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Etihad Airways' perfect flight takes off to save fuel and cut emissions

As part of its on-going commitment to minimise the

environmental impact of its operations, Etihad Airways recently

launched an Abu Dhabi Perfect Flight Program by conducting a

fuel-optimised 'Perfect Flight' between Abu Dhabi and

Washington, DC. The airline worked closely with more than 30 stakeholders,

including civil aviation authorities, airports, ground service

providers and air navigation providers, along the entire flight of

over 11,000 kilometres, which took 13 hours and 32 minutes -

one of Etihad Airways' longest routes. The UAE-based partners include Abu Dhabi Airport, Abu Dhabi

General Civil Aviation AuthorityDepartment of Transport (DoT),

ANS. International -) and Global Aerospace Logistics GCAA(

partners were Boeing, Eurocontrol, the US Federation Aviation

Authority (FAA), Finavia, Irish Aviation Authority, Isavia,

Jeppesen, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, NATS

and NAV CANADA.

This flight, the first of a series of perfect flights, was operated

by Etihad Airways' eco-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner and

used a host of fuel and emission-saving measures in the air

and on the ground. These include optimised ground handling

at both ends of the journey and maximising efficiency

opportunities in route and altitude selection. As a result, the airline saved an estimated eight minutes on the

route, 4,100 litres of fuel and 10,700 kilograms of carbon

emissions, compared to the same aircraft flying a normal flight

plan.

http://www.zawya.com

Other environmental best practices deployed include reducing the use

of the onboard auxiliary power unit (APU), minimising on-ground

delays, utilising expedient taxi and preferential runways and

conducting unimpeded climb and descent paths. Real-time updates of

current weather and wind conditions also allowed the flight crew to

optimise their flight path. HE Mohamed Hareb Al Yousef, DoT's Executive Director - Aviation,

said: "Reducing aviation emissions is a win-win for everyone. Etihad

Airways' Perfect Flight program is a prime example of how airlines,

governments, manufacturers, technology providers and airports can

work together to achieve that common goal. "Such initiatives are in line with UAE's vision for sustainable aviation

of reducing the industry's carbon footprint, capitalising on existing

technologies and developing shared performance metrics." James Hogan, Etihad Airways' President and Chief Executive Officer,

said: "We are always seeking opportunities to optimise our flights

wherever we can, and working in collaboration is the only means to

ensure effective, meaningful improvements. "We are very pleased to combine our efforts with several industry

partners, to improve the efficiency and sustainability of aviation

through the implementation of modern aircraft technology and smarter

flight procedures, intended to reduce fuel consumption and carbon

emissions." , said: GCAAHE Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the

is proud to support the Abu Dhabi General Civil Aviation Authority"The

Perfect Flight program. The Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre

provided necessary technical assistance to ensure the success of last

week's perfect flight. The significance of the environment to the

aviation sector continues to grow, and there is every indication that

this will continue. The Abu Dhabi Perfect Flight program offers a

tremendous opportunity for more environmentally-friendly flights in

the UAE aviation sector."

http://www.zawya.com

Eng. Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Chief Executive Officer of Abu

Dhabi Airports, said: "We are delighted to be a part of this great

initiative that plays an important role in reducing the aviation industry's

carbon footprint through the development of new operational

procedures benefiting from the technologically competitive services

and facilities we own. We believe it is very important to collaborate and

align interests to achieve the goals of UAE's green economy ambition." Images of Etihad Airways B787-9 Dreamliner and cabin interiors are

1http://we.tl/qVaannmpsavailable from the following link: B-roll footage of Etihad Airways B787-9 Dreamliner is available to

soUy5g0http://we.tl/UBddownload at the following link: -Ends- About Etihad Airways Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2014 carried 14.8

million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to

110 existing or announced passenger and cargo destinations in the

Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The

airline has a fleet of 116 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and more than 200

aircraft on firm order, including 69 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777-X, 62

Airbus A350s and eight Airbus A380s. Etihad Airways holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Serbia, Air

Seychelles, Aer Lingus, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and

Swiss-based Etihad Regional, operated by Darwin Airline. Etihad

Airways, along with airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Etihad

