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Alitalia Signs OnPoint Fuel & Carbon Solutions Agreement

–DUBAI– Alitalia has signed an OnPointSM Fuel & Carbon Solutions agreement with GE Aviation. Using proprietary decision software and fuel-consulting expertise, GE’s Fuel & Carbon Solutions will work with Alitalia to identify and track operational improvements that could reduce the airline’s fuel spend by an average of three percent on given segments.

“Alitalia has a strong focus on the environment and operates very fuel-efficient engines, including the GE90, CF34, CF6 and CFM56* engines,” said John Gough, leader of GE Aviation’s OnPoint Fuel and Carbon Solutions. “GE’s Fuel & Carbon Solutions will help the airline further reduce the amount of fuel that it burns, which will help reduce its emissions and significantly cut operational costs.”

“The continuous search for fuel consumption efficiency is one of the key points of Alitalia’s strategy to offer high-value solutions for shareholders and customers, while at the same time reducing the environmental impact to air transportation,” said Alessandro Loddo, Fuel Manager at Alitalia. “The selection of GE’s OnPoint Fuel and Carbon Solutions reinforces the Alitalia focus on technology innovation and paves the way for a structural enhancement of the company’s operational efficiency.”

Part of GE’s ecomagination portfolio, Fuel & Carbon Solutions deliver results through a three-step process:
1. Operational evaluation: Identify and collect data on the airline’s current fuel and carbon reduction programs, and quantify where the customer is today.
2. Customized solution design: Further analyze data to isolate and prioritize potential improvements.
3. Implementation support and verification: Work with customers to implement changes, and then measure and validate savings.

Fuel typically accounts for about 30 percent of an airline’s expenses. With volatility in fuel prices during the last three years, airlines are looking for ways to manage this major portion of their cost base more effectively. Fuel & Carbon Solutions is one way for GE to work with its customers and develop effective fuel management solutions.

Alitalia is Italy’s biggest airline with flights to 79 destinations – 26 in Italy and 53 international. The airline operates 4,500 flights weekly with a fleet of 149 aircraft.

GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation. For more information on ecomagination, visit http://www.ecomagination.com.

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    Press Release: Boeing Delivers 11th 737-800 Airplane to Air Algerie


    SEATTLE, Sept. 29 — Boeing today delivered to Air Algerie its 11th 737-800.

    Air Algerie, the state-owned flag carrier of Algeria, operates a fleet composed primarily of Boeing 737s and some 767s. Boeing is scheduled to deliver two additional 737-800s in 2010 as well as four more in 2011. Air Algerie will be operating 17 737-800s in 2011 for a total of 22 Next-Generation 737 airplanes to complement its fleet.

    “The Boeing 737-800 has played an instrumental part in contributing to the success of Air Algerie’s growth in the region,” said Abdelwahid Bouabdallah, director general of Air Algerie.

    More than 120 customers around the world have ordered more than 5,000 Next-Generation 737s.

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  • AFA-CWA Files Interference Charges Against Delta Air Lines Management

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) today filed formal interference charges with the National Mediation Board (NMB) against Delta Air Lines management alleging unlawful conduct during the recent flight attendant representation election.

    Delta management compromised the secrecy of the ballot by urging flight attendants to vote on company-controlled work computers that could track whether they clicked on the NMB’s internet voting site. In addition, hundreds of Delta/Northwest flight attendants have reported coercive and unfair methods used by management to influence the results of the recent union election.

    Feedback includes reports of the company’s anti-AFA literature, excessive supervisor surveillance and meddling, and repeated supervisor phone calls to flight attendant homes telling them to vote.
    “Delta and Northwest flight attendants deserve the opportunity to freely participate in an election without being intimidated by management and heavy-handed efforts to keep them from gaining a voice,” said Patricia Friend, AFA-CWA International President. “Delta management launched the largest anti-union campaign in history and spared no expense in attempting to destroy the collective bargaining rights that Northwest flight attendants have worked to maintain for over 60 years. We now call on the NMB to conduct an exhaustive investigation of these charges and hold Delta executives accountable for their actions.”

    If the NMB finds sufficient evidence that election interference occurred, it can order a new election that will allow flight attendants to decide representation in a free and fair manner. On November 3, the NMB counted 9,216 votes in favor of union representation for Delta flight attendants and 9,544 votes against.

