Sukhoi Superjet crash findings to be out in October

Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) expects to release in October its investigation report detailing findings of the crash involving a prototype Sukhoi Superjet 100.

The committee is synchronising and analysing information from the aircraft's flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders and expects to meet with its Russian counterpart next month to discuss the findings, chief investigator Mardjono Siswosuwarno tells Flightglobal.

"Depending on our discussions with the Russians, it will determine when we finish. But hopefully we'll be able to publish the report end October," he adds.

Indonesia's Kartika Airlines, which has signed up for 30 Superjets, says there are no intentions to ditch the order, and that it is awaiting the NTSC's findings to ensure the aircraft is safe before it starts taking delivery.

The carrier's plans to relaunch operations, however, is in limbo as it awaits the NTSC's report.

Without any aircraft in its fleet, the carrier is unable to complete its air operator's certificate application, says commercial director Aditya Wardhana.

Kartika was originally scheduled to receive its first Superjet in December, with deliveries to follow through to 2015. It plans to use the aircraft to connect cities in East Indonesia.

Sources familiar with the situation have indicated that early conclusions suggest no problems with the crashed aircraft's engine and airframe.

"If the transport ministry says the aircraft is safe, we plan to operate 10 Superjets by next year. Right now, we cannot start operations because of the uncertainty in the situation," says Wardhana.

The carrier's contigency plan is to launch operations with a fleet of at least five ATR 42 and 72 turboprops. No decision has been made on whether the turboprops will be leased or bought.

While Indonesia's Sky Aviation, which has 12 Superjets on order, has not signalled any intentions to back out, cash-strapped Merpati Nusantara Airlines has said that it could cancel plans for 10 Superjets.

source: flightglobal.com

Crashed Superjet was cleared below minimum safe altitude

Preliminary findings from the Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash inquiry show that the aircraft had been cleared to descend below the minimum safe altitude for the area.

Sukhoi had intended to conduct a 30min demonstration flight from Halim to Pelabuhan Ratu at an altitude of 10,000ft.

Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee states that air traffic control cleared the aircraft to depart runway 06 then, upon reaching 2,000ft, turn right to intercept the 200 radial from the Halim VOR beacon before climbing to 10,000ft.

After transferring to Jakarta approach control the crew was instructed to maintain this altitude. But two minutes later - and just 5min into the flight - the pilot requested descent to 6,000ft.

Indonesia's aeronautical information publication showed, however, that the minimum safe altitude was 6,900ft within 25nm of the Halim beacon.

The controller asked the pilot to repeat the descent request and, after he did so, acknowledged it. The pilot responded: "Descend to 6,000ft."

Two minutes later the pilot contacted Jakarta approach again, asking to make a right orbit, which was also approved at 6,000ft. The controller told investigators that, at the moment of this request, radar showed the aircraft was over a training zone at Atang Sanjaya about 17nm southwest of the Halim beacon.

But the aircraft was later found to have crashed into high terrain 28nm from the beacon, on the 198 radial. The impact site, on Mount Salak, was at a height of about 6,000ft.

The route selected for the flight was not a published airway, the inquiry points out, adding that the minimum off-route altitude was 13,200ft.

Weather information for the time of the accident - taken from a meteorological station about 7nm from the crash site - indicated a cloud base of about 2,000ft, with substantial cloud cover and cumulonimbus activity in the vicinity.

Investigators state that the flight-data recorder contains 22min of information from the flight, from engine start. But their preliminary findings have not detailed the operational status of the terrain-awareness and warning system or the various avionics and navigation systems on board the Superjet.

Neither pilot was found to have any traces of alcohol or drugs in their system. No distress signal was received by emergency services. The aircraft's emergency locator transmitter was found with its antenna detached.

None of the 45 occupants - comprising two pilots, a navigator, test-flight engineer and 41 passengers - survived the 9 May crash.

source: flightglobal.com

Hampson crisis 'won't leave 787 short of production tooling'

London trading of shares in Hampson was suspended earlier this week when the debt-burdened supplier of composite assembly tools to Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Gulfstream, Lockheed Martin and other airframers declared the end of attempts to sell the company and that it was unable to file its accounts for its year to end-March.

However, though its share price stood at less than a penny - down from an all-time high in excess of 200p ($3.13) in January 2008 - Hampson remains a going concern and insists it is still on track to fulfil a $53 million contract to supply Boeing with lightweight mandrel tools for carbonfibre lay-up for a "major commercial aerospace programme". This is likely to be the -9 variant of the 787.

Payment for that contract was originally expected within a year of its September 2010 signing, but owing to "issuesidentified during the testing and customer approval process" will not be fully realised until as late as March 2013.

Hampson complained in 2010-11 that profitability was being hit by "a consistent pattern of changes in customer scheduling requirements which resulted in higher subcontract and overtime costs being incurred".
Debt servicing and goodwill impairments have wiped out trading profits.

The company lost £31 million before taxes in its year to end-March 2011 and the same again in its half-year to end-September 2011.

Trouble began in 2008 with a $253 million acquisition of Michigan-based tooling makers Odyssey and Global Tooling. The move looked like a savvy bid to satisfy the growing demand for composite airframe tools until the global financial crisis and various aircraft programme delays left Hampson out on a financial limb.

Lenders have been helpful, but banks have not been willing to refinance the debt, which stands at some £55 million net, exacerbated by short-term borrowing to support the delayed Boeing tooling contract.

Hampson put itself up for sale in February but last week said there was no offer being discussed, though there were preliminary talks with a "third party" about the sale of the US operations. Shareholders will be left with nothing, according to Hampson.

source: flightglobal.com

United celebrates rollout of 787

United Airlines celebrated the rollout of its first Boeing 787-8 in the special "swoop" livery at the manufacturer's Everett, Washington plant on 2 August.

The Chicago-based carrier is the US launch customer for the type and will take delivery of the aircraft (N20904) in September. The 787 rolled out of the paint shop on 31 July.

"We have been awaiting this day for a while and it's worth every bit of the wait," says Dave Hilfman, senior vice-president of sales at United, during the ceremony. "It's going to be extraordinarily successful for United."

United will receive four 787-8s before the end of the year, according to the airline.

The carrier has firm orders for 36 787-8s and 14 787-9s, with options for 10 additional 787-8s and a letter of intent covering 50 of either variant, according to Flightglobal's Ascend Online database.

© United Continental Holdings

 

United will first fly the aircraft on domestic services before placing it on its existing route between Houston Intercontinental and Lagos, Nigeria.

The 787 will be used to launch a new service between Denver and Tokyo Narita in March 2013.

The airline intends to rotate the 787-8 through all of its domestic hubs that have a widebody service before it shifts to international operations, says Hilfman. This includes all of the airline's hubs except Cleveland.

United's 219-seat 787-8 has 36 fully lie-flat business-class seats in a two-two-two configuration, 72 economy plus seats and 111 economy seats in a three-three-three configuration.

All of the economy seats, supplied by BE Aerospace are a little more than 17in (43cm) wide while economy plus seats have at least 34in of pitch and economy seats 31in.

Panasonic provides the in-seat in-flight entertainment system on United's 787. Audio video on demand is available at each seat. Power outlets are located at each seat in the business-class cabin and there are two for every three seats in the main cabin except for in the bulkhead rows where there are three outlets.

The airline is working "aggressively" with Boeing to find an in-flight wi-fi solution for the 787, it says.

United executives repeatedly cite the positive impact of the 787’s lower cabin altitude on passenger comfort. Senior vice-president of marketing and distribution Mark Bergsrud describes the lower altitude compared to that of its rivals as the difference between being in Vail or Colorado Springs. Vail is at 2,445m (8,016ft) above sea level while Colorado Springs sits at 1,832m.

source: flightglobal.com

A380 wing-fix charges pass €180m in first half

Airbus has recorded total first-half charges of €181 million ($222 million) relating to fixing the cracking problem to wing-rib feet on in-service A380s.

The airframer disclosed the figure in parent company EADS's financial results for the first six months of 2012.

It adds that €23 million of these charges were attributable to the second quarter. A fix for the problem remains "under development", EADS says.

First-half earnings for Airbus of €548 million have already taken into account the A380 charges as well as the charges associated with a new delay to the A350 programme.

Airbus is aiming to deliver 580 commercial aircraft this year and is maintaining that these will include 30 A380s.

source: flightglobal.com

EADS and ST Aero finalise A330 conversion agreement

EADS and ST Aerospace have signed an agreement formalising their launch of an Airbus A330 passenger-to-freighter conversion programme.

Under the agreement, ST Aero will pay €110.5 million ($142 million) to subscribe to new shares in EADS EFW, the Dresden-based company that is also the main EADS passenger aircraft conversion facility.

This will give the Singapore-headquartered firm a 35% stake in EADS EFW, while EADS will hold the remaining 65%. EADS has an option to buy ST Aero's stake, and this can be triggered during the engineering development phase of the programme.

As part of the agreement, the EADS EFW facility in Dresden will also become ST Aero's European maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre. This "fills a gap" in its global airframe MRO footprint, says ST Aero.

© AirTeamImages.com

 

Plans for the conversion programme were first announced at the Singapore air show in February and further details of how the two companies will divide up the work has been revealed.

The engineering development phase is likely to begin by the end of 2012 and ST Aero will be the programme and technical lead at this stage, say the two companies. EADS EFW will drive sales and marketing activities, and lead the industrialisation phase.

"The larger A330-300P2F will be particularly suitable for integrators and express carriers thanks to its high volumetric payload capability with lower-density cargo," says ST Aero. "Complementing this will be the A330-200P2F, which will be optimised for higher-density freight and longer-range performance."

The conversions will mainly take place at in Dresden and the rest will take place at a ST Aero facility that will be decided at a later stage. ST Aero performs passenger-to-freighter conversions in the USA and Singapore, and also has a significant MRO presence in China.

Marketing efforts are underway and talks have begun with several potential launch customers, says a ST Aero spokeswoman.

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker confirmed last week that his airline is in talks with EFW about possibly converting some of its large fleet of A330 passenger aircraft into freighters.

The airline, however, is also talking to Boeing about a potential passenger-to-freight conversion deal for 777-200s even though it does not operate the aircraft type.

source: flightglobal.com

First A380s with line-fit wing-fix to be delivered in 2014

Airbus is expecting one-off charges to implement a retrofit solution to the A380 wing-rib cracking problem to reach €260 million ($330 million) over 2012.

