flee

Yes, a very good point indeed. I did wonder about holding it in SIN this year when voting for the 5th anniversary venue. However, the bulis activities at KUL ensured that the decision is made and it was a good choice because we had a fruitful spotting day at SIN. Spotting is like golf - people will go anywhere if the incentive is there (e.g. good traffic or a challenging course). However, getting into trouble with the law is not something most people want to do. So until the bulis in Malaysia realises that there is a hobby called plane spotting, MalaysianWings is probably going to mean that it is a group of people who are interested in Malaysian aviation. If we are to use cost as a criteria, then BKK is probably the more cost effective non-Malaysian spotting location. Hotels are more affordable and there is plentiful budget air travel possibilities from Malaysia too. Finally, the anniversary spotting session that may be a "highlight" event for spotters who normally spot at Malaysian airports - so it should be something special and something that we would not normally do for the rest of the year. It should be something we will remember as special.

EADS CEO slams Boeing "propaganda," and sees WTO appeal By Matthias Blamont and Lionel Laurent Sat Jul 3, 2010 8:17am EDT AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - EADS (EAD.PA) Chief Executive Louis Gallois on Saturday slammed arch-rival Boeing's "propaganda campaign" over a World Trade Organization panel ruling and said it was a sign of fear ahead of a decision on a hotly contested U.S. aerial tanker contract. Gallois also said it was "likely" that the European Union would appeal against Wednesday's WTO panel ruling, which was critical of EU export subsidies to EADS-owned Airbus. "(Boeing's) propaganda campaign over the past three or four days shows they are scared that we will have a competitive offer for the tankers," Gallois told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Aix-en-Provence. EADS and Boeing are locked in a fierce battle for a contract of 179 refueling planes to replace the aging U.S. fleet of Boeing-built KC-135 tankers, which are nearly 50 years old on average. U.S. lawmakers backing Boeing have called for the tanker competition to factor in the WTO ruling, which said EU export subsidies to Airbus had hurt Boeing and must be scrapped. But Gallois said that 70 percent of Boeing's complaints had been rejected by the WTO and that Boeing had not proved that export subsidies to Airbus had directly affected its competitiveness or employees. He also noted there was a second WTO panel ruling due on July 16 on a countersuit by the EU over U.S. support for Boeing. "It seems likely to me that (the EU) will appeal (the first ruling)," Gallois said. EADS will submit its tanker offer either on Thursday or Friday, in partnership with U.S. firms where sensitive defense equipment is concerned, he said. A350 FEARS Gallois also sought to scotch press speculation that the WTO panel ruling was pushing EADS to review EU launch aid for its Airbus unit's A350 airliner. "I do not expect changes to the conditions (of launch aid)," he said, reaffirming that government loans for the A350 XWB program were not contrary to WTO rules and that the financing of the A350 program was legal in the WTO's view. A Boeing lawyer has argued the WTO panel ruled government launch aid for Airbus airliners was illegal and that this applied to the forthcoming A350 -- a challenger to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and 777 planes. EADS' view is that A350 launch aid is not in the remit of the WTO panel ruling and that it does not need to be changed. When asked whether EADS could take action against Boeing's statements on the WTO ruling, Gallois declined comment. (Reporting by Matthias Blamont and Lionel Laurent; Editing by Susan Fenton) Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6620L220100703?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+reuters/businessNews+(News+/+US+/+Business+News)

Airbus delivered 250 aircraft over the first half of 2010, while the recent landmark Emirates deal for A380s took its six-month gross order total to 131. Emirates' order for 32 A380s accounted for most of Airbus' new orders in June. Airbus also secured private custom for two A340-500s, while Turkish Airlines picked up a single A330-200. But the airframer also recorded six A330-300 cancellations, two attributed to Finnair which swapped them for five A321s, and four listed against unidentified customers. Ten A319s for an undisclosed recipient completed the order tally for June. The manufacturer accumulated gross orders for 131 aircraft by 30 June, while the cancellations for the six A330s and eight A320-family jets brought the net figure to 117. Airbus is slightly behind its 2009 delivery rate at the halfway point. The airframer delivered 254 aircraft in the first six months of last year. Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/02/344009/airbus-logs-250-deliveries-over-first-half-of-2010.html

