ICAO is considering amending its dangerous goods instructions to largely ban large personal electronic devices from checked baggage after US FAA’s Fire Safety Branch reported “troubling” results from tests conducted on potential fire risks to commercial aircraft from laptops in checked baggage. Results of FAA’s testing, conducted over the summer and previously made public in an “Information for Operators” bulletin issued by the agency in July, were included in a report released during a meeting of ICAO’s Dangerous Goods Panel (DGP) that concluded Oct 27 in Montreal. The FAA test results have led to the drafting of language by DGP that would amend ICAO’s dangerous goods instructions to ban large PEDs from checked baggage. <br/>
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Boeing's potential plan to "relaunch" production of its 767-300 passenger jet could be ideal for discount and charter airlines that want new aircraft but can't afford Dreamliners. Boeing's newer 787-8 Dreamliner (the smallest in the Dreamliner family) offers better range and fuel efficiency than the jet maker's older 767-300 extended range jet, which has not been made for years. But the Dreamliners come with a price tag that not all airlines can or want to pay, said Dhierin Bechai, an analyst with AeroAnalyst in London. "For airlines, the problem is capital costs," Bechai wrote in a recent report. "The Boeing 787-8 sells for roughly US$115m, while a Boeing 767-300ER at 35% of list price would sell for $70m," Bechai wrote. "That means the Boeing 767-300ER has 40% lower acquisition costs," Bechai wrote. <br/>
America’s passenger carriers have discovered that it’s getting more expensive to run an airline these days. While summertime profits were fine, and travel demand remains robust, a number of airlines are facing higher bills from a variety of factors: labour contracts, significant airport renovation projects, technology spending, and fleet upgrades. The increase in expenses is creeping into 2018 and threatens to spoil higher revenues just as executives are crowing about how they will keep fares up for the holidays. Note the absence of the usual culprit in these matters—fuel. While it’s pricier today relative to 2016, jet fuel expenses still represent roughly the same burden for all carriers (though spot prices have gained 24% over the past year). The real issue causing investor angst is how much nonfuel costs will increase in 2018. <br/>
Flight delay and cancellation affected many passengers at the Lagos airport Monday, with domestic airline operators blaming it on insufficient aviation fuel. A reliable airline source told NAN that the problem was caused by the inability of petroleum tanker drivers to lift aviation fuel from Apapa as a result of gridlock on that axis. The source noted that the problem, which was more pronounced Sunday, was, however, gradually abating as some marketers had been able to start trucking products to the airport. A Med-View Airline executive said it was a general problem faced by the airlines. “There is a general scarcity of aviation fuel. We have gotten a way around it to enable us continue our operations during the period, but we don’t know how long it will last,” he said. <br/>
In the next year, high-speed broadband will be available for airlines to offer passengers, using services from satellite company Yahsat, a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company. The company said Monday that its services will offer in-flight connectivity that will allow passengers to “have an in-flight browsing experience similar to service available in their home or office.” The announcement comes after a partnership between Yahsat, du, Etihad Airways Engineering, Hughes Network System, and Carlisle Interconnect. As part of the partnership, Yahsat successfully tested out 50 megabits per second internet connection in an environment simulating that of an Airbus A320. Yahsat said it plans to execute steps over the next year to roll out the internet solution to commercial airlines across the Middle East and beyond. <br/>
A flood of low-cost Chinese funding is shaking up the global aircraft leasing market, with Chinese capital now accounting for 28% of the US$261b deployed by leasing firms worldwide, a study suggested Monday. That is up from 5% 9 years ago. The influx of more than $70b to the leasing industry from Chinese banks and other investors over the past decade is helping airlines expand their fleets. But it is also curbing returns to be made by traditional players in a sector fast emerging as a significant new asset class. "In the last cycle (2003-2008), lease rates went up significantly whereas in this cycle they haven't. That's partly because there are more people looking for the same deals," said Rob Morris, global head of consultancy at Flightglobal Ascend. <br/>