FLUG REVUE update: Week ending 7 November 2004

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UPDATE
Week ending 7 November 2004

+++ Air Berlin and NIKI opt for big Airbus deal +++ Ryanair profits grow +++ Trent 900 certified +++ EADS ups outlook +++ ELFAA shows benefits of low fares carriers +++ News in brief +++

Air Berlin and NIKI opt for big Airbus deal
Großauftrag geht an A320

After a tight battle with the Boeing 737, Air Berlin and its Austrian partner NIKI have decided on the joint purchase of 110 Airbus A320s. A firm order for 70 aircraft has been placed, 60 of which will be delivered to Air Berlin and 10 to NIKI. The airlines have an option to purchase a further 40 aircraft. Delivery of the planes will start in September 2005. The A320s for Air Berlin and NIKI will have single-class seating for 174 passengers and will be used for flights within Europe.
Joachim Hunold, managing partner of Air Berlin, remarked: "By placing this large order, we want to ensure that we can continue to grow in the low-cost segment for a long time to come." Niki Lauda commented: "By choosing Airbus we have opted not only for a quality product, but also for what is currently the most modern medium-haul aircraft around." The initial agreements were signed during a ceremony in Hamburg, Germany, in the presence of Joachim Hunold, Managing Partner of Air Berlin, Niki Lauda, President of Niki and Gustav Humbert, Airbus Chief Operating Officer. The aircraft will be deployed on both airlines' routes from German and Austrian cities to holiday destinations in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands, as well as on Air Berlin's and Niki's fast-growing scheduled network of City Shuttle destinations across Europe.

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Ryanair profits grow
Mehr Gewinn bei Ryanair

Ryanair, Europe's No.1 low fares airline announced record half year profits of Euro 201.3m. Traffic grew by 24% to 14.1m passengers, yields declined by 5% and consequently total revenues rose by 21% to Euro 721.1m. Unit costs (excluding fuel and route charges) fell by 4% and (including fuel and route charges unit costs remained flat) and as a result the profit margin after tax declined by 1% to an industry leading 28%. Announcing these results, Ryanair's Chief Executive, Michael O'Leary said: "These record traffic and profit figures show just how robust Ryanair's "lowest fares" model remains even in a very difficult economic environment characterised by record fuel prices and intense price competition. Like Southwest, this is Ryanair's 30 th consecutive quarter of unbroken profitability (before exceptionals) since we floated in May 1997. Central to these record profits is Ryanair's continuing disciplined route growth. Our two new bases in Barcelona and Rome have exceeded expectations, as have the 41 other new routes launched this Summer. Our expansion continues this Winter with our Rome and Milan bases each getting two more aircraft. Our Frankfurt, Stockholm and Glasgow bases welcome one additional plane each, and our London Luton base rises from one 737-200 to four 737-800's. This Winter will also see Ryanair open five new destinations with low fare flights to Riga ( Latvia), Santander, Seville and Valencia ( Spain) and Porto ( Portugal). Unit costs remained flat for the first half due to higher fuel and route charges which rose at a much faster rate than traffic growth. Excluding fuel and route charges, all other unit costs were reduced by 4% thanks to the addition of more cost efficient Boeing 737-800s, new lower cost airport agreements, and continuing tight control over all other costs. We continue to aggressively attack costs and have recently agreed the forward sale of our remaining 737-200 fleet for $10m as well as a new 10 year engine maintenance contract with General Electric (GE) which locks away significant cost reductions.
O´Leary added that "the enormous impact of record fuel prices on the airline industry will impact future guidance. In November last year (during the run up to the Iraq War) when the cost per barrel surged we stopped our forward hedging policy. From November 2004 we are unhedged and will continue to remain so until forward rates return towards their previous "normal" levels. As usual much of the commentary on fuel prices in Ryanair has been hyperbolic. Ryanair can absorb much higher oil prices than its competitors and still offer the lowest air fares. We remain by some distance the most profitable airline in Europe. $50 a barrel for Brent crude for the remainder of this fiscal year will add some Euro 55m to our total budgeted costs. However the multiple fuel surcharging policy of our competitors has seen our rate of yield decline ease. These stronger than expected yields will partially offset our higher fuel costs.”

