AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*Oneworld carriers BRITISH AIRWAYS, IBERIA and AMERICAN AIRLINES are to open 4 new routes next April as part of their new transatlantic joint venture. American will operate New York JFK-Budapest and Chicago-Helsinki, connecting the US gateways with the bases of Oneworld members MALEV and FINNAIR. BA will operate London Heathrow-San Diego while Iberia will open Madrid-Los Angeles. Oneworld disclosed the routes yesterday at an event marking the 3 way tie-up in London. BA chief Willie Walsh describes the venture as "historic", adding: "We've waited 14 years for this." American is placing its code on 322 BA and Iberia flights, while BA will add its code to 2,063 American and Iberia flights. Iberia's code will feature on 354 flights operated by BA and American.

*The FAA has backtracked over separation rules issued for Boeing's new 747-8 and 787 aircraft. A spokeswoman said yesterday that they were issued "prematurely," and that there were "a number of errors." Earlier this week, the FAA had instructed air traffic controllers to allow 10 miles between one of Boeing's new airplanes and aircraft following behind them on takeoffs and landings. The order also called for 5 miles of separation during cruise. The reason given was the possibility for greater wingtip vortices and wake turbulence. But the FAA has now rescinded the order and said the order was intended to apply only to the flight test aircraft. The spokeswoman said the 2 airplanes should not have been included in the same order. New guidelines will reportedly be issued for the 747-8 by the end of this week, with rules for the 787 following next week.

*QANTAS Flight 29, on International Boeing 747 Service from Melbourne, Australia, to London Heathrow, with a stop in Hong Kong,with 280 passengers and crew onboard, reported an unruly passenger while enroute to Hong Kong, today, October 7. Flight 29 departed Melbourne just before Midnight, last night. According to media reports, a male passenger began running up and down the aisles shouting: "I'm going to kill myself, you are all going to die, it will be God's will, what will be will be, I'm going to open the door." . According to one media report, a passenger said that a Flight Attendant told her the man "tried to bring the plane down" and was "extremely aggressive". Cabin crew were able to subdue the man and had to restrain him with handcuffs. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, the man was arrested and taken into custody by Hong Kong police.

*An AIR NORTH Boeing 737, on Domestic Service from Vancouver to Whitehorse, Canada, with 50 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency diversion, on Tuesday, October 5. The crew declared an emergency, reporting an indication for an overheated wing. The 737 was diverted to Smithers, Canada, where it landed and was met by Emergency Services, who performed an immediate inspection. No immediate problems were noted, however the aircraft was removed from service for inspection.

*WEBJET Flight 6736, on Domestic Boeing 737 Service from Brasilia to Fortaleza, Brazil, with 120 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency return to Brasilia due to a hydraulics failure, on Tuesday, October 5. The aicraft was then removed from service for inspection and repairs.

*KOREAN AIRLINES Flight 957, on International A330 Service from Seoul, South Korea, to Tel Aviv, Israel, with 203 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency diversion, on Tuesday, October 5. While inflight overhead Turkey, the crew requested diversion, reporting the right hand cockpit windshield had cracked. The A330 was diverted to Istanbul, Turkey, where it landed without incident and was removed from service for repairs. The A330, registration HL8212, had just been delivered to KAL on September 29, direct from Toulouse.

*FELIX AIRWAYS Flight 153, on Domestic CRJ Service from Riyan to Saana, Yemen, had to make an emergency return, on Monday, October 4. Shortly after departure, the crew reported technical problems with the navigation systems. The CRJ landed back at Riyan without incident, about 30 minutes after its initial departure. The aircraft was removed from service for repairs.

*SINGAPORE AIRLINES Flight 22, on International A340 Service from Singapore to New York JFK, lost a tire on takeoff, on Monday, October 4. Upon retracting the landing gear after departure, the plane's sensors indicated a missing wheel from the left hand main gear. According to Singapore Airlines, the main landing gear, which has 12 wheels, is capable of landing with a missing wheel, thus the A340 continued on to JFK, where it landed without incident. The aircraft was then removed from service for repairs. Aiport staff in Singapore found the wheel in a drain near Terminal 3.