Flight Safety Information August 21, 2012 - No. 169 In This Issue Pilots forced to make emergency landings because of fuel shortages Qantas grounds 2 pilots who reportedly quarreled in cockpit of jumbo jet at Dallas airport United flight to Boston safely returns to Houston after engine trouble JetBlue fined for not telling passengers they could get off delayed flight PRISM Certification Support World Route Development Forum being held in Abu Dhabi China's jet biofuels: ready for take off? Forecasting African Aviation: Building Fleets and Improving Safety Pilots forced to make emergency landings because of fuel shortages Pilots have had to make 28 emergency landings because they were running low on fuel according to figures compiled by the Civil Aviation Authority. Last month Ryanair was forced to seek an emergency landing for three of its aircraft in Spain The incidents led to the aircraft being given landing priority by airports over other flights were often triggered by planes facing difficulties after having been diverted because of bad weather. A number of airlines have been involved including Virgin Atlantic when two jumbo-jets sought priority landing at Stansted in January and last month Ryanair was forced to seek an emergency landing for three of its aircraft in Spain. Although the total represents of fuel-related emergency landings is a reduction on 2008- 10, when there were 41 such incidents, some pilots have warned the airlines are operating on very narrow margins as they seek to cut operating costs. Legally pilots entering British airspace must not only carry enough fuel to complete their journey, but also a reserve which would allow them to reach an alternative airport with enough in hand to allow for 30 minutes circling before being permitted to land. On top of that there must be a contingency reserve supply to cope with headwinds which can lead to more fuel being consumed. Once they have less than 30 minutes flying time left, pilots have to seek an emergency landing. There are two classifications of emergency landing. A "PAN" - standing for Procedure for Air Navigation Service - is a request for priority over other aircraft. More serious is a Mayday, where fire and rescue will have to be put on alert. In January two Virgin Atlantic flights, which had been diverted to Stansted because of bad weather, sought a PAN priority landing. According to CAA records this was because of a "fuel shortage". A Virgin spokesman said: Following standard procedures a PAN alert was issued to give priority landing. Our fuel management procedures are approved by the CAA and comply with all industry regulations. "We plan our fuel loading on a number of factors, we carry more than regulatory minimums and load extra fuel for anticipated factors such as weather." On landing both aircraft, whose pilots had believed they were about to start using their reserve supplies, were found to have over the legal minimum fuel requirement in their tanks. The Virgin planes were among 18 diverted to Stansted because of the weather, one other short haul operator also declared a Mayday because of a fuel shortage. Ryanair, had to declare a fuel emergency in Spain last month, after three flights were left in a holding pattern for up to 70 minutes after being diverted from Madrid to Valencia during heavy storms. One retired pilot told the Exaro website that he and his colleagues were under pressure from airlines because of the industry's need to keep costs down. "There is pressure on pilots by airlines to carry minimum fuel because it costs money to carry the extra weight, and that is quite significant over a year. "The fuel burns of each aircraft are very carefully recorded over a very long time to get accuracy to enable the correct amounts of fuel to be loaded. "There will always be the unexpected events, and that is why reserves are carried. The real poser is: what is a reasonable reserve?" Much of the problem faced in Britain has been caused by shortage of runway space in south east England, according to David Reynolds, the head of safety at the British Airline Pilots Association. "The way in which aircraft are being developed in becoming more fuel efficient, there is less need for fuel. "However the problem comes when there are delays. The infrastructure in the South East is creaking and you can get cases where people want to know if you have the right amount of fuel to go anywhere. "The very bad weather that we had in December caused pandemonium in the south-east of England. Aircraft were arriving and finding that they suddenly had nowhere to land because the airfield had closed or everybody else had gone there." "That reflects the pressure commercial pilots are under. Flying with too much fuel is expensive because it of the additional weight," said Rob Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Committee for Transport Safety. "But the law the law is tough enough and needs to be regularly monitored," he added. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9488249/Pilots-forced-to-make-emergency- landings-because-of-fuel-shortages.html Back to Top Qantas grounds 2 pilots who reportedly quarreled in cockpit of jumbo jet at Dallas airport CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Qantas Airways Ltd. grounded two pilots who quarreled in the cockpit of their Boeing 747 jumbo jet at a Dallas airport last week, the airline and an aviation official said Tuesday. The argument happened two weeks after Qantas, Australia's biggest airline, grounded another pilot for attempting to fly while under the influence of alcohol. Qantas said in a statement Tuesday that the captain and second officer were grounded pending an investigation. It declined to detail their behavior. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said the pilots had a heated argument over what takeoff calculations to enter into the plane's computer. It said Qantas flight operations managers heard about the argument after they decided to delay the flight overnight because weather delays had put the pilots close to their 20- hour duty limits. The plane, flight QF8 from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to the Australian city of Brisbane on Aug. 14, left the next day with replacement pilots. An Australian aviation official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case, confirmed the newspaper report. "It got to a point where the two of them didn't feel they could work together," said the official, adding that there was no suggestion of threats or violence during the quarrel. The 13,800- kilometer (8,600-mile) direct flight from Texas to Australia is close to the limit of the jumbo jet's flying range. A Qantas pilot was grounded two weeks ago after she exceeded the limit for pilots of 0.02 percent alcohol in the blood as she was about to fly a Boeing 767-300 from Sydney to Brisbane. Back to Top United flight to Boston safely returns to Houston after engine trouble HOUSTON (AP) - A United Airlines jet bound for Boston had engine trouble and safely returned to Houston. Sponsored LinksA United statement says the Boeing 737 took off Sunday from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, then had mechanical trouble and returned to Houston. Airline officials say passengers on Flight 1124 were put on another plane Sunday afternoon and continued on to Boston. The carrier did not provide further details on the engine's mechanical issue. United officials did not immediately return messages Monday from The Associated Press. Back to Top JetBlue fined for not telling passengers they could get off delayed flight JetBlue was fined $90,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation for failing to tell passengers on flight delayed at John F. Kennedy International Airport that they could leave the plane as it sat at the gate with the door open, the DOT announced today. Apart from the fine, the DOT also ordered the no-frills airline not to repeat the March 3 failure, which violated new airline consumer protection rule requiring that passengers be notified of their right to deplane from a delayed flight still at the gate. The rule calls for announcements that passengers can leave the plane every 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time, the DOT said. JetBlue Flight 645 to San Francisco was scheduled to depart JFK at 7:30 p.m., and boarding began at 7:06 p.m. But the flight was delayed and the doors to the aircraft did not close until 9:55 p.m., the DOT said. "Airlines may not leave passengers stranded indefinitely aboard an aircraft, whether on the tarmac or at the gate, and passengers must be told if they are able to leave the plane," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. "At DOT, we are committed to protecting consumers when they travel by air, and will continue to take enforcement action when our rules are violated." Jet Blue released a statement vowing not to repeat the failure. "Customers were free to deplane and also given water and access to the lavatories. When the aircraft door was closed and the plane initially pushed back, three customers requested to return to the gate. At that time, the aircraft immediately returned to the gate and one customer elected to deplane," the statement read. "Our policy regarding onboard ground delays, outlined in our Bill of Rights, is industry-leading. However, we did not provide our customers with regular updates in this instance. This is not an example of the JetBlue experience. For this, we fully acknowledge our fault and will comply with the DOT ruling. We now have a solid plan in place." http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/08/jet_blue_fined_for_not_telling.html Back to Top Back to Top World Route Development Forum being held in Abu Dhabi MANCHESTER, England - Over 450 airline planners representing 250 airlines are now registered for the 18th World Route Development Forum, which will take place from September 29 to October 2, 2012 and is hosted by Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) and supported by official carrier Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority. Twenty-three of the world's top 25 carriers by ASK (Available Seat Kilometre) are already registered to attend World Routes with a strong presence from all geographical regions. The four major US legacy carriers will attend: Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways, and American Airlines. From Asia, China Southern, China Eastern, Hainan Airlines, and Air China are among those attending with Japanese majors - oneworld member, Japan Airlines; and Star Alliance carrier, All Nippon Airways, bringing large delegations to Abu Dhabi. One of latest registrations is Qantas Airways, who will deliver a briefing focused around its new business units and how this will relate to its route development strategy. From Europe, the legacy market is strong with British Airways, Iberia, KLM, Air France, SAS, LOT Polish, and Alitalia among those registered. The low-cost carrier market from Europe is particularly well represented by easyJet, Norwegian, Wizz Air, Germanwings, and Air Berlin. Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, Egypt Air, and Royal Air Maroc are among the major African airlines looking to look at new opportunities and expand into new markets. Airline Relations Director, Paul Winfield, commented: "This week alone, we have seen registrations from the likes of Air New Zealand, Air India, Wizz Air, and Copa Airlines, highlighting the diverse mix of airlines attending World Routes and confirming that this is a must-attend event for airlines on a global basis from all sectors of the airline market." Airports wishing to do business with the Middle East airline market will never have a better opportunity to do so with Etihad Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines sending very senior and large delegations with attendance from many other Middle East based airlines including Gulf Air, Air Arabia, and Oman Air. Cargo and Interline are also an important part of Routes, and this year the cargo sector is led by the likes of UPS and FedEx, while this year will see the first time that Routes has offered a platform for dedicated interline meetings. This session will allow alliance and interline managers to meet with other carriers to discuss interline agreements, marketing arrangements, SPAs, and scheduled connections. Among others, Etihad and JetBlue, two major interline operators, are sending dedicated interline specialists to the event. Source: routesonline.com Back to Top China's jet biofuels: ready for take off? China consumes about 29m tonnes of cooking oil a year, and much of it, when the frying is over, gets thrown away. Boeing believes this "gutter oil", as it is locally known, could turn out to be liquid gold. In collaboration with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) it has opened a new lab this month in Beijing, and the first research project will investigate refining waste cooking oil into jet fuel. Along with research into more efficient air traffic management systems, Boeing claims the work carried out in the Aviation Energy Conservation and Emissions Reductions Technology Centre at COMAC's new Beijing Aeronautical Science and Technology Research Institute, could significantly reduce the aviation industry's carbon intensity. While China's cooking oil consumption is 29m tonnes, its aviation industry uses 20 million tonnes of petroleum-based jet fuel. The cooking oil thus represents, Boeing and COMAC say, a major opportunity for an alternative fuel source. COMAC, a state owned company mandated to plan and implement passenger aviation programmes in China, also hopes to become an independent manufacturer of "large Chinese passenger aircraft that will soon be soaring through the blue skies". Boeing, the world's largest aerospace manufacturer, has its sights set on the rapidly expanding Chinese market. The company told beyondbrics, China is Boeing's largest international market and COMAC's home market. Although our companies compete as aircraft manufacturers, we want to partner with a key Chinese stakeholder to expand opportunities for commercial aviation in China and elsewhere. COMAC has unique capabilities and insights that make it a valuable partner. Boeing has been experimenting with biofuel powered planes since 2008, and ran a test flight of a jatropha-blend powered 747 from Beijing last year, following research undertaken in China. Jatropha is a non-edible plant extensively used for biofuels. In its 2011 environmental report the company states that it is pursuing research into fuels derived from algae, salt water grasses and oilseeds which it claims "do not compete with food crops for land or water" - a source of controversy which has dogged the expansion of the biofuels industry elsewhere. The new venture into gutter oil runs along these lines and targets the Chinese market specifically. While the refining costs at present make it uncompetitive with conventional fuels, Boeing have claimed it could reach a marketable price in less than 10 years. Shi Jianzhong, COMAC's vice president, described energy efficiency as the "hotspot and focus of the global aviation sector". Dong Yang Wu, vice president of Boeing Research & Technology in China, said "We are excited about opportunities to partner with world-class research capabilities in China in ways that will accelerate the global push for renewable jet fuels and support commercial aviation's growth while reducing its environmental footprint". The latter of these goals will be a challenge. The Civil Aviation Administration of China expects that airline passenger numbers in China will surpass 300 million this year, and rise to around 1.5 billion passengers in 2030. Last year the Chinese government announced it would be building a further 56 airports within five years. That represents a fast-growing market which Boeing is no doubt keen to position itself in, but it also represents a lot more carbon in the atmosphere. And recent events suggest that China's airlines are in no hurry to start cutting their carbon footprint, having argued with European regulators for an exemption from new carbon taxes on carriers taking off or landing in the EU, sparking fears of a carbon trade war. However, according to reports in the Chinese state media, the increased use of biofuels could provide a way for Chinese airlines to avoid having to pay at a portion of the EU's aviation carbon taxes. Limiting exposure to global oil markets is also doubtless an additional incentive, after rising fuel costs dented Chinese carriers' profits in the first half of this year. In February the Civil Aviation Authority said they expected 30 per cent of China's jet fuel to come from biofuels by 2020. Boeing and COMAC aren't the first to spot the aviation biofuels opportunity. European airlines have already run flights using cooking oil-derived fuel. Earlier in the month, Sinopec Group, China's biggest oil company, announced it had the capacity to create 20,000 tons of the fuel per year. A drop in the ocean perhaps, but one that looks set to get bigger. http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2012/08/21/chinas-jet-biofuels-ready-for-take-off/ Back to Top Forecasting African Aviation: Building Fleets and Improving Safety Africa is expected to be one of the fastest growing regions in terms of air traffic in the world, second only to China. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says international passenger growth of 7.7 percent is expected over the next few years. The founder of the African Business Travel Association (ABTA), Monique Swart, says she's seen first-hand the rapid rise in business travel across the continent, as companies expand their African networks: "Many global corporations who first opened their doors in South Africa in the early to mid-90s are now starting to branch out into other fast- developing countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, and Kenya." Adding to IATA's prediction that international cargo will increase by 5.8 percent over the next few years, it becomes evident that there is an urgent need to increase capacity both on and off the ground. Sub-Saharan Africa, reports the Airbus Global Market Forecast, will need more than 540 new aircrafts by 2020 to accommodate rapidly increasing demand. Ethiopia Flies "Africa First" Airlines are clearly stocking on new fleet. In August, Ethiopian Airlines became one of the first owners of the new Boeing Dreamliner, described as the most technologically advanced commercial aircraft in the world. Dubbed "Africa First," the plane is praised by its manufacturers for its use of lightweight materials to cut fuel costs, though the 787-8 model comes with a hefty $206.8 million price tag. "Africa First" is the first of 10 that the airline has ordered, half of which are expected to be delivered by the end of the year. Ethiopian's Dreamliners are not the only ones to have been ordered by airlines on the continent. Boeing's order sheet shows that over the past five years, Nigeria's Arik Air, Rwanda's RwandAir, and Angola's SonAir have placed orders and/or received delivery of a Boeing aircraft. Direct competitors Airbus lists Cote d'Ivoire-based Air Afrique, Arik Air, and South African Airways (SAA) among those recent buyers from the continent. Expansion of Airports There's movement on the ground, too. Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Expansion Project is well underway. Reportedly costing more than $140 million, it's an investment officials there say is needed to address "capacity and other operational constraints." The East African country is one of the continent's main ports of entry. Kenya's Cumulative Passenger Traffic report shows that in 2010, close to five and a half million passengers passed through its doors on both domestic and international flights, up eight percent from the previous year. Neighboring Nigeria is looking to refurbish its 22 existing airports, including the country's oldest, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. Desperate to attract further funding, Aviation Minister Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah this month led a three-nation roadshow, meeting business communities in China, United States, and Canada. In Beijing, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd (the same company that built the African Union Headquarters in Ethiopia) pledged its support. So too did one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, Bombardier, in Canada. Speaking there, Oduah said Nigeria's annual passenger traffic is currently close to 15 million, and growing by seven percent every year. She's confident the country will have five new international airports by the end of next year. For four years, Angola International Airport, just outside the country's capital of Luanda, has been under construction. Once completed-the target is this year-it would have sufficient capacity to handle 15 million passengers annually. South Sudan's Juba International Airport also remains a work in progress. Officials recently announced a $158 million loan from China to help speed up the project, which will include widening and lengthening runways to enable large aircrafts to safely land there. Safety First All this is good news for the continent. But poor safety records remain a stumbling block- it's costing lives and is obviously bad for business. ABTA's Monique Swart says, "Many companies with strict traveller safety policies will simply ban all travel to a certain region if the airline options are not safe and reputable, or in some instances will hire private charter companies." Since the start of this year numerous incidents have made headlines. Most recently, an aircraft crashed in Sudan, killing all 30 people on board, including several senior government officials. In June, more than 150 died when a flight by Nigeria's Dana Air crashed as it was about to land at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. A preliminary investigation report seems to point at engine failure. A day earlier, 10 people were killed when a Nigerian cargo plane overshot a runway and slammed into a passenger bus near Ghana's capital of Accra. Authorities believed a brake failure was to blame. Stakeholders from across the continent, along with international organizations, have held countless summits and workshops about improving safety standards. Recently, a commitment was made to a five-step Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan that largely focuses on improving and implementing regulations-one of the main contributing factors of aviation accidents along with the lack of flight data analysis (FDA) and Safety Management Systems (SMS)-all factors that can easily be prevented. Despite rapid infrastructural development, experts agree that safety must come first and must remain a priority if the sector is to reach its potential-one the continent both wants and needs. http://www.africa.com/ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC