Flight Safety Information May 25, 2016 - No. 102 In This Issue No sign of EgyptAir plane technical problems before takeoff: sources The Massive, High-Tech Hunt For EgyptAir Flight MS804 Wreckage EgyptAir to contract French, Italian companies for black boxes search Forensic expert suggests explosion downed EgyptAir jet New airport weapons policy brings $100,000 fine, year in jail Over 27 kg heroin recovered from PIA aircraft at Karachi airport UK Air Safety Specialists Arrive in Cairo to Examine Security Measures Shetland 2013 helicopter crash compensation of £2.5m settled Low-flying Alaska Airlines jet to be circling SF for a commercial International Debut for IASO - A Unified Voice for the Aviation Services Sector Aviation Safety Reporting System borne out of crash China to encourage domestic airlines to go overseas: regulator Cathay Pacific chairman says global airlines facing consolidation pressure CAAi Signs MoU with the International College of Engineering & Management, Oman Saudia Private Aviation Signs MOU with Wyvern for Comprehensive Risk Management Services Aviation history for May GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST No sign of EgyptAir plane technical problems before takeoff: sources Part of a plane chair among recovered debris of the EgyptAir jet that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea is seen in this handout image released May 21, 2016 by Egypt's military. Egyptian Military/Handout via Reuters The EgyptAir jet that disappeared last week did not show technical problems before taking off from Paris, sources within the Egyptian investigation committee said late on Tuesday. The sources said the plane did not make contact with Egyptian air traffic control, but Egyptian air traffic controllers were able to see it on radar on a border area between Egyptian and Greek airspace known as KUMBI, 260 nautical miles from Cairo. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the plane disappeared without swerving off radar screens after less than a minute of it entering Egyptian airspace. Air traffic controllers from Greece and Egypt have given differing accounts of the plane's final moments. Egypt's state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Tuesday that the plane had shown no technical problems before taking off, citing an Aircraft Technical Log signed by its pilot before takeoff. Al-Ahram published a scan of the technical log on its website. The paper said EgyptAir flight 804 transmitted 11 "electronic messages" starting at 5.09 p.m. ET on May 18, about 3 1/2 hours before disappearing from radar screens with 66 passengers and crew on board. The first two messages indicated the engines were functional. The third message came at 8.26 p.m. ET on May 18 and showed a rise in the temperature of the co-pilot's window. The plane kept transmitting messages for the next three minutes before vanishing, Al- Ahram said. Earlier on Tuesday, the head of Egypt's forensics authority dismissed as premature a suggestion that the small size of the body parts retrieved since the Airbus 320 jet crashed indicated there had been an explosion on board. Investigators are looking for clues in the human remains and debris recovered from the Mediterranean Sea. The plane and its black box recorders, which could explain what brought down the Paris- to-Cairo flight as it entered Egyptian air space, have not been located. An Egyptian forensics official said 23 bags of body parts had been collected, the largest no bigger than the palm of a hand. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said their size pointed to an explosion, although no trace of explosives had been detected. But Hisham Abdelhamid, head of Egypt's forensics authority, said this assessment was "mere assumptions" and that it was too early to draw conclusions. At least two other sources with direct knowledge of the investigation also said it would be premature to say what caused the plane to plunge into the sea. "All we know is it disappeared suddenly without making a distress call," one of them said, adding that only by analyzing the black boxes or a large amount of debris could authorities begin to form a clearer picture. SCRAPS OF DATA Investigators do have a few scraps of data in the form of fault messages sent by the jet in the last minutes of flight, logging smoke alarms in the forward lavatory and an electronics bay just underneath, but they are tantalizingly incomplete. "The difficulty is to connect these bits of information," said John Cox, executive of Washington-based Safety Operating Systems who co-authored a report on smoke and fire risks by Britain's Royal Aeronautical Society. There are too few messages to fit a typical fire, which would normally trigger a cascade of error reports as multiple systems failed, he said, and too many of them to tie in neatly with a single significant explosion. Investigators also need to understand why, for example, there was no message indicating the autopilot had cut off, progressively handing control back to the pilots as systems failed and computers became unsure what to do. The Frenchman who headed a