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Trent 900 certified
Triebwerk für A380 zugelassen

On November 1, Rolls-Royce announced that the Trent 900 engine, being developed for the Airbus A380, has achieved its airworthiness certification on schedule - less than 20 months after its first run. Ian Crawford, Director Airbus Programmes at Rolls-Royce, said: "This milestone maintains our record of achieving targets throughout demanding development programmes. As the fourth generation of the family, this engine has ten million hours of Trent experience to draw on, and this has meant a high degree of predictability throughout development." As the choice of launch customer Singapore Airlines (SIA), the Trent 900 is the leading engine for the A380 development programme, and the first set of engines has been delivered to Airbus in Toulouse in readiness for the aircraft's maiden flight in early 2005. A total of 18 Trent 900s will eventually be delivered to Airbus to support the four A380s in the flight test programme. The aircraft enters service with SIA in Spring 2006. Although initially operating in commercial service at 70,000lb thrust, the Trent 900 was certificated at a rating of 80,000lb, allowing margin for growth. It has reached 93,000lb thrust during test bed running.
Since the engine first ran in March 2003, seven development engines have been used in safety and reliability testing. This has included measuring the engine's resistance to multiple bird strikes, and its performance in severe weather conditions simulated by water, hail and ice ingestion tests. The programme also included the statutory "blade-off" test, which successfully demonstrated the ability of the engine's safety system to contain a fan blade, deliberately blown free by an explosive charge with the engine at full power. As well as its selection by Singapore Airlines, the Trent 900 has also been chosen by Qantas, Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa, giving it a 48 per cent share of firm and option orders.
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EADS ups outlook
Bessere Aussichten für EADS

EADS continues to deliver strong operational and financial performance. In the first nine months of 2004 the company achieved an EBIT (pre-goodwill and exceptionals) of Euro 1,500 million, 91 percent higher than in the same period of 2003 (Ezuro 784 million). Driven by stronger Airbus aircraft deliveries and Space turnaround, EADS' EBIT margin has gone up from 4.2 to 7 percent. Growth in all EADS divisions boosted revenues by 16 percent to Euro 21.5 billion (9/2003: Euro 18.5 billion), in particular the increase of Airbus deliveries to 224 aircraft (9/2003: 199). Revenues of the defence and homeland security businesses grew year over year, however, they typically are strongest towards the end of the year. Free Cash Flow before customer financing strongly improved to Euro 147 million (Euro - 92 million) and customer financing gross exposure was slightly reduced.
Reflecting market demand improvement in civil aviation, EADS now expects Airbus to deliver at least 315 aircraft in 2004. EADS has increased its 2004 EBIT target to Euro 2.2 billion, up from the previous target of Euro 2.1 billion. The EADS CEOs Philippe Camus and Rainer Hertrich said: "Very sound Airbus results and the Space turnaround are the basis for EADS' revenues and earnings increase. They allow for an improved performance outlook for 2004 and beyond. EADS' solid financial performance and our market strength enhance the potential for future growth in Asia, North America and Europe. We see Airbus with at least 315 aircraft deliveries in 2004 reinforcing its number one position in the commercial aircraft market. Technology development, vigilant cost control and a highly committed international management team provide us with a competitive platform to strongly grow the business in the upturn." The CEOs underlined that the Space turnaround is already visible in the 2004 quarterly results. "We are confident this division's profitability will further grow following a 'black zero' in 2004."

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ELFAA shows benefits of low fares carriers
Billigairlines gut für den Verbraucher

The European Low Fares Airlines Association (ELFAA) published a report on 'Liberalisation of European Air Transport: The Benefits of Low Fares Airlines to Consumers, Airports, Regions and the Environment". Announcing the publication of this important report today, Wolfgang Kurth, ELFAA president and CEO of the German low fares airline Hapag Lloyd Express, commented: "We are delighted to launch this report today, which calls on the collective experience of our member airlines. The low fares model has been responsible for bringing low fares and increased choice to European consumers and has led to the development of low cost airports in formerly underserved regions which has greatly contributed to regional development and integration. The low fares model also facilitates sustainable development by minimising the impact on the environment.
