Dagens bilde

Global 6000 over Atlanteren ved Azorene FL 430 - AIN

Korona - Vanskelig for noen å akseptere at de må i karantene etter dette - Hurtigruten - NRK

Passasjerer som forsøkte å komme seg hjem med fly ble nektet ombordstigning. Sjekk saken her: https://tinyurl.com/y573glza

Hurtigruten-passasjerar i Tromsø må vente med å reise heim

Kommuneoverlegen i Tromsø seier passasjerane som reiste frå MS «Roald Amundsen» før koronasmitten om bord var kjent, også må i karantene. Dei får difor ikkje reise vidare no.

MS «Roald Amundsen» ligg til kai i Tromsø fredag. 337 personar er i karantene etter at fire tilsette testa positivt for covid-19. Passasjerane som forlét skipet før smitten blei kjent, må også i karantene, seier kommuneoverlegen i Tromsø til VG.

FOTO: ØYSTEIN ANTONSEN / NRK

T-7A Red Hawk - Serbia og Australia kan bli de første eksportkundene - The Drive

T-7A Red Hawk

Boeing's T-7A Red Hawk jet trainer, which it developed together with Swedish aviation firm Saab for the U.S. Air Force, is already generating interest on the international market. The T-7A, which could also have a future as a light combat aircraft, is now officially in the running to replace the Royal Australian Air Force's BAE Hawk jet trainers and could be an option to supplant the Serbian Air Force's G-4 Super Galeb jet trainers and J-22 Orao ground attack planes.

Boeing officially announced that it had submitted the T-7A for Australia AIR 6002 Phase 1 future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) competition on July 30, 2020, according to FlightGlobal. This was five days after Nenad Miloradovic, Serbia's Acting Assistant Minister of Defense for Material Resources, said his country was exploring the possibility of buying Red Hawks in a televised interview, which Jane's was first to report on.

A-10 - En formidabel maskin - UAS Vision

Sjekk video her: https://tinyurl.com/yynyy5gy

Foto: Fairchild

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan engine, straight wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). It is commonly referred to by the nicknames “Warthog” or “Hog”, although the A-10’s official name comes from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a World War II fighter-bomber effective at attacking ground targets.

The A-10 was designed for close air support (CAS) of friendly ground troops, attacking armored vehicles and tanks, and providing quick-action support against enemy ground forces. It entered service in 1976 and is the only production-built aircraft that has served in the USAF that was designed solely for CAS. Its secondary mission is to provide forward air controller–airborne support, by directing other aircraft in attacks on ground targets. Aircraft used primarily in this role are designated OA-10.

The A-10 was intended to improve on the performance of the A-1 Skyraider and its lesser firepower. The A-10 was designed around the 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon. Its airframe was designed for durability, with measures such as 1,200 pounds (540 kg) of titanium armor to protect the cockpit and aircraft systems, enabling it to absorb a significant amount of damage and continue flying.

Its short takeoff and landing capability permits operation from airstrips close to the front lines, and its simple design enables maintenance with minimal facilities. The A-10 served in the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), the American led intervention against Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, where the A-10 distinguished itself. The A-10 also participated in other conflicts such as in Grenada, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and against Islamic State in the Middle East.

The A-10A single-seat variant was the only version produced, though one pre-production airframe was modified into the YA-10B twin-seat prototype to test an all-weather night capable version. In 2005, a programme was started to upgrade remaining A-10A aircraft to the A-10C configuration, with modern avionics for use with precision weaponry. The U.S. Air Force had stated the F-35 would replace the A-10 as it entered service, but this remains highly contentious within the USAF and in political circles.

With a variety of upgrades and wing replacements, the A-10’s service life can be extended to 2040; the service has no planned retirement date as of June 2017.