three-year probe into the 2009 loss of an Air France jet in the Atlantic said the data published so far appeared insufficient for any conclusion. Egypt has deployed a robot submarine and France has sent a search ship to help hunt for the black boxes, but it is not clear whether either of them can detect signals emitted by the flight recorders, lying in waters possibly 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) deep. The signal emitters have a battery life of 30 days. Although government officials have acknowledged the need for international assistance, the U.S. Navy said Egypt had not formally requested American support beyond a P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft, which was deployed on Thursday. LAST MOMENTS Eighteen loads of debris have been recovered, the Egyptian investigation committee said, in a search operation assisted by French and Greek aircraft. Five days after the plane vanished from radar screens, air traffic controllers from Greece and Egypt were still giving differing accounts of its last moments. In Greece, two officials stood by earlier statements that Greek radar had picked up sharp swings in the jet's trajectory - 90 degrees left, then 360 degrees right - as it plunged from a cruising altitude to 15,000 feet before vanishing. Ehab Mohieldin Azmi, head of Egypt's air navigation services, said Egyptian officials had seen no sign of the plane making sharp turns, and that it had been visible at 37,000 feet until it disappeared. "Of course, we tried to call it more than once and it did not respond," he told Reuters. Relatives of the victims were giving DNA samples at a hotel near Cairo airport on Tuesday to help identify the body parts, their grief mixed with frustration. Amjad Haqi, an Iraqi man whose mother Najla was flying back from medical treatment in France, said the families were being kept in the dark and had not been formally told that any body parts had been recovered. "All they are concerned about is to find the black box and the debris of the plane. That's their problem, not mine," he said. "And then they come and talk to us about insurance and compensation. I don't care about compensation, all I care about is to find my mother and bury her." http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egyptair-airplane-forensics-idUSKCN0YF12H Back to Top The Massive, High-Tech Hunt For EgyptAir Flight MS804 Wreckage An international effort aims to find the doomed jet's black boxes. Passengers' belongings and wreckage from EgyptAir Flight MS804 north of Alexandria, Egypt, on May 21, 2016. An international effort is underway to locate the black boxes and wreckage of doomed EgyptAir Flight MS804, which plunged into the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday carrying 66 people. Planes, ships and submarines are now scouring the waters for a signal and debris from the crash. As in the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, which continues more than two years on, finding underwater wreckage is extremely difficult. Searchers have only a brief time frame and a small radius in which they can receive signals from an airliner's black boxes before batteries run out on the emitting devices. While ships searching the area where EgyptAir is believed to have crashed have found some wreckage and human remains in the past few days, the black boxes, which could offer insight on the cause of the crash, were missing. Here's what to know about the search: Map locating the flight path of EgyptAir Flight MS804 which disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea enroute from Paris to Cairo. Where Are Searchers Looking? The last known location of the plane was in the Mediterranean Sea, near the Greek island of Karpathos. Search vehicles have headed to the area south of the island, which is about 180 miles north of Alexandria on the Egyptian coast, The Guardian reports. A 900 square- mile search area was set on Saturday. The depth of the water where the search is taking place is an additional complication. The area includes one of the deepest areas in the Mediterranean, with depths as great as 1.9 miles. The French Navy's EV Jacoubet is seen leaving the Mediterranean port of Toulon, France, May 20, 2016. What's Being Used To Find The Plane? Egypt is taking the lead in the search effort for Flight MS804, but is coordinating with teams from France, Britain, the United States and Greece. The nations have contributed vessels and armed forces. The U.S. Navy's 6th Feet has combed the search area with P-3 Orion aircraft, normally used for maritime surveillance. As of Sunday, the aircraft found more than 100 pieces of debris from the EgyptAir crash. The British Navy and Royal Air Force forces also have been sent to the search area, providing a supply ship and C-130 Hercules aircraft. France's Navy deployed the 262-foot Jacoubet patrol ship. The ship, with a crew of 90, is equipped with sonar location devices and a remote-controlled submarine that can dive up to 3,280 feet. Greece has a submarine searching for signals from the flight recorders, as well as C-130 aircraft, The Financial Times