Who won at the WTO? By Murdo Morrison The World Trade Organisation's final report into state subsidies to Airbus raises two key questions: who won, and what effect will it have on the way the European airframer's multi-billion dollar programmes are funded? There is a third: will the ruling - published on 30 June - derail Airbus parent EADS's attempts to sell its A330 tanker to the US government, whose Office of the US Trade Representative initiated the WTO investigation in 2004, or compete in future Department of Defense contests. Surprisingly, given the emphatic way both sides claimed victory, or vindication, neither of the first two are clear. Although the USA has triumphed in at least some of the crucial legal arguments, what that means for the competitive landscape is uncertain. As far as the KC-X tanker contest is concerned, it is evident that Boeing's supporters in Congress, the unions and the media will step up their campaign - begun when the WTO's interim findings emerged last September - to stop the US military choosing a foreign supplier they claim has been able to challenge a domestic rival only as a result of unfair subsidies. Indirectly, that could be the biggest punch Boeing has landed on its opponent. Given the extent to which details of the report have already emerged in recent months, the report's content contained few surprises. Essentially, the WTO panel investigating the case has found that a series of loans to Airbus over the years, including reimbursable launch aid for the A380 and other infrastructure grants, did break international trade rules enshrined in the so-called Subsidies and Counterveiling Measures (SCM) agreement. However, crucially the WTO rules that A350 launch aid - agreed after the case began in 2004 - has not so far been illegal. The Geneva-based organisation - an umpire in trade disputes - also finds that the effect of the subsidies constituted "serious prejudice to the interests" of the USA in terms of it being able to sell its exports in Europe and other world markets. It recommends that all prohibited subsidies should be withdrawn within 90 days. However, importantly but rather confusingly, the WTO says the USA has failed to establish that the effect of the subsidies led to "significant price undercutting" or "significant price depression" by Airbus, and that the funding caused "injury" to the US aerospace industry. Not surprisingly, Airbus and Boeing put very different spins on the findings and what should happen now. Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney hailed the report as "a landmark decision and sweeping legal victory over the launch aid subsidies that fuelled the rise of Airbus and that continue to provide its products a major cost advantage", adding: "We now join the US government in urging full compliance with the ruling and a permanent restoration of fair competition within our industry." Airbus retorts that the WTO has rejected seven in 10 of the US claims and that the panel agreed that subsidies did not cause "material injury" to Boeing in terms of lost jobs or profits. What happens now is also uncertain. Boeing is unstinting. "Airbus must repay $4 billion in illegal launch aid it received for the A380 or restructure the A380's financing to proven commercial terms," it says, also warning that Airbus must not resort to illegal subsidies to finance the A350. Although it expects Europe to appeal against the ruling, it says that process should be concluded by the end of 2010. Airbus, however, expects the dispute to "continue for a few more years", partly because of Europe's corresponding case against alleged illegal subsidies to Boeing, which a separate WTO panel is expected to report on later this year, and has called again for both sides to negotiate a new agreement to replace the 1992 deal. "Only the availability of the report on the parallel case will bring the necessary balance to allow for a possible start of negotiations, without any preconditions," says the airframer, adding that "resolution will finally only be found in transatlantic or even multilateral negotiations". Those multilateral negotiations could be key. The glacial pace of the deliberations so far have meant that the investigation has not kept up with the changing business landscape. Since the lawyers got to work in 2004, Airbus has launched the A350 and Bombardier the CSeries while the Chinese are developing the Comac C919. The Russians, Chinese and Japanese all have regional jet programmes. Ian Godden, chairman of UK trade body ADS, says it is "sad" that industries in the West are "distracting themselves with an internal dispute, while countries elsewhereare developing competitor aircraft", all with state support. "The trade dispute has the potential to tie up existing market leaders while such newcomers take market share," he adds. Ian Giles, an aviation lawyer at London-based law firm Norton Rose, who has been following the case, says the ruling represents a defeat for Airbus "but it is a long way from the end of the story". He adds: "Airbus has already said it does not believe the ruling impacts on funding plans for the A350 - Boeing clearly do not agree, and so another chapter in the dispute is likely to be played out before the WTO. As has been the case throughout this dispute, both sides are trying to portray the WTO ruling in their favour. "For Boeing, the WTO finding that the interest rates granted by the EU governments were so far below market rates as to be illegal is a positive, while for Airbus, the finding that these type of state-backed loans are not per se illegal will give them hope that they can restructure the funding with minimum disruption. Also several of the US claims as to specific measures being illegal were rejected." No one should expect a quick resolution to the dispute, he says. "The WTO ruling has to be seen as part of a wider political negotiation. The EU is not going to bow to this ruling without similar compromises from the USA, and the scope for countersuits before the WTO is far from exhausted. You get a sense of perspective on this dispute when you realise that there are still arguments before the WTO about the relevance of data from the 1960s. This still has a long way to run." Implications for KC-X and EADS's US defence prospects Boeing's political supporters in Congress - most of them from states in which the airframer or its suppliers have an industrial presence - seized on the initial findings as evidence for banning EADS (which originally partnered Northrop Grumman) from the KC-X competition, and stepped up their campaign following the report last week. Although the administration has always been careful to keep the arguments separate, pressure will mount on President Obama to opt for a solution that preserves the most American jobs at a time of high unemployment. EADS argues that the "only beneficiary of such a non-competitive action" would be Boeing. The losers, it claims, would include, the US military, the taxpayer and 48,000 Americans who would be employed building and supporting the A330-based tanker. Massive federal bail-outs and loan guarantees for US auto makers and other industries following the banking crisis - although admittedly not for aerospace - has also weakened the moral case against government subsidies. THE BACKGROUND TO THE DISPUTE Airbus and its European "home" nations - France, Germany, Spain and the UK - have always been open about the fact that the airframer's programmes have been supported by the taxpayer since the consortium began building aircraft in 1970. Created as an attempt to consolidate Europe's small national airliner manufacturing assets - most of them government-owned - into a rival for the USA's then big three, Airbus took many years to be taken seriously by Boeing. However, by the 1990s, with its A320 family selling strongly and the A330/A340 making inroads into the long-haul market, Airbus's market share was creeping up on Boeing - by that time the only other big aircraft manufacturer. A "gentleman's" agreement between Europe and the USA in 1992 - which set out ground rules for state funding of aircraft - was abandoned unilaterally by the USA in 2004 following Boeing pressure. This was just as Airbus was overtaking its rival for the first time and clocking up orders for the A380, a hugely ambitious, expensive and risky programme supported by reimbursable launch aid from European governments. After the USA pushed the WTO to investigate the subsidies, Europe in turn filed a counter case, claiming that US federal research and technology grants and funds from individual states represented illegal subsidies. The first panel hearing in the USA versus Europe case took place in March 2007, with the parallel European-initiated process kicking off that September. Airbus's case has always been that every piece of launch aid it has received has been borrowed on comparable terms to the market, and paid back to lenders with interest, arguing that investing in the company has been a lucrative investment for governments. The USA has argued that subsidies distort the market by allowing Airbus to fund riskier programmes with state guarantees against failure. Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/01/343955/who-won-at-the-wto.html

