Indonesia's Lion Air to order over 200 Airbuses

An Airbus A320 being built in China

AFP

Indonesian air line Lion Air has ordered over 200 passenger jets from French-based European aircraft builder Airbus, according to reports. Lion Air boss Edward Sirait has indirectly confirmed the news.

By RFI 

 

Sirait told the AFP wire service on Wednesday that he could not give any details because he was waiting figures and documents from his company’s legal department, a statement the news agency took to be confirmation that the sale is to go ahead.
It was following up a report in the regional newspaper Dépêche du Midi, which, like Airbus, is based in the south-western French city of Toulouse.
“Lion Air is said to have finalised a large order of A320neos before the end of the year [2012],” the paper said on Wednesday, adding that the order may be for as many as 220 planes.
Airbus will publish its annual sales figures on 17 January.
Last year Lion Air placed a record order with Boeing, for 239 737s and until now most of its fleet has been built by Airbus’s US competitor.
The company needs planes for its expansion plans, which include a low-cost airline in Malaysia to rival its main regional competitor, AirAsia.
Lion Air was founded in 2009 and is now Indonesia’s largest private airline, mainly operating in its home country but also in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.


source: http://mobile.english.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20130109-indonesias-lion-air-order-over-200-airbuses 

Japan battery maker shares fall after Boeing 787 fire

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Shares of Japan's GS Yuasa Corp , which makes batteries for Boeing Co's new 787 Dreamliner, fell sharply for a second day on Wednesday after a fire aboard a Japan Airlines aircraft earlier this week.
"The batteries were made by our company," a GS Yuasa spokesman told Reuters, adding that the cause of the fire was unclear, and whether or not the fire was sparked by the GS Yuasa-made batteries had not been determined.
"We are ready to send our crew for investigation when we get more details from the authorities," he said. The company said it provides auxiliary power unit batteries for the Dreamliner.
On Monday, an electrical fire erupted on one of Boeing's 787 Dreamliners operated by Japan Airlines at Boston's Logan International airport. Authorities said a battery in the auxiliary power unit aboard the plane jet had suffered "severe fire damage".
In a second mishap a day later at the same airport, a fuel leak forced a different 787 operated by Japan Airlines to cancel takeoff at the Boston airport. The two incidents have extended a series of problems that have dogged the jet for more than a month and notched up concern about the plane.
Shares in GS Yuasa, Japan's top producer of traditional lead acid auto batteries with a 35 percent chunk of the domestic market, fell as much as 5.1 percent to 318 yen, after falling 4 percent on Tuesday.
Analysts said the impact on earnings was seen as limited at present, as the company's industrial battery business only accounts for 1 percent of group sales.
"We think this incident is unlikely to have any major impact on earnings at GS Yuasa at this point because industrial application LiBs (lithium-ion batteries) make only a modest earnings contribution," Citigroup analyst Tsubasa Sasaki said in a note.
"However, industrial LiBs are one of the company's growth areas and we think earnings could be negatively affected to some degree if it turns out that its batteries did trigger the fire."
GS Yuasa's products range from lead acid batteries for auto and motorbike uses to industrial lithium-ion batteries.
Japan Airlines said six of its seven Boeing 787 aircraft are operating in Japan, while one remains at Boston Logan. Japan's transport ministry ordered inspections of batteries in the auxiliary power unit. JAL inspected six of the units and found no problems.

Boeing Fire Spotlights Hazard of Plug-in Cars, Laptops

Firefighters at Boston’s Logan International Airport opened the hatch of a burning Boeing Co. (BA) 787 Dreamliner this week to encounter a hazard from something almost ubiquitous in modern life: lithium-based batteries.
The power sources for devices ranging from Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPad to tools to plug-in cars hold so much energy and are so flammable that when they ignite, they can be difficult to extinguish as they spew flames and even molten metal, according to U.S. government tests.
Boeing got U.S. regulators’ permission to install lithium- ion batteries on the Dreamliner in 2007, three years after passenger airlines were barred from carrying non-rechargeable types as cargo. U.S. officials investigating the Jan. 7 fire will examine whether the 787 batteries met the government’s conditions, said Michael Barr, an instructor at the University of Southern California’s Aviation Safety and Security Program.
“We know that batteries burn,” Barr said in an interview. “We know that lithium batteries have a higher propensity to burn. Is there a basic design issue?”
The review of this week’s fire probably will also examine whether the 2007 decision provided adequate safety, Barr said.
Boeing installed multiple circuits to ensure that the plane’s power system won’t overcharge the batteries, which can cause them to heat up and burn, Mike Sinnett, the 787 chief project engineer, said in a briefing.
“We put a lot of system protections in place to ensure that failures of the battery don’t put the airplane at risk,” Sinnett said.

‘Batteries Burn’

The Jan. 7 fire on a Japan Airlines Co. 787 occurred after passengers who had flown from Tokyo left the plane, according to a release from the National Transportation Safety Board, a U.S. agency that investigates aviation accidents.
A rechargeable battery used to start the auxiliary power unit, a small turbine engine that generates electricity on the ground, ignited, according to the safety board. It took fire crews 40 minutes to extinguish the fire, the safety board said.
GS Yuasa Corp. (6674) of Kyoto, Japan, made the battery pack on the 787, Tsutomu Nishijima, a company spokesman, said in an interview. The firm sells them to Thales SA (HO), which then supplies them to Boeing, Nishijima said.
While fires in batteries are rare, they have been linked to aviation accidents, electric vehicle blazes and exploding smartphones.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has logged 33 instances in which batteries have caught fire on commercial airplanes since 2009. Of those cases, 26, or 79 percent, involved lithium batteries, according to the agency.
Three cargo jets have been destroyed in fires since 2006 in which lithium batteries were present, according to the NTSB. The United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization on Jan. 1 imposed new rules on air shipments of lithium batteries.

Volt Fire

Lithium-ion batteries used to power electric cars also have been probed by U.S. safety regulators.
In 2011, a General Motors Co. (GM) Chevrolet Volt caught fire three weeks after a government crash test, spurring a congressional hearing. GM agreed to fortify the plug-in hybrid’s battery packs so they wouldn’t ignite if cracked in an accident.
Then in May, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration joined an investigation in Texas of a garage fire that destroyed a Fisker Automotive Inc. Karma, a $103,000 plug- in car.
Lithium-ion batteries are safe as long as they are manufactured and used according to regulatory standards, George Kerchner, executive director of the Washington-based Rechargeable Battery Association trade group, said in an e-mail statement.
“Billions of lithium-ion cells and batteries are safely used in hundreds of consumer, military, medical and electric vehicle applications every year,” Kerchner said.

Multiple Protections

The Dreamliner is the first Boeing plane designed with lithium-ion batteries as part of the electrical system. Boeing chose them for the 787, which uses more electricity than previous designs, because they hold more energy and can be quickly recharged, Sinnett said.
In a worst-case scenario in which the batteries do burn, they are designed to do so in a way that doesn’t threaten the aircraft, Sinnett said. If the jet is airborne, smoke is vented out of the compartment and won’t reach the cabin. All of the battery cells can ignite without harming the plane’s ability to stay aloft, he said.
Damage from the Jan. 7 fire was confined to within 20 inches (50.8 centimeters) of the battery pack, the NTSB said. A photo released by the agency appeared to show that nearby electrical equipment was untouched. The base where the battery sat was charred, according to the photo.

Sheer Volume

The Air Line Pilots Association, a union representing more than 50,000 pilots in North America, urged in 2007 that the FAA require some type of fire extinguishing system for lithium batteries on the 787, according to its response to the FAA.
The FAA rejected the union’s request, saying that the steps it required achieved the necessary level of safety.
The union remains concerned about lithium batteries on commercial aircraft, both those built into planes and those carried aboard as cargo or by passengers, Mark Rogers, who leads hazardous-materials-handling issues for the group, said in an interview.
“As more and more batteries are produced, we are going to see more and more incidents just based on the sheer volume,” Rogers said.

‘Learning Curve’

Lithium batteries contain more stored electricity and have longer life than comparably-sized batteries made with other materials. “Lithium-ion batteries have so many advantages,” Hans Weber, who runs San Diego-based aviation consultant Tecop International Inc., said. “They’re the future, no doubt about it.”
Their power also makes them more likely than other battery types to create heat and sparks if they short-circuit, and fires are difficult to extinguish because the chemicals are flammable and contain oxygen, Sinnett said. Fire extinguishers that snuff out most blazes don’t work as well on lithium, he said.
Just as the NTSB and FAA are keeping a close watch on how the battery could have ignited in the Boeing plane, fire prevention are trying to develop techniques for dousing battery blazes and storing them safely, said Kathleen Almand, executive director of the Fire Protection Research Foundation in Quincy, Massachusetts.
The growth in battery use has led to more fires and greater interest in how to handle them safely, Almand said in an interview. Her foundation is part of the National Fire Protection Association, a non-profit group that promotes fire safety.
The foundation has studied how to safely store large quantities of batteries in warehouses and how firefighters can attack fires in electric vehicles, she said.
“There is a learning curve whenever you implement a new state of-the-art-technology,” Jerry Back, senior fire protection engineer at Baltimore-based Hughes Associates Inc., said in an interview. “It just happens that this is used in everyday life.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Alan Levin in Washington at alevin24@bloomberg.net; Susanna Ray in Seattle at sray7@bloomberg.net

WRAPUP 3-Boeing Dreamliner incidents raise safety concerns

By Alwyn Scott and James Topham
    NEW YORK/TOKYO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Boeing Co's 787
Dreamliner jet suffered a third mishap in as many days on
Wednesday, heightening safety concerns after a string of
setbacks for the new aircraft.
    Japan's All Nippon Airways said it was forced to
cancel a 787 Dreamliner flight scheduled to from fly from
Yamaguchi prefecture in western Japan to Tokyo due to brake
problems. 
    That followed a fuel leak on Tuesday that forced a 787
operated by Japan Airlines to cancel take-off at
Boston's Logan International Airport, a day after an electrical
fire on another 787 after a JAL flight to Boston from Tokyo.
    Asian customers rallied behind the U.S. planemaker, however,
saying such teething troubles were not uncommon on new planes
and confirming they had no plans to scale back or cancel orders
for the aircraft, which has a list price of $207 million.
    Japan is by far the biggest customer for the Dreamliner to
date, with JAL and All Nippon Airways (ANA) operating a
total of 24 of the 49 new planes delivered to end-December. The
aircraft entered commercial service in November 2011, more than
three years behind schedule after a series of production delays.
Boeing has sold 848 of the planes.
    JAL spokesman Kazunori Kidosaki said the carrier, which
operates seven Dreamliners, had no plans to change orders it has
placed for another 38 aircraft. ANA, which has 17 Dreamliners
flying its colors, will also stick with its orders for another
49, spokesman Etsuya Uchiyama said.
    
