Cathay Pacific Direct Entry First Officer

Direct Entry First Officer – A330 & B747 Hong Kong based

Experienced and technically proficient pilots are required to meet the following minimum requirements:

• ICAO Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) – obtained without exemption or conversion
• Valid Multi-Engine Instrument Rating
• Valid Class 1 Medical Certificate
• ICAO English Level 4 or above
• Experience commensurate with age

Minimum flight time experience:
1000 hours flying experience in one, or a combination of the following:

• Multi-engine jet transport as Commander or First Officer
• Military high performance jet
• Turbo propeller aircraft of weight 20,000KG or more (command)
• Corporate jet (command)
• Military instruction (fixed wing)

Preference will be given to applicants with the following flight time experience:
A minimum of 500 hours in Airline or Military Jet Transport aircraft with a certified Maximum All Up Weight (MAUW) equal to or greater than 45,000KG.

The total hour requirement may be reduced for Airbus or Boeing type rated individuals, with time on type.

Direct Entry First Officer training will be conducted in the Cathay Pacific Flight Training Centre in Hong Kong.

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Boeing cuts 747-8 production as air freight slows

Boeing said on Thursday (Jan 21) it would cut back production of its freight workhorse 747-8 aircraft by half as the air cargo industry slows.

Boeing said it could move from completing one 747-8 per month to one every two months from September.

The company said data in November showed air freight had contracted by 1.2 per cent over a year, even as air passenger volumes grew 5.9 per cent.

"We are closely monitoring the air cargo market as we work to win additional orders to support ongoing future production," said Boeing chief financial officer Greg Smith.

Boeing will take a US$569 million charge against after-tax earnings for the fourth quarter of 2015 for the production cut. Earnings will be reported on Jan 27.

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The jumbo jet faces a make or break year at Boeing, Airbus

The jumbo jet, for many years the workhorse of modern air travel, could be close to running out of runway.

Last year, there were zero orders placed by commercial airlines for new Boeing 747s or Airbus A380s, reflecting a fundamental shift in the industry toward smaller, twin-engine planes. Smaller planes cost less to fly than the stately, four-engine jumbos, which can carry as many as 525 passengers.

The slump in sales of the jets has raised questions over how long manufacturers can sustain production. It has also fueled internal debate in both companies over the future of the planes, sources said.

The outcome of those discussions will affect the value of existing fleets and thousands of production jobs at the plane makers and their many parts suppliers.

Sales forces at Airbus Group NV and Boeing Co are fighting for potential orders plane by plane as they seek to keep production going beyond the end of the decade, said other aviation market sources. The aircraft makers are offering discounts of at least 50 percent from catalog prices of around US$400 million for a jumbo jet, those sources said. Airbus has said it is also considering a revamp to make its 'superjumbo' more attractive to buyers.

Boeing in September plans to slow the pace of production of its latest 747-8 model to an average of 1.3 planes a month from 1.5 currently. At that rate the orders it already has in hand will only keep the production line going for 2 1/2 years.

The crunch, though, will come earlier because it can take up to two years from ordering the first part to finishing a jet, and no one wants to start the process if it is unclear whether the plane will be completed and delivered to a customer.

"I can see demand for the 747-8 in small numbers, but you have got to ask if they can keep the production line open if they don't get some new orders," said Tony Whitty, chief executive of UK-based aircraft re-marketing firm Cabot Aviation, which trades, manages and leases jets. "You also wonder at what price they are selling."



LONG DESCENT
Use of the 747 has dropped steadily over the last two decades, reflecting the rise of two-engine jets that have come close to matching its range. Over the same period production of large twin-engined jets like the Boeing 777 has risen seven-fold. Last year, Boeing booked 283 new orders for the 777 and now has a backlog of 547 orders.

Airbus is more upbeat than Boeing about the prospects for jumbo jets but both now agree it has become a niche category. Airlines still need jumbo jets but only for certain polar flights - where a two-engine jet may be less safe than a four-engine jumbo because of the lack of places for an emergency landing - and busy routes where landing slots are scarce.

The risk is most visible for Boeing, where investors could face a US$1 billion accounting charge if 747 production is shut down, according to company disclosures.

Boeing recently received a high-profile boost with a provisional order for two new jets to serve as Air Force One for the U.S. President but the 747's future depends a lot more on sales of the much-less glamorous windowless freight model. That has a unique hinged nose and can carry very large equipment, such as oil drilling rigs.

