SIA expected to weather aviation industry challenges in 2014

Asia Pacific airlines are expected to post a profit of US$4.1 billion in 2014, and according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a slight reduction in jet fuel prices is a major driver of the improved outlook.

IATA said Asia Pacific airlines are expected to post a US$3.2 billion profit in 2013, which will be a third consecutive year of declining profits.

Still, when the US Federal Reserve tapering eventually happens, experts said it will likely affect liquidity in aviation circles in 2014.

However, they said Singapore Airlines (SIA), with its strong cashflow, should come out relatively unscathed.

SIA may have reported better operating profits this year in its fiscal second quarter in the financial year of 2013/2014, but with the encroachment of low-cost operators in the region and other competitors, it is expecting increased pressure on yields from more aggressive promotional activities.

In FY2013/2014, SIA reported a second-quarter (July to September) operating profit of S$97 million (US$78 million), up 15 per cent from S$84 million year-on-year.

But the Singapore national flag carrier is fighting back.

Its associate, Tigerair (in which SIA owns a 30 per cent stake), has announced a joint venture with Taiwan-based China Airlines.

And its mid-to-long-haul budget carrier Scoot said it will be setting up a new airline with Thailand's Nok Air. The Nok Air-Scoot venture has a registered capital of S$85 million.

Ellis Taylor, a reporter at Flightglobal, said: “Part of SIA's problem in the past is that they didn't want to embrace the low-cost phenomenon, and to his credit, Goh Choon Phong (SIA’s chief executive officer) has been very strong in pushing that agenda.

“They've managed to weather the storm quite well, so for them it's not a huge amount, they've got bigger amounts going into the Tata-SIA joint venture and SIA has the ability to draw on multiple funding sources so it won’t affect them too much."

In November, legacy carriers SIA and Garuda both upped their baggage allowance by 10kg across all classes.

Qantas upped theirs from 23kg to 30kg in March and Malaysia Airlines (MAS) did the same in July 2013.

Indeed, all eyes will also be on SIA's upcoming venture with the Tata group in India.

Paul Ng, global head of aviation at Stephenson Harwood, said: “ India has strict rules for all carriers in India -- to have at least had five years of domestic service before they're allowed to do long-haul or overseas business.

“So it will be interesting to see how Tata organises its business in terms of domestic market both with the Singapore Airlines joint venture and the AirAsia joint venture. "

Besides budget carriers and regional competitors, SIA has the Gulf players to contend with.

Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor at Flightglobal, said: “The Middle East carriers are arguably the most powerful force in the airline world today. They have a great deal of influence of design in the aircraft like the 777x, which was launched at the Dubai airshow, as well as the massive orders.

"These carriers will continue to put immense pressure on Asian carriers. The simple fact is that in the Middle East, you can connect so many points through one point in the Middle East with one stop, (which) makes them extremely challenging for other people to compete with. "

The Gulf carriers are flushed with cash -- something not all Asian carriers can boast of.

Despite a softer market in Europe and the US, analysts said SIA should be in a better position to weather the challenges confronting the aviation industry in the coming months.

The airline has taken steps to control its costs, including pilot redundancies, the divestment of the very expensive A340 aircraft and the cancellation of unprofitable business routes to Los Angeles.

Analysts said they expect to see more independent leasing companies helping to fund aircraft for second and third-tier carriers within Southeast Asia in 2014.

Shukor Yusof, an analyst at Standard & Poor's Capital IQ, said: “We think we will see more of that in 2014, as well as new forms of instruments, perhaps securitisation, perhaps more bond issues to fund this aircraft acquisition, more Islamic financing because of the potential rise in interest rates that we could expect to see in the first half of next year, so that's going to alter the profile of many airlines in the region who are typically short of cash.”

Players in Thailand's aviation market, however, seem undeterred with the likes of low-cost carriers like Thai Lion Air and Thai VietJet Air purchasing new planes and launching new routes from Bangkok‘s Don Mueang international airport into the region and beyond.

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China's Zhejiang Loong Airlines confirms order of 20 A320s

China's Zhejiang Loong Airlines has ordered 20 Airbus planes of the A320 series, firming up a deal made in September, Airbus announced in a statement Sunday.

The carrier which is based in Hangzhou, east China, had been given the green light for the transport of passengers when it signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus at the 15th Aviation Expo China 2013 in Beijing.

Zhejiang Loong Airlines's order concerns 11 A320ceo and nine A320neo.

Zhejiang Loong Airlines "made its first commercial flight with a leased A320, thereby becoming a new Airbus user", the aircraft manufacturer said.

The carrier is "determined to contribute to the economic and social development of Zhejiang province offering efficient transport services," Airbus quoted company chief Liu Qihong as saying.

The airline plans to offer services within a range of four hours around Hangzhou.

Airbus markets the A320 family, a single-aisle jetliner (composed of the A318, A319, A320 and A321) as "the world's most eco-efficient single-aisle product line".

The manufacturer says it had 2,523 firm orders of the aircraft at the end of November.

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Week 39: PPL Flight School Week 8

Tuesday
Flight was scheduled at 1100hrs, I was the first student in the house to fly circuits and so didn't have any advice or pointers from anyone. Kind of worried about the workload that I'll be subjected to during a circuit. Tried my best in preparing for it by studying the various steps and stages plus some mental flying.

When I went to my instructor for flight brief, he gave me a marker and asked me to show him on the board everything that I know about flying circuits. Thank god I did my studying and didn't report for flight with poor knowledge. He seemed satisfied with whatever I've drawn out, and out we went for circuits flying.

The first round was flown by the instructor, demonstrating everything to me in detail. I had to absorb and learn very fast. With so much to monitor and control, it is by no means easy. I'll run through step by step what was shown to me, from the beginning till the end of one circuit.

