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IATA Press Release: IATA Applauds ICAO Agreement

Montreal – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) applauded the 190 contracting states of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on achieving the first global governmental agreement with aspirational goals to stabilize carbon emissions. The achievement was formalized in a resolution of the 37th ICAO Assembly, which concluded its deliberations in Montreal today.

“Governments have taken an historic decision. For the first time, we have globally agreed aspirational goals to stabilize emissions. No other industry sector has a similar globally agreed framework for managing its response to climate change in a manner that takes into consideration the needs of both developed and developing states. Moreover, it recognizes the need for governments and industry to work together. This is a good first step that prepares the way for future achievements,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

The ICAO Resolution

The ICAO resolution calls for:

  • Improving fuel efficiency by 2% annually to 2050
  • Striving to achieve a collective medium-term aspirational goal of capping aviation’s carbon emissions from 2020
  • A global CO2 standard for aircraft engines with a target date of 2013

The ICAO resolution also calls for the development of a global framework on market based (economic) measures by the 38th Assembly (2013) based on 15 agreed principles. These principles are designed to:

  • Minimize market distortions
  • Safeguard the fair treatment of aviation relative to other sectors
  • Ensure that aviation’s emissions are accounted for only once and
  • Recognize both past and future efforts of carriers

Closing the Gap with Industry

In 2007, IATA announced a vision for aviation to achieve carbon-neutral growth on the way to a carbon-free future with a four-pillar strategy based on technology investments, efficient infrastructure, effective operations and positive economic measures. In 2009, IATA’s membership committed to three goals: a 1.5% average annual improvement in fuel efficiency to 2020, capping net emissions with carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and cutting net emissions in half by 2050 compared to 2005.

The global aviation industry united around this approach, putting aviation at the forefront of industrial sectors responding to climate change. “The four-pillar strategy and targets are not just airline commitments. The entire aviation industry—airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and manufacturers—have made a common commitment that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon commended as a role model for others to follow. Aviation takes its environmental responsibility seriously. With today’s agreement, governments have taken a significant step in support of the industry’s ambitions,” said Bisignani.

Bisignani addressed the gap in the industry’s commitment to a 1.5% average annual improvement in fuel efficiency and the ICAO goal of a 2% annual improvement. “We are confident that achieving a 1.5% average annual improvement in fuel efficiency is possible with efforts of the industry. The 2% ICAO goal means that governments must come to the table with much needed infrastructure improvements such as the Single European Sky or NextGen in the US,” said Bisignani.

Next Steps

The agreement’s principles on market based measures have implications for all governments with, or seeking to implement, environmental schemes or taxes. “In light of this agreement, all states should review any economic measures, planned or implemented, to conform to today’s agreed principles. The only effective long-term solution remains a global approach, which states agreed to work towards under ICAO’s leadership,” said Bisignani.

“We must recognize that a long journey still lies ahead. Industry’s ambitious targets are still ahead of governments. Our commitment to cut emissions in half by 2050 compared to 2005 remains the global benchmark. The entire aviation industry is committed to working under the leadership of ICAO as we move forward to achieve both the aspirations outlined in today’s agreement and the industry’s targets. We will take this strong message to the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change in Cancun later this year,” said Bisignani.

In addition to this global agreement on environment, the ICAO Assembly marked notable progress with a global declaration on security and a milestone agreement on sharing safety information among IATA, ICAO, the EU and the United States. “I congratulate the ICAO leadership for their hard work and leading role within the UN system. President Roberto Kobeh Gonzáles, Secretary General Raymond Benjamin, and Assembly President Harold Demuren have concluded a landmark Assembly with major achievements on the industry’s top priorities of safety, security and environmental leadership.”

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    FAA Issues Final Rule to Improve Helicopter Safety

    The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today issued a final rule that requires helicopter operators, including air ambulances, to have stricter flight rules and procedures, improved communications, training, and additional on-board safety equipment. The rule represents the most significant improvements to helicopter safety in decades and responds to government’s and industry’s concern over continued risk in helicopter operations.

    “This is a landmark rule for helicopter safety,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “These improvements will better prepare pilots and better equip helicopters, ensuring a higher level of safety for passengers and crew.”

    All U.S. helicopter operators, including air ambulances, are required to use stricter flying procedures in bad weather. This will provide a greater margin of safety by reducing the probability of collisions with terrain, obstacles or other aircraft.

    Within 60 days, all operators will be required to use enhanced procedures for flying in challenging weather, at night, and when landing in remote locations. Within three years, helicopter air ambulances must use the latest on-board technology and equipment to avoid terrain and obstacles, and within four years, they must be equipped with flight data monitoring systems.

    “This rule is a significant advancement in helicopter safety,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “This rule will help reduce risk and help pilots make good safety decisions through the use of better training, procedures, and equipment.”