Regional, Jet Airways and NIKI, also participate in Etihad Airways

Partners, a new brand that brings together like-minded airlines to offer

customers more choice through improved networks and schedules and

enhanced frequent flyer

http://www.zawya.com

Aviation Practice In Nigeria Meets International Standard

The Director-General, Ni gerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr Muhktar Usman, has said

that aviation practice in Nigeria is in conformity with global standard. Usman stated this during a presentation on the June 3, 2012, Dana

Airline plane crash at the 3rd anniversary of the crash in Abuja,

recently. He said that aviation practice all over the world was the same, adding

that it might differ only in size and complexity. The NCAA boss added that Nigeria, as one of the contracting states

of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), derived guidance

on all its aviation activities from the 1994 Chicago Convention. He explained that the country was signatory to the convention which

contained the International Standards and Recommended Practices

(SARPs) and the ICAO documents where the guidance materials

were published. According to Usman, Nigeria has integrated its national regulations

and practices, ensured timely implementation and enforcement in

order to achieve safety and regularity of aircraft operations. He said that NCAA was discharging its safety oversight obligations

through the establishment and implementation of critical elements

such as safety defence tools and associated procedures. Usman said the question of why and how the Dana plane crash

happened was the sole responsibility of the Accident Investigation

Bureau (AIB) which investigates accidents and incidents within the

Nigerian airspace. According to him, the NCAA is statutorily required to review the

safety recommendations issued by the AIB and determine their

applicability and implementation.

http://www.thetidenewsonline.com

The NCAA is also mandatorily required to enforce and oversight the implementation of applicable safety recommendations by the

operation, he said. The NCAA boss said that the agency had implemented most of the

recommendations by the AIB on the report of the Dana crash. He explained that the agency had heightened its surveillance activities

on all operators through the use of audits, inspections, surveys, spot

checks and en-route inspection. According to him, Dana Air is currently undergoing International Air

Transport Association (IATA), Operational Safety Audit (IOSA)

certification in order to comply with the Abuja Safety Target

Requirements by November 2015. Meanwhile, Mr Emeka Ibeh, a family member of one of the crash victims,

accused the regulatory agencies of incompetence for granting Dana Air

the certification to fly six months after the crash. Ibeh said that if NCAA was observing international standard of aviation

practice as claimed, it would have ensured that all the victims were fully

compensated before allowing Dana to resume operation. He also accused the agency of not being fair to the victims for failing to

sanction the official that certified the said flight worthy to fly on that

particular day. Ibeh said that his family was only interested in justice, adding that the

only compensation his family desired was justice by bringing whoever

contributed to the crash to pay for his or her negligence. That is why we are asking that who is the officer that certified that Dana is airworthy to come into Nigeria; who is the officer that certified

that the plane could fly that day? We need to know these people and get them punished so that other people whose job it is to certify aircraft will do their jobs properly, he said.

http://www.thetidenewsonline.com

on size suggestions could mean you need new luggage-Airline carry

Airlines are fretting over how to fix a problem they created. Since checked baggage fees have become common among U.S.

carriers, the battle over overhead bin space in airplane cabins has

become intense. Every boarding announcement is accompanied by a

crowd of eager travelers, desperate to get their bags in the spaces

above their heads. Chinese budget airline mulls flights that are standing room See also:

only On Tuesday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA)

announced a new initiative "to optimize the accommodation of carry-on

bags given differing carry-on bag sizes and airline policies." IATA says it is solving the problem of carry-on bag sizes on behalf of

passengers. The development of an agreed optimal cabin bag size will bring common sense and order to the problem of differing sizes for carry-on

bags, said Tom Windmuller, IATAs Senior Vice President for Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security. "We know the current situation can be

frustrating for passengers. This work will help to iron out

inconsistencies and lead to an improved passenger experience." The new suggested carry-on size, at 21.5 x 13.5 x 7.5 inches, "means

that theoretically everyone should have a chance to store their carry-on

bags on board aircraft of 120 seats or larger," according to IATA. .inches9 x 14 x 22 on baggage allowances average -Current carry

http://mashable.com

There's at least one problem with IATA's baggage recommendations: Shrinking the baggage size allowance means that trusty carry-on you've

learned to pack a week's worth of clothing into may soon be too big.

