Aviation News

Airlines around the world now charge passengers more if they want to enjoy the extra space offered in the emergency exit row on planes, but one carrier has run afoul of air safety regulators because of the practice.

London’s Telegraph reports that European budget carrier Ryanair is under investigation by the Irish Aviation Authority for taking off with the emergency exit seats empty, after passengers refused to pay the £10 ($A15) charge to sit in the seats.

Passengers sitting in the exit row are required familiarise themselves with the evacuation procedures and to offer assistance in case of emergency and if they refuse to agree to this, can be moved to a different seat.

Ryanair has reportedly taken off many times with the exit rows empty and has instead instructed passengers other seats, further from the exits, on evacuation procedures. The practice has caused concern among the British Airline Pilots Association and Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said it did not believe the practice was a problem and that the airline complied with “all mandatory safety directives”.

The investigation is the latest controversy for the airline, which has forged a reputation for trailblazing extra fees and charges for passengers, including a charge of up to $A105 to check a bag, as well as running afoul of advertising regulators over raunchy ads.

Qantas, Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines are among the carriers operating in Australia that charge extra for the exit row.

Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority does not have specific regulations to determine who is allowed to sit in a exit row seat, but offers advice to airlines on the criteria they should use. This includes being able-bodied; a minimum of 15 years old; can understand and converse in English; are not travelling with an infant; are not travelling with someone who requires their assistance in an emergency and are willing to provide assistance to cabin crew and other passengers in the event of an emergency.

Airbus A380

Airbus expects to have a permanent solution for tiny cracks in the wings of its A380 superjumbo jets by the end of the year and repairs completed by the end of 2013, a spokesman says.

The company is currently carrying out temporary repairs to the micro cracks found in the wings of some 17 of the aircraft last year.

At the same time the company is looking to come up with a permanent solution to the problem, which has been traced to a small number of faulty brackets among the thousands that hold the wing’s skin to the structure.

“The solution will be ready in the fourth quarter of this year, repairs will be staggered from the end of 2012 through 2013,” the Airbus spokesman said on Monday.

A new manufacturing process is being tested and certified by engineers, and then repair kits will be produced and should be available for airlines as soon as in October.

Airbus has insisted that the cracks do not pose a safety risk, and envisages that the repairs can be made in 2013 when the aircraft undergo regular servicing.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has nonetheless ordered all A380s be inspected.

In November 2010 a Qantas flight out of Singapore lost an engine to an explosion. The jet landed safely despite damage, but the blast prompted the airline to briefly ground all its A380s.

Airbus has provisioned 105 million euros ($131 million) on its 2011 books to cover the cost of repairing the wing cracks.

The double-decker plane capable of carrying up to 800 passengers entered service in 2007 after years of technical delays. There are now 70 in service around the world.

Airbus said last month it still planned to increase production of the A380 despite the wing crack issue.

Kingfisher

Ailing Kingfisher Airlines on Monday faced the prospects of its flying licence being cancelled and its boss Vijay Mallya had been asked by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to present a clear picture of the cash-strapped private carrier.

The DGCA mulled cancellation of Kingfisher’s flying permit after the airline on Monday submitted to it the summer flight schedule with 15 to 16 aircraft as against 28 planes submitted last month.

“The airline not only lacks aircraft, they also lack funds for day-to-day operations. They are failing to meet their flight schedule, causing inconvenience to passengers and also they failed to give salaries to their employees for the past four-five months,” official sources said.

Sources said Kingfisher might be planning a quite shutdown and Mr. Mallya being an ‘accountable’ person has been asked to meet the DGCA to present a clear picture.

The whole picture was likely to become clear in few days, the officials said.

The beleaguered airline was served a showcause notice by the DGCA towards the end of February asking why its licence should not be suspended as it had made unannounced cancellations.

The 15-day mandatory notice period has already lapsed and they have failed to give a valid reason for curtailment of their flight schedule, most of their explanations are unsatisfactory and they have not given a definite recovery plan, officials said requesting anonymity, adding the airline was now operating only 15 or 16 aircraft.

Facing severe fund crunch, the airline has decided to curtail its overseas flights operations to avoid further losses and also return of a leased aircraft.

According to sources, the airline has planned to suspend its overseas operations from March 25, except Delhi-London, which it is withdrawing from April 9. Also the airline would return its wide body airbus A330-200 aircraft to a lessor in the United Kingdom.

Struggling to stay afloat, around 60 accounts of Kingfisher Airlines have been frozen by the tax authorities for its failure to pay taxes after levying it from the passengers.

Angry over not being paid for four months, airline pilots reported sick, forcing the airline to curtail its scheduled flights.

Mr. Mallya at a meeting with the pilots last Friday said their grievances would be looked into but did not set a timeframe.

He had also said the airline would come out with a crystal clear roadmap for its future in a few days.

Kingfisher has a total debt of about Rs.7,057 crore and accumulated losses of about Rs.6,000 crore.

Earlier this month, global airlines body IATA suspended Kingfisher for not clearing its dues. This was the second time in just over a month that the airline was suspended on the same count from the IATA Clearing House (ICH) through which airlines and related firms settle accounts for services provided by them to other such companies.

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Qantas Airways

QANTAS is under pressure to continue performing 90 per cent of its heavy aircraft maintenance in Australia, amid fears the company will send work offshore.

An alliance of three unions will today call for the airline to save jobs and keep its first-class safety record by servicing its aircraft here.

The Australian Workers Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Electrical Trades Union will also urge State and Federal Governments to step in to protect jobs, as the manufacturing industry continues to decline.

It comes as Qantas reviews its heavy maintenance operations, with the 400-strong workforce at its Tullamarine operations likely to be a casualty as the airline cuts costs.

The unions will today release a blueprint detailing how Australia could become a maintenance hub not just for Qantas, but other major world airlines.

AMWU national assistant secretary Glenn Thompson said Qantas needed to continue to maintain its aircraft in Australia, securing the future of 6000 engineering workers.

“Qantas’ safety record comes down to its highly qualified and highly skilled workers,” he said.

The unions want Qantas’ new Dreamliner 787, Boeing 737s and A380s, which will be delivered over the next decade, to be serviced in Australia.

Qantas is reviewing its Avalon, Tullamarine and Brisbane heavy maintenance facilities, with one or two bases to be cut.

The airline will make its decision by April 16.

Federal Employment Minister Bill Shorten said that Australians expected an Australian airline to keep jobs here in Australia.

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