Australian competition watchdog clears Qantas-Emirates alliance

Qantas Airways and Emirates have welcomed a draft decision from Australia's competition watchdog that approves their proposed alliance.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a draft ruling that proposes to grant authorisation to the two airlines for their plan to coordinate passenger and freight operations across their networks.
"The ACCC considers that the alliance is likely to result in material, although not substantial, benefits to Australian consumers," says ACCC chairman Rod Sims.
However, the ACCC will require the two carriers to maintain a base level of capacity on trans-Tasman routes between Australia and New Zealand, which may be increased by a "specified growth factor" to prevent them from manipulating capacity and fares.
Qantas had previously said that it would be open to entering into a formal commitment not to reduce trans-Tasman capacity to win approval for the alliance.
The ACCC may grant only a five-year authorisation rather than the 10 years that the airlines sought in their application. It is accepting public submissions before issuing a final determination in March 2013, a month before the alliance commences.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce welcomed the announcement, noting that the airline had put a "strong case" to the authority that it would benefit travellers and Australia's tourism industry.
"We will now focus on responding to the issue raised by the ACCC in relation to the trans-Tasman as we move to securing final approval of this landmark partnership," he says.
Emirates president Tim Clark added that his carrier's customers have responded positively to the proposed announcement.
"The feedback since the Emirates and Qantas partnership was announced has been positive and reinforces what a strong match the two brands are for each other," he says.
The two airlines will implement the alliance from April 2013. Qantas will move its hub for European services from Singapore to Dubai and both carriers will enter an extensive codeshare arrangement across each others' networks.
Qantas says it has already been working with Emirates to join their respective loyalty programmes, connecting IT systems and establishing an operational base in Dubai.
Qantas and Emirates announced the proposed partnership on 6 September 2012.

ANALYSIS: Airlines keep their grip in 2012, but what's ahead in 2013?

While it has been another tough year for airlines, particularly in Europe, their overall performance has been more robust than might have been expected after Malev and Spanair became high profile financial casualties early in 2012. Overall airline profitability this year is expected to be only a little down on 2011, there is a slight easing in some of the downward pressures on the sector and the consolidation and efficiency efforts of network carriers in mature markets are making some progress.

SLOW ROAD TO PROFIT RETURNS

The first question in any forecast is usually: are things going to get any better? For airlines in 2013, as with everything else in this industry, that is going to depend on where you are sitting.
The prospects may be very different if you are a network carrier in the new-found profitable land of North America or one still gripped in Europe’s recessionary vice. Comfort levels vary in Asia, depending on whether you are an airline exploiting the region’s dynamic growth or one wrestling with air cargo stagnation. And the outlook for a big carrier with strong partnerships differs from   a small one left on the shelf.
IATA, in its latest forecast, has lifted its expectations for collective industry profits in 2013 to $8.4 billion. The vast majority of this will come from North American and Asian carriers. For others, and European carriers in particular, there is little immediate reason to be cheerful on profits.
“It is still a quite a difficult economic environment, but it’s one where the downward pressures are starting to ease,” said IATA chief economist Brian Pearce, presenting the forecast in Geneva. “I think we are past the low point. We are expecting modest improvements in profitability.

$6.7 billion
IATA's collective profits forecast for airlines in 2012

“We see slightly better world trade growth and a slight decline in oil prices. We expect to see a further expansion of passenger travel. We expect it to break the 3 billion passenger mark in 2013. Because we see the US economy starting to pick up a bit, we expect to see some moderate improvement in cargo volumes.”
Also helping the outlook is that things in 2012 appear not to have been as bad as might have been feared, especially given that oil prices remain high and economic growth weak. IATA now expects collective profits for this year to reach $6.7 billion in 2012, although this remains below the $8.8 billion recorded in 2011.
The brighter picture is built on the back of stronger traffic, improved yields and efficiency measures implemented by restructuring and consolidating airlines. Passenger yields are expected to rise 3% and traffic up by 5.3% in 2012. Although IATA sees growth moderating in 2013, it still expects global passengers numbers to reach 3.1 billion.
Read a full analysis of IATA's latest airline outlook here.

SLIM PICKINGS FOR AIR FREIGHT

An air of resignation, at best, and gloom, at worst, pervades the air cargo business at present as faint signs of a recovery are repeatedly being extinguished, writes Peter Conway.
The 3.5% year-on-year fall in IATA cargo traffic figures for October 2012 was typical, crushing hopes kindled by a 0.9% rise in September. Particularly shocking was Asia-Pacific performance, down a whopping 6.8% year on year. But airlines elsewhere had nothing much to cheer about, with North American airlines down 5.3% and European down 4.3%.
The sole bright spot was the Middle East, whose carriers continue to live in a bizarre parallel universe. They saw growth of 13.4% in October after a 14.3% growth in the nine months to September. Not all of that is due to expanding fleets – in October, these carriers lifted capacity only 8.6%.
The rest of the industry seems to have more or less written off the first half of 2013. David Shepherd, global head of sales for IAG Cargo, talks of “low expectations for the first half, crossing my fingers for the second half”. Karl Ulrich Garnadt, chairman of Lufthansa Cargo likewise says he does not expect the market to come back till later 2013.

Lufthansa Cargo

Neither can identify any geographical market that is bucking the trend. Earlier in 2012, Lufthansa at least had the consolation of relatively strong German exports, but Garnadt says these ground to a halt in September. Shepherd says he is “hopeful” of an upturn in Europe, but admits to nervousness about the USA. He says IAG was pleasantly surprised to get something of a peak season out of Asia in recent months, but admits that was probably because it had low expectations.
This is compounded by increased belly capacity from continued growth in the long-haul passenger business and the delivery of cargo-friendly aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and 777. This is making capacity management a nightmare for cargo.
Lufthansa Cargo, for example, managed to reduce its capacity by 7.9% in the first three quarters of 2012 only by cutting freighter capacity more than 10%. The German carrier is lucky in that its Boeing MD-11 freighter fleet is fully written down and can be grounded with relatively little cost. But other carriers are not so fortunate. Cathay Pacific, whose traffic was down by 2.8% in October after a 2.4% rise in September, has the unenviable task of filling 10 expensive new 747-8 Freighters.
If these trends continue in 2013, many airlines could start to seriously question if they need freighters at all. Air cargo is also haunted by other nightmares – that its rapid growth years on the back of global manufacturing off-shoring may be over; that exporters may become more sophisticated in using sea freight, reducing long-term demand for air freight.
An upturn in cargo demand, which marked the end of previous downturns, would silence such doubts. But will 2013 be the year?

MIXED PICTURE FOR ASIA

Asia-Pacific remains the most profitable region for airlines and is forecast by IATA for a small increase in profit in 2013 to $3.2 billion. But the honour of being the most profitable region is likely to be passed to the North American carriers in 2013 as stagnating cargo weighs heavy on many of its airlines.
“We’ve been through the recession. We’ve had the big rebound and Asian airlines had a good year in 2012. We have continued to do better than other others, but we are not immune,” says Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.
“A year ago there was a lack of visibility and there was anxiety. But passenger numbers have increased 7% in 2012 [so far],” he says. However, he notes that over the year the strength of demand has dropped and growth has moderated. Passenger numbers grew by less than 3% in October.
“Cargo is still very weak,” he says. Freight is down 4% for the year to date, and 6% in October. “After the bounce back, it continues to stagnate.”
While carriers in the region have kept freighter capacity in check, growing passenger traffic has brought its own challenges “It is the belly capacity that has really exaggerated the freighter capacity,” Herdman says. Yields too are weak, having a sharper impact on revenues.
“The cargo market [on its own] is probably loss-making, so they have to trim capacity and hunker down and try to get to break even. Because unlike passenger traffic, you can’t stimulate cargo traffic,” he says.

2012: A YEAR OF CHANGE

Nowhere was the scale of change in the network carrier world more apparent than in partnerships. Long-standing positions shifted as market pressures built, resulting in the break-up of traditional alliances, with airlines turning instead to unlikely allies from the Gulf and the low-cost carrier sector. Qantas was at the heart of much of this. It ended its alliance with British Airways on the Kangaroo route and embraced Emirates to help shore up its international operations. Qatar Airways’ move into Oneworld and Etihad’s tie-up with Air France-KLM further shows a new warmth to the Gulf mega-carriers.
The spread of low-cost carriers continued, notably in Asia where Japan was the latest to embrace the model. Peach, AirAsia Japan and Jetstar Japan all began operations. It continues a theme, seen in Asia, where the network airlines have linked up with the major budget brands.
After a change of the guard at the top of many airlines, 2012 was a year of few moves at the top. None of the 20 biggest airline groups changed chief executives over the year. But the leadership merry-go-round returned at Alitalia, LOT and Thai Airways this year. Gol pioneer Constantino de Oliveira Jr stepped down in June, while long-standing Virgin Atlantic boss Steve Ridgway announced his departure.
Economies have been under pressure and none more than in Europe. Most of its carriers have felt the heat, or more accurately the winter chill, that saw Malev and Spanair fall. The big network carriers are pushing through major cost cutting within their groups; while several mid-sized and smaller carriers are facing even more drastic action.
Europe was also at the heart of another big cloud over the industry as the deadlock over its inclusion of aviation in its emissions trading scheme threatened to spiral into a full-blown trade war. That threat has been lifted, at least for now, and all eyes turn to ICAO.

2013: NEW YEAR, SAME CHALLENGES

Given little likelihood of a let-up in the weak economic and high fuel price environment, for European carriers, much will depend in 2013 on how labour reacts to the various restructuring efforts. Iberia is likely to be an early flashpoint for International Airlines Group as it has set an end-of-January deadline to push through major restructuring in time to turn round the Spanish carrier’s profitability in time for the summer. The carrier is one of many in the region which needs to tackle its cost-base, particularly on short-haul flights.

