Naim

Seating configuration for test A380 MSN002 - three-class, 474-seat cabin (click thumb for big image): --- DATE:09/05/06 SOURCE:Flight International First fully-furnished Airbus A380 to make simulated 5h trip with 474 passengers this week By Max Kingsley-Jones in Hamburg and Toulouse Airbus expects to undertake a 5h “virtual first flight” of the cabin installed on A380 MSN002 in Hamburg this week, as it prepares to begin the first passenger flight trials of the ultra-large aircraft. .... read more here : http://snipurl.com/q9wg .ny

There's another plane crash story due tonight 10May06 on National Geographic Channel at 10.00pm Malaysian time. To be repeated early tomorrow morning 11May06 at 2.00am. .naim

I caught this episode of Air Crash Investigation on National Geographic last nite, and I find this particular show impactful in how the captain (Leul Abate) calmly desribed his actions throughout the ordeal. Details here. If you have the chance, catch the show. .ny

And the inevitable comparison with SIN's LCC-T: http://www.jeffooi.com/2006/05/heres_what_...dget_t.php#more .ny

Once, I was boarding AK at KBR and the crowd was rushing down the staircase that some ppl just fell over like dominoes! I used to accompany my slow-moving elderly parents, and though we were allowed to go to the planes first, sometimes the rushing maniacs managed to overtake us! Exiting the train is also an ordeal. The crowd on the platform just barged in to grab the seats even before ppl inside could get out. I once saw a kid squished by this mob. .naim

If ex-SIN, you can take a look here: http://www.airfares.com.sg/airfares/os/7_a...rope&vienna.htm Best is SGD1200 for SIN-GOT return. And you can do KL-SIN via the RM40 express bus. .naim

Went to HEL a few times in the mid-90s . Love the quaint wooden-floor terminal! Still there? And yes, in winter too, when everything was white except for tracks made by tyres of moving planes. .naim

Two items for today: AirAsia stampede broke boy’s toe LCCT... Shaking legs and banging balls Yes, I think we do need another LCC, and a proper LCC-T too. .ny

Business May 08, 2006 12:53 PM SIA's A380 Takes Maiden Test Flight SINGAPORE, May 8 (Bernama) -- The first A380 aircraft, the world's largest passenger aircraft, that will be delivered to Singapore Airlines (SIA), embarked on its maiden test flight yesterday. The aircraft, which will be the world's first A380 to enter commercial service at the end of the year, took off from the Toulouse Blagnac Airport, southwest France, at 0830 GMT on Sunday (or 4.30pm Singapore local time) and returned to base at two hours and 15 minutes later, SIA said in a statement. "Among the tests completed were the clearing of the flight control systems at all flight levels, as well as the checking of the fuel and autopilot systems. "This test flight is part of a series of systems and operational tests that all new aircraft undergo after they are rolled off the Airbus final assembly line in Toulouse," SIA said. As of this month, five other SIA's A380s are at various stages of completion in Toulouse. Singapore Airlines will be the first carrier in the world to fly the Airbus A380 in 2006 and will first fly on the "Kangaroo route" between London, Singapore and Sydney. The airline has 10 A380s on firm order and another 15 on option. -- BERNAMA