    Under the new rule, all Part 135 helicopter operators are required to:

    • Equip their helicopters with radio altimeters.
    • Have occupants wear life preservers and equip helicopters with a 406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) when a helicopter is operated beyond power-off glide distance from the shore.
    • Use higher weather minimums when identifying an alternate airport in a flight plan.
    • Require that pilots are tested to handle flat-light, whiteout, and brownout conditions and demonstrate competency in recovery from an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions.

    In addition, under the new rule, all air ambulance operators are required to:

    • Equip with Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (HTAWS).
    • Equip with a flight data monitoring system within four years.
    • Establish operations control centers if they are certificate holders with 10 or more helicopter air ambulances.
    • Institute pre-flight risk-analysis programs.
    • Ensure their pilots in command hold an instrument rating.
    • Ensure pilots identify and document the highest obstacle along the planned route before departure.
    • Comply with Visual Flight Rules (VFR) weather minimums, Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at airports/heliports without weather reporting, procedures for VFR approaches, and VFR flight planning.
    • Conduct the flight using Part 135 weather requirements and flight crew time limitation and rest requirements when medical personnel are on board.
    • Conduct safety briefings or training for medical personnel.

    Since August 2004, the FAA has promoted initiatives to reduce risk for helicopter air ambulance operations (See FAA Fact Sheet). While accidents did decline in the years following that effort, 2008 proved to be the deadliest year on record with five accidents that claimed 21 lives. The FAA examined helicopter air ambulance accidents from 1991 through 2010 and determined 62 accidents that claimed 125 lives could have been mitigated by today’s rule. While developing the rule, the FAA considered 20 commercial helicopter accidents from 1991 through 2010 (excluding air ambulances) that resulted in 39 fatalities. From 2011 through 2013, there were seven air ambulance accidents resulting in 19 fatalities and seven commercial helicopter accidents that claimed 20 lives.

    The estimated cost of the final rule in present value for the air ambulance industry is $224 million with a total benefit of $347 million over 10 years. The cost for other commercial operators is $19 million with a total benefit of $83 million over 10 years. There is no cost for any operators to use new Class G airspace weather minimums for visual flying but the benefit is $147 million over 10 years.

    The rule responds to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and National Transportation Safety Board recommendations.

    The final rule is on display at the Federal Register.

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    NASA RESCHEDULES NEWS CONFERENCE ON STARDUST-NEXT COMET FLYBY

    PASADENA, Calif. — NASA has rescheduled the news conference about the Stardust-NExT comet flyby for 12:30 p.m. PST (3:30 p.m. EST) today.

    The briefing will release images and early data from the comet encounter and will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

    The participants are:

    -Ed Weiler, NASA’s associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, Washington
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    -Tim Larson, Stardust-NExT project manager, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
    -Don Brownlee, Stardust-NExT co-investigator, University of Washington, Seattle
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    The news conference was originally scheduled for 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST). The additional time will allow scientists to process and analyze data and images gathered when the spacecraft flew past comet Tempel 1, with closest approach at a distance of 112 miles. The mission team had expected the closest-approach images to be sent first. Instead, the images were downlinked in chronological order, starting with the most distant approach views.

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    Press Release: FAA Proposes $295,750 Civil Penalty Against Skywest Airlines

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    The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $295,750 civil penalty against SkyWest Airlines, Inc. of St. George, Utah, for allegedly violating DOT drug and alcohol testing regulations.

    The FAA alleges SkyWest failed to include more than 150 safety?sensitive employees in its random drug testing pool. Further, SkyWest allegedly failed to receive verified negative drug test results for two other employees before hiring one for, and transferring the other to, safety-sensitive positions.

    The FAA also alleges SkyWest subjected three employees who were not in safety-sensitive positions to post-accident drug tests that are only applicable to safety-sensitive employees, and improperly cancelled a return-to-duty test because it was not directly observed.

    SkyWest is scheduled to have an informal conference with the FAA this month to discuss the matter.

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    Press Release – FAA Announces Over $2.5 Million in Additional Recovery Act Airport Grants

    For Immediate Release
    September 28, 2010

    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that three additional airport projects have been selected for funding, paid for with more than $2.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars that became available because of airport projects that came in under budget nationwide.

    “With these additional Recovery Act dollars, we can provide a bigger boost to economic growth while we modernize more of our nation’s airports,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

    Earlier this month, the FAA announced that five other airport projects would receive $9 million in Recovery Act funding that became available thanks to low bids and under-budget airport projects.

    “We are thrilled that we have been able to stretch Recovery Act dollars to meet the needs of more airports. These projects will improve airport operations and help our airspace system to run more efficiently,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.