Shrinking the baggage size allowance means that trusty carry-on you've

learned to pack a week's worth of clothing into may soon be too big.

But a new luggage purchase is exciting, right? (Hint: No.)

It's also worth considering why everyone is trying to carry on their

baggage, which is often an effort to save the $25 or $50 in checked bag

fees.

"Once again, the airlines find a way to make their problem the

passenger's problem and an expensive problem at that," travel industry consultant Henry Harteveldt told the Associated Press.

However, IATA has framed the problem as an issue of convenience.

What were trying to do is take away that uncertainty from the 120th passenger in line - will I be able to bring my bag into the cabin? Perry Flint, an IATA spokesman, told the Washington Post. IATA is emphasizing that the suggestions are not set in stone, and that

each carrier sets its own standards. However, an excuse to shrink

baggage allowances and potentially force travelers to pay to check their bag is likely appealing to airlines. In 2014, U.S. airlines alone collected $3.5 billion in baggage fees.

Last year, many travelers were surprised to find their carry-on bags had

suddenly become too big after major airlines reduced the maximum size

allowances. It's safe to expect a repeat.

"A number of major international airlines have signaled their interest to

join the initiative and will soon be introducing the guidelines into their

operations," IATA announced in the statement.

Baggage in the new "optimum size" could be available in retail stores

before the end of the year, according to IATA.

http://mashable.com

Qatar Airways could quit oneworld over subsidies row

Qatar Airways could quit the oneworld alliance it

joined just two years ago, in the on-going row over

subsidies. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the

airlines CEO Akbar Al Baker said: There is no point us being in oneworld if an airline that invited us,

hosted us in America to sign the entry to oneworld, is

today against us. Qatar Airways was the first Gulf airline to join the

alliance in October 2013. However since then

relations between Gulf and US carriers have

worsened, with many US airlines claiming Gulf

carriers receive billions of dollars in government

subsidies.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com

Andres Conesa New IATA Chairman

Dublin Venue for IATAs Next AGM Miami The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Andres Conesa, CEO of Aeromexico, has assumed his duties as

Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors for a one-year term, effective

immediately. Conesa is the first Mexican to hold this position. Conesa succeeds Calin Rovinescu, CEO of Air Canada, whose one-year

term expired at the conclusion of the Associations 71st Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Miami, Florida.

Rovinescu will continue to serve on the Board of Governors and the

Chair Committee. Conesa has led Aeromexico, Mexicos largest airline, since 2005 after a career spanning several key, finance-related posts in the Mexican public

administration. Conesa has served as a member of the IATA Board of

Governors since 2008. I look forward to taking up the challenges of leading the IATA Board of Governors in the 70th year of this invaluable association. It will be a

challenging task in the run-up to the important decisions on climate

change, which will be taken by governments at the Assembly of the

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2016. IATA plays a vital

role in the aviation industry managing global settlement systems,

spearheading global advocacy efforts, and constantly evolving the global

standards on which aviation relies. I am eager to work closely with

Director General and CEO Tony Tyler and the entire IATA team to promote

the better understanding of aviation among our key stakeholders and to

help drive forward important initiatives that will make it ever safer, more

efficient, and sustainably profitable, said Conesa. I want to extend a hearty thanks to Calin for his strong support and leadership. It was a year of many challenges. In particular, he provided

insightful guidance as we grappled with diverse challenges, including

aircraft tracking, overflight of conflict zones, Ebola, and the continuing

issue of blocked funds in Venezuela. And, on his watch, we received

approval from the US Department of Transportation for the New

Distribution Capability (NDC), which will enable a major modernization of

the shopping experience for air travel products, said Tony Tyler, IATAs Director General and CEO.

http://www.iata.org

I have every confidence that Andres will continue the IATA tradition of strong leadership in the important position of Chairman of the