So far this year, Boeing has sold three. Atlas Air Worldwide recently said it plans to order more for its cargo fleet, but wouldn't say when or how many. The world's biggest 747 freight customer, Cargolux , also says it likes the plane, but has a pending order for only three.

A sustained upturn in air freight traffic could secure the 747 a longer future. International freight traffic rose 4.8 percent last year, but volume has only just recovered from a collapse in 2009 during the financial crisis.



CARGO HAULER
Boeing reckons some 143 older freighters will need to be replaced, stretching demand for the 747 through the 2020s, the program vice president, Bruce Dickinson, said in an interview.

"We know there is a long-term market for this airplane and some of the unique things it can do," Dickinson said from his office overlooking the 747 production line at the giant Everett plant near Seattle.

But Boeing’s effort to sell new 747s is overshadowed by the many older 747s available for lease, which have suddenly been made more attractive because of a big slide in fuel prices since the middle of last year. Leasing companies say there is scant interest in new 747-8s when 82 freighters are baking in desert parking lots.

The older planes can be leased for as little as US$400,000 a month, compared with up to US$1.4 million in monthly lease payments for a new 747-8 freighter, experts say.

"That's a pretty big difference," said Gueric Dechavanne, vice president at Collateral Verifications, a Connecticut-based aircraft appraisal firm.

Some companies have extended 747 leases for three to four years, said Aengus Kelly, chief executive of leasing company AerCap .

"It's a challenge to lease a freighter," Kelly told Reuters. "It's definitely a challenge to sell them."

Airbus’s A380 is a newer plane – its first flight was almost exactly 10 years ago - and has become a mainstay of Middle East carriers that offer opulent suites to first class passengers. But the drop in demand is prompting Airbus to weigh whether to revamp the plane with new engines, or carry on with the existing model.

Airbus has 161 orders for the planes in hand, or more than five years of production. But it acknowledges that not all of those jets will be delivered, leaving it with barely three years of guaranteed output. Given the long lead times, Airbus must bring in more orders soon to avoid having to taper production.

“We are always looking at product improvements, but there is so much untapped potential in the existing aircraft,” said Airbus marketing head Chris Emerson.

Airbus could announce an A380 revamp as early as the Dubai Airshow in November, but must first find a way to assure investors it can recover several billion dollars of development costs, sources said. Analysts say on option could be to apply for more European government loans, though that risk

s exacerbating trade tensions with the United States.

Top customer Emirates is offering to double its planned purchase of 140 A380s if Airbus carries out the improvements, which the Dubai carrier’s Chief Executive Tim Clark tells Reuters will be "extremely good for the (airline’s) bottom line."

But Airbus’s board is unlikely to back a new A380 model for just one customer.

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Thai Airways jet makes emergency landing in Bali due to cracked window

A Thai Airways plane en route from Sydney to Bangkok made an emergency landing on the Indonesian island of Bali after a crack was discovered in the cockpit window, officials said Wednesday (Aug 13).

The Boeing 747, carrying 273 passengers and 21 crew, was six hours into the journey Tuesday when the captain found the defect and decided to land on Bali, the airline said in a statement. The Daily Mail Australia identified the flight as TG467 and reported that the cracked window caused a fall in cabin pressure.

A spokesman for the island's airport described the landing at around 5pm (0900 GMT) as a "minor disruption".

There were no reports of injuries and the passengers stayed in a Bali hotel overnight. They were set to fly on to Bangkok later Wednesday in another plane. Thai Airways said it was sending a team to Bali to investigate the incident and supervise the changing of the damaged window.

In September last year, more than a dozen passengers were slightly injured when a Thai Airways jet skidded off the runway in Bangkok after the landing gear malfunctioned.

Just over a week before that incident, dozens of passengers and crew were injured when a Thai Airways A380 superjumbo hit severe turbulence during a flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong.

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Cathay Pacific profits soar but competition hurts yields

Cathay Pacific said on Wednesday (Aug 130 its first-half net profit soared to HK$347 million (S$56 million) on higher passenger demand, but the Hong Kong flag carrier warned of a "challenging" outlook as surging competition held down fares.

The figure for the six months ending June 30 compared with a net profit of HK$24 million in the same period last year. Its first half revenue rose 4.6 per cent to HK$50.84 billion. But despite its upbeat performance, the blue-chip airline faces several challenges including persistently high jet fuel prices.

"The operating environment for the Cathay Pacific Group - and the aviation industry as a whole - remains challenging," group chairman John Slosar said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. "On the plus side, we continue to strengthen our passenger network and the connections available through Hong Kong," he said.

