IATA's new DG is optimistic that an agreement on a carbon offset scheme can be struck when ICAO meets later this month, and said that if the proposed 6-year pilot period is the condition for success, he has no issues with the "good compromise". “The key priority is for a decision to be made and the system to be adopted by countries. If it takes longer to be implemented effectively, frankly it’s a secondary issue,” says Alexandre de Juniac at a media roundtable in Singapore. He adds that while the initial plan was to have a system in place by 2020, he accepts that some states may need more time and that the pilot phase would also test and correct measures to ensure that they are “applicable, efficient and work properly”. <br/>
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Boeing and Rockwell Collins are teaming up to install the first touch screens, ubiquitous features on everything from cell phones to car dashboards, in the cockpits of next-generation airliners. The plane maker has picked Rockwell Collins to provide touch-screen controls for all 5 permanent displays on the flight decks of future Boeing 777X jets. The move caps years of debate over the safety and utility of touch screens, which critics argued could be more difficult to use in turbulence than other types of controls. But after extensive testing in simulators and an experimental aircraft called the ecoDemonstrator, Boeing in July announced its decision to introduce touch screens in 777X forward displays. At the time, Boeing said such features “perform as well as or better than current devices” for pilot interactions with displays. <br/>
Two US companies have developed an airline tracking system that they say would prevent planes disappearing in the manner of the Malaysia Airlines MH370. Instead of sending tracking signals to ground stations - which means planes' locations can be lost over oceans or remote areas - the new system would beam them to satellites. "It doesn't matter if they're flying over the ocean, desert, or North Pole, we'll know where the plane is," said Daniel Baker, CE of FlightAware, the internet flight tracking service which is working with Aireon, which has developed the satellite technology. Aireon's system will place ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast) receivers on low orbit satellites operated by Iridium Communications Inc and is due to be operational from 2018. <br/>
Boeing won US approval to sell its first jetliners to Iran in almost 40 years, paving the way for the biggest business transaction between the two nations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the US hostage crisis. The US Treasury Department granted licenses to Boeing and Airbus Group Wednesday for the first of a flurry of aircraft orders that Iran is counting on to upgrade an aging fleet. Airbus won approval to export the first 17 jets in a US$27b transaction announced in January as economic sanctions were eased. Iran Air would add 747s, as well as 777 and upgraded 777X wide-body jets under a $17.6b order for 80 Boeing aircraft. Boeing is still finalising terms to provide as many as 109 jets to Iran Air. Boeing is also helping Iran Air line up another 29 planes from leasing companies. <br/>
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand's board has moved to tighten requirements to qualify for Air Operating Licences in a bid to control the number of airlines operating in the country. CAAT's acting director Chula Sukmanop said it is necessary to toughen the criteria for AOL applicants. According to Chula, the Transport Ministry will announce the ministerial directives on the revised requirements which will allow the authority to not only assess the financial health of applicants but also prevent the use of proxies. A screening committee, to be chaired by the CAAT's director, will also be set up to review and decide if the applicants meet various requirements. Its findings will be forwarded to the transport minister who is empowered to grant AOLs, he said. <br/>