Ethiopian Airlines signs a contract with Dar Al-Handasah to develop a mega airport city.
Facial matching technology and a TSA officer's keen eye leads to arrest at TPA checkpoint.
WMO and ICAO enhance cooperation in aeronautical meteorology and related fields.
Garmin introduces revolutionary technology to help avoid runway incursions.
BNA celebrates diversity and inclusion at the Airport Minority Advisory Council 39th Business Diversity Conference.
EL AL Israel Airlines finalizes order for up to 31 Boeing 737 MAX Jets.
airBaltic places order for 10 additional A220 aircraft bringing airline's total order to 90.
Cathay Group orders the A330neo.
Worldwide incidents and accidents.
Bonus Video - Seaplane Base AirVenture 2009 to 2019
AIRLINES, AIRPORTS & AIRLINERS NEWS
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES SIGNS A CONTRACT WITH DAR AL-HANDASAH TO DEVELOP A MEGA AIRPORT CITY
Ethiopian Airlines Group, Africa's leading airline, has signed a technical advisory and consultancy contract with Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (Shair and Partners), a partner with the world-renowned signature architects Zaha Hadid Architects, to embark on the design and supervision of a Mega Airport City at Abusera in Bishoftu city.
This state-of-the-art airport city, located just 40km from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, is poised to revolutionize air travel in Ethiopia. Upon completion, the new airport is projected to have the capacity to serve 110 million passengers each year, which is four times the current capacity of Bole International Airport.
Ethiopian Airlines' Group CEO, Mr. Mesfin Tasew, announced the Mega Airport City project, highlighting its role in establishing Ethiopia as a global aviation hub. “The project will not only enhance connectivity but also drive economic growth and prioritize environmentally responsible practices in our country and beyond, reflecting the airline's commitment to innovation and sustainability. With its exceptional capacity and world-class facilities, this new airport promises to elevate African aviation and strengthen partnerships, marking a significant advancement for the region's air travel infrastructure”.
Dar's Director of Operations in Ethiopia Tariq Al-Qanni stated, “We are privileged to be collaborating with Ethiopian Airlines on this visionary new airport, which will provide vital global air connectivity, accelerate economic growth in Ethiopia, and elevate Ethiopian Airlines into Africa's most strategic and most competitive aviation group.”
In its first phase, scheduled to be completed in 2029, the contract is set to position Ethiopia as the leading global gateway to Africa with a capacity of handling 60 million passengers, almost three times the number of passengers registered in Africa's busiest airport in 2022, Addis Ababa Bole International Airport; ultimately, the new airport's capacity will serve 110 million passengers a year, quadrupling the capacity of Bole International Airport.
The Mega Airport City will feature a 1.1 million sqm terminal including passenger facilities, 126,190 sqm of airline support facilities, and over 100,000 sqm of cargo and airport support facilities. It will also include an associated airfield and other essential airport infrastructure.
The new airport is positioned at a lower elevation compared to the current primary hub, Addis Ababa, situated at one of the world's most elevated locations, presenting unique operational challenges for aircraft. The architectural team will incorporate elements of Ethiopian heritage to establish a new emblematic structure for the nation - a people-centric, intuitive airport characterized by sustainability, resilience, and future-readiness. Ethiopian Airlines remains steadfast in its commitment to elevating customer experience to unprecedented heights, ensuring every journey is marked by excellence and innovation.
FACIAL MATCHING TECHNOLOGY AND A TSA OFFICER'S KEEN EYE LEADS TO ARREST AT TPA CHECKPOINT
Facial matching technology used in TSA's credential authentication technology, along with the keen eye of a Tampa TSA officer, led to the arrest of an individual attempting to use identification and a boarding pass intended for another person at a Tampa International Airport (TPA) security checkpoint on Thursday, 15 August.
Justin Causby, a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) at TPA, was checking identification during his shift on Airside A Thursday afternoon, when an individual inserted a driver's license into the credential authentication technology, or CAT-2 machine, while a photo was taken to be matched to the ID presented. The machine indicated a mismatch error and Causby conducted a manual inspection of the license and boarding pass. He quickly determined that the individual was using documents belonging to someone else.
Causby immediately notified a supervisor, who called in Tampa International Airport Police to investigate further. The individual was arrested following their investigation.
CAT-2 units are equipped with cameras on tablets and are used to match the face of the person standing at the checkpoint with the face that appears on the traveller's ID such as the person's driver's license or passport. The technology enhances detection capabilities for identifying fraudulent documents at the security checkpoint. The photos are not saved and are only used to match the person standing at the travel document checking podium with the photo on the ID that is being presented.
