Thursday 8 November 2012

IFALPA sources the following items from a wide variety of media and they may not necessarily represent the views of the Federation. Publication in the The Daily News does not infer that IFALPA endorses the views expressed.

1. DGCA advises airlines to prepare pilots for fog 2. Delta flight lands in Syracuse after engine failure 3. Russian carrier Aeroflot wants to share international routes 4. Kingfisher receives deadline of 30 November 5. A piece of aviation history
DGCA advlses alrllnes to prepare pUots for fog
Yesterday in New Delhi, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) held a meeting to review fog readiness. During the meeting, the regulator requested that all airlines employ sufficient number of Category-III pilots trained to fly in foggy conditions. Fog is expected to impact flights in and out of Delhi and other cities in North India for a longer period this year. Conditions are likely to last from 10 December to 10 February, unlike recent years where they've abated by the third week ofJanuary. The airlines w ere also advised that the operations of planes like ATR turboprops, regional jets and Bombardier Q400s, which are not CAT-III compliant, should be postponed in the case of foggy weather conditions. Additionally, the DGCA reiterated the importance of adequately advising passengers of information if and when their flights are delayed or diverted due to fog, and in such situations, to provide them with food and basic services. Finally, the regulator also specified that work that could impact aircraft operations, including construction, should be stopped near operational areas at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport as well as any alternate airports being used during the fog period.

Delta Olght lands In Syracuse aft:er englne faUure

On Wednesday, a Delta Air Lines passenger flight from Detroit to Hartford made a precautionary landing in Syracuse, New York, after one of its engines failed. There were 102 people on board the McDonnell-Douglas MD-88 aircraft, which landed without incident at Syracuse Hancock International Airport near lunchtime yesterday. Delta passengers were offered seats aboard a recovery flight, scheduled to depart for Hartford Wednesday afternoon.

Russian carrier Aeroflot wants to share intemational routes
In a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Vitaly Saveliev; CEO of Russia's Aeroflot, said the airline would decline its monopoly on 34 international destinations. Saveliev said Aeroflot would support the addition of other airlines on rou tes they presently control because the company feels that many of the destinations require more frequent service. Currently, Aeroflot flies the majority of intemational routes originating in Moscow. The carrier inherited most of the bilateral agreements between Russia and other countries from Soviet Aeroflot. At this moment in time, Aeroflot is the only Russian airline permitted to fly regularly between Moscow and a list of destinations including Prague, Stockholm, Brussels, Budapest, Belgrade, Oslo, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. Transaero is the second airline that maintains rights to fly international routes in the Russian market. Russia liberalized bilateral agreements with Italy and France this year and plans to add an additional carrier to the Moscow-PRG route in 2013.

Kingfisher receives deadline of 30 November

After having lent roughly USD$1.4 billion dollars to Kingfisher Airlines, the State Bank of India has demanded the debt-ridden carrier bring in new equity oran investor by no later than 30 November 2012. lf unable to find the capital it needs, the airline will not be able to fly, further hurting its chances of drawing in new investors. Furthermore, sorne sources have reported that, should the airline fail to provide a turnaround plan by the end of 2012, its license to fly may not be renewed. The Managing Director for the State Bank of India said that lenders would meet with the airline's senior executives next week to consider a plan for their future. This is the latest in what has been a turbulent month for Kingfisher, who ceased operating flights in early October following employee protests over unpaid wages. Although it has since resolved issues with employees, India's regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), suspended the airline's license in October when it neglected to address safety concerns. The regulator has demanded the carrier present it with a reviva! plan befare it can resume operations.

piece of aviation history for 8 November

1935 - Kingsford Smith and Pethybridge were flying the Lady Southern Cross overnight from Allahabad, India, to Singapore, while attempting to break the England-Australia speed record, when they disappeared over the Andaman Sea in the early hours. 18 months later, Burmese fishermen found an undercarriage leg and wheel (with its tire still inflated) which had been washed ashore at Aye Island in the Gulf of Martaban, 3km (2mi) off the southeast coastline of Burma, sorne 137km (85mi) south of Mottama (formerly known as Martaban). Lockheed confirmed the undercarriage leg to be from the Lady Southern Cross. Botanists who examined the weeds clinging to the undercarriage leg estimated that the aircraft itself les not far from the island at a depth of approximately 15 fathoms (90ft; 27m). The undercarriage leg is now on public display at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.