American Airlines

North American profitability, aided by a sustained period of capacity discipline and consolidation in the sector, has been one of the success stories in recent years. American Airlines, the last of the US majors to enter Chapter 11 protection, has made plenty of progress in its restructuring. It has been hoping to leave Chapter 11 by March, but much still needs to be done. All eyes will be on what role, if any, US Airways will play in American’s end game.
The next year should give some indications as to whether the African market is ready to embrace the low-cost carrier model on a wider basis after the high profile arrival of Fastjet late in 2012.
IATA’s new touchy-feely approach came off the rails a little when its new distribution capability initiative prompted anger from parts of the travel agent and global distribution systems community. The move, though, underlines airlines’ determination to tackle distribution issues.
Airlines have become pretty used to having to deal with external shocks since the turn of the century. Second guessing these is pretty difficult, but all eyes are certain to be on geopolitical developments, particularly around Iran. Any escalations of tensions would not only impact air travel demand, but hopes of an easing in high oil prices. Neither has the debt problem gone away as North America still peers over a fiscal cliff and Europe has little sign of a return to growth.

ANALYST VIEW: JAMIE BAKER ON US SECTOR

Airlines in the USA enter 2013 with considerable momentum. Cost structures across various operators have significantly converged. Passengers are growing increasingly accustomed to ancillary fees, which are highly lucrative for the industry. Consolidation has afforded many benefits, one of which is the inherent improvement in pricing power associated with hub closures.
Managements are finally acting as such, truly managing the industry in a manner that provides a modest return on the capital that they have been entrusted with. More market share is concentrated in the hands of the top four operators than ever before, along with higher fuel prices acting as a disincentive for new entrants. The industry has produced three consecutive years of solid profitability, the longest profit stretch since the late 1990s and the streak should continue in 2013. If it feels like things are different this time, that is because they are – they are better.
Turning towards 2013, most challenges facing management are little different from 2012. Labour cost escalation is one such challenge, although consolidation provides sufficient value for distribution between both employees and stakeholders alike. Managements logically need to be ready for any unexpected shocks, such as a disconnect between economic output and oil prices, but maintaining flexibility and ensuring adequate liquidity is what they are paid to do.
Managements obviously need to resist any temptation to squander surplus cash on unnecessary, new aircraft. These are far from insurmountable challenges. So where is the greatest challenge? The greatest task facing US airline executive teams in 2013 is providing improved returns to stakeholders. Equity performance has been, for the most part, pitiful. Analysts and managements may profess that things are different this time, but the equity market is not buying it. Valuations are at or near generational lows. A significant chasm remains between the strength of the fundamental story and the weakness of the equity story. Managements have to identify ways in which capital providers are rewarded with better returns. Share buybacks and dividend policies are two such strategies, and may indeed become increasingly common threads in the industry fabric, as 2013 wears on.
Jamie Baker is a New York-based airlines equity analyst with JP Morgan

ANALYST VIEW: PETER MORRIS ON 2013 CHALLENGES

I was reminded the other day of the joke about two hunters pursued by an angry bear. The older hunter, ever critical, comments: “You don’t seem to be running very fast?” to his younger sidekick. “Ah, but I really only need to run faster than you,” is his mournful reply. The event that reminded me of this was the surge in EasyJet’s and Emirates’ profit results revealed in the third quarter of 2012.
As the airline industry is pursued yet again by numerous “bears” representing the economy – ageing fleet, high fuel prices, established staff costs, government taxation – and not a few other grizzly events, the key to airline profit growth is actually making sure you are one step ahead of the competition.
For decades, the convergence in aircraft types and performance, similar bilateral operating models, low fuel prices, common industry practices and in some cases, blind passenger brand loyalty, have made it difficult for any individual airline to run faster and gain a reward from doing so. This is increasingly not the case. As we look to 2013, which still looks set to produce net traffic growth against an uncertain global economy, the quest for short-term competitive advantage is becoming an imperative of long-term survival.
In terms of aircraft, a diversity of current and future aircraft types beckons as never before. The cost difference between “new” and “old” matters very much indeed, with net advantages ranging from fuel cost per seat to lower maintenance costs, and on to higher brand value.
Low-cost Middle East and Chinese airlines, which concluded highly advantageous deals in the last decade for new and future aircraft, will certainly achieve increasing net cost advantages against their European and US peers.
The brand war may already be lost if we look at indicators such as the passenger quality surveys among long-haul airlines, which feature the Middle East’s “Big three” and some top Asian carriers. As one business traveller puts it in the recent Flightglobal Ascend Corporate Travel Survey – “better price, better product, what is not to like?”
So will 2013 see a market recovery by the more venerable legacy airlines, particularly in the USA and Europe? It seems unlikely, given that they appear preoccupied just with the challenge of getting their own houses in order, let alone taking on more competitors in diverse markets. Most of all, the fiscal tightrope that many of them are walking on simply does not allow for an aggressive response in product, service or pricing. For some, the alliance created in 2012 by Qantas and Emirates can be seen as a crucial watershed moment, when the bell tolled for the old order. Another indicator in the wind was the profitability of EasyJet against the tough European short-haul market environment that has already challenged British Airways/Iberia, Air France and Lufthansa, and written off Malev and Spanair.
Some hope is placed in the development of regional offshoots and low-cost subsidiaries, but while these options appear to be used on the “widows and orphans” routes, low-cost carrier competition continues to step up pressure on the major connecting services. It is difficult to envision equilibrium in this scenario, with the low-cost carrier continually driving down costs, expanding flexible networks, while the European network carriers face an internal war of attrition on costs, only some of which they can control.
So what is the long-term survival strategy? I would advocate that pursuing real global diversity of cost base, network and market will provide the only way to put some distance on the older hunters.
Peter Morris is chief economist at Flightglobal consultancy Ascend

ANALYST VIEW: ANDREW SENTANCE ON THE NEW NORMAL

As the major western economies emerge from the turmoil of the global financial crisis, we find ourselves in a strange and uncertain world.
Growth rates are disappointing, relative to those before 2007. In the UK, for example, economic growth averaged at 3% per annum from 1982 until 2007, more than doubling the size of the economy in 25 years. But since 2009, UK economic growth has averaged little more than 1% per annum.
Other major western economies are also struggling. From 2011 to 2013 inclusive, US economic growth is set to average just 2% and the euro area is projected to grow by less than 1% per annum. By contrast, emerging and developing economies are performing better. Growth may have slowed in some of the emerging superpowers like China and India, but the International Monetary Fund still predicts growth of up to 6% in the emerging and developing world this year and next.Strong growth outside the West is pushing up energy and commodity prices, there is relatively high inflation and volatility in financial markets is continuing to add to uncertainty about economic prospects and access to finance. These are all features of a “new normal” economy that reflects three big changes in the economic environment from before the financial crisis.

6%
IMF projection for emerging econies GDP growth

The first change is in the financial system. From the 1980s until 2007, western economies enjoyed an era of easy money. A liberalised global financial system provided consumers and businesses with relatively easy access to finance, and allowed a build-up of debt. Now, banks are more cautious and their reluctance to lend is reinforced by new regulatory requirements.
The second change is affecting the cost of imports. From the mid-1980s – when oil prices fell sharply – until the mid-2000s, Western consumers benefited from cheap imports from the rest of the world. However, as these large emerging market economies have developed, the tables have turned. Strong growth in the emerging world is exerting more inflationary pressure in the world economy. The era of cheap imports has been eroded by successive waves of energy and commodity inflation since the mid-2000s.
A third change since 2007 has been the ability of governments and central banks to underpin confidence in the private sector. Before the financial crisis, they appeared to be able to support growth, contain inflation and maintain orderly financial conditions. This confidence has been dented by the financial crisis.
Three tailwinds that supported growth for more than two decades before the financial crisis – easy money, cheap imports and strong confidence – are no longer available to support growth in Western economies. So what does this mean for airlines and airports? Growth is likely to be relatively weak in the mature aviation markets of the USA and Europe and the major engine of growth will be the dynamism of Asia and other emerging markets. This is already evident in IATA global traffic data for the year.
Long-haul air travel is also likely to benefit from this shift in the centre of gravity of the global economy. As Western businesses seek out opportunities in Asia and other emerging markets, new business travel flows are likely to develop. Trade between the EU and China, for example, has doubled since 2003 – and flows of international trade and investment are major drivers of long-haul air travel for business purposes. Airlines and airports need to reposition themselves to take advantage of these growth opportunities.
Air travel is also sensitive to fluctuations in GDP and financial shocks, evident by the global financial crisis and after 9/11. The slim operating margins and high proportion of fixed costs in the sector mean fluctuations in demand can create large swings in profitability and cashflow. 
These vulnerabilities are exacerbated by the lags in the investment cycle. There are many examples of airlines and airports which have found that investments planned in the upswing of the cycle come on stream just as demand is turning down. This creates a double blow for profitability and cashflow.
There is no simple strategy for managing these vulnerabilities – but there are lessons from past experiences on managing the risk. First, ensure capacity expansion is gradual, reducing the risk of having to fill large numbers of new aircraft, or a large airport expansion, in weak demand conditions. Second, spread risk among suppliers and business partners by ensuring contract conditions can be varied in the event of a fall in demand. And, third, try to ensure a diversification of revenue in a range of geographies and market sectors. Economic and financial shocks normally have a regional or sector-specific component.
major surge
Airlines and airports also need to adjust to a new era of high and volatile energy and commodity prices, particularly oil. When I joined British Airways in 1998, the norm was a $15-20/barrel oil price. Now, it can move by $15-20/barrel in a few weeks and the norm is $100-120/barrel. This is not a temporary phase. Since the mid-2000s, every time the emerging world and the major western economies have both been growing healthily, we have seen a major surge in oil prices.
The IMF’s baseline scenario for the oil market is for a rise to $200/barrel by 2020. And if the global economy picks up again from the recent weakness associated with the euro crisis, we could see a renewed surge towards $150/barrel in 2013 or 2014.
Andrew Sentance is senior economic advisor for consultancy PwC. He was formerly chief economist with British Airways