reports. Egypt is using a robot submarine that can reach depths of 1.9 miles. The probe is usually used to monitor offshore oil rigs. How Long Will It Take To Find? It's unclear. The international search teams face a number of hurdles. Batteries that power signals from the airliner's black boxes will likely be exhausted in less than 30 days. If the boxes aren't located before that happens, searchers must switch to using sonar devices in a process that will take even longer. Even while signals from the black boxes are operational, the pings may not have enough range to reach the surface if they are 1.9 miles deep. In that case, underwater options, such as submarines or submerged listening devices, may be necessary to find the signal, according to Reuters. On Monday, Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy told NBC News that searchers were "far away" from finding the plane's fuselage. Authorities are anxious to determine what caused the crash. Officials have oscillated between suggesting the possibility of a terror attack, and cautioning against jumping to any conclusions based on the limited data and evidence collected. Egypt's Fathy said on Monday that finding the black boxes would be key to understanding the circumstances that brought down the aircraft. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/egyptair-search- wreckage_us_574345dfe4b0613b512af1bc Back to Top EgyptAir to contract French, Italian companies for black boxes search -Egypt TV CAIRO May 25 (Reuters) - EgyptAir will contract two foreign companies, one French and one Italian, to help search for the black boxes of its plane that crashed in the Mediterranean, Egyptian state television said on Wednesday. http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFC6N16E01X Back to Top Forensic expert suggests explosion downed EgyptAir jet Body parts recovered from the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 showed signs of burns and were so small that they suggested the jet was brought down by an explosion, a member of the team examining the remains said Tuesday. But the idea of a blast was promptly dismissed by the head of Egypt's forensic agency as "baseless" speculation. The cause of Thursday's crash of the EgyptAir jet flying from Paris to Cairo that killed all 66 people aboard still has not been determined. Ships and planes from Egypt, Greece, France, the United States and other nations are searching the Mediterranean Sea north of the Egyptian port of Alexandria for the jet's voice and flight data recorders, as well as more bodies and parts of the aircraft. Egypt's civil aviation minister has said he believes terrorism is a more likely explanation than equipment failure or some other catastrophic event. But no hard evidence has emerged on the cause, and no militant group has claimed to have downed the jet. Leaked flight data indicated a sensor detected smoke in a lavatory and a fault in two of the plane's cockpit windows in the final moments of the flight. An Egyptian forensic team was examining the remains of the victims for any traces of explosives, according to a team member and a second official, both speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. The team member said the fact that all 80 body parts recovered so far were very small and that some showed signs of burns suggested an explosion. "There isn't even a whole body part, like an arm or a head," said the forensic official, who examined the remains. He said at least one part of an arm has signs of burns - an indication it might have "belonged to a passenger sitting next to the explosion." "The logical explanation is that an explosion brought it down," he said, adding that if there was a blast, the cause was not known. But Hisham Abdel-Hamid, head of the Egyptian government's forensic agency, dismissed the suggesting, telling the state-run MENA news agency: "Whatever has been published is baseless and mere assumptions." France's aviation accident investigation agency would not comment on anything involving the bodies or say whether any information has surfaced to indicate an explosion. Other experts were divided on whether the state of the remains necessarily suggested an explosion. http://www.concordmonitor.com/Egyptair-plane-crash-mystery-2377253 Back to Top New airport weapons policy brings $100,000 fine, year in jail Carrying a gun into a security area at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport could bring a fine of up to $100,000 and a sentence of up to a year in prison due to new U.S. Department of Justice rules. The hefty penalties are due to the increasing number of firearms brought into security areas. Forgetting to remove a gun from a carry-on bag at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta... more The number of firearms found each year in the security screening areas at Hartsfield- Jackson Airport has exceeded 100 in recent years, with 63 firearms already recovered so far in 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice said. According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice: Until July 1, 2014, anyone who brought a weapon into