AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*Canada's transportation regulator has ordered AIR CANADA to accommodate passengers with severe nut allergies by seating them in new nut-free zones on aircraft. "The agency has determined that a buffer zone, including an announcement within that zone, is the appropriate accommodation for persons with disabilities due to their allergy to peanuts or nuts," the Canadian Transportation Agency said in its ruling. The agency had received 2 complaints from passengers with nut allergies since 2006. 1 of the complainants had hidden in the airplane washroom for 40 minutes while nutty snacks were served to other passengers on a flight from Frankfurt to Toronto. In another case, a traveller was removed and was rebooked on another flight 2.5 hours later in which "all nuts were removed". Other passengers on the 2nd flight were also asked not to bring nuts onboard. In its ruling, the federal regulator noted the nut allergies in these cases were so extreme that nuts did not have to be ingested. Rather, the mere presence of nuts in the immediate environment was "enough to cause concern". Air Canada argued it should be up to the passengers to take precautions against exposure to nuts. It does not serve peanuts on flights, but does serve smokehouse almonds, cashews and other snacks which may contain nuts. The regulator said creating a nut-free buffer zone is the best solution, and gave Air Canada 30 days to come up with a recommended size of the buffer.

*Orders for the Boeing 787-3 have dwindled to zero following a decision by Japan's ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS (ANA) to convert its remaining 28 orders for the short-range variant to the long-range 787-8.

With the switch ANA now holds 55 firm orders for the 1st 787 model. "As a result there are no longer any 787-3 orders in the backlog. Going forward, we'll continue to assess the market viability of the 787-3," said a Boeing spokesman. ANA's primary business reason for adjusting their 787 model selection is focused around aircraft availability to support their fleet plan, the 787-8 is available sooner for delivery than the 787-3 would be. ANA is expected to take delivery of its 1st 787-8 in late September, following a planned 8.5 month flight test program to certificate the new long-range twin-engine aircraft that began in December 2009, though Boeing has officially targeted the 2nd half of 2010 for its 1st delivery. Boeing's total 787 backlog remains unchanged with the conversion, standing at 851 orders from 56 customers.

*Irish flag-carrier AER LINGUS is cutting back its London Gatwick base, less than a year after opening the station in a bid to expand its European operations. The Airline is withdrawing 2 of the 5 A320 aircraft based at Gatwick before April, and is deferring delivery of a pair of A320s on order by 6 months. Aer Lingus is slashing its route network at Gatwick, which became the Airline's 1st mainland UK base early last year, because it foresees weak demand for the 1st half of 2010. Its London Gatwick network includes 14 destinations - among them routes to Munich, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich and Vilnius - but the carrier says the 3 A320s remaining at Gatwick will only serve Dublin, Malaga, Knock and a new Cork route. The changes will take effect from March 31. Aer Lingus has also agreed to further deferral of Airbus deliveries, pushing back the arrival of 2 A320s from October-November 2010 to April-May 2011.

*A HAWAIIAN AIRLINES Boeing 767 had to divert while enroute yesterday, January 8, due to an unruly passenger. Flight 17 was on Domestic Service from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Honolulu, Hawaii, when the crew requested to divert due to a "situation" between 2 passengers. The 767 was diverted to Los Angeles, California, where it landed without incident. According to media reports, a male passenger was harrassing a female passenger, which is what led to the diversion. The male was taken into custody upon arrival in LAX, but was later released after the woman declined to press charges. The exact nature of what went took place onboard Flight 17 is not yet known.

*An AIRTRAN Boeing 737 had to divert while enroute yesterday, January 8, due to an unruly passenger. Flight 39 was on Domestic Service from Atlanta, Georgia, to San Francisco, California, when the incident took place. The 737 was inflight at 36000 feet, overhead Colorado, when the crew requested diversion due to an unruly passenger onboard. The crew also requested that law enforcement meet the aircraft. Flight 39 was diverted to Colorado Springs, Colorado. 2 Air Force F16 fighter jets were scrambled to accompany the aircraft in for landing at Colorado Springs. Upon arrival, local police arrested 1 male passenger. The aircraft was searched and allowed to continue on its journey after a 4 hour delay. According to local media, the male passenger was intoxicated and had become irate with the cabin crew. He then locked himself in a lavatory and refused to come out. Federal charges of interfering with a flight crew are expected to be filed against the man.

*A CHAUTAUQUA AIRLINES ERJ145 had to reject takeoff from Boston, Massachusetts, yesterday, January 8. Flight 6049, on Domestic Service to Columbus, Ohio, on behalf of DELTA AIRLINES, rejected takeoff due to a smell of smoke. The crew was able to stop the aircraft on the runway, and moved to a taxiway. Emergency Services met the aircraft and carried out an evacuation of the 25 passengers and 3 crew members onboard. No one onboard was injured. The incident is under investigation, however local media report that the smell may have been associated with de-cing fluid.

*A DELTA AIRLINES Boeing 757 had to divert while enroute yesterday, January 8, due to an unruly passenger. Flight 188 was on International Service from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Paris, France, when the incident took place. According to media reports, Flight 188 was overhead the Atlantic, near Newfoundland, when the crew requested diversion due to an intoxicated male passenger causing a distrurbance onboard. The 757 was diverted to St Johns, NL, where it landed without incident. Local police took the male passenger into custody. Charges are pending.

*An AIR BERLIN Boeing 737 went off a slippery runway at Nuremberg, Germany, while on taxi, yesterday, January 8. Flight 6777, on Domestic Service to Dusseldorf, with 133 passengers and crew onboard, slid off the runway at low speed while on taxi for takeoff. No one onboard was injured and the 737 suffered no damage.

*An AIR CANADA A321 had to divert while enroute, on Thursday, January 7. Flight 695 was on Domestic Service from St Johns, NL, to Toronto, ON, Canada, and was overhead Quebec, when the crew reported that the cockpit windshield had cracked. The crew descended to 22000 feet, followed by the crew requesting diversion. The A321 was diverted to Halifax, NS, where it landed without incident. The aircraft was removed from service for repairs.

*A TAP AIR PORTUGAL A330 had to make an accelerated landing at Lisbon, Portugal, on January 2, due to a seriously ill passenger. Flight 140, on International Service from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, requested the expedited landing when the passenger suddenly fell ill while the A330 was on approach. The aircraft landed without incident, however Emergency Services had to declare the passenger dead on arrival. According to media reports, the Romanian male had 70 capsules of cocaine in his abdominal tract, 1 of which burst, which led to his death.