BA pensjonerer A318 BabyBus nr. 2 - Ruten London City til JFK legges ned - Aviation24.be

British Airways retires the A318 “BabyBus” operating the London City-New York JFK route

By

André Orban

-

31 July 2020

British Airways A318 at London City Airport

Shortly after having announced the retirement of its Boeing 747 fleet, British Airways will now retire another iconic aircraft: the Airbus A318-112.
British Airways introduced the A318 in 2009 on its London City (LCY) to New York JFK route with a unique all business class service. The British Airways A318 has 8 rows, in a 2-2 configuration, with a total capacity of 32 seats. Westbound, the aircraft had to make a fuel stop at Shannon, Ireland, where passengers could also get U.S. pre-clearance.
British Airways operated two A318 aircraft (G-EUNA and G-EUNB) on the route, but in 2017 it has already retired one of them, which was sold to Titan Airways. Sad to see the second one going as well.
The LCY-JFK route, which carries the BA001 flight number, had been suspended in March, owing to the Covid-19 crisis.

Boeing skal bygge om mer enn 120 F-16 A/C til aerial targets - Boeing

QF-16 first flight - Boeing

News Release Issued: Jul 31, 2020 (9:00am EDT)
To view this release online and get more information about Boeing, visit: https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2020-07-31-Boeings-Arizona-Modification-Line-Yields-First-QF-16-Full-Scale-Aerial-Target

Boeing’s Arizona Modification Line Yields First QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target

Boeing, U.S. Air Force public-private partnership supports the warfighter’s training capability

Photos(1)
TUCSON, Ariz., July 31, 2020 – A team from Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the U.S. Air Force completed the first QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target to undergo conversion from a modification line in Arizona. The aircraft was flown last month to Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, where it will be used autonomously in future weapons training operations. 
The 309^th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) located at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson teamed with Boeing under a public-private partnership to create a second modification line to supplement ongoing QF-16 work at Boeing’s Cecil Field site in Jacksonville, Florida.
“The delivery of this first AMARG modified QF-16 aerial target drone is a testimony of the cooperative, synergistic relationship we had hoped for when we created the private-public partnership with Boeing,” said Col. Jennifer Barnard, Commander of the 309^th AMARG. “Though the installation of the drone conversion package is a relatively new venture for us, our hope is to leverage cost efficiencies and proficiencies benefiting both partners.”
Conversion of the F-16 A/C aircraft to the unmanned QF-16 configuration requires modification of the airframe and installation of major components. The QF-16 performs both autonomous maneuvers through autopilot and controlled maneuvers through ground stations.
“The partnership between Boeing and AMARG is crucial to expediting capability to the warfighters,” said Craig DeMeester, Boeing QF-16 program manager. “It’s an example of great teamwork, and completing this first jet is just the beginning as we have more deliveries planned this year and well into next year.”
Boeing began converting retired F-16s into QF-16s in 2015. More than 120 aircraft are on contract to be modified, with over 40 percent delivered to date.
For more information on Boeing Defense, Space & Security, visit www.boeing.com. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense and @BoeingSpace.

KLM sier opp 4500 - 5000 medarbeidere - Aviation24.be

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines cuts staff by up to 5,000 units to cope with coronavirus pandemic

By

Bart Noëth

 -

31 July 2020

0

140

Just one day after KLM posted an operating loss of € 768 million in first half 2020, the Dutch airline announced a further reduction of its workforce: between 4,500 and 5,000 employees will be made redundant in the course of 2021.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, KLM gradually began reducing the size of its network in February to operate less than 10% of its original number of flights by the start of April. In the second quarter, only 15% of the original number of flights were operated. In July, 30% of the original flights were operated and load factors are lagging behind. As a result, while the network is again being gradually and carefully expanded, revenues are lagging far behind.

Prospects for the airline industry – and KLM in particular – are uncertain. Different countries are now beginning to tighten their more relaxed travel restrictions. This is making customers more cautious when it comes to booking a ticket. In all scenarios, demand is only expected to recover by 2023 or 2024 at the earliest. The degree and speed of recovery will depend on a number of factors including the development of the virus, economic recovery and customer travel behaviour.