IN FOCUS: IATA's New Distribution Capability causes friction in airline distribution

Distribution is one of the many topics airline boardrooms are debating around the globe, and IATA has been on the case for some time. This year it launched what it thinks is the answer - the New Distribution Capability (NDC).
Work had been ongoing behind the scenes for a year or so, before the NDC was formally launched at the IATA World Passenger Symposium in October. Pilot airlines for the scheme are scheduled to be announced in early 2013.
"The NDC will enable airlines to offer more options to customers and to reach them seamlessly across all distribution channels," IATA says. "Airlines will be able to recognise these customers and therefore provide tailored offerings, as they already can for those customers who go directly to airline websites."
The NDC will use open XML standards, which means that airlines can present their product to third party distributors in a more efficient, accessible and open way than is currently possible, according to IATA.
Aleks Popovich, IATA's senior vice-president of industry and financial services, says: "NDC is about growing the revenues for airlines," he says. "It is not about reducing the costs of distribution.
"At its own website, the airline is in control of its own content. The challenge the industry faces is to extend this control across agency and other third-party channels. The basic goal of NDC is to open up merchandising to apply across all distribution channels."
GETTING PERSONAL
IATA's relationship with global distribution system providers (GDSs) has been lukewarm at times, and many industry participants initially saw the NDC as a GDS bypass. However, Popovich insists that this is not the case: "We are aware that the GDSs are working hard to improve their merchandising products, but there are real limits as to what they can achieve. The GDSs have been designed for pricing and selling classes. They are not designed for the richer dialogue that is now commonplace in the industry and what travellers expect."
Nonetheless, the GDSs are concerned about NDC. Shelly Terry, vice-president of airline merchandising for Sabre Travel Network, is arguably the most vociferous in her concerns about NDC. "We have been involved with IATA on NDC since the outset. Our observations are based on a detailed analysis of everything IATA has said, and put simply, we don't see how it would work without sacrificing fare transparency, limiting comparison shopping and compromising data privacy rights."
Terry's biggest concern is in response to IATA's comments about the personalisation of offers: "Why do you need to tell an airline your marital status, what nationality you are, your purchase history, before they give you a price? This really does start to cross the line."
Amadeus is also concerned about personalisation, but from a different angle. Its group communications director, Stuart Brocklehurst, refers to the concept above as "total polling". He says: "If you are going to have to interpret data on every individual customer, there must be a reference back to the airlines' systems and one of the concerns we have is that there will be vast increase in hits and traffic onto the airlines' websites. It could impact smaller airlines harder as they might not have the infrastructure in place to take the additional traffic to their website."
The complexity of distribution, as well as the contradictions with NDC, become evident at this point. Amadeus and other technology providers that host airline websites will presumably see providing the additional IT capacity needed for NDC as a business opportunity.
IATA, while not referring specifically to Sabre's concerns above, insists that the regulatory and legal issues surrounding NDC, although difficult, are still manageable. "Whenever there is a big change in an industry, there needs to be a collaborative approach to tackle the technical and business adoption issues. But we also need to make sure that the facts are shared with the government, and the over-riding message we will deliver is that this is pro-consumer. To do this, we need a single voice for the industry which includes airlines, corporate buyers, travel agents," it says.
Corporate travel is still an important source of income for many airlines, says Tony Berry, director of industry and fare distribution for HRG - one of the big four global travel management companies that have been part of the preparatory discussions. "From an HRG perspective, we welcome this," he says. "IATA has taken on the responsibility to deliver global standards and airline members see it as an opportunity to clarify the future of distribution."
HRG is still proud of its roots as a business travel agency, but also sees itself as a technology provider in its own right. "We have around 300 developers working for us, so the possibilities of introducing NDC into a mature booking process are exciting," says Berry.
HRG works directly with big multinationals, and Berry says clients are increasingly after detailed management information about travellers' habits and patterns. A recurring challenge for both parties is capturing details of spending at all stages of the trip. "Some airlines sell ancillaries at the point of sale, while others are more interested in downstream sales," he says.
"From a TMC [travel management company] perspective, NDC looks like it will bring all ancillary sales into the time of purchase and the TMC can therefore make sure the ancillaries fit into company policy. The TMC therefore becomes a more efficient gatekeeper."
Another part of the project to be resolved is cost to IATA members and the cost to third parties wishing to use the IATA advance passenger information (API) to sell content on behalf of airlines. The finer details are still being worked out, but official statements indicate that "the costs will vary from one pilot to the other and depend upon each carrier's existing solution and there will be no cost to companies who do not wish to participate in NDC."
INTEGRATION NEEDED
Some travel technology specialists wonder about the economics of developing a new set of standards. Brannon Winn, chief commercial officer of airfare search specialist Vayant, says: "What IATA is trying to do is put the content in a central place. It's been talked about before but no-one has agreed what that central space will be. IATA has stepped forward and made that decision for the industry, but the industry also includes the aggregators, third parties, tech companies who need to have access to the NDC data and have the ability to integrate it into existing products."
He was interested to hear more about the project, in particular the pricing element of what IATA appeared to be proposing. Vayant currently buys in prices from ATPCO and the GDSs "at a significant cost" to integrate fares into its shopping tool. "IATA is not a pricing engine," he says, and "I don't think it could do it on its own. There's a huge investment involved. ITA Software has spent a decade on it, we've spent five years, GDSs 20 years and more. IATA would need a partner."
Popovich insists that "generating revenue for IATA from this is not an objective", adding that "the business case for NDC is driven by the business case for the industry and the benefits it can deliver. With electronic miscellaneous document (EMD) and e-ticketing, IATA lost revenues, but this was over-ridden because of the obvious advantage to the industry.
Earlier this year, IATA identified "reducing IATA's service fees and charges to members by $6 million" as one of its 2012 priorities. Popovich says: "We understand that airlines are going through a tough time so there is no reason why we shouldn't too. The $6 million reduction comes through making our existing services more efficient, by keeping a grip on internal costs and by looking for additional sources of revenues. It is a separate issue from NDC."
NDC is not the only distribution issue at the moment; changes are afoot in other channels. Another third party distribution for airlines is tour operators. Europe's big two, Thomas Cook and TUI, are significant airlines in their own right. Thomas Cook's financial difficulties have been widely reported and it recently appointed Christoph Debus as head of airline strategy. Debus is tasked with looking not only at Thomas Cook's own airlines, but also its "purchasing of third party capacity in the tour operator and scheduled businesses."
The third-party capacity is relevant for airlines. Earlier this year, Thomas Cook announced a deal with EasyJet, paying up front for a number of seats - believed to be 80,000 - for its summer 2013 schedule. Although it only represents 3% of Thomas Cook UK's summer capacity, it could be a sign of things to come.
So much so that Thomas Cook's recently appointed chief executive Harriet Green confirmed: "When we think about filling demand, we look at the long queue of low-cost carriers and other airlines interested in our 23 million passengers a year. The EasyJet deal is us testing the water, at no huge impact, and it is likely to be a pilot which will be built upon."
Debus adds some colour to the EasyJet deal. Thomas Cook will use EasyJet not only to help it operate existing routes more effectively but also for incremental traffic. "We've taken a small allotment of seats on certain routes, particularly from regional airports where we cannot operate our own aircraft profitably. So EasyJet will replace in-house flying on some existing routes, but also operate new routes from airports where we have a presence."
Green is also looking with fresh eyes at the airline side of Thomas Cook. "One of the first big pieces of work we did was look at how much air capacity there is out there with other carriers." Her argument is that if Thomas Cook can operate a tour operator business more profitably by buying in seats on another carrier instead of operating its own fleet, it will.
Debus declines to comment on NDC, but says he is aware that GDS is an important distribution channel for Thomas Cook airline Condor.
BEST OF WORLDS
Expedia is another well known brand that gives airlines another option for distribution. Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) is a standalone unit of Expedia that provides partners, including airlines, with an API to connect to and sell Expedia negotiated inventory. EAN gives airlines the chance to become tour operators without a financial commitment to hotels.
Chris Wallis, EAN's director of partnerships for EMEA, says that EAN has a best-of-both-worlds relationship with its parent company. "The quality of the inventory and the rates we offer is better than the GDSs because we have Expedia behind us." But maybe more relevant is the "detailed knowledge of retailing science. It's not just about the tools and rates, it's the science behind how the product is best displayed in order to convert.
Barry Landes, airline partnership director for EAN North America, adds that airlines could capture loyalty from the hotels via offers and incentives. "We saw one client get an 80% hike in conversion rate when we offered bonus miles for travellers who booked a hotel at the same time as buying their seat."
Fuel, staff, maintenance are bigger costs for airlines than distribution, but do not generate revenues as such. One problem identified by Sabre about NDC is ironically, "that is just about distribution". Terry explains: "NDC doesn't appear to have any connection with how the airlines deliver to the traveller what they have sold. And there doesn't seem to be any mention in the NDC about disruption management and other operational concerns."
The word collaboration has been emphasised in NDC discussions between stakeholders. But Terry signs off with the observation: "Yes, we have collaborated, in that we have participated and been part of the discussions. But just because we collaborated doesn't mean that we agree with it."
However, IATA strongly disputes this characterisation, saying that travellers will have a choice: “Providing personal details is optional but by no means mandatory. Yet it will enable the airline to personalise the offer,” says the association.
The launch by IATA of its New Distribution Capability to improve airline product merchandising has set the cat among the pigeons, as GDSs voice concerns over privacy rights, systems integration and third-party costs.

PICTURE: Afriqiyah Airways unveils new livery

Libyan flag carrier Afriqiyah Airways unveiled its new livery at an event in the Rixos Al Nasr Hotel, Tripoli on 19 December.
The new design features a white fuselage and black tailfin adorned with three blue stripes, representing the neck markings of the Turtle Dove.

A migratory bird distributed across Europe, North Africa and Asia, the Turtle Dove is regarded as a universal symbol for love and devotion.
Afriqiyah's former livery carried the 9.9.99 logo on its tailfin, referencing the date of the Sirte Declaration that established the African Union.
Although excluded from EU airspace under a voluntary ban, the airline hopes to resume European services in January 2013. It will initially target direct flights to Paris, Rome, London and Manchester.
The flag carrier already flies to London Gatwick airport with an Airbus A320 (MSN 741) wet leased from Air Moldova.

United to concentrate 747s at San Francisco

United Airlines will base the majority of its Boeing 747-400 fleet at its San Francisco hub from April 2013, as it focuses on improving the reliability of the fleet.
The Chicago-based Star Alliance member says that the concentration of spare parts and tooling at the airport will allow it to reduce maintenance issues ahead of the summer 2013 travel season, in an employee newsletter on 19 December.
"These changes will allow us to more effectively utilise aircraft downtime, and we have full inventory support through the maintenance base warehouse and support shops," says Chris Carrick, SFO line maintenance managing director at United, in the newsletter.
United will replace 747s with Boeing 777-200s on its Chicago O'Hare to Tokyo Narita flight from 3 January 2013, and its Chicago-Hong Kong-Singapore flight from March 2013, it says.
The airline will upgrade flights between San Francisco and Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Osaka Kansai, and Taipei to 747s from 777s as a result of the shift. It will also upgrade flights between Honolulu and Tokyo Narita to a 747 from a 777.
United will continue to use 747-400s on flights between Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia.
"These moves, along with other fleeting changes, give us the ability to focus resources where they can do more to support reliability across all of our fleets," says Barry Beacher, line maintenance planning managing director, at United in the newsletter. He adds that resources at O'Hare will focus on Boeing 767 and 777 checks.
Even with the changes, United's international capacity will decrease at both San Francisco and Chicago in June 2013 compared to a year earlier. According to Innovata FlightMaps Analytics, available seat kilometres (ASKs) at San Francisco will decline by 2.6% to 1,465 million during the period while capacity at Chicago will fall by 22.3% to 1,057 million.
The declines come even as the airline adds flights between San Francisco and both Paris Charles de Gaulle and Taipei, and between Chicago O'Hare and Monterrey (Mexico), Nassau (Bahamas), Shannon (Ireland), Thunder Bay (Canada).
United chairman and chief executive Jeff Smisek said in September that it plans to cut capacity by about 1% in 2013.
The carrier has 26 747-400s with an average age of 17 years in its fleet, according to Flightglobal's Ascend Online database.

Germanwings receives first A319 in new colours

Germanwings has received the first aircraft, an Airbus A319, in the airline's new livery.
The low-cost subsidiary of Lufthansa revealed the rebrand on 6 December when it detailed next year's takeover of large parts of its parent company's European network.

Germanwings

From 1 July, Germanwings will gradually operate all of Lufthansa's European flights outside the its main hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.
In addition to its existing 32 A319s, Germanwings will acquire 29 A319s and A320s from Lufthansa's mainline fleet and manage the operation of 23 Bombardier CRJ 900s of regional group carrier Eurowings.
All Airbus aircraft are to be gradually re-configured to the low-cost carrier's cabin layout and repainted over a two-year transition period.

Dubai International set to handle 66m passengers in 2013

Dubai International operator Dubai Airports predicts the rapidly growing hub airport will handle 66 million passengers in 2013, compared with a forecast total of 56.5 million for this year.
Dubai Airports says passenger throughput hit just over 4.87 million in November 2012, marking a 10% increase compared with the same month a year earlier. The airport - which serves as the home base for Emirates Airline - has posted double-digit growth in passenger numbers in all but two months of the year so far.
"We are all set to surpass our target of 56.5 million passengers [for 2012] by a margin, taking us closer to operating Dubai International at full capacity," says Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
"It is no coincidence that Concourse A, the Airbus A380 facility that underwent operational readiness trials recently, will open in early 2013 providing much needed capacity," he adds.
Concourse A is part of the Terminal 3 complex which will increase Dubai International's annual passenger capacity from 60 million to 75 million.
Year-to-date traffic for November was 52.4 million compared with 46.3 million for the same period last year, representing an increase of 13.1%.
Aircraft movements in November increased by 2.3%, to 29,700, while year-to-date movements were up 5.6% to 313,000.
Dubai International handled 200,060t of cargo in November, an increase of 4.4% compared with the same month in 2011.


flightglobal.com

Sriwijaya adds Jakarta-Papua flights

Privately owned Sriwijaya Air is expanding its flight services to Papua in a bid to tap into growing flight demand in eastern Indonesia, an executive said on Tuesday.

Senior corporate communications manager Agus Soedjono said that starting Dec. 22, the airline would increase the frequency of its Jakarta–Jayapura, Jakarta–Biak and Jakarta–Manokwari routes.

The airline would provide three flights per day for the Jakarta–Jayapura route, which currently flies once a day.

For the Jakarta–Biak and Jakarta–Manokwari services, Sriwijaya would increase flight frequency to seven and 10 flights per week, respectively.

Today, the airline flies to Biak and Manokwari three and seven times a week, respectively.

“The Eastern Indonesia [aviation] market is growing and is promising because demand has increased since when we first launched our services to Papua in May [2012],” Agus said.

“With the additional flights we are providing, we are not just accommodating people traveling to and from Papua, but we are also helping the regional economy in Papua grow.”

He said that the delivery of 17 units of Boeing B737-800 Next Generation (NG) and B737-500 aircraft, which started in September this year, have enabled the firm to gradually increase flights on their existing routes.

In addition, the new aircraft were used to phase out the carrier’s aging B737-200s, he said.

“We have phased out all of our B737-200 aircraft. So, by the end of this year, we are going to operate 38 new aircraft,” he said.

Next year, Sriwijaya also plans to launch a subsidiary that will operate a full service airline, Nam Air, using Brazilian-made aircraft Embraer E190 jets.

The firm is currently processing Nam Air’s flight permit (SIUAU) at the Transportation Ministry’s air transportation directorate general.

Moreover, he said that Sriwijaya has committed to provide 11,100 extra seats during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays to anticipate a surging demand from travelers.

The extra seats on several routes include Jakarta–Denpasar, Jakarta–Singapore, Makassar–Tarakan and Semarang–Pontianak.

“ The [extra] seats are available for 20 days, from Dec. 17, 2012 to Jan. 5, 2013,” he said.

As the airline is providing additional seats for Makassar–Tarakan and Semarang–Pontianak routes, he said that the firm planned to open direct flights in the near future for both routes. Currently, the airline connects Makassar and Tarakan via Balikpapan, and Semarang and Pontianak via Jakarta.

He said that the company would be ready to add more seats if demand increased during the peak season.

Earlier, national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and the country’s largest low-cost airline, Lion Air,
announced that they would also provide extra seats this month.

Garuda and Lion plan to provide 11,000 and 30,000 additional seats, respectively, from Dec. 22, 2012 to Jan. 10, 2013.

Airlines add extra flights to Ngurah Rai Airport

Ngurah Rai Airport operator Perum Angkasa Pura (PAP) I has received requests from various airlines to add flights to the resort island during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays in anticipation of a passenger surge.

PAP I Ngurah Rai general manager Purwanto said that flag carrier Garuda had proposed for six extra flights, four additional flights from Merpati and two extra flights from Lion Air, all for domestic routes.

He predicted that a 30 percent passenger surge would occur during the Christmas and New Year holidays.


the jakarta post

Garuda opens new routes from Surabaya

National flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia launched two new routes on Friday, connecting Surabaya in East Java with Ampenan (Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara), as well as Surabaya with Semarang in Central Java.

Using Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen airplanes with a capacity of 96 passengers, the national flag carrier will fly once a day respectively.

"The number of air passengers traveling from Surabaya to Ampenan increased by 16.2 percent this year compared to last year. It is a promising route,” Garuda Indonesia marketing director Elisa Lumbantoruan said on Friday.

With the new routes, passengers from Semarang will not have to transit in Jakarta to fly to overseas destinations.

Major airlines nurturing units to tap growth

Indonesia’s aviation industry is gearing up for an aggressive expansion next year to tap the increasing number of domestic and international passengers as the country’s economic growth is forecast to be among the world’s highest.

The Transportation Ministry has projected a 15 percent growth in air travel next year, or around 167 million passengers. The figure includes those carried by international airlines and operators of frontier routes.

“Our aviation sector is going to enjoy rapid growth next year, triggering expansion by the airline industry. Although it will result in fiercer competition among operators, it will have a positive impact on customers, the industry and the economy in general,” said the Transportation Ministry’s air transportation director general, Herry Bhakti Gumay.

Herry said the rapidly expanding airline sector would provide competitive airfares to customers and encourage airlines to continue to improve their businesses. “We have seen healthy competition and I believe this will remain so as the pie is getting bigger for everyone to enjoy,” he said, adding that greater air accessibility would help accelerate economic development, particularly at the regional level.

As the big boys in the country’s airline industry will remain occupied with adding capacity by operating new aircraft and opening up more routes, the industry is expected to become more vibrant with the arrival of new players in the full-service segment.

“All of the new domestic airlines are going to enter the full-service market. Air passengers who seek comfort during flights will have more options,” said Djoko Murjatmodjo, also an air transportation director in the ministry. State-run Garuda Indonesia is currently the leader in the full-service segment.

As the economy is expected to grow by 6.8 percent next year, consumers are expected to have greater purchasing power and thus wish to enjoy premium services.

Batik Air, the full-service unit of Lion Air, plans to launch its maiden flight in May, operating 10 Boeing 737-900 Extended Range (ER) planes. According to its flight permit (SIUAU), Batik has secured approval to fly on as many as 66 domestic and 20 international routes.

In the third or fourth quarter of next year, Nam Air, Kartika Airlines and Jatayu Air are also expected to tap the booming market.

Nam Air is the subsidiary of privately owned Sriwijaya Air, the third-largest domestic airline after Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia. The new full-service carrier is set to fly with 20 Brazilian-made Embraer 190s to serve airports with shorter runways.

Kartika Airlines and Jatayu Air will operate Russian made Sukhoi Superjet 100s and 737s, respectively, according to the Transportation Ministry. Kartika Airlines’ commercial director Aditya Wardhana, said the airline would start commercial flights with two of 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100s. “We expect to start the operation with two aircraft. We plan to operate 10 Sukhois by May 2014 to serve medium-haul domestic routes,” Aditya said.

He said that the Sukhoi sub-100 jets would operate from Makassar, South Sulawesi, and Surabaya,
East Java.

Lion Air, which provides a low-cost service and controls 40 percent of domestic passenger traffic, will pour most of its resources next year into helping out its new units. Lion will receive 36 new aircraft: 30 737-900 ERs with seating capacity of 189 in a single-class layout or 177 seats in two classes, and six ATR-72s, a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional airliner built by French-Italian manufacturer ATR.

Lion Air general affairs director Edward Sirait said the new aircraft were not only aimed at supporting the expansion of its feeder Wings Air, but also the operation of its new airlines Batik and Malindo Airways, the latter a joint venture with Malaysia’s National Aerospace and Defense Industries.

Edward said parent company Lion Air and Wings Air would only add six 737-900 ER and four ATR-72 aircraft to their operations in 2013, giving the largest share to the new carriers. “We are not adding many new aircraft [to Lion and Wings] because we are focusing on expanding Batik and Malindo,” he said. Malindo will operate 12 737-900 ER and two ATR-72 aircraft in March.

Meanwhile Garuda Indonesia, which handles around 20 percent of the domestic traffic, has also eyed expanding the operation of its low-cost unit Citilink next year.

“We are going to receive 10 new Airbus A320s and a delivery of between six to eight turboprop planes throughout 2013 as well. The aircraft will be operated by Citilink,” said Garuda president director Emirsyah Satar, adding that the company was currently studying the Bombardier Q400s and ATR-72 planes for the turboprop market and expected to announce the final results before the end of 2012.

With the new aircraft, Citilink is slated to operate 30 A320s to strengthen its domestic routes and eight small aircraft to cater to the short-haul market next year.

the jakarta post

Garuda to develop eastern market from Surabaya hub

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is tapping into the short-range, high-density route market by operating its fifth Canadian-made Bombardier aircraft to connect East Java’s capital Surabaya with Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara and Central Java’s capital Semarang.

Lombok is targeted for its emerging tourism and Semarang for its vibrant business activities.

In the first stage, the airline has committed to providing a flight per day on each route, which commenced on Dec. 22 to help facilitate year-end holiday travelers.

“The market for both routes is very promising as the demand continues to grow particularly from business travelers and tourists. These routes will help more people to travel between Surabaya, Semarang and Lombok,” said Garuda vice president for corporate communications Pujobroto recently.

He said the new routes would provide more efficient trips for passengers as they did not have to make unnecessary transits in Jakarta or Denpasar, Bali, for the Semarang–Surabaya and Surabaya–Lombok routes, respectively.

“Both routes will also benefit the passengers because as a hub, Surabaya links Indonesia’s major cities in eastern areas such as Makassar [South Sulawesi] and Balikpapan [East Kalimantan],” he said.

As of today, five units of Bombardier sub-100 jets operated by Garuda are serving 26 destinations in the eastern part of Indonesia, helping regional economies to grow.

Makassar-Denpasar, Makassar–Gorontalo, Makassar–Ternate, and Balikpapan–Tarakan are among the routes served by the jets, according to Pujobroto.

“Based on the company’s Quantum Leap program, we are going to take delivery of seven more Bombardier aircraft next year. They will further strengthen Garuda’s domestic network,” he added.

The new Bombardier will operate from the airline’s bases in Makassar, Balikpapan and Surabaya, opening more connections to regional cities such as Biak in West Papua, Ambon in Maluku, Manado in North Sulawesi, Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, and Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara.

By the end of 2015, the airline is set to operate 18 Bombardier aircraft.

In February this year, the airline signed a contract to purchase 18 Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen planes at the Singapore Air Show with an option to buy another 18.

The aircraft took its maiden flight in Indonesia in October from Garuda’s hub in Makassar.

Garuda president director Emirsyah Satar said the operation of the aircraft was also aimed at supporting the government’s Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia’s Economic Growth (MP3EI), particularly in the Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua Economic Corridors.

The environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient sub-100 aircraft are also compatible for airports in eastern areas that have shorter runways.

Currently, the airline is studying both the turboprop Bombardier Q400 and ATR-72 aircraft that they plan to operate next year to expand their business to remote areas.

Throughout the year, Garuda accepted 20 new aircraft, four Boeing 737-800s Next Generation, two Airbus A330-200s and nine A320s for its strategic business unit Citilink Indonesia, and five Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGens.

By the end of 2012, the airline will operate 105 aircraft with an average fleet age of 5.8 years.

GEnx-1Bs Burn Two Percent Less Fuel Than Rivals In Early 787 Operations, Claims GE

Operators of Boeing 787s powered by the latest-standard GEnx-1Bs are promised real fuel savings over similar aircraft with competing engines, according to engine maker General Electric. The powerplants also will be more durable and remain “on wing” longer if equipped with two performance improvement packages: PIPs I and II.

The latter is scheduled for certification at the end of this year, with PIP I–which was primarily driven by a requirement to improve fuel consumption–having received U.S. Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness approval last month. The two-stage enhancement aims to ensure that the engines meet Boeing’s original fuel-burn specification, while also offering higher thrust that will support growth in aircraft weights, perhaps including the 787-10X being mulled by Boeing.
The latest PIP II development adds various fan, booster, compressor and combustor changes to the low-pressure turbine (LPT) improvement covered by PIP I, which represents the current build standard. Together, the two packages could provide customers with a claimed “two-percent fuel advantage over our competitor,” said GE Aviation GEnx program general manager Chuck Nugent. The U.S. manufacturer believes there will be “an additional one-percent advantage from [better] performance retention” than its British rival. “That is our big news,” GE told AIN.
By mid-June the eight GEnx-1Bs flying with Japan Airlines had accrued 4,500 hours in about 1,000 flights since services began on April 22. Overall, the engines, including -2Bs powering Boeing 747-8s, have logged about 115,000 hours during 25,000 flights, representing a rate of use about three times that of the GE90-115 when it entered service on the Boeing 777, according to Nugent.
He said the production ramp-up is two to three times that of GE’s previous engines for widebody airliners, reflecting the company’s investment in capacity. The U.S.-based manufacturer has suppliers in 15 countries and in 16 U.S. states.
As the GEnx fleet begins to grow, Nugent said preparations for series production had gone well, meeting or exceeding requirements. This year GE expects to deliver at least 150 examples, 50 percent more than in 2011, and more than 200 next year. Production is likely to reach around 300 units per year in 2014 and 2015 and to stabilize at that rate as the manufacturer addresses orders from 45 customers currently covering some 1,300 engines.
In addition, there are about 250 more 787s for which engine selection remains to be announced. Nugent did not expect to see any “significant” orders announced here at the show this week, but predicts “a lot more” in the coming year. As the production ramp-up continues, GE expects to be very busy in the coming six months as it prepares for the delivery of GEnx-powered 787s to Air India, China Southern, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways and United Airlines.
In a six-year development program, GE has tested more than 50 GEnx engines, logging 38,000 ground and flight cycles and accumulating 43,000 hours engine-running experience. Another 26,000 cycles will form part of an aggressive maturation program by the end of 2014 to anticipate issues or repair requirements before customers suffer them.
Nugent maintained that there is nothing unusual or untoward about the introduction of two performance packages within a year of GEnx entering service, saying that additional improvements often appear only after an original configuration has been established. “You always learn from tests and the entry-into-service process, and [because of the extended 787 development period] we had a larger ‘window’ in which to identify [changes],” he explained.
A major contribution to the improved GEnx-1B fuel performance arising from implementation of PIP I, introduced on the first 787-8 in late March, has come from LPT changes, which have increased the number of titanium-aluminum blades in the seven-stage turbine.
“The original engine design had about 30 percent fewer LPT blades than the GE90 engine, but we discovered during testing that we were not getting the desired performance,” said Nugent. “So [we put] about 20 percent of the blades back in, which helped performance.”
Three-dimensional changes to the blades also have improved efficiency. Other factors include optimization of the engine’s turbine blade-tip clearance-control system, achieved through a software adjustment to ensure clearances can be controlled throughout the flight operation, and improvements to the hot-section turbine nozzle durability. A further gain from this package has been the prospect of increased on-wing time, a key element of GE’s “value proposition.”
Following introduction of PIP I, the GEnx-1B was certified at 75,000 pounds thrust, which permits operators to fly from hot and/or high airports or from shorter runways. “It was very important that we be able to offer that,” said Nugent.
The manufacturer’s PIP II package includes the PIP I elements, plus a half-inch increase in fan diameter, optimized outlet guide vanes, a high-flow booster (for increased thrust), improved high-pressure compressor (HPC) aerodynamics, as well as better combustor and high-pressure turbine durability, said the program manager.
The PIP II-enhanced engine has been approved for operation at 78,000 pounds thrust, allowing GE (Hall 4 Stand B7) to maximize its engineering capability for future requirements. According to Nugent, a significant part of the PIP II gains has arisen from the better HPC aerodynamics, which follows an airfoil re-design based on all the test data GE has accrued.
By mid-June some 70 percent of PIP II testing had been completed and initial results had been “positive.” There had been 37 flights on GE’s 747 testbed and recent trials had included large-bird ingestion. A core engine test to validate aeromechanical changes was completed in May. Further use of the flying testbed covers performance optimization of the GEnx-1B PIP II package and, separately, aerial trials next year of the -2B PIP changes.
GE has been “very active” in building engines for endurance block tests or flight trials, and it was expecting to complete PIP II emissions testing by the end of June.
In mid-June, the GEnx-2B had recorded 110,000 engine hours in the air during some 23,000 flights. There were 80 engines in service on 16 B747-8 Freighters–flown by Atlas Air, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air and Volga Dnepr–the single Lufthansa passenger variant and three corporate models, which were in completion centers being fitted out.
The PIP for the GEnx-2B powering the 747-8 has followed a similar pattern to the -1B packages, with improvements to fan and turbine aerodynamics and the engine core, which is similar to that of the -1B. The two engines enjoy 80-percent line-replaceable unit and 90-percent tooling commonality. Specifically different PIP elements on the -2B have been optimization of core “turbo machinery” arising from the engine’s smaller, 105-inch diameter fan (employing different blade-tip clearances) and of flow patterns through low-pressure systems.
Again, such considerations had meant “very subtle” changes resulting in claimed “significant improvements.” Nugent declined to comment on reports that Boeing has seen 747-8 fuel burn one percent better than expected at this point in the program, results it had not expected for another two years.

Improved GEnx-1B for Boeing 787 Slips to Next Year

Completion of certification testing of improved General Electric GEnx-1B engines aimed at meeting Boeing fuel-consumption specifications for the 787 has slipped to “early next year” from the previous fourth-quarter 2012 target. By November 29, some 40 GEnx-1B engines in operation had recorded 33,000 hours and 6,700 cycles, during which they performed better than expected, reported the manufacturer. “The engine [has] demonstrated a two-percent fuel-burn advantage over competitors,” it said in a written response to queries from AIN last week. “We anticipate maintaining this when the [improved] engine enters service.”

Dubbed performance improvement package II (PIP II), the work represents the second element of a two-stage enhancement intended to ensure the GEnx-1B meets fuel-burn requirements and provides the higher thrust needed to support growth in aircraft weight. “We believe the engine is on track with the PIPs to meet original specifications,” said GE. PIP I gained certification in June this year and, together, the two packages should make GEnx-1Bs more durable, permitting longer “on wing” times between overhauls, it added.

GE now anticipates completion of PIP II testing early next year, followed by FAA airworthiness approval “soon after,” according to the company. “[Some] 95 percent of the certification reports [have been done] as we finish up the icing tests,” it said. “We didn’t [have] as much cold weather in Winnipeg earlier this year as we expected, which caused us to delay icing tests until later. But early results have been positive.”

The PIP II package adds various fan, booster, compressor and combustor changes to the low-pressure turbine improvements covered by PIP I, which remains the current build standard. In addition to the 2-percent fuel advantage over other engines, GE believes it will gain another 1-percent advantage from better performance retention.

“Later this year or early next year,” GE plans to begin certification testing of related PIP work for the GEnx-2B engine powering the Boeing 747-8. “We will also begin [the] flight-test program early next year at GE’s Victorville [California] facility,” it said. “We anticipate engine certification mid-2013. The GEnx-2B PIP program will be a more condensed program since it incorporated changes from the GEnx-1B PIPs.”

After 37 flights, GE has completed GEnx-1B PIP-related work on its Boeing 747 flying testbed and has delivered flight-test engines to Boeing. In a six-year development program, GE has tested more than 50 GEnx engines, logging 38,000 ground and flight cycles and accumulating 43,000 hours’ engine-running experience.




http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ain-air-transport-perspective/2012-12-24/improved-genx-1b-boeing-787-slips-next-year

Iran bans flights during call to Islamic prayer: report

(Reuters) - Iran's parliament has banned on airplanes from flying in the country during the Azan call to Islamic prayer, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Wednesday.

"According to the new directive, airplanes are banned from flying during Azan, especially during the call to morning prayers," Mehr quoted the spokesman for parliament's cultural committee Ali Taheri as saying.

The head of the Aviation Organization, Hamid Reza Pahlevani, said aircraft will be allowed to take off 30 minutes after the call to the morning prayer so that passengers have the time "to carry out their religious duties", the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported.

Iran has practiced Sharia law since its 1979 Islamic revolution. Hardliners have pressed for stricter enforcement of religious measures since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won office in 2005 promising a return to the revolution's values.

Taheri also said serious attention will be given to observing the strict Islamic dress code for women working at airports or airline companies.

Women in Iran are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose clothing to disguise their figures and protect their modesty. Violators can be flogged, fined or imprisoned.