End of a glorious era, I must say. .ny +++ End Near For 747-400 Line As Boeing Eyes -8 Milestones By Adrian Schofield 05/05/2006 09:36:40 AM As Boeing works to lock in the final configuration for its new 747-8 aircraft this year, the airframer is also preparing to wind down production on its long-serving 747-400. Boeing now has fewer than five open production slots left for the remainder of the -400 program, said 747 program head Jeff Peace. Some -400s will still be built while -8s are being produced for flight testing, but the first delivery of the -8 will mark the cutoff for the -400s, Peace said. The current backlog for -400s is 42 aircraft -- all freighters. Entry into service for the freighter version of the -8 is scheduled in late 2009, with the passenger version -- dubbed the Intercontinental -- following about six months later. Major assembly will begin on the freighter in early 2008, with the first flight slated for the end of that year. Peace noted that this is the first time Boeing will debut a freighter version of an aircraft before the passenger variant. All of the 18 orders for the -8 so far have been for the freighter, from Cargolux and Nippon Cargo Airlines. The company wants to sign at least two customers for the passenger version this year (DAILY, May 4). Peace said Boeing is not contemplating a further stretched or extended-range version of the -8. "Right now I don't see the combination of technology and demand that would justify" additional versions, he said. Boeing still has some decisions to make before final configuration is set. For example, it is still evaluating whether it will be worthwhile to extend fly-by-wire technology to the outboard ailerons. After the final configuration is set, Boeing engineers will begin working on detailed designs. Also this year, the company must select the rest of the component suppliers for the -8. Some important deals have already been signed, but Boeing "still has a way to go" on others, said Peace. Apart from the increased length of the -8, one of the biggest changes is in the wing. The -8 will have a thicker wing than the -400, and other improvements mean that "aerodynamically it is an all-new wing," Peace said. Better aerodynamic performance will be achieved despite the fact that Boeing is dropping the triple-slotted flaps used on the -400 and instead will use a combination of single and double-slotted flaps. The thicker wing also means greater fuel capacity. The biggest selling point, however, will be better fuel efficiency and trip costs. Boeing calculates the -8F will use more than 17% less fuel per metric ton than the -400F. The new engines contribute the biggest saving, followed by improved aerodynamics and the use of advanced materials. Trip cost will be about the same for the -8F despite its larger size, and metric ton-mile costs will be down 15%. Boeing's main philosophy for the -8 freighter was to keep the range about the same as for the -400F but increase the cargo capacity by 16% through an 18.3-foot stretch. However, airlines can opt to sacrifice some of the extra payload for more range. So carriers could boost capacity by 20 metric tons to 134 ton while keeping range the same as the -400F's, or they could keep payload at about 114 metric tons and fly 1,000 nautical miles farther. By dropping capacity to about 100 metric tons, carriers could eliminate the Anchorage tech stop on some U.S.-Asia routes, said Peace. http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/chan...ws/74405056.xml ===

"...became suspicious of the men because they were speaking in foreign languages and had "aircraft flight materials" with them..." I wonder if I keep mumbling to myself in Kelantanese while browsing Asian Defence Journal, say, what will happen? .ny +++ 5 Released After Detention at N.J Airport 5 Men Detained After Plane Landed at Newark, N.J., Airport Pose No Threat and Are Free, FBI Says A passenger airliner takes off from Newark Liberty International Airport past a newly unveiled sign in Newark, N.J., in this Oct. 31, 2002, file photo. Authorities boarded an American Airlines plane Saturday, May 6, 2006, and detained five men after it landed at the airport, according to a spokesman for the airport's operator. (AP Photo/Mike Derer) NEWARK, N.J. May 6, 2006 (AP)— Five men detained Saturday after an American Airlines flight landed at Newark Liberty International Airport were found to pose no threat and were released, an FBI spokesman said. The men identified only as four Angolan military personnel and an Israeli were traveling back to their home countries after attending helicopter training school in Texas, said Steven Siegel, a spokesman for the FBI's Newark office. Fellow passengers on Flight 1874, which had departed from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, became suspicious of the men because they were speaking in foreign languages and had "aircraft flight materials" with them, Siegel said. A federal marshal on the plane notified authorities at Newark Liberty about the men's behavior. Police officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, took the men into custody soon after the plane landed around 3:20 p.m., said a Port Authority spokesman. After being questioned by authorities, the men were released around 6 p.m., Siegel said. The plane was carrying 121 passengers and five crew members. All other passengers had been released. ===

You can go here as a start. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_low-cost_airlines .ny

If I remember correctly, Tony Fernandez once said KUL/SIN should cost only RM70 one-way. So if this MH/SQ arrangement continues, I'll keep using the RM40 luxury express bus for my SG trips. .ny +++ 6/5/06 From The Star KL-Singapore flights to cost more By WONG SAI WAN PETALING JAYA: The airfare for MAS flights from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore is set to rise on May 15 by more than 55% for first class passengers and almost 20% for economy travellers. First class one-way fare at present is RM314 and will be increased to RM488 while the economy ticket at RM222 will increase to RM266. These prices are only for confirmed tickets and not shuttle fares which are sold like bus tickets at the KLIA. This increase also does not include the surcharges and taxes, which total RM264. According to Malaysia Airlines sources, the increase was meant to bridge the fare gap between flights from KLIA and departures from Changi Airport in Singapore. The one-way fare from Changi is S$211 (RM469) for first class seats while economy is S$152 (RM338). “Bridging of the fare differences is part of the MAS Turnaround Plan, which among others aim to reduce loss of revenue due to poor price implementation,” said one insider. The national carrier had issued a notice to all travel agents about the new prices. Industry sources said they first got wind of the increase when Singapore Airlines issued a similar note on March 28 and that the increase was to take place on April 1. However, SIA withdrew the letter on March 30 after it became apparent that MAS was not ready to make a similar announcement. Sources said SIA was now expected to re-issue the notice soon for their fares, which will also increase on May 15. The two airlines have a code-sharing agreement for flights between the two destinations and any price increases would be done in tandem. This is the third fare increase announced by MAS since the new management took over last year. On Jan 1, the airline raised its ticket prices by between 5% and 14%. Two months earlier on Nov 1, MAS increased its first class and business class fares to the United States by between 48% and 167%. ===