The objective of this report is to inform policy makers on the operation of the low fares model and the benefits it has brought in Europe. We look forward to working with the European institutions and national governments to ensure that future policy in the area of air transport does not undermine these benefits." The report, available at www.elfaa.com, is the first of its kind to examine the low fares business model and the huge benefits that low fares airlines have brought to consumers, airport competition, and regional development while minimising the impact on the environment. The report also highlights certain threats to the continued success of the low fares model and calls on policy makers to refrain from protecting their national airlines and to consider the benefits that liberalisation and the emergence of low fares airlines have brought.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

SAR-Lupe, the future satellite system for radar image reconnaissance, is currently being developed for the German Federal Armed Forces by Bremen-based space technology company OHB-System AG. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of the satellites to the customer, the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement BWB, the SAR-Lupe team, which comprises renowned European companies, has developed a unique test known as the SAR end-to-end test or SEET for short. In this test, the satellite was aligned to the International Space Station ISS from the ground and produced high-resolution images of the station in orbit. Prior to this, various inverted imaging tests had been performed in July to prove that the image quality required by BWB can be achieved. "The images of the ISS generated by the SAR end-to-end test successfully demonstrated the imaging function chain and proved the capabilities of SAR-Lupe for the German Federal Armed Forces," said the SAR-Lupe project manager at BWB, Wolfgang Perkert, commenting on the superb quality of the images. The tests were performed at the new satellite integration hall in Bremen. Designed as a clean room, the hall has a "Radom" radar dome especially for such tests, to protect the satellite from external soiling during imaging. SEET covers the entire imaging chain. The coordinates of the ISS and the imaging command were transferred to the satellite, which performed all steering functions required for recording images on its own. The image data was temporarily stored in the satellite, encrypted, downloaded and processed. At the end of the chain, a radar image was produced, the quality of which far exceeded expectations for this test.
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Lockheed Martin has delivered the first KC-130J Super Hercules aircraft ordered under a joint United States Air Force/U.S. Marine Corps multi-year acquisition program. The KC-130J for the Marine Corps was formally accepted by Lt. Gen. Michael A. Hough, Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Headquarters Marine Corps. The aircraft will be delivered to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 (VMGR-252) at the Cherry Point, North Carolina, Marine Corps Air Station. "A weapon system bought under a multi-year program is a weapon system that is of little risk. This means the price has been finalized and therefore you can buy a lot of them ... people have a lot of trust, faith and confidence in this not only because it works, but because it's going to work for many, many years to come. The C-130 is without a doubt the world's best transport," said General Hough, during ceremonies at Lockheed Martin.
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Ryanair commenced a new partnership with Stansted Express - the direct rail service from London Stansted Airport to London city centre (Liverpool St Station). The new service allows Ryanair passengers to book specially discounted tickets on-line after booking their flight on www.ryanair.com. Also, Ryanair began to roll-out it's new In-flight Entertainment System (IFE), allowing passengers to catch Hollywood movies, cartoons, sports, comedy and music videos.
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Ryanair confirmed it had written to the Walloon authorities and agreed to repay Euro 4M in an escrow account until Ryanair's appeal is heard and the European Courts make a definitive decision on this matter. If Ryanair is successful in its appeal, these funds along with interest will be returned to Ryanair. If the appeal fails, these funds will be transferred to the Region. In a detailed written response to the Walloon region, Ryanair confirmed: Ryanair's costs of establishing and operating its base at Charleroi at Euro 40M vastly exceeded any discounts received from the Walloon region, and the European Commission's decision entitles Ryanair to net our costs off against those of the Region. There is therefore no requirement for any repayment.
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Ryanair announced that it had entered into a 10 year agreement, with an option for a 10 year extension, with General Electric's subsidiary GE Engine Services ("GE") to provide engine maintenance for the Ryanair fleet. This all inclusive maintenance contract will include the repair and overhaul of engine components, the provision of spare parts, technical support of the fleet and the maintenance and overhaul of all the CFM56-7 series engines which power its current fleet of 59 Boeing 737-800 next generation aircraft and the 96 firm aircraft deliveries and up to 123 options to be delivered over a period up to 2010.
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The European low-fare alliance between airlines Air Berlin and NIKI is increasing its number of routes from the UK to Europe . The new winter schedule sees the partners offering four routes. From 1st November Air Berlin will operate daily flights from Manchester to Berlin and Düsseldorf, with a flight to Hamburg every day except Saturday and a City Shuttle four times a week to Paderborn. The second largest German airline will also be launching a new route from the south of England: three times a week Air Berlin will fly from Southampton to Paderborn. The flights from London Stansted to Berlin-Tegel, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Münster-Osnabrück, Nuremberg, Paderborn and Palma de Mallorca will continue, with some of the routes offering several flights a day. A new addition to NIKI's schedule is the connection between London and Vienna. This makes the Austrian airline, headed by Niki Lauda, the former Formula One driver, the only low-cost carrier to link these two cities. A daily flight will be operating from London Stansted to the Austrian capital. From Monday to Friday there will be two flights on this route, one in the morning and one in the evening. At weekends the City Shuttle will be taking off for Austria once a day.