Pengerjaan Bandara Kuala Namu Diharapkan Selesai Tepat Waktu

Medan, 23/12 (ANTARA) – Dalam mengerjakan proyek diharapkan selesai tepat waktu sesuai ketentuan kontrak kerja yang dilakukan pemilik dengan pelaksana.
Hal ini dilakukan untuk memenuhi target penyelesaian suatu bangunan agar tepat waktu dan menghindari “keterbengkalaian” proyek yang sedang dikerjakan, sehingga dapat berdampak terhadap kerugian keuangan negara.
Kejadian seperti ini, harus tetap dihindari dan jangan sampai terjadi, sehingga dalam pengerjaan Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu di Desa Beringin, Kecamatan Beringin, Kabupaten Deli Serdang, Provinsi Sumatera Utara, harus selesai dengan tepat waktu.
Apalagi, direncanakan bandara termegah dan terbesar pertama di luar Pulau Jawa itu akan diresmikan pula oleh Presiden RI Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Bisakah proyek “raksasa” bandara internasional kebanggan bagi masyarakat di Provinsi Sumatera Utara berpenduduk lebih kurang 13,5 juta jiwa itu, dapat diselesaikan dengan tepat waktu ?.
Kegiatan ini, jelas saja akan menjadi tantangan yang cukup berat atau menjadi “pekerjaan rumah” bagi tenaga ahli atau putra-putra terbaik bangsa Indonesia yang dipercayakan menyelesaikan proyek bernilai triliunan rupiah itu.
Pimpinan Proyek Bandara Kuala Namu, Joko Waskito mengatakan, untuk menyelesaikan proyek bandara internasional tersebut dapat segera selesai dikerjakan sebelum Maret 2013, para tenaga ahli dan pekerja yang terlibat dalam menyelesaikan bangunan itu, terus bekerja keras.
Hal ini dilakukan, agar proyek Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu itu, bisa segera dioperasionalkan dengan tepat waktu.
“Kita tetap berusaha agar proyek bandara terbesar pertama di luar Pulau Jawa yang dibiayai melalui dana APBN, Kementerian Perhubungan dan PT (Persero) Angkasa Pura II, bisa beroperasi Maret 2013,” kata Joko kepada para peserta Rapat Koordinasi (Rakor) Gubernur se-Wilayah Sumatera tahuh 2012 di Medan yang berkunjung ke lokasi Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu di Desa Beringin.
Menurut Joko, dalam pembangunan bandara yang bertaraf internasional itu, PT Angkasa Pura II mendanai Rp 2 triliun.
“Jadi pembangunan bandara yang cukup besar dan megah itu, PT Angkasa Pura II berinvestasi mencapai nilai triliunan rupiah.
Diharapkan pada Maret 2013 Bandara Internasional tersebut mulai beroperasi untuk menggantikan Bandara Internasional Polonia Medan.
Ia menambahkan, peresmian bandara internasional tersebut rencananya oleh Presiden RI Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, pada Maret 2013.
Bandara internasional itu diharapkan menjadi kebanggaan masyarakat Sumatera Utara (Sumut) khususnya dan Indonesia pada umumnya, dapat dioperasikan dengan tepat waktu.
Dengan kehadiran bandara internasional itu, juga diharapkan dapat meningkatkan perekonomian masyarakat Sumut.
Bahkan, jelasnya pembangunan fisik bandara internasional tersebut, saat ini rampung dan mencapai sekitar 91 persen dan pembangunan runway tinggal 300 meter lagi dari panjang runwai seluruhnya 2.900 x 45 meter.
Sedangkan luas area Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu mencapai 1.365 hektare, area terminal 118.930 meter persegi (M2), kapasitas terminal 8.1 juta pax per tahun, luas area parkir 50.820 meter persegi (M2), gudang kargo seluas 13.000 meter persegi (M2) dan kapasitas parkir, 407 taksi, 55 bus dan 908 mobil.
“Kita juga merasa bangga, bahwa pengerjaan proyek bandara internasional tersebut dilakukan seluruhnya dari arsitektur dan pekerja ahli dan merupakan putra-putra terbaik bangsa. Peralatan yang digunakan di bandara tersebut cukup canggih, mulai dari pemeriksaan barang penumpang, penyimpanan dan lainnya. Termasuk keamanan barang penumpang, “ujar Joko.
Tinjau bandara
Menteri Koordinator Bidang Perekonomian Hatta Rajasa didamping Pelaksana Tugas Gubernur Sumatera Utara Gatot Pujo Nugroho meninjau Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu di Kabupaten Deli Serdang Rabu (19/12).
Hatta Rajasa beserta rombongan dari Jakarta meninjau Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu dengan menggunakan gerbong kereta api baru dan berangkat dari Stasiun Besar Kereta Api Medan, sekitar pukul 11.40 WIB.
Setelah menempuh perjalanan melewati beberapa stasiun yaitu, Bandhar Khalifah, Batang Kuis dan Aras Kabu, rombongan tiba di bandara sekitar pukul 12.20 WIB.
Lama perjalanan dengan jalur kereta api ini sekitar 40 menit.
Setelah kereta api berhenti beberapa puluh meter dari pintu bandara, dan rombongan dijemput dengan bus. Perjalanan kemudian dilanjutkan dengan menggunakan bus tersebut.
Saat peninjauan kondisi Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu sudah 91 persen mendekati rampung, sehingga diperkirakan dapat beroperasi tepat waktu.
Rombongan kemudian masuk ke area bandara, yaitu terminal keberangkatan yang berada di lantai 2.
Koordinator Teknik PT Angkasa Pura II, Bambang Hermanto menjelaskan area check in dan penggunaan sistem otomatis dalam penanganan bagasi (bagage handling system otomatic) dengan menggunakan scan barcode.
Bambang menjelaskan, interior bandara banyak mengadopsi khasanah budaya dan sumber daya alam lokal diantaranya motif ulos pada bagian lantai dan desain kubah yang meniru pohon kelapa sawit.
“Bandara ini juga menerapkan konsep hemat energi dengan tata pencahayaan yang terang benderang pada siang hari, sehingga tidak membutuhkan penerangan di dalam ruangan.Demikian juga dengan sistem pendingin ruangan yang didesain lebih hemat listrik,” kata Bambang.
Pelaksana Tugas Gubernur Sumut Gatot Pujo Nugroho mengatakan, dirinya optmitis dengan partisipasi warga, Bandara pertama yang terintegrasi dengan moda kereta api ini akan beroperasi tepat waktu Maret 2013.
Hal tersebut dikatakannya saat melakukan peninjaun dengan Forum Koordinasi Pimpinan Daerah (FKPD) Sumut ke lokasi bandara di Desa Beringin, belum lama ini.
Sebelum meninjau Bandara Kuala Namu, Gatot bersama rombongan FKPD melakukan dialog dengan warga Dalu 10 dan Desa Telaga Sari, Kabupaten Deliserdang yang tanahnya masih terkendala proses ganti ruginya.
Akibat kondisi ini, jalan arteri non tol Sepanjang 13,5 kilometer yang harusnya sudah selesai terkendala pembangunannya. Hingga kemarin, pengerjaan jalan non tol yang dibangun dari Simpang Kayu Besar Tanjung Morawa ini masih rampung 83,5 persen atau sekitar 11,27 kilometer.
Kepada warga yang masih mempertahankan tanahnya, Gatot mengimbau agar mereka ikut berpartisipasi menuntaskan proyek bandara internasional tersebut.
Kepada warga, Gatot menjelaskan Bandara Kuala Namu akan menjadi bandara tercanggih di Indonesia dan kedua terbesar di Indonesia setelah Bandara Soekarno- Hatta Jakarta. Selain moda kereta api, Kabupaten Batubara sudah menyatakan minatnya membuka akses hubungan dari jalur laut.
“Bisa dibayangkan, jika benar-benar beroperasi warga Kabupaten Deli Serdang juga yang akan menikmati dampak kemajuannya. Karena itu mari sama-sama kita wujudkan bandara ini beroperasi tepat waktu dan tanpa kendala,” tegas Gatot.
Pemerintah Pusat sendiri, dalam rapat terakhir dengan kementerian lintas sektor dengan tuan rumah Kementerian PU dan Kemeterian Perhubungan menegaskan akan tetap mengoperasikan bandara ini pada Maret 2013.
Dalam rapat FKPD Provinsi Sumatera Utara 14 Agustus 2012 lalu, diprediksikan sisa jalan non tol sepanjang 2,23 kilometer akan tuntas paling lama bulan November 2012.
Berdasarkan pantauan, kondisi terminal benar-benar tampak megah. Pintu Belalai penghubung kabin pesawat dengan ruang boarding atau Garbarata juga sudah terpasang sempurna.
Apalagi, meski cukup menyita waktu, namun Bandara Kuala Namu menjadi satu-satunya bandara internasional di Indonesia yang 100 persen dibangun putra-putri terbaik Indonesia alias 100 persen made in Indonesia.
PT Angkasa Pura 2 akan melakukan “shadow operation” atau operasional bayangan di Bandara Kualanamu pada awal Januari 2013 untuk menguji kesiapan infrastruktur penerbangan itu.
“Awal Januari akan dilakukan shadow operation, tetapi sifatnya terbatas,” kata Pelaksana GM Angkasa Pura Slamet Samiaji usai rapat dengar pendapat kesiapan angkutan Natal dan Tahun Baru dengan Komisi D DPRD Sumut di Medan.
Menurut dia, pihaknya sedang melakukan persiapan untuk menjalankan kegiatan yang bersifat untuk mengetahui kesiapan dan kelayakan terbang di Bandara Kualanamu itu.
Sebelum kegiatan tersebut, pihaknya telah memasang berbagai peralatan dan kelengkapan yang dibutuhkan dalam operasional bandara.
Ia mencontohkan pemasangan radar pemantau, alat simulasi, menara pemancar, alat bantu ceek poin, dan berbagai peralatan lain yang dibutuhkan.
“Dari segi peralatan, sekitar 90 persen sudah terpasang,” katanya.
Pihaknya berkeyakinan kegiatan tersebut akan berjalan lancar, termasuk dalam proses percepatan penyelesaian pembangunan Bandara Kualanamu yang berlokasi di Kabupaten Deli Serdang itu. “Sampai sejauh ini, belum ada kendala apapun,” katanya.
Meski demikian, pihaknya terus melakukan koordinasi dengan instansi yang terkait dengan penerbangan, termasuk Pemprov Sumut dan Pemkab Deli Serdang.
Sebelumnya, Sekretaris Daerah Provinsi Sumut Nurdin Lubis mengatakan, pihaknya juga akan mulai melakukan pemindahan Bandara Polonia Medan pada Januari 2013 secara bertahap seiring akan dioperasionalkannya Bandara Kualanamu.
Ketika membacakan nota jawaban atas pandangan fraksi terhadap nota keuangan RAPBD 2013 dalam rapat paripurna DPRD Sumut di Medan, Nurdin menyebutkan, pemindahan tersebut akan berlangsung hingga Bandara Kualanamu operasional pada Maret 2013.
Sembilan fraksi Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah Provinsi Sumatera Utara mengusulkan nama Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu sebagai nama bandara baru yang dibangun di Kabupaten Deli Serdang.
Usulan tersebut disampaikan sembilan fraksi di DPRD Sumut dalam rapat paripurna DPRD Sumut di Medan.
Kesembilan fraksi itu adalah Fraksi Partai Demokrat, Fraksi Partai Golkar, Fraksi PKS, Fraksi PDI Perjuangan, Fraksi Partai Gerindra Bulan Bintang Reformasi, Fraksi PPRN, Fraksi Partai Hanura, Fraksi PAN, dan Fraksi PPP.
Sedangkan Fraksi Partai Damai Sejahtera mengusulkan nama Bandara Sisingamangaraja XII sebagai nama infrastruktur transportasi pengganti Bandara Polonia itu.
Ketika membacakan hasil rumusan Pansus, anggota Pansus Nama Bandara DPRD Sumut Raudin Purba mengatakan dari aspirasi yang ditampung dari berbagai elemen masyarakat, pihaknya menerima 15 usulan nama.
Ke-15 usulan nama itu adalah Bandara Internasional Kualanamu, Bandara Internasional Sumut, Bandara Marsipature Hutanabe, Bandara Internasional Sultan Serdang, Bandara Internasional Adam Malik, dan Bandara Sisingamangaraja XII.
Kemudian, Bandara Raja Inal Siregar, Bandara Tengku Amir Hamzah, Bandara Tengku Rizal Nurdin, Bandara Sultan Deli, Bandara Kiras Bangun, Bandara Dr Ferdinan Lumban Tobing, Bandara Abdul Haris Nasution, Bandara Mohammad Hasan, dan Bandara Internasional PR Telaumbanua.
Dari pembahasan yang dilakukan, termasuk diskusi dengan Tim Inventarisasi Nama Bandara yang dibentuk DPRD Kabupaten Deli Serdang, pihaknya merekomendasikan lima nama yakni Bandara Internasional Kualanamu, Bandara Internasional Sultan Serdang, Bandara Tengku Amir Hamzah, Bandara Sisingamangaraja XII, dan Bandara Abdul Haris Nasution.
Nama Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu diusulkan dengan mempertimbangkan dan memperhatikan aspirasi masyarakat sekitar bandara yang merasakan dampak langsung dari proses pembangunan infrastruktur transportasi udara itu.
Nama Bandara Internasional Sultan Serdang diusulkan karena memiliki nilai historis kedaerahan sesuai hasil seminar dan diskusi tokoh melayu.
Kemudian, nama Bandara Tengku Amir Hamzah diusulkan karena budayawan itu merupakan tokoh nasional yang menjadi salah satu konseptor Sumpah Pemuda.
Selain menjadi korban politik liar pada masa dominasi PKI, Tengku Amir Hamzah juga sukses memaparkan keunggulan bahasa melayu sehingga ditetapkan menjadi bahasa nasional.
Setelah itu, nama Bandara Sisingamangaraja XII diusulkan karena mampu menunjukkan nilai kepahlawanan dan dapat memberikan perlawanan terhadap penjajahan Belanda selama 25 tahun.
Sedangkan nama Bandara Abdul Haris Nasution diusulkan karena menjadi pahlawan nasional dari Sumut dan gigih mempertahankan kedaulatan Pancasila dari rongrongan PKI.
Setelah pembacaan rumusan tersebut, sembilan dari 10 fraksi DPRD Sumut menyetujui usulan nama Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu guna diteruskan ke Kementerian Perhubungan.

Tes Rute, Plaza Medan Fair-Kuala Namu 39 Km 70 Menit

Medan, (Analisa). Bus dan kereta api menuju Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu, Deliserdang dinilai sebagai transportasi paling favorit dengan efesiensi waktu tempuh serta tarif kedua angkutan tersebut tidak terlalu mahal. Namun, jika menggunakan transportasi Kereta Api hanya dapat diakses dari inti Kota Medan saja di Stasiun Besar KA Medan kawasan Lapangan Merdeka Medan potensi terjebak macet lebih besar.

Hal itu terungkap saat perbincangan tim Test Route Pemadu Moda Kuala Namu dalam perjalanan dari Parkiran Plaza Medan Fair menuju Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu, Jumat (21/12), melalui jalur akses Tanjung Morawa-Batang Kuis Deli Serdang. Dalam tim tersebut beranggotakan PT AP II, Dishub Sumut, Ditlantas Polda Sumut, Organisasi Angkutan Darat (Organda) Sumut, Dishub Medan, Dishub Deli Serdang dan jajaran Pemprovsu.