1. Full throttle, rudder right to keep on centre line. Rotate at 55kt.
2. Keep horizon just below the dashboard after lifting off, maintaining climbing speeds at 74-80kt.
3. While climbing in up-wind leg, retract flaps when 200ft above ground level after checking Temperatures and Pressures of engine are good, and there is a positive rate of climb. Trim wheel twice.
4. Maintaining speed, attitude and heading while climbing, look out for traffic at 500ft above ground before making a 15-20degrees climbing turn into cross-wind leg. If there is traffic, continue climbing in up-wind and follow behind the traffic
5. Continue climbing in cross-wind leg and level out at 1000ft above ground level. Set Straight&Level attitude, pull back power to 2300rpm and trim wheel.
6. 45degrees to runway threshold, make down-wind leg radio call and make a 30degrees right hand turn while maintaining altitude, taking note on which heading to level out.
7. Make pre-landing checks in down-wind leg, maintain height and heading. Take a breather. 
8. 45degrees to runway threshold, make base leg radio call, throttle down to 1700rpm, hold the altitude and make a 30degrees right hand turn into base leg while maintain height with a lot of back pressure, losing a huge amount of airspeed, taking note on which heading to level out.
9. With airspeed decreasing, check that it is below 85kt before extending 20degrees of flaps, then start descend with correct attitude.
10. Continue descend at base leg with speed of 75kt, maintaining heading and checking on runway position to prepare for final approach turn.
11. Make a 30degrees right hand descending turn into final leg when wing roughly "touches" runway from sight.
12. Control throttle, heading and attitude in final leg, aiming for third dash line on runway, aligning it with top of dashboard compass. Keep eyes outside of cockpit and on the runway to adjust throttle accordingly. Set flaps to full.
13. Once aircraft reaches close to housing height above runway, idle throttle and start pulling back as aircraft sinks, landing with main wheels first before slowly lowering nose to land the front wheel.
14. Once fully landed, set flaps to 10degrees, full throttle and take off again to continue circuit.

SO MANY things to do right? It really takes a lot of focus to fly circuits properly and safely. It takes quite a bit of skill to do it perfectly too. My trouble this time was with the climbing as I had to look out for traffic, turn, check heading and maintain attitude all at the same time. It can get quite overwhelming. Then at the descending, I always couldn't seem to extend flaps early enough as my airspeed is still too high. The high airspeed was due to me failing to pull back hard enough, causing the plane to nose-down and gaining speed.

The final approach was rough, winds and turbulence blowing me everywhere, throwing my direction into disarray. I had to constantly make minute adjustments to everything in order to aim for the correct point on the runway. My landings were assisted by my instructor but they were not beautiful at all. Bumping around on the tarmac before all three wheels were landed.

The good thing about circuit flying is the number of chances to correct whatever mistakes you've committed in the previous rounds of circuit. Round after round, I got more used to it and was also able to handle it more comfortably. My take-offs were getting better too after many touch-and-go but my landings weren't up to standard yet from the way I looked.

Funny moments in flight when I went "woahhhhh" whenever being hit by turbulence or gust which threw my wings off-level. The instructor said "Don't woahhhh, correct it. I'm gonna call you Mr Sound Effects. Your woahhh is making me uneasy". HAHA!! From then on, I curbed all that sound effects.

Lesson ended after about 6 rounds of circuit. Instructor was actually quite happy with my first circuit, complimented that I should be proud of myself for the performance I've displayed. Wow, that was really great encouragement. Nevertheless, still a lot of mistakes to rectify and many aspects of my flying to perfect.

Thursday
Back to flying on Boxing Day after a boring Christmas Day which went just like any other ordinary day. Flight was in the early morning of 1030hrs. Cloud base seemed a little low with cumulus clouds prowling near the circuit skies, but my "new" instructor wasn't very bothered by it, so up we went for my second circuit training.

Once again, different instructor, different standards. Therefore, I had to adjust my flying style as compared to my first circuit flying to fit into his standards. Took me about two rounds of circuit to fit into his taste of flying. This sortie was about the same as the previous one, but with more workload and less guidance, unless I commit mistakes. I was making almost all the radio calls, checking all the traffic, and almost landing.

The feeling for this sortie wasn't as good as the previous one though. This time round it's a left hand circuit. Turbulent and gusty as always, I was drifting once I lifted off eventhough my heading was rather consistent. My downwind leg always looked too close to the circuit, my final leg was always too high and I kept forgetting about extending to full flaps on final leg.

The biggest problem of them all was my landing flare. What seemed so easy on the surface actually involves lots of skills, judgement and control. My mistake was applying too much back pressure too early, which ended up having my plane floating and somewhat even climbing. That, according to my instructor, can be very dangerous and hard to control, and I experienced it myself on my final landing.

I pulled the throttle to idle to begin the flare and started pulling back the yoke. Force was too much, airspeed very low, controls were sluggish, plane was tilting and the instructor took over at the final moments to prevent a heavy impact. Even he was struggling to clean up my mess and blurted out "jesus christ" while sorting out the bad landing.

It definitely didn't feel good for me to display such a horrendous piece of landing. Making my passenger feel unsafe is the last thing I'll wanna do. The key in correcting this mistake is to maintain Straight&Level attitude once I go into idle throttle, and with every sink I feel, I'd pull back a little and hold it there until my wheels touch the ground.

I'm determine to rectify this in my next circuit training, which was the following day's afternoon. I had a lot to review and think about at night so as not to allow my passenger to feel unsafe again.

Friday
I reported for flight scheduled at 1345hrs with my mind running through circuits all the time since my previous flight. I will need to really sort out that crappy landing of mine. Spoke to my third different instructor for my third circuit training and it was nice he assured me that landing is the hardest part of them all. He added that I should be more relaxed about it and let it come more naturally, I will get it eventually.

And so, up we went. Once again, I have to adjust my flying to meet his expectations. Climbing was good, with my heading fairly consistent. The climbing turn to cross-wind wasn't as good, but I made improvements gradually. Downwind is fine, but turning base wasn't that ideal, with my speeds too high once again, end up I have to adopt a high nose attitude to reduce my speed to below 85kt for 20degrees flap extension.

Final approach was alright with me able to keep to my aim point. Finally to the flare which I had SO MUCH trouble the day before. Recognising the problem I had, my instructor let me have a feel of exactly how much back pressure is needed for the flare. After a few more landings, I'm slowly getting some idea of it, but my flare timing and force were still not up to standard. I get the occasional bounces and bumpy landing which annoyed me quite a lot.