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The United States government has formally completed the process to ratify the Cape Town Convention, an international treaty that will facilitate asset-based financing and leasing of large commercial aircraft and aircraft engines. Yesterday, U.S. Ambassador Tony Hall deposited the instrument of ratification for the treaty and the accompanying Protocol on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment with UNIDROIT, the international organization based in Rome, Italy, that is the depositary of the Cape Town Convention and aircraft protocol. The United States is the fifth country to ratify the treaty and the aircraft protocol. The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) renewed its offer in August 2004 to reduce the Bank's exposure fee by one-third on financings of new U.S.-manufactured large commercial aircraft for buyers in countries that sign, ratify and implement the Cape Town Convention. Ex-Im Bank's offer enables eligible foreign buyers to receive an Ex-Im Bank exposure fee of as low as 2 percent, a one-third reduction of the current minimum 3 percent exposure fee on financings of new large commercial aircraft. More favorable financing terms also apply to asset-based financings of spare engines to such buyers. Ex-Im Bank has extended the offer for approvals issued through fiscal year 2005, which will end on September 30, 2005. Ex-Im Bank is offering the one-third reduction of its exposure fee (in connection with approvals issued through September 30, 2005) to buyers in any foreign country that has signed, ratified and implemented the treaty and the related aircraft protocol (including certain optional provisions). The Cape Town Convention, which was concluded at an international diplomatic conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, in November 2001, establishes a commercially oriented, comprehensive international legal framework to protect security and leasing interests in aircraft equipment. The treaty has been signed by 28 countries, of which five countries already have ratified the treaty. The treaty entered into force on April 1, 2004, and will become effective as applied to aircraft and aircraft engines following the ratification of the aircraft protocol by eight countries.
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Rockwell Collins reported net income for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004 of $301 million, or $1.67 per share, a 17% increase over fiscal year 2003 reported net income of $258 million, or $1.43 per share. Total segment operating margins improved 130 basis points to a level of 16.5% as compared to 15.2% last year. Sales for fiscal year 2004 increased $388 million, or 15% to a record-high level of $2.93 billion, compared to sales of $2.54 billion recorded last year. Sales from the company's NLX simulation and training business acquired in December 2003 accounted for $105 million, or 4 percentage points of the revenue growth, while organic sales grew by $283 million, or 11%. Cash provided by operating activities for fiscal year 2004 was $401 million, $27 million higher than the $374 million reported for fiscal year 2003.
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Agusta, an AgustaWestland company, and Jiangxi Changhe Aviation Industies Company, an AviChina company, have signed a joint venture agreement for sale, production, marketing and local support of the A109 Power helicopter. The agreement signed during the Zhuhai Air show, between Jiangxi Changhe Aviation Industries Company, represented by its President, Mr. Hu Hau Yin, and Agusta, represented by Mr. Amedeo Caporaletti, AgustaWestland CEO, allows the joint venture to fulfil the growing Chinese light twin civil, law enforcement and emergency medical service helicopter market. The joint venture between Agusta and Jiangxi Changhe Aviation Industry is a further cornerstone in a well-established collaboration started on March 1999 when Agusta had been awarded a contract by CATIC/AVIC II to design and develop the transmission for a new medium 6-ton Chinese helicopter together.
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The contract for a fourth Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) spacecraft was signed today, ensuring continuity of European meteorological satellite services with the delivery of data for weather forecasting, climate and the environment for many years into the future. The contract and cooperation agreement for construction of the MSG-4 satellite were signed at ESA Headquarters in Paris by Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, Lars Prahm, EUMETSAT Director General, and Pascale Sourisse, Chief Executive Officer of Alcatel Space. French firm Alcatel Space is prime contractor for MSG-4 while EUMETSAT will finance, launch and operate the satellite. ESA is responsible for managing the satellite construction contract with industry. The price of the MSG-4 satellite contract is €135 million, calculated at December 2001 economic conditions, with delivery expected in 2007.
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AgustaWestland opened the expansion to its manufacturing facility where its Philadelphia-based U.S. subsidiary Agusta Aerospace Corporation builds the A119 Koala helicopter used by civilian and law enforcement customers throughout the Americas. At the event, AgustaWestland also unveiled the first US101 helicopter equipped with GE engines and enhanced cockpit display systems. The US101 is built in partnership with Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter Textron and is one of two finalists in the competition to replace the current "Marine One" fleet of aircraft used by the President of the United States. The $6.8 million expansion of the Philadelphia facility provides a state- of-the-art, 40,000-square-foot workspace that includes flight hangars, completion and final assembly areas, manufacturing stations and avionics assembly. The expansion will allow AgustaWestland to boost employment at the plant by 50 percent. The A119 Koala is a single-engine light utility helicopter used by state police agencies, Emergency Medical Services and offshore companies across the country.