     State-owned Air India, which on Monday took delivery of the
sixth of the 27 Dreamliners it has ordered, said precautionary
measures were already in place and its planes were flying
smoothly. "It's a new plane, and some minor glitches do happen.
It's not a cause of concern," said spokesman G.Prasada Rao.
    There was no immediate suggestion that the 787 Dreamliner,
the world's first passenger jet built mainly from carbon-plastic
lightweight materials to save fuel, was likely to be grounded as
investigators looked into the fire incident. 
    Air China , which sees the 787 as a way
to expand its international routes, and Hainan Airlines
 also said they were keeping their orders for 15 and
10 of the planes. 
    "New airplanes more or less will need adjustments, and
currently we have no plans to swap or cancel orders," said an
executive at future 787 operator Hainan Airlines, who was not
authorized to talk to the media and did not want to be named.
    Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, who has
previously criticized technical problems or delays with Boeing
or Airbus jets, said there were no technical problems
with the five 787s currently in use by the Gulf carrier.
    "It doesn't mean we are going to cancel our orders. It's a
revolutionary airplane," he said.
    Other carriers already flying the Dreamliner are Ethiopian
Airlines, LAN Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines 
and United Airlines.
     
    40 GALLON SPILL
    The fuel leak on Tuesday was noticed at about 12:25 p.m. ET
(1725 GMT) after the plane had left the gate in preparation for
take-off to Tokyo. About 40 gallons spilled, and the jet was
towed back to the gate, where passengers disembarked, said
Richard Walsh, a spokesman for the transportation authority.
    The plane departed about four hours behind schedule and was
due to arrive in Tokyo on Wednesday evening.
    No passengers or crew were injured in either incident,
though firefighters were called out on both occasions. 
    Boeing shares fell nearly 2.7 percent on Tuesday, following
a 2 percent drop on Monday - wiping around $2.8 billion off its
market value, or more than a dozen Dreamliners at list price.
    While many Wall Street analysts rate Boeing stock a 'buy' or
'outperform' - the manufacturer has delivered jets faster than
the market predicted - some noted the potential for the
combination of a fire and a fuel leak to affect public
perception of Boeing and the new aircraft.
    People working at OG Travel and Eurex, travel agents in
Tokyo, said they had not seen any impact on reservations on
flights using the 787 aircraft. "I've not heard of any
cancellations following these incidents," Eurex staffer Yasuhiro
Hirashiki told Reuters.
    Carter Leake, an analyst at BB&T Capital Markets in
Virginia, downgraded Boeing shares, noting that fires are
potentially lethal and electrical issues are tough to solve,
though he and others stopped short of calling it a game changer
for the Seattle-based manufacturer.
    "We're getting to a tipping point where they go from needing
to rectify problems to doing major damage control to the image
of the company and the plane," said Richard Aboulafia, a defense
and aerospace analyst with Teal Group, a consulting firm based
in Fairfax, Virginia.
    "While they delivered a large and unexpected number of 787s
last year, it's possible that they should have instead focused
on identifying glitches and flaws, rather than pushing ahead
with volume production," he said.
    
    BATTERY FIRE
    Monday's fire occurred on a 787 plane that had just arrived
from Tokyo and whose 183 passengers and crew had disembarked.
    The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday a
battery in the auxiliary power unit aboard the plane jet had
suffered "severe fire damage" and that surrounding damage was
limited to components and structures within about 20 inches. It
said the power unit was operating when the fire was discovered.
    Shares in GS Yuasa Corp, the Japanese firm that
makes the Dreamliner batteries, fell around 5 percent in Tokyo
on Wednesday after dropping 4 percent a day earlier.
    Boeing said it was cooperating with the investigations, but
it would be premature to go into detail.
    "However, nothing we've seen in this case indicates a
relationship to any previous 787 power system events, which
involved power panel faults elsewhere in the aft electrical
equipment bay (where the fire occurred)," the company said.
    The Wall Street Journal, citing a source, reported that
United Airlines found improperly installed wiring in 787
electrical components associated with the auxiliary power unit,
the same electrical system that caused Monday's fire. 
    United spokeswoman Christen David said the carrier inspected
its 787s after the Boston fire, but she declined to discuss the
findings, or to confirm the Journal report.
    The Federal Aviation Administration last month ordered all
787s to be inspected after fuel leaks were found on two
aircraft, due, it said, to incorrectly assembled fuel line
couplings that could result in power loss or an engine fire.
    Mechanical problems are not uncommon when new planes enter
service and they often disrupt airline schedules, experts said.
    "I think we're dealing here with a situation where this
aircraft is over-scrutinized for a number of reasons, including
the birth difficulties," said Michel Merluzeau, managing partner
at defense and aerospace consulting firm G2 Solutions.
    "Don't get me wrong. A battery fire is a very, very serious
event. Especially a lithium-ion battery," he added. "And we
don't know what the problem is. But the 787s is still a very
safe aircraft to fly."

Boeing top engineer defends 787, confident plane is safe to fly

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Boeing Co rolled out the Dreamliner's chief engineer to try to quell concerns about the new jet following three mishaps in as many days, including an electrical fire that caused severe damage to a plane.
At a news conference on Wednesday, the engineer, Mike Sinnett, defended the 787, the world's first plastic plane, and said its problem rates are at about the same level as Boeing's successful 777 jet.
Relatively few technical problems prevent 787s from leaving a gate within 15 minutes of scheduled departure time, he said. "We're in the high 90 percents," he said. "We're right where the 777 program was" at this stage.
The prevalence of more significant issues, such as a battery fire, is in the same order of magnitude as previous programs, he added. "There's no metrics that are screaming at me that we've got a problem."
Sinnett explained in detail how the lithium ion battery system that burned on Monday was designed by his team to be safe and prevent smoke getting into the cabin in the event of a fire during a flight. "I am 100 percent convinced that the airplane is safe to fly," he said.
Asked why smoke entered the cabin on Monday, Sinnett said the plane lacked cabin pressure to expel smoke because it was on the ground. In that scenario, "We expect that there would be sufficient time to evacuate the plane safely," Sinnett said.
The battery fire, on a 787 jet operated by Japan Airlines , occurred in Boston on Monday while the empty plane was parked at a gate after passengers had deplaned. That was followed by a fuel leak on another JAL 787 on Tuesday, and by brake problems on an All Nippon Airways 787 that forced the airline to cancel the flight on Wednesday.
These mishaps represent the most serious test of confidence in the Dreamliner since it began flying customers just over a year ago, following more than three years of delivery delays.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into what caused the fire, which came just weeks after Boeing endured a string of other electrical problems that briefly grounded three of the planes. The new jet also has suffered an engine failure and fuel leaks in the 14 months it has been in service.
Analysts said they did not think regulators would ground the 49 Dreamliner jets currently in service due to this week's incidents, but some expected days or weeks to pass before firm details about the mishaps emerge - making it difficult to assess the severity of the problem, and the cost to fix them.
In July, regulators took three days to decide whether to launch an investigation of a General Electric engine that failed on a 787, and another week passed before they provided details.
"We'd expect a similar timeline here," said Deutsche Bank analysts Myles Walton and Amit Mehrotra, in a note to clients Wednesday.
Boeing declined to discuss any aspect of the investigation into the battery fire. Analysts said the company still faces an image problem over the build quality of its marquee plane.
"There's no doubt in my mind that on the engineering side they are doing the right thing as far as dealing with these issues," said John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member and mechanic.
"They need to really reach out strongly with information to the press corps to make sure they understand exactly what happened and exactly what they are doing about it."
Boeing shares were up 3 percent in Wednesday afternoon trading, after losing more than 5 percent earlier this week.
"TEETHING PROBLEMS"
Of this week's incidents, the battery fire is of most concern. Lithium-ion batteries are heavily scrutinized by those who use them -- not just airlines, but increasingly automakers as well.
"We cool our batteries. We put them through tests like you wouldn't believe," General Motors Chief Executive Dan Akerson said during a roundtable event Wednesday.
Shares of Japan's GS Yuasa Corp, which makes batteries for the 787, fell sharply for a second day on Wednesday.
Before Wednesday, Boeing had said little about the problems, though some of its most critical customers, like the CEO of Qatar Airways, have come to its defense.
Qatar Airways, the largest customer of the Dreamliner in the Middle East with an order for up to 60 of the aircraft, currently has five 787 jets. CEO Akbar al-Baker said the airline had no other issues since noting an electrical problem on one of its jets in December.
"Of course there will be teething problems from time to time, but this is foreseen with any new aircraft program," Al-Baker told reporters at an event in Doha on Wednesday.
Baker said he had no plans at the moment to cancel any plane orders with Boeing. "When we have to start grounding planes, then it becomes an issue and then they (Boeing) have to get their check book out," he said.

