AVIATION NEWS:  January-February-March 2001

Media Advisory: Safer Skies Aviation Safety Expo

APA 09-01
March 22, 2001
Contact: Alison Duquette,FAA,202-267-3462 / Diana Cronan,ATA,202-626-4172 / Cassandra Bosco,NBAA,202-783-9362
Phone: -

WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will host a Safer Skies Aviation Safety Expo on Tuesday, March 27. This joint government/industry event is open to the media and will include displays demonstrating safety advances promoted by the group. Speakers will address the United States' progress toward reducing aviation accidents for both general and commercial aviation.

Who:

• Norman Y. Mineta, U.S. Secretary of Transportation (3:00 p.m.)
• Jane F. Garvey, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration (1:00 p.m.)
• Carol B. Hallett, President and Chief Executive Officer, Air Transport Association of America, Inc. (1:00 p.m.)
• Edward M. Bolen, President and Chief Executive Officer, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (1:00 p.m.)

When:
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The display area will be open from noon to 1:00 p.m. and again from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The speakers will address the audience beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Where:
The Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. (Atrium Ballroom).

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U.S. Airlines Install Fire Detection and Suppression Systems

APA 8-01
March 19, 2001
Contact: Alison Duquette
Phone: 202-267-3462

WASHINGTON--Jane F. Garvey, administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), today announced that U.S. airlines have complied with today's deadline to retrofit commercial airplanes with both fire detection and suppression systems.

"Our commercial fleet now has this important equipment on board, making aviation even safer," said Garvey.

Most wide-body passenger airplanes already had fire detection and suppression systems in inaccessible cargo compartments. The FAA's Feb. 17, 1998 final rule required that the remainder of the passenger fleet be retrofitted within three years. In addition, approximately 300 all-cargo airplanes were required to have detection systems and means to shut off airflow to the cargo compartment.

Out of the 3,483 airplanes affected by the FAA's rule, 3,154 will have been retrofitted by the end of today. A total of 264 airplanes that will remain in maintenance until the installation work is complete. Some operators have either made business decisions not to operate some aircraft or cannot meet the deadline, leaving 65 airplanes on the ground. The FAA does not foresee any overall disruption to passenger service.

The FAA granted a 90-day exemption to Pacific Island Aviation for the operation of three Shorts SD3-60 airplanes that provide essential air service in the Mariana Islands between Rota, Tinian, Saipan and Guam. In the interim, these aircraft are equipped with smoke detectors and hand-held fire extinguishers. An exemption was also granted to Freedom Air for the operation of one Shorts SD3-30 in the same region. Freedom Air's airplane also has detection and manual suppression. All other requests for exemptions were denied.

The total life-cycle cost to retrofit the fleet is estimated at $300 million. The lifetime cost per aircraft is approximately $90,000.

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FAA Proposes Actions on In-Flight Entertainment Systems

APA 05-01
March 2, 2001
Contact: Les Dorr, Jr.
Phone: 202-267-3462

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today proposed 14 airworthiness directives (ADs) that would ensure flight crews have the ability to shut off in-flight entertainment systems on several transport aircraft models when necessary. An extensive review of current in-flight entertainment systems revealed that these systems can remain powered despite current flight crew procedures.

Under today's proposals, operators would have to deactivate or modify the entertainment system, revise crew procedures for removing power from the system, or remove it from the airplane entirely. The options available to comply with the AD differ among affected operators depending on how their aircraft are configured. Compliance with the AD could affect the availability of in-seat passenger audio and video services.

Operators would have 18 months from the date the rule is final to take whatever action is appropriate for the aircraft in their fleet. These proposed ADs will remain open for comment until April 16 (April 2 for the Airbus A340-211).

The actions specified by these proposed orders are intended to assure the crew's ability to remove power from the entertainment system during unusual or emergency situations. The FAA proposed these ADs after its review of current in-flight entertainment systems that were added to certain aircraft models as aftermarket modifications. The review indicated one or more of the following conditions could exist:

-- The entertainment system cannot be turned off without removing power from other required systems.

-- The entertainment system can only be deactivated by pulling circuit breakers.

-- Procedures for deactivating the entertainment system are not available to the flight crew.