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Boeing announced that in partnership with Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, the Mission Area Prime Integration Contractor, it has successfully completed the Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) for the Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) system. This is a significant program milestone that precedes the Preliminary Design Review (PDR). "SBSS Pathfinder is an essential element in providing space situational awareness capability for the warfighter," said John Fuller, vice president of Air Force Space Systems for Boeing. "Our team's successful completion of the IBR confirms Boeing is progressing on schedule and leading a mature, executable program." Under a contract awarded in March 2004, the Boeing team is responsible for development of a single "Pathfinder" satellite with visible sensor, the ground segment, and launch in 2007. The team will also be responsible for mission planning, mission data processing and operation of the system for up to one year prior to transitioning to the Air Force customer.
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Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (P&WC) has appointed Industria de Turbo Propulsores S.A. (ITP) of Spain as a Designated Overhaul Facility (DOF) for selected PW200 series of turboshaft engines. "We are pleased to be adding ITP to our growing network of designated service centres," said Maria Della Posta, Vice President - Customer Support, P&WC. "ITP will provide support for Spanish operators in Spain, while offering all PW200 operators with a greater choice of repair and overhaul services."
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One of the key features of the Eurofighter aircraft is the quadruplex fly-by-wire Flight Control System (FCS), which provides the aircraft its outstanding manoeuverability. FCS is also an important prerequisite for the Eurofighter's unique carefree handling qualities, enabling the pilot to concentrate on his mission rather than on basic airwork. With the first flights of GS002, the first flown production single-seater for the German Air Force, a new and important feature of the overall carefree handling functionalities was flight-tested at the EADS Military Aircraft Flight Test Center at Manching in late October 2004: the Automatic Low-Speed Recovery system (ALSR). ALSR prevents the Eurofighter aircraft from departing from controlled flight at very low speeds and high angles of attack. To achieve this, the ALSR, being an element of the overall FCS system, is able to detect a developing low-speed situation and to raise an audible and visual low-speed warning. Thus, the pilot will have sufficient time to react and to recover the aircraft manually. If the pilot doesn´t react or ignores the warning, the ALSR will actively take control of the aircraft, select maximum dry power for the engines and return the aircraft to a safe flight condition depending on the attitude by either using an ALSR "push", "pull" or a "knife-over" manoeuvre.
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Boeing and All Nippon Airways (ANA) marked two milestones, as ANA received its first 777-300ER (Extended Range) and, with that airplane, became the first Asia-based carrier with the Connexion by Boeing SM high-speed mobile Internet service in its fleet. ANA will launch its newest service on November 15 th of this year on the airplane's inaugural flight from Tokyo, Japan, to Shanghai, People's Republic of China. This delivery is the latest highlight of a milestone year for Boeing and ANA. In April the companies launched the all-new Boeing 7E7 with ANA's 50-plane order, the largest launch order for any Boeing jet.
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The Federal Aviation Administration and Raytheon have completed negotiations on a contract modification for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) to deploy what is termed "Full Lateral Precision with Vertical Guidance (LPV) Performance." This modification restructures existing contract scope and does not increase contract value. During the next four years, incremental improvements will be made to the fielded system to expand benefits to users across North America. WAAS is a nation-wide network of reference, master and uplink stations that augment the Global Positioning System satellite constellation to provide the improved accuracy, integrity, and availability required for civil aviation and other safety-of-life applications. WAAS is the FAA's next-generation satellite-based navigation system. It was commissioned by the FAA in July 2003 and has been in continuous operational use since that time.
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Lufthansa has launched a new direct service between Kuala Lumpur and Munich in Germany starting on 31 October. The aircraft used for the service features Lufthansa's groundbreaking new Business Class, as well as FlyNet, a new broadband Internet on board service being pioneered by Lufthansa worldwide. Overall, during the new Winter Schedule, Lufthansa has increased the number of flights it offers to passengers in Asia Pacific to 147 a week to/from 19 destinations in 10 countries. Another highlight of Lufthansa's new Winter Schedule 2004/05 is the launch of a new service between Frankfurt and Hyderabad. From 18 February 2005, Lufthansa passengers will be able to fly non-stop between Hyderabad and Frankfurt three times a week. Hyderabad is the capital of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and has a thriving information technology and biotechnology industry.