Adjusting to the new reality

Government support in the form of a direct state loan and guaranteed bank credit facilities amounting to a maximum of €3.4 billion will enable KLM to navigate the crisis in the forthcoming period. KLM is extremely grateful for this support provided by means of the loan. In order to guarantee KLM’s existence in the longer term, the airline must adapt its size to the new reality. KLM therefore finds itself compelled to reduce its workforce down to the number needed for the planned operation in 2021/2022. Of the current total of 33,000 FTEs in the entire KLM Group, the workforce must be reduced by 4,500 to 5,000 FTEs to 28,000 FTEs in the course of 2021.

KLM’s size is already becoming smaller – and will continue to be reduced – based on the current measures, which include the non-renewal of temporary contracts (1,500 FTEs) and the Voluntarily Departure Scheme (2,000 FTEs). Additionally, natural attrition (500 FTEs) through retirement and the like in 2020 and 2021 will also contribute to the reduction needed.

Hence, despite the measures already taken, even fewer people will be needed at KLM in the years ahead. Additionally, for positions on the ground, KLM also needs to deal with some mismatch in functional skills and capabilities.

Unfortunately, for this reason and taking into account the mismatch, alternative solutions will have to be found for ca. 1,500 positions. This relates to up to 500 ground positions, 300 cabin crew positions and 300 cockpit positions and approximately 400 positions at KLM subsidiaries and Air France-KLM group functions.

Given the high level of uncertainty, KLM keeps open the possibility of further reductions in case the production levels will be revised further down for 2021/2022 than the -20% planned now.

Trade unions and Works Council

KLM’s reorganisation plans tie in with organisation-wide changes at Air France KLM. In the forthcoming period, KLM will be cooperating closely with the trade unions to draft a social plan for each collective labour agreement domain and subsidiary, as well as maintaining close consultation with the Works Council about further defining the reorganisation. This will include a more detailed specification of the conditions set by the Dutch government on issuing the financing package. Expectations are that this will be finished in its entirety in the course of October.

“A great deal has already been done in recent months with respect to adjusting the size of our company in the face of a new reality. Unfortunately, more measures are needed in the short term to guarantee KLM’s continued existence in the future. For this reason, we are elaborating the reorganisation plan to emerge from this crisis in a stronger position, while retaining as many jobs as we can in a responsible manner and repaying the loans as quickly as possible.

KLM employees are loyal, professional and hard working. They are always ready to serve our customers, one another, the company and society at large. Recent developments have again served to prove that this is true. It is incredibly difficult and sad for KLM to now have to bid farewell to valuable, committed colleagues. Certainly in view of how much we have succeeded in achieving together in recent years. The forthcoming period will be devoted to saying goodbye to colleagues who have to leave with due care and to reconstructing KLM.”

KLM President-directeur & CEO Pieter Elbers

Korean Air forfalsket rapport - Curt Lewis

Korean Air flight flew to Japan with mechanical damage: BAI


Korean Air flew a damaged plane in 2018 without being aware of it until landing in Japan, and then falsely reported that the damage happened after the flight, an audit report said Friday.

According to the report issued by the Board of Audit and Inspection, the South Korean flag carrier filed a false report to the Transport Ministry after discovering that its plane leaving from Incheon to Kansai, Japan, in April of 2018 had been damaged near the cover of the its engine inlet before take-off.

The airline had changed the location and the time of when the damage occurred in its report, the BAI said.

The audit found that Kansai Airport had discovered the damage and reported it to the Incheon International Airport Corporation. IIAC then passed the information on to Korean Air but was found to have not reported the case directly to the Transport Ministry as of November last year.

In response to the BAI report, Korean Air denied having falsely reported the case, explaining it filed the incident with the Transport Ministry within 72 hours, and that they had specified Kansai airport as the point of discovering the damage, as the details of the incident were not clarified at the time.

The airline later received 400 million won in compensation from IIAC as the damage was deemed to have been caused by the airport crew.

Meanwhile, the BAI said between 2017 and 2018, nine cases of accidents and negligence, were not reported to the ministry, including entering taxiways without due notice and a collision between a plane and a boarding bridge.