The system also confirms the passenger's flight status by verifying that the individual is ticketed to fly out of an airport on that same day.
TSA works with credential-issuing authorities such as states, the federal government, and foreign countries to ensure that our checkpoint technologies detect counterfeit identification documents. Additionally, TSA officers are trained to manually inspect credentials for features that indicate whether a document is authentic.
WMO AND ICAO ENHANCE COOPERATION IN AERONAUTICAL METEOROLOGY AND RELATED FIELDS
The Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Mr Juan Carlos Salazar, and the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Prof. Celeste Saulo, recently signed an update to the agreement that strengthens the longstanding collaboration between the two organizations.
ICAO and WMO - both specialised agencies of the United Nations - have maintained formal working arrangements since 1954. After seventy years of productive cooperation, this latest update, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), outlines the framework for continued coordination, cooperation and collaboration in aeronautical meteorology and other domains. These include the environmental impacts of aviation and the effects of climate change on aviation.
Mr. Yong Wang, Chief of ICAO's Airport Operations and Infrastructure Section (Montreal, Canada), remarked, “This update to the working arrangements comes at an opportune moment as the aviation industry is modernizing global air traffic management through system-wide information management.”
Adding to this, Mr. Greg Brock, Head of WMO's Services for Aviation Division (Geneva, Switzerland) highlighted, “The more integrated, more intelligent use of customer-focused and cost-efficient meteorological and climatological information services that are necessary for safe, efficient, economic and environmentally-responsible air transportation will be critical to success in the face of climate change and more frequent extreme weather events”.
The updated working arrangements will enable both organizations to better serve the needs of ICAO Member States, WMO Members, and meteorological and aviation stakeholder communities across the public and private sectors. The working arrangements will be reviewed every five years and updated as necessary to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness.
GARMIN INTRODUCES REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY TO HELP AVOID RUNWAY INCURSIONS
Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) today announced the certification of Runway Occupancy Awareness (ROA), marking the first certified software solution utilizing the Surface Indications and Alert(SURF-IA) technology. ROA uses ADS-B traffic to alert the crew of potential runway incursions caused by nearby airborne aircraft, aircraft on the ground and ground vehicles. The initial FAA certification was received by Textron Aviation on the G1000® NXi-equipped Cessna Caravan.
Garmin also expects to receive FAA certification for ROA in their G5000® STC covering the Cessna Citation Excel, XLS, XLS+ and XLS Gen2 in September of 2024 and expects for the technology to be certified on more Garmin-equipped aircraft in the coming months. ROA is initially available on select Garmin Integrated Flight Decks ranging from G1000 NXi to G5000 equipped aircraft serving the broad general and business aviation markets.
“With the rate of runway incursions increasing, there is a real need for increased safety tools in the cockpit. Equipping pilots with this technology can reduce the risk of runway incursions and help provide confidence for pilots navigating busy and complex airports.” -Phil Straub, Garmin Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Aviation
ROA technology analyses aircraft GPS and ADS-B traffic information relevant to the airport's runways and taxiways to assess and alert the crew of a possible runway incursion or collision. ROA provides visual crew-alerting system (CAS) caution and warning annunciations on the pilot's primary flight display (PFD) and highlights the runway yellow or red, depending on the level of threat, on Garmin's Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT™). It also provides similar caution and warning annunciations on the SafeTaxi® map displayed simultaneously on the multifunction window.
Both visual and aural alerts are provided to the flight crew based on the potential hazard, ranging from no immediate collision hazard to a warning level alert where a collision risk could occur within 15 seconds. Indications and alerts to the flight crew include: any traffic landing, taking off, stopped, or taxiing on the aircraft's runway; traffic on approach to the aircraft's runway or runway that crosses the aircraft's runway; as well as any traffic on the runway at which the aircraft is holding.
ROA builds upon Garmin's other Terminal Safety Solutions that help increase situational awareness while navigating runways and taxiways, including Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting System (ROAAS), Garmin SafeTaxi and Garmin SurfaceWatch™. To learn more about Garmin's ROA technology, visit Garmin.com/Aviation.
BNA CELEBRATES DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT THE AIRPORT MINORITY ADVISORY COUNCIL 39TH BUSINESS DIVERSITY CONFERENCE
Nashville International Airport (BNA) proudly hosted the prestigious 39th Annual Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) Airport Business Diversity Conference, further establishing its leadership in the aviation industry.
This distinguished event, which ran from August 4 to 7, 2024, at the Grand Hyatt Nashville, welcomed over 1,800 professionals, government officials, and business leaders to explore strategies for advancing opportunities for small, minority, and women-owned enterprises, and to promote diversity and inclusion across the aviation and aerospace sectors.
