Hawker Beechcraft sales and demo pilot Gian Grasso says the plans provide full-time availability of demonstrator jets and turboprops which will reside in various areas including the Asia Pacific region as required:

“We’re putting demonstrators into this region for six months at a time for each aircraft. There’s already a King Air 350i in the Asia Pacific region which will be heading up to Southeast Asia soon, there will be two Hawker jets also, and they’ll all be available for sales demonstration work around the Asia Pacific region. Essentially the jets will be based around Singapore and Hong Kong, although they won’t have a specific base per se. With a network of 100 authorised service centres around the world, we can keep them at the best location for their care and basing.

“Some regions will have a Hawker 750 and a 4000, and others will have a 900 and a 4000. I believe we’ll have a 900 and a 4000 here.”

Hawker Beechcraft’s new King Air demonstrator on tour

Tony Jones, Hawker Pacific’s Senior Vice President, Aircraft Sales & Flight Services Group, says his company is now managing a rash of King Air deliveries:

“The Royal Flying Doctor Service Southeastern Section, which has retained the contract with the NSW Health Department, will be operating three new King Air B200Cs and two new King Air 350Cs. This is the first time we’ve seen dedicated King Air 350s in the aeromedical role in Australia, so it’s a big step forward for them.

“The mixed fleet of 200 and 350 King Airs provides for shorter and longer assignments as well as variable capacity for individual tasks. Two stretchers can be carried in either model, but the larger 350 offers more attendant workspace as well as improved payload range for longer flights.”

The aircraft will be delivered in the first quarter of 2011 for aeromedical conversion, and new contract commences on January 1, 2012. The four B200s on the existing contract will be retired.

Also in country at the moment are four B200C aircraft for Pelair, which won the Victorian air ambulance contract for the Victorian Department of health. These are presently at Hawker Pacific in Cairns, and will enter service on July 1 2011.

Hawker Pacific has also recently delivered the last of a batch of five King Air 350s for the RAAF which brings the total Air Force B350 fleet to 16, says Mr Jones: “We have eight Collins Proline 2 aircraft that were delivered in 2003, and there are five 5-tube Proline II aircraft operating as navigational trainer aircraft at East Sale. Then we have eight Proline 21 aircraft operated by the Air Force in their Interim Light Transport role.”

Hawker Pacific is now supporting something like 150 King Airs in Australia and New Zealand, and the type is rapidly catching on in Southeast Asia, with five units sold to the Malaysian Police, who are training 60 pilots to crew them in a range of operational functions. Well over 6,000 King Airs have been manufactured since the first was sold about 45 years ago.

Watch for our King Air 350i pilot report.

Australia got off to a good start in the competition, with the success of the inaugural contest launched in October 2008. Some 2,350 students from over 80 countries took part with the multinational team COz from the University of Queensland judged eventual winners at Le Bourget 2009. Their project focused on the use of a pioneering natural fibre composite – made from castor plants – in aircraft cabins.

The competition challenges students worldwide to develop new ideas for a greener aviation industry. The biennial contest involves three progressively challenging rounds judged by a panel of Airbus and industry experts. It concludes with a final at next summer’s International Paris Airshow – Le Bourget, France. The winners will share the top prize of € 30,000; the runners-up €15,000.

Announcing the launch of FYI 2011, Charles Champion, Airbus Executive Vice President Engineering and FYI patron, said: “Fly Your Ideas is a unique opportunity for students to be part of Airbus’ vision for an eco-efficient aviation industry of the future. The competition is designed to stimulate ideas for both a more connected and sustainable world. It also enables Airbus to engage with students and research teams to identify R&T opportunities to balance the increased demand for air travel with a better environment.”

Benjamin Lindenberger (27), who was part of the FYI 2009 winning Australian team “COz”, added: “Winning the FYI challenge 2009 was a great experience. But the opportunity to work with Airbus experts, gain industry insight and develop transferable skills was just as valuable.”

