AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has given the go-ahead for the Airbus A380 aircraft to be operated in China. It presented a "validation type certificate" for the A380 to Airbus in a ceremony in Beijing. "The A380 has received the validation type certificate, which is a symbol of its airworthiness in China. This will pave the way for Chinese carriers to operate the aircraft," says CAAC. CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES is the only Chinese carrier to have ordered the A380. It expects to receive the 1st of its 5 A380s in 2011, says the CAAC.

*RYANAIR has confirmed that it has ended negotiations with Boeing over the purchase of 200 new aircraft. It added it would not be looking to buy aircraft from another supplier, as in order to keep costs down, all Ryanair's aircraft are made by Boeing. Ryanair said that it would now bring forward plans to "significantly reduce growth and capital expenditures" between 2012 and 2015. The Airline said it would still take delivery of 112 Boeing aircraft between 2010 and 2012, as previously agreed. According to media reports, the 2 partners had agreed pricing on the 200 aircraft, but that Boeing was unwilling to include some other terms and conditions that his company enjoyed in existing contracts.

 

*BRITISH AIRWAYS cabin crew will be balloted again on industrial action after a planned Christmas strike was declared illegal by the High Court yesterday.  Their union, Unite, said it would "move swiftly" towards a fresh ballot, but it did not rule out an appeal against yesterday's legal ruling. BA said it was "open to holding more talks" with Unite but could not "pre-empt any decision on re-balloting". The 12-day strike was called in protest over changes to working practices. But the judge agreed with BA that Unite had not correctly balloted its members, forcing it to cancel the action. The ballot included people who had left the company or were about to, and so was judged invalid.

*Zimbabwe’s National Parks rounded up 90 warthogs this week from the Harare International Airport after a SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS airliner was forced to abort the takeoff run after the Pilots spotted warthogs on the runway. This was the 2nd occurrence in 2 months time. On November 3 an AiR ZIMBABWE MA60 impacted warthogs during the takeoff roll. The aircraft was about to lift off the ground when it hit the 5 warthogs. The plane’s nose and left main landing gears collapsed after the impact. The aircraft veered off to the left side of the runway and stopped off the runway with damage on the engine propeller and on the wing tip. According to Airport officials, the warthogs were able to enter Airport grounds due to vandalized parts of the perimeter fence. In other cases the animals dug their way underneath the fences.

*A DNIPROAVIA ERJ145 had to reject takeoff from Simferopol, Ukraine, after suffering a bird strike, yesterday, December 17. Flight 397, on Domestic Service to Kiev, rejected takeoff after the crew suspected a bird had been ingested into an engine. The crew was able to slow and stop the ERJ on the runway. Post flight inspection revealed no damage to the airliner, and it was returned to service later in the day.

*A QANTAS Boeing 747 had to make an emergency return to Singapore yesterday, December 17, due to engine failure. Flight 10 was on International Service from Singapore to Melbourne, Australia, with 354 passengers and 19 crew members onboard. About 30 minutes after departure, while inflight at 31000 feet, the right hand engine surged, which prompted the crew to shut it down. The crew declared an emergency and returned to Singapore, where they were met by Emergency Services as they touched down. According to Australian media, passengers reported that there were several loud bangs, with flames coming from the engine for about 10 to 25 seconds. The 747 remains out of service in Singapore, awaiting parts to be flown in for repair.

*A TAP AIR PORTUGAL A330 had to divert while enroute on Wednesday, December 16, due to unruly passengers. Flight 186 was on International Service from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Lisbon, Portugal, and was inflight over Brazil, when 2 Norwegian male passengers began fighting. The Captain requested diversion and the A330 landed in Fortaleza, Brazil, where the 2 passengers were taken into custody. According to media reports, the passengers face charges that could result in a prison sentence of 2 to 5 years.

*A BRIT AIR CRJ100 suffered engine failure on takeoff from Paris, France, on Wednesday, December 16. Flight 5685 was on Domestic Service on behalf of AIR FRANCE from Paris to Rodez, with 22 passengers and crew onboard. While on its initial climb out of Paris, several loud bangs came from the left hand engine, which caused a yaw and vibrations of the airframe. The crew declared an emergency and landed back at Paris Orly Airport without incident, about 45 minutes after its initial departure.

*A FIRST AIR Boeing 767 was involved in serious incident on takeoff from Ottawa, Canada, on December 12. Flight 5270 was on Domestic Cargo Service from Ottawa to Iqaluit, NU, Canada, with 4 crew members onboard, when the incident took place. The 767 took off from Ottawa with an increased flap setting about 100,000lbs below maximum takeoff weight. This results in a climb rate of 5000 feet per minute. While climbing thru 2500 feet, on its way to 5000 feet, the aircraft nearly stalled, due to a cascade of events caused by the error at takeoff. The crew was able to gain control of the 767 as it pitched up, and continued on to Iqaluit, where it landed without incident. In a brief statment, the Canadian TSB said that in an analysis of the data recorders, all systems were working as they should. The Airline has advised the CTSB that all crew will be undergoing further training to prevent another occurrance. Full information on the incident, along with a description of the eventst that occurred while the 767 was climbing, can be found on the CTSB website.