The circuits are busy and bumpy like every other day, and it really drains me very much when I was looking out for traffic all the time. I got to do go-arounds too when the runway is not available for landing. It's basically full power and retracting of flaps one stage at a time after checking for positive rate of climb. Next to do is to climb to circuit height and do an early crosswind turn. My eyes have to be on sharp alert to prevent my plane from colliding with traffic in the downwind leg, and at the mean time check my heading, distance from runway and do my radio call.

Massive amount of multi-tasking skill is needed. Your mind has to think ahead to keep yourself prepared for what's coming next. Exhausting stuff I must say. Next flight planned for the following day, my fourth sortie of the week, shall see how will my flaring go.

Saturday
Saw the METAR and TAF before reporting for flight knowing that it is most likely to be cancelled due to strong crosswind. Indeed, the conditions didn't improve even after I've spent some time doing the pre-flight checks. So ya, it's sad that I have to give it a miss, but such things happen all the time.


A very busy week with almost four flights until the last one got cancelled. It has been pretty exhausting flying circuit training for this whole week. The amount of focus and work load is quite demanding, there is no time to relax and dream. Overall I will say I did ok, but the flaring part is worrying me quite greatly as I don't usually take so long to get things right, made worse by the fact that landing practice is quite limited, sometimes I had to do a go-around due to traffic.

Next week's flying will be very crucial and will determine whether I'm cut out to fly solo. If I can't land safely, I can never go solo. Current total hours on the C172S is already 11hours, I'll have to learn quick as the average hour count where others clear their first solo is 15, and that will take me another 2-3 flights to hit. There's not much time left to learn slowly anymore.

Lunch 231213

Look at the number of things to control and monitor in a circuit

Aussie has many little lives that likes to visit houses. Snail in my toilet bowl which I have no idea how it got there

Some cheap wine to loosen up after a week of tense circuit training

Landing flare is hard to control

SATC2 on TV!!

It's cute that Aussie KFC has their wet wipes packed like condoms

Spending some bonding time with the machine. Lifestyle here is like a dream come true. Huge landed residence, cheap beemer n washing it with a hose+sprinkler, occasionally fly an aircraft, great scenery of mountains. It feels like retirement.

Every take-off is a new beginning I promise myself to rectify previously committed mistakes, as far as possible

Happy New Year to everyone, may 2014 be an awesome year!

Cathay Pacific orders 4 more long-haul Boeing planes

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific ordered four additional long-haul planes from Boeing on Friday, a week after it ordered 21 Boeing 777-9X planes, in a move to modernise its fleet.

The airline said it would purchase an additional three Boeing 777-300ER passenger planes along with a Boeing 747-8 freighter, with a total list price of HK$7.4 billion (US$954.25 million).

Cathay did not reveal the amount it is paying to the US manufacturer, but airlines usually negotiate a discount from a plane's catalogue price.

"Both the 777-300ER and the 747-8F offer a highly efficient solution on Cathay Pacific's ultra-long-haul routes," the airline's chief executive John Slosar said in a statement released on Friday.

Slosar said the 777-300ER's, which are expected to be delivered in 2015 and the 747-8F, to be delivered in 2016, combine "superb operating economics with a significant reduction in emissions".

Cathay last Friday ordered 21 long-haul Boeing 777-9X planes, the aircraft manufacturer's newest member of the 777 family, at a list price of US$7.48 billion.

The yet-to-be launched 777X series includes advanced technology including composite wings and engines that Boeing says consume 20 per cent less fuel than today's model.

The airline said the planes, which will seat up to 400 passengers and be delivered between 2021 and 2024, were ideal for long-haul destinations in North America and Europe.

The airline said in August it swung to a lower-than-expected net profit of US$3.1 million in the first six months, after losing money in the same period of 2012. Gains in passenger numbers were offset by persistently high fuel prices and falling cargo revenue.

This year, Cathay has increased daily services to popular destinations such as Los Angeles, Chicago and London.

The airline is set to take delivery of 93 aircraft between 2014 and 2024 at a total list price of US$28.63 billion.

SOURCE

Delta to honour cheap flights sold in systems glitch

Delta Airlines said on Friday it would honour tickets sold at a fraction of their normal price because of computer glitch that afflicted the airline's website the prior day.

"For a portion of the morning yesterday, some prices on delta.com and other booking channels were incorrectly displayed, resulting in lower than usual fares for customers," said Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter.

"The situation has been resolved and the correct prices are being displayed."

Banstetter said Delta "will honour any fares purchased at the incorrect price."

Press reports chronicled almost comically low fares, such as a round-trip ticket between New York and Los Angeles for US$25 and a round-trip voyage between Baltimore and Honolulu for less than US$100.

SOURCE

More passengers, aircraft movements & cargo at Changi Airport in Nov

More passengers, aircraft and airfreight cargo were handled at Singapore Changi Airport in the month of November.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) said the airport handled 4.46 million passenger movements in November 2013, an increase of 2.3 per cent over the same month last year.

CAG said in the first eleven months of the year, more than 48.6 million passenger movements were registered, a 5.1 per cent increase on-year.

Air traffic movements for November grew 6.9 per cent to 29,500 flights.

For the first eleven months of the year, aircraft movements totalled 312,800, an increase of 5.8 per cent compared to a year ago.

CAG said travel demand was strongest for Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia in November.

Traffic to and from Denpasar, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo rose by more than 10 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

Changi Airport also handled more cargo compared to a year ago.

From January and November, Changi Airport handled 1.7 million tonnes of cargo, an increase of 0.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2012.

Airfreight movements registered a 2.4 per cent growth on-year, with a total of 161,000 tonnes of cargo handled during November. 

SOURCE

Nine die in Russian plane crash

A Russian cargo plane crashed into a military warehouse complex in Siberia on Thursday, killing all nine people on board, the emergencies ministry said.

The Antonov An-12 military transport plane, carrying cargo from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, crashed into storage warehouses at a military unit near Irkutsk, also in Siberia.

The emergencies ministry said there were nine people on board: six crew and three people accompanying the cargo.

"They all died," it said in a statement.

No injuries were reported among the military personnel on the ground.