Iran nedskytingen - Forhandlinger mellom Ukraina og Iran begynte i går - Curt Lewis

Ukraine Wants 'Maximum Compensation' For Downed Boeing Jet

Ukraine's foreign minister has reiterated his country will make every effort to maximize compensation for a jet that was shot down by Iran in January.

Talks between the two countries began on Thursday. However, the foreign minister has said these efforts will not be easy.

"We have long worked for these negotiations to begin and I welcome the fact that they have finally started," stated Dmytro Kuleba. "I expect the process isn't going to be easy, but we are working to achieve the goal: to deliver justice."

Iran has claimed it mistook the jet for a missile when it fired on the aircraft. Officials have also pointed out it was shot down at a time when tensions with the U.S. were high.

All 176 passengers onboard the jet were killed. Ukraine's foreign ministry confirmed more details will be reported on Friday.

Lukt- gasser eller røyk i kabinen eller i cockpit er et stort problem - Curt Lewis

British Airways pilot was overcome by 'sweaty socks' fumes in Airbus A320 cockpit and had to make emergency landing at Heathrow, report reveals

• The stench forced pilot to release oxygen masks and make emergency landing
• None of passengers or cabin crew on the British Airways flight were affected
• Co-pilot complained of sore eyes and throat, nausea and vomited out window
• BA reported 536 smell, smoke or fumes events to Civil Aviation Authority in 2019
• In last five years there were 3,166 reports of smell, smoke or fumes on planes

A British Airways pilot was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow after he was overcome by fumes described as smelling like 'sweaty socks' and 'manure'.

The Airbus A320 from Zurich had to make the emergency landing from 4,000ft when the stench made its way into the cockpit on September 23, last year.

The pilots put down the oxygen masks after feeling unwell, especially the co-pilot who had sore eyes and throat, nausea and vomited out of the window upon landing.

• The British Airways pilot made the emergency landing at Heathrow airport after he and his co-pilot began to feel unwell in September last year 

None of the 145 passengers or cabin crew reported feeling ill but, once they had safely landed, the pilot and co-pilot were taken to hospital and released the same day, reports The Times.

In the Air Accidents Investigation Branch's (AAIB) report, released yesterday, it says the operator and the AAIB carried out an investigation but could not identify the source of the fumes.

The report detailed five other similar incidents which occurred with the same operator on the same aircraft type.

• In 2019, British Airways reported 398 smell, smoke and fumes events on the the Airbus A320 series aircraft 

Some common factors between each of the incidents included taking place on short-haul European inter-city flights and often in damp humid environments.

A startling 3,166 reports of smell, smoke or fumes were reported to the AAIB in the last five years.

Not the first time: Shocking number of 'fume events' reported

The AAIB's report into British Airways's emergency landing at Heathrow revealed the shocking number of similar incidents which have been reported.

• In 2019, British Airways reported 536 smell, smoke or fumes events to the Civil Aviation Authority
• Of these, 398 involved the Airbus A320 series aircraft
• 37 fume events from various commercial operators and aircraft types reported to AAIB in the past 12 months
• As many as 107 fume events reported from various commercial operators and aircraft types in the last five years
• 3,166 reports of smell, smoke or fumes reported to the CAA in the last five years
• 674 of these reports were submitted in the last 12 months

Of those recorded, a variety of causes were noted including an engine oil seal failure and another which chalked the cause of the smell down to a burnt pastry in a galley oven.

The AAIB said despite numerous reports of similar incidents occurring 'sporadically' in recent years, to date all investigations have been unable to determine a cause in all but a few events.

The government body said all the investigations had not identified a source of 'great concern'.

The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU)14 carried out a safety study which focussed on the potential health impairments of such events and, despite the wealth of data and evidence available, a common physical cause of these events could not be identified.

The operator and aircraft manufacturer of the Zurich flight said they have taken action to try to reduce the number of events by introducing developed maintenance procedures to identify the source of fumes, changes to flight crew operating procedures and potential modifications to enhance cabin air recirculation.

A BA spokesman told the The Times: 'We would never operate an aircraft if we believed it posed any health or safety risk to our customers or crew.

