The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that all 224 of its member airlines, comprising 93 per cent of all scheduled international air traffic, are listed on the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry.  “Today is a momentous day for aviation safety–our number one priority,†said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's Director General and CEO. “IATA membership is now synonymous with best practice in airline safety. This is a great achievement … [Read more...] about 100% of IATA carriers meet IOSA safety audit
Courier & Mail
MD-11 crash raises history of problems
The FedEx MD-11 aircraft that slammed into the runway and burst into flames Monday morning while landing at Tokyo's Narita International Airport during windy conditions has raised the issue of the aircraft's overly sensitive flight-control systems and reputation for being difficult to control during rough landings. Airline-related blogs have been full of discussions of the hard-landing that ultimately culminated in the total loss of the aircraft and death of both pilots. Shocking video footage … [Read more...] about MD-11 crash raises history of problems
IATA ups ’09 forecast with $4.7B industry loss
Estimated losses for the global air industry are expected to nearly double from December's forecast for 2009 as air carriers grapple with the worst crisis in over 60 years, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) saying a significant recovery in 2010 would "require more optimism than realism". The IATA has announced a revised outlook for the global air transport industry with losses of US$4.7 billion in 2009, significantly worse than its December forecast of US$2.5 billion in … [Read more...] about IATA ups ’09 forecast with $4.7B industry loss
IATA ups '09 forecast with $4.7B industry loss
Estimated losses for the global air industry are expected to nearly double from December's forecast for 2009 as air carriers grapple with the worst crisis in over 60 years, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) saying a significant recovery in 2010 would "require more optimism than realism". The IATA has announced a revised outlook for the global air transport industry with losses of US$4.7 billion in 2009, significantly worse than its December forecast of US$2.5 billion in … [Read more...] about IATA ups '09 forecast with $4.7B industry loss
Narita airport reopens main runway
Tokyo's Narita international airport reopened its main runway Tuesday, freeing up desperately needed capacity at Japan's busiest international airport a day after a FedEx cargo plane crashed in a ball of fire, killing two US pilots. Workers overnight cleared the charred wreckage of the MD-11 from the crash site near the 4,000-metre Runway A, which usually handles more than 350 flights a day. The runway, the longer of two at Narita International Airport was reopened shortly after 9 am (0010 GMT) … [Read more...] about Narita airport reopens main runway
US forwarders say screening hurdles remain
Testifying recently before a US congressional subcommittee, the executive director of the US Airforwarders Association (AFA), Brandon Fried, acknowledged progress had been made on screening cargo in the belly holds of passenger aircraft, but warned three primary challenges still faced the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) aim of 100 per cent screening by the August 2010 deadline. "Serious issues have yet to be resolved, including the lack of approved pallet screening technology, … [Read more...] about US forwarders say screening hurdles remain