The airframer's parent, EADS, revealed in its first-quarter results that it had already taken a €158 million charge relating to fixing 71 in-service A380s - a fix which, it says, is "more complex" than originally anticipated in March this year.

"This charge is now treated as a one-off since the anticipated retrofit costs go beyond the recurring warranty levels," it adds.

But the company is still expecting to deliver 30 A380s this year. EADS will continue to treat the matter on a one-off charge basis.

Based on the projected deliveries the total charge over the year, says EADS, could reach about €260 million.
The A380 delivery schedule for 2012 is "becoming more challenging" because the delivery pattern has become "more back-loaded", says EADS, admitting that it had expected to hand over more than the four A380s delivered in the first quarter.

EADS says the final wing-fix solution was finalised over the "last few days" and discussions are taking place with certification authorities.

Once the changes secure approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency, implementation of the retrofit will begin towards the end of this year with initial deliveries in 2013.

But while implementation of the line-fit solution will take place around the same time, the lead times mean that the first A380s with the line-fit fix will be delivered in 2014.

"Implementation in production of the final fix will temporarily generate headwind on the year-on-year A380 [earnings] improvement in 2012 and 2013 to account for non-recurring costs and delivery adjustments," says EADS.

"General discussions are on-going with customers. However, this should not jeopardise the reaching of [A380] break-even by the beginning of 2015."

source: flightglobal.com

A380 wing-cracks to require eight-week repair downtime

Airbus A380 operators face a 30,000 man-hour repair programme to address wing-crack issues that have dogged the airliner which will require an eight-week downtime if implemented in one instalment.

The European airframer confirms that if airlines choose to undertake the repair "nose-to-tail" it will require around eight weeks to implement. However Airbus says that it expects most operators would opt to adopt the phased approach spread out over three two-year heavy checks which is less disruptive. In this case, it expects the repair would extend each two-to-three week heavy check by "a few days".

Emirates, which is the biggest A380 operator with 21 in service, is undertaking the repair to each aircraft in one instalment. It says the work will require 30,000 man-hours to implement. The Emirates fleet will be repaired in Airbus facilities or by other organisations on Airbus's behalf because the Dubai carrier does not have the capacity to undertake the work in house.

A380s featuring the recently-introduced revised wing design incorporating more twist and a lighter structure will need to be modified slightly earlier as the wing-crack issue has "a slightly greater effect" on these wings.

The retrofit modification will be subject to an airworthiness directive from the European Aviation Safety Agency, which Airbus expects to be issued this summer. It will be available for retrofit in the first quarter of next year.

A modification for new-build aircraft will become available for incorporation on the wing production line at the end of this year. There is an approximately 10-month lead-time on the wing, meaning that this will apply to A380s delivered from early 2014.

Airbus says that it expects that most A380 operators receiving new A380s in 2013 will opt to have their wings repaired during final assembly, resulting in a four-to-six week delay. However some airlines with a more urgent need for their aircraft will decide to have the work carried out retrospectively, it adds.

Source: flightglobal.com

British Airways A380 deliveries to be pushed back

British Airways is in talks with Airbus regarding delivery of its initial A380s, with the first arrival probably being put back until around the third quarter of 2013.

Airbus has already indicated that its deliveries of the type will dip next year as a result of its efforts to correct a cracking problem with wing-rib brackets.

BA has 12 A380s on order.

Parent company International Airlines Group's chief, Willie Walsh, says it is "in discussions" with Airbus regarding a delivery date.

Walsh says the deliveries will probably be pushed back, adding that the aircraft are still "likely" to arrive in 2013 but "towards the third quarter".

Airbus is developing a modification for the A380's wing, to resolve the problem, but the first aircraft to have this integrated into the production cycle will not be delivered until 2014.

source: flightglobal.com

SilkAir signs LOI for 31 Boeing 737-8s, 23 737-800s

Singapore Airlines' regional carrier SilkAir has signed a letter of intent to purchase up to 68 new Boeing aircraft for its growth and fleet renewal plans.

The agreement includes a firm order for 23 Boeing 737-800s and 31 Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft, and purchase rights for another 14 aircraft.

Under the deal, SilkAir also has the flexibility to switch its order to other variants of the 737 product range.
The firm order for the 54 aircraft is valued at $4.9 billion at list prices.

© SilkAir

Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2014 and continue through to 2021, doubling the carrier's fleet. The deal also swings the carrier away from operating an all-Airbus fleet.

"The order is the largest in SilkAir's history and remains subject to the negotiations of a final purchase agreement," the carrier said in a statement listed on the Singapore Exchange.

"The selection of the B737 follows detailed evaluations and extensive negotiations with both Airbus and Boeing. The order will enable us to maintain a young and modern fleet, with an aircraft that has a proven track record of strong customer appeal, excellent reliability and low operating costs," said SilkAir chief executive Marvin Tan.

He adds that the new aircraft will allow SilkAir to expand its network and increase its capacity on existing routes.

SilkAir issued a request for proposals in early 2012, assessing both narrowbodies and regional jets. It now operates a fleet of 21 A319s and A320s, with three more A320s due for delivery by the end of 2013.

Many of the aircraft joined its fleet before or during the mid-2000s, according to Flightglobal's Ascend database.

source: flightglobal.com

Boeing unveils Dreamliner 787 with Android-based entertainment systems

Boeing is making better use of today’s mobile technology by integrating it into its aircraft, starting with rolling it all into the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A Qatar Airways Boeing was unveiled at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK this week showing off its new Android-based entertainment system.

Over 850 planes will be equipped with two types of in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) solutions–the Thales TopSeries Avant and the Panasonic eX3.



The Thales TopSeries Avant IFECs had been integrated with the Qatar Airways 787 Dreamliner, featuring two classes, economy and business. They’ll have 7-inch and 10-inch touchscreen IFECs with hardware stored in the seat-back unit. A STMicro dual-core ARM processor, 1GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD also come with each IFEC.

Android handsets will be equipped with the Thales TopSeries Avant IFEC, presumably for running applications not built for the large screen will be. Although not specified yet, it’s expected that the Android version used on the system will be either Android 2.3 or Android 3.0.

A350 XWB front section arrives in Toulouse

Airbus has delivered the front fuselage for the first flyable 21-meter-long A350 XWB (MSN1) to the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France, from Airbus’ site in Saint-Nazaire, France (ATW Daily News, April 26).

The A350 XWB front fuselage section will be mounted in the giant assembly jig ready to be joined with the center and aft fuselage sections over the summer. Before the aircraft sections arrive at FAL, they are equipped and pre-assembled at Airbus sites in the UK, Spain, France and Germany.

Insiden Garuda di Pekanbaru Rugikan Maskapai Lain

Metrotvnews.com, Pekanbaru: Insiden tergelincirnya pesawat Boeing 737 800 bernomor GA 174 milik Garuda Indonesia saat mendarat di Bandara Sultan Syarif Kasim II Pekanbaru, Selasa (17/7), diklaim merugikan maskapai lain yang melayani rute Pekanbaru.

"Ini insiden Garuda yang berimbas sampai kemana-mana, dan menempatkan maskapai lain dalam posisi sulit," kata District Manager Batavia Air Pekanbaru Bachtiar di Pekanbaru, Rabu (18/7) dini hari.

Ratusan calon penumpang maskapai lain seperti Lion Air, Batavia Air, dan Sriwijaya Air yang sedianya berangkat dari Pekanbaru terpaksa bertahan di bandara hingga Rabu dini hari.

Para calon penumpang mengaku kesal karena pihak manajemen maskapai tidak memberikan kompensasi penginapan untuk mereka, pascapembatalan akibat insiden Garuda.

"Tidak ada kompensasi menginap karena kesalahan bukan pada Batavia," katanya.

Pantauan ANTARA di Bandara SSK-II, para calon penumpang banyak yang tidur di lantai bandara dan di sudut-sudut ruang terminal bandara.

Pihak manajemen Garuda Indonesia terkesan tidak peduli dengan insiden yang mengakibatkan terlantarnya calon penumpang maskapai lain.

"Secara kemanusiaan memang kurang bisa diterima, tapi kami mohon maaf, kebijakan dari Jakarta tidak memberikan kompensasi menginap," kata Bachtiar.

Batavia akan berusaha mendatangkan satu pesawat dari Jakarta Rabu pagi untuk mengangkut penumpang yang tertunda berangkat.

"Tapi itu tergantung pada kondisi, apakah bandara sudah dibuka atau belum," katanya.

Senada dengan Bachtiar, Station Manager Sriwijaya Air Pekanbaru Ahmad Bustomi juga mengaku tidak dapat memberikan kompensasi menginap kepada calon penumpangnya.

Hingga saat ini, katanya, yang dapat diusahakan oleh Sriwijaya Air mencoba minta bantuan otoritas bandara untuk menyediakan tempat menginap, untuk calon penumpang yang bertahan.

Kepada calon penumpang yang membatalkan keberangkatan, pihaknya akan mengembalikan uang tiket.

"Bagi penumpang Sriwijaya yang membatalkan penerbangan kami akan kembalikan uang tiket secara utuh, dan hingga saat ini, sudah banyak yang melakukan 'refund'," kata Bustomi.

Hingga pukul 00.45 WIB, situasi di bandara masih panas. Para calon penumpang masih beradu argumen dengan manajemen maskapai terutama dari Lion Air.

Bahkan, sempat terjadi kericuhan saat para calon penumpang Lion Air beramai-ramai mengejar manajer maskapai yang terlihat oleh mereka bersembunyi di loket tiket.

Akibat ketiadaan dongkrak salvage di Pekanbaru, pihak otoritas Bandara SSK-II Pekanbaru tidak dapat melakukan prosedur evakuasi terhadap pesawat Garuda dari ujung barat landasan pacu hingga Rabu dini hari.

Sebanyak 19 penerbangan dibatalkan secara resmi pada pukul 22.30 WIB setelah sebelumnya ditunda tanpa kejelasan, sejak sore hari karena bandara secara resmi ditutup.

Liverpool FC Declares Garuda Indonesia Official Airline Partner

Britain’s Liverpool announced on Thursday that it had inked a deal with Indonesian national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia making it the football club’s "Global Official Airline."