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    FAA PR: Climbing Into Thin Air

    July 21–How does an airport suddenly go from being 2,000 feet to more than a mile high? Barring a “Hollywood-style” seismic event at your airport, the answer is density altitude; in other words, how high an aircraft “thinks” it is. When density altitude is high as a result of temperatures above standard at a given altitude, the air is less dense than normal. This means an aircraft will perform as if at a higher altitude with degraded climb performance and acceleration; two pretty important factors on a hot, humid day with a short runway and 50-foot pine trees looming at the end.

    The article “Climbing into Thin Air,” featured in the July/August issue of FAA Safety Briefing, offers more information on this “hot” topic.

    “Density altitude is not just a concern for flying in the mountains,” says FAA’s Bryan Neville. “Hot temperatures can have an affect at any altitude.” Neville, a former adjunct aviation professor and flight instructor with experience at both high- and low-elevation airports, suggests becoming familiar with the weight-and-balance and the performance and limitations sections of your pilot’s operating handbook (POH) or airplane flight manual.

    One the ways to keep your cool aloft on those hot summer days is to avoid takeoffs and landings at midday when temperatures are usually at their highest. Instead, take advantage of cooler mornings or evenings when the performance-robbing effects of high density altitude are not as pronounced.

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    IATA Press Release Talks about African Safety


    The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on public and private stakeholders to work together to address critical priorities to enable aviation to do more to drive economic growth in Africa.

    “Aviation supports 6.7 million jobs and some $68 billion of economic activity in Africa. Those numbers are impressive but I am convinced aviation has an even bigger role to play in providing the connectivity that drives economic growth and development,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

    Speaking at Aviation Day Africa, Tyler said that, “Africa is poised for rapid development and great changes. Half of the top 20 fastest growing economies over the next five years are expected to be on this continent. Aviation’s part in driving growth and development will become even more prominent.”

    In order for this to occur, however, Africa must address major challenges in safety, infrastructure, and liberalization.

    Safety:
    “Safety is our top priority. And Africa’s performance is well below what we are achieving globally,” said Tyler. In 2012 African airlines had one accident (with a Western-built jet aircraft) for every 270,000 flights. Globally, the industry average was 1 accident for every 5 million flights. However, no IATA member experienced a Western-built jet hull loss accident last year and that includes the 25 member airlines based in Africa. Likewise, none of the 384 airlines on the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry had a hull loss with a Western-built jet—also including those carriers based in Africa. “It is clear that IOSA is making a difference—not just in Africa, but in safety globally,” said Tyler.

    The Abuja Declaration, which was endorsed by the African Union Summit this year, sets out a comprehensive approach to reaching world-class safety levels by 2015. Completion of IOSA by all African carriers is a condition of the Declaration and Tyler urged African governments to make IOSA mandatory for airlines. IATA is sponsoring 10 airlines with in-house training to achieve IOSA registration.

    In addition to IOSA participation, the Abuja Declaration calls for:

    • The establishment of independent and sufficiently funded civil aviation authorities
    • Implementation of effective and transparent safety oversight systems by all African states
    • Implementation of accident prevention measures focused on runway safety and loss of control
    • Implementation of flight data analysis
    • And implementation of safety management systems by all service providers

    “Meeting the Abuja Declaration’s commitments will require a major effort across the continent. We have a lot of ground to cover and we cannot lose momentum. IATA is a committed partner and we must work together as a team of stakeholders to deliver world class safety to Africa,” said Tyler.

    Infrastructure

    “Infrastructure is also a major challenge. Some of the challenges are physical—infrastructure in many parts of Africa needs to improve,” said Tyler. Several infrastructure projects are ongoing in the region—upgrades at Lagos Airport, Performance-Based Navigation investments for Nigerian air traffic management and ambitious airport infrastructure re-development in Ghana.

    Nonetheless, there are some infrastructure challenges including the reliability of fuel supply in Lagos. “We must find a sustainable long-term solution. The vandalized pipeline is no longer in use. And trucking fuel from Apapa terminal through dense traffic is inefficient and costly. The same can be said of building extra capacity to store fuel on site. Without minimizing the challenges involved, providing security on a few kilometers of pipeline is not an impossible task. We are working with the oil industry to find a solution. And we will be seeking the government’s political will to help us make it happen. Ensuring fuel reliability is critical to Lagos’s future as a hub for connectivity across South-West Africa.,” said Tyler.

    Infrastructure costs and charging policy are also hindering African connectivity. “Just as with safety, global standards exist to provide guidance on charges, as developed and recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization. These include cost-relatedness, non-discrimination and transparency. It is also recommended that charges be developed in consultation with users. And there should be no pre-financing,“ said Tyler.