Students of any age, nationality, gender or discipline – from engineering to marketing; business to science; philosophy to design – are invited to take part. Proposals are welcome on all aspects of the ‘Environmental Life Cycle’ – an innovative approach Airbus uses to improve the environmental performance of an aircraft and its production process. It consists of five stages: design; supply chain; manufacturing; aircraft operations and aircraft end-of-life.

To enter FYI 2011 students must register as a team of three to five members on the competition website by 30 November 2010. For further information and to register visit: www.airbus-fyi.com

Project proposals must be submitted by 10 December 2010. Those shortlisted for Round 2 will develop their ideas into more detailed submissions with support from Airbus staff. Five finalist teams will win a VIP trip to Paris in June 2011 and make presentations to an independent jury – including industry experts – who will announce their decision at the FYI 2011 awards ceremony.

One of the world’s highest-achieving aeronautical engineers, former Boeing design engineer Joe Sutter, has been honored by the readers of the world’s top aviation magazine in a presentation at Farnborough International Airshow this week.

Acknowledged as the ‘Father of Boeing 747′ Mr Sutter was credited with leading the development of the iconic 747 jetliner from the point when Boeing decided in 1965 to develop the big widebody that launched a new era in international aviation.

Although he’s now retired, Mr Sutter is still contributing his engineering expertise to Boeing. He still lives in Seattle, has an office at Boeing where he works a few days a week, and serves on its Senior Advisory Group, a panel of former company executives that provides insight and guidance to current Boeing Commercial Airplanes leaders on product strategy and development.

“Joe Sutter helped shrink our planet for tens of millions of ordinary travelers,” said Murdo Morrison, editor of Flight International, presenting the inaugural Flightglobal Lifetime Achievement Award which Flight International magazine announced at Farnborough International Airshow this week .

“More than 40 years on, the Boeing 747 remains a unique and radical design – unmistakable and beautiful, but most importantly, a highly efficient people and cargo mover,” said Mr Morrison.

Sutter joined Boeing in 1946 as an aerodynamics specialist and worked on Boeing’s early 377, Dash-80, 707, 727 and 737 projects. While on holidays in August 1965, he took a call from Boeing’s chief engineer for commercial airplanes, who wanted him to head the company’s studies for a bigger aeroplane.

He took on the role of chief project engineer of the new 747 program, which pioneered the twin-aisle widebody concept. He subsequently contributed to other Boeing jetliner developments as well.

“The best airplane is merely the expression of human thinking and dreaming,” said Sutter. “People are always the story, and I’ve been truly fortunate to know and work with countless individuals whose creativity, energy and vision have helped create the ultra-reliable commercial airplanes and systems the world relies on today.”

Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh said: “Joe Sutter was and remains a significant figure in the history of our industry. He played a vital role in configuring several of our key programs, in addition to his leadership of the 747 program. Everyone at Boeing Commercial Airplanes and in commercial aviation owes him a great debt.”

Since the revolutionary 747 entered service in 1970, more than 1,400 of the big jetliners have been delivered. Many of them still crisscross oceans, transporting millions every year. The 747-8, the latest version of the jumbo jet, is now in flight testing.

The Flightglobal Achievement Awards honor the most-admired individuals in aviation and aerospace. Readers of flightglobal.com nominate and vote for winners every year.

Regional Express Holdings, the publicly listed Australian regional airline 65% owned by Singapore investor Lim Kim Hai, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Wagga-based Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA), will provide pilot training services in cooperation with Boeing-owned Jeppesen in Australia.

AAPA will train future airline pilots for Jeppesen’s client companies all over the world to the standard required for Australian and international commercial pilot licences. Commencing this month the agreement with Jeppesen will run for three years, with Jeppesen sourcing student pilots for AAPA from its existing client airlines, particularly in the China, India and the Middle East. The recruits will train initially at AAPA’s new centre which transferred from Mangalore, Victoria to Wagga last year.