Board of Governors. We will have a busy year ahead as NDC

transitions from pilots to the deployment phase, while we continue to

work with ICAO on information sharing on conflict zones and the

aircraft tracking implementation initiative. His international

perspective will be key as we put detail to the industry position on

market-based-measures for the environment. And, as ever, we can be

sure that there will be some surprises as well, said Tyler. IATA also announced that Willie Walsh, CEO of International Airlines

Group, will serve as Chairman of the Board of Governors from June

2016, following Conesas term. Aer Lingus Invites Next AGM to Dublin The AGM concluded with an announcement that Aer Lingus will host

the 72nd IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport

Summit in Dublin, 1-3 June 2016. We are pleased to be bringing aviation leaders from around the world to Dublin. Air transportation plays a vital role in Irish social

and economic life and the Irish have a proud history of contribution

to the development of our global industry. We look forward to

welcoming you to our capital city and providing you with the

opportunity to enjoy the hospitality for which Dublin is renowned.

Delegates will find a warm welcome, a vibrant city, and a great venue

for their AGM, said Stephen Kavanagh, CEO of Aer Lingus.

http://www.iata.org

Travel agents body TAAI asks Lufthansa to recall surcharge move

The Travel Agents Association (TAAI), which is peeved with German national

carrier Lufthansa's move to charge $18 extra for those tickets not booked

through its website from September, on Tuesday demanded immediate

recall of the decision and hold a meeting with travel agents. must immediately withdraw this announcement and hold a Lufthansa"

dialogue with the agency associations," TAAI acting President Sunil Kumar

said in a statement. When contacted, Kumar said the association members are meeting this

week and has also sought an appointment with Lufthansa management here

and said he expects a resolution to the problem. "It is shocking that a leading airline that has been well promoted by the

agency fraternity for several decades now, is resorting to unfair practices of

taxing agencies for using a GDS to make a reservation to sell Lufthansa.

This is highly objectionable and an extremely agency-unfriendly

announcement. "The response from our members is extremely adverse," the TAAI statement

added. It can be noted that earlier this week, the German national carrier said

beginning September, it would charge an additional 16 euros, or about $18,

on tickets outside its reservation network for booking flights, hotels and

other travel needs. Lufthansa claims it spends hundreds of millions of euro on agents and by

imposing the 16 euro surcharge, it could make more money if it drives

customers to book directly. According to industry sources domestic airlines pay around $ 5-6 as global

distribution system (GDS) charge on each ticket, which works out to be

around Rs 600 crore a year for each of the airlines (air India and Jet) sold by

travel agents and portals, while in Europe this is only 2 euros.

http://businesstoday.intoday.in

Star Alliance selects Sabres technology for automated RTW fares

Sabre Corporation, a global technology provider to the travel and tourism

industry, has partnered with leading global airline association Star Alliance

to offer automated Round the World (RTW) and Circle Trip (CT) airfares

through its global distribution system (GDS). Earlier this year, Sabre announced its partnership with the Airline Tariff

Publishing Company (ATPCO) to create a new industry standard for

purchasing RTW and CT fares. The new automated booking technology will

help travel agents reduce the cost of selling RTW and CT products, which, in

turn, will increase sales of these itineraries for carriers. This new Sabre technology provides a complete fare price to the agent for

the passengers entire journey. Previously, when booking multi-destination RTW itineraries for travellers, agents had to manually construct the fare after

calculating the mileage and checking the fare conditions of a passengers journey. Agencies will also benefit from reduced Agency Debit Memo costs

(ADMs), sent by airlines when there is a discrepancy between the fare sold

to the customer by the agency and the airlines published price. ADVERTISING Harald Eisenaecher, senior vice president EMEA, Sabre, said: We are pleased that together with Star Alliance we can now offer a simpler way of

booking and pricing RTW fares. We were keen to respond to industry

demand to automate this process, and were proud to be the first GDS to

introduce a new industry framework earlier in the year. Since then, weve had a hugely positive response to this new technology from our travel agent

clients. This agreement further proves the industrys need for the automation of these types of complex itineraries. We expect this to drive

more bookings from agents of RTW fares. Horst Findeisen, vice president commercial and business development at

Star Alliance, said: We are pleased to be working with Sabre to open a further distribution channel through which our Round the World and Circle

