Aircraft News - Europe

AirGuide Business, April 7, 2008

Apr 7, 2008

Senior FAA officials will testify about the agency's role. They will also address allegations the FAA has become cozy with airlines and assertions the system that allows carriers to self-report maintenance problems is open to abuse. Southwest and FAA personnel involved in the matter in Dallas, where the airline in based, have been removed from their jobs. Sturgell said a sweeping FAA safety review of airline compliance with inspection orders, that began after the Southwest incident, found a handful of discrepancies that required further investigation. He would not describe the problems or identify the four airlines still being probed. Apr 2, 2008

Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) inspectors have begun work at the scene after a Cessna Citation 500 twin-engine jet crashed March 30 into a house in the UK residential area of Romsey Close, in Farnborough, Kent. The aircraft went down shortly after take-off from Biggin Hill airport - about 2.5mi (4km) to the north - and all three passengers and two crew were killed. Nobody on the ground was reported injured. Another pilot taking off from Biggin Hill heard the Cessna crew radio to the tower that they were [sup.3]going down[sup.2] and described how he then saw the aircraft [sup.3]drop out of the sky.[sup.2] A woman resident in the area said she saw [sup.3]two balls of black smoke - you could smell the fuel, and the ambulances were on site quite quickly.[sup.2] Chief Superintendent Charles Griggs, Borough Commander of Bromley, told press in Farnborough this morning that the next of kin of four of the deceased had been informed and Family Liaison Officers appointed. An AAIB spokeswoman said: [sup.3]Our inspectors are on the scene and investigating all aspects of the accident. It is not possible to speculate on the cause at this stage. A Cessna spokesman said: [sup.3]It is a matter for the AAIB at this stage - we are fielding a team of engineers to support them in their work. Biggin Hill[sup.1]s statement read: Thousands of flights are in the air over Europe and in and out of London everyday and 7% of them are business aviation flights which have an excellent safety record, on a par with scheduled airline services. Recovery services will be at the site for several days, and residents of Romsey Close are staying with friends, family or in local hotels as it could be some time before they can return to their homes. Mar 31, 2008

AerCap Holdings, British Airways, Boeing

AerCap Holdings subsidiary AeroTurbine reached a 10-year deal with British Airways for the purchase, sale and lease of components including wheels and brakes for Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777 and 747-400 aircraft. Contract calls for a 6-10-year leaseback in line with British Air's fleet renewal plans as well as strategic worldwide wheel and brake positioning to support daily flight operations and maintenance. Apr 3, 2008

Airbus

Awarding a $35 billion Air Force refueling tanker contract to the parent of Airbus carries risks that will ripple far beyond the economic effect of sending tax dollars and jobs overseas; it also compromises national security, and gives away U.S. technology and capability, a gathering of aerospace suppliers told Sen. Patty Murray on Tuesday. Murray, D-Wash., said she would consider pursuing legislation aimed at changing procurement laws to keep production of military equipment within the U.S., and she asked for help in making her case to Congress. Her colleagues, she said, see the issue mainly in economic terms. Mar 31, 2008

Airbus, EADS

Airbus' parent company vowed to defend top executives against charges of insider trading and violating market disclosure rules as French regulators readied charges and broadened their investigation.CEO Louis Gallois said his [sup.3]confidence in EADS managers is total,[sup.2] according to a letter sent to staff members at European Aeronautic Defence & Space NV on Tuesday, and obtained by The Associated Press.[sup.3]To my knowledge there is no fact that casts doubt on their probity and the confidence they have in the future of the company,[sup.2] he said.Regulators are trying to determine whether EADS executives and its main corporate shareholders - Lagardere Groupe and Daimler AG - sold shares when they found out that Airbus' massive jetliner, the A380, was running into construction delays. Apr 1, 2008

Airbus, EADS

European aerospace firm Airbus parent EADS is facing charges of insider trading and misleading investors, according to media reports. The charges, filed by French regulators, are related to cost overruns and aircraft delays at Airbus, its commercial airline unit. EADS said it will "demonstrate that it has applied standards of excellence when communicating to the market, and has acted with full transparency." Apr 1, 2008

BAE Systems

BAE Systems, UK aerospace giant, is to let go of almost 600 jobs at two of its military factories, unions have been told. Officials expressed shock at the scale of the cuts at the sites in Brough, near Hull and Woodford, near Manchester. Unite said it would resist compulsory redundancies among the 450 job losses at Brough, home of the Hawk aircraft, and 134 job cuts at Woodford, the home of Nimrod. National officer Bernie Hamilton said: "Only a few days ago the Red Arrows had the Hawks on display to celebrate the RAF's 90th anniversary. Sadly, the future for the skilled workers that built these state of the art jets is now uncertain. Apr 3, 2008