Australia's Qantas says Dreamliner order to go ahead

Australian airline Qantas said Wednesday there were no changes to its order of 15 Dreamliner aircraft for its low-cost carrier Jetstar after Japan's two biggest airlines grounded the Boeing models.

"There are no changes to our order. It's still going ahead," a Qantas spokeswoman told AFP."

Qantas reduced its order of 50 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jets to 15 in August 2012 to cut costs after announcing its first annual loss since privatisation in 1995 due to high fuel costs and industrial action.

The delivery of the first of the 15 787s to Jetstar will enable the transfer of Airbus A330 aircraft from Jetstar to Qantas' domestic service and the eventual retirement of Qantas' Boeing 767 fleet.

The 787 Dreamliner has suffered more than a week of bad news that has prompted investigations by aviation regulators in the United States, Japan and India although Boeing insists the plane is safe.

All Nippon Airways -- the world's first carrier to receive the Dreamliner from Boeing after years of delays -- said a battery problem triggered a cockpit error message that forced the pilots into an emergency landing Wednesday.

Both ANA and its rival Japan Airlines (JAL) -- which are among Boeing's biggest customers for the Dreamliner -- said they would ground their entire 787 fleets pending safety checks.

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Qantas is going ahead with its order of 15 B787s even with the slew of issues bugging the aircraft. It still is early days for the Dreamliner, airlines wouldn't make panic cancellations unless, touchwood, the aircraft fails to keep itself in the air.

Japanese airlines JAL & ANA ground all Boeing Dreamliners

Japan's two biggest airlines on Wednesday grounded all their Dreamliners in the most serious blow yet to Boeing's troubled next-generation model after an ANA flight was forced into an emergency landing.

The 787 Dreamliner has suffered more than a week of bad news that has prompted investigations by aviation regulators in Japan and the United States, although Boeing insists the plane is safe.

All Nippon Airways -- the world's first carrier to receive the Dreamliner from Boeing after years of delays -- said a battery problem triggered a cockpit error message that forced the pilots to land the plane in southwestern Japan.

Both ANA and its rival Japan Airlines (JAL) -- which together are among Boeing's biggest customers for the Dreamliner -- said they would ground their entire 787 fleets pending safety checks, according to multiple media reports.

ANA has 17 Dreamliners in operation and JAL has seven.

"We recognise it is a serious incident that could lead to a serious accident," said Transport Minister Akihiro Ota said, according to national broadcaster NHK.

Ota said he was launching an investigation and had immediately dispatched aviation bureau officials.

ANA said 129 passengers and eight crew were on board the flight, which was headed from Ube in the far west to Tokyo when it diverted mid-flight to an airport in Takamatsu, on Japan's fourth largest island of Shikoku.

Police reported several "slight injuries" such as scratches after those aboard evacuated the plane via emergency chutes at Takamatsu, as several airport fire trucks deployed on the ground.

ANA would not confirm Japanese media reports that smoke was seen inside the cockpit, but one passenger was quoted by broadcaster NHK as saying he "smelled something strange" after take-off and feared the plane was going to crash.

Last week, there was a battery fire and smoke on an empty Dreamliner flight operated by JAL on the ground in the US city of Boston.

JAL said the smoke on that flight was traced to a fire from the battery used for the Dreamliner's auxiliary power unit, located in an electrical room at the rear of the plane.

"It is true that the aircraft has recently seen a series of troubles," ANA spokeswoman Naoko Yamamoto said after Wednesday's emergency landing. "But we cannot say if this has something in common with previous problems."

Another ANA official said: "During the flight (the pilots) had an error message saying 'battery problem'. We are still investigating what exactly happened," he added, without confirming the reports of smoke in the cockpit.

Boeing said it was aware of the incident in Takamatsu. "We will be working with our customers and the appropriate regulatory agencies," the company said in a statement.

The high-profile incidents over the past week are the latest issues to dog the aircraft, after production glitches delayed delivery of the first plane to ANA by three years to 2011.

ANA and JAL have a combined 100-plus planes either already delivered or on order, in deals worth billions of dollars for Boeing.

Problems bloomed last week with the fire on the JAL flight after it had landed in Boston from Tokyo. That incident was followed by a fuel leak on another JAL Dreamliner, also in Boston.

A cracked cockpit window then forced the cancellation of a Dreamliner flight in Japan before a JAL-operated plane suffered a fuel spill on Sunday at Tokyo's Narita Airport.

On Friday US regulators announced an in-depth safety review of the 787, which was followed on Monday by the announcement of a probe in Japan. But Boeing insists that it has "complete confidence" in the plane.

Considered a milestone in the aviation industry with its use of lightweight composite materials and electronics instead of aluminium and hydraulics, some 50 of the US aerospace giant's 787s are in service worldwide.

Boeing, which outsourced much of the production to Japanese and other contractors, says the plane's impressive fuel efficiency represents a revolution in aircraft design.

