AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*SOUTHWEST AIRLINES says that the end of the decade is "too long to wait" for an all-new aircraft to replace its ageing 737 Classics. "We've got fleet of 200 airplanes out there. At some point we're going to have to do something with and we can't wait until 2020," a Southwest vice-president said this week about the carrier's block of 122-seat 737-500s and 137-seat 737-300s. Boeing is likely to indicate more clearly at June's Paris air show of whether it plans to re-engine the 737, for delivery mid-decade, or develop an all-new aircraft to enter into service at the end of the decade. The Southwest VP added that the need to replace its ageing fleet of 737 Classics combined with Boeing's timing for a new narrowbody may be incompatible for Southwest. However, that has not disqualified its long-standing sole-aircraft supplier from the competition.

*DHL EXPRESS has acquired 13 Airbus A300-600s which are to be converted into freighters by EADS' EFW division in Dresden. The former JAPAN AIRLINES aircraft will replace DHL's A300B4-200 fleet and will be integrated into the cargo operator's fleet by early 2013. The 1st A300-600 is scheduled to enter the conversion line in early June and will be delivered to DHL's Leipzig hub in October.

*Rumours have begun to circulate on aviation websites that Spanish carrier SPANAIR may be heading into bankruptcy. If Spanair was to enter into bankruptcy, SAS SCANDANAVIAN AIRLINES, which holds an interest in the carrier, could be liable for up to SEK$1.8 billion.

*The Danish Havarikommission HCL has released its Final Report into an incident involving a BRITISH AIRWAYS A319 at Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 17, 2009. On that date, Flight 811 was on International Service from Copenhagen to London Heathrow, and had just taken off from the runway 04R, when an engine suffered a compressor stall. The crew shut the engine down and declared MAYDAY due to smoke in the passenger cabin and cockpit. The Airbus, registration G-EUPL and pictured above, returned to Copenhagen, landing safely on the runway 04R, about 20 minutes after their initial departure. Attending Emergency Services found parts of the engine separated within the engine's cowling. In their Final Report, the Danish HCL concluded: "The engine damage occurred as a result of a fracture in a non-Service Bulletin V2500-ENG-72-0487 standard compressor blade in stage 3 of the high-pressure compressor (HPC)". They went on to say that the fracture was due to fatigue and wear and tear. The full Report, in Danish, including a detailed report on events as they unfolded on takeoff, can be found the agency website.

*US AIRWAYS Flight 1436, an A319, had to make an emergency return to Atlanta, Georgia, yesterday, May 13, after they were unable to retract the landing gear. The Airbus, enroute to Charlotte, North Carolina, landed safely back in Atlanta, about 25 minutes after its initial departure. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repairs.

*FINNAIR Flight 798, an A319, had to make an emergency diversion to Riga, Latvia, yesterday, May 13. Whle enroute from Pisa, Italy, to Helsinki, Finland, and about 140 miles W/SW of Riga, the crew declared an emergency, reporting smoke in the passenger cabin. The Airbus safely landed in Riga about 20 minutes later. The A319 was removed from service and ferried to Helsinki about 4.5 hours later.