Advanced students will then undergo advanced airline training provided by the former Alteon, which was renamed Boeing Training and Flight Services last year, and operates Boeing simulators at training centres in Brisbane (a joint venture with Virgin Blue), a B777 simulator in Sydney it operates on behalf of V Australia and, and another centre in Melbourne. BTFS has pioneered the concept of training pilots from ab initio straight through to airline-readiness using the multi-crew pilot licence (MPL) concept, which foreign airlines in the region believe is the way of the future.

Like other Australian regional operators, Regional Express suffered sudden and disruptive pilot shortages two years ago as its freshly qualified trainees began leaving to fly bigger jets for foreign flag carriers. (The company has since developed its own training school and pilot retention scheme to retain cadets for at least three years.)

Airline pilot training in Australia then experienced a resurgence following disappointments in the USA over schools failing commercially, and security-based problems with visas, so the new $12m facility at Wagga identified a new market which has continued to grow.

Commenting on the agreement AAPA Chairman, Jim Davis said, “We are absolutely thrilled that a company with the global reputation and prestige of Jeppesen has chosen AAPA as its Australian partner for ab initio pilot training. It is a testament to the quality and standard of pilot training at AAPA to have received such an honour”.

Richard Low, general manager of Jeppesen Australia said student pilots would be drawn from fast-growing aviation markets in China, India and the Middle East. “We envisage more than 80 students a year coming to Wagga Wagga to learn to fly,” Low said. “AAPA has a fantastic facility for students to complete their Commercial Pilots Licence and instrument ratings in order to transition to airline jets.”

Airbus Industrie turned lots of heads at Farnborough’s International Airshow yesterday when it unveiled its “engineers’ dream” concept of what air transport might look like in 2050 – or even 2030 if advances in existing technologies continue apace.

Airbus drew on its in-house experts for ideas, including specialists in aircraft materials, aerodynamics, structures, cabins and engines. Ultra long and slim (high aspect ratio, low drag) wings promised higher altitude flight, semi-embedded engines would offer lower drag and possible noise reductions, and a U-shaped tail and light-weight ‘intelligent’ body shape would further improve environmental performance or ‘eco-efficiency’. The target result is more of what manufacturers have been striving for almost since the Wright Brothers: lower fuel burn, a significant cut in emissions, less noise, and even greater passenger comfort.

Charles Champion, Executive Vice President Engineering at Airbus, says: “The Airbus Concept Plane represents an engineer’s dream about what an aircraft could look like in the long term future.  It’s not a real aircraft and all the technologies it features, though feasible, are not likely to come together in the same manner.  Here we are stretching our imagination and thinking beyond our usual boundaries.  With the Airbus Concept Plane we want to stimulate young people from all over the world to engage with us so that we can continue to share the benefits of air transport while also looking after the environment.”

A recent poll suggests that the passengers of 2050 will be more environmentally aware while also recognising the many benefits of air travel.  For the British public aged under 35, ‘environmental issues’ are second only to ‘cost’ as a barrier to flying; those aged 55+ rank ease of getting to the airport, flight duration and comfort as being more important.  Yet the majority of under-35s also look forward to flying more in the future.  Over 40 percent think that for every two flights we make today, we will take at least three by 2050.  One in ten of us expects to fly at least twice as much.

Behind the numbers is a belief that we will live in an increasingly multicultural world where friends and family will be based further from home, according to 68 percent; 64 percent cite a growing desire to travel further and see more of our planet; and 54 percent the need for greater flexibility between life at home and place of work.  At the same time, independent forecasts predict the global population will almost double – topping nine billion.

Robin Mannings, a leading independent Futurologist, looks ahead: “Most of us want reduced traffic congestion – both on the ground and in the sky – together with improved comfort for a better travelling experience; the poll confirms that.  By 2050, we’ll also expect seamless access to a plethora of technology and applications.  And ‘flexibility’ will become the new mantra for air travel, with us as passengers choosing levels of speed or luxury in cruise ships of the sky.”