A fire broke out at the crash site but was quickly put out, ministry spokesman Andrei Shutov, who visited the site, told AFP. No buildings caught fire, he added.

More than 100 rescue workers were combing through the debris.

The plane belonged to the Irkutsk aviation plant.

Russia has experienced a string of deadly air crashes in recent years, usually involving small and poorly regulated regional airlines that sprang up across Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

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Free wireless inflight entertainment for SilkAir passengers

The growing competition in the skies has prompted airlines to raise their service offerings to attract passengers.

In a latest move, SilkAir has started a wireless inflight entertainment system trial on one of its Airbus A-320 aircraft.

The system allows passengers to stream movies, TV programmes and music directly onto their personal devices while on a flight.

They can then access the content through their laptops, tablets and smartphones.

And this service will be free to customers.

SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has partnered Panasonic Avionics Corporation for the trial.

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Tigerair launches direct flights to Ningbo, China

Budget airline Tigerair has launched direct flights between Singapore and the port city of Ningbo in China, starting Thursday.

The flights depart thrice every fortnight, on alternate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. One-way fares are available from $214, inclusive of taxes and other charges. With this latest addition, Tigerair now serves eight destinations in China - Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Taipei, Guangzhou, Haikou, Lijiang and Ningbo.

"We are proud to be the only airline making a direct Ningbo call from Singapore, and look forward to better serving our customers with this new Tigerair destination," said the airline's chief operating officer, Mr Ho Yuen Sang.

Ningbo was named seventh in Forbes China's 2012 Best Cities for Business, and is connected to major cities like Nanjing and Hangzhou via high-speed rail. It is also part of China's 'Golden Industrial Triangle' economic zone with Shanghai and Hangzhou.

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Takenaka Corporation wins S$985m contract to build Changi Airport T4

Changi Airport Group (CAG) has awarded a S$985-million contract to Takenaka Corporation for the construction of Changi Airport's Terminal 4 (T4).

Construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2014 and completed in 2017.

The contract was awarded following a tender which saw five companies submit proposals.

CAG's Chief Executive Officer Lee Seow Hiang said: "There were very competitive bids from local and international companies with vast experience in the construction of major infrastructure projects. The past few months have seen an intensive process for the CAG team, as it went through several rounds of evaluation. Takenaka Corporation delivered the best overall proposal, which included an innovative construction methodology."

Takenaka Corporation will work closely with CAG and the appointed design consortium to refine the design of T4 before construction.

Construction work will include the development of a new passenger terminal building, with a planned capacity of 16 million passenger movements per year.

It will also involve the construction of a multi-storey car park, an open-air car park with up to 1,500 parking spaces, and a two-storey holding area for taxis to pick up arriving passengers.

Construction work also includes the development of a bridge enabling buses and other airside vehicles to move from T4 to remote aircraft stands being built at a land plot south of Terminal 3.

A 68-metre high Ramp Control Tower will also be built to oversee and manage aircraft movements around T4.

The contract also involves road improvement works, including a new road to funnel outgoing traffic directly from T4 onto East Coast Parkway.

Takenaka Corporation had previously been involved in the upgrading of Changi Airport's Terminal 2 in 2006, and the upgrading of Terminal 1 in 2012.

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Boeing ramps up production to meet demand from Asia

Inside the 112.5ha Boeing factory in Renton, near Seattle, the massive fuselages of unfinished 737-800s gleam under bright industrial lights as workers slowly put on wings, engines and seats to give shape to the aircraft.

One of these planes belongs to Singapore’s SilkAir and is starting its first day on the assembly line.

“It will go through 10 flow days — each day essentially a specific stage — before it’s completed. And then weeks of testing come before delivery,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes Director of Manufacturing Erik Nelson told TODAY as he led reporters on a tour of the factory.

“Here in Renton, we are making a record high of 38 737s every month. By April next year, we will push that up to 42 planes each month, as we upgrade our production line here to build the 737-MAX,” he added, referring to the next-generation Boeing aircraft that will be delivered in 2017.

Around 70 per cent of the aeroplanes built in Renton serve the international market, especially Asia, where many airlines are ramping up capacity to meet demand from a growing middle class. Some of the biggest buyers in the region include Indonesia’s Lion Air and China Southern Airline, which have received 22 and 27 737s respectively this year. SilkAir is also a major customer: Last year, it placed an order for 54 B737s — including 31 737-MAX aircraft — as part of the airline’s fleet transition to Boeing.

But with demand expanding so rapidly, the plane manufacturer is now facing the challenge of dealing with a massive backlog of more than 3,400 unfilled orders across the entire short-haul 737 family, despite its best efforts to meet the voracious global appetite for its workhorses.

Boeing is not the only company in the industry with a backlog issue, said Mr Mike Nunes, Director of Asia Business Development at Boeing.

“If an airline orders a 737 today, it won’t receive it for many years. But our main competitor Airbus is also in the same situation — it has just as big a backlog. So each sales campaign becomes a battle of pricing and offering,” he said. “We will continue to push up our production rate to satisfy market demand and, hopefully, burn up that backlog.”

This will be achieved mainly by improving efficiency and processes at the Renton factory via technology, added Mr Nelson. “Currently, we have no plans to expand our production facilities or build more factories, but that hasn’t stopped us from ramping up production here.

“If you came to the Renton factory two years ago, we could produce only 31 planes each month. We continue to break that record and eventually will be able to produce 47 737s in a month by 2017,” said Mr Nelson.

And, by then, the first 737 MAX aircraft will also enter the market. The next-generation 737s will be the pinnacle of Boeing’s fuel-efficient technology, with the planes capable of reducing fuel use and CO2 emissions by 14 per cent. They will also be part of the firm’s plan to stand out among its competitors, which not only include Airbus, but smaller manufacturers such as China’s Comac, Canada’s Bombardier and Brazil’s Embraer.

“Today, we roughly have a 50:50 split of the market share with Airbus. How that split will look like exactly, going forward, we can’t predict, especially with new competitors coming online. But our hope is to maintain that share going forward by providing our customers with the industry’s most fuel-efficient products and services,” said Mr Nunes.