an airport security check point also violated Georgia state law, and all offenders were arrested by APD officers and prosecuted by the Clayton County Solicitor's Office. In July 2014 Georgia created a safe harbor for passengers who bring a firearm into an airport security check point if the passenger possesses a state-issued concealed weapon permit (CCW). However, notwithstanding the Georgia law, it remains a violation of federal criminal law for passengers to bring a firearm into an airport security check point, even if they possess a CCW. Accordingly, these offenses now are being investigated by the FBI and its deputized task force officers, and such offenses are being referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta. In most cases, the person will be issued a citation that will require an appearance before a federal magistrate judge. In egregious cases, the person may be arrested and charged. In all cases, the firearm will be seized as evidence. If a citation is issued, the fine is $100, plus court costs. If an arrest is made, the charge of violating airport security requirements carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. In those instances where a passenger does not possess a CCW, that passenger will still be arrested by APD officers, the firearm will be impounded, and the matter will be referred to the Clayton Solicitor's office according to existing policies. In all cases involving firearms or weapons brought into a security check point, offenders are also subject to TSA civil penalties of up to $11,000. http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2016/05/new-airport-weapons-policy- brings-100-000-fine.html Back to Top Over 27 kg heroin recovered from PIA aircraft at Karachi airport PIA sources fail to comment whether or not the drugs were actually recovered by officials. KARACHI: Customs officials in Karachi recovered over 27kg heroin from a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft during an intelligence-based raid on Wednesday. Officials conducted the raid at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, and seized nine packets of heroin from the lavatory of a Europe-bound aircraft parked in the hangar. "It is an unfortunate incident and the airline's management is extending full cooperation to investigating agencies in addition to conducting its own inquiry," a PIA spokesperson said in a statement. PIA aircraft PK305 had arrived from Lahore on Tuesday and was scheduled to fly to Europe; however, it did not get the required permission from officials for the journey. Last year, minutes after the flight had taken-off from the Benazir International Airport, one of the crew members spotted an unclaimed bundle of tissue rolls lying in middle of the aisle. Nobody claimed it when inquired. "The pilot was informed, and they found heroin in the package. That's all we know at the moment," a PIA had official said. There was approximately 3kg of heroin - worth enough to buy a villa in Dubai or go on a world tour. Instead of taking the flight to its destination, the captain landed the aircraft at the Karachi airport where Airport Security Force took the bundle in its custody and sealed it. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1110207/27-kg-heroin-pia-aircraft-karachi-airport/ Back to Top UK Air Safety Specialists Arrive in Cairo to Examine Security Measures UK air security specialists arrived to Cairo International Airport in Egypt on Monday to supervise the security measures applied by EgyptAir to flights departing from Cairo to London, in the follow up to the crash of one of the company's planes, local media reported. A pilot looks out of the cockpit during a search operation by Egyptian air and navy forces for the EgyptAir plane that disappeared in the Mediterranean Sea, in this still image taken from video May 20, 2016. CAIRO (Sputnik) - The delegation consisting of two representatives are inspecting the measures taken by the local authorities and staff to ensure passenger safety in arrival and departure halls, as well as boarding inspections. In addition, the experts will examine the operations of the cargo terminal and procedures for transporting cargo on board aircraft departing for the British capital. A EgyptAir Airbus A320 plane, carrying 66 people, disappeared from radar screens over the Mediterranean Sea, 10 miles into Egyptian airspace on May 19. The plane was headed from Paris to Cairo. EgyptAir has said that the Egyptian Armed Forces have discovered the wreckage and personal items from flight MS804 some 180 miles off the coast of Alexandria. http://sputniknews.com/world/20160523/1040117049/egyptair-security- specialists.html#ixzz49fwhChIX Back to Top Shetland 2013 helicopter crash compensation of £2.5m settled Helicopter wreckage being salvaged Survivors of a helicopter crash in which four people died have had claims totalling more than £2.5m settled. The CHC Super Puma plunged into the sea on its approach to Shetland in 2013. Lawyers representing nine oil workers on the flight said the cases had been brought to a conclusion. Lisa Gregory, of Digby Brown in Aberdeen, said: "Our clients were a group of people who were just going to work when their lives were changed in some of the worst ways imaginable." Too late In March, a report into the crash said flight instruments were "not monitored effectively" by pilots in the moments leading up to the incident. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said a lack of monitoring meant a reduction in air speed was not noticed by the pilots. Attempts to recover were too late. No evidence was found of any engineering issues causing the crash. Passengers Sarah Darnley, from Elgin, Gary McCrossan, from Inverness, Duncan Munro, from Bishop Auckland, and George Allison, from Winchester, lost their lives in the crash on 23 August 2013. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-36377749 Back to Top Low-flying Alaska Airlines jet to be circling SF for a commercial Alaska Airlines' new Boeing 737-900ER aircraft is scheduled to be making low-flying passes over San Francisco on Tuesday as a film crew in a Lear jet tails it to shoot a commercial, police said. If you see a low-flying commercial airliner being chased by a much smaller Learjet over San Francisco on Tuesday, don't be alarmed, police said. Alaska Airlines is using the San Francisco skyline as the backdrop for a commercial showing off its new Boeing 737-900ER aircraft, officials said. The Learjet chasing it will contain a film crew. "While flying at low altitudes may surprise local residents, the seasoned technical pilots of both planes are veterans of this type of flying and have filed their flight plans with the Federal Aviation Administration and NORCAL Traffic Management Unit," San Francisco Police said in a statement. Depending on the weather, the 138-foot long airliner was scheduled to depart from Oakland International Airport about 9:30 a.m., fly around the city and buzz the Golden Gate Bridge until 11:30 a.m. while being filmed by the crew in the pursuing Learjet, police said. The plane is scheduled to circle the city again from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., apparently for sun-set shots. During the filming, the two planes are expected to fly in close formation, police said. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Low-flying-Alaska-Airlines-jet-to-be-circling-SF- 7942509.php Back to Top International Debut for IASO - A Unified Voice for the Aviation Services Sector Geneva, Switzerland-23 May, 2016: A new non-profit organization, the International Aviation Services Organization (IASO), was unveiled today, coinciding with the first day of EBACE. IASO's mission is to provide a unified voice for aviation services companies at airports around the world. Created by a Board of Directors with decades of international industry experience, the organization will champion key issues affecting the airfreight, aviation services and logistics sector. "Our goal is to improve safety and facilitate the highest standards in Aviation Services, working closely with established industry organizations to see how they can benefit in becoming an IASO member," said Mr. Munir Khalifa, IASO President and Founder. IASO provides a direct representative link with other established associations, including IATA, ICAO, AAA and MEBAA, he said, speaking at the launch in Geneva. IASO members will have access to an online database system--Aviation Ground Services Assessment (AGSA)--for auditing and measuring key risk factors, as well as discounted insurance and expeditious payment for services rendered. A sophisticated arbitration- resolution mechanism ensures ISAO members have access to quality service. The Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) and MIXJET are founding members and will follow IASO's vision to speak with one voice, pursuing one consistent level of industry standards that will "level the playing field" for all aviation services providers thereby guaranteeing the highest level of service, cost-savings and efficiency. Small industry supply companies can also benefit by utilizing IASO's resources with key tools such as ground damage reporting tool, audit support and fuel price efficiency, Mr Munir Khalifa added. IASO will work as an umbrella association for all aviation services companies all over the world. It embraces two sub-organizations-International Handling Agents' Organization (IHAO) and International Fuel Service Organization (IFSO). Interested companies can apply for membership online at www.iaso- organization.org/memberships/membership-application with the option to select four levels of membership: Platinum, Gold, Silver and General. Annual fees start at US$3,000. IASO's members will also be invited to collaborate and support humanitarian operations to eradicate world hunger through aligning with the "Helping Hands" World Food Programme. "Providing WFP with our members' expertise means we are not only doing our part for the good of the industry but also contributing to help others help themselves as we try to win the battle to defeat world hunger," added Captain Samir Sajet, Board Director of IASO and UAE Safety Officer for the WFP. The IASO Board of Directors