I think that the weather this year is freakish, suffering from the effects of El Nino. As everyone would know, spotting is very much weather dependant. So we just have to take our chances. After the foul weather on the Friday before our 5th anniversary session, who could have predicted the glorious afternoon of sunshine on Saturday? Other important considerations are the hostilities from the police that spotters are encountering in KUL and PEN. Next year, construction of the new LCCT in KUL will be in full swing and airport patrols may be stepped up further. It may not be possible to have a full day's spotting without being hassled by the authorities.

Boeing has always enjoyed subsidies in the form of highly priced military contracts - profits from military sales to the US and foreign governments help to fund their civil airliners (some of which also serve military purposes). Airbus does not have that kind of military business and is only starting out with its first programme, the A400M. In any case, I am sure the EU will try to drag this along until another WTO case involving Boeing is decided. In the end both companies might not get any benefit but we get more transparency instead.

If you are undecided, take a look at A.Net to check the traffic and the pix that are possible from these locations: KUL: http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=-+Kuala+Lumpur+-+Int.+(Sepang)+(KUL+/+WMKK)&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails= BKI: http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=-+Kota+Kinabalu+-+Int.+(BKI+/+WBKK)&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails= PEN: http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=-+Penang+-+Int.+(Bayan+Lepas)+(PEN+/+WMKP)&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails= KCH: http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=-+Kuching+-+Int.+(KCH+/+WBGG)&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails= BKK: http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=-+Bangkok+-+Suvarnabhumi+Int.+(BKK+/+VTBS)&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails= HKT: http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=-+Phuket+(HKT+/+VTSP)&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails= SGN: http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=-+Ho+Chi+Minh+City+(Saigon)+-+Tan+Son+Nhat+(SGN+/+VVTS)&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails= HKG: http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=-+Hong+Kong+-+Chek+Lap+Kok+Int.+(HKG+/+VHHH)&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails=

Next year it will be the Paris Air Show: FROM MONDAY 20 JUNE TO SUNDAY 26 JUNE 2011 FROM 9:30 AM TO 6 PM AT PARIS LE BOURGET http://www.paris-air-show.com/en We might be able to get cheap AirAsia X tix as they are planning to launch Paris by Valentine's Day 2011 according to TF's unofficial "announcements".

I Googled and found this - Subang Flying Club: http://www.subanghighflyers.com/Our%20Fleet.htm

I have a feeling this facility may only be accorded to pax ono AirAsia flights. MAHB are saying that the LCCT will max out its capacity by the end of this year: With the permanent LCCT still at least 18 months away from completion, MAHB may be preparing to let AirAsia flights to spill over to the MTB as an interim measure as the outgoing LCCT will no longer be viable for further expansion.