Aviation analyst Daniel Tsang told AFP the huge increase in net profits was on account of the airline's improving passenger operations, which contributed to a sharp jump in revenues. The airline's passenger revenue in the reported period was up 4.4 per cent to HK$36.52 billion compared to the previous year, helped by the introduction of new long-haul routes to destinations such as Doha and Newark.

FALLING PASSENGER YIELDS

However, Tsang said the airline will need to improve its passenger yields, a key measure of airlines' profitability, to maintain this earnings trend. Passenger yield, the measure of the average fare paid by a passenger per mile, fell 3.5 per cent to HK66.6 cents, reflecting weaker ticket prices in the face of surging competition.

"For this upward trend to be sustained, arresting this yield decline is paramount and a prerequisite," he said. Revenue for its air cargo business, which took a toll for more than two years due to the weak economy and demand for shipments, rose 3.4 per cent compared to the first half of last year, at HK$11.66 billion.

But over-capacity in the air cargo market created downward pressure on rates, with the airline seeing cargo yield falling by 6.9 per cent. "We expect our cargo business to be better in the second half of 2014 than it was in the first half. We are well placed to take advantage of any increase in demand," the airline said. Cathay also indicated that high fuel prices were partly mitigated by operating more fuel-efficient aircraft.

Five new aircraft, including two Boeing 777-300ERs, were delivered to Cathay during the reported period, as it retired two Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft. Eleven new aircraft will be delivered in the second half of 2014, as it continues to modernise its fleet. "Cathay is pretty aggressive in renewing its fleet. By end of 2014, it will only have seven gas-guzzling 747-400s," analyst Tsang said.

The International Air Transport Association in June said airline profits are improving and that it expects airline companies to record combined net profits of $18 billion for 2014, down from its earlier forecast of $18.7 billion made in March.

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Saudi jetliner veers off Philippine airport runway

A Saudi Arabian Airlines jetliner veered off the runway at the Philippines' main international airport on Tuesday (Aug 5), causing a delay in at least 11 flights, airport officials said.

None of the 298 passengers on the Boeing 747-400 plane were hurt after the landing gear got stuck in mud near the runway, but fire and rescue teams had to lift it out and tow it away, said airport spokeswoman Jen Franco.

The plane was making a turn on the runway, preparing to take off for Riyadh when the mishap occurred. Airport officials were blaming the incident on "technical problems," she said.

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Qantas to lay off pilots in bid to revive profits

Struggling Australian airline Qantas on Wednesday said it will make dozens of pilots redundant for the first time in 40 years as it looks to slash costs to contain massive losses.

The national carrier, which announced it would cut 5,000 jobs from its workforce in February, will call for voluntary redundancies among its Boeing 747 and 767 pilots.

A spokesman said the airline was not placing an exact number on the redundancies until the application process was complete but reports said up to 100 positions, or just under 20 per cent of the 550 pilots for both fleets, were being targeted.

Qantas has around 2,000 pilots on its books.

The airline previously said it would retire both its ageing 747 and 767 fleets as part of a plan to save A$2 billion (US$1.8 billion) over the next three years, with chief executive Alan Joyce saying the airline was facing "some of the toughest conditions" it had ever seen.

Qantas chief pilot Dick Tobiano said in an internal message that plans to accelerate the retirement of the planes meant the airline was no longer able to manage the staff surplus through leave arrangements.

"It is anticipated that exits would be staggered corresponding with network and fleet reductions," he said.

The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) said the redundancies were "regrettable" but it would work with the company to "ensure the process was managed with as little pain to individual pilots as possible".

"Obviously from AIPA's perspective it is far better to see fleet reductions managed with older pilots stepping out on their own terms, rather than younger pilots being made redundant compulsorily," AIPA president Nathan Safe said.

While the cuts could see some of Qantas's most experienced pilots leave, Safe told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he did not "have any concerns about a lack of experience resulting from this -- not at all".

"Many of the pilots who won't take the package or won't be targeted by the package are also some of our most experienced pilots."

Tobiano stressed to the pilots affected that the cuts did not reflect their contribution to Qantas but the "realities of our fleet plan and the realities we face".

Qantas has lobbied the government for support after it announced a A$235 million loss in the six months to December 31 as it grapples with competition from domestic rival Virgin Australia, which is majority-owned by state-run Singapore Airlines, Etihad and Air New Zealand.

Its plea for a debt guarantee, or a A$3 billion unsecured loan, was rejected, but the government said it would relax the Qantas Sale Act, which would remove restrictions limiting foreign ownership in the airline to 49 per cent.