Further future-gazing by Airbus shows blueprints for radical aircraft interiors.  In ‘The Future by Airbus’ the company talks of morphing seats made from ecological, self-cleaning materials, which change shape for a snug fit; walls that become see-through at the touch of a button, affording 360 degree views of the world below; and holographic projections of virtual decors, allowing travelers to transform their private cabin into an office, bedroom or Zen garden!

‘Green’ energy sources like fuel cells, solar panels or even our own body heat might provide energy for powering some systems on tomorrow’s aircraft.  As aeronautics engineers continue to use nature as a source of inspiration, some of these aircraft may even fly in formation like birds to reduce drag, fuel burn and therefore emissions.

Beyond nature, Airbus is looking to the passengers of 2050 themselves for inspiration as the company enters its next 40 years of innovation.  Friday is Futures Day at the airshow, with a programme of activities to engage young people.  Airbus is running focus groups to ask the next generation what they want from air travel.  The same day, registration opens for Airbus’ ‘Fly Your Ideas’ – a global competition challenging University students to develop new ideas for a greener aviation industry.  The winners will share the top prize of € 30,000; the runners-up €15,000.

Jetstar’s international operations will be the first Qantas Group unit to fly its Boeing 787 Dreamliners – a B787-8 series aircraft – in mid-2012.

The planned deliveries have been brought forward by an agreement reached with Boeing to accelerate the delivery of eight of the group’s 50 B787-8s by about two years.

Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said the Group had firm orders for 50 B787s in  place, and remained the second largest airline customer for the Dreamliner.

“Today’s announcement confirms that the B787, with its new technologies and improved fuel efficiency, is still very much the right aircraft for both Qantas and Jetstar,” Mr Joyce said. “It will be ideal for point-to-point flying on medium density routes, both short and long haul, and will allow Jetstar to move into southern Europe as well as build on its Asian network.

“It will also be suitable for Qantas services into Asia, and even for high traffic routes on Qantas’ domestic network.

“This is further confirmation that Qantas remains committed to growing both our airline brands by renewing our fleet and improving flexibility of our domestic and international operations. “We will also continue to have the capability to maintain and grow our share of the Australian market.

“The phased delivery of 50 B787s will deliver lower operating and maintenance costs, greater fuel efficiency and improved environmental performance to both airlines.

“The 787s will also deliver benefits for passengers, with larger windows, higher humidity and a lower cabin altitude pressure improving the flying experience.”

The change to the Group’s B787 order will see:

• Qantas Group firm orders remain at 50 aircraft, comprising 15 B787-8s and 35 B787-9s;
• the first eight aircraft – all B787-8s – delivered from mid-2012;
• the remaining seven B787-8s, along with 35 B787-9s, to follow from 2014, allowing for the retirement of Qantas’ remaining B767-300ER fleet and providing for international growth for Jetstar or Qantas; and
• Qantas retain the option to purchase up to 50 additional aircraft.

The Group’s first 15 B787s will be delivered to Jetstar for international growth which will also enable the transfer of A330-200s from Jetstar to Qantas and the retirement of Qantas B767-300ERs.

Jetstar will configure the B787-8 fleet for its low fare international operations to accommodate 313 passengers in two classes that includes its international business class, StarClass. *

It probably wouldn’t be among the finalists in any aviation Concourse d’elegance, but after all every aircraft design is something of a compromise.

Boeing’s Phantom Eye, unveiled only yesterday, is expected to deliver about a 150 knot true airspeed, and carry a 450 kg payload – the equivalent of four occupants and their golf clubs – well above the weather at 65.000 feet.

And how about a four day fuel endurance that’ll take it from Auckland to London with a respectable fuel reserve in case that familiar fog’s still around when you get there?

Boeing hasn’t yet disclosed (or decided?) where it plans to hang the engines.

But wait, there’s more! Its environmental credentials must be about as flawless as it gets. First there’s no sonic boom, no nitrous oxide, and no carbon emissions. All that comes out the exhaust of its modest twin 2.3 litre four-cylinder, 150 hp engines is water because it runs on hydrogen.