LATEST ... (note the Belgium connection) .ny +++ 18:23 05.05.2006 Permanent news address: http://www.regnum.ru/english/635726.html Witness: A-320 crew reported on fuel problems to air-traffic controller “The airbus did not fuel, to be more precise, it fuelled only on paper. As it is usually done, they put it done that they filled in 10 tons, but took less,” representative of the Armenian Community of Sochi Grach Makeyan is quoted as saying by Yerevan Aravot newspaper. According to him, the official version about bad weather conditions is unfounded. “We were standing near the air traffic controller, when he was in touch with the crew, who informed that they were having problems with fuel. The air traffic controller said ‘the crew started landing, its time to prey’.” As REGNUM earlier reported, official sources ruled out the version that the plane ran out of fuel for landing in Adler Airport. According to head of the Civil Aviation Department Artyom Movsisyan, the airbus was filled in with 10 tons of fuel, and for a flight to Sochi only 3.5 tons were enough. Head of Armavia to which the A-320 belonged, Mikhail Bagdasarov also insists that “in April the airbus was subjected to major repair in Belgium and was filled in with 10 tons of fuel.” ===

Latest from armenialiberty.org ... 4 May 2006 (GI-Photolur photo: A Russian rescue worker stands at Sochi port dock next to the tail of the Armavia Airbus A320 plane.) Georgian Air Controllers ‘Told Armenian Plane To Turn Back’ By Heghine Buniatian, Armen Dilanian in Prague and Ruzanna Khachatrian in Sochi The crew of the Armenian airliner that crashed into the Black Sea on Wednesday were warned by Georgian ground controllers against landing in southern Russia due to stormy weather shortly before the disaster, officials in Tbilisi said on Thursday. Officials at Georgia’s state air navigation service claimed that the Armenian pilots heeded the warning but then decided to proceed to the Russian resort city of Sochi after receiving clearance from Russian air traffic controllers. “The plane remained in Georgia’s territory for about one hour and twenty minutes,” a spokeswoman for the service, Tea Godabadze, told RFE/RL from Tbilisi. “We informed the crew that the weather in Sochi is unfavorable and the crew decided to turn back. But twenty minutes later, when the plane reached [the western Georgian city of] Kutaisi, they told us, ‘Wait a minute, we are getting different information from [the southern Russian city] of Rostov.’” “They were apparently told from Rostov that the weather is good,” she said. “The commander of the aircrew bade us farewell at about three o’clock in the morning Yerevan time (2200 GMT) and even said, ‘Will talk to you in an hour,’” added Godabadze. “They were planning to return to Yerevan immediate after [arriving in Sochi]. We passed the plan on to the Rostov traffic controllers and it disappeared 15 minutes later.” ... CONTINUE READING AT http://snipurl.com/q17x

The 'law of averages' is how the Cosmos works - beyond me . Read more here. Anyway, look at these Malaysian accidents: http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?Country=9M So probabilistically, are we due for a biggie anytime soon? I also wonder, do they re-use reg of crashed planes? .ny

Let's put this in perspective, folks. Every single day, on average, 17 ppl die needlessly on Malaysian roads. Read here. .naim