PRESS DIGEST - Wall Street Journal - Jan 10

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
* Deutsche Bank made at least 500 million euros ($652 million)in profit in 2008 from trades pegged to the interest rates under investigation by regulators world-wide, internal bank documents show. ()
* New mortgage rules set to be unveiled on Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will spell out how lenders in the United States must ensure that borrowers can repay their home loans. ()
* Morgan Stanley plans to lay off 1,600 employees, largely in its mainstay securities unit, according to people familiar with the situation. The company is focusing the cuts on senior ranks and also plans to promote a smaller number of employees to managing director this month than in any year since early 2009, one of these people said. ()
* Two hedge-fund rivals are squaring off over Herbalife Ltd , with one saying the nutritional-supplements maker is a pyramid scheme and the other defending the company. ()
* Stock-exchange operator BATS Global Markets Inc said late on Wednesday that a "system issue" allowed hundreds of thousands of transactions in a four-year period to be executed at prices that may have violated securities rules. ()
* Chrysler Group LLC could be forced to stage an initial public offering as a means of resolving a dispute over its value with a United Auto Workers' retiree trust that holds a 41.5 percent stake in the auto maker. ()
* As Congress discussed raising tax rates last month in the United States, dozens of top executives sold big chunks of company stock, saving themselves millions of dollars. ()
* As Boeing Co continued to wrestle with new threats to the reputation of its prized 787 Dreamliner jet, the aircraft's chief engineer defended the safety and reliability of the new plane and its innovative electrical system. ()
* AIG decided on Wednesday to pass on a shareholder lawsuit that accuses the U.S. government of unfairly burdening the company during its financial-crisis rescue, in a move that could snuff out a brewing controversy for the insurer. ()

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(Reuters) - An electrical fire on Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner is drawing renewed scrutiny for lithium-ion batteries, an increasingly important component in planes and hybrid cars.
A Japan Airlines 787 experienced a battery fire while parked on the ground in Boston on Monday, causing substantial damage in an equipment bay. While the plane is designed to contain the smoke from such a fire in-flight, because it was on the ground the smoke entered the cabin.
The use of the new battery technology is among the cost-saving features of the 787, which Boeing says burns 20 percent less fuel than rival jets using older technology.
Boeing used electrical systems extensively on the 787 instead of traditional hydraulic equipment - a change that reduced the 787's weight but added to its complexity.
Lithium-ion batteries can catch fire if they are overcharged, and once alight, they are difficult to extinguish because the chemicals produce oxygen, Boeing's chief engineer for the 787, Mike Sinnett, said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday.
Engineers designed multiple onboard systems to prevent overcharging, contain a battery fire and siphon smoke away before it reaches the cabin, Sinnett said.
He said a lithium-ion battery was not the only choice of battery, but "it was the right choice" and "knowing what I know now, I'd make the same choice now."
Sinnett wouldn't discuss specifics of the Japan Airlines fire, which is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, and it wasn't known whether there was a fault with the battery, which was made by GS Yuasa Corp, which has said it is investigating. [ID:nL4N0AE0LH] Sinnett said Boeing is not considering using different battery technology.
The battery that caught fire was part of an auxiliary power unit designed to provide electricity when the plane is on the ground. The battery is about twice as large as a car battery and it has been extensively tested, both in the lab and in operation. "We've got 1.3 million operating hours on these battery cells in flight with no issues," Sinnett said.
TEST AND RE-TEST
A similar challenge confronts automakers and other users over lithium ion batteries, which are used in laptops and other electronics.
"It is always difficult to predict the level of safety precaution needed for new technology," said Menahem Anderman, a battery consultant who worked on the Boeing 777 battery systems when he was at Acme Electric Corp, in an email.
"One of the challenging design criteria that automakers are struggling with is whether it is necessary to ensure that if a single cell catches fire, the fire does not propagate to other cells," he said.
While Dreamliner passengers may not realize there is a lithium-ion battery inside the plane, drivers of electric cars do. The auto industry has been increasingly veering toward using lithium-ion batteries rather than the cheaper, but heavier nickel-metal hydride battery used by Toyota Motor Corp in its top-selling Prius.
General Motors Co, the largest U.S. automaker, uses a lithium-ion battery in its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, while its smaller U.S. rival Ford Motor Co uses the technology in its green cars, including the recently launched C-Max hybrid.
The technology is favored in the latest generation of such cars for the same reason plane makers are keen to use it -- the batteries can be made lighter, smaller and in a way that retains capacity longer. Lithium-ion batteries are about half the weight of nickel-metal hydride batteries.
In 2011, a lithium-ion battery pack in a Volt caught fire three weeks after a U.S. safety regulators conducted a crash test. But after a two-month investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determined that the Volt and other electric vehicles posed no greater risk for a fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.
Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems was forced to recall battery packs made for Fisker Automotive's plug-in hybrid sports car, the Karma, last year. A123, which ultimately went bankrupt, citing a manufacturing defect for the problems in the batteries.
"Because they're new and different, a fire in an electric car gets a lot more attention than in a gas car," said Tom Gage, a battery expert whose company EV Grid works on ways to manage the charging of electric cars. "The standard is, are they as safe as the gas tank? That's certainly the target they have to strive for."
He said there probably wasn't enough data to determine their comparable safety record.
GM is exploiting the technology aggressively in the Volt, having done 100 million miles of drive testing by the CEO's account. Chief Executive Dan Akerson said Wednesday that GM tests the batteries "like you wouldn't believe" and was confident in its safety procedures. He declined to comment on Boeing's battery use.
(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Additional reporting by Ben Klayman; Writing by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Boeing problems put spotlight on battery technology

(Reuters) - An electrical fire on Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner is drawing renewed scrutiny for lithium-ion batteries, an increasingly important component in planes and hybrid cars.
A Japan Airlines (9201.T) 787 experienced a battery fire while parked on the ground in Boston on Monday, causing substantial damage in an equipment bay. While the plane is designed to contain the smoke from such a fire in-flight, because it was on the ground the smoke entered the cabin.
The use of the new battery technology is among the cost-saving features of the 787, which Boeing says burns 20 percent less fuel than rival jets using older technology.
Boeing used electrical systems extensively on the 787 instead of traditional hydraulic equipment - a change that reduced the 787's weight but added to its complexity.
Lithium-ion batteries can catch fire if they are overcharged, and once alight, they are difficult to extinguish because the chemicals produce oxygen, Boeing's chief engineer for the 787, Mike Sinnett, said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday.
Engineers designed multiple onboard systems to prevent overcharging, contain a battery fire and siphon smoke away before it reaches the cabin, Sinnett said.
He said a lithium-ion battery was not the only choice of battery, but "it was the right choice" and "knowing what I know now, I'd make the same choice now."
Sinnett wouldn't discuss specifics of the Japan Airlines fire, which is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, and it wasn't known whether there was a fault with the battery, which was made by GS Yuasa Corp (6674.T), which has said it is investigating. Sinnett said Boeing is not considering using different battery technology.
The battery that caught fire was part of an auxiliary power unit designed to provide electricity when the plane is on the ground. The battery is about twice as large as a car battery and it has been extensively tested, both in the lab and in operation. "We've got 1.3 million operating hours on these battery cells in flight with no issues," Sinnett said.
TEST AND RE-TEST
A similar challenge confronts automakers and other users over lithium ion batteries, which are used in laptops and other electronics.
"It is always difficult to predict the level of safety precaution needed for new technology," said Menahem Anderman, a battery consultant who worked on the Boeing 777 battery systems when he was at Acme Electric Corp, in an email.
"One of the challenging design criteria that automakers are struggling with is whether it is necessary to ensure that if a single cell catches fire, the fire does not propagate to other cells," he said.
While Dreamliner passengers may not realize there is a lithium-ion battery inside the plane, drivers of electric cars do. The auto industry has been increasingly veering toward using lithium-ion batteries rather than the cheaper, but heavier nickel-metal hydride battery used by Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) in its top-selling Prius.
General Motors Co (GM.N), the largest U.S. automaker, uses a lithium-ion battery in its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, while its smaller U.S. rival Ford Motor Co (F.N) uses the technology in its green cars, including the recently launched C-Max hybrid.
The technology is favoured in the latest generation of such cars for the same reason plane makers are keen to use it -- the batteries can be made lighter, smaller and in a way that retains capacity longer. Lithium-ion batteries are about half the weight of nickel-metal hydride batteries.
In 2011, a lithium-ion battery pack in a Volt caught fire three weeks after a U.S. safety regulators conducted a crash test. But after a two-month investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determined that the Volt and other electric vehicles posed no greater risk for a fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.
Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems was forced to recall battery packs made for Fisker Automotive's plug-in hybrid sports car, the Karma, last year. A123, which ultimately went bankrupt, citing a manufacturing defect for the problems in the batteries.
"Because they're new and different, a fire in an electric car gets a lot more attention than in a gas car," said Tom Gage, a battery expert whose company EV Grid works on ways to manage the charging of electric cars. "The standard is, are they as safe as the gas tank? That's certainly the target they have to strive for."
He said there probably wasn't enough data to determine their comparable safety record.
GM is exploiting the technology aggressively in the Volt, having done 100 million miles of drive testing by the CEO's account. Chief Executive Dan Akerson said Wednesday that GM tests the batteries "like you wouldn't believe" and was confident in its safety procedures. He declined to comment on Boeing's battery use.
(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Additional reporting by Ben Klayman; Writing by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Pictures A victim is cared for by an FDNY EMT on the scene in New York. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid New York ferry crash The aftermath on the Manhattan pier. Slideshow Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Recommended Video Billion-dollar drilling project aims for Earth's mantle Play Video Billion-dollar drilling project aims for Earth's mantle Dog rescued from freezing lake (0:28) Play Video Dog rescued from freezing lake (0:28) In a Galaxy far far away, Samsung finds record profits again (1:47) Play Video In a Galaxy far far away, Samsung finds record profits… Medellin, Colombia’s new famous resident Medellin, Colombia’s new famous resident (Global Connections) Asia's endangered species: The expat Asia's endangered species: The expat (Global Connections) Billion-dollar drilling project aims for Earth's mantle Play Video Dog rescued from freezing lake (0:28) Play Video In a Galaxy far far away, Samsung finds record profits again (1:47) Play Video Medellin, Colombia’s new famous resident Asia's endangered species: The expat [?] Read Indian rape accused says police tortured him: lawyer 8:39am EST 1 Google Earth helps put North Korea gulag system on map 09 Jan 2013 2 Biden says Obama could use executive orders to restrict guns 09 Jan 2013 3 Special Report: The latest foreclosure horror: the zombie title 7:31am EST 4 Female Kurdish activists including former guerrilla shot in Paris 8:50am EST 5 Discussed 103 Obama says U.S. can’t afford more showdowns over debt, deficits 91 AIG may join bailout suit against U.S. government 71 DNA pioneer James Watson takes aim at ‘cancer establishments’ Sponsored Links Ads by Marchex Boeing Dreamliner incidents raise safety concerns