'Research commissioned by the European Aviation Safety Agency in 2017 concluded that the air quality on board aircraft was similar or better than in other indoor environments.'

In January this year, similar to the incident in September last year, a BA captain sent a Mayday alert and wore an oxygen mask as he was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow after his co-pilot was overcome by suspected fumes while at the controls.

The evening flight from Athens was four nautical miles from London when the first officer, who was flying the A320 jet, fell ill.

As he could no longer function properly, the captain was forced to take over the four hour flight on January 2 and raise the alarm in the final stages of the flight. 

Agricultural - Air Tractor i brannslukkingsrollen nok en gang - Nå i en midair - Curt Lewis

Pussig, men det erbare et par dager siden jeg rapporterte en slik maskin, men den traff terrenget/sjøen. (Red.)

Air Tractor AT-802A - Mid-Air Collision (Nevada)

Date:	30-JUL-2020
Time:
Type:	Air Tractor AT-802A
Owner/operator:
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	1
Aircraft damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Category:	Accident
Location:	Caliente, NV -    United States of America
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Fire fighting
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Investigating agency:	NTSB

Narrative:
The aircraft experienced an apparent mid-air collision during a fire fighting operation in Caliente, Nevada. Both airplanes were destroyed and the sole pilot on each aircraft was fatally injured.

GA ulykke i USA - Curt Lewis

Cessna 337 Skymaster - Fatal Accident (Montana)

Date:	30-JUL-2020
Time:	c. 11:00
Type:	Cessna 337 Skymaster
Owner/operator:
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Unknown
Location:	Madison Mountain Range, Madison County, MT -    United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Unknown
Departure airport:	Helena, MT
Destination airport:	Jackson, WY

Narrative:
The aircraft with three occupants onboard is presumed to have impacted mountainous terrain in the Madison Range of Montana. Airplane damage not reported, one reported fatality, and two occupants with unspecified injuries.

ATC - Alvorlig luftfartsuhell - Charles de Gaulle - Curt Lewis

Incident: United B78X at Paris on Jul 20th 2020, cleared to land on wrong runway, ATC error saved by Easyjet

A United Boeing 787-10, registration N16009 performing flight UA-57 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was on final approach to Paris' runway 09L when tower cleared the aircraft to land on runway 09R. The crew read back the clearance and performed a swing over to runway 09R. An Easyjet Europe Airbus A320-200, registration OE-IJF performing flight U2-3955 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Malaga,SP (Spain), had been cleared to line up runway 09R and wait, recognized the developing situation and reported the conflict on radio. The B78X initiated a go around from about 260 feet AGL (500 feet transponder altitude corrected to QNH 1018 and 367 feet ground elevation) resolving the conflict. The United B78X landed safely about 20 minutes later, the Easyjet A320 departed about 5 minutes later. The French BEA rated the occurrence a serious incident (landing clearance on an occupied runway) and opened an investigation.

GA havari på Tisleifjorden i april - SH

Statens havarikommisjon har avgitt rapport:
Rapport om luftfartsulykke på Tisleifjorden i Gol 24. april 2020 med Cessna 172S, LN-KAB
Den 24. april 2020 landet LN-KAB på den islagte innsjøen. Under utrulling kom flyet inn i et område der det var et sjikt med smeltet vann mellom to islag. Flyet bråstoppet da nesehjulet skar gjennom det øvre islaget. Fartøysjefen som var alene ombord, kom uskadet fra hendelsen, men flyet ble påført betydelige strukturskader. Det er fartøysjefens ansvar å forsikre seg om at krav til landingsplass er tilfredsstilt. Havarikommisjonen mener at fartøysjefens forberedelser før flygingen ikke var tilstrekkelig for å fastslå at det var tilrådelig å lande på den islagte innsjøen.

Les hele rapporten

Det har havarert fly på Tisleifjorden tidligere, men det var for 70 år siden da en Cornell havarerte der.(Red.)