So what’s the downside? Well, hangarage might be costly because of its 150 ft (46m) wingspan. And before you reach for the cheque book, be aware the selling price and delivery date hasn’t yet been disclosed because you know how it is, the development costs have to be spread over the expected production run and that may make it a bit off-putting for your average weekend warrior. Also there’s no provision for a pilot, let alone the passengers and golf clubs – at least not yet.

“Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications,” Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, said at the unveiling ceremony in St. Louis. “It is a perfect example of turning an idea into a reality. It defines our rapid prototyping efforts and will demonstrate the art-of-the-possible when it comes to persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The capabilities inherent in Phantom Eye’s design will offer game-changing opportunities for our military, civil and commercial customers.”

Later this (northern) summer, Phantom Eye will be shipped to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to begin a series of ground and taxi tests in preparation for its first flight in early 2011. That debut flight is expected to last between four and eight hours.

“The program is moving quickly, and it’s exciting to be part of such a unique aircraft,” said Drew Mallow, Phantom Eye program manager for Boeing. “The hydrogen propulsion system will be the key to Phantom Eye’s success. It is very efficient and offers great fuel economy, and its only byproduct is water, so it’s also a ‘green’ aircraft.”

Key Phantom Eye suppliers and partners include Ford Motor Company (engines); Aurora Flight Sciences (wing); Mahle Powertrain (propulsion controls); Ball Aerospace (fuel tanks); Turbosolutions Engineering (turbochargers); the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; and the National Aeronautics & Space Administration.

Australian Aviation organisations have slammed a $22 million fuel tax hike that starts today. Independent Chair of the Australian Aviation Associations Forum (AAAF), Chris Manning, warned that industry would have to look closely at passing on the new charge to the travelling public as the estimated cost to industry was in about $22 million per year:

“The surprise announcement of a 25% increase in fuel tax in the budget has perplexed an industry that is committed to safety but which must keep a close control on any additional costs.”

AAAF says the increase displays “a lack of Government understanding of likely industry impact” and identifies “the lack of a coherent aviation industry consultation framework on matters of taxation and efficiency of CASA as a failure of the Government.”

“The alarm of the industry is due to the fact this new tax came without any consultation, negotiation or government understanding of the potential impact on operators, particularly regional and smaller aviation companies,” says the forum, which is made up of Australia’s national peak aviation bodies.

The new tax will fund a CASA plan to add 97 new employees to its staff of 699 at the last count in April. CASA Director John McCormick has told a Senate Estimates committee: “The bulk of the new recruits are going into safety systems surveillance and our regulatory development and implementation.”

CASA’s regulatory development program is in its 21^st year, CASA already has 90-100 flying operations inspectors and a similar number of airworthiness inspectors, and Mr McCormick told the Senate: “If we were to freeze the staff at the current level we have, we would find that we would have some difficulty in completing the program which we wish to outline and which is in our current corporate plan.”

But AAAF says more employees may not necessarily be the answer:

“The Forum feels very strongly that any increase in taxation for CASA should be preceded by a stronger efficiency drive within CASA. Industry personnel at the coal face working with CASA daily identify more efficient and less costly means of CASA delivering the same or improved services, but Government has no framework to work with industry on improved efficiency.

“The forum agreed that the size of the overall portfolio of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government was simply too large for one Minister and would benefit from splitting off aviation or even transport into a separate portfolio.

“The Forum makes it clear that it would like to work with Government on aviation policy and improvements, but that it currently lacks a peak consultative mechanism with the Minister, as witnessed by this new tax blindside.”

The AAAF also expressed concern that the tax was inequitable as the domestic sector alone was being forced to pay it, despite the funding being used for CASA positions (such as regulatory development and compliance inspectors) that are not solely dedicated to domestic aviation.

Hong Kong is piling up further credentials as a prime and growing international air cargo hub. Cathay Pacific has won a new franchise from the Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK) to invest in, design, construct and operate a completely new air cargo terminal at Hong Kong International Airport (“HKIA”). And in the same week Cathay Pacific announced a new round-the-world scheduled cargo flight to begin 9 July – believed to be a world-first.