But questions about its safety, and the US and Japanese government reviews, have the potential to affect sales. Boeing has more than 800 Dreamliners on order.

After his ministry launched its investigation, Transport Minister Akihiro Ota said Tuesday that the Japanese people "have become enormously worried after hearing almost every day" about problems with the Dreamliner.

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Finally, they say it's enough and ground all B787s operating in Japan. Nobody knows how long the grounding will last, but safety can never be compromised. Engineers in Boeing will have lots of overtime to do.

Dreamliner makes emergency landing in Japan: ANA

A Boeing Dreamliner operated by All Nippon Airways made an emergency landing in the west of Japan on Wednesday, the airline said, with media reports saying smoke had been seen inside the aircraft.

"It made an emergency landing at Takamatsu because there was an error message during the flight," from Ube in the far west, bound for Tokyo, ANA spokeswoman Naoko Yamamoto said.

Television pictures showed emergency chutes deployed from the plane at the airport in Takamatsu, on Japan's fourth largest island of Shikoku.

Jiji Press reported smoke had been seen inside the cockpit. If confirmed, it would constitute yet another blow to the Dreamliner's reputation after more than a week of bad news.

ANA said 129 passengers and eight crew on board, with Jiji and broadcast NHK saying none was injured.

"It is true that the aircraft has recently seen a series of troubles," said the ANA spokesman. "But we cannot say if this has something in common with previous problems".

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Murphy's Law eh?? After the oil leak few days back, now you get something burning in the plane. This is not good at all. A fire onboard a plane can be very fatal and should not be taken lightly. Let's see what's going to happen after this mishap.

SIA passenger load factor rises in Dec 2012

Singapore Airlines' (SIA) passenger load factor (PLF), or the average occupancy per aircraft, rose 2.6 percentage points year-on-year to 82.2 per cent in December 2012.

The number of people flying Singapore Airlines (SIA) was also up 6.0 per cent over the same time in 2012, bringing the number of passengers to 1.6 million.

In a statement on Tuesday, SIA said operating numbers jumped because of a strong holiday travel season. Long haul routes to the Americas and Europe led year-on-year gains with 3.4 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively.

The airline also said it carried 6.1 per cent more passengers per kilometre, which outpaced the 2.8 per cent growth in capacity, measured in available seat kilometres.

Meanwhile, SilkAir carried 11.1 per cent more passengers per kilometre on-year, but lagged behind a 19.8 per cent jump in its growth capacity. This dragged SilkAir's passenger load factor down 6.0 percentage points to 77.1 per cent.

Overall cargo traffic (measured in freight-tonne-kilometres) was also down 8.0 per cent from the same time last year, while cargo capacity tumbled 9.0 per cent. The company said this caused the cargo load factor (CLF) to edge up by 0.8 percentage point.

With the exception of East Asia and the Americas, load factors were higher for all route regions.

CLF for the East Asia route region dipped 3.3 percentage points as demand failed to match capacity increases. The South West Pacific saw the biggest increase in CLF, bumping up 6.5 percentage points due to movement of seasonal perishables.

Still, things have been bumpy for the airline, which is often considered a bellwether for the entire service airline industry, as it implements a slew of cost cutting measures. Earlier this month, SIA asked its captains to volunteer for unpaid leave.

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Good thing that there are still a lot of people taking SIA flights, bad thing is that this increase in load doesn't really translate into profits due to the high costs of operating the flights, mainly fuel, coupling with price promotions to compete with other airlines.

Once the fuel costs come down, SIA should be doing ok, and the pilots can come for work again.

Another fuel spill hits Boeing 787

A Japan Airlines Boeing 787 suffered a fuel spill on Sunday for the second time in a week, a report said.

The latest incident happened at Tokyo's Narita Airport, Jiji Press newswire reported, while the aircraft was being checked following a fuel spill on Tuesday in Boston.

The airline could not be reached for comment about the report.

On Friday, US regulators announced an in-depth safety review of the 787 Dreamliner after a recent spate of incidents involving the new high-tech aircraft.

On Monday last week, a fire broke out on a JAL Dreamliner after it landed in Boston from Japan.

JAL, along with fellow Japanese firm All Nippon Airways, is one of Boeing's most important clients for the 787 with 45 orders.

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Oh my god, it just gets worse everyday for the Dreamliner. Boeing must be crying right now.

Week 11: ATPL Ground School Week 11

Great news!! I managed to clear all Tech Papers on one try and I'm thoroughly glad that I did so. Those nightmares while sleeping will finally be gone. Other news, Radiotelephony and C172 papers were being postponed to next Friday, to my relief.

It seems that I can't absorb and learn enough about R/T to be able to feel confident going for the exam. It's quite scary actually, and I am very worried to be honest. This weekend and whole of next week will be covering a lot on the revision before the papers on Friday.

The worrisome feeling better be gone by Thursday, fingers crossed.

