AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*Carriers around the world are now receiving the option to replace the "No Smoking" illuminated signs with a "Turn Off Electronic Devices" sign. Smoking has been banned onboard airliners for years, however with the ever rising tide of personal electronic devices now in use, carriers have had problems getting passengers to comply with not using their electronic devices when the aircraft is below 10000 feet. Airframers and safety experts are hoping that the illumination sign will increase compliance, just as the "Fasten Seat Belts" sign does. Airbus provides the signage on all its airliners by request and Boeing provides it on newer 777 and 737 aircraft. Boeing is expected to offer it as an option on all airliners soon. Embraer and Bombardier are also offering the signage on request. Among the carriers you may find the signage on are SINGAPORE AIRLINES, THAI AIRWAYS, UNITED AIRLINES and VIRGIN AMERICA.

*The lengthy search for the wreckage and black boxes from AIR FRANCE Flight 447 has resulted in experts working on policies and procedures that would make future searches easier and faster. Uncertainty over Flight 447's location forced recovery teams to search for almost 2 years, before finally finding the wreck site close to the last confirmed position. The International Civil Aviation Organisation's flight recorder panel aims to require aircraft certificated from 2018 to carry equipment to limit searches over water to a 4nm radius.And, the French investigation agency BEA set up a technical working group that has concluded that the onset of an emergency could feasibly trigger transmission of aircraft data. The study also determined that higher-frequency position updates could significantly limit the size of a search radius. The group examined 44 accidents and 24 incidents, across a broad range of aircraft types, to determine potential situations that could prompt a transmission. Analysis showed that simple binary triggering from unusual attitudes, such as excessive bank or pitch, as well as specific cockpit alarms, would have been effective for all but 1 of the 68 accidents, and would have limited nuisance alarms to 2 out of the 621 normal flights. Simulations replicating 42 of the accidents in 597 different points of the world demonstrated that, in 85% of cases, transmission of data would be possible before impact.

*Qantas launched domestic Boeing 747 service in Australia today in an effort to directly take on VIRGIN AUSTRALIA for the business traveller. Qantas will fly internationally configured Boeing 747 jumbos from Sydney to Perth. The introduction of the 747s means business class travellers will have access to the Qantas lie-flat 'Skybed' on domestic flights. The carrier is also increasing the number of wide-body, internationally configured Airbus A330s on coast-to-coast flights. In April it added 3 A330 flights on the Melbourne-Perth route. An A330 will also replace a daily Boeing 767 flight from Brisbane to Perth. More than 90% of Qantas services between the Australian east coast and Perth will now be operated with wide-bodied aircraft. The move comes in response to the recently rebranded Virgin Australia adding Airbus A330s to its Sydney-Perth route and the addition of theAairline's first domestic business class seats.  Qantas currently dominates business travel in Australia and Virgin is working to get a larger slice of the lucrative market. Currently Virgin commands just 10% of the domestic business travel market.

*KINGFISHER Flight 25, an A319, had to make an emergency diversion to Kolkata, India, yesterday, May 29. While enroute from Delhi, India, to Bangkok, Thailand, the crew reported a cracked windshield and requested diversion. The Airbus safely landed and was removed from service. Ground staff reported the windshield may have cracked due to an earlier reported bird strike.

*AIR ARABIA Flight 601, an A320, had to make an emergency diversion to Hail, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, May 28. While enroute from Sharjah, UAE, to Alexandria, Egypt, a male passenger fell seriously ill. The Airbus was diverted to Hail, where it safely landed and the passenger transported to hospital. After about 1 hour on the ground, the aircraft departed for Alexandria.

*DELTA AIRLINES Flight 283, a Boeing 747, had to make an emergency return to Los Angeles, California, on Friday, May 27. The crew halted their climb out of LAX at 10000 feet, reporting an indication of an open gear door after gear retraction. The 747 then circled to dump fuel, before landing safely back at LAX, about 1.5 hours after its initial depature. The aircraft was removed from service and the flight to Tokyo, Japan, and then further on to Bangkok, Thailand, was canceled.

*TURKISH AIRLINES Flight 11, a Boeing 777, had to make an emergency return to Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday, May 26. The crew halted their climb out of Istanbul at 12000 feet, reporting the smell of burning wire onboard. After consultation with maintenance, the crew requested return and the 777 safely landed back in Istanbul, about 1 hour after its initial departure. The burning smell was traced to failed recirculation fan, which was repaired and the 777 departed for New York JFK after about 1.5 hours on the ground.