Liverpool said in a statement published on its website, liverpoolfc.com, on Thursday that the new “fantastic” partnership was set for three years and that Liverpool tapped the opportunity because of Indonesia’s “rapidly growing economy which the Club has great affiliation with and where we hope to hold next year’s pre-season tour.”

“Liverpool Football Club has a huge international following and we are looking forward to working with Garuda Indonesia across many markets in order to capitalize on their rapid growth,” Liverpool FC managing director Ian Ayre added.

“It is an honour for us to be associated with a brand that has become a leading player in global aviation, and in particular, a brand that has its base in a region where we enjoy such a passionate fan base,” he went on.

Garuda president director Emirsyah Satar, meanwhile, was quoted as saying in the same statement that the partnership was expected to provide Garuda with “great exposure in international markets,” given Liverpool’s huge fan base all over the world.

Emirsyah was in London on Thursday, also to attend the Farnborough International Airshow.

The announcement came following a filing at the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) on Wednesday saying that Garuda signed a partnership with Liverpool and the Athletics Grounds Limited — a sports stadium in North Ireland — on June 9.

The agreement grants Garuda the titles of “Official Partner of Liverpool Football Club”  and the “Official Global Airline Partner of Liverpool Football Club."

Passengers Stranded in Pekanbaru Airport After Garuda Flight Skids Off Runway

Pekanbaru, Riau. Hundreds of passengers have been stranded following the cancellation of 19 flights from Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru, after a Garuda Indonesia flight skidded off the runway on Tuesday, bringing all operations to a halt.

No one was injured in the incident, but the plane is still stranded next to the runway with crews working to remove it. The airport has reportedly allowed limited flight operations to commence.         

Many passengers who were set to depart Tuesday night on various Batavia Air, Lion Air and Sriwijaya Air flights stayed overnight at the airport and slept on the floor — the airlines refused to pay for hotels.

“They’re deaf, even as we’re this noisy. No one from management has come to see us,” Samsulhari, a passenger, told Antara.

Other passengers complained that they weren’t even offered food, and insisted on staying at the airport until the airlines officially explained the situation.

“Lion [Air] has handled the crisis badly after Garuda skidded off,” said Fitri, a passenger who was supposed to leave for Jakarta on Tuesday night. “They’re not prepared at all. We will wait until there’s an explanation about a hotel, and about the next flight tomorrow.”

A district manager for Batavia Air said they refused to pay for hotels for their stranded passengers because the delay was not their responsibility.

“This is a Garuda incident which has impacted others, including placing other airlines in a difficult position,” Bachtiar, the Batavia district manager, said. “No hotel compensation will be given because it was not Batavia’s mistake. It might seem to be lacking in  humanity — we apologize, but it is our policy not to give hotel compensation.”

Bachtiar said that the passengers will be directed to other Batavia flights once the airport has been reopened.

Sriwijaya Air Station Manager Ahmad Bustomi also said that his airline could not provide compensation, but would forward complaints to airport management.

“For Sriwijaya passengers that canceled flights with us, we will fully refund the ticket,” Ahmad said.

A Lion Air manager also had a difficult time calming upset passengers after flights were canceled. Hundreds of passengers reportedly chased the manager, who was forced to hide inside an office.

The airport was been reopened on Wednesday morning after being closed for 17 hours, but with tight restrictions. Only 1,800 meters of the 2,600 meter runway is available, according to Anggono Raras, the General Manager of airport operator Angkasa Pura II.

“The flights can operate, but with certain conditions,” Anggono said. “The pilot must . . . reduce cargo or use smaller airplanes.”
Anggono said a small airplanes such as a Fokker 50 — which is capable of carrying 62 passengers — could use the runway.

But is not clear at this time if passengers are being flown out of Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport.

Anggono also said that the process of moving the Garuda plane was going slowly because the airline reportedly declined to use Angkasa Pura’s  equipment.

“Angkasa Pura has a special salvage jack, [because] we’re use to handling this kind of incident,” he said. “It happened three times in Pekanbaru, and [we] usually only need one to three hours to solve the problem. But Garuda insisted on doing it their way.”

Garuda finally used Angkasa Pura’s equipment at 2 a.m., ten hours after the plane skidded off the runway.

Garuda Indonesia Pekanbaru General Manager Suyano declined to answer reporter’s questions.

Garuda Indonesia Reviews Policy After Animal Activists Call for Boycott

Garuda Indonesia said it was reviewing its policy on transporting animals after more than 1,400 people signed petition to boycott the national carrier for allegedly mistreating animals.

“Garuda is committed to environment preservation, including dolphins,” Garuda Indonesia’s corporate secretary, Pudjobroto, said late on Sunday. “Garuda will review the policy on transporting live animals, including dolphins.”

The airline, which was just awarded ‘World’s Best Regional Airline’ by a British based airline service, was carrying two live dolphins on board a flight to Jakarta from Bali over the weekend.

“On Saturday, two dolphins used in the widely protested travel show in Kuta . . . left Denpasar on passenger Flight GA 411,” Femke den Haas, spokesman for the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, said on Sunday. “The dolphins traveled in small crates together with sea-lions and otters, all animals exploited in the travel show.”

Den Haas said Garuda should be responsible for the suffering and exploitation of what she called “blood dolphins,” because they transported them in small crates from Japan to Bali.

“These transports are extremely bad for the dolphins,” den Haas said. “Dolphins also suffer from stress during transport, the extreme sounds and the high chlorine content used in the small plastic pools and transport boxes in which they stay. This chlorine also blinds them.”

The petition was initiated by Barbara Napoles from Florida — besides calling for a boycott of Garuda, the petition also calls on the Indonesian government to put an end to dolphin shows.

Such a petition, which collected more than 6,500 signatures, successfully stopped Hong Kong Airlines from transporting dolphins after the airline admitted they shuttled five of the animals from Japan to Vietnam.

Dolphins are a protected animal in Indonesia, under the 1990 Law on the Protection of Biodiversity.

Garuda Indonesia Flight Skids Off Runway in Riau

A Garuda Indonesia flight skidded off the runway at Pekanbaru, Riau’s Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport as it landed in heavy rains Tuesday afternoon, an official said.

The airport ceased operations for hours Tuesday afternoon as crews and military personnel worked to evacuate the Boeing 737-800, general manager Anggono Laras said Tuesday evening.
“We’re still trying to evacuate the plane and have to temporarily cease flights until next announcement,” Anggono said.

Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya was among the passengers aboard the flight, which departed from Jakarta.

The plane skidded off the runway at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. No one was injured.

The accident caused at least four flights to be diverted from Pekanbaru to neighboring airports, Anggono said.

Antara

Evakuasi Selesai, Bandara SSK II Normal Kembali

INILAH.COM, Pekanbaru - Evakuasi terhadap pesawat Garuda Indonesia yang tergelincir Selasa (17/7) sore lalu akhirnya baru selesai dilakukan sekitar pukul 03.00 WIB dinihari, Kamis (19/7). Usai dievakuasi, Bandara Sultan Syarif Kasim (SSK) II beroperasi dengan normal.

Demikian disampaikan Airport Duty Manager SSK II, Ibnu Hasan melalui selulernya, Kamis (19/7). Menurut dia, sebelum proses evakuasi dimulai, pihaknya sudah melakukan persiapan sejak Rabu (18/7) sore harinya.

Barulah memasuki pukul 23.30 WIB malam, evakuasi dilakukan dengan dihadiri Tim Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi (KNKT) dan pihak Garuda Indonesia.

" Alhamdulillah, Garuda Indonesia pukul 03.00 WIB dinihari tadi (Kamis,red) sudah selesai kita evakuasi. Sebelum evakuasi kita lakukan, kita juga sudah mempersiapkan semuanya, termasuk peralatan yang akan digunakan dalam evakuasi. Sekarang bandara sudah kembali normal,"ujarnya.

Dia menjelaskam usai dievakusai Garuda dengan nomor penerbangan GA 174 itu langsung dipindahkan di parkir B2 Evron SSK II. Selama evakuasi berlangsung, pihaknya beserta pihak terkait lainnya juga tak menemukan kendala apapun. "Walaupun evakuasi cukup lama, tetapi alhamdulillah pelaksanaannya berjalan lancar sampai evakuasi selesai. Sekarang semua landasan pacu juga sudah dapat digunakan kembali,"tambahnya.

Hal yang sama juga disampaikan General Manager (GM) Garuda Indonesia cabang Pekanbaru, Suyatno Rivat. Ia menjelaskan proses evakuasi berjalan lancar.

"Garuda sudah selesai dievakuasi. Yang jelas semua berjalan lancar-lancar saja,"katanya. Ketika ditanyai terkait kronologis tergelincirnya Garuda, ia hanya menyarankan agar menanyakan langsung hal tersebut pada Tim KNKT.
Selain itu, kata dia, akibat kondisi roda depan pesawat yang kotor karena terbenam ke tanah, pihaknya masih harus membersihkan dahulu bekas-bekas tanah yang masih melekat pada roda pesawat. "Roda depannya itu kan kena tanah, jadi kita juga akan membersihkannya,"tutupnya.

Menneg LH Ikut di Pesawat Garuda yang Tergelincir

INILAH.COM, Pekanbaru - Pesawat Garuda Indonesia dengan nomor penerbangan GA 174 dari Jakarta-Pekanbaru tergelincir, pukul 16.00 WIB, Selasa (17/7) di landasan Bandara Sultan Syarif Kasim II Pekanbaru.

Pesawat yang dipiloti Kapten Arif Adam membawa 162 penumpang tersebut membuat panik penumpangnya, termasuk Menteri Negara Lingkungan Hidup RI Balthasar Kambuaya, MBA yang menjadi penumpang.

Akibat tergelincirnya pesawat Garuda Indonesia, bandara ditutup dan mengakibatkan penerbangan lain terpaksa mengalami delayed. Pantauan Haluan Riau hingga pukul 20.00 WIB pesawat belum juga selesai di evakuasi.

Akibat kejadian ini, jadwal keberangkatan penumpang dari maskapai penerbangan lain juga terpaksa tertunda dan mereka harus menunggu sampai mendapat kepastian dari pihak bandara.

Sementara itu, Airport Duty Manager Bandara SSK II, Ibnu Hasan, ketika dihubungi Haluan Riau melalui selulernya belum dapat memastikan penyebab tergelincirnya pesawat tersebut.

"Kalau kronologis kejadiannya saya belum mengetahui, tetapi yang jelas saat ini kita masih melakukan evakuasi terhadap pesawat dan penumpangnya,"paparnya.

Sementara terkait salah satu penumpang Garuda yang tergelincir adalah Menteri Negara Lingkungan Hidup, Ibnu juga membenarkannya. "Seluruh penumpang yang sudah dievakuasi dalam keadaan selamat, termasuk Menteri yang menjadi penumpang,"tambahnya.

Sebelumnya, kepada wartawan Ibnu menjelaskan, karena belum selesainya proses evakuasi pesawat, maka untuk sementara bandara terpaksa di tutup selama 1 jam.

Namun, begitu evakuasi belum juga selesai meski telah melewati batas 1 jam yang sudah ditetapkan, Ibnu tak dapat memastikan lagi kapan bandara akan dibuka kembali.

Hingga pukul 21.00 WIB malam, pihak manajemen bandara dan pihak maskapai Garuda Indonesia masih mencari dan mengumpulkan informasi tentang kronologis insiden tersebut. Pantauan lain di lokasi, hujan lebat juga masih mengguyur Bandara SSK II hingga malam harinya.

Sementara Vice President Corporate Communication PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero )Tbk Pujobroto mengatakan, pesawat berangkat dari Jakarta pukul 13.50Wib dan mendarat di Pekanbaru Pukul 15.30 WIB yang saat itu sedang hujan lebat ,diduga derasnya hujan menyebabkan pesawat over run dan turun ke tanah.

Salah seorang penumpang, Siti Kholifah, mengatakan pesawat berangkat dari Jakarta sekitar pukul 14.00 WIB. Sebelum mendarat, pesawat berputar-putar, terlebih dahulu di udara. Kemudian pramugari meminta agar penumpang tenang.

Pengumuman yang disampaikan pramugari itu membuat penumpang bertanya-tanya, bahkan suasana kepanikan di pesawat pun terjadi.

Hal yang sama dikatakan penumpang, Zahrul Rabain. Dirinya tidak mengetahui tiba-tiba saja pesawat tergelincir.

Menneg LH Ikut di Pesawat Garuda yang Tergelincir

INILAH.COM, Pekanbaru - Pesawat Garuda Indonesia dengan nomor penerbangan GA 174 dari Jakarta-Pekanbaru tergelincir, pukul 16.00 WIB, Selasa (17/7) di landasan Bandara Sultan Syarif Kasim II Pekanbaru.

Pesawat yang dipiloti Kapten Arif Adam membawa 162 penumpang tersebut membuat panik penumpangnya, termasuk Menteri Negara Lingkungan Hidup RI Balthasar Kambuaya, MBA yang menjadi penumpang.

Akibat tergelincirnya pesawat Garuda Indonesia, bandara ditutup dan mengakibatkan penerbangan lain terpaksa mengalami delayed. Pantauan Haluan Riau hingga pukul 20.00 WIB pesawat belum juga selesai di evakuasi.

Akibat kejadian ini, jadwal keberangkatan penumpang dari maskapai penerbangan lain juga terpaksa tertunda dan mereka harus menunggu sampai mendapat kepastian dari pihak bandara.

Sementara itu, Airport Duty Manager Bandara SSK II, Ibnu Hasan, ketika dihubungi Haluan Riau melalui selulernya belum dapat memastikan penyebab tergelincirnya pesawat tersebut.

"Kalau kronologis kejadiannya saya belum mengetahui, tetapi yang jelas saat ini kita masih melakukan evakuasi terhadap pesawat dan penumpangnya,"paparnya.

Sementara terkait salah satu penumpang Garuda yang tergelincir adalah Menteri Negara Lingkungan Hidup, Ibnu juga membenarkannya. "Seluruh penumpang yang sudah dievakuasi dalam keadaan selamat, termasuk Menteri yang menjadi penumpang,"tambahnya.

Sebelumnya, kepada wartawan Ibnu menjelaskan, karena belum selesainya proses evakuasi pesawat, maka untuk sementara bandara terpaksa di tutup selama 1 jam.

Namun, begitu evakuasi belum juga selesai meski telah melewati batas 1 jam yang sudah ditetapkan, Ibnu tak dapat memastikan lagi kapan bandara akan dibuka kembali.

Hingga pukul 21.00 WIB malam, pihak manajemen bandara dan pihak maskapai Garuda Indonesia masih mencari dan mengumpulkan informasi tentang kronologis insiden tersebut. Pantauan lain di lokasi, hujan lebat juga masih mengguyur Bandara SSK II hingga malam harinya.

Sementara Vice President Corporate Communication PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero )Tbk Pujobroto mengatakan, pesawat berangkat dari Jakarta pukul 13.50Wib dan mendarat di Pekanbaru Pukul 15.30 WIB yang saat itu sedang hujan lebat ,diduga derasnya hujan menyebabkan pesawat over run dan turun ke tanah.

Salah seorang penumpang, Siti Kholifah, mengatakan pesawat berangkat dari Jakarta sekitar pukul 14.00 WIB. Sebelum mendarat, pesawat berputar-putar, terlebih dahulu di udara. Kemudian pramugari meminta agar penumpang tenang.

Pengumuman yang disampaikan pramugari itu membuat penumpang bertanya-tanya, bahkan suasana kepanikan di pesawat pun terjadi.

Hal yang sama dikatakan penumpang, Zahrul Rabain. Dirinya tidak mengetahui tiba-tiba saja pesawat tergelincir.

PT Dirgantara Akan Produksi Ekor Sukhoi

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT Dirgantara Indonesia menerima pesanan untuk mengerjakan ekor pesawat Sukhoi. "Mereka minta kami membuat bagian belakang, dari vertical fin ke belakang," kata Direktur Utama Dirgantara Indonesia, Budi Santosa, di Kementerian Badan Usaha Milik Negara. Budi menuturkan nilai kerja sama itu diperkirakan US$ 40-60 juta per set.

Budi mengatakan saat ini Dirgantara Indonesia masih mengajukan gambar dan penawaran kepada Sukhoi. Menurut dia, gambar tersebut ditargetkan selesai awal tahun depan. Budi menjelaskan Sukhoi tertarik untuk bekerja sama karena melihat air frame Airbus yang dikerjakan Dirgantara Indonesia. Untuk saat ini kerja sama masih sebatas tahap negosiasi.

Budi mengatakan pengerjaan peralatan produksi untuk membuat komponen pesawat memakan waktu satu hingga dua tahun. Sukhoi sendiri, kata Budi, membutuhkan 40-60 pesawat setiap tahun. Menurut Budi, pengerjaan bagian belakang pesawat Sukhoi nantinya akan ditangani ahli teknik dari Dirgantara Indonesia.

Budi menuturkan mayoritas produksi perusahaannya saat ini untuk memenuhi pesanan militer. "Pesanan untuk militer mencapai 70-80 persen," ujar Budi. Sebanyak 80 persen tersebut merupakan pesanan yang harus dipenuhi sampai dengan 2016. Budi berharap setelah 2016 porsi pesanan akan berbalik, yaitu 70-80 persen untuk keperluan penerbangan sipil dan sisanya untuk militer.

LAN’s first 787 completes final assembly phase

Chile-based LAN Airlines said its first Boeing 787 has exited Boeing’s paint shop in Everett, Wash., completing its final assembly phase (ATW Daily News, May 18).

LAN, which will take delivery of the aircraft this year, will be the first Latin American carrier to operate the 787 (ATW Daily News, March 8). It will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

According to LAN, it will take delivery of 32 787s over the next 10 years, representing an investment of $3.5 billion. Cabin configuration on the first LAN Dreamliner aircraft will include 217 economy class seats and 30 premium-business class seats.

In its first year, LAN said the 787 will gradually integrate service to Santiago, Chile, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lima, Peru, Los Angeles, California, Madrid, Spain and Frankfurt and Germany.

Lufthansa plans global launch of B-747-8 from Delhi

India will become the first country in Asia to see the debut of Lufthansa’s sophisticated new business class state-of-the-art Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental (B747-8) on August 6 through a global launch.

The airline has chosen India as second market worldwide for the all-new ‘Queen of the Skies’. The arrival of the B747-8 also turns India into the Asian launch market for Lufthansa’s new business class, a statement issued here said. “Choosing India as launch-pad for our latest two products in Asia underlines this market’s importance in our global network as well as our commitment to grow here. These investments will further strengthen Lufthansa’s position in the core market that is India,’’ according to Lufthansa South Asia Director Axel Hilgers.

The B747-8 is configured with eight first-class, 92 business class and 262 economy class seats. It will replace the Boeing 747-400 now serving the Frankfurt-Delhi route. Lufthansa will also introduce the new aircraft on its Frankfurt-Bangalore route later this year, the statement said.

Investigasi Sukhoi Diumumkan Tiga Bulan Lagi

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi (KNKT) berencana mengumumkan hasil investigasi kecelakaan pesawat Sukhoi Superjet-100 di Bogor, Jawa Barat, dalam beberapa bulan mendatang.

"Hasilnya akan keluar pada akhir bulan Oktober," kata Ketua Tim Penyidik KNKT Mardjono Siswosuwarno kepada Tempo, Senin, 23 Juli 2012.

Ia menjelaskan, sampai saat ini, KNKT masih melakukan sinkronisasi data dari flight data recorder (FDR) serta cockpit voice recorder (CVR).

PT Kartika Airlines pun menunggu hasil investigasi dari KNKT tersebut. Direktur Komersial Kartika Airlines Aditya Wardana menyatakan maskapai tersebut tetap berencana membeli 30 unit pesawat Sukhoi Superjet-100.

Namun, kata Aditya, Kartika Airlines masih menunggu hasil investigasi dari Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi (KNKT) atas kecelakaan Sukhoi Superjet-100. "Kami tidak akan terburu-buru membeli pesawat sebelum hasil investigasinya keluar," ujarnya.

Sukhoi Superjet-100 adalah pesawat penumpang pertama yang dikembangkan oleh Sukhoi Aircraft bekerja sama dengan perusahaan penerbangan Amerika Serikat dan Eropa, di antaranya Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace, dan Honeywell.