Korona - Helsetiltak under sterkt press fra alle kanter - Check-In

London Heathrow Airport. (Foto: Heathrow Airport Limited | PR)

Heathrow-chef efter milliardtab: “Stop karantæne-rouletten”

 Af: Søren Hedegaard Nielsen i Økonomi 30. juli 2020  Print

London Heathrow har tabt ni milliarder kroner i årets første seks måneder. Det gigantiske tab får lufthavnens direktør til at lange ud efter den britiske regerings coronastrategi.

Normalt er lufthavnen i Heathrow lige vest for London Europas travleste lufthavn med godt 80 millioner passagerer årligt. Lige nu er lufthavnen om ikke mennesketom så i hvert fald blot en skygge af sig selv.

Passagertallet er faldet med 96 procent i seneste kvartal – der hvor rejserestriktionerne som følge af coronavirussen var skrappest. Som følge af den voldsomme nedgang blev lufthavnens omsætning halveret. Nu har Heathrow så offentliggjort sit halvårsregnskab, og det viser et underskud før skat på 1,1 milliarder britiske pund, hvilket svarer til rundt regnet ni milliarder danske kroner.

Taler med store bogstaver
Og det underskud har fået lufthavnens øverste direktør, John Holland-Kaye, til at tale med ualmindeligt store bogstaver. Ikke mindst for en brite.

John Holland-Kaye, CEO, London Heathrow Airport (foto: Ferrovial)

”Vores resultater bør fungere som et opråb for regeringen. Vi har brug for et passagertestsystem og det skal gå hurtigt. Uden det spiller Storbritannien bare karantæne-roulette. Og som mange af vores passagerer har oplevet, er det vanskeligt at planlægge en ferie på den måde, endsige drive en forretning,” siger lufthavnens koncernchef, John Holland-Kaye, i en kommentar til regnskabet.

Afhængig af luftfarten
I regnskabsmeddelelsen slår Heathrow endvidere fast, at Storbritanniens økonomiske genopretning er afhængig af en genstart af luftfarten.

”Regeringens risikobaserede tilgang til at tillade karantænefri flyvninger fra lande med lav og mellemrisiko er meget velkomne, men dækker kun 30 procent af Heathrows markeder. Etablering af et alternativ til karantæne for COVID-fri passagerer fra andre lande bør være en prioritet for regeringen. Tests før afgang for passagerer fra lande med høj risiko vil gøre det muligt at genoptage long haul-flyvninger, hvilket er kritisk for Storbritanniens økonomiske genopretning,” skriver lufthavnen i kommentaren til regnskabet.

Utilfreds med BorisHeathrow har længe været utilfreds med Boris Johnson-regeringens tilgang til bekæmpelse af COVID-19-pandemien. Senest var lufthavnen kritisk over for regeringens beslutning i weekenden om at pålægge alle rejsende fra Spanien at gå i 14 dages selv-isolation efter hjemkomsten.

”Testning giver os en mulighed for trygt at åbne for rejser til og handel med nogle af Storbritanniens største markeder, der i øjeblikket er lukkede. Vores europæiske konkurrenter ræser foran med test af passagerer. Hvis Storbritannien ikke snart handler, bliver vi reduceret til blot at være et kampagneslogan,” siger John Holland-Kaye.

Kan klare sig i et år uden omsætningI regnskabsmeddelelsen slår lufthavnen fast, at man regner med, at passagertrafikken langsomt vil rette sig, men man forventer, at passagertallet for helåret vil ligge cirka 60 procent lavere end i fjor.

Heathrow, der er ejet af et konsortium med den spanske byggegigant Ferrovial i spidsen, får dog også tilføjet, at lufthavnens økonomi er sund, og at man har kapitalreserver nok til at klare sig mindst frem til juni næste år uden reel omsætning.

Korona og Air France-KLM - ABC Nyheter

Luftfartskonsernet Air France-KLM fikk et underskudd etter skatt på 2,6 milliarder euro i andre kvartal. KLM varsler kutt av opptil 5.000 stillinger.

NTB

31. juli 2020 08:37 – Oppdatert 31. juli 2020 08:38

Kvartalet var preget av at store deler av flyflåten sto på bakken, mens det var få passasjerer på mange av de flyene som faktisk gikk. Ifølge den fransk-nederlandske gruppen var det 95 prosent færre passasjerer i den aktuelle perioden.

