 November 3, 2009 | News for the aerospace industry |
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- Pentagon acquisition chief: Contract protests getting routine
Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter said this week his department is becoming concerned about the number of legal protests being filed against contract awards. In one case, Britain's BAE Systems Plc recently filed a third protest against a potential $3.5 billion medium-sized truck contract awarded to Oshkosh Corp. by the Army. Carter said such protests are expected to be rare and not used frivolously. Reuters
(11/2)
     
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| Defense |  | |
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- Lawmakers urge Air Force to consider ruling against Airbus
A group of lawmakers are pressing President Barack Obama to require that the Air Force consider a recent World Trade Organization ruling against Airbus in its decision to award a $35 billion tanker contract. The lawmakers support Boeing in its bid for the contract, and they note that the WTO in September found that Airbus received illegal launch aid from European governments to build its aircraft. Google/The Associated Press
(11/2)
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- Regional airlines profit while majors struggle with falling demand
Regional airlines are enjoying profits and growth at a time when network carriers are cutting back due to declining traffic, USA TODAY reports. Big airlines are relying on regional affiliates to fly more routes, resulting in smaller -- but fuller -- planes. That trend helped the top 20 regional carriers to earn a combined $785 million over the past 12 months, while the five big network carriers lost $4.4 billion. "If good times for regional operators persist and newer jets get larger and capable of flying longer distances, we may one day find ourselves aboard regional jets for all domestic travel," writes travel columnist David Grossman. USA TODAY
(11/3)
- Europe's flagship airlines find low-cost carriers problematic
Low-cost carriers have long been a nuisance to flagship airlines in Europe. The economic downturn turned those small nuisances into a major problem for their larger rivals. For example, the Irish airline Ryanair transported more passengers in Spain in August than the country's flagship carrier Iberia. Deteriorating demand for trans-Atlantic flights and business-class seats exposed weaknesses, but some of the major airlines are starting to wise up. The Wall Street Journal
(11/3)
- Report: Operator incentives will be important for NextGen
A recent report from a government-industry RTCA task force emphasizes that operator-equipage incentives will be important in implementing the next generation air traffic management system. Some ideas that have been discussed include low-interest loans, direct subsidies or income tax credits, and Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel said there will need to be a clear understanding of how incentives would be used. The Weekly of Business Aviation
(11/2)
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- Meeting highlights divided NASA interests
A meeting on Capitol Hill this week underscored the divide that exists between those who feel NASA should rely more on commercial rockets launching astronauts into low-Earth orbit, and those who support the NASA program Constellation, designed to use Ares rockets to reach the International Space Station and eventually the moon. Constellation and Ares I do not appear likely to meet the goal of a first mission into low-Earth orbit by 2015. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.)/Write Stuff blog
(11/2)
- NASA adds four focus areas to Advisory Council
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has added four new committees to the agency's Advisory Council. Bolden said the committees -- Commercial Space, Education and Public Outreach, Information Technology Infrastructure, and Technology Innovation -- were chosen to address concerns considered key to NASA's future. Of the eight existing committees, AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey serves as chairperson for Aeronautics. The Money Times
(11/2)
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| The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
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| Homeland Security | | |
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- Column: Reservation tech yet to catch up with Secure Flight rules
Hyphens, apostrophes and long names are among the issues that need to be worked out before Secure Flight regulations go into full effect next year, The New York Times reports. Some reservations systems drop punctuation or cut off names after 16 characters, either of which could cause delays at the airport when travelers' IDs are required to precisely match the names on their travel documents. The New York Times
(11/2)
| AIA News | | |
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New AIA safety benchmarking program will track injury and illness rates
In response to requests from member companies, AIA is introducing a new component to the worker safety data program introduced in 2005. Read more.
| AIA Aero Webinars | | |
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Testing in "real" environment speeds cybersecurity innovation
Nov. 5, 2 p.m. ET: With expert guest speakers retired Air Force Gen. Charles "Charlie" Croom, vice president of Cyber Security Solutions, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services, and Curt Aubley, chief technology officer, Lockheed Martin Operations & Next Generation Solutions. Read more.
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