Meanwhile, Boeing remains very bullish on its business outlook, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Even through the recessions, global air travel has been growing by 5 per cent annually on average since 1980,” he added.

“From now till 2032, US$4.8 trillion (S$6 trillion) worth of new planes will be delivered, 47 per cent of which will be single-aisle models like the 737. Within the Asia-Pacific, air travel will grow by 6.2 per cent annually in the next 20 years, during which the region will account for 69 per cent of the aircraft delivered worldwide. Despite the competition, Boeing still represents three quarters of the world’s fleet. Our position is very strong in the market.”

SOURCE

New Dreamliner breakdown for Norwegian

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by budget airline Norwegian Air Shuttle has been grounded in Florida since Saturday evening, the airline said on Monday.

"Unfortunately, we have experienced technical issues on our flight which was due to go from Fort Lauderdale to Stockholm Arlanda on Saturday at 9:30 pm," Norwegian spokesman Daniel Kirchhoff said.

The company said they were waiting for a part from Boeing which was due to arrive Monday.

It has been less than a month since the airline opened the Fort Lauderdale routes from Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen.

According to Norwegian, the 238 affected passengers would take a flight scheduled for Monday at 3:30 pm local time (2030 GMT).

"We are sorry about the delay and are doing everything we can to get the passengers home before Christmas," Kirchhoff said.

Since the Norwegian launched its long-haul business last summer, it has suffered delays and cancellations due to serious technical problems with its Dreamliners, from oxygen supply in cockpits to faulty hydraulic pumps and braking systems.

The incidents have affected the company's financial results, its share price and its image, but also the prestige of Boeing, which had invested heavily in resources and effort to bolster the new aircraft's market share.

Despite the problems, in a vote of confidence Norwegian announced on Wednesday that it had ordered two more Dreamliners.

This acquisition will bring Norwegian's Dreamliner fleet to 10 owned or leased aircraft.

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Week 38: PPL Flight School Week 7

Tuesday
Flight was in the late afternoon at 1600hrs and for the first time I've gotten CAVOK condition for my flight. Perfect day to fly except for the strong crosswind for the runway I was using. Did some revision beforehand as I'm determined to iron out the issues I have from my previous flight.

This time round, my taxi speed was a bit too fast, perhaps I'm now more confident and natural at the rudder controls, thus I subconsciously traveled at a higher speed without realising it. Radio calls were fine, then to the take-off. U-turning at the runway threshold was much better than previous time, made the rolling call and full throttle I went. Rotating at 55kt, I kept the right rudder on and made the ailerons work. Finally I managed to keep the aircraft above the runway after lifting off. Hearing a "good" from the instructor felt so good. It was the most beautiful take-off I've made to date.

Requested that we head for the previous training area to familiarise myself with it once more. Made a few right-hand Rate-1 climbing turns to get my heading right. My turns have also become more natural; being able to rotate the yoke and rudder at the same time while not forgetting the slight back pressure, plus maintaining the angle of bank while looking out. Encouraging stuff.

Climbing and descending were much better this time, I was able to catch and maintain the leveling off height pretty accurately unlike the last time round. And there was also an introduction to stall. Did two types of stalling - recovery with power and recovery without power. I'm not afraid to say this, but I'm quite uptight about this whole stalling thing. Imagine having the plane dive from the sky? Nevertheless, I have to do it. The instructor did a demo once and it wasn't too bad, so I had a go. Recovery with power was not so scary, losing about 100-150ft in altitude, but the back pressure needed to stall the C172S is IMMENSE!!

The scary part comes during recovery without power. I had to push the nose down quite a bit to get airflow back onto the wings. With that, I lost 500ft of altitude, which is considered alot when I'm only 4000ft above ground level before stalling.

Not so bad, I survived stall trainings. One caution I noted was the tendency to use ailerons to counter wing drops. That might cause a downward spiral spin, and I was reminded by my instructor to always counter wing drops with opposite rudder.

With the stalling done, I was tasked with navigating back to base. I got it right this time and the instructor said "good" again. Haha, I guess all that homework done with the help of Google Earth didn't prove pointless. Flew back to base, joining the circuit, did the descent all the way to final approach but controls were taken over to due strong crosswind at less than 100ft above ground. What a shame, I actually though I can do it. Better luck next time.

Overall a satisfying flight after I was able to resolve all the problems I had last week. My radio calls are still not up to standard yet though. That will definitely need more brushing up.

Lunch 171213. A good meal before heading for flight. For some reason, flying makes me very hungry

Pretty great condition huh?

Good day with good flight

Thursday
My oh my, this day was the hottest day to date since I landed in Australia 7 weeks ago. Temperatures were hovering around 36'C during the noon, and I was scheduled for flight at 1600hrs, the hottest hour of the day according to forecast. I've been complaining about how shit cold this idiotic place is. However, the heat isn't a joke either. Searing heat that bites your skin with low humidity and high UV.

My lesson for this flight was slow flight and stalling. After the introduction to stalls in the previous flight, I was more confident and prepared about how the whole stalling thing works, however, this time round there is a wing stall recovery practice. That was the scary one as a wing stall can escalate into a spin if not rectified quickly enough.

Doing pre-flight in those conditions are tough, but I still think it's better than temperatures below 10'C with the winds blowing. I had to constantly hydrate myself to prevent a drop in my physical performance. Previous flight experiences from my mates who flew in such hot conditions didn't help much either. So I guess I'd have to pray the instructor doesn't cancel my sortie after going up realising it's way too bumpy.

And up I went, keeping my heading intact but my attitude was terrible. With the little back pressure I applied, the whole nose of the aircraft got pulled up by the thermals until I looked like I was stalling, just right after take off!! Climbing performance of the aircraft was very poor in the hot conditions, and with the bumpiness near the ground, we had to climb to above 8000ft to have any trace of calm air. It took forever to get to that height, I almost fell asleep,

Stall recovery with and without power was done to standards, and then to the wing stall which the instructor induced and I was tasked to recover the aircraft. That was quite a heartpumping moment as I had to quickly take control once the aircraft stalls and suffers a wing drop at the same time. Thank god I caught it pretty well and it didn't escalate into a spin. Aileron correction is a no-no for recovery from wing drop.

