AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*KOREAN AIR LINES has come under fire for refusing to fly a woman with stage 4 breast cancer from Seattle, Washington, to Seoul, South Korea, this past weekend. According to media reports, the woman had approval from 2 doctors and a note clearing her to fly over the weekend with her daughter, as a Mother's Day gift. According to KAL, they thought they woman" "might not be up for the long flight". After refusing to board the woman, the carrier said they arranged a hotel for the mother and daughter while it attempted to get proper authorization The spokeswoman said other passengers would be "traumatized" if a passenger were to die in flight, and called the situation unfortunate. The pair went back to the doctor yesterday to get another note, which they accomplished without problem. "Her vitals are normal, she is fit for travel" said her daugher. However, KAL was still dissatisfied, and left Seattle yesterday without the mother and daughter. "It's absolutely ludicrous, heartless and unbelievable," the daughter said. In the meantime, DELTA AIRLINES has stepped up and said it would fly the mother and daughter to South Korea tomorrow.

*DELTA AIRLINES has completed configurations on 108 aircraft to support its new premium economy product "Economy Comfort". The carrier unveiled plans for Economy Comfort in February, stating the new seats would feature up to 4 inches of additional legroom and offer 50% more recline than its standard economy seats. Delta said its TechOps technicians have completed installs on 108 of 170 aircraft, with the remaining 62 scheduled for completion by June 1. The new seats will be featured on Delta's long-haul fleet of Boeing 747s/757s/767s/777s and A330s. In addition to extra legroom the Economy Comfort product offers priority boarding, free cocktails, in-seat power being installed on the news seats over a 2 year period and free HBO entertainment.

*Boeing's 787 Dreamliner moved a step closer to entering passenger service with US regulators' approval of the jet's Rolls-Royce engine for long-range flights, including those over oceans. The FAA certified the Trent 1000 engine for extended operations, or ETOPS, meaning it can fly as far as 5.5 hours away from the closest Airport. The plane itself still must get the same certification before service can begin. The Trent 1000 is 1 of 2 engines that Chicago-based Boeing is offering for the Dreamliner and will be used on the 1st of the jets to enter service. The Dreamliner is due for its initial delivery to ANA by September, pending full FAA certification after other tests.

*A new virtual Airline named HIAIR plans to begin Jetstream 32 operations in September between Doncaster Sheffield, England and Amsterdam Schiphol. The flights will be operated by a not yet named European aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance provider. A HiAir spokesman said the Amsterdam route will be operated on a trial basis between September 5 and the end of October to determine whether demand is strong enough to continue with the service. The spokesman said that with EASYJET recently pulling out of Doncaster, there was evidence that there is demand. HiAir is targeting the business market and "aims to deliver a business class service with an economy price tag". It will offer a one-class product, including a 31 inch seat pitch and complimentary drink. The identity of the operator will be revealed by HiJet in August.

*RYANAIR has added a new £2 fee for each passenger that it says will go towards compensation it has paid for flight delays and cancellations The new fee could earn it up to £150 million a year, which is nearly twice the almost £88 million it says it has paid out as a result of claims made following disruption caused by the volcanic ash cloud, heavy snow and a series of French and Spanish strikes. Under European Union law, passengers whose flights have been cancelled or delayed are entitled to financial assistance from their Airline, including compensation for accommodation. Ryanair says that claims have been so high that it must make provision for them.

*TURKISH AIRLINES, an official sponser of the F.C. Barcelona football team, has announced that they will fly the football team to London, England, for the Champions League final against Manchester United on May 28. The carrier will fly the team on their F.C. Barcelona special livery Boeing 737, pictured above. Turkish also sponsers Manchester United, that also has its own special livery Boeing 777

*Dubai Airports has released new findings as part of their 10 year traffic forecast for Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum, that project passenger numbers will rise by 7.2% and 6.7% respectively from next year, which outperforms the global average of 5%. Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International is currently being used as a cargo hub, and is set to begin receiving passengers from 2012, but while Dubai Airports predicts that 75 million passengers will pass through both of these Airports by 2015, they also predict that those numbers will reach 98.5 million by 2020.

*AIR INDIA has resumed normal service today, after a 10 day Pilot strike ended. About 660 Pilots went on strike demanding fairer pay and better conditions. The strike was called off on Friday night following negotiations between the Pilots and officials from India's aviation ministry. The carrier agreed to reinstate some of the striking Pilots who had previously been dismissed, and to restore working relations with the Pilots' union. Air India merged with INDIAN AIRLINES in 2007 and since then the Indian Airline Pilots have frequently complained about poor employment conditions.

*Indonesia, which has consistently had one of the world's worst Airline accident records, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Netherlands-based European Joint Aviation Authorities Training Organisation (JAA TO) to set up a major training center to produce aviation safety management skills for its own needs and those of other nations in the region. The agreement was signed on Friday, May 6, the day before the crash of MERPATI NUSANTARA Flight 8968 in Kaimana. Merpati has an accident rate that has consistently put it almost at the bottom of the global safety league for about 30 years.

*DELTA AIRLINES Flight 1472, an MD88, had to make an emergency return to Atlanta, Georgia, yesterday, May 9, after the left hand engine ingested a bird while on their initial climb. The crew made a safe return to Atlanta and the aircraft was removed from service for a damage assessment. According to media reports, passengers onboard Flight 1472, which was enroute to Columbus, Ohio, said there was a "thud" that could be heard and felt, and the aircraft tilted to the left. Shortly thereafter, the Captain informed the passengers that a bird had disabled the engine and they would be returning to Atlanta.

*CALM AIR AVION DE TRANSPORT REGIONAL Flight 501, an ATR42, had to make an emergency return to Winnipeg, MB, Canada, yesterday, May 9. While climbing thru 21000 feet, the crew reported a low oil pressure indication for the left hand engine. The crew shut down the engine and returned to Winnipeg, where they safely landed about 30 minutes later. The ATR, which was enroute to Thompson, MB, was removed from service for inspection.

*RYANAIR Flight 9674, a Boeing 737, had to make an emergency return to Madrid, Spain, yesterday, May 9. The crew halted their climb out of Madrid at 30000 feet, reporting instrument readings that suggested a possible fuel leak. The crew requested return, and the 737 landed safely back at Madrid's Barajas Airport, about 40 minutes after their initial departure. The aircraft, which was enroute to Rome, Italy, was removed from service for inspection.

*ARIK AIR Flight 596, a Boeing 737, had to make an emergency landing in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday, May 8, due to a bird strike. The 737 was on Domestic Service from Owerri to Lagos and ingested a bird into its right hand engine on its initial climb out of Owerri. The crew reported no abnormal indications following the strike, thus they advised controllers they would continue the flight to Lagos. While enroute, the engine developed severe vibrations, thus the crew shut down the engine and continued on to Lagos, were they safely landed a short time later. The aircraft was removed from service for a damage inspection.