The developments signal a sound future for pilot employment in Hong Kong, which has for many years favoured aircrew from Australia and New Zealand in its crew recruiting.

The airline’s wholly owned subsidiary, Cathay Pacific Services Ltd (“CPSL”), was awarded the 20-year franchise agreement on 18 March 2008 for a completely new common use cargo terminal which will compete with the existing terminal in which Cathay Pacific is a shareholder.

The airline is investing a total development cost of about HK$4.8 billion into the terminal, which will have a designed annual air cargo throughput capacity of 2.6 million tonnes (50,000 tonnes a week.) The facility is planned to begin operation in the second half of 2011.

As part of the franchise deal, Swire Pacific Limited and Cathay Pacific will sell their entire interests, 19.998% and 10% respectively, in Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL) and HACTL Investment Holdings Limited (HIHL) before the new terminal’s operational commencement date. Most of the shares are expected to be taken up by existing shareholders, including the Swire Group’s ago-old Hong Kong commercial rivals, Jardine Matheson.

A fleet upgrade will soon replace Cathay’s older B747 cargo conversions with new B747-8F dedicated freighters

The sale is valued at HK$1.28 bn for Swire Pacific and HK$640 million for Cathay Pacific. Both companies will use the proceeds for general working capital purposes.

Cathay Pacific has already resumed work on the HK$5.5 billion state-of-the-art terminal, having suspended development in January 2009 during the severe economic downturn. The airline recently awarded the HK$4.2 billion contract for the construction of the new terminal, with the facility scheduled to begin operations in 2013.

Swire Pacific and Cathay Pacific Chairman Christopher Pratt said: “The new cargo terminal represents a significant investment in Hong Kong and a clear commitment to continuing to develop the city as one of the world’s most important international airfreight hubs. The addition of new capacity and more competition will help to stimulate the growth of air-cargo services to and from Hong Kong International Airport, which in turn will bring significant economic benefits to our home city.

“The new cargo terminal is an important investment not just for Cathay Pacific, but also for Hong Kong, and will boost the competitiveness of HKIA as a centre for international and regional air cargo traffic. The terminal is a key part of our strategy to develop Hong Kong as a prominent air cargo hub. We are continuing to look at ways to develop our network and freighter frequencies out of Hong Kong. From January next year we will begin taking delivery of ten new-generation Boeing 747-8 freighters, which will increase our capacity in line with growing demand.”

Mr Pratt said that last year, Cathay Pacific and its sister airline Dragonair operated an aggregate total of 1.67 million tonnes of freight -  a 3.2% increase from the combined freight handled by Cathay Pacific and Dragonair for the whole year of 2006, noting that the combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures were only consolidated from October 2006 onwards.

The new cargo terminal will be built in the cargo area at the airport, close to the existing cargo servicing facilities. The terminal facility will occupy a site area of approximately 10 hectares.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Tony Tyler said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the franchise agreement to build and operate the new cargo terminal in Hong Kong. The facility represents a significant investment and commitment by Cathay Pacific that will strengthen HKIA’s position as the world’s leading air cargo and logistics hub.

“The new cargo terminal is planned to be a common use facility that will be open to all airline customers. The additional air cargo handling capacity and facilities provided by the new terminal will give HKIA a much-needed boost to contend with increasing competition from other airports in the region.”

With a fleet of 22 cargo-dedicated Boeing 747s based in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific will clearly be its new cargo terminal’s biggest customer. The airline has spent months developing its new round-the-world route, initially to be operated twice weekly but with strategic capability to become a daily service, with potential for opposite-direction services. Initially each flight will fly from Hong Kong via Anchorage to Chicago, Amsterdam and Dubai and back to Hong Kong. And as an ongoing  strengthening its cargo fleet, the airline has 10 Boeing 747-8F freighters on firm order with deliveries set to commence in January 2011.