The 14 proposed ADs would apply to at least 74 U.S.-registered aircraft. Affected models include the Boeing 737-300 and -700, 747-100, -200, -400 and SP, 757-200, 767-200, -300 and -300ER, DC-9-51, MD-83 and DC-10-30, and the Airbus A340-211.

Primary operators of these aircraft are American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Estimated cost to comply with the proposed ADs ranges between zero (for simply leaving the system turned off during flight) and $170,533 per aircraft (for extensive modifications).

The FAA also is developing four more similar ADs that affect some other aircraft models. The agency will publish these proposals in the Federal Register at a later date.

These proposed ADs are unrelated to the Swissair 111 accident that occurred off Nova Scotia in September 1998. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board has not yet determined the cause of that accident.

The 14 proposed airworthiness directives are available in the Federal Register at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html

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MEDIA ADVISORY - 26th Annual Commercial Aviation Forecast Conference

APA 04-01
February 27, 2001
Contact: Henry J. Price
Phone: 202-267-8521

WASHINGTON -- The 26th Annual Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Commercial Aviation Forecast Conference will held be in Washington, D.C., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 and on Wednesday, March 14 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.  The theme of this year's conference is "Global Growth Opportunities for the New Millennium" and is held in conjunction with the agency's annual release of its FAA Aerospace Forecasts Fiscal Years 2001-2012.

Conference activities will be at the Washington Convention Center, 900 9th St., N.W.  The two-day event will begin with a welcome to attendees by FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey and an administration keynote by Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.  The luncheon speaker on the first day will be Leo Mullin, chairman and chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines.  The luncheon will run from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.  Discussion panels on the morning of the first day will examine aviation's "Global Outlook" and "Supply Issues/Constraints to Growth." Afternoon panels on day one will focus on "Growth Opportunities in North America" and "Global Growth Opportunities."

Day two of the conference will be four concurrent break-out panels focusing on air carrier passengers, regional/commuter airlines, air cargo, and airports.

The event is co-sponsored by the FAA and Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) and traditionally attracts 400 to 500 individuals from the aviation and investment communities, government, and others from around the world.  Members of the media may attend the entire event.  Those not in the media can obtain more information regarding the conference by calling (202) 267-3355.  A website is also available for more information regarding the event at: http://api.hq.faa.gov/Conference/Conference2001/agenda01.htm.  Attached is a more detail schedule of the conference.

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26th Annual FAA Commercial Aviation Forecast Conference March 13-14, 2001

Tuesday, March 13, 2001

FAA Welcome and Administration Keynote (8:00 a.m. to 8:30 am)
FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey
Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta

Panel 1: Global Outlook (8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.)
Moderator Louise Maillett, Acting Assistant Administrator for Policy, Planning, and International Aviation, FAA

WORLD ECONOMIC OUTLOOK-Nariman Behravesh, chief international economist, DRI/McGraw Hill

FAA AVIATION FORECASTS-John Rodgers, director, Aviation Policy and Plans, FAA

FUTURE MARKET OUTLOOK AND OPPORTUNITIES-Randolph Baseler, vice president, Marketing, Commercial Airplanes, The Boeing Co.

Panel 2: Supply Issues/Constraints to Growth (10:15 a.m. to 12:00 noon)
Moderator Nan Shellabarger, deputy director, Office of Aviation Policy and Plans,FAA

U.S. AIR TRAFFIC DEMAND, CAPACITY, ECONOMIC AND POLICY ISSUES- Richard Golaszewski, executive vice president, GRA, Inc.

EUROPEAN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL DELAYS AND MODERNIZATION-George Paulson, director, European Capacity Planning, Eurocontrol

ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE ISSUES-Gerald Baliles, Coalition for a Global Standard on Aviation Noise, c/o Hunton & Williams

PILOT SHORTAGES-Kit Darby, president, AIR, Inc.