"Memang, salah satu transportasi publik yang paling diminati nantinya kereta api dan bus. Karena meski ada beberapa alternatif transportasi seperti taksi. Saya rasa, masyarakat tetap ingin mencari angkutan umum yang lebih efisien dan murah. Kalau taksi, bisa dihitung sendiri kalau jalan dari Kota Medan ke Kuala Namu biaya sudah lumayan bengkak juga. Saya rasa taksi tetap menjadi pilihan namun untuk kalangan masyarakat menengah ke atas, " kata Ketua Organda Sumut Haposan Siallagan.

Pengusaha angkutan bus AKDP dan AKAP ini dalam kesempatan itu menyediakan bus miliknya merek Hyundai Intercooler Sentosa Transport untuk ikut test ruote. Bus miliknya, menjadi primadona daripada tiga unit bus lainnya seperti bus besar milik angkutan Almasar, bus PT Bintang Utara dan bus milik PT Damri karena lebih mewah, esklusif, dilengkapi kamar mandi, ruangan khusus merokok, TV dan Wifi. Banyak penumpang dari tiga armada lain yang menumpang kamar mandi di Sentosa Transport miliknya.

"Tapi, saya rasa bus akan lebih favorit daripada kereta api. Karena ongkos naik bus lebih murah. Kalau naik kereta api, akses menuju Stasiun Kereta Api itu harus ke inti kota. Bayangkan saja, jika penumpang pesawat itu mau berangkat ke Kuala Namu, naik kereta api. Sementara rumahnya di Jalan SM Raja dan harus jalan ke inti kota lagi. Potensi terjebak macet lebih besar dan resikonya sangat besar. Kerugian waktu lebih besar lagi. Lebih bagus transportasi bus, karena Jalan SM Raja akan dilalui oleh rute bus tersebut, " ujarnya.

Haposan menjelaskan mengenai tarif, dia menilai untuk rute Plaza Medan Fair sampai ke Kuala Namu dirinya mempertimbangkan tarif dikisaran harga Rp 20.000 hingga Rp 25.000. Tarif itu menurutnya, sudah relatif murah dan terjangkau mengingat fasilitas bus yang disediakannya sangat esklusif.

Hyundai Intercooler Sentosa Transport kapasitas 28 seat (tempat duduk) miliknya mendapat nomor urut untuk uji coba jalur rute 3 Plaza Medan Fair-Kuala Namu, PT Damri jalur rute 1 Amplas-Kuala Namu, PT Bintang Utara rute 2 Ring Road-Kuala Namu dan rute 4 jalur alternatif inti kota-Kuala Namu.

Sentosa Transport mendapat kesempatan melalui jalur Jalan Iskandar Muda, Jalan Gajah Mada, Jalan S Parman, Jalan Sudirman, Jalan Juanda, Jalan SM Raja, Tol Amplas, Simpang Kayu Besar (Kuala Namu). Rute pulang Jalan SM Raja, Jalan Juanda, Jalan Walikota, Jalan Diponegoro, Jalan Zainul Arifin, Jalan S Parman, Jalan Glugur dan Jalan Gatot Subroto. Rute itu ditempuh 39 KM dengan waktu tempuh 70 menit dan harga tiket Rp 20.000 hingga Rp 25.000.

Kabid Perhubungan Darat Darwin Purba menjelaskan dalam test rute kali ini pihaknya akan menentukannya sebagai salah satu persyaratan pelaksanaan tender pemadu moda dari dan menuju Kuala Namu. Pada empat operator penyedia angkutan umum yang diundang terlibat itu, dia menyatakan belum tentu nantinya menjadi pemenang tender pemadu moda ini.

"Ini hanya bersifat kerjasama saja. Saya berharap keempat operator yang diundang ini tidak berharap menjadi pemenang. Karena belum tentu empat operator ini yang melaksanakan pemadu moda ke Kuala Namu ini. Kita akan menjadikan tes rute ini untuk persyaratan tender pemadu moda. Karena kita akan buka tendernya dalam waktu dekat ini, setelah sebelumnya ditunda yang seharusnya dilaksanakan bulan ini," tegasnya.

Kuala Namu rampung 91 persen

KUALA NAMU - Menteri Koordinator Bidang Ekonomi Hatta Rajasa didamping Plt Gubsu Gatot Pujo Nugroho meninjau kesiapan operasional bandara Kuala Namu yang rencananya aktif mulai Maret 2013 mendatang. Dalam kunjungannya tersebut Hatta yang menuju bandara dengan menumpang kereta api Kuala Namu memastikan kesiapan pengelola untuk beroperasi sesuai jadwal yang ditetapkan.

Saat peninjauan kondisi bandara sudah 91 persen mendekati rampung sehingga diperkirakan dapat beroperasi tepat waktu.

Berangkat dari Stasiun Besar Kereta Api Medan pada hari ini sekitar pukul 11.40 WIB, Hatta yang ditemani rombongan dari Jakarta menaiki gerbong kereta baru. Tampak Dirjen Perhubungan Udara, Bambang G ikut dalam gerbong tersebut. Setelah menempuh perjalanan melewati beberapa stasiun yaitu Banda Kalipah, Batang Kuis dan Aras Kabu, rombongan tiba di bandara sekitar pukul 12.20 WIB.

Total lama perjalanan dengan jalur kereta api ini sekitar 40 menit. Kereta berhenti beberapa puluh meter dari pintu bandara, dan rombong di jemput dengan bus. Perjalanan kemudian dilanjutkan dengan menggunakan bus tersebut. Tampak di lokasi pekerja masih melaksanakan perampungan jalur kereta api tersebut.

Rombongan kemudian masuk ke area bandara yaitu terminal keberangkatan yang berada di lantai 2. Bambang Hermanto, Koordinator Teknik PT Angkasa Pura menjelaskan area check in dan penggunaan sistem otomatis dalam penanganan bagasi (bagage handling system otomatic) dengan menggunakan scan barcode.

Dijelaskannya interior bandara banyak mengadopsi khasanah budaya dan sumberdaya alam lokal diantaranya motif ulos pada bagian lantai dan disain kubah yang meniru pohon kelapa sawit. Bandara ini juga menerapkan konsep hemat energi dengan tata pencahayaan yang terang benderang oada siang hari sehingga tidak membutuhkan penerangan di dalam ruangan pada siang hari.

Demikian juga dengan sistem pendingin ruangan yang didisain lebih hemat listrik. Terminal sepanjang 600 meter yang kini tengah proses finishing tersebut menampung 8 gate, dimana dua diantaranya adalah untuk penerbangan internasional.

Ketika meninjau terminal kedatangan yang berada di lantai I, Hatta mempertanyakan kondisi terminal yang tampak masih belum se rapi terminal keberangkatan di lantai 2. Menko meminta perampungan pekerjaan di lantai bawah tersebut dilakukan secara maraton baik siang hari maupun malam.

Dalam tinjauan tersebut, Hatta Rajasa banyak mengajukan berbagai pertanyaan seputar kondisi bandara dan fasilitas pendukung. "Bisnis area di mana letaknya?" tanya Hatta yang kemudian dijawab petugas bahwa letak bisnis area di lantai dua pada terminal keberangkatan.

Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu ini memiliki areal 1.365 hektar, dengan  kapasitas terminal 8,1 juta penumpang per tahun. Saat beroperasi kelak, bandara ini bisa ditempuh lewat jalur kereta api, jalur tol, jalan non tol bahkan direncanakan bisa lewat modal transportasi laut. Areal parkir di bandara ini bisa menampung 407 taksi, 55 bus dan 908 mobil.

Pimpinan Proyek Joko Waskito kepada para peserta Rapat Koordinasi (Rakor) Gubernur se-Wilayah Sumatra tahun 2012 di Medan yang berkunjung ke lokasi Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu di Desa Beringin.

Menurut Joko, dalam pembangunan bandara bertaraf internasional itu, PT Angkasa Pura II mendanai Rp 2 triliun. "Jadi pembangunan bandara yang cukup besar dan megah itu, PT Angkasa Pura II berinvestasi mencapai nilai triliunan rupiah. Diharapkan pada Maret 2013 Bandara Internasional tersebut mulai beroperasi untuk menggantikan Bandara Internasional Polonia Medan," ujar Joko Waskito.

Ia menambahkan, peresmian bandara internasional akan dilakukan oleh Presiden RI Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, pada Maret 2013.

Bandara internasional itu diharapkan menjadi kebanggaan masyarakat Sumatra Utara khususnya dan Indonesia pada umumnya, dapat dioperasikan dengan tepat waktu.

Dengan kehadiran bandara internasional itu, juga diharapkan dapat meningkatkan perekonomian masyarakat Sumut.

Bahkan, jelasnya pembangunan fisik bandara internasional tersebut, saat ini rampung dan mencapai sekitar 91 persen dan pembangunan runway tinggal 300 meter lagi dari panjang runway seluruhnya 2.900 x 45 meter.

Sedangkan luas area Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu mencapai 1.365 hektare, area terminal 118.930 meter persegi (M2), kapasitas terminal 8.1 juta pax per tahun, luas area parkir 50.820 meter persegi (M2), gudang kargo seluas 13.000 meter persegi (M2) dan kapasitas parkir, 407 taksi, 55 bus dan 908 mobil.

"Kita juga merasa bangga, bahwa pengerjaan proyek bandara internasional tersebut dilakukan seluruhnya dari arsitektur dan pekerja ahli dan merupakan putra-putra terbaik bangsa. Peralatan yang digunakan di bandara tersebut cukup canggih, mulai dari pemeriksaan barang penumpang, penyimpanan dan lainnya. Termasuk keamanan barang penumpang," ujar Joko.