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MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is reaching top in the industry. Having opened shop just a couple of years ago, the MTU Aero Engines affiliate has blossomed into China's No. 1 engine maintenance shop. It is now shooting for a leading position in the entire Asian marketplace, noted Walter Strakosch, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai President and CEO, at MTU's November 2 press briefing at the Air Show China, held in Zhuhai Nov. 1-7. Prospects are promising: Since early 2004, the engine repair specialist has been supporting all Chinese airlines operating V2500 engines plus a growing number of CFM56-3 operators. Strakosch said: "Our customers have come to see the value of having their engines repaired domestically, rather than sending them abroad." Since the shop's inception early last year, it has repaired and overhauled close to 100 engines. For 2005, that number is expected to be around 85. The customer list is growing fast. In October, the first engines from custom-ers in Singapore and Australia arrived at Zhuhai. "We believe in the rapidly growing Chinese and Asian aviation industry and we are going to grow with it," vowed the MTU Maintenance Zhuhai chief executive. The company's engine portfolio, too, is continuously being expanded. Plans are to add the CFM56-5B still in November. Work on CFM56-7s will then begin in the latter half of next year. "By the end of 2005, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai will offer maintenance, repair and overhaul for the whole CFM56 engine family," Strakosch announced.
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Lockheed Martin UK Ltd is providing new technology to enhance the capabilities of the Royal Navy's multi-mission Merlin helicopters. As prime contractor and systems integrator for the RN's EH101 Merlin Mk1 helicopter fleet, Lockheed Martin UK is providing a sophisticated Electro-Optics and InfraRed (EO/IR) surveillance sensor to give accurate, real-time information and positive identification against small, difficult to detect targets. The EO/IR pod will be temporarily mounted on an existing weapon carriage pylon on the side of the helicopter in a cost-effective solution, available night and day and in all weathers. "This is an adaptable solution that gets the latest equipment to the frontline," said Ron Christenson, Group Managing Director of Lockheed Martin UK - Integrated Systems. "Out of our own resources we have funded and inserted this new technology with great speed and low risk. It will lead to a significant increase in capability for the aircraft.
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After an extensive review, NASA is planning its Return to Flight Space Shuttle mission, designated STS-114, for a launch window that opens in May 2005. NASA's Space Flight Leadership Council met today to consider a recommendation from the Space Shuttle Program to revise the Return to Flight target launch window to May 2005. The council endorsed the recommendation the May window, which opens from May 12 to June 3, 2005, is achievable. The agency was working toward a launch planning window that opens in March 2005, before a series of hurricanes impacted operations at multiple NASA facilities. NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Marshall Space Flight Center, Ala., Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Michoud Assembly Facility, La., all experienced shutdowns in preparation for one or more of the four hurricanes in August and September, resulting in delays on Return to Flight work.
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Iridium Satellite LLC today announced that 2,500 aircraft have now been fitted with Iridium equipment for global satellite communications. Carmen Lloyd, chairman and CEO of Iridium Satellite, said, "We are experiencing rapid growth in the aero market. Many airlines, fractional operators, business and government aircraft, and helicopter fleets are installing Iridium systems fleetwide to take advantage of the worldwide connectivity, low cost and lightweight equipment available on the Iridium satellite network. Our subscriber base in the aero market has just passed 2,500 and is currently growing at a rate of more than 100% annually."
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Elling Halvorson, chairman of Papillon Airways, Inc., announced that he and a team of investors composed of leading helicopter industry executives have acquired Soloy Corporation of Olympia, Washington. "Soloy is a great strategic fit for our portfolio, providing us with proven leadership, a highly skilled and dedicated workforce, and the ability to perform complex aircraft modifications," said Halvorson. "Soloy's experience in airframe design and Supplemental Type Certificates makes them an excellent choice for performing a wide range of upgrade programs." The leadership of both parties approved the transaction and the deal was finalized October 13, 2004. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Soloy LLC (Soloy) will operate as a stand alone company and will remain located in Olympia, Washington.
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Munich Airport will be sharing its "airport relocation" and "going-into-operation" expertise and know-how with a new partner in Asia. This week, Munich Airport signed a consulting agreement with the New Bangkok International Airport Company Limited (NBIA). Munich is providing consutling for the construction and start of operations at the new "Suvarnabhumi" in Bangkok. The new airport in the Thai capital is scheduled to open at the end of 2005.