It felt like a short lesson and soon we were heading back to base. Hopefully I will not see much of such hot days in the summer. 20-25'C are pretty comfortable to work in, and at 1433ft field elevation, that's quite possible. Thermals are a pain in the ass, my altitude was quite screwed up in my whole flight, which kinda irk me and my instructor haha. Schedule was out after flight and I had a sims session on the next day.

36'C. It was really hot

Took the chance to go jogging in the hot weather and lift some light weights lol. Gotta train that weak left arm

Friday
After flying the real thing, the sims seems a little uneventful. The flight is too smooth, there's no motion, and the controls just doesn't feel right. I practised more stalls on the sims, but with the absence of the sinking feeling, it was quite pointless. And with some time remaining, I tried landing and IFR flying. The landing was done with the ILS and it was not quite that easy to keep to the glideslope. To make things confusing, the indicators actually work in reverse.

You see, there's the indicators for left/right and up/down. If the indicator is on the left, you go left, and on up, you go up. It doesn't actually work like other things, for example, the artificial horizon. If the wings are above the horizon, you push the plane down to move the wings down. So it takes some time to get used to it. Then the IFR flying can be quite tiring as you keep adjusting and monitoring the instruments. Interesting stuff I did at the sims.



Another good week I'd say with two flights and one sim session. Next on the syllabus will be circuit flying. That will not be easy as lots of focus and alertness is needed when you're flying in such a confined space with many other planes in your path. Sad to say I've still not landed the C172S. Hopefully I will get to do that this coming week. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas this coming Wednesday!

Dinner 181213. Meat feast.

Beautiful sunset with another passing day

Unforeseen circumstances, can't keep the kart for long. Sad.

Mozambique airline captain "intentionally" crashed: probe

A Mozambican Airlines captain had a "clear intention" to crash an airplane that went down in Namibia killing 33 at the end of November, according to a preliminary investigation reported on Saturday.

Flight recorders showed flight TM470 went down on November 29 while Captain Herminio dos Santos Fernandes manipulated the Embraer 190's autopilot in a way which "denotes a clear intention" to bring the plane down, said Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute (IACM) head Joao Abreu.

"The reason for all these actions is unknown and the investigation continues," said Abreu.

The plane went down in torrential rains in the swamps of Namibia's Bwabwata National Park on November 29, killing its six crew and 27 passengers.

It was flying from the Mozambican capital Maputo to Luanda in Angola.

Abreu told a news conference that Dos Santos Fernandes locked himself inside the cockpit, ignored warning signals and did not allow his co-pilot back in moments before the Embraer 190 hit the ground.

"During these actions you can hear low and high-intensity alarm signals and repeated beating against the door with demands to come into the cockpit," he was quoted as saying by state news agency AIM.

The altitude was manually changed three times from 38 thousand feet to 592 feet - below ground level - and the aircraft's speed was also changed manually, according to the preliminary report.

"The plane fell with the pilot alert and the reasons which may have given rise to this behaviour are unknown. At the time, the co-pilot had left the cockpit and was absent while everything happened."

SOURCE

Cathay Pacific orders 21 Boeing 777X planes

Cathay Pacific said Friday it has ordered 21 long-haul Boeing 777-9X planes at a list price of US$7.48 billion, as the Hong Kong carrier modernises its fleet off the back of disappointing earnings this year.

The yet-to-be launched 777X series is Boeing's newest member of the 777 family, with advanced technology including composite wings and new engines that Boeing says consume 20 per cent less fuel than today's model.

Cathay did not reveal the amount it is paying to the US manufacturer, but airlines usually negotiate a discount from a plane's catalogue price.

"The 777-9X promises us improved payload range capability and reduced operating costs, in addition to a significant reduction in environmental emissions," the airline's chief executive John Slosar said in a statement.

"Cathay Pacific is committed to modernising its fleet to provide a superior experience to passengers," Slosar said, adding that the airline was "delighted to be an early customer" for the next generation of the 777 series.

The airline said the planes, which will seat up to 400 passengers and will be delivered between 2021 and 2024, were ideal for long-haul destinations in North America and Europe.

"The huge investment we are making in new aircraft underscores... our commitment to maintaining Hong Kong's position as one of the world's great aviation hubs," Slosar said.

The airline said in August it swung to a lower-than-expected net profit of US$3.1 million in the first six months, after losing money in the same period of 2012. Gains in passenger numbers were offset by persistently high fuel prices and falling cargo revenue.

The high price of jet fuel had affected its business adversely, Cathay said in a statement then, adding that it was withdrawing older planes and operating more long-haul services using fuel-efficient Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The airline faced a difficult year in 2012 when profit plunged more than 83 per cent over the full 12 months, buffeted by high fuel prices and the global financial crisis.

Starting from 2014, the airline is expecting the delivery of 12 Boeing 777-300ERs, and will see 50 of this aircraft type in its fleet by 2020.

This year, Cathay took delivery of six new aircraft in the first six months, including two Airbus A330-300s, three Boeing 777-300ERs, and one Boeing 747-8F freighter.

It has increased daily services to popular destinations such as London, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto.

The airline Emirates placed an order in November for 150 Boeing 777X aircraft -- 35 777-8Xs and 115 of the larger 777-9X variant, in a contract the Dubai-based carrier said was valued at US$76 billion.

Boeing said the Emirates orders were commitments worth US$55.6 billion.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways last month placed an order for 25 777X passenger jets, including 17 777-9X models and eight 777-8Xs.

SOURCE

Changi Airport Group, CapitaMalls Asia to jointly develop Project Jewel

Changi Airport Group (CAG) and CapitaMalls Asia (CMA) will be developing the mixed-use development codenamed Project Jewel at Changi Airport.

CAG and CMA said in a joint statement that their wholly-owned subsidiaries, Jewel Changi Airport Holding and CMA Singapore Investments, signed a joint venture agreement on Friday to develop the project.

The development will offer a range of facilities for airport operations, retail offerings and leisure attractions.

Project Jewel is also expected to capture greater tourism and strengthen Changi Airport's appeal as an air hub.

The development cost of the project is expected to be about S$1.47 billion, including land cost.