The bill passed the lower house of parliament in March but has yet to reach the upper house Senate.

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12 injured by turbulence on Cathay Pacific flight

A dozen people were injured when a Cathay Pacific jumbo jet hit "rollercoaster" turbulence over northern Japan, local media reported on Wednesday.

The Boeing 747-400, carrying 321 passengers and 21 crew, was rocked by "sudden turbulence" when it flew over Hokkaido prefecture on Tuesday, the South China Morning Post reported.

Cathay Pacific confirmed to AFP that two crew members were injured along with a number of passengers, without confirming the newspaper's figure.

The flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong landed at the southern Chinese city's airport at 6.26pm local time to be greeted by a fleet of ambulances and emergency vehicles.

One of the injured was taken to hospital on a stretcher.

The turbulence was "more intense than riding a rollercoaster", a passenger was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

The airline said medical assistance was provided to the injured on board before the flight landed.

"Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department has been informed of the incident, and we are collaborating with the authority on the investigation," the spokesman said.

Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong's flagship airline.

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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.

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SIA grounds second cargo plane

Singapore Airlines is grounding another of its cargo planes as the company continues to feel the squeeze of high fuel prices, weak demand and an overcapacity in the industry.

This is SIA's second freighter to be put into storage in the past 6 months. The first was in December 2012.

The news comes just weeks after SIA Cargo posted dismal annual results for its fiscal year, when it saw an operating loss of S$167 million.

"Fuel prices remain high and we continue to see weakness in the air cargo market due to industry-wide overcapacity, which has put pressure on rates," SIA Cargo President Tan Kai Ping said in a statement.

"We will continue to monitor market conditions closely and make further capacity adjustments as required."

The Boeing 747 will be put into storage in Victorville, California from next month until May 2014.

This will leave SIA with 11 freighters in operation.

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Over capacity has put another B747 into cold storage in faraway land California. Makes you wonder how much does it cost to park a jumbo for a year. How about maintenance? Will firing up the engine once in a while be needed? If so, who will do it?

Horrifying Video Of 747 Crash In Afghanistan

Shocking new footage has surfaced that appears to show a 747-400 cargo plane crashing at Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield. The crash reportedly left all seven Americans aboard the plane dead.

The Taliban took responsibility for the crash shortly after it occurred yesterday, but NATO told the Associated Press that these claims were false.

One army spokesperson said the crash occurred due to low altitude after takeoff. The plane, run by Florida-based National Airlines, a subsidiary of National Air Cargo, was reportedly carrying vehicles and other cargo and was bound for Dubai.

We talked to aviation expert and retired United Airlines captain Ross Aimer, who hesitated to speculate on the cause of the crash but said the plane might have stalled after taking off at too sharp an angle.

"The very high angle of the airplane, … is a definite no-no," Aimer said. "There's no way they could control that. Once you get into that, it stalls."

Once the plane stalls, it stops flying and "drops like a rock," he said.

Another possibility is a cargo shift.

"Something they were carrying might have been heavy and not tied down properly and shifted all the way to the back of the airplane," Aimer said.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a press release that says a team will investigate the crash.

"I don't know the answers and we won't until they get the black boxes," Aimer said.




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It's unfortunate, this crash. Hopefully the investigations will give us a clearer picture of what really happened up there. RIP to the 7 American crew members.

Passenger helps land a jumbo jet

A passenger has been hailed a hero after helping to land a plane at Dublin airport.

The Boeing 747 was been flying over the Atlantic on Monday when the first officer of the Lufthansa flight fell ill.

The flight from Newark to Frankfurt was diverted to Dublin after the co-pilot suffered an incapacitating migraine, reported The Guardian.

When the cabin crew announced the plane was being diverted, an off-duty pilot who was on board the flight offered to help, pointing out that he was a qualified pilot.

The German national helped bring the plane down safely in an emergency landing at the airport in the Irish capital shortly before 6am.

Ireland's Air Accident Investigations Unit is reportedly reviewing the matter.

A Lufthansa spokeswoman said in the London publication that the man who stepped in was fully licensed to operate and fly the 747.

"In such circumstances it's absolutely normal procedure for the pilot, the flight captain, to continue to operate the aircraft," she said.

"Also, where necessary, the cabin crew are fully trained and can be called upon to read checklists back to the pilot. The procedures are in place for such an eventuality."

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Well firstly, it was no ordinary passenger. He's a fully qualified 747 off-duty pilot. So it isn't as "heroic" as it seems. I hope the co-pilot is well and is able to continue flying.