AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*For the 1st time in nearly 60 consecutive years, AIR FRANCE will not operate a flight between Chicago OHare and Paris CDG. The carrier is turning over the route to code share partner DELTA AIRLINES on October 29. Delta will operate Boeing 767 aircraft instead of the A330-200, which Air France used on this route. Operational frequency and schedule remains unchanged. According to the carriers, the change is only temporary and only for the winter 2011/2012. Aviation analysts said it was doubtful that Air France would return in the Spring and many said the change may be permanant, until at least economic conditions change. Aviation enthusiasts also chimed in on boards across the country, with most calling this "sad news," mainly to the lack of service on US carriers on Europe bound flights.

*RYANAIR has increased its charge for carrying a piece of checked luggage by £5 to up to £70 per return flight. Passengers travelling with luggage lighter than 15kg will be charged £20 each way, up from £15, and customers with bags weighing between 15kg and 20kg will be charged £30 each way, up from £25. The cost of carrying a 2nd bag has also gone up, from £35 to £40 each way. Anyone flying to the Canary Islands will be charge an additional £5 each way (£70 return) for any item of checked luggage. The increases came into effect at the start of the month, and will last until September 21. Each year Ryanair increases its baggage charges for travel during peak summer months, although last year's rises only affected travellers departing in July and August.

*Global shipping giant UPS, which delivered nearly 4 billion packages and documents last year, landed its 1st cargo plane at the Guam International Airport Authority yesterday. Guam government and Aiport officials were on hand to welcome the flight, pictured above. The flights will now arrive weekly, bringing greater capacity for cargo shipments on Guam. The company handles air and sea shipments, as well as inland services such as hauling. The move by UPS comes about a month after the 1st cargo-dedicated FEDEX EXPRESS flight arrived on island, however officials said the UPS service has been in the works for "some time". UPS will fly into Guam 1x weekly, but hopes to increase the service to 3x weekly in the near future.

*THAI AIRWAYS INTERNATIONAL will acquire 8 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 12 Airbus A350s as part of a 37 aircraft acquisition worth Thai baht (Bt) 119 billion ($3.89 billion). The carrier's board approved the planned acquisition today and the carrier will proceed to acquire the aircraft immediately. Thai plans to purchase 15 aircraft and acquire the remaining 22 on operating leases. It will purchase 6 Boeing 777-300ERs, to be delivered in 2014 and 2015, 4 Airbus A350-900s (2016 and 2017) and 5 Airbus A320-200s (2014 and 2015). It also plans to acquire 6 787-8s and 2 787-9s from US lessor International Lease Finance (ILFC) on operating leases. The -8s will be delivered in 2014 and 2015, while the -9s will be delivered in 2017. In addition, Thai will lease 6 A350-900s from Aviation Lease and Finance, to be delivered in 2017, and 2 A350-900s from CIT Aerospace International, which will deliver the aircraft in 2016. The Airline will also lease 6 A320-200s from RBS Aerospace International, to be delivered in 2012 and 2013. All the operating leases have terms of 12 years each, said Thai.

*QANTAS and JETSTAR have resumed some flights to and from Melbourne this afternoon after a volcanic ash plume from a Chilean volcano forced the cancellation of hundreds of services. Airservices Australia said the ash cloud from Chile's Puyehue volcano, which erupted more than a week ago, was completely covering Tasmania and parts of Victoria, including Melbourne. Passengers have been warned to expect delays as Airlines attempt to clear a massive backlog of flight cancellations, estimated to have hit more than 60,000 travellers since last night. A spokesperson for Qantas, whose planes are seen parked in Sydney last evening, said all domestic flights to and from Melbourne were departing as scheduled after 1:00pm today, local time, except for flights to and from Tasmania and New Zealand. Those services would not resume until at least tomorrow because of the volcanic ash. Jetstar also resumed services out of Melbourne Airport and Avalon this afternoon, with the exception of flights to and from Tasmania and New Zealand. VIRGIN AUSTRALIA, which resumed some flights out of Melbourne, Tasmania and New Zealand this morning, said it would be flying planes under the ash cloud, which is 8.5km high. TIGER AIRWAYS reported operations near normal. In New Zealand, AIR NEW ZEALAND has not canceled any flights, but is flying at a lower altitude in order to avoid the ash cloud. Still, thousands of passengers remain stranded due to the cancelations from Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Tiger Airways.

*US AIRWAYS Flight 759, a Boeing 767, had to make an emergency return to Athens, Greece, yesterday, June 12. While on their initial climb, the crew reported left hand engine vibrations. They leveled out at 6000 feet, circled to burn off fuel, and then landed safely back in Athens, about 1 hour after its initial departure. The 767 was removed from service for inspection and the flight to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was cancelied.

*RYANAIR Flight 4531, a Boeing 737, had to make an emergency diversion to Frankfurt, Germany, after a passenger suffered a heart attack, on Saturday, June 11. The aircraft, which was enroute from Milan, Italy, to Oslo, Norway, remained on the ground for about 80 minutes, before departing for Oslo, where they arrived about 105 minutes behind schedule.

*WIZZ AIR Flight 4106, an A320, had to make an emergency diversion to Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, June 11. While enroute from Memmingen, Germany, to Belgrade, Serbia, at 35000 feet and near Graz, Austria, the crew requested an emergency diversion for undisclosed reasons. The Airbus safely landed in Budapest, about 30 minutes later. After about 70 minutes on the ground, the aircraft was cleared to resume its journey to Belgrade, where it arrived about 75 minutes behind schedule. According to media reports, passengers were advised of the diversion, but were given no further details. Upon landing in Budapest, Emergency Services did not attend to the aircraft, however the flight crew was reportedly conducting a visual inspection of the Airbus, with a number of ground staff. Passengers were later told that the crew suspected a bird strike and diverted to inspect the airliner. There was no word on whether a bird strike was confirmed.

*AMERICAN EAGLE Flight 4343, an ERJ145, had to make an emergency return to Chicago OHare, on Thursday, June 9. The ERJ was on its its initial climb out of OHare, when the crew donned their O2 masks and declared an emergency, reporting smoke in the cockpit. The crew then leveled off at 4000 feet before landing safely back at OHare 8 minutes later. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and a replacement ERJ145 was dispatched to continue the flight to Detroit, Michigan.