Project Jewel will be built on the surface car park site fronting Changi Airport Terminal 1, which measures about 3.5 hectares (or 377,000 square feet).

It will have a dome-shaped facade made of glass and steel, which will be an iconic landmark in Changi Airport's landscape.

The complex will have five storeys above ground and five basement storeys.

It will have a total gross floor area of about 134,000 square metres (sqm).

This will comprise about 17,000 sqm of facilities for airport operations, 22,000 sqm of attractions, 5,000 sqm of hotel space and 90,000 sqm of retail space.

The net lettable area of the retail space, which is located from Basement 2 to Level 5, is about 53,500 sqm.

Among the attractions at Project Jewel include a large-scale, lush indoor garden with a central waterfall of about 40 metres in height.

Construction for the project is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2014, and the development is targeted to open by the end of 2018.

SOURCE

SIA Cargo to pay out US$62.8m settlement in class action case

Singapore Airlines' cargo unit has finalised a settlement with plaintiffs in a class action case in the US.

Under the terms of the settlement, Singapore Airlines Cargo said it will pay out US$62.8 million, but it will not admit to any wrongdoing or liability with regard to any of the claims made in the air cargo class action in the US.

SIA said in a statement that it will also make a corresponding financial provision of about S$78.5 million in the financial statements of Singapore Airlines Cargo Pte Ltd.

The airline said the proposed class actions were commenced in 2006 against numerous airlines, including SIA Cargo in the US, on competitive aspects of air cargo services.

The agreed settlement is subject to the approval of the US District Court.

SOURCE

SAS posts first full-year profit since 2007

Scandinavian airline SAS reported its first full-year profit ending October since 2007 on Thursday, thanks to lower costs and despite the increasing pressure on flight ticket prices.

The net profit of 178 million kronor (20 million euros, $27 million) contrasts with 3.01 billion in losses one year earlier and revenue fell by 0.5 percent to 42.182 billion kronor.

"As a result of the vigorous measures implemented under the change programme, the weaker income trend could be partially offset by lower costs," the company said in a statement.

SAS launched a drastic cost-cutting programme in the beginning of the fiscal year including asset sales and salary reductions.

"We are glad to announce that SAS is now delivering on the promises of a positive result for the full fiscal year," the company said on Twitter.

The airline highlighted its positive fourth quarter results - a 352 million kronor profit compared to the 574 million kronor losses a year earlier - despite "a weak economic trend and intensified competition".

The revenue for the period was almost unchanged at 11.059 billion kronor.

The short-term outlook remains challenging for the company.

"The weaker conditions are expected to continue and, as usual, due to seasonality, the first quarter of 2013/2014 (November-January), will be extremely weak," SAS said.

The asset sales behind the company's profit could hardly be repeated in the future and the airline now believes that "the financial targets expected to be reached in 2014/2015 will not now be reached until 2015/2016".

The group sold 80 percent of Norwegian regional airline Wideroee to Norwegian investors for two million kroner (230 million euros, $311 million) in September, and in November sold 10 percent of its ground handling to Swiss specialist Swissport for an undisclosed figure.

In 2014, the airline expects to open 43 new routes.

50 percent of SAS is owned by the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish states, which have expressed their interest in selling their share if a good opportunity arises.

Last September, Germany's Lufthansa chief executive Christoph Franz said that he "could consider" a possible SAS buyout.

SOURCE

Etihad Airways in discussions with debt-laden Alitalia

Emirati carrier Etihad Airways is in discussions with debt-laden Italian airline Alitalia, spokesman Tom Clarke said on Thursday, without elaborating.

"Etihad Airways is in discussions with Alitalia. We have no further comment at this time," Clarke said in a terse text message to AFP.

Reports have suggested that the Abu Dhabi-based carrier was preparing a big investment in Alitalia, which is in debt to the tune of 1.2 billion euros (US$1.6 billion).

In October, shareholders gave unanimous approval for a capital increase of up to 300 million euros to save Alitalia from bankruptcy

The carrier has been looking for a foreign partner to rescue it.

Earlier on Thursday, Italian media reported that Italy's postal service would take part in a capital increase for Alitalia and chip in 75 million euros.

But postal officials contacted by AFP did not confirm.

Another 225 million euros in the capital increase have already been contributed by Alitalia's existing private sector investors and by banks.

Air France-KLM, which was until now was the main shareholder with 25 percent, has declined to contribute and will see its share greatly diluted.

Alitalia has launched a vast restructuring plan with 300 million euros in budget cuts and the reduction of 1,900 jobs.

The capital increase plan was formulated in October and November under pressure from the Italian government but the postal service's participation has been widely criticised as a possible state subsidy.

Etihad is vastly expanding and has bought minor shares in several smaller carriers around the world as it competes with larger Gulf rivals Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Etihad owns 29 percent of Air Berlin, 40 percent of Air Seychelles, 19.9 percent of Virgin Australia and three percent of Aer Lingus.

In November, India's Jet Airways said it had completed the sale of a 24-percent stake to Etihad after obtaining regulatory approvals.

Analysts said that, for airlines such as Etihad, part of India's allure is the chance to swell passenger traffic on routes to North America, Europe, the Middle East and other parts of the world.

Etihad also announced in mid-November that it was acquiring 33.3 percent of Swiss carrier Darwin Airline, which it plans to rebrand as Etihad Regional.

The acquisition is awaiting regulatory approval.

Etihad is also due to acquire 49 percent of Air Serbia in January.

SOURCE

Engine of Singapore Airlines flight sucks in container

One of the engines of a Singapore Airlines flight sucked in an empty container on Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened as the Boeing 777 (SQ421) flight from Mumbai was taxiing into the bay at Changi Airport.

Singapore Airlines said there were no injuries to anyone on the ground or on board the aircraft.

All passengers have since disembarked and investigations will be carried out.

SOURCE

Korean Air plans US$3.3b asset sale to cut debt

Korean Air said Thursday it would sell off assets valued at 3.5 trillion won (US$3.3 billion) to reduce its burgeoning debt pile and improve its financial structure.

South Korea's biggest airline vowed to halve its 800 per cent debt to assets ratio by 2015, after it suffered snowballing debts stemming mainly from the purchase of new planes.