I may sound like a sicko, but a bad crash on Malaysian soil is probably not too far away - law of averages. .ny +++ CHRONOLOGY-Recent major air crashes 03 May 2006 06:13:01 GMT Source: Reuters May 3, 2006 (Reuters) - An Armenian Airbus A-320 carrying 113 passengers and crew crashed in the Black Sea near the south Russian seaside resort of Sochi, killing all on board. Following is a chronology of some major air crashes in the last three years. Feb. 19, 2003 - An Iranian military plane crashes near Kerman in southeastern Iran. Iran said all 276 aboard were killed. March 6, 2003 - An Algerian flag carrier Boeing 737-200 crashes shortly after take-off from Tamanrasset airport, killing 103 passengers and crew. July 8, 2003 - A Sudan Airways Boeing 737 crashes after take off near Port Sudan on a flight to Khartoum, killing 104 passengers and the crew of 11. A two-year-old boy was the only survivor. Jan 3, 2004 - A Paris-bound Egyptian Boeing 737 operated by Flash Airlines crashes into the Red Sea off the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 148 passengers and crew. Feb. 3, 2005 - An Afghan airliner crashes into a mountain near Kabul, killing all 105 people on board. The Boeing 737 was operated by Afghanistan's only private airline, Kam Air. Aug. 2, 2005 - An Air France Airbus bursts into flames after overshooting the runway while landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport in a storm. All 309 passengers and crew survive. Aug. 14, 2005 - A Helios Airlines Boeing 737 crashes in the area of Kalamos, 30 km (19 miles) north of the Greek capital, Athens, killing all 121 passengers and crew on board. Aug. 16, 2005 - A West Caribbean Airways MD-80 aircraft crashes near Venezuela's border with Colombia, in the Sierra de Perija mountains. All 160 passengers and crew were killed. Sept 5, 2005 - A Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashes just after take off near Medan, in northern Sumatra. 102 people on board were killed as well as 47 others on the ground. Fifteen passengers in the tail section survived. Oct 22, 2005 - A Nigerian Bellview Airlines Boeing 737-200 airliner with 111 passengers and six crew crashes shortly after take off from Lagos in Lissa, about 30 km (20 miles) north of Lagos. All aboard were killed. Dec 10, 2005 - A Nigerian Sosoliso Airlines DC9 flight from Abuja carrying 110 passengers and crew crashes on landing in the oil city of Port Harcourt and bursts into flames, killing 106. Four people survived the crash, whose cause was unknown. May 3, 2006 - An Airbus A-320 of the Armenian airline Armavia, carrying 113 passengers and crew from Yerevan to the Russian seaside resort Sochi, crashes in the Black Sea while trying to land in bad weather, killing all on board. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L03437198.htm

I'm toying with this idea of settling in Kelantan and commuting to KL via AirAsia. A number of ppl are already doing this, I guess. Book in advance to take advantage of low fares. Maybe do KBR-KUL Mondays and KUL-KBR Fridays. .ny +++ Bernama.com May 02, 2006 18:56 PM AirAsia Passenger Traffic Up 55.3 Pct KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 (Bernama) -- AirAsia Bhd announced that its passenger traffic has increased 55.3 percent to 2,531,565 passengers in the third quarter of its current financial year compared with 1,629,593 passengers in the corresponding quarter of 2005. In a statement Tuesday, the low cost airline company said that of the passengers carried in the quarter reviewed, 1,559,794 passengers were from Malaysia (2005: 1,099,596), 658,672 passengers from Thailand (2005:410,005) and 313,099 from Indonesia (2005: 119,992). As for March 2006, it said passenger traffic recorded a percentage increase of 55.8 percent to 927,492 passengers versus 595,128 passengers in March 2005. AirAsia said that the total figures represented the number of earned seats flown by the company. Earned seats include seats that are flown whether or not the passengers turn up because AirAsia is a non-refund airline, and once a flight has departed, a no-show customer is not entitled to change flights or seek a refund. -- BERNAMA

Did a quick search on P4-KAZ to find clues on the said VIP. Just last November it was sitting pretty at NWI: It was then owned by a Mexican company (see the Mexican flag above), to be bought by the govt of Kazakhstan. So my bet is the Datai crowd was Kazakh govt VIPs. +++