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EADS is participating in the modernization of NATO's AWACS early warning fleet. As announced on Thursday, Boeing has awarded EADS Defence Electronics an order for the delivery of AWACS mission computers and Multi-Sensor Integration (MSI) computers for NATO's E-3A AWACS aircraft following successful development. EADS developed the MSI software in the run-up to the NATO E-3A modernization program. This software permits the automatic identification and tracking of targets as well as the generation of correlated target flight paths by including a variety of reconnaissance data on board the AWACS platform. This technology ensures a marked improvement in automatic target tracking and identification and significantly assists flight officers and their teams in airborne air surveillance.
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GE's T700-GE-701D turboshaft engine, the latest generation of T700s powering U.S. Army Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, was recently awarded U.S. Army qualification and is now in production. Rated at 2,000 shaft horsepower (shp), the T700-GE-701D features improved hot-section components that provide twice the hot-section durability and 5 percent more power than the current T700-GE-701C model engine. The U.S. Army plans to convert its entire fleet of Black Hawk and Apache helicopters to the T700-GE-701D. The qualification of the T700-GE-701D occurs almost exactly 30 years after the original YT700-GE-700 engine powered the first flight of the Sikorsky prototype Black Hawk helicopter.
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The sole remaining SWISS Boeing MD-11 performed its last commercial flight in SWISS colours on 31 October from Chicago to Zurich, concluding a further chapter in Swiss aviation history. SWISS has replaced its MD-11s with the state-of-the-art Airbus A340. The Boeing MD-11 provided sterling service linking Switzerland with the world for over 13 years. The trijet was principally deployed on long-haul services, carrying the Swiss cross to destinations such as Tokyo, São Paulo and Johannesburg. SWISS had assigned its last remaining MD-11 - registration HB-IWE - to the Zurich-Chicago route in the 2004 summer schedules, which have now come to an end. Following its withdrawal, the carrier will operate an all-Airbus A330/A340 long-haul aircraft fleet.
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Aeronautics researchers at MIT have developed a manned-to-unmanned aircraft guidance system that allows a pilot in one plane to guide another unmanned airplane by speaking commands in English. In a flight test, the pilotless vehicle, called a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), responded to sudden changes in plan and avoided unexpected threats en route to its destination, in real time. "The system allows the pilot to interface with the UAV at a high level--not just 'turn right, turn left' but 'fly to this region and perform this task,'" said Mario Valenti, a flight controls engineer for Boeing who is on leave to pursue a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. "The pilot essentially treats the UAV as a wingman," said Valenti, comparing the UAV to a companion pilot in a fighter-plane squadron. Tom Schouwenaars, a Ph.D. candidate in aeronautics and astronautics, and Valenti are principal researchers on the guidance system, which is part of the capstone demonstration of the Software Enabled Control (SEC) program. Professors Eric Feron and Jonathan How of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (aero/astro) are among the principal investigators on the SEC program. The SEC program is a five-year, inter-university effort sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) through the Air Force Research Laboratory. As industry partner, Boeing provided the avionics test platform for the MIT guidance system and the planes used to demonstrate it.
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The British team that built the ill-fated Beagle 2 probe to Mars, has unveiled plans for a possible successor mission. Under the proposed "Beagle 2: Evolution" two identical craft, broadly similar to the earlier craft, would attempt to land on Mars in 2009. Professor Colin Pillinger, lead scientist on Beagle 2, said that mission controllers would be able to analyse Mars's atmosphere before starting the landings, avoiding the risk of dust storms in the planet's atmosphere.
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The steady progress in the Austrian Airlines Group's strategy of expansion into Central and Eastern Europe (the 'Focus East' programme) and into the Asia/Pacific region, ably supported by far-reaching marketing offensives, generated passenger volume growth of 13.6 % in the first nine months of the year and a three percent increase in the average passenger load factor on scheduled services to 73.2 %. Compared to the previous year, the company significantly increased its EBIT, from EUR -7.5m to 39.7m. The EBIT adjusted improved by EUR 48.5m to hit EUR 25.1m. Profit before tax rose from EUR -19.0m in the first nine months of 2003 to EUR 36.0m this year (adjusted: up from EUR -37.4 last year to EUR 10.2m). In his summary of the third quarterly report for 2004, Chief Executive Officer of the Board of Management Vagn Soerensen made the following statement: "We are underlining our leadership of the market for services into and out of Central and Eastern Europe in the 2004/05 winter schedule, with 99 additional weekly frequencies to a total of 39 destinations in the region. On routes into Asia and Australia, our increased long haul route network has already transformed us into the fourth-largest European provider. We have been able to minimise the fall in yields with dynamic increases in our load factors and reductions in costs, while building up our market share both in our traditional network segment and in the low-cost market (Redticket - return flight included).