Looks like we now have the Changiwood shot - thanks Kwek! Porting this over from the SIN spotting thread: The trip to SIN was definitely worth it and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It is always good to put faces to names. Yes, we could start thinking about where the 6th anniversary can be held as KLIA might still be spotter hostile. Maybe we can try something like visit the RMAF open day (usually held in June on their anniversary) or go to somewhere that has fantastic traffic or spectacular scenery. Some food for thought...

The PEN spotting thread has been very quiet. Thanks for sharing Hon Kit - the Thai livery looks great even on a small old B734.

Despite mostly great light most of the afternoon, some arrived under cloud cover. A321's are not such a common sight in KUL. Here are a couple: The one that got away, a.k.a. Quek's revenge - this EY bird was sent to 20C, too far away for any meaningful shot:

Frankly, I cannot see arrogant MH being able to join any alliance. It keeps saying it is different and unique. So if it wants to carry on with that attitude, it should be just that - different and unique on its own. No need for any alliances.

THE Transport Ministry will work on a formula to enable both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines to develop and grow commercially. However, it stopped short of saying that it will come up with a national aviation policy. "We will only work on policy changes based on need," recently appointed Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said when asked on whether his ministry would look to develop such a policy. He was officiating at a two-day "Pillars of Aviation" conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, entitled "Bridging the Gap Between Emerging Markets". Kong said the expansion of the local aviation industry provides room for both airlines to grow. In his speech, he said the government is aware that strengthening the aviation industry is key to the development of business and commercial sectors. "Our g overnment will always proactively ensure that the aviation industry in Malaysia maintains its agility and flexibility to respond to any changing circumstances in order to continuously grow and prosper," Kong added. Meanwhile, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) senior general manager of operation services Datuk Azmi Murad told participants that it targets the current low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) to breach the 16 million passenger mark by year-end. The LCCT was extended in March 2009 to accommodate 15 million passengers a year. The new permanent LCCT, which has a design capacity of 30 million passengers annually, is due to be ready by early 2012. Azmi said with June coming to a close, MAHB saw 18.9 per cent growth in passenger volume in the first six months of the year for all 39 of its airports in Malaysia. The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) performed slightly better at 20 per cent growth compared to last year's. Azmi said the growth was largely contributed by regional legacy carriers and the low-cost airlines. MAHB is also working on enabling seamless transfers of passengers and baggage from the main terminal in KLIA and the current LCCT, and vice-versa. The move is expected to allow passengers to check in themselves and their baggage at the terminal of arrival. "We are fine-tuning things now, but should be able to start offering it by the end of the year," Azmi said. The initiative is part of MAHB's move to ease travel for some 500 passengers on average a day, who move from the main terminal and LCCT. Source: http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/pkong-2/Article/#ixzz0sD18WFOu

Now, you can say I shoot all sorts of birds...

This regular KUL visitor also comes into SIN:

Not sure why though - the vagaries of the Net I guess. It is not always 100%! Here are a couple more. This bird from BR: And another neighbour visiting:

Don't worry too much about A.Net - Uncle Norman has lots of stories about that. But you will get the hang of what they are looking for sooner or later. Important thing is to continue shooting and polishing your editing techniques and skills. Here's one for Iggy: And from our ASEAN neighbours in the Philippines comes this Cebu Pacific Airbus:

Hahaha! Don't kid yourself, KC! You are more of a grandmaster than I am because you simply rattle off more frames through your dedication! I am a lazy spotter who only chooses to go out if I can be assured of a "safe shoot", i.e. shoots that will get some results and not coming back empty handed. I can never get lucky shots. Only hardcore spotters like you can get lucky cos you make your own luck!

Yeah Hon Kit, what was I photographing?

Not as surprising as it sounds - cos MH has invested a lot in MRO facilities. If RR Trent 700 EPs are specified, it may involve a lot of other costs as well as staff retraining. This may also indicate that MH might not use the A333s for too long - they may see this as a stop gap to renew a tired old fleet pending a permanent replacement later on.

The morning light was not great. I believe that this was the plane that carried Hon Kit to SIN:

It is always nice to meet MWingers and you are no exception! One of these days, I may get off my lazy butt and join you, chaity and the others in Sepang town! Traffic was stop-start in SIN on Saturday. Its no wonder we needed some traffic control: All these expert eyes are trained on the skies: We were lucky our hurriedly recruited photographer (thank you sir, sorry we did not ask for your name) who only made one shot did a good one! The colours are wonderfully rich and warm, much like everyone who came - rich with experiences and warm with friendships.

When this big mama came in, I was not aware it had fake stuff. I thought only China had loads of these!