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Weekly UpdatesJul 5, 2009
Air France, Airbus
The Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic last month hit the water intact and at high speed but was missing for six hours before an emergency was declared, French investigators said on Thursday. Evidence from wreckage indicates the plane was broken apart by impact with the water, which it struck facing forwards. "The plane was not destroyed while it was in flight. It seems to have hit the surface of the water in the direction of flight and with a strong vertical acceleration," said Alain Bouillard, who is leading the investigation on behalf of France's BEA air accident board. A food galley was found with its shelves compressed towards its base, the floor of a crew rest area was deformed and the tail fin was wrenched off the fuselage -- all in ways that suggest a violent collision with the ocean, officials said. The cause of the crash is still not known. Bouillard said control of the flight was supposed to have passed from air traffic controllers in Brazil to their counterparts in Senegal, but that never happened. He said the pilots of flight AF 447 tried three times to connect to the Senegalese capital Dakar by satellite without success. It was not until 0830 GMT, more than six hours after a flurry of error messages from the plane's electronic systems, that the plane was officially declared missing by Spain whose airspace it was due to have crossed en route to France. Asked whether the alleged air traffic fumble may have delayed the search operation, Bouillard said, "It is one of the subjects of our investigation: why so much time elapsed between the last radio contact and declaration of an emergency." Jul 3, 2009
AirBaltic
AirBaltic will launch service from Riga to Warsaw (daily on Sept. 17) and Pskov (twice-weekly on Sept. 1) aboard F50s. Jul 1, 2009
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines, the ailing carrier due to be taken over by Germany's Lufthansa AG, said Thursday it will cut about 1,000 jobs by mid-2010 as part of an effort to boost its competitiveness. Jul 2, 2009
British Airways
British Airways will launch twice-weekly service from London Gatwick to Montego Bay and Punta Cana in October. Jul 3, 2009
British Airways, Airbus
British Airways' ceo Willie Walsh said he remains committed to the A380, despite the airline's poor financial results. Mr Walsh told reporters BA would not change the order it placed in September 2007 for 12 A380s. Deliveries are scheduled for 2012. The A380 offered fuel savings and increased capacity when compared to the Boeing 747 "jumbo" jets, Mr Walsh said. Mr Walsh confirmed that all aircraft deliveries up to 2013 were financed. Jul 2, 2009
Eastern Airways
Business and leisure travelers are set to benefit from new convenient air services to Aberdeen and Southampton as Eastern Airways launches its first-ever scheduled flights from Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Monday, July 6, 2009. Jul 3, 2009
Garuda Indonesia
Indonesia Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said the EU will lift its ban on Garuda Indonesia. Garuda intends to fly to Amsterdam beginning next year with new 777s, followed by London Heathrow and Frankfurt. Jul 1, 2009
Garuda Indonesia, Mandala Airlines, Prime Air, Air Fast
Indonesia Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said the EU will lift its ban on Garuda Indonesia, Mandala Airlines, Prime Air and Air Fast this month, according to The Jakarta Post. "The EU judge[s] that our local airlines have fulfilled 62 out of the 69 requirements to fly to the continent," Hassan said during a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission for Foreign Affairs. Indonesian carriers have been on the EU's blacklist for two years. Jul 1, 2009
Japan Airlines, Air France
Japan Airlines and Air France will expand their codeshare network July 7 with daily Paris Charles de Gaulle-Istanbul Ataturk service operated by Air France. Jul 3, 2009
London Heathrow
London Heathrow Terminal 5's baggage system was operational again yesterday following a mechanical glitch that resulted in a shutdown lasting several hours Sunday. British Airways was forced to close check-in desks at midday and then reopen them about an hour later for passengers with carry-on bags. Flights continued to depart without passengers, with some 5,000 stranded, according to reports. Jun 30, 2009
Lufthansa
Lufthansa is adding another new destination to its network, expanding its services in west and central Africa. Beginning July 15, 2009, the airline will fly five times per week from Frankfurt via Accra, Ghana to Libreville, the capital of Gabon. The route will be operated by Airbus A340 and A330 aircraft with a first-, business-, and economy-class cabin. Jun 30, 2009
OpenSkies
Transatlantic airline OpenSkies was launched a year ago this month to tap the booming market of premium-class business travel. But then came the recession and steep losses at its parent company British Airways, and the young carrier could face the chopping block by as early as this fall. Jul 1, 2009
Swiss International
Swiss International Air Lines launched twice-daily Zurich-Oslo Gardermoen service aboard an A319. Under a codeshare agreement, SAS will operate the route six-times-weekly. Jul 3, 2009
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to slash long haul capacity and axe another 600 jobs. Flights from Heathrow to Hong Kong will go from twice to once daily as part of the new winter schedule, and flights from London to Chicago will be suspended. Jul 2, 2009
Yemenia, Airbus
One of the black box flight recorders from the Yemenia jet which crashed off the Comoros has been located and efforts to retrieve it will begin Wednesday, the French government said. Jul 1, 2009
ZZ AirGuide 090706
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