(Reuters) - Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner jet suffered a third mishap in as many days on Wednesday, heightening safety concerns after a string of setbacks for the new aircraft.
Japan's All Nippon Airways said it was forced to cancel a 787 Dreamliner flight scheduled to from fly from Yamaguchi prefecture in western Japan to Tokyo due to brake problems.
That followed a fuel leak on Tuesday that forced a 787 operated by Japan Airlines to cancel take-off at Boston's Logan International Airport, a day after an electrical fire on another 787 after a JAL flight to Boston from Tokyo.
Asian customers rallied behind the U.S. planemaker, however, saying such teething troubles were not uncommon on new planes and confirming they had no plans to scale back or cancel orders for the aircraft, which has a list price of $207 million.
Japan is by far the biggest customer for the Dreamliner to date, with JAL and All Nippon Airways (ANA) operating a total of 24 of the 49 new planes delivered to end-December. The aircraft entered commercial service in November 2011, more than three years behind schedule after a series of production delays. Boeing has sold 848 of the planes.
JAL spokesman Kazunori Kidosaki said the carrier, which operates seven Dreamliners, had no plans to change orders it has placed for another 38 aircraft. ANA, which has 17 Dreamliners flying its colors, will also stick with its orders for another 49, spokesman Etsuya Uchiyama said.
State-owned Air India, which on Monday took delivery of the sixth of the 27 Dreamliners it has ordered, said precautionary measures were already in place and its planes were flying smoothly. "It's a new plane, and some minor glitches do happen. It's not a cause of concern," said spokesman G.Prasada Rao.
There was no immediate suggestion that the 787 Dreamliner, the world's first passenger jet built mainly from carbon-plastic lightweight materials to save fuel, was likely to be grounded as investigators looked into the fire incident.
Air China, which sees the 787 as a way to expand its international routes, and Hainan Airlines also said they were keeping their orders for 15 and 10 of the planes.
"New airplanes more or less will need adjustments, and currently we have no plans to swap or cancel orders," said an executive at future 787 operator Hainan Airlines, who was not authorized to talk to the media and did not want to be named.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, who has previously criticized technical problems or delays with Boeing or Airbus jets, said there were no technical problems with the five 787s currently in use by the Gulf carrier.
"It doesn't mean we are going to cancel our orders. It's a revolutionary airplane," he said.
Other carriers already flying the Dreamliner are Ethiopian Airlines, LAN Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and United Airlines.
40 GALLON SPILL
The fuel leak on Tuesday was noticed at about 12:25 p.m. ET (1725 GMT) after the plane had left the gate in preparation for take-off to Tokyo. About 40 gallons spilled, and the jet was towed back to the gate, where passengers disembarked, said Richard Walsh, a spokesman for the transportation authority.
The plane departed about four hours behind schedule and was due to arrive in Tokyo on Wednesday evening.
No passengers or crew were injured in either incident, though firefighters were called out on both occasions.
Boeing shares fell nearly 2.7 percent on Tuesday, following a 2 percent drop on Monday - wiping around $2.8 billion off its market value, or more than a dozen Dreamliners at list price.
While many Wall Street analysts rate Boeing stock a 'buy' or 'outperform' - the manufacturer has delivered jets faster than the market predicted - some noted the potential for the combination of a fire and a fuel leak to affect public perception of Boeing and the new aircraft.
People working at OG Travel and Eurex, travel agents in Tokyo, said they had not seen any impact on reservations on flights using the 787 aircraft. "I've not heard of any cancellations following these incidents," Eurex staffer Yasuhiro Hirashiki told Reuters.
Carter Leake, an analyst at BB&T Capital Markets in Virginia, downgraded Boeing shares, noting that fires are potentially lethal and electrical issues are tough to solve, though he and others stopped short of calling it a game changer for the Seattle-based manufacturer.
"We're getting to a tipping point where they go from needing to rectify problems to doing major damage control to the image of the company and the plane," said Richard Aboulafia, a defense and aerospace analyst with Teal Group, a consulting firm based in Fairfax, Virginia.
"While they delivered a large and unexpected number of 787s last year, it's possible that they should have instead focused on identifying glitches and flaws, rather than pushing ahead with volume production," he said.
BATTERY FIRE
Monday's fire occurred on a 787 plane that had just arrived from Tokyo and whose 183 passengers and crew had disembarked.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday a battery in the auxiliary power unit aboard the plane jet had suffered "severe fire damage" and that surrounding damage was limited to components and structures within about 20 inches. It said the power unit was operating when the fire was discovered.
Shares in GS Yuasa Corp, the Japanese firm that makes the Dreamliner batteries, fell around 5 percent in Tokyo on Wednesday after dropping 4 percent a day earlier.
Boeing said it was cooperating with the investigations, but it would be premature to go into detail.
"However, nothing we've seen in this case indicates a relationship to any previous 787 power system events, which involved power panel faults elsewhere in the aft electrical equipment bay (where the fire occurred)," the company said.
The Wall Street Journal, citing a source, reported that United Airlines found improperly installed wiring in 787 electrical components associated with the auxiliary power unit, the same electrical system that caused Monday's fire.
United spokeswoman Christen David said the carrier inspected its 787s after the Boston fire, but she declined to discuss the findings, or to confirm the Journal report.
The Federal Aviation Administration last month ordered all 787s to be inspected after fuel leaks were found on two aircraft, due, it said, to incorrectly assembled fuel line couplings that could result in power loss or an engine fire.
Mechanical problems are not uncommon when new planes enter service and they often disrupt airline schedules, experts said.
"I think we're dealing here with a situation where this aircraft is over-scrutinized for a number of reasons, including the birth difficulties," said Michel Merluzeau, managing partner at defense and aerospace consulting firm G2 Solutions.
"Don't get me wrong. A battery fire is a very, very serious event. Especially a lithium-ion battery," he added. "And we don't know what the problem is. But the 787s is still a very safe aircraft to fly."
(Additional reporting by Karen Jacobs in Atlanta, James Topham and Yoko Kubota in Tokyo, Anurag Kotoky in New Delhi, and Alison Leung in Hong Kong, Regan Doherty in Doha; Writing by Alwyn Scott and Ian Geoghegan; Editing by Andrew Hay and Will Waterman)

Boeing top engineer says he's confident 787 is safe

(Reuters) - Boeing Co rolled out the Dreamliner's chief engineer to try to quell concerns about the new jet following three mishaps in as many days, including an electrical fire that caused severe damage to a plane.
At a news conference on Wednesday, the engineer, Mike Sinnett, defended the 787, the world's first plastic plane, and said its problem rates are at about the same level as Boeing's successful 777 jet.
Relatively few technical problems prevent 787s from leaving a gate within 15 minutes of scheduled departure time, he said. "We're in the high 90 percents," he said. "We're right where the 777 program was" at this stage.
The prevalence of more significant issues, such as a battery fire, is in the same order of magnitude as previous programs, he added. "There's no metrics that are screaming at me that we've got a problem."
Sinnett explained in detail how the lithium ion battery system that burned on Monday was designed by his team to be safe and prevent smoke getting into the cabin in the event of a fire during a flight. "I am 100 percent convinced that the airplane is safe to fly," he said.
Asked why smoke entered the cabin on Monday, Sinnett said the plane lacked cabin pressure to expel smoke because it was on the ground. In that scenario, "We expect that there would be sufficient time to evacuate the plane safely," Sinnett said.
The battery fire, on a 787 jet operated by Japan Airlines (9201.T), occurred in Boston on Monday while the empty plane was parked at a gate after passengers had deplaned. That was followed by a fuel leak on another JAL 787 on Tuesday, and by brake problems on an All Nippon Airways (9202.T) 787 that forced the airline to cancel the flight on Wednesday.
These mishaps represent the most serious test of confidence in the Dreamliner since it began flying customers just over a year ago, following more than three years of delivery delays.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into what caused the fire, which came just weeks after Boeing endured a string of other electrical problems that briefly grounded three of the planes. The new jet also has suffered an engine failure and fuel leaks in the 14 months it has been in service.
Sinnett said the electrical faults that occurred in rapid succession in December were traced to a single lot of circuit boards manufactured at one time. He didn't name the supplier.
Analysts said they did not think regulators would ground the 49 Dreamliner jets currently in service due to this week's incidents, but some expected days or weeks to pass before firm details about the mishaps emerge - making it difficult to assess the severity of the problem, and the cost to fix them.
"It's clear through the conversation (from Sinnett) that it appeared to be manufacturing as opposed to design issues," said Jason Gursky, an analyst at Citigroup in San Francisco. "The fact that we've seen a multitude of small issues crop up and are not seeing the same issue time and time again would support that view."
Further detail from regulators are likely to take more time. In July, regulators took three days to decide whether to launch an investigation of a General Electric engine that failed on a 787, and another week passed before they provided details.
"We'd expect a similar timeline here," said Deutsche Bank analysts Myles Walton and Amit Mehrotra, in a note to clients Wednesday.
Boeing declined to discuss any aspect of the investigation into the battery fire. Analysts said the company still faces an image problem over the build quality of its marquee plane.
"There's no doubt in my mind that on the engineering side they are doing the right thing as far as dealing with these issues," said John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member and mechanic.
"They need to really reach out strongly with information to the press corps to make sure they understand exactly what happened and exactly what they are doing about it."
Boeing shares closed up 3.5 percent Wednesday, after losing more than 5 percent earlier this week.