Been wondering myself what's the story with long-haul LCC. Here's some enlightenment. .ny +++ www.flightglobal.com DATE:26/04/06 Dream or reality? The concept of medium/long-haul low-cost travel may still be ahead of its time, but a number of Asian carriers are willing to give it a try When AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes first looked at launching a low-cost carrier, his plan was to go long haul, offering no-frills services between Asia and Europe using widebody aircraft. But he says it took even an airline industry novice like him only a short time to determine that it would not work. Instead, Fernandes and his partners focused on the short haul, and the Malaysia-headquartered airline group is now, without question, the largest and most successful low-cost carrier in Asia. Yet there is always someone in the airline business willing to try something new in the hope of finding the "next big thing", and several new medium/long-haul point-to-point carriers, mainly in Asia-Pacific, are in the planning stages. Some, such as Emirates president Tim Clark, bet that someone will eventually find a way to emulate the low-cost, short-haul model on a medium- or long-haul basis. But others believe it may forever remain an unachievable goal. Some have tried and failed, such as the late Freddie Laker with his Skytrain in the 1970s. There are also independents who are making a go of it now, such as Canada's Zoom. But none has really developed as a major operator in the same way as the successful short-haul budget carriers. That may be the problem, say an increasing number of observers. They argue that the industry is looking for something that cannot exist, and should accept that instead of looking for direct similarities between short- and long-haul low-cost carriers it should be how the new carriers differ from the network players that is the crucial factor. In this way, success may well depend on one of the same things as in the short-haul market – differentiation. Checklist for success Going down the checklist of what the most successful short-haul low-cost carriers have in common, some of the existing and planned widebody low-cost carriers clearly fit the general mould. Starting with a clean sheet of paper? Check. In-flight frills only at an additional cost? Check. Point-to-point operations? Check. Single aircraft type? Check. Ensuring aircraft utilisation is high? Check. Operating to secondary airports where possible? Check. Cutting distribution costs by selling through websites or call centres? Check. There are plenty of obstacles, however. These include the competitive response of the big network airlines, which can subsidise their low-yield, cheap fare offerings at the back of their aircraft with cargo revenue and high-yield revenue from front-end traffic. Major long-haul airlines also tend to have sizeable fleets, allowing them to spread costs over a wider base; natural feed through interline arrangements; and they already push the envelope in terms of high aircraft utilisation. In short, many full-service airlines are already fairly cost-competitive when it comes to the long haul, leaving less room for a new player to differentiate itself with radically lower fares. ... continue reading at: http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/...or+reality.html

I'd like to see another LCC to compete with AK, really. .ny +++ April 26, 2006 20:22 PM New Airline May Cater For Domestic Flights KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- The government doesn't rule out the possibility of allowing a new airline to operate domestic flights after the rasionalisation between Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia is completed. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy however said at present the government is not ready to allow another airline to operate in the domestic sector. "However, it can be considered if the rasionalisation brings positive results and the passenger numbers can cater for another regular airline," he said when winding up the debate on the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) for the Ministry in the Dewan Rakyat Wednesday. He said the rationalisation process is meant to ensure the competitiveness of the domestic operator apart from providing services for all type of passengers. On the down-sizing of MAS involving 6,500 staff in the domestic sector, Chan said the government guarantees it would be conducted in the best manner for the sake of the workers. He said negotiations are ongoing between MAS and MAS Employees Union (Maseu) to reduce negative implications from the down-sizing exercise. -- BERNAMA

How could the pilots mis-configure the flaps? Something so fundamental. .ny +++ DATE:25/04/06 SOURCE:Flight International Flaps set wrongly on Mandala 737 LEITHEN FRANCIS / SINGAPORE Investigators say incorrect configuration meant twinjet was unable to get airborne when taking off from Medan Investigations into September’s fatal crash of a Boeing 737-200 in Indonesia have determined that an incorrect flap setting was a contributing factor. Industry sources in Indonesia familiar with the probe say investigators from Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Commission (NTSC) have discovered that the Mandala Airlines aircraft failed to get airborne because the flaps were set incorrectly. The 737-200, registered PK-RIM, took off from Medan airport on 5 September and crashed into approach lights at the end of the runway. It then went through a fence and on to a street, where it crashed into residential buildings, resulting in the death of 99 of the 117 people on board and nearly 50 people on the ground. After the crash there were reports that the NTSC investigators had found a fan blade in poor condition. But a source in Indonesia familiar with the probe says investigators took the suspect Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15 engine to Indonesian Aerospace’s hangar in Bandung for examination and found “there was no indication that the engine was not working”. NTSC investigators also determined there was no fuel contamination, says the source. The NTSC is still working on its analysis, but hopes to “come up with a final draft [report]” at the end of May. http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/...andala+737.html

In Japan, no phone calls allowed in trains, LRTs, tubes. Only texting OK. In bullet trains, calls can be made only in special compartments where you find payphones, vending machines and toilets. And the Japanese follow this ruling religiously. .ny

Small airline, yes, but look who the backer is - see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Beverages_Group http://www.theubgroup.com/ http://www.kingfisherworld.com/ .ny