The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) has improved aviation safety across the region but it still has work to do on this score, according to the group’s president Roberto Kriete. At the recent 9th ALTA Airline Leaders Forum in Panama City, Panama, Kriete said the association “will step up its efforts to urge authorities to make the IATA Operational Safety Audit [IOSA] accreditation a requirement for certification in the region.”
Transport
December 3, 2012 - 1:20pm
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has released a new video to call attention to the hazards of runway incursions, which the Board recently identified as one of the country’s top nine transportation hazards. The TSB recorded more than 4,100 incursions between 2001 and 2009. Incident numbers increased 27 percent between 2010 and 2011 alone, from 351 to 446, respectively, since runway incursions were placed on the TSB’s watch list in 2010.
December 3, 2012 - 1:12pm
The International Civil Aviation Organization officially recognized Airways New Zealand with its Trainair Plus quality-assurance certification as a source for air traffic services training. Airways New Zealand is the first ATC training organization in the region to receive the certification.
December 3, 2012 - 1:07pm
Ailing Scandinavian carrier SAS will reduce its workforce by 6,000 employees, sell off its Widerøe regional subsidiary and centralize administrative functions in Sweden in return for an increased credit line from major shareholders and banks of 3.5 billion Swedish kronor ($525 million) through March 2015. The new revolving credit facility has yet to be approved by the parliaments of Sweden and Norway.
December 3, 2012 - 12:36pm
The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued certification of Airbus’s Sharklet wingtip device for CFM-powered A320 family narrowbodies, the manufacturer announced Monday. Airbus said it expects the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to issue its own approval “very soon.”
December 3, 2012 - 5:15am
Charter operators are facing a costly training issue that could see pilots and fleets grounded unless a solution is found. According to operators, FAA inspectors are requiring strict compliance with an interpretation of the regulations that cover qualifications of instructors and check airmen. The result will be a lack of qualified instructors and check airmen employed by flight training organizations.
December 3, 2012 - 4:40am
Clearwater, Fla.-based fractional provider Avantair restarted operations on November 9, following a nearly three-week voluntary grounding of its approximately 60 Piaggio Avantis. The voluntary grounding was precipitated by a July 28 incident in which an Avantair-operated Avanti shed an elevator in flight and flew two subsequent legs before the crew noticed that the control surface was missing. “The Piaggio continued to fly normally for a few reasons, including its dual elevators, forward canards and high wings,” according to Avantair CEO Steve Santo.
December 3, 2012 - 4:15am
December 3, 2012 - 3:45am
Dying is one thing. Being reborn is quite another, as Hawker Beechcraft, its employees, lenders and creditors are discovering during the current bankruptcy and restructuring.
At the NBAA Convention last month, HBC chairman Bill Boisture explained recent events to that point and outlined the Wichita OEM’s future, which he confirmed will not include its business jet line.
December 3, 2012 - 12:40am
Cabin humidification specialist CTT Systems is hoping to get its Cair equipment adopted for use in more business aircraft. To date, the Swedish company has mainly had success in getting Cair installed on Boeing Business Jet and Airbus Corporate Jet bizliners, but it has recently been approached by airframers, including Bombardier, about possible applications on more mainstream models.
