Fatalities Rose in 2008 for Air Taxi, Tour Flights
from Associated Press
There was a spike last year in deaths from crashes of air medical, air taxi and tour flights, according to federal safety officials. The National Transportation Safety Board said there were 56 so-called on-demand flight accidents in which 66 people were killed in 2008. That's the highest number of fatalities for such flights in eight years and an increase of 13 deaths over 2007. The on-demand accident rate was 1.52 accidents per 100,000 flight hours, virtually unchanged from the previous year. More

Ground Breaking Air Cargo Logistics Portal Now Available Across the GCC
from Dubai City Guide
A new and revolutionary cargo community portal, Calogi, which has saved the Dubai forwarding community an estimated AED 3.5 million, is now being made available across the GCC. Calogi is a self service web based portal designed to serve the information processing needs of the local supply chain community. More

Missing Link
from New Orleans City Business
U.S. residents will soon be able to travel freely to the island nation off this country’s southern coast that has been off-limits to most Americans for decades if a bipartisan congressional group has its way. Bills introduced in February propose allowing Americans to travel without restriction to Cuba. Although the legislation would not immediately affect the broader trade embargo in place since 1963, proponents see passage of the so-called Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act as a move toward the easing of U.S. rules that bar the sale of all but the most basic food and medical provisions to Cuba. In the aviation industry worldwide, skilled workers in aircraft structure repair are highly in demand because aircraft structures make up 80 percent of the whole aircraft. More

American Airlines Faulted in MD-82 Engine Fire
from Associated Press
American Airlines failed to catch mistakes by maintenance workers who didn't follow procedure before a September 2007 flight, causing the airplane's left engine to catch on fire during a departure climb from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, safety investigators concluded on Tuesday. More

FAA Approves BRCC Aircraft Maintenance Course
from The News Leader
Beginning this summer, Blue Ridge Community College will offer a program for Light Sport Aircraft Repairman with a Maintenance rating. BRCC’s program is one of only two in the nation that offer this certification. The program provides students with the content and skills needed to inspect and maintain light sport aircraft, and students can complete the program in as little as three weeks. More

Air Cargo World Presents an Exclusive Webcast on April 14
from PR Newswire
How is the air cargo industry preparing itself to implement the U.S. Government's mandate for screening 100 percent of all international inbound cargo aboard passenger aircraft by August 2010? That's the number one question for the air freight industry as it faces the challenge of meeting the 2007 Homeland Security law. Aviation and security experts will address this critical issue during a free webinar to be released by Air Cargo World. More

Air Freighter Fleet Forecasted to Double Through 2028
from Air Transport Intelligence News
A doubling of the world's freighter fleet over the next 20 years is being forecasted by the Air Cargo Management Group (ACMG) consultancy even as the industry takes a near-term hit from the global economic crisis. More

Charter Flights on Standby for Hong Kong Travelers
from The Standard
The government may arrange charter flights to bring Hong Kong residents home if they become stranded in Bangkok and if airlines and tour agents are unable to do so. It has been liaising with the airlines, which gave assurances there will be enough seats and flights to airlift the 1,500 citizens of Hong Kong now in Bangkok back to the SAR, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong said yesterday. More

Welcome To The 'Troubled Skies'
from NPR
Last year, the U.S. airline industry slashed flights and eliminated 28,000 jobs. Despite such cost-cutting, airlines are in trouble again. Demand is plunging, forcing airlines to cut fares. Corporate-jet makers are losing customers, too. Will the aviation sector make its way through these "Troubled Skies"? More