Pesawat ini masuk kelas armada rute jarak menengah dengan kapasitas penumpang di bawah 100 orang. Jarak yang mampu diarungi, yakni antara 3.048 kilometer hingga 4.578 kilometer, dengan ketinggian 12.200 meter di atas permukaan laut.

Sukhoi Superjet-100 mengalami kecelakaan di Bogor dua bulan lalu. Saat hilang, diketahui pesawat ada di titik koordinat 06.43 menit 08 detik Lintang Selatan dan 106.43 menit 15 detik Bujur Timur. Pesawat hilang kontak sekitar pukul 14.33 setelah mengudara selama 30 menit pada Rabu, 9 Mei 2012.

Kartika airlines to use Sukhoi to expand in eastern Indonesia

Domestic carrier PT Kartika Airlines confirmed they would not cancel their order of 30 Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft despite the plane crash in May, which killed all passengers on board.

The airline’s commercial director Aditya Wardhana said the company planned to start taking delivery of the aircraft as soon as the Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) finished its investigation.

“This is not a delay nor a cancellation. We just need to know the results of the Sukhoi aircraft accident investigation before we operate the aircraft in Indonesia,” Aditya said on Tuesday.

A demonstration flight of the Russian jet went missing with 45 people on board near Mt. Salak in Bogor, West Java at 2:33 p.m. Jakarta time on May 9. A rescue helicopter discovered the wreckage of the missing airplane the following morning on a hillside of Mt. Salak at 5,500 feet above sea level.

Before the crash, Kartika Airlines was scheduled to receive its first Sukhoi planes in September.

The airline ordered the Sukhoi Superjet 100s through a contract with an estimated value of US$951 million in July 2010 at the Farnborough International Air Show in Farnborough, the United Kingdom.

The agreement marked Kartika Airlines as the first company in Southeast Asia to purchase the new Russian jets.

Continuing with its plan, the airline said the Sukhoi aircraft offered certain advantages.

“We are going to use these planes to connect cities in eastern Indonesia because they can land on a shorter runway,” he said.

Based on the company’s plans, the jets are expected to be delivered from the end of 2012 to 2015, and will serve a number of routes including Jayapura-Merauke, Jayapura-Timika and Ambon-Sorong.

Contacted separately, KNKT senior investigator Mardjono Siswosuwarno said that his team expected to finish the investigation by the end of October.

“We plan to finish the investigation by the end of October because the investigation process has been running smoothly,” Mardjono told The Jakarta Post.

Currently, KNKT investigators, assisted by airline psychologists and translators, are synchronizing the ill-fated aircraft’s Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).

This work will allow the team to understand the conditions in the cockpit and problems the pilots had before the plane went missing.

“We hope we can finish this work within two weeks and after that we will send a draft to the Russian Sukhoi [company] and authorities for recommendations,” he said.

After receiving these recommendations, the KNKT would be able to announce the result of the investigation to the public, he said.

Besides Kartika Airlines, fast-growing Indonesian airline Sky Aviation ordered 12 Russian jets in a $380 million deal and expects to take delivery of the first three in October.

Unlike Kartika’s efforts to build its presence in the eastern Indonesia market, Sky Aviation plans to use the 100-seat aircraft to connect big cities in provinces and regencies in the western part of the country, flying routes such as Jakarta–Batam, Batam–Natuna, and Bandung–Batam.

UPDATE 3-ANA grounds Dreamliners, citing engine corrosion risk

* Five of airline's 11 Boeing 787 jets grounded
* Boeing says issue won't affect timing of deliveries
* Glitch related to corrosion risk in engine gearbox

TOKYO/LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) - Japan's All Nippon Airways said on Monday it grounded part of its fleet of 787 Dreamliners after tests revealed a risk of engine corrosion, but Boeing Co, the aircraft's manufacturer, said it does not expect the timing of deliveries of the jetliner to be affected.

The engines on the ANA planes, Trent 1000s, were supplied by Rolls-Royce, which said it was replacing a component on a number of its engines.

ANA, the launch customer for the 787, the world's first passenger jet built mainly from lightweight carbon fiber, said the action stemmed from a flawed process that could leave part of its UK-manufactured engines vulnerable to early corrosion.

The airline grounded five of its 11 Dreamliners, but three of the twinjet airplanes have been fixed and are flying again. The other two are waiting for parts from Rolls-Royce and could be out of action for a few weeks, an ANA spokesman said.

The glitch is the latest disruption to Boeing's flagship jet as the Chicago-based company recovers from a series of production delays that have come to typify the latest models being produced by Boeing and its European rival, Airbus .

"The extent of the issue with ANA appears relatively minor at this stage, given that (three) of the aircraft have already returned to service," said RBC Capital Markets analyst Rob Stallard in a note on the incident.

Alex Hamilton, managing director with boutique investment firm EarlyBirdCapital, said he didn't think Boeing share weakness was tied to the ANA announcement, as the broader market sold off.

"My guess is the problem is fixable," Hamilton said.

Shares of Rolls-Royce fell 2.7 percent, while Boeing was down 1.5 percent in afternoon trading in New York. Shares of General Electric Co, which offers an alternative engine for the 787, were up nearly 1 percent on Monday, outperforming the broader market.

The 787 engine problem involves a gearbox supplied by Hamilton Sundstrand, part of U.S. conglomerate United Technologies, but for now is contained to one batch.

Two people familiar with the matter said concerns over corrosion came to light during endurance testing in the UK on one of the Trent 1000 engines designed by Rolls-Royce.

During the ground test, corrosion was discovered on part of the gearbox used to drive ancillary systems. Investigators traced this to a new manufacturing process that was immediately reversed, the people said, asking not to be named.

Boeing said it was aware of the findings made by Rolls during engine testing that revealed the corrosion.
"We don't expect timing of any deliveries to be affected by this," Boeing's Scott Lefeber, a spokesman with 787 Communications, said by email.

"The replacement is expected to be complete in the days ahead," Boeing added in a statement. "No airplanes will be delivered with affected parts."

SUSPECT BATCH

Boeing said that currently, All Nippon is the only customer operating 787s with Rolls-Royce engines.
Of the 859 Dreamliners that have been ordered or delivered at this point, Rolls-Royce engines have been selected for about 228 planes, while General Electric engines have been chosen for 370 planes, according to Boeing data. Rolls spokesman Richard Hedges said by email there were 287 firm orders on hand for 787s with Trent 1000 engines.

"We have seen no such problems with our 787s. But we have found out that out of the eleven 787s we own, five of them are carrying those parts," Japan's ANA said in a statement. "For those five aircraft, we have switched them with other aircraft and are continuing to operate the flights."

A total of 17 engines contain gear boxes from the same suspect batch as the one used in the endurance test, eight of which have been delivered to ANA, industry sources said.

"We have identified that a component on Trent 1000 engines fitted to Boeing 787 Dreamliners has a reduced service life. As a proactive measure, this component is being replaced in a number of engines," a Rolls-Royce spokesman said.

United Tech's Hamilton Sundstrand arm said it was working with the other aerospace suppliers to solve the problem.

As of end-June, only Japanese carriers were operating the 787 Dreamliner, which entered service with ANA in October.

Japan Airlines, which has four Boeing 787s in its fleet, uses engines built by GE and therefore does not face problems similar to those affecting ANA, said Seiji Takaramoto, a Japan Airlines spokesman.

GLITCHES

The grounding the five Dreamliners by ANA is but one of several problems with aircraft that have delayed production and have come to typify flaws in new jetliners made by Boeing and Airbus.

In November, ANA reported a landing gear problem weeks after taking delivery of the first $194 million Dreamliner. [ID:nN1E7A60QX}

In March, Boeing disclosed delamination or stress in part of the 787's fuselage, forcing it to repair dozens of jets.

In June, ANA complained that the 787's electronic dimmable windows were not dark enough for long flights.
A blowout on a different type of Rolls-Royce engine on the Airbus A380 in November 2010 led to delivery bottlenecks for the world's largest passenger plane as engineers swapped dozens of engines on the
production line.

Rolls competes with GE to power both the A380 and the 787 Dreamliner.

Rolls-Royce to replace parts in some Boeing 787 Dreamliners

Japan's All Nippon Airways said on Monday it grounded part of its fleet of 787 Dreamliners after tests revealed a risk of engine corrosion, but Boeing Co, the aircraft's manufacturer, said it does not expect the timing of deliveries of the jetliner to be affected.

The engines on the ANA planes, Trent 1000s, were supplied by Rolls-Royce, which said it was replacing a component on a number of its engines.

ANA, the launch customer for the 787, the world's first passenger jet built mainly from lightweight carbon fiber, said the action stemmed from a flawed process that could leave part of its UK-manufactured engines vulnerable to early corrosion.

The airline grounded five of its 11 Dreamliners, but three of the twinjet airplanes have been fixed and are flying again. The other two are waiting for parts from Rolls-Royce and could be out of action for a few weeks, an ANA spokesman said.

The glitch is the latest disruption to Boeing's flagship jet as the Chicago-based company recovers from a series of production delays that have come to typify the latest models being produced by Boeing and its European rival, Airbus .

“The extent of the issue with ANA appears relatively minor at this stage, given that (three) of the aircraft have already returned to service,” said RBC Capital Markets analyst Rob Stallard in a note on the incident.

Alex Hamilton, managing director with boutique investment firm EarlyBirdCapital, said he didn't think Boeing share weakness was tied to the ANA announcement, as the broader market sold off.

“My guess is the problem is fixable,” Hamilton said.

Shares of Rolls-Royce fell 2.7 percent, while Boeing was down 1.5 percent in afternoon trading in New York. Shares of General Electric Co, which offers an alternative engine for the 787, were up nearly 1 percent on Monday, outperforming the broader market.

The 787 engine problem involves a gearbox supplied by Hamilton Sundstrand, part of U.S. conglomerate United Technologies, but for now is contained to one batch.

Two people familiar with the matter said concerns over corrosion came to light during endurance testing in the UK on one of the Trent 1000 engines designed by Rolls-Royce.

During the ground test, corrosion was discovered on part of the gearbox used to drive ancillary systems. Investigators traced this to a new manufacturing process that was immediately reversed, the people said, asking not to be named.

Boeing said it was aware of the findings made by Rolls during engine testing that revealed the corrosion.