Boeing’s B747-8F dedicated long haul cargo carrier – soon to upgrade Cathay’s freighter fleet

The round-the-world flight is an extension of Cathay Pacific’s existing services to Chicago, which the airline currently serves with eight flights per week. The flight from the United States to Amsterdam marks the first time ever for Cathay Pacific to operate a transatlantic service. In total, the round-the-world flight will take 44.5 hours elapsed time, including ground time to uplift freight.

Cathay Pacific says it has been working hard to strengthen its services to and from Hong Kong in response to the recent global upswing in airfreight markets, and will strengthen its freighter route to Houston and Miami. From 2 July the airline will fly four times weekly to Houston and five times each week to Miami.

And in parallel with cargo growth Cathay Pacific’s and Dragonair’s combined traffic figures for May 2010 show significant rises in both the number of passengers compared to the same month in 2009.

The two carriers carried a total of 2,18 million passengers in May – up 12.0% on the same month last year. The passenger load factor was 81.3%, a rise of 5.5 percentage points, while capacity for the month, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), was up by 2.8%. In the first five months of the year, the number of passengers carried rose by 5.3% compared to an ASK drop of 1.6%.

They also carried a total of 158,600 tonnes of cargo and mail last month, up 30.0% on May last year. The cargo and mail load factor was 79.1%, a rise of 10.9 percentage points, while capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometres, was up by 19.7%. For the year to date, tonnage has risen by 25.4% compared to a capacity increase of 4.8%.

Cathay Pacific General Manager Revenue Management Tom Owen said: “Our passenger business held up well in May, despite it traditionally being one of the softer months in the year. Volume and yield improved over the same month in 2009, when our business was being hit hard by the economic downturn and regional flights were affected by the swine flu outbreak. The China network in particular performed well, boosted by Shanghai Expo demand. Although still below pre-crisis levels, the pick-up in demand in our premium cabins continued last month and the overall outlook for the summer peak still remains solid.”

Cathay’s General Manager Cargo Mainland China & Hong Kong, James Woodrow, is equally upbeat: “May is not usually a strong season for air cargo but this year we saw a continuation of the high demand out of key markets seen in the first four months. Demand across the network remained strong and a general shortage of capacity in the industry helped to keep the load factor high. Our own capacity rose due a number of extra services and charters mounted in response to high demand, together with the return of freighters parked in the desert last year.”

Dubai based Emirates Airline has signed a staggering order for a further 32 A380s from Airbus, taking its total firm orders for the type to 90 aircraft. The order has a list price of US$ 11.5 billion. The agreement was signed in a ceremony on June 8 at the Berlin Air Show witnessed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, by Emirates Airline Group Chairman and CEO His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, and Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders

“This latest order, adding to 58 A380s previously ordered, affirms Emirates’ strategy  to become a world leading carrier and to further establish Dubai as a central gateway to worldwide air travel. The A380 is our flagship in terms of passenger comfort, innovation, operating and environmental efficiency and revenue generation. Our latest commitment signals Emirates’ confidence in the growth to come in a thriving aviation sector,” said the Sheikh.

Following delivery of its first A380 in July 2008, Emirates now operates ten of the giant aircraft serving eight international destinations including London Heathrow, Toronto, Paris, Jeddah, Bangkok, Seoul, Sydney and Auckland. The airline expects the list of destinations to increase as more and more airports around the world are A380 ready.

Emirates’ tenth A380, received on 7 June 2010, was on static display at the ILA Berlin Air Show. All Emirates’ A380 are powered by Engine Alliance GP7200 engines and delivered from Hamburg. In Germany more than 30 major suppliers are directly feeding into the A380 programme, which alone adds an estimated 40,000 direct, indirect and induced German jobs.

The A380 in-service fleet has now accumulated over 15,000 commercial flights, and A380 firm orders now stand at 234 from 17 customers. Airbus says its 8,300nm / 15,400 km range, and seating from 400 to more than 800 passengers, the A380 is the answer to alleviate traffic congestion at busy airports, cope with growth and minimise environmental impact. A380 firm orders now stand at 234 from 17 customers.