Aviation Report

On a single A380 flight between Paris and Tokyo, Air France can serve over 1,600 meals to 538 passengers. As this flight lasts 12 hours and even 12 hrs and 35 min on the journey back from Japan to France, Air France provides three meal services - two meals (lunch and breakfast in the Paris-Tokyo direction, and lunch and dinner in the opposite direction) and a snack suited to the time of day and duration of the flight. Passengers can savour French gastronomic cuisine as well as Japanese dishes and culinary specialties and local produce, such as tofu, sukiyaki beef or shiitake mushrooms. Customers travelling in La Première or Business classes can taste saké or Oolong green tea on flights between Japan and France. To accompany the meals, red wines and Champagne are offered in all the cabin classes. At Paris-Charles de Gaulle, 115 bottles of Champagne and 115 bottles of wine are loaded on board the A380. Halfway through the flight, outside meal times, snacks are available as self-s...

Air France cabin crew fear a new rule to protect children from paedophile passengers could expose youngsters to greater risk in the event of an accident, labour unions said Monday. The airline issued instructions in February that unaccompanied minors must not sit next to adults unless a plane is fully booked, following complaints from parents that some had been molested in flight. But the UNAC and Alter unions, which represent Air France cabin crew, said this rule contradicts previous advice that children must sit near responsible persons who can help them don oxygen masks if the cabin depressurises. "This flies in the face of child safety," said Alter official Guillaume Pollard. "In an emergency or a depressurisation an adult should remain seated and fit a child's mask. How can they do this if they're across the aisle?" A copy of the seating rules, seen by AFP, says children travelling without a parent or guardian must be given a block of seats on t...

The leading aviation organization says the global industry continues to grow, with international passenger and freight traffic rising in July. Speaking in Australia, the International Air Transport Association chief executive says he is "cautiously optimistic" about the rest of the year. The International Air Transport Association predicts that 2010 will be a good year for the 230 airlines it represents. The optimism is fueled by strong growth in first and business class ticket sales. However, IATA expects growth to slow in the coming months because of weakening consumer demand. Chief executive Giovanni Bisignani forecasts that the global aviation industry will earn about $2.5 billion in 2010, following two years of losses, should the international economic recovery continue.   The IATA boss says profits will be pushed by stronger demand in Asia, the Middle East and South America, while business in debt-hit Europe remains gloomy. In July, international passenger dema...

Two and a half years into its commercial service life, the young A380 fleet of 33 aircraft has met all its commitments, and is even exceeding expectations at its four initial operators: Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qantas, Air France and most recently Lufthansa. The A380 Family starts from a baseline passenger aircraft with a capacity of 525 passengers in a three-class configuration, seated over two spacious decks, and with a range of 8,300nm / 15,400km. Two and a half years into its commercial service life, the young A380 fleet of 33 aircraft has met all its commitments, and is even exceeding expectations at its four initial operators: Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qantas, Air France and most recently Lufthansa. The original “A3XX” concept promised a lot – now the A380 delivers. Indeed, the A380’s economic efficiency already allows airlines to boost profitability, stimulate demand and grow market share, while the A380 popularity with the travelling public has led to significant...

Steven Slater allegedly grabbed some beer before leaving the plane A US flight attendant has been bailed after he had a row with a passenger on a plane and allegedly fled using the emergency exit slide. Steven Slater, 39, reportedly became furious with a passenger as the plane arrived at JFK International Airport after a row on take-off. He was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, trespassing and reckless endangerment. The JetBlue plane was travelling from Pittsburgh to New York on Monday. Mr Slater's lawyer, Howard Turman, told journalists that his client had been drawn into a fight between two female passengers over space in the overhead bins as the flight was awaiting take-off in Pittsburgh. Somehow, Mr Slater was hit in the head, Mr Turman said. After the flight landed in New York, the woman attempted to retrieve her bag before the plane came to a complete stop, the lawyer said, and swore at Mr Slater. 'Drove away' Mr Slater then used the loudspe...

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Around the world, the news went out: Plane accident in Zimbabwe, black smoke on runway, ambulances screaming in. Except the disaster never happened. Harare airport authorities tricked the public and the world's media into believing a security drill Thursday was a crash to make the drill and the emergency response seem more real. It's a practice that's been used elsewhere, but is seen as especially risky in a world where panic is only a few tweets or clicks away. "Emergency drills are all well and good as part of regular safety procedures and operational awareness in the event of the real thing, but there is a danger of a 'cry wolf' syndrome if emergency drills are repeatedly confused with 'real-life' events," said Neil MacKinnon, global macro strategist at VTB Capital. Financial markets appeared unperturbed by Thursday's incident in economically and politically isolated Zimbabwe. But the lie disrupted hospital staff...

Firemen set up a yellow tarp near the crash site of an Aeropro Beechcraft King Air 100 in Quebec City, Wednesday June 23, 2010. The Beechcraft crashed shortly after take off near the airport. Transport Canada has grounded a Quebec-based charter aviation company, effectively ending its air operations. The agency revoked Aeropro's operating permit this weekend following an audit that found repeated violations of Canadian aviation regulations. Aeropro is a 22-year-old company that runs business and recreational charters. It says it has 250 employees based out of the Quebec City airport. The move by Transport Canada comes on the heels of an Aeropro plane crash near the airport last June that killed seven people. An Aeropro spokesman says the company was disappointed by the court's decision and takes passenger safety seriously. Source :  http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100801/mtl_aero_100801/20100801/?hub=MontrealHome Mexico's aviation saf...