At the AMAC Catalyst Award Luncheon, a highlight of the conference, aviation industry leaders gathered to honor individuals who have significantly advanced AMAC's mission of promoting minority and women's employment and contracting opportunities in the aviation and aerospace industries. In a moving ceremony before a sold-out audience, AMAC Board Chair Ricky Smith presented Doug Kreulen, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA), with the prestigious Chairman's Award. With heartfelt gratitude, Kreulen accepted the award, praising AMAC's leadership and staff for their relentless efforts to provide equitable opportunities for all. This accolade underscores Kreulen's steadfast commitment to prioritizing minority participation and fostering a diverse and inclusive environment.
“The Chairman's Award honours a change agent from inside or outside the organization who has helped AMAC transform itself by focusing on organizational effectiveness, improvement, and development,” said AMAC Board Chair Ricky Smith. “For being a change agent and being an integral part of the culture at their organization, I'm honoured to present this year's Chairman's Award to Doug Kreulen. I'd like to extend my gratitude again on behalf of all of us here to Doug and the BNA team for really rolling out the red carpet for us this year! Thank you for your partnership and helping to create a successful and memorable AMAC Conference here in Nashville.”
EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES FINALIZES ORDER FOR UP TO 31 BOEING 737 MAX JETS
Boeing [NYSE: BA] and EL AL Israel Airlines today confirmed the Israeli flag carrier finalized an agreement for up to 31 737 MAX jets, supporting the airline's plans to renew its fleet of Next-Generation 737 airplanes.
"This is a significant milestone for EL AL, which will allow us to offer our customers the most advanced service and technology experience in the industry," said Dina Ben-Tal Ganancia. CEO EL AL Israel Airlines. "The implementation of the long-term procurement plan, which began with the purchase of additional 787 Dreamliners earlier this year and culminates in the current deal, once again demonstrates our commitment to the Israeli public and the state."
Ben-Tal Ganancia added: "EL AL has a central role in ensuring open skies for Israel. The implementation of our strategic plan - which aims to expand the fleet, increase the value proposition for customers and increase capacity and seating - will ensure a strong and growing company for many years to come."
With the 737 MAX family, EL AL will achieve the best per-seat economics in its class, improved environmental performance and increased passenger comfort. In particular, the 737 MAX will reduce fuel use and emissions 20% compared to the airplanes it replaces and have a 50% smaller noise footprint.
"We are honoured EL AL has chosen Boeing airplanes to power its past, present and future as we continue to build on seven decades of partnership," said Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We know EL AL depends on the versatility and reliability of Boeing airplanes, and we look forward to delivering the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner jets that will reshape and grow the airline in the coming decades."
EL AL's 737 MAX order follows its purchase earlier this year of three additional 787-9 airplanes with options for six more as the airline further expands its 787 Dreamliner fleet. The carrier will take delivery of a new 787-9 this year and plans to receive two more new 787-9s on lease in the coming years.
AIRBALTIC PLACES ORDER FOR 10 ADDITIONAL A220 AIRCRAFT BRINGING AIRLINE'S TOTAL ORDER TO 90
airBaltic confirms an incremental order for an additional 10 A220-300s. This new and fourth reorder will take the airline's total firm order to 90 A220 aircraft. Already operating a strong fleet of close to 50 A220-300s, airBaltic is currently the largest A220 customer in Europe and the largest A220-300 operator in the world.
The Latvian flag carrier has a long-standing history operating the Airbus A220-300, having been the launch customer in 2016. Since 2020, the airline has operated an A220-exclusive fleet. With a firm order for 90 A220-300, airBaltic further reinforces its position as the largest A220 customer in Europe.
Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic, said: “For the first time in the company's history, airBaltic plans to operate a fleet of close to 100 A220-300 aircraft, and these exercised options are the next step in the right direction. Over the years, this aircraft type has proven its operational capabilities and value - it has been the backbone of our operations and has played an integral role in the international success story of airBaltic. By exercising these options, we are strengthening our unwavering support and trust in the A220 Programme and are looking forward to our fleet expansion over the upcoming years.”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Executive Vice President Sales of Airbus Commercial Aircraft business, said: “We are honoured and thankful that airBaltic is placing its fourth follow-up order. This latest agreement from Latvia's flag carrier is a strong endorsement of the superior value and operational opportunities offered by this latest generation aircraft. The A220 is quite simply the most efficient aircraft in its size category, with a spacious cabin driving the best Net Promoter Scores with passengers wherever it is operated, and the range capability to fly non-stop to any destination on the carrier's current network and beyond.”
