AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*FRONTIER AIRLINES parent REPUBLIC AIRWAYS HOLDINGS has placed an aircraft place holder deposit with Airbus for the re-engined A320neo, according to a company executive yesterday. A spokesman did not elaborate. Currently, Frontier operates 54 Airbus A320 family aircraft, and has 9 of the type on order. Republic also ordered 40 Bombardier CSeries CS300s in February 2010 powered by the Pratt & Whitney 1524G geared turbofan. The A320neo's service entry is forecast for October 2015.

*Due to rising fuel prices, FRONTIER AIRLINES has announced that it is discontinuing 4 routes of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Roundtrip service to Los Angeles, Raleigh, San Francisco and St Petersburg is being axed. Rumours persist that there are more cuts to come out of MKE.

*QATAR AIRWAYS is reportedly planning to order up to 20 Airbus A380 aircraft at next month's Paris Air Show. The carrier already has another 5 on order. Its 1st of 60 Boeing 787 Dreamliners on order, is also expected to be delivered in February 2012.

*Consumer Consultative Council of Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority will investigate complaints from KENYA AIRWAYS passengers who travel onboard its Dar es Salaam -Nairobi route. Passengers have complained about the carrier's regular cancellation of flights, delays and cargo loss which are backed up by a group of "bullying staff members" handling such matters. The Authority will discuss the complaints at a meeting on May 19. Kenya Airways will send a representative to the meeting as will PRECISION AIR, a carrier that codeshares with Kenya Airways on the route.

*The Pilot stike against AIR INDIA continues, with its Domestic operations taking a hard hit. Yesterday, over 90% of its Domestic flights were canceled, with only 40 flights operating. The carriers long haul operations are not affected. According to media reports, Air India is considering hiring retired INDIAN AIRLINES Pilots to replace striking Pilots and wet leasing aircraft.

*According to a statement from SINGAPORE AIRLINES, the carrier does not expect to receive the 1st batch of its 20 orders of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner until 2013. The carrier had expected deliveries to begin late this year. The carrier also said the delivery of its 1st of 20 Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft was also postponed from 2012 to 2013. Both delays are due to production delays.

*AMERICAN AIRLINES Flight 47, a Boeing 777, had to make an emergency diversion, yesterday, May 3. While enroute at 36000 feet, from London Heathrow to Chicago OHare, the crew requested diversion to Moncton, NB, Canada, reporting the smell of smoke in the cockpit due to an overheating battery. The crew requested Emergency Services be on standby for the landing. On approach, the crew reported the situation had stablized. The 777 went on to make a safe landing on the runway 11 and then turned onto a taxiway, where passengers and crew were offloaded via the stairs. American removed the aircraft from service and dispatched another aircraft from New York to pick up the passengers and continue the flight to OHare.

*BMI Flight 997, an A321, had to reject takeoff at high speed from Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday, May 1, after a bird was ingested into an engine. The crew was able to slow the aircraft on the runway and taxi to the apron. The A321 was removed from service for a damage inspection.

*MALEV Flight 122, a Boeing 737, reported an onboard incident while on approach to Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday, May 1. The aircraft performed an normal descent and approach into Saint Petersburg, where it landed without incident. Shortly thereafter, officials at Pulkovo Airport reported that the passenger O2 masks were deployed on approach, following a loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft was removed from service and ferried to Budapest on Monday, May 2, at 12000 feet. No other statements were released regarding the incident.

*AEROLINEAS ARGENTINAS Flight 1872, a Boeing 737, had to make an emergency landing due to a bomb threat, on Friday, April 29. While the 737 was enroute from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, Argentina, with 97 passengers and crew onboard, a bomb threat was received by the carrier. The crew was notified and the aircraft went on to make a safe emergency landing in El Carafate. The 737 taxied to a remote stand and all passengers, luggage and the aircraft itself, were searched. No explosives were found and the airliner was released later in the day for a flight to Ushuaia. Argentine police are investigating.

*AIR CANADA JAZZ Flight 7725, a Dash 8-100, was damaged in severe turbulence, on Tuesday, April 19. The incident was just made public yesterday by the Canadian TSB. The Dash was on Domestic Service from Toronto to London, ON, Canada, with 40 passengers and crew onboard, and the crew was expecting turbulence enroute. The flight crew had advised the Flight Attendant to say seated, with her seat belt on, for the duration of the flight. Shortly after departure, the crew had to move around several thunderstorm cells. About 25 miles from London, and while flying at 6000 feet, the Dash experience turbulence, increasing from moderate to severe. Due to the proximity of London, the crew continued to fly towards London, and they descended down to 3000 feet. They were then cleared for approach to the runway 07, however the turbulence then increased and the F/A reported to the flight crew that passengers were beginning to complain for feeling unwell. The crew then abandoned their approach into London and requested return to Toronto. The turbulence continued on the flight back to Toronto, however the Dash safely landed about 30 minutes later with Emergency Services in attendance. According to the Canadian TSB, the heavy turbulence between the No.1 engine nacelle and the fuselage. The damage was within normal limits and the Dash, registration C-FGRY and pictured above, was returned to service. The FDR was downloaded and revealed the aircraft was exposed to vertical accelerations between +2.5G and -1.0G, the maximum value before more extensive inspections would have been required.