Fares can be easily booked and automatically priced. Leveraging technology

to simplify and accelerate complex processes is a key benefit which an

alliance can provide. In this case, we now enable even more travel agents in

even more markets to quickly and easily respond to customer wishes for

round the world travel, which often can involve highly individualized and

complicated routings. TradeArabia News Service

http://www.tradearabia.com

EPA aircraft emissions findings may result in tighter US standards

The US Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) proposed findings that aircraft emissions contribute to climate change and

endanger public health has launched a regulatory process that

could culminate in the US adopting a tighter carbon-dioxide

standard for aircraft than those currently under discussion by

.ICAO The proposed endangerment finding, made in response to a petition

and lawsuit filed by a coalition of environmental groups, is a

necessary first step toward rulemaking that will enable the US to

adopt the international CO2 standard, which is scheduled to be

finalized by February 2016. But key aspects of aviations first CO2 standard remain to be agreed, including its stringency level, when it will take effect, and

whether the standard should apply to new in-production aircraft, as

well as new aircraft types. In parallel with the proposed endangerment finding, the EPA has

issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking that seeks

public input on the effective dates, stringency levels and

applicability of the international CO2 standard. Public input will be factored into the stance the US takes in

discussions on the CO2 standard within ICAOs Committee on Aviation Environment Protection. The US has yet to take a position

on stringency and applicability, says Chris Grundler, director of EPA

Office of Transportation and Air Quality.

http://atwonline.com

Critics point out other ICAO environmental standards, such as noise

limits, have followed rather than forced technology improvements,

setting a minimum floor to prevent backsliding rather than incentivizing

industry to improve performance. The only position the US has taken so far is that the standard should be meaningful, that it should result in emission reductions that

otherwise would not take place in its absence, he says. The standard should drive innovation and reductions beyond business as usual. Todays action reconfirms the EPAs commitment to the ICAO process for achieving a global CO2 standard for new aircraft, says Nancy Young, VP-environmental affairs at Airlines for America. But Congressman Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Space, Science

and Technology Committee, accuses the EPA of opening the door for

new regulations that will increase airfares and harm domestic US

carriers. Environmental groups welcomed the first step toward regulation, but

given the magnitude of aircrafts contribution to climate change, the tentative approach that EPA is considering is not up to the task, says Sarah Burt, attorney for Earthjustice, which leads the environment

coalition. Instead of using its Clean Air Act authority to reduce these harmful emissions, EPA proposes to follow the lead of the International Civil

Aviation Organization and set a business-as-usual standard that will lock in emissions increases for decades to come, she argues. Grundler says the EPA administrator plans to make a final

endangerment ruling by early 2016. This would be followed by a notice

of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) and another round of public comment.

The earliest we would be in position for the NPRM for the CO2 standard is 2017, leading to a final rule a year later in 2018.

http://atwonline.com

The Association of European Airlines is calling

on regulators for the urgent need to adopt a

new air passenger rights regulation

In 2013 the European Commission proposed the revision of

the current Regulation 261/2004. Since then the European

Parliament has formulated its position, however, progress in

the Council has been delayed. The EU Transport Ministers will

discuss and conclude the work of the Latvian Presidency at

.June11 on their meeting The existing regulation has a significant number of serious

shortcomings. This piece of regulation has been challenged

by both airlines and passengers, with an exceptional number

of cases having been referred to the European Court of

Justice for clarification. To have a flawless, transparent and

fair regulation is in the interest of both the airline and the

passenger. Furthermore, extraordinary circumstances such

as the volcanic ash crisis in 2010, severe weather conditions

and air traffic controllers strikes, are outside of the airlines control and should therefore limit the liability of airlines. AEAs CEO Athar Husain Khan: We need a balanced regulation that provides clarity about the rights of air passengers and does not put extra burden on airlines and also introduces shared liability among the stakeholders of the value chain. Any further delay would have detrimental financial consequences on airlines and would be certainly harmful for passengers. We therefore urge the European Council and the forthcoming Presidency of Luxembourg to continue the work on this important file that allows for clarity and protection for both airlines and passengers.

http://www.atn.aero

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