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Monthly Archives: January 2014

Flying Times Could be Halved – The Future of Jet Travel?

January 2, 2014
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Spike Aerospace's Supersonic JetIt’s a fast moving world, and it’s set to get even faster with the planned introduction of Spike Aerospace’s S-512 supersonic jet aircraft. Two years in design, its Boston based engineers aim for it to halve international travel times, flying at up to 1,100mph with the ability to reach Mach 1.6.   In practical terms that means a trip from Los Angeles to Tokyo should take just five hours.

If that sounds hopeful, its worth remembering that the Spike Aerospace team already have an impressive track record, with experience gained from working with some of the most renowned aircraft companies. Even the occasional traveller cannot fail to recognise such names as Airbus, Bombardier and Gulfstream.

Supersonic travel certainly won’t come cheap, though. The luxury jet will cater for just 12-18 travellers, and with a price tag of between $60- $80million (£36.3-£48.4million), it is expected to appeal initially to multinational companies and busy executives; for whom time really is money.

For now, it’s not cash but patience that will have to be the watchword for the hopeful supersonic traveller. The dream of “crossing the pond” in little more time than it currently takes to ferry across the English Channel to France will have to remain so for just a little while longer. Spike Aerospace has announced that the inaugural flight is planned for December 2018 – with a headlining London to New York time of just three hours.

However, the Federal Aviation Authority’s current ban on supersonic flight over America means that onward travel may not be quite so fast, although NASA and Boeing are both aiming to develop supersonic craft that reduce sonic boom.

PIA Airlines Must Cut Operational Costs for Survival

January 1, 2014
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Cut Operational Costs with Consultancy ServicesThe board of directors for Pakistan International Airlines have rejected proposed budget plans for 2014, highlighting the airlines’ need to cut operational costs in order to continue to survive.

The reality is that this is happening across the globe and, especially in the global financial climate, the consensus is that many airlines, regardless of size, must look at ways to cut operational costs.

Although many countries announce a promising recovery from financial despair, it is clear that the changes may not come quickly enough for some.

Aviation consultancy agencies offer a service that has become invaluable in order to recognise the areas that can cut operational costs.

Big companies, such as ARINC, who bring more than 80 years of aviation messaging experience to the table, are able to offer insightful evidence that operational messaging budgets can be cut considerably. Saving money in this area can help enormously when operations management is considered.

Web-based solutions and cost-sharing programs for multiple airlines are made possible with CUTE systems and vMUSE technology.

Like PIA, airlines across the world can benefit from consultancy services when business survival is on the line.

Commercial Air Travel Celebrates Centenary Year

January 1, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Commercial Air Travel Centenary YearAir passengers taking advantage of the recent holidays to travel to far-flung climes, or those regularly nipping a few thousand miles to be united with friends and family have good cause to celebrate this centenary year of commercial air travel.

It’s hard to imagine that this globally vital industry, averaging over 8 million passengers and 140,000 tons of cargo per day began 100 years ago with a single passenger, Abram Pheil, Mayor of St. Petersburg; travelling with a ticket won at auction for $400.  It was an inauspicious start for an industry that today carries around 50 million tons of cargo worth in the region of $6.4 trillion per year, a figure representing some 35% of the value of all traded goods.

With funding organised by Percival Fansler, Pheil as passenger, and Tony Jannus as pilot, the 23 minute flight of Thomas Benoist’s airboat across Florida’s Tampa Bay on New Year’s Day 1914 went down in history not just as the inaugural journey of the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, but that of commercial flight.

As the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a year-long celebration of the centenary it’s certainly worth considering how far commercial flight has come in that time. Last year annual passenger numbers reached 3.1 billion, exceeding all previous records, and this year it’s anticipated records will be broken again with 3.3 billion journeys. The figures are staggering enough but even more so when one considers they are equivalent to 44% of the global population.

The contribution of commercial flight to all aspects of modern life is well-recognised by IATA director-general and CEO Tony Tyler who said, “The first flight provided a short-cut across Tampa Bay. Today, the aviation industry re-unites loved ones, connects cultures, expands minds, opens markets, and fosters development.”  But the centenary year is not just about looking to aviation’s past, nor even to its present success. As Tyler says, “A hundred years is something worth celebrating. And we look forward to creating an equally remarkable legacy for commercial aviation’s second century.”

Arabian Gulf States Invest Heavily in Airport Security

January 1, 2014
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Solutions from ARINC AIM

Mohammed Ahli – Director General – Dubai CAA

With the Gulf airports aiming to increase passenger numbers to 450 million per year by 2020, and the development of new terminals at both Doha and Abu Dhabi, the Arabian Gulf States are investing heavily in airport security, an industry currently estimated to have a global value of $22 billion.

Much of this investment is focussed on innovative technologies designed not only to improve security and efficiencies for the airport but also to improve the passenger experience, as

Mohammed Ahli, director general of the, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) explained,  “It’s crucial to adopt innovative technology, improve security and streamline efficiencies to offer a seamless passenger travel experience.”

Airport Show, the Middle East’s largest airport industry event, provides a welcome opportunity for companies to showcase the technologies vital in achieving this aim. Both Intertech Vision Group, which already has 140 installations in the region, and ARINC, a security and systems integration company offering an Advanced Information Management system (AIM) will be attending,

Stephen Horner, International Business Development Director, Integrated Security Solutions, ARINC, said: “There are many security and systems integration opportunities throughout the GCC region. ARINC has provided integration and security solutions for more than 30 years to a security industry of equal age. We are able to provide ‘best fit’ technology and solution to airports. We wish to showcase our wider capability in delivering integrated security solutions, command and control facility as well as airport solutions.”