DGCA officials under scanner for misuse of travel facilities

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued aeronautical information circulars to some senior officials for allegedly misusing the facility of free travel in domestic airlines for safety checks and other official work.

According to media reports, the vigilance wing of DGCA has detected misuse of this facility where certain officials let private individuals to fly free using AICs.

The officials under the scanner for misusing AICs include suspended joint DG A K Sharan; senior air safety officials Bir Singh Rai and T S Gopinath.

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FAA Rest Rules Must Apply to Both Passenger and All-Cargo Pilots

Capt. Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), issued the following statement regarding the union’s long-standing and adamant position that the Federal Aviation Administration’s new airline pilot rest regulations should apply to all airline pilots, regardless of whether they fly passengers or cargo.

“The Air Line Pilots Association, International, has advocated in the strongest possible terms that the Federal Aviation Administration’s new science-based flight- and duty-time regulations and minimum rest requirements must apply to all airline pilots, regardless of whether they carry passengers or cargo on their aircraft.

“To achieve the goal of one level of safety across the U.S. airline industry, ALPA has pursued legislation to apply these regulations to all-cargo airline pilots and equally protect all airline pilots from fatigue. In April, we were gratified by the introduction of the Safe Skies Act of 2012. If passed, the act would direct the U.S. Department of Transportation to apply the FAA’s pilot fatigue rules to all-cargo operations in the same way that the regulations currently apply to passenger flights. We commend Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) and Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) for introducing the bill, and we applaud the more than two dozen members of Congress who have already co-sponsored it. ALPA urges all members of the U.S. House to join this critical effort.

“We understand that the FAA may be providing more information on the impact of the new rule on cargo operations and seeking additional comments as to whether all-cargo pilots should be covered by the regulations. This is no guarantee, however, that cargo pilots will be included. This legislation, H.R. 4350, is more important now than before. If more information is available, we look forward to reviewing it and to commenting on it with the clear goal of achieving one level of safety for the U.S. airline industry.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 53,000 pilots at 37 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org.

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ACCC grants interim approval for Etihad-airberlin to being implementing alliance

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) granted interim authorisation to Etihad Airways and airberlin "to engage in joint pricing, scheduling and marketing of air passenger services between Germany and Australia". The carriers plan to coordingate international services between Australia and Germany via Abu Dhabi. ACCC chairman Rod Sims said "the ACCC has taken into account that granting of interim authorisation for the alliance is unlikely to result in permanent changes to the relevant markets and will provide an opportunity to deliver benefits to the public". ACCC is inviting submissions from interested parties regarding the alliance, with submissions to close on 24-May-2012. ACCC will then decide on its final determination of the agreement.

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Plane safety of children no longer up in the air

THEY are more likely to be injured in a plane crash than adults, but now there's new hope a long-overdue safety overhaul for young Australian air travellers could be on the way.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has announced a review of how children and infants are restrained on planes following concern little has changed in this area since the beginning of aviation, despite advances in adult restraints and those in motor vehicles.

Australian airlines currently require children two years of age and older to have a separate seat, while younger children generally have to be seated on their parent’s lap with a "loop belt", in a bassinet or an approved child seat, though these rules vary between the airlines.

However, research by RMIT university, Human Impact Engineering & Britax Childcare Australia and CASA has shown children seated in their parents laps face an increased risk of injury or death in a crash compared to adults, as the loop belt restraints do not offer an equal level of protection to adult restraints.

There is also evidence an individual seat may be inappropriate, with some tests showing a higher rate of head injury for young children.


CASA has been working with Standards Australia to give manufacturers of automotive child restraints the option of making them suitable also for planes. The move is likely to become effective by early next year.

It would also look at new aviation-based child restraints developed and approved

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dnata acquires En Route International

UAE’s dnata acquired a majority stake in En Route International Ltd, a catering supplier with operations in Dubai, the UK and the US. The company had revenue in 2011 of GBP12 million, with distribution centres at London Heathow and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Last year dnata made several investments in the airline catering sector, acquiring Alpha Flight Group Ltd and Wings Inflight Service.

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DGCA to take legal view on AI pilots issue

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) says it has not yet taken a decision to cancel licenses of 11 dismissed officer bearers of the Indian Pilots Guild after over 200 striking pilots refused to return to work. The decision on the dismissal of pilots, as requested by Air India to the DGCA, will be made only on the basis of legal view, CNBC-TV18 has learnt.

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Unisys Solution Lets Air Travelers at Denmark's Billund Airport Print Baggage Tags at Home to Avoid Check-in Waits

Unisys Corporation (UIS) announced today that it has successfully implemented one of the world's first home-printed bag tag solutions at Billund Airport in Denmark, to help streamline the check-in process for international air travelers.

Unisys was engaged in 2007 as the prime contractor and systems integrator for a passenger facilitation solution to streamline passenger check-in processes at Billund Airport. The home-printed bag tag is the latest project introduced by Unisys under this program, including an Internet check-in application and local check-in assistant system.

Unisys worked with Billund Airport over a three-month period to develop and design a bag tag that, like a boarding pass, passengers could print at home or the office before going to the airport.

"It's all about convenience and saving time," said Anders Nielsen, vice president of development for Billund Airport. "When passengers print out both their boarding passes and baggage tags at home, they can avoid waiting in queues at the airport. We have a dedicated check-in counter for passengers who have printed their boarding passes and bag tags, and all they have to do is present their boarding passes and drop off their pre-tagged luggage."

During the web check-in process, passengers are asked if they have any bags to check-in and if they want to print the bag tags. They can print tags for up to nine bags. The bag tag numbers are added to the boarding pass so bags can be tracked if missing. The passenger then prints the boarding pass and tags. They fold the A4 sized bag tag to fit into a reusable plastic bag tag holder provided by the airport. Passengers then drop off their luggage at a bag drop counter.

Unisys: "Unisys is a worldwide information technology company. We provide a portfolio of IT services, software, and technology that solves critical problems for clients"

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Touching the sky without arms

Jessica Cox was born in 1983 is the world's first licensed armless pilot, as well as the first armless black-belt in the American Taekwondo Association; she now has two black belts in Taekwondo.
Jessica Cox was born without arms as a result of a rare congenital disease
Like every child, she did not understand why she had no arms as did the other children
“It was difficult to be different.”

Regardless of that, she took part in different activities such as gymnastics, dancing and singing, frequently participating in large presentations
Jessica, 26 years old and 1.55 meters tall, is the first lady in history to pilot a plane without arms.
This inspiring lady and heroine for numerous persons, radiates always joy and as proof of having a great sense of humor ; on Mother’s Day last year she flew alone by herself without anyone accompanying her, dragging a notice board saying simply : “Look Mom, without arms !”

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Parachutes on planes concept designed to prevent air crashes

The idea of having parachutes on planes is nothing new, but fitting them to larger aircraft is one of the radical new ideas being suggested in Geneva this year.

We’ve seen parachute systems glide smaller aircraft safely to the ground in emergencies – but could they ever work for the heavyweights like Boeing’s 747?

It’s a scenario that you would normally expect to see in a James Bond film.

But that hasn’t stopped a Chinese inventor – Yu Gao (pictured) – from devising an emergency landing system for planes using layers of parachutes.

Her idea is among 1,000 inventions that are on show at the International Exhibition of Invention in Geneva, Switzerland.

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