Konsernet sier det gradvis øker kapasiteten i sommermånedene og sier etterspørselen etter fritidsreiser langsomt har tatt seg opp i juni og juli. Det er likevel begrensede utsikter til bedring, sier selskapet, som varsler betydelige driftsunderskudd i andre halvår.

Samtidig som underskuddet – som tilsvarer nærmere 27 milliarder kroner – ble offentliggjort, varsler KLM at opptil 5.000 arbeidsplasser kan bli kuttet de neste årene, som følge av «en krise uten historisk sidestykke».

Gruppen sier at hjelp fra den franske og den nederlandske staten har bidratt til likviditet og kreditter verdt 14,2 milliarder euro. Frankrike har varslet en krisepakke på 7 milliarder i lån og kreditter. Nederland stiller med 3,4 milliarder.

Korona - United kan si opp hver 3. flyger i september - AVweb

United Airlines Warns It May Furlough Up To 33% Of Pilots

Ben Goldstein July 30, 2020

Credit: Rob FinlaysonA senior United Airlines executive said up to a third of the company’s pilots may be furloughed this fall, as carriers increasingly warn of the need to cut labor costs following the expiration of federal payroll support on Sept. 30.

While Chicago-based United formally notified 2,250 pilots of possible furloughs earlier on June 7, management has since increased that estimate to 3,900, citing the devastating impact on demand of surging COVID-19 cases across the U.S. in July.

“Because COVID-19 cases continue, and demand improvement remains very slow, we may need to furlough more pilots in 2020, and in 2021, than originally planned,” United SVP-flight operations Bryan Quigley told pilots in a July 30 memo.

Duxford lever

Dux Flying Legends 2019 - Fotos: Per Gram Husk at Dux er mye mer enn flyshow, det er også to flotte museer. SHOWCASE DAYS ARE BACK!

4 & 19 August  Our exciting flying days return this August! Watch as iconic aircraft including Spitfires, Mustangs and Hurricanes take to the skies for two hours of flying display and commentary. With flying in the afternoon our showcase displays are perfectly timed to also fit in a morning of exploring the museum and exhibitions. No. 19 Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson piloted Spitfire N3200 on its first and only operation as he led his squadron on a patrol to cover the evacuation of Allied forces.   After shooting down a dive-bomber, Stephenson was himself shot down. He crash-landed on a beach at Sangatte, near Calais, and was captured. Stephenson remained a prisoner for the rest of the war, including a period spent at Colditz Castle, while his Spitfire was left to sink under the sand.   Stephenson continued his RAF career after the war but was killed in 1954 while test-flying in America. His Spitfire was recovered from the French sands in 1986 after strong currents revealed it, more than 45 years after it sank. The wreckage was excavated during the spring of that year and, though largely intact, very few parts could be salvaged.   Following the recovery of the aircraft’s remains, Spitfire N3200 was acquired in 2000 by Dr Thomas Kaplan and Simon Marsh. Dedicated to the restoration of this historic aircraft, they commissioned Historic Flying Limited to undertake the intensive work required to return the Spitfire to its former glory. See Spitfire Mk.Ia N3200, alongside a range of classic aircraft flying at one of our Showcase Days this August. Click here to find out more.

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Helikoptermarkedet elendig - Unntatt er offshore olje- og gass - AIN

HeliValue$: 'The Worst Helicopter Market in 40 Years'

by Mark Huber

 - July 27, 2020, 6:14 PM

Lessor Milestone Aviation has recently increased its already-large fleet of Sikorsky S-92 helicopters. [Photo: Milestone Aviation]

“It’s the worst helicopter market in 40 years.” That’s the blunt appraisal of Jason Kmiecik, president of aircraft pricing specialist HeliValue$, who told AIN that second-quarter 2020 transactions were down “drastically” from the first quarter. The leader of the rotorcraft appraisal and consulting firm blamed the plunge on a terrible trifecta of industry troubles, including Covid-19 pandemic proliferation, collapsing oil prices, and evaporating operator credit. “There’s just a lot of bad things going on. It’s a bad time for everybody,” he said.