Batch mate brought these along to share more knowledge with the rest of us

My strongest subject, Engines, actually scored the lowest among the 5 papers

US launches safety review of 787 after recent issues

The US government ordered a wide-ranging review of Boeing's latest passenger jet, the 787 Dreamliner, citing concern over a fire and other recent problems but insisting the plane was still safe to fly.

It was unclear how long the review will take or how much it will ultimately cost Boeing, but the company was concerned enough that it sent a top executive to a Washington press conference on the problem. Boeing shares fell 3 per cent.

The 787 represented a leap in the way planes are designed and built, but the project was plagued by cost overruns and years of delays. Some have suggested Boeing's rush to get planes built after those delays resulted in the recent problems, a charge the company strenuously denies.

Either way, regulators said a thorough examination was needed to identify the root cause of the problems, including a fire on a parked 787 on Monday.

"There are concerns about recent events involving the Boeing 787. That is why today we are conducting a comprehensive review," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told a news conference followed by more than 100 reporters around the world.

Those concerns notwithstanding, though, LaHood also maintained the plane was still airworthy.

"I believe this plane is safe and I would have absolutely no reservations about boarding one of these planes and taking a flight," he said.

While the FAA launched its review, Boeing customer All Nippon Airways had a launch of its own, initiating Dreamliner service between Tokyo and the Silicon Valley hub of San Jose. Passengers preparing to board shook off any suggestion they might be worried.

"Whenever there's a new plane there's some breaking in that comes with it. If the pilot's willing to get behind the stick and ride the plane, I have a great deal of confidence in the worthiness of the plane," said Marc Casto, 37, who runs a San Jose-based travel company.

Boeing shares fell 2.7 per cent to US$75 in late trading. Since December 4, when the first of the recent incidents took place, the stock is up 1.5 per cent, underperforming a 4.3 per cent gain in the S&P 500.

Much like the company's customers, who have generally stood behind it, analysts give the company good marks for its early response to the crisis.

"Boeing is doing a good job getting in front (as much as a company can) of the FAA situation. My view is that if the FAA deems this as a non-design issue, Boeing will be fine. If this is a design issue, it will be more troublesome because we need to pause the production to fix the design and then proceed," said Morningstar analyst Neal Dihora.

CHALLENGE FOR BOEING'S COMMERCIAL CHIEF

The review will focus on the 787's advanced electrical systems and cover their design, manufacture and assembly, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The move comes on top of a separate probe by US safety investigators into a battery fire that caused "serious damage" to an empty Japan Airlines 787 jet at Boston airport on Monday. Early findings of that probe are due next week.

The 787, the world's first mainly carbon-composite airliner, is Boeing's boldest effort to revolutionize commercial aviation by using new technology to cut fuel costs by 20 per cent. Each lightweight jet has a list price of US$207 million.

Airlines are pleased with the savings, and have so far given the plane their approval, both by ordering more than 800 jets and mostly sticking by it through the current spate of troubles.

After roughly 10 incidents on 787s in six weeks, one jet suffered a cracked cockpit window on Friday, while another had an oil leak.

"We also stand 100 per cent behind the integrity of the 787 and the rigorous process that led to its successful certification and entry into service," Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said in a statement on Friday.

The review is a significant test for the recently appointed chief executive of Boeing's commercial airplanes division, Ray Conner, who attended Friday's news conference.

"The redundancies that we have put into this machine are phenomenal and the airplane performed perfectly in that respect. Now, we'd like to make sure that none of these happen again, and that's what we're going to try to do," Conner said.

Those complex systems that Conner referred to are among the advantages of the 787, but also complicate finding and solving problems, according to the director of MIT's Aeronautical Systems Laboratory.

"You now have the interdependencies that you didn't have before. The systems are much better when they work but they're harder to guarantee that they will work all the time and it's harder to predict what will happen when something fails," said R. John Hansman in an interview.

BOEING CONFIDENCE

As Boeing's 787 comes under review, the company is involved in difficult labor contract negotiations with its engineering union, which represents the workers who would be called upon to solve any problems with the Dreamliner.

On Friday, Boeing made a revised offer that it said would increase the pool of money available for raises.

Ray Goforth, executive director of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), declined to comment on the FAA review. He said Boeing's latest offer still included drastic cuts from the contract that expired in November.

The media storm about the 787 glitches echoes global publicity a year ago over wing cracks on the A380 superjumbo, built by Boeing's European rival Airbus.

The A380 has also been deemed safe to fly and few airlines have reported a dip in bookings, but the problems are expected to end up costing Airbus up to 500 million euros in repairs.

The 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight in late 2011 after a series of production delays put deliveries more than three years behind schedule. By the end of last year, Boeing had sold 848 Dreamliners. It now has 50 in service.

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As the plane gets more complex like the B787's electrical systems, it is also harder to troubleshoot in order to get to the root cause of the problems caused by the burning battery. This will definitely cost alot of money for Boeing, but the plane itself is still good as a transport aircraft.