    “Governments must also recognize that every dollar counts. If we average the entire industry’s profits for 2012, airlines retained about $2.50 for every passenger. And African airlines have been basically hovering around break-even for a decade or more. Without sustainable income, airlines cannot expand to meet rising demand and in fact, they may have to reduce services,” said Tyler.

    Liberalization
    “Africa’s economic development needs aviation connectivity. And for that to further develop, airlines need to be able to access markets. Ironically, connectivity from Africa to other continents is more developed than connectivity within the continent. From Lagos there are daily flights to Atlanta but not to Dakar or Abidjan—and Lagos is one of the better connected cities in Africa. Africa has a visionary framework for growing connectivity across the continent in the now epic story of the Yamoussoukro Declaration which started in 1988. There has been some progress. But it is far from being transformational. It is interesting to see that African governments find it somehow easier to expand bilateral arrangements with long-haul trading partners than within the region,” said Tyler.

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    FAA Solicits Bids for NextGen Contracts Worth $7 Billion

    The FAA is soliciting bids from companies interested in competing for NextGen support contracts with an approximate combined value of $7 billion, the largest award in the agency’s history. Under the umbrella awards, called System Engineering 2020 (SE2020), the FAA will award as many as five separate contracts for research and development and systems engineering work that will help the agency deliver NextGen.

    The SE2020 contracts will be awarded to teams of companies, up to three of which will perform research and development work and two of which will perform systems engineering work. This work will complement and enhance major NextGen initiatives already under way, such as Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast, System Wide Information Management and Data Communications. Contract teams will focus on a series of operational capabilities, including Trajectory Based Operations, Collaborative Air Traffic Management and Reduced Weather Impact. The goal is to achieve early NextGen successes to improve safety and bring greater efficiencies to the nation’s airspace system.

    The team concept is designed to create competitive synergy within each group, driving innovation so that each team comes up with the best possible product. The FAA also structured the contracts, using market survey data, to encourage bids from teams that will include small companies as prime contractors as well as subcontractors. The agency is looking for the best and the brightest, regardless of size.

    Five-year contracts will be awarded next summer, with subsequent three- and two-year options

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  • Mexican Interjet to Install Mechtronix A320 Level D Simulator

    Fast Expanding Airlines Continue to Adopt Mechtronix Train@Home Business Model

    MONTREAL, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Mechtronix Systems Inc., an MWC company, a world leading manufacturer of Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTD), today announced that Mexican Interjet is opening a brand new training facility in Toluca, equipped with an A320 FFS X™ to train their pilots at their operations base. This will be Interjet’s first FFS and the first A320 full motion simulator to be installed in Mexico in twelve years. Interjet’s pilots will have unlimited access to the device at their home base of operation in Toluca; optimizing crew coverage while lowering training costs by reducing time off the line and travel expenses. The state-of-the-art unit provides an easier access to training and enables Interjet to perform 100% of initial and recurrent training at their base of operations. It will be evaluated by the Mexican Aviation Authorities, Direccion General de Aviacion Civil, following FAA 14 CFR Part 60 standard for Level D.

    “Our current A320 fleet of 22 plus the 12 to come justify having our own training center. Now we can cut drastically our crews training costs and enhance productivity. Other A320 operators in the region can also benefit from our state-of-the art facility and Toluca’s convenient location. We selected Mechtronix after a careful examination of FSTD manufacturers. We’re delighted with their professionalism, product quality and technical skills demonstrated throughout the different stages of the project and today,” said Jose Luis Garza, Interjet CEO.

    “We are thankful for the trust granted to Mechtronix by the very senior management of Interjet; and installing an A320 FFS X™ in Mexico is another achievement from Mechtronix as it adds up to our Airbus references worldwide and strengthens our presence in this dynamic part of the world,” explained Mechtronix President Xavier Herve. “Our Train@Home business model allows growing airlines’ pilots to train at operations home base in ground-breaking simulation technology at a reasonable cost. Interjet’s fast growing fleet of 22 A320 aircraft justified the investment in a Level D FFS and with such innovative equipment, Interjet will offer top-quality A320 flight training, thus contributing to the further raising of training standards in Mexico. It was a real pleasure working together on this project and we trust Interjet will be highly satisfied with their new simulator.”

    The A320 FFS X™, a highly cost-effective and easy-to-operate platform, enables the airline to save time and money. Built to Airbus standard 1.6, the A320 unit offers the highest Level D fidelity together with an electric motion system and a collimated visual system that comes with a library of specifically customized airports including Mexican cities to which the airline provides service — Mexico, Toluca, Monterrey, among others.

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