"TEETHING PROBLEMS"
Of this week's incidents, the battery fire is of most concern. Lithium-ion batteries are heavily scrutinized by those who use them - not just airlines, but increasingly automakers as well.
"We cool our batteries. We put them through tests like you wouldn't believe," General Motors Chief Executive Dan Akerson said during a roundtable event Wednesday.
Shares of Japan's GS Yuasa Corp (6674.T), which makes batteries for the 787, fell sharply for a second day on Wednesday.
Before Wednesday, Boeing had said little about the problems, though some of its most critical customers, like the CEO of Qatar Airways, have come to its defence.
Qatar Airways, the largest customer of the Dreamliner in the Middle East with an order for up to 60 of the aircraft, currently has five 787 jets. CEO Akbar al-Baker said the airline had no other issues since noting an electrical problem on one of its jets in December.
"Of course there will be teething problems from time to time, but this is foreseen with any new aircraft program," Al-Baker told reporters at an event in Doha on Wednesday.
Baker said he had no plans at the moment to cancel any plane orders with Boeing. "When we have to start grounding planes, then it becomes an issue and then they (Boeing) have to get their check book out," he said. (Reporting by Alwyn Scott in New York, Tim Hepher in Paris and Karen Jacobs in Atlanta; Additional reporting by Ben Klayman and Deepa Seetharaman in Detroit and Deborah Charles in Washington, D.C.; Writing by Alwyn Scott and Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Leslie Adler, Bernard Orr)

Second Japan Airlines plane stopped before takeoff at Logan

BOSTON —A Japan Airlines plane that was scheduled to take off from Boston's Logan International Airport Tuesday was stopped after fuel was reported coming from the plane.

The 787 was stopped on Runway 22, and towed back to the gate after about 40 gallons of fuel was discovered on the ground, Massport said.
Flight 7, with 178 passengers and 11 crew members, was scheduled to leave Boston at noon, bound for Tokyo.
The crew reported a "mechanical issue" before returning to the gate, a JAL spokeswoman said. The flight was en route to Japan shortly after 5 p.m.
"Vents are there in case of over fueling or if there's a transfer of fuel," said Ed Freni, Massport director of aviation. "If the engine were leaking, that's a different situation than fuel coming out of a designed area to vent."

On Monday, firefighters at Logan doused smoke aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 after a mechanic working in the cockpit of the jet was confronted by smoke billowing from electrical systems in the belly of the plane. There were no passengers on the plane at the time.
It was not the first incident for the Dreamliner since its 2011 release. A United Airlines 787 flying from Houston to Newark, N.J., last month was diverted to New Orleans because of an electrical problem with a power distribution panel. No one was injured.
The Dreamliner is made of carbon fiber and uses electrical motors instead of hydraulic motors to save weight and energy.
"As a result, the electrical system has to be much more powerful and it runs at a higher voltage," MIT professor John Hansman said. "There has been a fire in this area in one of the 787 flight tests airplane several years ago during flight tests."

Read more: http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/metro/Second-Japan-Airlines-plane-stopped-before-takeoff-at-Logan/-/11971628/18051988/-/m5drtwz/-/index.html#ixzz2HaIfB8Ff

Boeing's 737 MAX tops 1,000 orders with $6B deal

The Boeing Co.'s updated 737 MAX jet has won more than 1,000 orders thanks to a deal reached in late 2012, the company announced Wednesday.

An order for 60 aircraft from leasing company Aviation Capital Group pushed the re-engined 737 MAX program over the 1,000 order milestone. The deal for 50 737 MAX 8s and 10 737 MAX 9s, was finalized in December 2012. The order is valued at $6 billion at list prices.

"Reaching 1,000 orders in just over a year's time from our first order validates the exceptional value the 737 MAX offers our customers," Bob Feldmann, general manager of the 737 MAX program, said in a statement.

Boeing says its 737 MAX will save airlines 8 percent in operating costs compared to the closest competitor. The jet maker's rival Airbus launched its A320 new engine option, or A320neo, jet in late 2010. That aircraft won 1,000 orders in 2011. Boeing began offering its 737 MAX to customers in August 2011.

"Customers are expressing confidence in our ability to deliver improved performance on schedule," Feldmann said.

With the order from Aviation Capital Group, Boeing's 737 MAX has orders for 1,029 airplanes.


heraldnet.com

Airbus logs A350 order; Boeing 787s at LAX

Airbus won an order for 10 A350-900s from CIT Group Inc., the jet maker announced Thursday.

It's the second time CIT has ordered the A350, bringing its total request to 15.

“We are very confident that our A350 XWB Family will perfectly meet long haul operators' needs by offering them the highest levels of comfort and efficiency,” John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer, said in a statement.

CIT's latest request brings the A350 sales total to 572 firm orders from 34 customers.

Airbus announced the new A350XWB order shortly before rival the Boeing Co. released its 2012 totals for orders and deliveries.

In other Boeing news, the company's 787 Dreamliner has been making appearances at Los Angeles International Airport.

South American carrier LAN began international flights using 787s out of LAX on Wednesday.

On Thursday, United Airlines launches 787 service between Los Angeles and Tokyo's Narita airport.

However, the carrier has pushed back some of its planned 787 international service due to recent reliability issues with the Dreamliner, reports Flightglobal.


http://www.heraldnet.com

NTSB, Boeing address 787 fire; United finds wiring error

Here are new developments regarding Boeing 787 problems since this morning's blog post:

• Boeing Co. and the National Transportation Safety Board confirm that the fire that broke out yesterday on a Japan Airlines 787 has been traced to the battery used to start the aircraft's auxiliary power unit.

In its initial report released Tuesday, the NTSB said the battery sustained "severe fire damage."

"Thermal damage to the surrounding structure and components is confined to the area immediately near the APU battery rack (within about 20 inches) in the aft electronics bay," NTSB writes.

The NTSB has three investigators looking into the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Japan Airlines and a representative of the Japan Transport Safety Board also are investigating.

In a statement released Tuesday, Boeing says it would be premature to discuss details. However, the company said it does not think previous incidents involving 787 electrical components are related to this latest one.

"Nothing that we've seen in this case indicates a relationship to any previous 787 power system events, which involved power panel faults elsewhere in the aft electrical equipment bay," Boeing said in an emailed statement.

• The Wall Street Journal reports that United Airlines has found wiring problems on one of its 787s.

The airline found an improperly installed bundle of wires that connect to the APU battery, an unnamed source told the Journal.

• Also this morning, another Japan Airlines 787 had trouble in Boston. About 40 gallons of fuel leaked from the plane prior to takeoff, after it left the gate. The jet was towed back to the gate for evaluation.

The FAA previously instructed airlines to inspect 787s for fuel leaks.

• The price of a share of Boeing stock fell again Tuesday, by $2 to $74.13. That's 2.6 percent. Yesterday after the fire was first reported, the stock fell 2 percent.



http://www.heraldnet.com

More on Dreamliner fire, Boeing stock and the 787 in China

How are airlines reacting to the fire that broke out yesterday on a Boeing Co. 787 in Boston?

So far, it looks like business as usual for most airlines operating 787s.

Japan Airlines' flight between Boston and Tokyo using a 787 is scheduled as usual this morning. The flight was canceled yesterday after the fire.

Japan's All Nippon Airways has more 787s in its fleet -- 17 as of Dec. 31 -- as the launch customer of the Dreamliner. An ANA spokeswoman told Bloomberg News the airline isn't doing anything different with its fleet in light of the fire. However, the carrier received instruction from Japan's transport ministry to check all 787s and inspect the jet's batteries.

According to FlightAware, several 787s are in the air, many on long-haul flights.

How is Wall Street reacting to the fire?

BB&T Capital Markets has downgraded Boeing's stock to “hold” from “buy.”

BB&T analyst Carter Leake offered these comments for the downgrade:

"The FAA is not likely to take any immediate action," Leake said. "But the 787 has run out of mulligans, and even though this may be an unrelated battery issue, any new electrical event could have the FAA take more drastic measures to include the grounding of the fleet."

Jefferies analyst Howard A. Rubel tends to disagree, telling the Associated Press that the drop in Boeing's shares may be overdone.

Rubel wrote that the decline of over $1 billion in market value "would seem to overstate the worry.”

Leeham Co. analyst Scott Hamilton offered this perspective on the 787 incident, noting that the investigation will determine if there's a design flaw.

Bottom line: when asked whether he'd fly on the 787, Hamilton says he would.

Boeing's stock is down $1.53 to $74.60 in trading Tuesday morning.

Finally, this story was out yesterday before the 787 fire. China's aviation officials haven't signed off on the Dreamliner yet.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has to give any new jet a airworthiness certificate, like the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency.

Chinese officials told Reuters on Monday that approval process on the 787 “is still in progress.”

