AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*DELTA AIRLINES announced a major investment in its international fleet with plans to introduce a premium economy section, "Economy Comfort," on all long-haul international flights in summer 2011.  The new seats will feature up to 4 additional inches of legroom and 50% more recline than Delta's standard international Economy class seats. The product, which is similar to upgraded Economy services currently available on flights operated by Delta's joint venture partner AIR FRANCE-KLM, will be installed in the 1st few rows of the Economy cabin on more than 160 Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft by this summer.  Customers who have purchased an international Economy ticket on Delta will be able to choose Economy Comfort seats for an additional fee of $80-$160 one-way starting in May, for summer travel. Premium customers can book the seats for free or at a discount, depending on elite status. In addition to more leg room and recline, customers seated in Economy Comfort will board early and receive complimentary spirits throughout the flight, in addition to the standard international amenities.

*UNITED AIRLINES was the most "on-time" US carrier in January, with 85% of its flights arriving on-time. ALASKA AIRLINES was 2nd, with US AIRWAYS 3rd. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES came in last at 62%, however the carrier disputes that figure.

*Bolivia's AEROSUR plans to acquire an additional Boeing 767-200 and 737-300 this year as the carrier continues its widebody fleet expansion and narrowbody fleet renewal programs. Aerosur, based in Santa Cruz, currently operates 1 767-200ER, 1 Boeing 747-400, 1 737-400, 3 737-300s, 2 737-200s and 2 727-200s. The new Boeing 767 is expected to be used to launch service to Barcelona, Spain, and the 737 will be used on the once weekly service to Washington Dulles.

*Airbus Military's 2nd A400M development aircraft underwent cold weather trials earlier this month in Kiruna, Sweden. The aircraft, Grizzly 2 which is pictured above in Kiruna, experienced temperatures as low as -21ºC as it underwent tests on its powerplants. It was accompanied by an Airbus A340-300 carrying support equipment and the test team. It will experience further cold weather testing in Kiruna and at other locations this winter and next according to Airbus Military.

*A Polish production company has begun filming a movie about the POLISH AIR FORCE presidential plane crash in Smolensk, Russia last April. The TU154 crashed on April 10 when it attempted to land in thick fog, killing all 96 people on board, including President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and other top state officials. "It will be a non-political film about real people and real emotions, rather than about the Smolensk tragedy as it is used by various political parties," Director Piotr Matwiejczyk said "I hope audiences will recognize that I do not take sides. The movie, "Straight from Heaven," will consist of 5 parts, each dedicated to a family affected by the tragedy. It is not known if the film will be released outside of Poland.

*Israeli flag-carrier EL AL is to acquire 4 new Boeing 737-900ERs for fleet modernization, and is placing options on another pair. The Airline states that the decision will increase its 737 operation from 14 to 18 aircraft. El Al said it has signed an agreement to purchase the -900ERs and values the deal at $215-320 million covering 4 to 6 aircraft. They will be used on European regional destinations.

*A new Japanese low-cost carrier that will be partly owned by ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS (ANA) plans to operate 5 narrowbody aircraft in its 1st year, before growing its fleet to up to 20 aircraft in 5 years. The carrier is still deciding between the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. The Osaka-based Airline aims to begin flights to up to 4 domestic and 4 international destinations in its 1st year of operations, said ANA in a statement. ANA is setting up the Airline, which has yet to be named, in a joint venture with Hong Kong and Japanese investors. ANA said the new Airline's destinations, start date and fleet plan will be announced after the joint venture is formally established later this month

*SINGAPORE AIRLINES today defended the reliability of the Airbus A380, despite recent incidents involving 1 of the Airline's superjumbos. "The A380 has had one of the smoothest introductions to our fleet compared to our previous experience of entry into service of new aircraft," said an SIA spokesman. An A380 operated by the carrier is temporarily grounded at Zurich Airport after a rudder control system fault was encountered before a scheduled departure for Singapore yesterday. Engineers are still looking into the problem and it is not known yet when the aircraft will be cleared for flying. On January 31, smoke was detected in the lavatory on another A380 while the aircraft was on a flight to Singapore from Hong Kong. The aircraft landed without incident, and ground crews later found charred wiring in the aircraft's cargo hold. SIA had said there appears to have been "a short in one of the generator cables". The carrier operates 11 A380s and has another 8 on order.

*SOUTHWEST AIRLINES Flight 703, a Boeing 737, had to make an emergency landing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, yesterday, February 7. While enroute from Tampa, Florida, a number of passengers reported flu like symptoms, including a couple of passengers who also complained of shortness of breath. The 737 landed safely in Milwaukee and was met by a fleet of ambulances and medical staff. According to the carrier, 12 passengers complained of not feeling well, with 2 needing oxygen. Of those, 2 were transported to hospital and the other 10 were treated and released. According to the Milwaukee Health Department, which was on scene, all of those who had fallen ill had been on a tour in Cozumel, Mexico, and the symptoms did not require a quarantine.

*DELTA AIRLINES Flight 40, a Boeing 767, had to make an emergency diversion to Goose Bay, NL, Canada, yesterday, February 7. The 767 was inflight overhead the Labrador Sea, when the crew reported fumes in the cockpit. They diverted to Goose Bay and landed without incident, about 100 minutes later. Emergency Services could find no trace of heat, smoke or fire. According to NAV Canada, ground staff identified a problem, which was not disclosed, and the 767 was cleared to resume its flight. Flight 40 arrived at London Heathrow 6 hours behind schedule.

*BOLIVIANA DE AVIACION Flight 12, a Boeing 737, suffered severe vibrations from the right hand main gear upon touchdown at La Paz, Bolivia, yesterday, February 7. The crew was able to roll the aircraft out safely, however the stopped the 737 on the runway and offloaded passengers via mobile stairs. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection.

*OMNI AIR Flight 335, a DC10, had to make an emergency return to Shannon, Ireland, yesterday, February 7. While on their initial climb, the crew reported they had to shut down engine No.2 for unspecified reasons, and requested return. The DC10 landed without incident and returned to the gate, as pictured above. The aircraft was carrying 362 US troops on a Military Flight to an undisclosed location at the time of the incident. This was also the 2nd Omni incident involving a DC10 aircraft in as many days, with both incidents involving a return to Shannon..

*ETIHAD AIRWAYS Flight 472, an A330, had to divert to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday, February 6, due to unruly passengers. According to media reports, 5 intoxicated male passengers, who were vocally abusive and harrassing other passengers, were removed from the aircraft by Sri Lankan police and charged under Sri Lankan law. They were released on bail and ordered to return to court on February 14.

*SHUTTLE AMERICA Flight 5950, an ERJ175 on service for DELTA AIRLINES, encountered severe turbuelnce while enroute, on Friday, February 4. The ERJ was on service from Chicago OHare to New York La Guardia, however the FAA report does not state where the aircraft encountered the turbulence. 1 person was injured, the extent of the injuries was also not disclosed. The jet safely landed at La Guardia and was not damaged in the incident.