Nevertheless, Kmiecik said there are some bright spots in a market that is otherwise a miasma of disappointment. Offshore operators could soon be saddled with fewer parked helicopters due to a series of new tenders floated by energy companies, a move that would benefit the values of large helicopters such as the Sikorsky S-92 and Airbus EC225.

Kmiecik said that helicopter lessor Milestone, with an eye toward future market recovery, already had taken advantage of depressed large helicopter prices to snap up several S-92s. GECAS unit Milestone already owns the world’s largest S-92 fleet.

Last month, Brazil’s Petrobras oil conglomerate launched four tenders in support of its exploration in the Campos and Santos basins. Previous new tenders this year have come from diverse locations such as Angola, Nigeria, Norway, and the UK North Sea. Additionally, more of Europe is turning to private helicopter companies to provide search and rescue services, with tenders pending in Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the UK for contracts that will begin as early as next year. The UK is looking to address closer to shore needs with its UKSAR2G program.  

Older generation intermediate twins such as the Bell 412 and Airbus EC155 and AS365 models are still seeing their values crushed as the Leonardo AW139 continues to be the aircraft of choice in that market, Kmiecik said. However, even the values of AW139s have not been unscathed by this market, he added. 

On the other hand, smaller helicopters, such as the Airbus EC135 and EC145 twins are holding their values well. Buyers are paying premiums in the face of increasing demand for used models of the type from air ambulance operators, who are responding to the increasing need for transport from rural areas with larger and more capable aircraft. The ubiquitous Airbus single, the AS350/H125 also is holding its value, Kmiecik said, but the original incarnation of its larger sibling, the EC130B4, is not as it is facing aging aircraft issues. Values for MD Helicopters series 500 singles are relatively strong in the face of short supply, as production of civil variants has all but evaporated as a consequence of that company’s ongoing success with foreign military sales. 

Nevertheless, from the perspective of HeliValue$, it firmly remains “a buyer’s market,” with purchasers in many instances offering depressed prices as they grapple with large unknowns.  “Buyers are being very cautious because of the uncertainty of what could happen three years from now,” Kmiecik said. 

Quiet Supersonic - NASA X-Plane med kameraer istedet for vindu fremover - Curt Lewis

NASA X-Plane Provides New Vision

In addition to testing sound signatures of new supersonic airplanes, NASA's X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) experimental demonstrator is breaking ground in another area: flight without a forward-facing window.

The NASA/Lockheed Martin X-plane will come with an eXternal Vision System (XVS) in lieu of a forward-facing window. The technology already has been tested in NASA's Beechcraft King Air UC-12B in preparation for the X-59's first flight in 2021.

XVS uses real-time imagery from two externally mounted cameras that are overlayed with terrain data on a 4K monitor in front of the pilot, NASA said. That monitor will serve as "the central window," the agency noted, adding it enables pilots to safely "see" traffic in the flight path and provides other visual aids for approach, landing, and takeoff.

"Our goal is to create an electronic means of vision for the X-59 pilot that provides performance and safety levels equivalent to or better than forward-facing windows," said Randy Bailey, XVS subsystem lead.

However, the aircraft does include a traditional canopy and two portal windows so the pilot may see the horizon.

But NASA said XVS is one of the technologies to ensure the X-59 shape reduces the sonic boom and "may represent the future architecture of supersonic commercial passenger and cargo aircraft." The technology allows for the slender, contoured aircraft nose design, which then enters supersonic airflow more gently and results in smaller shockwaves, NASA said.

XVS hardware was installed in the King Air cabin, enabling a comparison of sight through forward-facing windows and the monitor. Conducted in Hampton, Virginia, tests measured the pilot's ability to detect traffic, even in more challenging offset nose-to-nose trajectories.

"I've continued to get more and more comfortable with the XVS through flight tests and our [X-59] flight simulators," Nils Larson, NASA X-59 test pilot, said after the tests that occurred more than a year ago.