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      An ARRA grant for $1.2 million will fund several pavement rehabilitation projects on airport taxiways and aircraft parking aprons.
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      A $379,000 ARRA grant will allow the airport to complete the second phase of its terminal rehabilitation and replace the terminal building roof.

    Under the Recovery Act, more than $1.3 billion has been made available nationwide for both airport improvement projects and air traffic control facility and system upgrades. Because of low construction bids for projects, more Recovery Act dollars were available for additional facilities, equipment and airport projects. These grants have been distributed to airports that serve commercial passengers, cargo and general aviation.

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    FAA Announces Recovery Act Funded Improvements

    Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the completion of the expansion and renovation of the passenger terminal at the Pitt-Greenville Airport in Greenville, N.C. The project was paid for with $7.9 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

    “Investing in projects like this is critically important to helping us compete in the global economy,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These improvements at Pitt-Greenville Airport will result in business and employment opportunities in North Carolina that will strengthen America’s future economic competitiveness.”
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    Press Release-A400M, world’s most advanced airlifter, completes first flight

    11 December 2009The first Airbus Military A400M military airlifter has landed back in Seville, Spain today at 14:02 local time (13:02 UTC) after completing a successful maiden flight lasting 3h 47min following its take-off at 10:15 local time.

    Chief Test Pilot Military, Edward “Ed” Strongman, captained the flight supported by Experimental Test Pilot Ignacio “Nacho” Lombo. The engineering team on board included: Senior Flight Test Engineer Jean-Philippe Cottet who had responsibility for the powerplants; Senior Flight Test Engineer Eric Isorce with responsibility for the aircraft systems and performance; Senior Flight Test Engineer Didier Ronceray with responsibility for the handling qualities of the aircraft; and Test Flight Engineer Gerard Leskerpit.

    The crew confirmed that the aircraft, known as MSN 1 and its four Europrop International TP400D turboprop engines performed as expected.

    Ed Strongman said: “We have had a very successful first flight – the take-off performance was impressive, we explored a lot of the operational flight envelope, and it was a delight to operate in such a well-designed cockpit with its easy interface to all the normal and military systems. I’m sure our customer pilots are really going to like it – we certainly did.”

    Nacho Lombo added: “From the very beginning of the flight we were impressed by the ease of handling of the aircraft which was in line with what we experienced in the simulator. The aircraft, systems and engine performance were highly satisfactory. We sense the great potential of this magnificent machine. It has been an honour for all the crew to fly the A400M on its maiden flight, representing all the people involved in the programme.”

    Chief Executive Officer Airbus Military, Domingo Urena-Raso, said: “I would like to congratulate Ed Strongman, Nacho Lombo and all of the flight-test team for completing the first flight of the A400M with great success. I am also deeply grateful to everyone in the design, manufacturing and early operations of this programme for their enormously hard work and dedication that have made this aircraft a reality. And I want to thank all those people in our industrial partners and suppliers, as well as our customers, who have contributed so much to the definition and creation of an outstanding product.”

    Airbus CEO Tom Enders said: “I hope we can soon provide certainty that we are able to continue the A400M programme. This is expected by those at Airbus, our partners and suppliers worldwide who contributed so strongly to today’s success as well as by the air forces who wait for their plane.”

    For its first flight the aircraft took off at a weight of 127 tonnes, carrying 15 tonnes of test equipment including two tonnes of water ballast, compared with its maximum take-off weight of 141 tonnes. As planned, the six-man crew extensively explored the aircraft’s flight envelope in direct law, including a wide speed-range, and tested lowering and raising of the landing gear and high-lift devices at altitude. After checking the aircraft’s performance in the landing configuration the crew landed back at Seville.

    In the first half of 2010 MSN 1 will be joined by two sister aircraft, MSN 2 and MSN 3, followed by MSN 4 by the end of the year. A fifth aircraft will join the programme during 2011. This fleet will be used for some 3,700 hours of test-flying between now and first delivery to the French Air Force at the end of 2012. This will be followed by additional military development flying. The type will be certificated by both the civil and military authorities.

    A total of 184 aircraft have so far been ordered by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom,

    Airbus Military

    Airbus Military is the only military and civil transport aircraft manufacturer to develop, produce, sell and support a comprehensive family of airlifters ranging from three to 37 tonnes of payload. Within Airbus, Airbus Military is responsible for the A400M programme, as well as for military tanker transport derivatives based on Airbus civil aircraft, with the integration of the state-of-the-art flight-refuelling boom (ARBS) which is unique in its class. With the C-295, CN-235 and C-212, Airbus Military is the global leader in the market segments for light and medium-sized military transport aircraft. Altogether Airbus Military has sold more than 1,000 aircraft with over 650 flying with more than 100 operators worldwide.

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