The A220 is the most modern airliner in its class, carrying between 120 to 150 passengers on flights of up to 3,600 nautical miles (6,700 km). It has the largest cabin, seats and windows in its class, ensuring superior comfort.
CATHAY GROUP ORDERS THE A330NEO
Hong Kong's Cathay Group has placed a firm order with Airbus for 30 A330-900 widebody aircraft. The order follows a thorough evaluation by the airline under its mid-size widebody fleet renewal programme.
The newly-ordered aircraft will enable Cathay to modernise its earlier generation A330-300 fleet and expand its operations on high capacity regional routes. The aircraft will also offer flexibility to serve longer range destinations. As with all A330neo aircraft, the fleet will be powered by the latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.
Ronald Lam, Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer said: “As Cathay completes the final stretch of its rebuilding journey, we are turning the page to modernisation and growth, both in terms of scope and quality. We are delighted to announce this new order for state-of-the-art A330neo aircraft. This substantial investment reflects not only our immense confidence in Hong Kong's leading international aviation hub status, but also represents our commitment to fostering our home city's ongoing development.”
“The A330 is an aircraft type that has been serving Cathay Pacific well for nearly 30 years. These new aircraft will principally serve our regional destinations in Asia, while also providing the flexibility to serve longer-haul destinations as required. The improved fuel efficiency of these A330neos, together with their high standards of comfort, will enable us to further elevate the experience we provide for our customers while also contributing towards our goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Aircraft said: "This latest order from Cathay, one of the world's most experienced A330 operators, is a major endorsement of the latest generation A330neo. It is the natural successor for existing A330 fleets, bringing the highest levels of technical and operational commonality, and significant reductions in fuel consumption and carbon emissions. In addition, the award-winning Airspace cabin provides a whole new flight experience.”
“At Cathay, the A330neo will become the backbone of its regional widebody operations, with the versatility to operate on longer routes. Together with its A320 Family and A350 fleets, the airline will be able to take full benefit from the unique synergies of the latest generation Airbus product line.”
The A330-900 is capable of flying 7,200 nm / 13,330 km non-stop and features the award-winning Airspace cabin, offering a superior flight experience. As with all Airbus aircraft, the A330neo is already able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), with the aim to increase this to 100% by 2030.
Japan, Tokyo/Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA): a Singapore Airlines' flight SIN/SQ638 from Singapore/Changi, Singapore to Tokyo/Narita, Japan, a Boeing 787-10, suffered tire burst and white smoke (initially reported as coming from No. 1 engine) while landing on runway 16L of Narita. The airplane vacated the runway from taxiway B6, was stuck on taxiway K soon after intersection with B8 and ARFF attended on the scene. The runway 16L was closed for inspection until 08:30 LT and some debris of the tire fragment were found on the runway. The Being was towed to the gate. No reported injuries.
Japan, Tokyo/Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA) : An Atlas Air's flight GTI/5Y7106 from Tokyo/Narita, Japan to Los Angeles, USA, a Boeing 747-481F, took off from runway 16R of Narita at 21:39 LT when two aft tires of the left body landing gear burst. Fragments of burst tires on the runway were reported by successive departure flight and the runway was closed for two hours to clean up and inspection. The Boeing reported hydraulic and pressurization problems after take-off, turned back to Narita and made a safe landing on runway 16R with declaring an emergency at 01:12 LT next morning after the curfew. The left body gear lost its two aft rubber tires completely and were damaged on the metal wheels so sparks were emitted from them while on the landing. ARFF attended on the scene. The cargo plane was stuck on the runway near the intersection with taxiway A7 and the runway was closed again until it was towed away at 08:09 LT. Dent(s) and crack(s) of the fuselage were found later. JTSB launched an investigation as an accident.
Canada, 130 nm S of Timmins, ON: A Porter Airlines DHC-8-402Q, was cruising at FL250 when the crew received a master warning and CABIN PRESS warning. The crew noted the cabin altitude was increasing and initiated a decent to 12 000 feet, donned their oxygen masks, actioned the appropriate checklist, and declared PAN PAN. As the aircraft descended through 17 000 feet, the CABIN PRESS light extinguished as the cabin had begun to re-pressurize. The aircraft landed without further incident. While troubleshooting, maintenance discovered that the three-position (AUTO/MAN/DUMP) pressurization control switch was in the manual (MAN) position. Prior to the occurrence flight, maintenance had replaced the pilot's windshield, which required them to conduct a pressurization check using the MAN mode for pressurization control. The switch had not been returned to the AUTO position prior to flight, and its correct position (AUTO) had not been verified during pre-flight checklists.
