Airline News - Europe.

Aug 2, 2009

The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) has made the forward thinking decision to incorporate additional technology to help them with their efforts to keep contraband out of the country. Using a passive millimeter wave (PMMW) object detection system they have strengthened their ability to target illicit and smuggled goods. To toughen their screening for Class A drugs, concealed cash, and other items, they have adopted an approach which involves the deployment of a mix of fixed and mobile units across the UK. Brijot Imaging Systems, Inc. (Brijot) proved the technical ability to successfully screen passengers for contraband traveling short or long haul flights with final destinations into the UK during trials in 2007. The UKBA has since nationally deployed the PMMW object detection systems and these are now integral to their day-to-day contraband screening efforts at major air and sea ports. There have been some promising results to date with several seizures of cash and the use of the mobile system has greatly increased the flexibility of the equipment. John Whyte, Director of UKBA and chair of the Detection Technology Board said, The incorporation of the PMMW technology, along with behavioral science, and intelligence, has significantly increased the ability of our officers to detect contraband. The mobile system, which is a self-contained screening unit that can be at operational readiness within minutes, has allowed us to move the checkpoints from one high risk arrival to the next very easily. Brijot listened and responded to our needs in the development of this mobile aspect and we look forward to continued success and future co-operation. Jul 30, 2009

European Commission yesterday described the number of mislaid, damaged or lost bags at EU airports as "excessive and unacceptable" and said it is considering ways to improve current legislation if the situation does not improve. "In order to protect passengers' rights adequately, we should provide citizens with the appropriate instruments. For the time being these instruments are not available," EC VP-Transport Antonio Tajani said. The Commission launched an inquiry into the luggage issue in March and said 4.6 million bags were delayed at EU airports in the first 10 months of 2008. Jul 29, 2009

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus has added a third daily flight between Shannon airport in Ireland and London Heathrow. The new mid-day flight will begin on October 25 in addition to Aer Lingus' morning and evening services. Aer Lingus corporate affairs director Enda Corneille said the new service would strengthen business, leisure and connecting traffic between the west Ireland and Heathrow. www.aerlingus.com Jul 23, 2009

Aer Lingus

It's not too late to plan an affordable summer getaway and Ireland's experts at The Aer Lingus Vacation Store invite you to visit the Emerald Isle this August by introducing unbelievably low air and land inclusive packages with pricing starting from USD 599 per person. Jul 20, 2009

Aeroflot, Airbus

Aeroflot will defer delivery of two A320-200s from the 2010 first quarter to the first quarters of 2011 and 2012 and the delivery of three A321-200s from the 2010 third quarter to the first and third quarters of 2012, it said in a statement cited by Agence France Presse. "Given the current situation on the international air transport market, the board agreed to change the delivery schedule," SU said. Jul 24, 2009

Air Baltic

Europe's Court of Justice has ruled that passengers can pursue compensation over cancelled flights through courts with jurisdiction over the departure or arrival points, rather than the airline's main office. The clarification follows a case brought by an Air Baltic passenger travelling from Munich to Vilnius who took his claim to the court with territorial jurisdiction over Munich Airport. Air Baltic had argued that the relevant jurisdiction was Riga. Jul 21, 2009

Air Europa

Air Europa launched daily New York JFK-Madrid service aboard an A330-200. Jul 29, 2009

Air France, Airbus

Air France confirmed a Le Figaro report that one of its A320s flying from Rome Fiumicino to Paris Charles de Gaulle on July 13 had a "very brief six-second anomaly" in its airspeed data display that was "probably due to icing at high altitude." The aircraft was fitted with the new Thales BA probes, AF noted, adding that the crew applied the necessary procedures and the aircraft maintained its flight path with no change. The incident was reported and is being examined closely by manufacturers and authorities, AF said. Le Figaro cited an internal crew report on flight AF1905 that indicated "brutal loss of speed indications," followed by the disappearance of information measuring wind force and other factors. Malfunctions in the pitot tubes were "a factor, but not the only one" in the crash of AF447 into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, according to French investigator BEA. The airline ordered replacement of the pitot probes across its Airbus fleet with the newest generation sensors. Both the old and new anemometric sensors used on AF's A330/A340s and A320s are made by Thales Group. The main AF pilot union, SNPL, confirmed the A320 incident. "We are aware of the incident. We are awaiting details," a spokesperson told the Associated Press. "If the problem is indeed with the pitot tubes, the SNPL union will ask Air France that planes be equipped with Goodrich sensors". Jul 30, 2009