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The construction site for the ground segment of Vega, the small European launcher, was opened at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana last month. Vega is due to be launched at the end 2007 and will complement the European mid-class Soyuz and heavy-class Ariane 5 launchers. The site was formally inaugurated on 20 October by ESA together with CNES and Italian company Vitrociset, prime contractor for the ground segment. This is the start of a new life for ELA1, the launch pad originally used for the Ariane 1 European launcher, 15 years after its deactivation. The new launch pad (ZLV - Zone de Lancement Vega) is being built on the ELA1 foundations. The choice of the Kourou Spaceport to build the new Vega ground segment infrastructure meets one of the main requirements of the Vega programme; namely to provide a high-quality launch service whilst limiting the cost by re-use of existing facilities and expertise.
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Thales UK, Boeing and QinetiQ have signed a contract with the MoD for the Maritime Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) strand of the Joint UAV Experimentation Programme (JUEP). The team, led by Thales UK and to be known as Team JUEP, will fly the ScanEagle UAV in a maritime role to identify the joint service operational requirements for future maritime UAVs. The Team JUEP programme offers the MoD the earliest opportunity to explore the contribution that UAV systems can make to a future networked maritime ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) capability. This includes improvements in the detection, recognition and identification of both conventional and asymmetric threats in littoral environments, and their contribution to command decision-making, and target prosecution.
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On November 1st, during the Airshow China in Zhuhai, in the presence of Philippe Camus, CEO of EADS (European Aeronautics Defense and Systems), Norbert Ducrot, Eurocopter Executive Vice President and Li Jian Yi, President and CEO of COHC (Citic Offshore Helicopter Co. Ltd.), signed a purchase contract of a value worth 24.7 million Euros for two AS 332 L1 Super Pumas with an option to acquire one EC 225 and one EC 155 B1 helicopters. This signature clearly shows the dynamism of COHC, leader on its market and confirms the close relations between the European manufacturer Eurocopter and the Chinese operator.
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Stork Aerospace has reached agreement with The Boeing Company about the supply of design assistance and wiring systems for the Boeing 737 Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) programme. The package includes all complex interconnections for the AEW&C mission systems. Fokker Elmo, part of Stork Aerospace, was able a number of years ago not only to meet but even to exceed Boeing's expectations with the delivery of the first series for the 737 AEW&C 'Wedgetail' for the Royal Australian Air Force.
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EADS has entered on a significant new phase in its development on the Chinese market. Strengthened by its many success stories in 2004, EADS is intensifying its industrial cooperation to become a favoured partner of China. On visit to China to attend the China Aerospace show in Zhuhai, Philippe Camus, CEO of EADS, stated: "The recent successes of EADS illustrate the soundness of our strategy of cooperating with China. Last year we clearly stated our desire to expand our industrial partnerships. Today, we propose to the Chinese aerospace industry to become the permanent partner of EADS. Thus, all the future Airbus aircraft programmes will be developed in partnership, like the new helicopter programmes that will systematically include Chinese components. This is a new milestone of our involvement with this country, which has a rapid development rate and an ambitious aerospace industry. We have full confidence in China, as they can be fully confident with us."
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Hainan Airlines has signed a contract with Airbus for eight A319s for fleet optimization, becoming a new customer of Airbus. The aircraft will be mainly deployed on medium- and short-haul routes, with operational bases in Beijing, Xi'an and Haikou. Introduction of the aircraft is expected to significantly increase the company's competitiveness in the medium- and short-haul market. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery from 2005 to 2007. Hainan Airlines will benefit from the economics and passenger comfort of the A319, as well as Airbus' unique commonality concept. The A319 will play a strategic role in the airline's strategic development.
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Sichuan Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A319 aircraft, becoming a new customer for the type. The A319 aircraft will seat up to 132 passengers in a very comfortable and flexible two-class layout and are equipped by V2500 engines from International Aero Engines to meet requirements of high-altitude operations. This is the first of the four A319s ordered by the Chengdu-based carrier in 2003, and the remaining three will be delivered from December 2004 to 2005.
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