brings a wealth of aviation experience to the Association. Munir Khalifa is IASO Founding Chairman and has over 25 years' experience in aviation services. He is the Owner & CEO of MIXJET Flight Support since 2007. Khalifa also established ALSHAMELAH Aviation Services in 2011 and founded the sister company MIXJET AB-Europe in Sweden in 2012 focused on the European market. Ali Ahmed Alnaqbi is IASO President and Founding Chairman of the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA). He has over 26 years' experience in the aviation industry. Since 2007, he has been elected member of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and sits on the board of a number of international companies in the business aviation fraternity. Captain Samir Sajet, he is the coordinator with IASO to help them creating Helping Hand program to support UN WFP. Capt. Samir is the regionally responsible for the United Nations World Food Program (WFP)-Aviation Safety Unit (UAE) for Asia, North Africa, Sudan and the Middle East Regions. Sajet leads a common service provided by WFP to serve and provide the humanitarian community with safe and reliable air transport services during humanitarian emergencies. Roy Barnett is IASO Operations-Vice President and recently served as General Manager of the Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO) in Port Vila, Vanuatu since May 2014. Prior to this assignment, Roy served with the US FAA's International Office of Aviation Safety, Flight Standards Division as the Middle East-North Africa FAA Senior Representative and also served with ICAO and was a principal architect of the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP), working in various technical and management positions with the FAA and ICAO. About IASO: With its main headquarters located in Geneva, IASO is a non-governmental organization with regional offices in Sweden, Montreal, USA, UAE, Kenya. In addition, IASO is in the process of opening four regional offices in Africa, Asia, as well as North and South America. www.IASO-organization.org Back to Top Aviation Safety Reporting System borne out of crash "Wonders will never cease," Sir Henry Bate Dudley said 240 years ago. Case in point counts at least five "wonders" - it is a government program, has low cost, is a joint effort of two government agencies, is basically a one-person operation, although he has some support assistance and it has been in existence four decades. The program's full effect will never be known, but it probably has saved countless lives throughout the world. Formal name of the program is the Aviation Safety Reporting System. It is funded by the Federal Aviation Administration and operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.The narrow miss was related to other crews of the first airline, but other airline crews never got the word. A need to spread the word was recognized, but the FAA administrator recognized that with both a regulatory and enforcement role, a voluntary role of reporting problems would not fly with the aviation community. A neutral but respected third party was needed, Purdy said. The result was the joint program. All members of the aviation community can participate. It is sort of like the Tulsa Police Department's CrimeStoppers program. Anonymity is assured. The program cannot be used by the FAA for enforcement purposes, and there is immunity for those making any reports short of a crime or accident. While the program compiles information on a wide variety of problems, large and small, that go into a data base the industry can use, it is probably best-known for CALLBACK. Purdy is the third editor of the publication, which in most editions recounts closely related but separate situations reported by several persons, such as the cause (with head-in-the- clouds not uncommon) and how the problem was resolved (sometimes different solutions for different aircraft). Potentially dangerous situations or problems are spread over the wide spectrum of aviation activities. Because it gives individuals with a wide range of experience information on how to recognize and overcome similar situations, it will never be known how many have used that knowledge to prevent an accident and save lives. If it saved one life, the 40-year cost of ASRS paid for itself. "Wonders will never cease," even in government. http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/tulsabusiness/business_news/opinion/aviation- safety-reporting-system-borne-out-of-crash/article_99e18e9f-da63-5564-a7a0- 3e9281b15a06.html Back to Top China to encourage domestic airlines to go overseas: regulator A passenger jet flies past the setting sun in Shanghai BEIJING (Reuters) - China will further expand air rights and improve the way it allocates international routes to domestic airlines as it tries to encourage them to participate in the international market, the country's aviation regulator said on Wednesday. In a policy document published on its website, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said the country aimed to become a "strong civil aviation nation" by 2020 but it still faced a