Air Transport News’ 2014 award ceremony

The award ceremony took place in Istanbul on 09 March. The winners are as follows:
•    Regional Aircraft Manufacturer of the Year: Bombardier
•    Aircraft Manufacturer of the Year: Boeing
•    Engine Manufacturer of the Year: CFM
•    Ground Handler of the Year: dnata
•    IT Company of the Year: Accelya
•    MRO Company of the Year: Lufthansa Technik
•    Airline Alliance of the Year: oneworld
•    Airport of the Year under 10 Million Passengers: London City Airport
•    Airport of the Year 10-30 Million Passengers: Doha International Airport
•    Airport of the Year: Dubai International Airport
•    Cargo Airline of the Year: Emirates SkyCargo
•    Regional Airline of the Year: Aegean Airlines
•    Low Cost Airline of the Year: Norwegian
•    Airline of the Year: Qatar Airways
•    George Iatrou Lifetime Achievement Award: Mike Ambrose, ex Director General, ERA
•    Woman of the Year: Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director Marketing and Communications, Athens International Airport and ex CEO,  Olympic Airways Services
•    Leader of the Year: Dr Temel Kotil, CEO, Turkish Airlines

Air Transport News’ 2013 award ceremony

The ceremony took place in Montreal on 17 March. The winners are as follows:
•    Regional aircraft manufacturer: Bombardier
•    Aircraft manufacturer: Airbus
•    Engine manufacturer: Rolls-Royce
•    Ground handler: Çelebi Holding
•    IT company: SITA
•    MRO company: Lufthansa Technik
•    Airline alliance: Star Alliance
•    Airport (under 10 million passengers): Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
•    Airport (10-30 million passengers): Geneva Airport
•    Airport: Istanbul Ataturk Airport
•    Cargo airline: FedEx
•    Regional airline: SilkAir
•    Low cost airline: AirAsia
•    Airline: Turkish Airlines
•    George Iatrou lifetime achievement award: Professor Tae Oum, President, ATRS
•    Woman of the year: Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI
•    Leader of the year: Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General, ICAO

One-winged landing

The attached video clip is partly of a real aircraft and partly of a radio-controlled model aircraft. The two video clips have been skillfully edited and mixed together to produce a scenario of one-winged landing. That situation might be technically possible with the continuous development of aircraft manufacturing.

Structural failure is a possible cause of the catastrophic crash of Air France flight # 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on the 1st of June. A catastrophic structural failure, such as a wing falling off, often can be attributed to actions of the pilot. For example, pilots might unintentionally go beyond the design stress limits of the aircraft by flying into a thunderstorm.

It might be a good idea for Air France and other airlines to start hiring pilots who have the following skills:
• Landing with one wing only just in case if they face a situation similar to the one shown in the attached video clip.
• Landing safely the amphibian way like the skills showcased by captain Chesley Sullenberger of US Airways flight # 1549 which landed in the Hudson River last January.

Ryanair is improving revenue by taking on plane toilets

Michael O'Leary, the chief of the low-fare airline Ryanair is considering charging passengers one pound to use toilet facilities on its planes. The Civil Aviation Authority, which regulates the aviation industry in the UK, said that Ryanair would not be breaking the law by introducing the charge.

Seemingly, Ryanair has the right to come up with any decision regarding its toilets both onboard of its flights and off-board on its headquarters. The idea is a fresh one from the inventory of those ideas which aim at improving the flying experience of the 21st century air passengers.

The following points are for Ryanair’s marketing team to consider for successful implementation of the proposed charge:
• What would be the situation for those passengers who have persistent diarrhea? Will they be entitled for a discount in case of using the flight toilet more than 10 times between takeoff and landing?
• On the other hand, what would be the case for the passengers who have constipation? Understandably, they will not be using the toilet frequently. The concern here is that they tend to use it for relatively long period of time.
• Is there a chance for a special rate for parents who are helping their little children in using the toilet?
• Are the passengers free to bring their own potties onboard?
• Is it lawful to use disposable underwear instead of using toilets?
• What about equipping passenger seats with flushing capabilities for the sake of using the seats “dual-purpose”?
• If the idea of dual-purpose seats will be carried out, there will be no need for the space originally allocated for toilets. It is recommended for Ryanair to convert those toilets into mini VIP suites.
• It might be a good idea for Ryanair to excuse itself from the activities of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and its strategic partner World Toilet Organization (WTO).

To check the baggage or not, TSA has something to say

Hand grenades and atomic bombs are supposed to travel as checked baggage only. On the other hand, knives and swords could be allowed onboard as carryon items.
Having said so, the reality is that anyone carrying a fictitious weapon (knife, gun, grenade, etc) is supposed to be treated as if (s)he is carrying a real weapon.
Simply put, a fictitious handgun will create the same effect like a real one if seen at the hand of any one at a bank or in an aircraft.