“We don't expect timing of any deliveries to be affected by this,” Boeing's Scott Lefeber, a spokesman with 787 Communications, said by email.

“The replacement is expected to be complete in the days ahead,” Boeing added in a statement. “No airplanes will be delivered with affected parts.”

SUSPECT BATCH

Boeing said that currently, All Nippon is the only customer operating 787s with Rolls-Royce engines.

Of the 859 Dreamliners that have been ordered or delivered at this point, Rolls-Royce engines have been selected for about 228 planes, while General Electric engines have been chosen for 370 planes, according to Boeing data. Rolls spokesman Richard Hedges said by email there were 287 firm orders on hand for 787s with Trent 1000 engines.

“We have seen no such problems with our 787s. But we have found out that out of the eleven 787s we own, five of them are carrying those parts,” Japan's ANA said in a statement. “For those five aircraft, we have switched them with other aircraft and are continuing to operate the flights.”

All Nippon Airways grounds Boeing Dreamliners due to engine issue

Five of Boeing Co.’s new 787 Dreamliner commercial airplanes belonging to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways have been grounded because of corrosion found in jet engines during testing.

The Dreamliner, a twin-aisle aircraft that seats 210 to 290 passengers, made its first passenger flight with All Nippon Airways in October. But it was more than three years late because of design problems and supplier issues.

The latest problem was caused by changes to a manufacturing process, Boeing said Monday. The changes caused some of the crown gears to corrode within the gear box, the company said. The flaw was discovered during testing by the engine’s maker, Rolls-Royce.

All Nippon Airways owns 11 Dreamliners. The airline "is removing the five airplanes with affected parts from active service until they can replace the gearboxes," Boeing spokesman Scott Lefeber said.

By late Monday, All Nippon Airways confirmed that three of the affected Dreamliners had been returned to service with replacement parts.

"The replacement is expected to be complete in the days ahead," Lefeber said. "No airplanes will be delivered with affected parts."

Corrosion is the most recent problem with the Dreamliner. Shortly after delivery of the first aircraft, All Nippon Airways reported a problem with landing gear. In March, Boeing had to slow Dreamliner deliveries because the sheets of laminated composite materials that make up the plane’s body were separating.

Through June, Boeing has taken 845 orders for the Dreamliner from airlines and aircraft leasing firms around the world. Depending on the version of Dreamliner ordered, the plane will cost between $185 million and $218 million.

All Nippon grounds five Dreamliners for repairs

All Nippon Airways (ANA), the launch customer for Boeing's 787 "Dreamliner," has had to ground several of its 787s to correct an engine defect, according to multiple media reports."We've exchanged a total of seven engines in five aircraft, cancelling two domestic flights," a spokeswoman confirms to AFP for a story today.

ANA spokesman Ryosei Nomura tells Jon Ostrower of The Wall Street Journal that two 787s that had been grounded have returned to service but the other three "will need another few weeks to fix." Ostrower added in an afternoon update that "a Boeing spokesman, speaking later Monday, said a third plane had resumed service."

ANA has been able to avoid more cancellations by substituting other aircraft on routes flown by the grounded Dreamliners. Of ANA's five affected 787s, only one has been dedicated to long-haul service. The other four are configured in a short-haul domestic configuration, according to Ostrower.

ANA is just one of two airlines that has put the Dreamliner into regularly scheduled service. The other – Japan Airlines (JAL) – is unaffected by the problem ANA is having with its 787s.

That's because ANA's glitch is reportedly related to the Rolls-Royce engines used on its Dreamliners. JAL's 787s use engines manufactured by General Electric (EC), JAL spokesman Seiji Takaramoto says to Reuters.

GE's engines have not been hit the same issue that's affecting the Rolls-Royce engines. As for the Rolls-Royce issue, AFP writes "Rolls-Royce discovered the defect -- corrosion inside the gearbox -- during endurance tests."

"The extent of the issue with ANA appears relatively minor at this stage, given that (three) of the aircraft have already returned to service," Reuters quotes RBC Capital Markets analyst Rob Stallard as saying in a research note on the incident.

So-called "teething" problems are common when new types of jets enter the market. Airbus' giant A380 jet also has suffered several problems "teething" issues of its own as its flying has increased around the world.

Engine problems hit Dreamliner

Japan’s All Nippon Airways said on Monday it grounded part of its fleet of 787 Dreamliners after tests revealed a risk of engine corrosion, but Boeing, the aircraft’s manufacturer, said it does not expect the timing of deliveries of the jetliner to be affected.

The engines on the ANA planes, Trent 1000s, were supplied by Rolls-Royce, which said it was replacing a component on a number of its engines.

ANA, the launch customer for the 787, the world’s first passenger jet built mainly from lightweight carbon fiber, said the action stemmed from a flawed process that could leave part of its UK-manufactured engines vulnerable to early corrosion.


The airline grounded five of its 11 Dreamliners, but three of the twinjet airplanes have been fixed and are flying again. The other two are waiting for parts from Rolls-Royce and could be out of action for a few weeks, an ANA spokesman said.

The glitch is the latest disruption to Boeing’s flagship jet as the Chicago-based company recovers from a series of production delays that have come to typify the latest models being produced by Boeing and its European rival, Airbus .

“The extent of the issue with ANA appears relatively minor at this stage, given that (three) of the aircraft have already returned to service,” said RBC Capital Markets analyst Rob Stallard in a note on the incident.

Alex Hamilton, managing director with boutique investment firm EarlyBirdCapital, said he didn’t think Boeing share weakness was tied to the ANA announcement, as the broader market sold off.

“My guess is the problem is fixable,” Hamilton said.

The 787 engine problem involves a gearbox supplied by Hamilton Sundstrand, part of U.S. conglomerate United Technologies, but for now is contained to one batch.

Two people familiar with the matter said concerns over corrosion came to light during endurance testing in the UK on one of the Trent 1000 engines designed by Rolls-Royce.

During the ground test, corrosion was discovered on part of the gearbox used to drive ancillary systems. Investigators traced this to a new manufacturing process that was immediately reversed, the people said, asking not to be named.

Boeing said it was aware of the findings made by Rolls during engine testing that revealed the corrosion.
“We don’t expect timing of any deliveries to be affected by this,” Boeing’s Scott Lefeber, a spokesman with 787 Communications, said by email.

“The replacement is expected to be complete in the days ahead,” Boeing added in a statement. “No airplanes will be delivered with affected parts.”

SUSPECT BATCH

Boeing said that currently, All Nippon is the only customer operating 787s with Rolls-Royce engines.
Of the 859 Dreamliners that have been ordered or delivered at this point, Rolls-Royce engines have been selected for about 228 planes, while General Electric engines have been chosen for 370 planes, according to Boeing data. Rolls spokesman Richard Hedges said by email there were 287 firm orders on hand for 787s with Trent 1000 engines.

“We have seen no such problems with our 787s. But we have found out that out of the eleven 787s we own, five of them are carrying those parts,” Japan’s ANA said in a statement. “For those five aircraft, we have switched them with other aircraft and are continuing to operate the flights.”

A total of 17 engines contain gear boxes from the same suspect batch as the one used in the endurance test, eight of which have been delivered to ANA, industry sources said.

“We have identified that a component on Trent 1000 engines fitted to Boeing 787 Dreamliners has a reduced service life. As a proactive measure, this component is being replaced in a number of engines,” a Rolls-Royce spokesman said.

United Tech’s Hamilton Sundstrand arm said it was working with the other aerospace suppliers to solve the problem.

As of end-June, only Japanese carriers were operating the 787 Dreamliner, which entered service withANA in October.

Japan Airlines, which has four Boeing 787s in its fleet, uses engines built by GE and therefore does not face problems similar to those affecting ANA, said Seiji Takaramoto, a Japan Airlines spokesman.

GLITCHES


The grounding the five Dreamliners by ANA is but one of several problems with aircraft that have delayed production and have come to typify flaws in new jetliners made by Boeing and Airbus.

In November, ANA reported a landing gear problem weeks after taking delivery of the first $US194 million Dreamliner.

In March, Boeing disclosed delamination or stress in part of the 787′s fuselage, forcing it to repair dozens of jets.

In June, ANA complained that the 787′s electronic dimmable windows were not dark enough for long flights.
A blowout on a different type of Rolls-Royce engine on a Qantas Airbus A380 in November 2010 led to delivery bottlenecks for the world’s largest passenger plane as engineers swapped dozens of engines on the production line.

Rolls competes with GE to power both the A380 and the 787 Dreamliner.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/engine-problems-hit-dreamliner-20120724-22lsx.html#ixzz21VZjugOu

ANA 787s affected by defect in Trent 1000 gearbox

source: flightglobal.com

All Nippon Airways (ANA) grounded five of its 11 Boeing 787 aircraft on 21 July, after being notified by Boeing that there may be a defect in the gearbox of the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine.

"We received a message from Boeing to the effect that there may be an issue with the gearbox on the engines of the 787s in ANA's fleet. No related problems have arisen on our 787s, however we have ascertained that the part at issue is fitted to five of our aircraft," says an ANA spokesman.

It is understood that the issue was first discovered on an engine gear box used for endurance testing on the ground. Some crown gears had shown corrosion, leading to damage to the gear box.

“Boeing is aware of the findings made by Rolls-Royce during engine testing that revealed corrosion in some crown gears within the gear box that had resulted from changes to a manufacturing process,” says a Boeing spokeswoman when contacted.

She adds that no aircraft will be delivered with affected parts.

The five affected aircraft, registration JA802A, JA806A, JA807A, JA808A, and JA810A, have that component. Both engines on two of the aircraft are affected, while the other three have one affected engine each.

The remaining six 787s in ANA's fleet are not affected. Two of the five affected aircraft were repaired and put back into service on 22 July, says ANA.

The remaining three aircraft however will take "another few weeks to fix" as parts have to be flown in, but the carrier is working with Rolls Royce to speed up the process, says the spokesman.

"Working with Boeing, we will replace the part in question and return our fleet to an operating state as quickly as possible," he adds.

The airline had to cancel two domestic services on 21 July due to the grounding, but is now operating all flights as usual using other aircraft.

Japan Airlines, which has four 787s in its fleet which runs on the General Electric's GEnx-1B engine. says its aircraft are unaffected.

"We do not have to ground our Dreamliners for engine inspections," says its spokeswoman.