Air France, Airbus

The European Aviation Safety Agency plans to recommend a ban on the type of speed sensor installed on the Air France Airbus jet which crashed in the Atlantic last month, a spokesman said on Thursday. A proposed ruling would also ration the number of a newer type of sensor made by same manufacturer, France's Thales, to just one per plane, he told Reuters. This means that at least two of three speed-measuring devices fitted on each jet would have to be supplied by the only other manufacturer, Goodrich (GR.N) of the United States. The ruling would apply to all Airbus A330 jets equipped with speed sensors -- known as pitot probes -- made by Thales, as well as to the broadly similar A340 airplane. Jul 30, 2009

Air France, Airbus, Thales

An Air France flight from Rome to Paris earlier this month briefly lost its speed readings due to faulty sensors, pilots said Tuesday, in the latest safety scare involving speed sensors. Several problems with speed sensors, or pitot tubes, made by Thales have been reported since 2008, and investigators are looking to see if they played a role in last month's fatal crash of an Air France A330. A spokesman for France's SNPL national pilot union, Erick Derivry, said the union would ask Air France to see whether the latest incident was similar to those previously reported. If it was, the union would ask the airline to replace its Thales sensors on its Airbus fleet with models manufactured by Goodrich. Air France replaced an earlier Thales model on its planes with a more recent version following the June crash of one of its Airbus A330s. All 228 people aboard died when the Rio de Janeiro to Paris flight crashed into the sea. But the latest incident on July 13 occurred with a new model, the company said. The SNPL spokesman said a calculator that converts pressure into a speed reading might also have to be replaced. In June, under pressure from another pilots' union after the crash, Air France changed all pitot tubes on its A330 and A340 planes, having already changed them on its A320s. Jul 29, 2009

AirBaltic

AirBaltic will launch daily Riga-Frankfurt service Sept. 17 aboard a 737. Jul 20, 2009

Alitalia

Alitalia reducing its presence in the Milan market is viewed by German carrier Lufthansa as one of the best opportunities to further gain its market shares in Europe. Jul 21, 2009

Armavia

Armavia launched weekly Yerevan-Batumi flights and will launch weekly Yereven-Kharkov service July 27. Jul 27, 2009

Avianca, Airbus

Avianca has decided to keep an Airbus A330 featuring its new lie-flat business class product on one of its Bogota-New York flights and is planning to next introduce A330s on its Bogota-Barcelona route. Avianca in April introduced one of its four new A330s on a daily Bogota-New York JFK rotation. The carrier's managing director for North America and Asia, Rolando Damas, says originally the switch was temporary but Avianca has since decided to keep the A330 on the route. Jul 23, 2009

British Airways

British Airways will remove inflight meals in economy class on flights shorter than 2.5 hr. from next week, although it will continue to serve breakfast on flights departing before 10 a.m. and offer free drinks and snacks. It expects to save GBP 22 million (USD 36.1 million) annually as a result. It will not sell food onboard. Jul 31, 2009

British Airways

It also announced changes to its 2009-10 winter and 2010 summer schedules. Flights from London Gatwick to Alicante, Krakow, Malta and Palma and flights from London City to Lyon will cease on Oct. 25. Flights from LGW to Barcelona, Gibraltar, Madrid, Malaga and Pisa will move to Heathrow on the same date, although summer 2010 flights to Pisa will operate from both LHR and LGW. It will cancel services between LHR, Singapore and Sydney during a certain number of weeks in the winter schedule. Jul 31, 2009

British Airways

British airlines have put into effect measures to stop people with swine flu boarding flights in a bid to prevent the virus from spreading further. British Airways said there had been a "very small number of cases" where people who had checked in with symptoms of H1N1 had been advised not to travel after having medical checks. Virgin Atlantic also said victims would not be allowed to board one of its planes without a fit-to-fly certificate from their doctor or a hospital, though there had been no cases yet. The World Health Organization declared the virus a global pandemic June 11. More than 120 countries have reported cases of human infection. About 98,000 cases have been documented worldwide, with 440 deaths, according to the WHO. With 29 deaths and a huge rise in the number of cases, Britain has the worst swine flu figures in Europe. Jul 21, 2009

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