large number of difficulties, including insufficient safety resources and "a crude way of development". China's increasingly affluent middle classes has rapidly boosted demand for aviation services in recent years, leading to a shortage of airports and qualified pilots. The regulator said it would look to establish Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou as international airport hubs, and would also support the development of regional aviation networks from border cities such as Urumqi and Kunming through means such as subsidies. It will promote reforms to air space management and deepen cooperation between civil and military air controllers, with a view to expedite the opening up of the country's lower altitude airspace for civilian use. There will also be a drive to support the development of the general aviation sector by means such as simplifying approval procedures for airport construction and encouraging the growth of enterprises engaged in emergency care or private jet businesses, the regulator said. The 18-page-long document provided no details on investment figures or timelines. Last week, China's Cabinet said it would further open up the country's lower altitude airspace for civilian use, a step that could spur growth in its fledgling general aviation industry by making it easier for smaller aircraft like private jets and helicopters to fly. http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-to-encourage-domestic-airlines-to-go-overseas- regulator-2016-5 Back to Top Cathay Pacific chairman says global airlines facing consolidation pressure Economic headwinds are about to usher in a wave of airline industry consolidation globally, said John Slosar, chairman of Cathay Pacific Airways. Speaking at an industry gathering on Wednesday, Slosar said industry consolidation, the emergence of Chinese airlines as international brands, and investment into data analytics are among the ongoing trends in the industry. His remarks comes as a pending stake sell by Air New Zealand in Virgin Australia has attracted a slew of Chinese suitors including Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines as well as Cathay, according to the Australian Financial Review. Hainan, the flagship carrier of the acquisitive HNA Group, and China Southern, the largest Chinese carrier on the China-Australia market, are both deemed logical buyers by analysts. Owning part or all of Australia's second-largest carrier would not only give network access to the Chinese airlines eager to enhance their global networks, but allow them to benefit from the increasing number of Chinese tourists taking short flights within Australia. Slosar said traffic is far less concentrated around Asia's big airlines than it is for their US counterparts, after repeated mergers and restructurings helped to transform the formerly loss-making US airline sector into one with healthy profits. The International Air Transport Association estimates US airlines made on average US$22.48 per passenger last year, compared with a mere US$4.89 for Asia Pacific airlines. Slosar said Cathay and its subsidiary Dragonair account for about 45 per cent of the movements in Hong Kong, while Singapore Airlines accounts for about the same in its home territory. But US giants - American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta dominate 60 to 70 per cent of the traffic in their hubs respectively. "So that revenue pit, I think, is pretty big," Slosar said. "But is consolidation the future of the industry? I don't know, I hope the answer is no," he said. Cathay Pacific in 1990 purchased a 89 per cent stake in Dragonair - then Hong Kong's only other airline - and made it a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2006. It also entered into a cross share-holding agreement with Air China in that year. Cathay owns 20.13 per cent in Air China and Air China owns 29.99 per cent of Cathay. Slosar said its partnership with China's flag carrier gives it a unique position to take advantage of the Chinese outbound travel market, which is set to rise past 200 million annual trips in the 2020s. Big data analytics that help airlines learn about these travellers and what they want will produce winners and losers among airlines, Slosar said. "There are network effects, the guys that get there first will have an advantage," he said. He said Cathay is investing heavily on information technology but would not give a dollar figure. The line between full service and low-cost carriers could also be blurred, he said. http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1954454/cathay-pacific-chairman-says-global- airlines-facing-consolidation-pressure Back to Top CAAi Signs MoU with the International College of Engineering & Management, Oman Muscat, Oman. 24 May 2016 - The International College of Engineering & Management (ICEM) has signed a memorandum of understanding with CAA International (CAAi), the state-to-state advisory arm of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA). Signed by Affan Khalfan Al Akhzami, ICEM Managing Director and CEO, Maria Rueda, CAAi Managing Director and witnessed