Lion Air special livery

50th Boeing 737-900ER special livery Lion Air (red colour), reg: PK-LHY (active).

60th 737-900ER special livery Lion Air (blue colour), reg: PK-LJO (active).

 70th 737-900ER special livery Lion Air (red/orange colour), reg: PK-LKZ (preparing for 1st fly & test fly)

IATA: Lion's Batik Air to up the competition in Southeast Asia

Indonesia's airline market is set to get even more competitive in 2013 when Lion Air's new premium carrier begins operations.

Batik Air will launch services in 2013 with Boeing 737-900ERs on domestic and regional routes. Lion has just signed a commitment for five Boeing 787s for its subsidiary, with its president director Rusdi Kirana previously saying the airline hopes to have widebodies by 2015.

Much of the recent growth and competition in Indonesia has centred around the short-haul, and in particular, low-cost segments, and Lion's move to get widebodies signals that the upstarts are targeting the legacy carriers in Southeast Asia in the long-haul segment too.

Batik is likely to base its aircraft in Manado, a city in the northern region of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, offering possibly easier and faster connections to Northeast Asia and other parts of the Asia-Pacific.

"Right now, if I want to go to Tokyo, [I will] have to go from Singapore or Jakarta. This will take the same time as from Manado, and the government is also keen to make this city the gateway to Asia-Pacific," Rusdi told Flightglobal in an earlier interview.

Rusdi dismissed concerns about overcapacity in Indonesia because of the fleet expansion plans of Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air. He believes that the Indonesian market has room to operate up to 1,000 aircraft.
"If you look at how many people there are in America, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and compare the ASKs, we have 230 million people, but our ASKs are much, much lower than Singapore's. We have the chance to grow," said Rusdi.

While Batik will provide competition to flag carrier Garuda Indonesia in the premium segment, the entry of several long-haul, low-cost carriers in Southeast Asia could put even more pressure on the existing full-service airlines in the region.

Malaysia's AirAsia X, Qantas subsidiary Jetstar and Qantas's Singapore-based affiliate Jetstar Asia were the first to start long-haul, low-cost services, and were joined by Singapore Airlines subsidiary Scoot earlier this month. Next year, Cebu Pacific from the Philippines will also begin long-haul services.

That will put pressure on the likes of Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Philippine Airlines and Garuda Indonesia to rejuvenate their fleets and raise the bar in terms of service levels in order to hold on to their existing passengers in the face of an increasingly competitive market.

source: flightglobal.com

UPDATE: Indonesia's Lion Air to Buy 5 Boeing 787s for Premium Unit

Boeing Co. (BA) said Friday that Indonesia'sLion Air had committed to acquire five 787 Dreamliner aircraft for a new full-service airline unit, just as rivals focus on establishing separate no-frills operations.

Lion Air is already one of Boeing's largest customers and has ordered hundreds of its new-generation 737 single-aisle planes for domestic and regional operations.

The fast-growing carrier plans to establish a new unit called Batik Air that would use twin-aisle 787-8s alongside the smaller 737s earmarked for flights to other parts of Asia and Australia.

Lion hasn't signed a final order with Boeing, which said a completed deal would be worth $967.5 million at list prices.

Closely held Lion Air wasn't immediately available for comment. Local media reports said the carrier aims to launch Batik Air in 2013.

Though Boeing has a huge backlog for its 787, Lion Air's orders may provide it with leverage to gain early delivery spots. However, it is likely the carrier would have to wait several years before securing Dreamliners to launch longer- haul routes to Europe and North America in competition with Garuda Indonesia (GIAA.JK), the country's flag carrier.

Lion Air Tambah Pesawat Sambut MTQ

AMBON- Maskapai penerbangan Lion Air menambah pesawat terbang jenis Boeing 737-800NG untuk mengangkut kontingen dan kafilah Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran (MTQ) tingkat nasional ke-24 di Ambon pada 8 Juni 2012.

"Momen MTQ ini sangat tepat bagi kami bagi kami untuk menambah satu armada baru beroperasi di Ambon," kata Irfan Cahyadiansyah Regional Menager Lion Air Cabang Ambon, di Ambon, Rabu  (31/5).

Ia mengatakan, penambahan pesawat Boeing 737-800NG yang dapat mengangkut 189 penumpang tersebut, merupakan salah satu upaya Lion Air untuk mengantisipasi lonjakan penumpang MTQ yang akan berangkat ke Ambon, begitupun sebaliknya.

Apabila penambahan pesawat tersebut belum cukup untuk mengantisipasi lonjakan penumpang MTQ, Lion Air juga akan menambah jadwal penerbangan ekstra masuk dan keluar Ambon.

"Boeing 737-800NG resmi beroperasi di Ambon sejak 25 Mei lalu. Jika memang sangat dibutuhkan, kami juga akan menambah extra flight saat menjelang dan akhir pelaksanaan MTQ nanti," katanya.

Cahyadiansyah menjelaskan, menjelang pelaksanaan MTQ, lonjakan penumpang Lion Air yang berangkat dari berbagai daerah menuju Ambon sudah terlihat sejak 5 Mei 2012, ratusan calon penumpang telah memesan tiket penerbangan untuk hari tersebut.

"Permintaan akan semakin banyak saat dua hari menjelang pelaksanaan MTQ nanti," katanya.

Menurut dia, kendati terjadi lonjakan penumpang, kemungkinan pihak Lion Air tidak akan menaikkan harga tiket pesawat terbang, karena selama ini maskapai penerbangannya tetap padat. Setiap minggu maskapai melayani 7.000 hingga 8.000 penumpang yang masuk dan keluar Ambon.

Saat ini ada tiga pesawat terbang milik Lion Air yang beroperasi di Ambon, yakni ATR 72-500 berkapasitas 72 kursi, Boeing 737-900ER mampu mengangkut 213 orang penumpang, dan Boeing 737-800NG yang beroperasi.

Pesawat tersebut menerbangkan penumpang Ambon - Jakarta, dan Ambon - Suarabaya begitupun sebaliknya sebanyak tiga kali sehari. Sedangkan Ambon - Makassar pulang - pergi hanya dua kali sehari.

"Untuk mengantisipasi saja, sebaiknya calon penumpang MTQ memesan tiket sejak beberapa sebelumnya, agar bisa mendapatkan harga yang lebih murah, karena biasanya jika ada banyak permintaan, apalagi mendadak maka harganya juga meningkat," ucap Irfan Cahyadiansyah.

source: http://www.investor.co.id/home/lion-air-tambah-pesawat-sambut-mtq/37290 

Lion Pesan Lagi 27 Pesawat ATR

SINGAPURA- Maskapai penerbangan swasta terbesar, Lion Air memesan lagi 27 pesawat ATR 72-600s kepada pabrikan pesawat ATR, Perancis senilai US$610 juta untuk memperkuat rute pengumpan (feeder) Wings Air di Indonesia.

"Dengan pesanan tambahan ini, Wings Air (anak perusahaan Lion Air), akan mengoperasikan 60 pesawat ATR hingga akhir 2015," kata CEO dan Pendiri Lion Air, Rusdi Kirana, usai menandatangani kontrak pembelian 27 pesawat ATR 72-600s dengan CEO ATR Filippo Bagnato, di sela Singapura Air Show, Kamis.

Menurut Rusdi, Lion Air sebelumnya telah memesan 33 pesawat ATR 72-500 dan kini seiring dengan pertumbuhan pasar rute-rute feeder di Indonesia, hal itu tak akan cukup.

"Indonesia dengan pertumbuhan di atas 6% dalam beberapa tahun terakhir dan akan terus tumbuh ke depan, saya percaya untuk 230 juta pasar, akan lebih 1000 pesawat diperlukan," katanya.

Rusdi menyebut, sebagai negara kepulauan, Indonesia memerlukan rute-rute antar ibukota provinsi dengan lama perjalanan dibawah satu jam. "Tak hanya itu permintaan feeder untuk kota-kota besar, juga tumbuh seperi Sumatera, Kalimantan, Sulawesi dan Papua," katanya.

Oleh karena itu, Rusdi memperkirakan saat kebijakan udara terbuka mulai 2015 di ASEAN, pertumbuhan sektor angkutan udara di Indonesia akan menarik.

Disinggung pendanaan pemesanan 27 pesawat ATR 72-600s itu, Rusdi menyebut, pihakya mendapatkan jaminan dari bank swasta internasional seperti BNP Paribas dan CIB Italia.

Sementara Direktur Umum Lion Air, Edward Sirait menyebut, saat ini Wings Air telah mengoperasikan 16 pesawat dari 33 ATR 72-500 dan pesawat pertama tipe ATR 72-600 akan diterima dua unit mulai November tahun ini.

"Pesawat pertama November dan kedua akhir tahun, berikutnya tahun depan per bulan 2-3 pesawat," katanya seraya menambahkan, total nilai pembelian untuk 60 pesawat hingga akhir 2015 diperkirakan sekitar US$1,2 miliar.

Pertama di dunia

CEO ATR Filippo Bagnato menyebut, dengan tambahan pesanan 27 pesawat ATR 72-600s ini dan ditambah 33 pesawat ATR 72-500 yang dipesan sebelumnya, berarti Wings Air adalah operator terbesar pertama di dunia sebagai pengguna ATR.

"Kami menyambut baik hal ini karena Wings Air tumbuh cepat atau mampu menambah pesawat secara signifikan, setelah tiga tahun kontrak pertama untuk 33 pesawat," katanya.

Dia juga menyebut, Wings Air adalah pengguna pertama di kawasan ini untuk tipe ATR 72-600s. "Pesawat ini 50% lebih hemat bahan bakar dibanding pesawat regional jet dengan lama tempuh satu jam," katanya.

Pesawat ATR 72-600s seharga US$22 juta per unitnya dan berkapasitas 68-74 tempat duduk dengan daya tempuh 900 nautical miles atau sekitar 1.665 km. (gor/ant)

Lion Air Tetap Dominasi Penerbangan Domestik

JAKARTA – PT Lion Mentari Airlines kembali mendominasi pasar penerbangan rute domestik tahun 2011, dengan pangsa pasar (market share) 41,59%. Maskapai penerbangan milik Keluarga Kirana tersebut mengangkut 24.971.795 penumpang.