Boeing deliveries of 787s to China Southern and Hainan airlines are on hold until the airworthiness certificate is granted.



http://www.heraldnet.com 

Komisi V DPR Takjub Kereta Paling Siap Beroperasi di Bandara Kuala Namu

MEDAN (beritatrans.com) – Komisi V DPR surprise melihat fakta kereta api menjadi infrastruktur transportasi paling siap sebagai akses ke Bandara Kuala Namu, Medan, Sumatera Utara (Sumut). Bandara itu sendiri dioperasikan mulai Maret 2013.
Kekaguman rombongan Komisi V DPR muncul sejak meninjau terminal city check in di Stasiun KA Medan hingga naik KRD dari stasiun tersebut ke depan terminal Bandara Kuala Namu, kemarin.
Mereka didampingi Dirjen Perkeretaapian Tundjung Inderawan dan jajarannya, Direktur Komersial Kebandarudaraan PT Angkasa Pura II Rinaldo J Aziz, serta Direktur Utama PT Railink Suratha. Selain itu, ikut pula perwakilan dari pemerintah provinsi Sumatera Utara, Bupati Deli Serdang, dan Balai Besar Pembangunan Nasional Wilayah IV Kementerian Pekerjaan Umum.

Rel KA Bandara sudah sampai ke depan Bandara Kuala Namu

Nusyirwan Soejono, ketua rombongan Komisi V DPR, mengemukakan surprise dan kagum atas fakta kereta menjadi infrastruktur terdepan. “Kami dari Komisi V DPR mengapresiasi tinggi kinerja Ditjen Perkeretaapian mewujudkannya,” cetus politisi dari Fraksi PDIP ini.
Dengan beroperasinya kereta seiringan dengan shadow operation Bandara Kuala Namu, dia menegaskan bangsa Indonesia mencatat sejarah emas baru memiliki kereta bandara. “Ini luar biasa,” ujarnya.
Hal senada dikemukakan anggota Komisi V DPR RI dari Fraksi PDIP Josep Umarhadi. Dia mengaku, harapan terbesar ada pada kereta api untuk operasional Bandara Kuala Namu Maret 2013 mendatang.
Josef tidak yakin dengan akses jalan arteri maupun jalan tol ke bandara dapat selesai tepat waktu. “Sebab, hingga saat ini pembangunan beberapa ruas jalan arteri maupun jalan tol masih terkendala oleh pembebasan tanah,” ujarnya.

Bandara Kuala Namu

Persoalannya, kata Josep, akses ke Bandara Kuala Namu tidak bisa terus mengandalkan kereta api. Sebab, dengan kondisi sarana dan prasarana kereta api sekarang, sangat tidak mungkin mampu mengangkut calon penumpang pesawat yang jumlahnya telah mencapai lebih dari 8 juta per tahun.
“Maka, selain terus diupayakan mempercepat pembangunan akses jalan tol maupun non tol ke bandara, perlu juga segera dipikirkan jalan keluar atas keterbatasan kapasitas angkut kereta api,” ujarnya.
PEKERJAAN FISIK
Tundjung Inderawan, Dirjen Perkeretaapian, mengamini pernyataan anggota DPR tersebut. “Secara fisik pembangunan akses kereta api dari Medan ke Bandara Kuala Namu sudah selesai. Tinggal finishing di stasiun Medan dan pembangunan stasiun di Bandara Kuala Namu yang merupakan tanggung jawab PT Angkasa Pura II,” ungkap Tundjung.
Dia menjelaskan rel kereta api dari Stasiun Medan hingga Stasiun Araskabu sepanjang 17 kilometer pun sudah dilakukan penggantian dengan rel baru berikut penambahan balas. Sedangkan pembangunan rel dari Stasiun Araskabu hingga Bandara Kuala Namu sepanjang 5 kilometer juga sudah selesai hingga ke depan bandara.
“Kami juga sudah menyediakan dua rangkaian KRD berpendingin udara yang akan digunakan untuk sementara,” kata Tundjung.

Tinggal menunggu stasiun di bandara

Menurutnya, dengan dua rangkaian kereta api tersebut nantinya akan mampu melayani sebanyak 26 frekwensi perjalanan per hari dengan waktu tempuh rata-rata 30 menit.
“Frekwensi perjalanan akan semakin banyak. Karena PT KAI sedang merenovasi dua set kereta di Balai Yasa Manggarai. Selain itu, PT Railink menyiapkan empat set kereta dari Korea Selatan. Kereta-kereta itu akan datang mulai September tahun depan,” jelas Dirjen.
Menyinggung soal tarif, Dirjen Perkeretaapian mengutarakan untuk sementara ditetapkan sekitar Rp60 ribu per orang.

DOUBLE TRACK
Tundjung Inderawan mengakui bahwa kondisi rel yang masih single track dan banyaknya perlintasan sebidang, membuat kapasitas angkut dan perjalanan kereta ke Bandara Kuala Namu akan sangat terbatas.
Untuk itu pada tahun anggaran 2014, pihaknya telah berencana membangun double track dan membangun fly over atau under pass untuk menghindari perlintasan sebidang.
“Dengan demikian, kita bisa meningkatkan kapasitas angkut maupun jumlah perjalanan tanpa harus mengganggu kelancaran moda angkutan lain,” katanya.

BANDARA KUALA NAMU: Angkasa Pura II Uji Coba Teknis Hari ini

MEDAN--Angkasa Pura II Medan tengah melakukan operasi bayangan untuk melakukan uji coba kelayakan teknis di Bandara Internasional Kuala Namu, Sumatera Utara hari ini (10/1/13) sebelum mulai dioperasikan pada Maret 2013.

Manajer Elektronok PT Angkasa Pura II Selamat Samiadi mengatakan uji coba yang dilakukan hari ini hanya untuk mengecek kesiapan sistem navigasi, radar, dan telekomunikasi sehingga tidak ada penerbangan atau pendaratan.

“Hari ini benar ada operasi bayangan uji coba teknik dan sistem navigasi di Kualanamu untuk dilihat mana yang belum sempurna dan harus disempurnakan serta apakah sinyal yang diterima pesawat sudah bersih,” ucapnya dihubungi Bisnis, Kamis (10/1).

Rencananya, setelah dilakukan operasi bayangan secara teknis, AP II juga akan melakukan  penerbangan pesawat kalibrasi untuk menguji landasan pendaratan, termasuk kelengkapan lampu, dan terminal bandara yang direncanakan Februari nanti.

“Sebelum operasi bandara banyak hal yang harus diuji coba sehingga semuanya sesuai track dan tidak ada masalah ketika sudah operasi penuh,” tuturnya.

Saat ini konstruksi Bandara Kualanamu masih sekitar 91% dan baru akan selesai 100% pada Maret mendatang, begitu pula dengan sarana pendukung seperti rel kereta api yang juga baru akan diselesaikan pada Maret.

Namun sayangnya, jalan tol Medan-Kualanamu baru akan diselesaikan pada 2014, sebab baru saja memulai tahap groundbreaking pada Desember lalu, tapi untuk jalan akses jalan nasional dua jalur telah diselesaikan.

Selain itu, rambu-rambu petunjuk menuju bandara Kualanamu pun saat ini masih belum lengkap. Kasubdit Dikyasa Ditlantas Polda Sumut AKBP Enrico Silalahi meminta instansi terkait segera melengkapi rambu petunjuk lalu lintas menuju Kualanamu.



bisnis.com

Sejumlah Maskapai Dipastikan Tambah Penerbangan

Medan, (Analisa). Angkasa Pura (AP) II dapat memastikan bahwa sejumlah maskapai penerbangan yang ada di Bandara Polonia Medan saat ini akan menambah jumlah pergerakan penerbangannya, mengingat kapasitas parkir pesawat di Bandara Kuala Namu nantinya lebih besar dua kali lipat dibandingkan Bandara Polonia Medan.

"Kalau penambahan pergerakan pesawat, jelas sekali akan adanya penambahan. Misalnya pergerakan pesawat untuk maskapai Garuda," ucap Kepala Cabang PT Angkasa Pura II Bandara Polonia Medan, Said Irawan kepada Analisa, Rabu (9/1).

Biasanya dikatakan Said, untuk penerbangan Garuda tujuan Medan-Jakarta hanya 12 kali penerbangan dalam sehari. Total pergerakan menjadi 24 kali dalam sehari. Setelah Bandara Kuala Namu nantinya beroperasi, bisa jadi total pergerakan penerbangan untuk maskapai Garuda menjadi 48 pergerakan.

"Untuk data secara pasti penambahan dari sejumlah maskapai belum kita dapatkan. Adanya penambahan ini karena nantinya Bandara Kuala Namu juga akan menjadi hap domain Bandara di Medan," katanya.

Bukan hanya pada penambahan pergerakan penerbangan, pada biaya Passenger Service Charge (PSC) di Bandara Kuala Namu nantinya juga akan ada penambahan. Jika di Bandara Polonia Medan biaya PSC sebesar Rp 35.000, maka di Bandara Kuala Namu nantinya diperkirakan menjadi Rp 40.000 hingga Rp 50.000. "Jadi biaya PSC nya tidak sampai Rp 100.000," ucapnya.

Sementara untuk porter bandara. Dipastikan porter di Bandara Kuala Namu tidak akan ada. Pihak AP II akan menyiapkan lebih banyak troli dari sebelumnya. "Kalau ada, itu porter untuk lansia dan wanita hamil saja," ucapnya.

Pasti Tambah

Menyikapi adanya penambahan pergerakan pesawat yang disebutkan AP II, Dirut Umum Lion Air Indonesia, Edward Sirait mengatakan bahwa pihak Lion Air juga bersedia menambah rute penerbangan. Hanya saja hingga sejauh ini pihaknya belum bisa memastikan rute penambahan tersebut.

