its Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service and integrate the resulting space-based terminal with Darpa’s System F6 fractionated-satellite demonstration cluster, whjich is scheduled for launch in 2012. Equipping low-Earth-orbit satellites to communicate with the ground via the 492 kbit./sec.
Managers and engineers at NASA are scrambling to put some meat on the bones of the dramatic policy shift proposed by President Barack Obama in his Fiscal 2011 budget request, working with limited guidance to cancel the Constellation Program of human space-exploration vehicles and begin finding a private route to space. The closely held policy change left even the most senior agency managers at a loss for words as reporters questioned them about details .
Cessna Aircraft rolled out the 300th Citation Mustang last week at its assembly facility in Independence, Kan.; the first was delivered in 2007. The $3-million aircraft is to be delivered later this year to a retail customer in Australia.
The Pentagon’s Quadrennial Defense Review, a sweeping study of missions with recommendations on the types of forces required, outlines a new mission for the Defense Dept.: “ Enhance domestic capabilities to counter improvised explosive devices [IEDs].” This raises a number of questions about how to employ anti-IED technologies in U.S. cities without interfering with civil devices, like mobile phones, and whether the military should play a direct role. And, it appears the Pentagon is not eager to draw attention to the thorny subject.
Singapore’s biennial air show last week reflected cautious times. If visitors needed reminding of the global recession , there were numerous references to some basic facts, such as the International Air Transport Assn.’s expectation that airlines will lose a total of $5.6 billion this year. Still, from manufacturers to maintenance shops, there is a consensus that a turnaround should be underway by mid-year. As long as the price of oil goes no higher than $80 per barrel, the belief is that airlines will be able to handle the situation.
Airbus has secured an agreement with Hong Kong Airlines for an eventual order of six A330-200s. Airbus says that once the airline converts the memorandum of understanding to a firm order, it will bring the carrier’s total A330 order count to 23 .
The market for light jet business aviation in Europe could undergo significant changes this year as operators cope with overall strained economic realities, including strong competition for a still-weak demand. Last year was expected to be a break-out one for air taxi operations in Europe; instead, it was fraught with diminished expectations, and there is little indication 2010 will be much better .
Airbus says it hopes to secure 10 additional A380 orders this year, up from four in 2009. However, the airframer’s chief operating officer for customers, John Leahy, suggests larger orders will not be placed until the market rebounds more fully and airlines are in a stronger financial position. The A380 demand this year is expected to be mainly in Asia.