Namun, untuk rute internasional, maskapai itu hanya menguasai pangsa pasar 11,8%. Maskapai ini mengangkut 961.808 orang dari total penumpang rute internasional 8.152.133.

Kementerian Perhubungan (Kemenhub) melansir, total penumpang pesawat udara sepanjang 2011 mencapai 68.191.426 orang atau tumbuh 16,78% dibanding realisasi 2010 yang mencapai 58.390.593 orang.

Pada 2011, total penumpang rute domestic mencapai 60.039.293 atau tumbuh 15,9% dari 2010 yang sebanyak 51.775.656 orang, sedangkan rute internasional 8.152.133 atau tumbuh 23,24% dari 2010 yang hanya 6.614.937 orang.

Baca selengkapnya di Investor Daily versi cetak di http://www.investor.co.id/pages/investordailyku

Hanggar Lion Air di Hang Nadim Dibangun Agustus

BATAM - Pembangunan hanggar Maskapai Penerbangan Lion Air di sekitar Bandara Hang Nadim Batam Provinsi Kepulauan Riau dimulai Agustus 2012.

"Pembangunan dimulai enam bulan sejak Februari," kata Direktur Pelayanan Terpadu Satu Pintu dan Humas Badan Pengusahaan Batam Dwi Djoko Wiwoho di Batam, Selasa.

Ia mengatakan saat ini pembangunan hanggar maskapai penerbangan nasional itu masih dalam tahap pematangan lahan.

Lion Air rencananya membangun hanggar di atas lahan seluas empat ha sebagai tempat untuk perbaikan dan perawatan pesawat. "Pematangan harus benar, karena untuk menahan barang berat," kata dia.

Djoko mengatakan saat ini Lion Air memiliki hanggar sementara di Bandara Juanda Surabaya, Jawa Timur, dan berencana menjadikan hanggar di bagian kanan Bandara Hang Nadim Batam sebagai tempat perawatan armada pesawatnya di wilayah Kalimantan dan Sumatra.

Ia menyatakan Lion Air memilih Batam untuk menunjang pengembangan bisnisnya karena kompleks Bandara Hang Nadim sangat luas dan memiliki landasan pacu sepanjang 4.025 meter yang terpanjang di Indonesia," kata dia.

Dengan armada sekarang mencapai 90 pesawat, Lion Air per hari melakukan 500 penerbangan domestik seluruh Indonesia dengan jumlah penumpang mencapai 80.000 orang dan berencana mulai akhir 2012 meningkatkan menjadi 100.000 orang penumpang per hari.

"Bagi Lion pembangunan hanggar bisa menghemat biaya operasional perawatan pesawat. Tidak kalah penting, dengan demikian Lion juga menciptakan lapangan kerja di Batam," kata dia.

Bandara itu dilengkapi dengan apron seluas 110.541 m persegi, terminal berfasilitas empat garbarata dengan daya tampung sebanyak 3,3 juta orang per tahun, kapasitas penyimpanan barang sebanyak 16.230 ton, serta kapasitas penyimpanan bahan bakar sebanyak 52.000 kiloliter.

"Lion Air berencana melakukan penambahan sampai 240 pesawat pada 2017. Artinya dengan pembangunan hanggar di Batam juga akan menyerap banyak tenaga kerja," kata Djoko.

source: http://www.investor.co.id/home/hanggar-lion-air-di-hang-nadim-dibangun-agustus/35675 

Lion Air Mengecewakan

Maskapai penerbangan lokal, khususnya Lion Air, masih kerap mengecewakan. Maskapai penerbangan ini memang memiliki rute penerbangan terbanyak di antara maskapai lainnya. Namun sayang kinerja pelayanannya seringkali membuat kecewa penumpangnya.

Hal ini dialami rekan bisnis saya, ketika pada Jumat (8/6) kemarin ia mengambil penerbangan tujuan Surabaya-Jakarta dengan pesawat JT 585. Pesawat yang hendak ditumpanginya itu berangkat tanpa diumumkan. Akibatnya, sejumlah penumpang termasuk rekan saya tertinggal. Tak pelak insiden tersebut mengundang keributan penumpang.

Pangkal musabab kejadian tersebut ketika dia tiba di bandara untuk boarding pass sebelum keberangkatan. Oleh petugas Lion Air dia diberitahukan bahwa penerbangan JT 585 akan delay 45 menit.

Rekan saya seharusnya terbang sekitar pukul 18.30 WIB. Namun, entah bagaimana, pengumuman menyebutkan yang terbang lebih dahulu pesawat JT 587. Lalu ia bersama penumpang lainnya bertanya ke petugas, mengapa JT 587 dahulu, padahal sehar usnya JT 585? Petugas Lion hanya menyebut, JT 585 sudah terbang. Penumpang pun meminta pertanggungjawaban Lion Air dengan meminta penerbangan selanjutnya yaitu pesawat JT 587.

Yang membuat penumpang kesal adalah pesawat JT 585 yang katanya sudah terbang sama sekali tidak ada pengumumannya. Akibatnya banyak penumpang yang tidak tahu. Rekan saya dan sejumlah penumpang sempat ngotot. Namun karena alasan kemanusiaan, yaitu ada bayi di dalam pesawat JT 587, dia bersama beberapa penumpang lain akhirnya mengalah.

Akhirnya penumpang yang tertinggal dialihkan ke penerbangan JT 591 pada pukul 21.30. Saya yang kebetulan hendak menjemput rekan saya itu mesti menunggu berjam-jam di ruang kedatangan bandara.

source: http://www.investor.co.id/home/lion-air-mengecewakan/38007

Lion Air to Buy 5 Boeing Dreamliners

US aerospace giant Boeing confirmed on Friday a commitment from Indonesia’s Lion Air to buy five 787-8 Dreamliners for its new subsidiary.

“Boeing confirms that Jakarta-based Lion Air announced a commitment to order 787 Dreamliners for its newly launched premium carrier Batik Air,” the Chicago-based company said.

“Boeing congratulates Batik Air for selecting the 787 Dreamliner and looks forward to finalizing this order,” it said in a brief statement that did not reveal details of the pending order.

A Boeing spokesman told AFP that the privately owned Lion Air planned to buy five 787-8s. At list prices, the deal is valued at $967.5 million.

Since the beginning of the year, Boeing has posted order cancellations for six Dreamliners. The first 787 delivery last September was three years behind schedule.

Built largely with lightweight composite materials, Boeing says the Dreamliner is about 20 percent more fuel efficient than similarly sized aircraft and is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes.

Agence France-Presse

Indonesia's Lion Air signs deal to buy 5 Boeing 787s

(Reuters) - Indonesia's Lion Air has signed a deal for 5 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner passenger jets, worth a total list price of $967.5 million, the airline said in a statement on Friday.

The deal confirms an earlier Reuters report last month that Indonesia's biggest airline was close to a deal to buy the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner over the Airbus A330.

The move puts more pressure on Garuda Indonesia Tbk and Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd because Lion Air will be able to serve a broader range of destinations.

Lion Air's founder and chief executive Rusdi Kirana said in February the Indonesian low-cost carrier was in negotiations with Airbus and Boeing to buy Airbus A330s or Boeing 787s.

Indonesia's Lion Air in pact to buy Boeing 787s

Boeing Co. BA -0.01% said Friday that Indonesia's Lion Air had committed to acquire 787 Dreamliner aircraft for a new full-service airline unit, just as rivals focus on establishing separate no-frills operations. 

Lion Air is already one of Boeing's largest customers and has ordered hundreds of its new-generation 737 single-aisle planes for domestic and regional operations. 

The fast-growing carrier plans to establish a new unit called Batik Air that would use twin-aisle 787s alongside the smaller 737s earmarked for flights to other parts of Asia and Australia. 

Boeing didn't detail how many Dreamliners Lion Air planned to order for the new unit, though recent industry speculation said the companies were discussing a deal involving 10 of the fuel-efficient aircraft. 

Closely held Lion Air wasn't immediately available for comment. Local media reports said the carrier aimed to launch Batik Air in 2013. 

Though Boeing has a huge backlog for its 787, Lion Air's orders may provide it with leverage to gain early delivery spots. However, it is likely the carrier would have to wait several years before securing Dreamliners to launch longer-haul routes to Europe and North America in competition with Garuda Indonesia (GIAA.JK), the country's flag carrier.

Survei: Indonesia Diposisi ke-4 Sebagai Negara Terindah di Dunia

Inilah bukti tersohornya keindahan Indonesia di mata dunia. Negeri kita tercinta menempati posisi ke-4 negara terindah di dunia, berdasarkan survei pengguna Twitter dan Pinterest lewat sebuah situs asal Britania Raya.
Bagaimana kita tak bangga mengetahui Indonesia menempati posisi ke-4 dalam survei negara terindah di dunia. Survei ini dilakukan oleh First Choice, sebuah situs perusahaan travel asal Britania Raya. Dalam situs resmi surveinya yang dilansir dari DetikTravel,  First Choice meminta para traveler untuk berpartisipasi dalam dua jejaring sosial yakni Twitter dan Pinterest.
Hasilnya, Latvia yang berada di Eropa bagian Provinsi Baltik menempati posisi pertama. Dilanjutkan oleh Meksiko, Turki, lalu Indonesia. Britania Raya sendiri menempati posisi kelima. Selanjutnya, ada lebih dari 100 negara lain hingga posisi terakhir ditempati oleh Sudan. Survei ini baru saja berakhir pada 1 Mei 2012 lalu.
Bayangkan saja, Indonesia berada di posisi lebih tinggi daripada negara-negara yang terkenal indah seperti Italia, Selandia Baru, Kanada, Kroasia, bahkan Swiss dan Prancis! Survei ini berhasil membuktikan pada dunia bahwa Indonesia adalah negeri yang sangat kaya, serta jadi destinasi favorit para turis dari berbagai negara.
Berikut posisi 20 besar negara terindah di dunia versi situs First Choice:
1. Latvia
2. Meksiko
3. Turki
4. Indonesia
5. Britania Raya
6. Italia
7. Selandia Baru
8. Brazil
9. India
10. Kanada
11. Irlandia
12. Amerika Serikat
13. Kroasia
14. Swiss
15. Australia
16. Kolombia
17. Yunani
18. Peru
19. Portugal
20. Prancis
sumber: detik.com