Paul Gregorowitsch, CEO of Oman Air, the MoU supports the extension of ICEM's CAAi accredited Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting training, into new geographic locations. Under the existing agreement, ICEM is an accredited CAAi training provider and authorised by the UK CAA to provide training in Oman on the Structured Learning Programme for rescue fire fighting personnel in accordance with UK CAA CAP 699 - Standards for the Competence of Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (RFFS) Personnel. Under the MoU, CAAi has also offered to provide training consultancy services in Oman, through a blend of theoretical and on-the-job training programmes. Since gaining full CAAi accreditation in 2013, ICEM has trained hundreds of airport fire fighting professionals to UK CAA CAP 699 standards. After the signing ceremony, Mr Al Akhzami said, "I am delighted to sign this MOU with CAAi. I believe that the combination of ICEM's reputation for training and education coupled with CAAi's international brand will form a formidable partnership, not only in Oman but also across the region. We at ICEM are proud to work with internationally recognised bodies who can strengthen Oman's organisational capability and help to develop and nurture local Omani human capital. I look forward to a long, strong and prosperous relationship". For more information, please contact Matthew Margesson matthew.margesson@caainternational.com call +44 (0)1293 768700. Back to Top Saudia Private Aviation Signs MOU with Wyvern for Comprehensive Risk Management Services Yardley, PA: Saudia Private Aviation (SPA), a premium provider of private aviation services in the Middle East, has signed an MOU with Wyvern, a world leader in aviation safety, quality and risk management, to implement a comprehensive program ensuring that SPA achieves the highest standard of safety and quality possible. In delivering its services to SPA, Wyvern will assess, enhance and implement safety best practices on an on-going basis across SPA's global operations. "We are very pleased to have the support of Wyvern as we continue to offer the best possible level of safety and service to our private aviation clients," said Captain Hamza Ghouth, General Manager of SPA Flight Operations, "and this partnership reflects our company's commitment to always strive to be better, never resting on our laurels." Art Dawley, CEO of Wyvern added, "This partnership indicates SPA's total commitment to risk management across its global operations. Wyvern is pleased to offer its comprehensive Safety, Quality and Risk Management suite of services to SPA on an on- going basis and we appreciate SPA's commitment to a safety culture throughout its organization." With its twenty-five years of experience in assessing risk in the commercial aviation sector, Wyvern has established itself as the industry leader in supporting the world's largest and most successful private aviation organizations and providing counsel and expertise for operators wishing to advance their capabilities. www.wyvernltd.com Back to Top Aviation history for May: * May 1, 1965 - A speed record of 2,070 miles per hour in level flight was set by a U.S. Air Force YF-12A, which also carried the designation of A-11 and, more famously, SR-71. * May 3, 1923 - The first transcontinental nonstop flight from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York to San Diego in a Fokker T-2 flown by O.G. Kelly and J.A. Macready of the U.S. Air Service, then an element of the Army. * May 12, 1949 - The Berlin Airlift ends after moving 2.32 million tons to the beleaguered city on 276,926 flights. * May 13, 1940 - First free flight of the first practical single-rotor helicopter in the United States by Igor Sikorsky. * May 14, 1908 - First airplane passenger as Wilbur Wright takes up Charles W. Furnas. * May 15, 1939 - The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is incorporated in Trenton, New Jersey. * May 15, 1941 - The first British jet - the Gloster E28/39 powered by a Whittle W/X jet engine made its first official flight at Cranwell, England. * May 19, 1953 - Jacqueline Cochran becomes the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound in an F-86 Sabrejet, a product of North American Aviation, now part of Boeing. * May 21, 1927 - Charles Lindbergh lands in Paris his solo flight of 33 hours, 39 minutes in the Ryan "Spirit of St. Louis." * May 21, 1958 - Sen. A.S. "Mike" Monroney introduced a bill to create an independent Federal Aviation Administration to succeed the Civil Aeronautics Administration under the Department of Commerce. * May 31. 1967 - The first nonstop transatlantic flight was begun with two Sikorsky HH- 3Es. The flight to the Paris Air Show was completed the next day after nine aerial re- fuelings. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST: I am a Masters student at City University London and write my dissertation about Aircraft Engine Selection Process. Would you kindly take 10 minutes of your time to help me with a survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Engine_selection_process Curt Lewis