Travel Safety Update - Europe

Airguide Online, Dec 15, 2008

Dec 14, 2008

European Commission yesterday announced the signing of the SESAR Joint Undertaking by 15 companies pledged to contribute to development of Europe's next-generation satellite-based ATC system. "This is one of the most complex research and development programs ever launched by the European Community," VP and Commissioner for Transport Antonio Tajani said. The signatories agreed to work with the EC to coordinate "all relevant research and development efforts" pertaining to SESAR, according to an EC statement. Participating companies are Airbus, Alenia Aeronautica, national ATC providers (DSNA in France, DFS in Germany, ENAV in Italy, NORACON in Austria, AENA in Spain and NATS in the UK), Thales, Frequentis, Indra, SELEX Sistemi Integrati, Honeywell, Natmig and SEAC (a consortium expected to comprise six large European airports). Dec 10, 2008

The Single European Sky (SES) project received support from a European parliamentary committee yesterday (December 9). The European Parliament's Transport and Tourism committee (TRAN) voted in favour of SES package II, a "vital piece of legislation" affecting European Air Traffic Management (ATM). The International Air Carrier Association (IACA), representing 34 airlines, said the vote "sets a good precedent" for EU Member States to follow. Sylviane Lust, IACA director general, said: "Yesterday's vote is good news for airlines, passengers and the environment. www.iaca.be www.eurocontrol.int/ses Dec 9, 2008

Airbus, Etihad Airways

Airbus has tightened its procedures after the testing accident in November last year which destroyed a brand-new A340-600 days before delivery to Etihad Airways. In the wake of the accident, in which the aircraft collided with an enclosure wall during engine runs, the jetmaker has revised test requirements in its customer acceptance manual. The revision insists on installation of chocks before the wheels of the main landing-gear, as well as center main-gear assemblies if applicable, and sets specific personnel requirements for tests. Dec 13, 2008

Eurocontrol

Eurocontrol said the number of flights in Europe in November fell 7% from the year-ago month and noted that "a decline of this magnitude has not been seen since the months immediately following 9/11." Even low-cost carriers, which for years have been the biggest driver of European growth, operated fewer flights--the first decrease for the segment in 15 years. Conversely, Eastern Europe, particularly Turkey, continued to see growth. Boosted by high oil prices, Russia also has been a significant contributor of new flights on the European network. "In the current economic circumstances, there remains a strong possibility that the traffic situation could weaken further and it could be 2010 before we see much growth again," Manager-Forecasting and Statistics David Marsh said. IATA predicted this week that the industry will not recover from the current downturn before 2010. Dec 11, 2008

MyTravel Airways, Airbus

Inquiries into a serious hard-landing accident by a MyTravel Airways Airbus A320 in Greece have revealed that instructors had repeatedly expressed concerns over a trainee co-pilot's landing techniques in the weeks before. In the wake of last year's incident at Kos, the operator - now Thomas Cook Airlines - introduced additional specific simulator training, focusing on landing techniques, and a tighter review process for assessing students' progress. It also requires training captains to undertake specific landing handling training before instructing relatively-inexperienced student pilots. Dec 12, 2008

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