Bombardier late Wednesday teed off on the US Commerce Department’s upholding of import tariffs on the company’s C Series passenger jet, calling the ruling “divorced from reality” and doubling down on its assertion that building the aircraft in Alabama in partnership with Airbus renders the imposed duties null. “Boeing’s petition is an unfounded assault on airlines, the flying public, and the US aerospace industry,” the company said. “That has been true since the start of the investigation, and recent developments make it even clearer, particularly the Bombardier and Airbus partnership, which will include the construction of a new US manufacturing facility in Alabama. This facility will provide US airlines with a US-built plane thereby eliminating any possibility of harm due to imports.” <br/>
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Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCAC) has flown its Superjet SSJ100 regional jet for the first time with its new wingtip configuration. The tip extensions, dubbed “Saberlets” by the Russian manufacturer, were devised by SCAC and Russia’s Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. The sabre-like configuration of the tips aims simultaneously to improve the SSJ100’s take-off and landing performance and decrease its fuel consumption by at least 3%. The anticipated improvement in take-off and landing characteristics will aid airlines operating the aircraft in hot-and-high conditions and into short runways. They are expected to be part of the configuration of SSJ100s operating into London City. Test flights of the aircraft into London City are taking place this month, with certification expected next year and entry into service in 2019. <br/>
Brazil’s civil aviation regulator ANAC intends to close the negotiation of an Open Skies treaty with the EU after 8 years without reaching agreement, a senior ANAC official said. The stumbling block has been the EU’s refusal to grant Brazil the so-called fifth freedom traffic rights, which would allow Brazilian airlines to pick up passengers in EU countries when they continue to destinations outside the bloc, he said. “Unfortunately, we are considering ending the negotiations because they are not going anywhere,” ANAC director Juliano Noman said Wednesday. “The EU does not want to give us fifth freedom. We do not think that is reasonable.” The EC said it regretted Brazil was no longer interested in concluding the air transport negotiation. <br/>
China is set to become the world’s biggest aviation market in 5 years thanks in part to hefty subsidies from local govts beseeching airlines to fly mainland tourists overseas. Local govts, especially those outside mega cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, spent at least CNY8.6b (US$1.3b) subsidising airlines in 2016, mostly for them to start direct services to far-flung places such as New York and Paris, according to data compiled by Civil Aviation Data Analysis. These payments, to both Chinese and foreign carriers, equate to close to half the CNY19.49b in profits earned by the top 4 mainland-based airlines last year, according to Cadas. Economic growth and rising incomes has led China to become the largest source of outbound travelers. <br/>
Thailand is ramping up its aviation industry to become a hub in Asean, prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared Wednesday. The govt intended to upgrade Thai civil aviation to be on par with international standards and the push to make the sector a hub for the region would go in sync with that, he said. The prime minister was speaking at the Global Aviation Security Plan, a meeting aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of international aviation security co-hosted by the ICAO in Bangkok Wednesday. Gen Prayut said Thailand addressed all issues relating to aviation safety concerns raised by the ICAO. In addition, the govt was keen to develop and boost the aviation industry, as could be seen from its 20-year Thailand 4.0 policy, which promotes technological advances to improve public services under 10 targeted industries. <br/>
Australia's consumer watchdog wants airlines to clean up their act when it comes to charging excessive cancellation fees and misleading passengers with “no refund” statements in the fine print. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says of the more than 1400 consumer complaints about airlines it received between Jan 1, 2016 and Dec 14, 2017, many related to consumer guarantees and excessive cancellation fees. ACCC chairman Rod Sims said consumers should be aware of their rights in the face of unreasonable fees. “They [airlines] can’t be charging whatever fees they think they can get away with,” Sims said. “They have to be fees that are proportionate to the problem that cancellations cause, rather than just any old number they want.” <br/>