"Kalau tambah rute pasti akan kita tambah. Hanya saja sekarang ini kita sedang mempelajari rutenya. Tidak bisa asal kita tentuin. Begitu juga untuk pergerakan penerbangan. Misalnya rute Medan-Jakarta, kita mau saja tambah dari Medan, hanya saja untuk di Bandara Soekarno Hattanya nanti yang sulit," ucapnya.

Hampir sama dengan Dirut Umum Lion Air, Manager Mandala, Brata Rafly juga menyatakan kesiapannya untuk menambah rute penerbangan. "Kalau saat ini dari Medan, pesawat Mandala ada tiga pesawat, maka ketika nantinya boleh ada penambahan, maka akan kita tambah," katanya.



analisadaily.com

Garuda Siap Buka Rute Internasional dari kia (KNIA)

JAKARTA-Maskapai penerbangan Garuda Indonesia sudah ancang-ancang untuk mengembangkan rute penerbangan internasional dari Kualanamu International Airport (KIA). Selama ini, rute internasional perusahaan penerbangan plat merah itu hanya dibuka di Bandara Ngurah Rai, Denpansar, dan Bandara Soekarno-Hatta, Cengkareng. Vice President Corporate Communications Garuda Indonesia, Pujobroto, menjelaskan, memang Medan menjadi sasaran pasar Garuda untuk segmen penerbangan internasional ke depan.
“Memang akan ada pengembangan Garuda ke Medan (dari KIA, Red),” ujar Pujobroto kepada Sumut Pos di Jakarta, Selasa (8/9). Hanya saja, dia tidak memerinci secara lebih gablang rencana pengembangan Garuda dimaksud.
Dia hanya memastikan bahwa posisi KIA bagi Garuda, ke depan akan sejajar dengan Bandara Ngurah Rai dan Bandara Soekarno-Hatta untuk pengembangan rute penerbangan internasional. “Medan, Jakarta, Denpasar, itu masuk skala prioritas pengembangan,” imbuhnya.
Dia mengakui belum tahu persis bagaimana detail rencana pengembangan Garuda di Medan. Pujo berjanji akan memberikan keterangan lebih rinci setelah nantinya mendapatkan data dari bagian perencanaan pengembangan Garuda.
Namun dari data yang didapat, tampaknya rute pengembangan dimaksud belum dilakukan tahun ini. Pada November 2012, Direktur Marketing Garuda Indonesia, Eliza Lumbantoruan mengatakan di 2013, Garuda Indonesia akan membuka 3 rute penerbangan internasional baru dari Jakarta ke negara Eropa dan Australia.
Tiga rute internasional baru itu ke London UK (Inggris), Brisbane Australia, dan Auckland (Selandia Baru). Ketiganya dari Bandara Soekarno-Hatta. Jadi, tak satu pun dari KIA.
Sedang di 2014, menurut Direktur Utama Garuda Indonesia, Emirsyah Satar beberapa waktu, Garuda Indonesia berencana membuka lima rute penerbangan langsung ke Eropa. Saat ini, maskapai milik pemerintah Indonesia masih tengah menunggu kedatangan pesawat Boeing 777. Kelima rute baru itu adalah Belanda, Inggris, Jerman, Italia, dan Prancis.
Selama ini, perusahaan milik pemerintah yang meraih penghargaan World’s Best Regional Airline dari Skytrax itu sudah membuka 35 rute tujuan internasional. Namun, tak satu pun dari Bandara Polonia, Medan.
Data yang didapat, sejumlah maskapai yang sudah beroperasi di Polonia dengan rute internasional, antara lain AirAsia (Kuala Lumpur-KLIA, Penang), Firefly (Kuala Lumpur-Subang, Penang), Indonesia AirAsia (Bangkok-Don Mueang, Kuala Lumpur-KLIA, Penang). Ada juga Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur-KLIA), Mandala Airlines (Singapore), Silk Air (Singapore), Sriwijaya Air (Penang), dan Wings Air (Penang).
Sementara itu, KIA sangat memungkinkan dijadikan bandara transit bagi sejumlah penerbangan internasional. Terutama dari Australia menuju Eropa, maupun sebaliknya.
Menurut pilot senior Garuda Indonesia, Capt Darwis Panjaitan, dari pengalamannya mengelilingi bandara-bandara yang ada di dunia selama 36 tahun, ada beberapa kelebihan Kualanamu. Di antaranya karena letaknya yang  strategis, pesawat dari Australia yang hendak menuju Eropa, tidak perlu lagi transit di Bali atau Jakarta. Tapi dapat transit di Kualanamu, sehingga bisa  langsung menuju Samudera Hindia. Dan itu akan sangat mempersingkat jarak.
“Alasan lain, bandara-bandara transit yang ada di Asia seperti Jakarta, Singapura, Kuala Lumpur dan Bangkok, trafficknya saat ini benar-benar superpadat. Jadi peluangnya sangat terbuka,” ujarnya.
Karena itu Darwis meyakini, dengan keberadaan Bandara Kualanamu, Indonesia akan sangat diuntungkan. Karena selain dapat mengurangi traffick penerbangan di Jakarta, Indonesia juga dapat benar-benar menjadikan Kualanamu sebagai pintu gerbang. “Misalnya pesawat-pesawat dari Eropa yang mengangkut penumpang untuk tujuan Indonesia, transitnya di sana. Nah untuk melanjutkan perjalanan ke daerah lain di Indonesia, memakai pesawat Indonesia. Jadi secara otomatis, ini juga menguntungkan penerbangan dalam negeri,” katanya.
Namun untuk menjadikan Kualanamu bandara transit penerbangan internasional, menurut Darwis memang tidak semudah membalik telapak tangan. Karena ada beberapa hal yang perlu dipenuhi terlebih dahulu. “Yang pertama sebenarnya policy dari pemerintah terkait politis dan keamanan. Nah kalau ini terpenuhi, baru kita bicara geografis,” katanya.
Selain itu, status bandara internasional menurut pria kelahiran Pematangsiantar ini, belum menjamin sebuah bandara layak menjadi bandara transit internasional. Karena itu Kualanamu perlu membenahi saran-prasarana dan pentingnya kesiapan sumberdaya manusia yang ada.

Read more: http://www.hariansumutpos.com/2013/01/49423/garuda-siap-buka-rute-internasional-dari-kia-2#ixzz2HaFFzkiO

Pembangunan Ruang VIP Bandara Kuala Namu Bakal Telan Dana Rp 30 Miliar

Medan, (Analisa). Pembangunan Ruang VIP Bandara Kuala Namu bakal menelan dana sebesar Rp 30 miliar. Pembangunan yang akan dilakukan dan dananya bersumber dari APBD Sumut tahun 2013 itu meliputi gedung VIP, interior, eksterior, parkir, taman maupun electrical x-ray.

"Pembangunan Terminal VIP Bandar Udara Kuala Namu yang menjadi tanggungjawab Pemerintah Provinsi Sumut saat ini masih dalam tahap Detail Engineering Design (DED) yang sudah dikerjakan oleh PT Tridaya Pramurtya selaku perencana pembangunan," jelas Kabid Udara Dishub Sumut Ali Turki Siregar, Selasa (8/1) di ruang kerjanya.

Lebih lanjut dikatakan Ali, hingga kini dana untuk pembangunan ruang VIP sebesar Rp 30 miliar itu sudah diajukan ke Pemprovsu. Pengajuannya dilakukan sejak November 2012 lalu. "Kita masih menunggu apakah dana tersebut disetujui oleh Gubsu melalui dana APBD 2013. Setelah disetujui, barulah kita melaksanakan proses lelang pembangunan fisik ruang VIP tersebut," kata Ali Turki seraya menambahkan tidak dipungkiri dana pembangunan ruang VIP Bandara Kuala Namu memang cukup besar.

Dan mungkin Pemprovsu juga tidak memiliki dana sebesar itu. Oleh karena itu, pembangunan gedung VIP direncanakan dibangun secara bertahap. "Mungkin 2 tahunlah baru selesai pengerjaan pembangunannya, mengingat dana pembangunannya juga cukup besar," tegas Ali.

Dikarenakan gedung VIP Bandara Kuala Namu itu nantinya tidak bersifat komersial, Pemrovsu sama sekali tidak bisa menggandeng investor dalam pembangunannya. Kecuali, gedung itu memang bisa dikomersialkan.



analisadaily.com

Garuda akan Tempatkan Tiga CRJ1000 di Medan

(5/1/2013) Setelah sukses menempatkan lima pesawat baru Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen di hub Makassar, tahun ini Garuda akan kembali menerima pesawat sejenis sebanyak tujuh unit. Rencananya tiga pesawat akan ditempatkan di Medan. Hal ini sejalan dengan rencana perusahaan mengembangkan hub baru di Sumatera dan bersamaan dengan mulai beroperasinya Bandara Kuala Namu.

Tiga pesawat CRJ1000 NextGen yang ditempatkan di Medan diperkirakan akan tiba pada Maret, April, dan Mei. Pesawat-pesawat tersebut akan digunakan untuk membuka rute-rute domestik intra Sumatera seperti Medan-Batam, Medan-Palembang, Medan-Pekanbaru, Medan-Bandar Lampung, Medan-Padang, dan Medan-Banda Aceh.

Selain melayani rute domestik, Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen juga dipersiapkan untuk melayani rute-rute internasional dari Medan seperti Medan-Penang, Medan-Kuala Lumpur, Medan-Singapore, dan Medan-Chenai (India).

Pesawat yang ditempatkan di hub Medan tidak mengikat dalam jumlah tiga pesawat. Jumlah ini bisa ditambah jika sambutan penumpang terhadap pembukaan rute dari Medan ke sejumlah kota cukup baik. Apalagi Garuda sudah memesan sebanyak 18 pesawat Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen dengan opsi pembelian 18 pesawat tambahan. Jika perusahaan memutuskan mengambil seluruhnya, maka secara total Garuda akan mengoperasikan 36 pesawat regional jet buatan Kanada tersebut.


http://www.indo-aviation.com 

Proyek Tol Medan-Kualanamu Baru Siap Digunakan 2014

JAKARTA - Anggota Komisi V DPR Ali Wongso Sinaga sangat yakin, paling cepat jalan tol Medan-Kualanamu yang mengakses ke Kualanamu International Airport (KIA)
baru bisa dipergunakan 2014. Bahkan, bisa molor 2015.

