AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*OMNI AIR INTERNATIONAL has received FAA approval to operate B777-200ER aircraft, including 180-minute ETOPS authority. The Tulsa, Oklahoma based Part 121 carrier becomes the 1st US registered non-scheduled Airline to operate the B777-200ER aircraft in passenger service. A 2nd aircraft will be added to the carrier's certificate in mid July. Omni is in its 19th year as a non-scheduled Airline which has operated to more than 75 countries, with 60,000 flights totaling more than 300,000 flight hours with a fleet of B767-300, B757-200, and DC10-30 extended range aircraft.

*DYNAMIC AIRWAYS has been approved by the FAA to add a Boeing MD88 jet to its Air Carrier Certificate. Dynamic Airways expanded its fleet in response to the rapidly growing demand from international customers for long-term contracts in the leisure-travel market. The new Dynamic MD88 can seat up to 150 passengers. Launched last October, Dynamic Airways operates nonscheduled jet services for government and commercial customers around the world and is based at Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

*Flights in Argentina are being disrupted by an ash cloud caused by the eruption of a volcano in Chile. AEROLINEAS ARGENTINAS, its domestic subsidiary AUSTRAL, and LAN ARGENTINA, have temporarily cancelled all domestic flights to the southern part of the country after the Chilean Puyehue volcano erupted on Saturday, pictured above, sending a rapidly spreading eastbound ash cloud into Patagonian airspace. Following recommendations from the Argentinean aviation authorities, all Airlines operating to the region cancelled their flights as the ash cloud expanded to reach the Atlantic coast. The Airports affected include Baricloche, Neuquen, Esquel, Chapelco, Trelew, Viedma, Rio Gallegos, El Calafate, Ushuaia, Rio Grande and Comodoro Rivadavia. The carriers hope to resume service to most cities tomorrow, however some Andean Airports close to the volcano, such as Bariloche, Esquel and Chapelco, are covered by a layer of ash that will "require some time to be removed".  Officials said it could be over a week before those Airport reopen. Cancelations in Chile have been sparse and have been restricted to small cities near the Volcano.

*This week's planned industrial action involving AER LINGUS Pilots has been called off after the carrier and its Pilots came to an agreement after 15 hours of talks this past weekend. Tens of thousands of passengers flying from Dublin, Shannon and Cork faced disruption starting tomorrow, but the Irish Airline Pilots' Association (Ialpa) said action has been suspended until July 1. Ialpa said the agreement covered the 2 main issues of concern for Pilots, including management of the peak summer period roster and the development of a longer-term form of roster. Aer Lingus Pilots at Belfast and London Gatwick have also balloted for industrial action and will serve notice on the company. Ialpa said those issues are separate and are the subject of further discussion.

*The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has cut its profit forecast for the Airline sector further because of rising fuel costs. Iata said today it expected Airline industry profits to be just $4bn in 2011 as rising fuel prices continue to dent profits of carriers. In March, Iata had predicted profits of $8.6bn this year. In 2010, the industry made a profit of $18bn. Iata said high fuel costs were having a "big impact on our profitability".

*THAI AIRWAYS has announced that it plans to finalize a planned 37 aircraft order "very soon", possibly before the Paris Air Show, with 11 of the aircraft to be narrowbodies operated by its new regional carrier. Thai has said it is planning a 37 aircraft order, for delivery from 2012 to 2017. Of these, 26 will be widebody aircraft to be used for long-haul routes while the remaining will be narrowbodies. The 26 widebodies will be new generation aircraft and the carrier said it is considering the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350.  The 11 narrowbodies will be for THAI WING, the working name of the new regional Airline that Thai announced recently. To be wholly owned by Thai, the new Airline is expected to begin operations in the 2nd quarter of 2012. Thai said it was considering either the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 for it narrowbody order. Thai is also in the midst of starting a low-cost carrier, that is to be jointly owned and operated with TIGER AIRWAYS. The new Airline, THAI TIGER, was to have started service this past March, but has been delayed due to regulatory issues with Thailand's government. Thai said this weekend that it hopes to have Thai Tiger operating soon.

*MALAYSIA AIRLINES plans to deploy its 1st Airbus A380 to London, and wants to also fly the superjumbo to Australian destinations like Sydney and Melbourne. The carrier is set to receive the 1st of 6 A380s on order in April 2012, following several delays. MAS also said it is also still studying a new widebody order, which it has said could be for the Boeing 787 or the Airbus A350, or both of them. No timetable for a decision was given.

*MALAYSIA AIRLINES has announced that it plans to join Oneworld and expects to start flying as part of the alliance in late 2012. QANTAS is sponsoring MAS' entry into the alliance. MAS, which already codeshares with Oneworld members CATHAY PACIFIC and ROYAL JORDANIAN, said it will develop links with more members as it prepares to join the alliance.

*GO AIR Flight 201, an A320, had to make an emergency return to Delhi, India, today, June 6. While on their initial climb out of Delhi, the crew declared an emergency, reporting a cargo fire indication. The Airbus landed safely back in Delhi, about 15 minutes later, and was met by Emergency Services. No trace of heat, smoke or fire was found, however the aircraft was removed from service for a full inspection. According to reports, GO Air suspects the indication was false. A replacement aircraft was dispatched for the flight to Bangalore, India.

*PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES Flight 229, a Boeing 737, reported a near collision while enroute from Karachi, Pakistan, to Muscat, Oman, today, June 6. According to media reports, controllers had cleared the 737 to descend from 34000 feet to 16000 feet, as the aircraft neared Muscat. As the aircraft descended thru 30000 feet, the Pilots reported another aircraft coming directly towards them. A TCAS advisory was issued and the crew performed an emergency ascent to 36000 feet. Flight 229 then continued on to make a safe landing in Muscat. PIA has reportedly filed a complaint with the Muscat Aviation Authority. Reports did not identify the type of owner of the other aircraft, nor did it say where the incident occurred.

*BRUSSELS AIRLINES Flight 2826, an Avro RJ85, had to make an emergency landing in Brussels, Belgium, yesterday, June 5. The crew abandoned their approach for landing at 3000 feet, reporting problems with its flaps. The Avro, inbound from Budapest, Hungary, then entered a holding pattern for about 15 minutes, before making a safe emergency landing at a higher than normal speed on the runway 20 at Brussels. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection.

*AEROFLOT Flight 171, an A319, had to make an emergency return to Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport, yesterday, June 5. While on their initial climb, the crew reported that the left hand engine had shut down automatically. The crew leveled off at 1100 meters, before landing safely back at Sheremetyevo, about 25 minutes after its initial departure. The Airbus was removed from service and a replacement A319 was brought in for the flight to Sofia, Bulgaria.

*SINGAPORE AIRLINES Flight 861, an A380, had to make an emergency return to Singapore, yesterday, June 5, after the crew could could not fully retract the landing gear. The Airbus, which was enroute to Hong Kong, landed safely back in Singapore, about 40 minutes after its initial departure. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repairs, while the passengers were rebooked on other flights.

*SOUTHWEST AIRLINES Flight 2397, a Boeing 737, had to make an emergency return to Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, June 4. According to reports, the inboard right main gear tire blew on rotation for takeoff from the runway 25R at Phoenix. The crew halted their climb at 5000 feet, circled for about 1 hour to burn off fuel and then landed safely back in Phoenix on the runway 26, about 1.5 hours after its initial departure. The 737 was removed from service for repairs and a replacement aircraft was brought in to complete the flight to Kansas City, Missouri.