Korean Air said it would sell shares worth 2.2 trillion won in S-Oil Corp, a joint venture controlled by Saudi Arabia's Aramco.

It will also gain 1.3 trillion won by selling real estate, assets and 13 old planes in the next two years.

However, the company said it would go ahead with the planned purchase of about 10 new planes every year.

Korean Air posted a third quarter net profit of 342 billion won, down 1.0 per cent from a year ago on a decline in passenger traffic.

It said it would provide additional support for its troubled sister firm Hanjin Shipping.

In October, Korean Air injected 150 billion won into the shipping line. Hanjin Shipping also promised to liquidate non-core businesses and sell unused assets.

SOURCE

AirAsia X places US$6b order for 25 Airbus A330s

Low-cost Malaysian airline AirAsia X announced on Wednesday an order of 25 long-range A330-300 aircraft with a catalogue price of nearly $6 billion (4.4 billion euros) as it looks to return to serving Europe.

"This order stamps our firm intent to dominate the long-haul, low-cost carrier space and marks the next phase in our development to be the undisputed global market leader," AirAsia X's director Tony Fernandes was quoted as saying in a statement.

Airbus said at a joint press conference in Paris it was the biggest single order for the widebody twin-engine aircraft from an airline, and would begin delivering the planes to the long-haul affiliate of the AirAsia group in 2015.

The order includes the latest version of the A330-300 capable of flying from Asia to Europe or the Americas non-stop.

"We need to come back to Europe and this aircraft is the right aircraft for us to come back," Fernandes said at the news conference. AirAsia X had previously flown to Paris and London, but halted serving the routes in 2012.

AirAsia X already had 26 of the planes on order and currently operates 16 A330-300 aircraft on routes from Kuala Lumpur to Asian and Middle Eastern destinations.

It also announced on Wednesday it was leasing 6 of the aircraft from the US company ILFC.

Fernandes said the AirAsia X is well positioned to dominate the Asian market, and that an announcement of a return to flights to Japan is also close.

He said AirAsia X was looking to emulate the success of Emirates, which has made a success of carrying passengers between continents from its hub in Dubai.

"We will build the equivalent of Emirates in low cost," said the AirAsia X chief. "We have bases and hubs in many countries, so the power of what we can build is much larger."

The AirAsia group is one of Airbus' biggest clients, with more than 120 medium-haul A320 planes in use and with several hundred aircraft on order.

In June 2011 the Malaysian company ordered 200 A320 Neo planes with a catalogue price of $18.24 billion, one of the biggest ever orders of commercial aircraft.

It has also ordered 10 of Airbus' future long-range aircraft, the A350-XWB.

AirAsia saw its third quarter net profit plunge by three-quarters to $11 million in the third quarter of this year due to foreign exchange losses, but its operating profit and passenger numbers both rose.

SOURCE

Airlines dangle sweet deals for off-peak travel

THERE is no better time to take off on a trip.

From less than $300 for short flights on Singapore Airlines (SIA) and other full-service carriers to about $500 for flights to cities in India and China, there are deals galore for budget-conscious travellers considering a vacation.

As the year-end holiday break draws to a close, full-service airlines are dangling sweet deals, with discounts of up to 40 per cent on normal fares, to get people to travel during the slow season from January to March.

Although airlines often offer discounts during off-peak seasons to fill seats, the deals have grown more attractive, said travel agents and aviation analysts.

Fare Deals

Airlines are cutting fares by about 20-40 per cent for off-peak travel.

Air France	⬛ $1,131-$1,360 to cities in Europe
Cathay Pacific	⬛ $281 to Hong Kong
Garuda Indonesia	⬛ $120-$250 to Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya and other Indonesian cities
Jet Airways	⬛ $366 to Chennai ⬛ $520 to Mumbai and Goa
Qatar Airways	⬛ $270 to Bali ⬛ $1,185 to Paris ⬛ $1,850 to Washington
Singapore Airlines	⬛ $238-$278 to Jakarta, Bangkok, Bali and other regional cities ⬛ $698 to Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul ⬛ $1,288 to Europe
Thai Airways	⬛ $428 to Hong Kong, Macau, Yangon ⬛ $1,038 to London, Paris, Milan, other cities in Europe

Source: Airline websites

The main reason is stiff competition not just among full-service airlines but also from budget carriers such as Tigerair and AirAsia.

Travellers keen to bask in the sun and sand in Bali, for example, have many options.

SIA is offering a promotional return fare of $278 while Qatar Airways has a $270 deal. Garuda Indonesia is offering an extra-special $130 fare.

These promotional fares are 20 to 40 per cent lower than the usual rates (see sidebar).

There are good deals for Europe too, travel agents and airlines said.

Thai Airways, for example, is offering starting fares of $1,038 on its website for travel to London, Frankfurt and Paris, among other European cities.

Qatar Airways is doing a special promotion for travellers here to mark a decade of flights to Changi Airport, said Mr Jonathan Zhang, its country manager for Singapore. Discounts are available for selected destinations such as New York and Paris, he said.

Mr Sentot Mujiono, Garuda Indonesia's vice-president for South-east Asia, said: "Usually, travel bookings are slower in the first quarter of the year - many Singaporeans have just returned from their year-end holidays and are easing back into work."

But there are folks who prefer to avoid peak periods, he said, noting that travelling off-peak means cost savings from discounted travel and fewer crowds.

Ms Alicia Seah, marketing communications director at tour agency Dynasty Travel, said: "There is a lot of capacity being added to the market with new flights and destinations, so you do find that airlines are offering good deals to attract travellers."

In addition, airlines are competing with cruise operators, which are bringing new and larger ships to Singapore, she said.

"The big winner here is the traveller," she added.

One traveller who is mulling over the offers is civil servant Amy Tham, 39, who is single.

"I have no kids and the last thing I want is to travel during the school holidays when everything is so expensive and it's crowded everywhere. I think the off-peak deals are great."

Said customer service manager Catherine Kueh, 50, who paid about $1,200 for a week-long package tour to China next month: "It's a good deal - three cities, meals, accommodation."

SOURCE