"Tergantung kelancaran pembebasan lahan. Kalau lancar 2014 selesai, bahkan bisa 2015. Jadi perkiraan saya akhir tahun ini belum," ujar satu-satunya anggota DPR dari Sumut yang duduk di komisi yang membidangi infrastrktur itu, kepada JPNN, kemarin.

Sedang untuk jalan arteri non tol, Ali memperkirakan, akhir Februari 2013 baru bisa siap digunakan. Hitung-hitungan mundur, pada Nopember 2012 silam masih ada ruas sepanjang 300 meter yang belum dibebaskan.

Saat itu, lanjut politisi dari Golkar itu, dirinya sudah minta Plt Gubernur Sumut Gatot Pujo Nugroho dan Bupati Deli Serdang Amri Tambunan, untuk bisa membereskan pembebasan tanah Desember 2012. "Kalau sudah dibebaskan, Januari 2013 mulai dikerjakan, maka perkiraan saya Februari 2013 baru selesai," kata Ali.

Sementara, untuk jalur Kereta Api (KA) Medan-Kualanamu, tinggal membangun stasiun di Kualanamu. "Ya untuk pembangunan stasiun ini, paling lama tiga bulan sudah selesai," ujarnya. Dengan demikian, kata dia, tanpa akses lewat jalan tol, untuk sementara akses keluar masuk KIA sudah bisa dengan KA dan jalan arteri non tol.

Ali juga memperkirakan, begitu Maret mendatang KIA dioperasionalkan, maka tidak akan langsung ada pengalihan penerbangan dari Bandara Polonia ke KIA. Dia mengingatkan, peresmian operasional pada Maret mendatang harus dijadikan sarana untuk membaca kesiapan bandara baru itu.

"Ada tiga hal yang harus dilihat, yakni kesiapan lapangan terbang, kesiapan terminal, dan kesiapan akses keluar masuk bandara. Jika masih ada persoalan, maka harus cepat diselesaikan di masa transisi pengalihan penerbangan dari Polonia ke Kualanamu," saran dia.

Berapa lama transisi yang diperlukan? "Tergantung kesiapan tiga hal itu tadi. Ya jangan lama-lama transisinya, paling lama sebulan. Ini agar pesawat dari Jakarta, Singapura, dan Malaysia misalnya, bisa langsung ke Kualanamu," pungkas dia.


jpnn.com

Akses ke Kualanamu Masih Andalkan Jalan Lama

JAKARTA - Kementerian Perhubungan makin pesimis saja dengan proses pembangunan jalan penunjang operasionalnya bandara baru Kualanamu, yang ditargetkan mulai awal tahun depan.

Direktur Jenderal Perhubungan Udara, Herry Bakti S Gumay, bahkan memperkirakan, jalan tol Medan-Kualanamu paling cepat bisa selesai digarap tahun 2014. Sementara, pembangunan jalan arteri non tol Medan-Kualanamu sepanjang 14,5 kilometer pun diperkirakan tidak bisa langsung bisa digunakan seiring dengan beroperasinya bandara Kualanamu.

"Jalan tol Medan-Kualanamu mungkin baru tahun depannya lagi (2014, red)," ujar Herry Bakti kepada JPNN, Jumat (20/10).

Karenanya, kata Herry, diakui pihaknya untuk tahap awal masih mengandalkan jalan lama, dari Medan ke Kualanamu.  Selain itu, juga jalur kereta api (KA) yang diperkirakan baru bisa diselesaikan pembangunannya Maret 2013.

"Jadi pada tahap awal nanti kita masih mengandalkan jalan lama, lantas jalur KA, baru jalan arteri. Ini karena rasanya jalan tol tak bisa selesai tahun depan," imbuhnya lagi.

Dijelaskan lagi, pihaknya cukup intens berkoordinasi dengan instansi-instansi lain guna mempersiapkan infrastruktur penunjang beroperasinya bandara Kualanamu. Koodinasi dengan Ditjen Bina Marga, Kementerian Pekerjaan Umum, juga tak kurang-kurangnya, agar pembangunan jalan arteri dan jalan tol yang mengakses ke bandara pengganti Polonia itu bisa dikebut.

Kemenhub, sambung Herry, juga sudah membahas kesiapan jaringan komunikasi dan listrik untuk bandara Kualanamu. "Jadi kita kooodinasinya bukan hanya dengan Bina Marga, tapi juga dengan PLN dan juga Telkom. Ini karena awal tahun depan Kualanamu harus sudah siap," bebernya lagi.

Sebelumnya, Juru Bicara Kemenhub, Bambang Irvan, kepada JPNN pernah mengatakan, Kemenhub terus mendorong percepatan pembangunan jalur KA Medan-Kualanamu untuk mengangkut penumpang pesawat yang terbang dari Kualanamu.

"Kita mendorong jalur KA untuk dipercepat pembangunannya. Karena yang menyiapkan stasiunnya adalah Angkasa Pura II," ujar Bambang Irvan bulan lalu.

Mengenai pembangunan jalur KA sendiri, Bambang menjelaskan, hingga September pembangunan badan jalannya sudah kelar. "Tinggal penempatan rel-relnya saja," imbuhnya. Dengan progres yang seperti ini, jalur KA lebih bisa diandalkan kesiapannya dibanding jalur darat melalui jalan non tol Medan-Kualanamu.

Kapan target jalur KA siap digunakan? Bambang menyebutkan, targetnya Maret 2013. "Kita targetkan Maret 2013 sudah operasi," ucapnya.

Dia katakan, didorongnya percepatan jalur KA ini semacam langkah antisipasi terhadap terhambatnya pembangunan jalan non tol yang masih berkutat pada masalah pembebasan lahan. "Kita juga dorong Bina Marga untuk cepat menyelesaikannya," ujar Bambang.

Sementara, terkait proses pengerjaan sisi udara bandara yang menjadi tanggung jawab Kemenhub, Bambang menyebutkan, hingga bulan lalu penyelesaian sudah mencapai 95 persen.

"Hampir 100 persen. Kita targetkan akhir tahun sudah 100 persen. Ini sisi udara yang menjadi tanggung jawab kita," ulasnya. Sisi udara yang hampir kelar 100 persen antara lain landasan, apron, navigasi dan peralatannya, tower, dan lainnya.



jpnn.com

12 Bandara Baru Beroperasi Tahun Ini

JAKARTA - Kementerian Perhubungan mempercepat pembangunan 24 bandara perintis yang sedang dikerjakan di berbagai daerah. Diprediksi, ada 12 bandara yang bisa selesai setahun lebih cepat sehingga dapat mulai beroperasi pada tahun 2013.
          
"Dari total 24 bandara, dalam dua tahun kedepan kita coba percepat pembangunan bandara baru.  Tahun 2013 ini, kita perkirakan ada 12 bandara yang selesai dan siap beroperasi. Sisanya, tujuh bandara akan beroperasi 2014 dan lima bandara pada tahun 2015," ujar Wakil Menteri Perhubungan, Bambang Soesantono dikantornya kemarin.
            
Dia mengaku pemerintah memang sengaja melakukan percepatan pembangunan bandara-bandara perintis, khususnya yang terletak di daerah-daerah terluar atau perbatasan Indonesia untuk meningkatkan aksesibilitas,"Kita ingin mereka segera terhubung dengan kota-kota lain yang lebih maju, tidak terkucil lagi," sebutnya
           
Bambang mengatakan, Pemerintah tidak hanya perhatian untuk membangun bandara-bandara besar saja, tapi juga harus memikirkan pembangunan bandara-bandara kecil yang dibutuhkan masyarakat setempat,"Begitu banyak airstrip (bandara kecil) di Indonesia yang harus dibangun.  Kita akan berusaha mewujudkannya," kata dia.
            
Ke-12 bandara perintis yang siap beroperasi di tahun 2013 antara lain Medan Baru, Pekonserai, Muara Bungo, Bawean, Bone, Sumarorong, Kuffar-Seram, Tual Baru, Saumlaki Baru, Waisai, kamanap dan Waghete Baru,"Jadi akan ada rute-rute penerbangan baru dengan tujuan kota-kota kecil, sekelas kecamatan di beberapa daerah," tuturnya
          
Menurut Bambang, pembangunab bandara-bandara kecil sangat penting untuk meningkatkan aksesisbilitas wilayah terutama di pedalaman, perbatasan dan wilayah timur indonesia. Dengan begitu masyarakatnya merasa menjadi bagian dari Republik Indonesia,"Jangan sampai mereka merasa lebih dekat dengan negara tetangga, daripada negara sendiri," sambungnya
            
Total investasi untuk membangun bandara-bandara perintis tersebut, lanjut Bambang, telah dialolasikan dalam anggaran APBN sekitar Rp 3 triliun,"Ini bukan saja membuka keterisolasian tetapi, pembangunan bandara-bandara perintis ini juga bagian upaya kita untuk membantu daerah dalam menekan biaya logistik," tandasnya
            
Bambang juga mengatakan, pembangunan bandara-bandara baru ini juga dilakukan untuk memfasilitasi permintaan angkutan udara yang terus tumbuh seiring laju pertumbuhan ekonomi,"Tahun 2012 saja penumpang udara tembus 70 juta, kalau kita tidak tambah bandara-bandara baru pasti akan terjadi kepadatan di bandara yang ada sekarang," jelasnya



jpnn.com