Luncheon (12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m.)
Leo Mullin, chairman and chief executive officer, Delta Air Lines

Panel 3: Growth Opportunities in North America (1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Moderator Roger Schaufele, industry economist, FAA

DIFFICULTIES OF SUCCEEDING AS A NEW START-UP CARRIER-Michael Conway, chairman of the board, president, and CEO, National Airlines

REGIONAL JETS AND THE GROWTH OF TRANSBORDER CANADIAN TRAFFIC- Adrian Wijeyewickrema, manager, Product Innovation, Air Canada

E-COMMERCE AND ITS IMPACT ON FUTURE AVIATION DEMAND-Lorraine Sileo, vice president, Information Services, PhoCusWright

Panel 4: Global Growth Opportunities (3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Moderator Peter LeBoff, Industry Economist, FAA

DUPLICATING THE SOUTHWEST MODEL SUCCESSFULLY IN EUROPE - Michael O'Leary, chief executive, Ryanair

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES IN LATIN AMERICA-Enrique Cueto, CEO, LanChile Airlines

POTENTIAL CARGO GROWTH IN CHINA-Bill Langham, managing director, Competitive Market Analysis, Federal Express Corp.

Day 2: Wednesday, March 14, 2001

8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon (Four Concurrent Break-Out Panels)

I. AIR CARRIER PASSENGERS, Moderator Paul Mifsud, vice president, Government and Legal Affairs, USA, KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines

II. REGIONAL/COMMUTERS, Moderator Doug Abbey, president, AvStat Associates, Inc.
REGIONAL JETS

III. AIR CARGO, Moderator Steve Alterman, president, Cargo Airline Association

IV. AIRPORTS, Moderator Leonard Ginn, Senior Vice President, Economic and Associate Affairs, ACI-NA

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Peacock to Head FAA Air Traffic Service

APA 03-01
January 17, 2001
Contact: William Shumann
Phone: 202-267-3883

WASHINGTON - Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Jane F. Garvey has named Bill G. Peacock as the new director of the Air Traffic Service. He is responsible for managing the safe and efficient flow of air traffic - airline, private and military - throughout the United States. Peacock directs a workforce of 24,000 that includes 20,000 air traffic controllers who staff 352 airport control towers, 185 terminal radar control facilities, 21 enroute air traffic centers, and 75 flight service facilities.

Peacock succeeds Ronald E. Morgan, who has directed the Air Traffic Service since August 1996. Morgan is retiring after a 32-year career with the FAA.

"Bill Peacock will provide the leadership the Air Traffic Service needs as it faces continuous growth in air travel and growing congestion at some major airports," FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey said.

Peacock began his FAA career as a controller in the Lubbock, Texas control tower in 1973. Since last February, he served as program director for Air Traffic Tactical Operations, where he was responsible for the daily flight operations in the National Airspace System. The FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Herndon, Virginia, reported to Peacock, and he had a major role in developing and implementing the Spring/Summer 2000 effort, in which the FAA and airlines work together to mitigate the effects of aviation delays. Earlier, he was the air traffic division manager in the FAA's New England Region, where he led 1,000 employees and managed an annual budget of more than $90 million.

A graduate of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Peacock has also attended the Kellogg Executive Program and the Federal Executive Institute. He is a private pilot with an instrument rating.

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FAA Gives Bahamas IASA Rating of Category 2

APA 02-01
January 12, 2001
Contact: Paul Takemoto
Phone: 202-267-3462

WASHINGTON- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that the Bahamas does not comply with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), giving the country a Category 2 rating following an assessment of the country's civil aviation authority. The Bahamas was previously rated Category 1.

The government of the Bahamas has indicated its desire to correct the issues identified as a result of the FAA assessment. Some progress has been made, and they are taking important steps toward correcting those issues. The FAA will remain engaged with the civil aviation authority of the Bahamas and will schedule a reassessment when it receives information that all issues have been corrected.

This announcement is part of the FAA's International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, under which the agency assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that operate to the U.S., and makes that information available to the public.

The assessments are not an indication of whether individual foreign carriers are safe or unsafe; rather, they determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

Travelers may call 1-800-FAA-SURE (1-800-322-7873) to obtain a summary statement about whether a foreign civil aviation authority has been assessed and the results, if available.

Countries with air carriers that fly to the U.S. must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations' technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.

The FAA, with the cooperation of the host civil aviation authority, assesses countries with airlines that have operating rights to or from the United States, or have requested such rights.

Specifically, the FAA determines whether a foreign civil aviation authority has an adequate infrastructure for international aviation safety oversight as defined by ICAO standards. The basic elements that the FAA considers necessary include: 1) laws enabling the appropriate government office to adopt regulations necessary to meet the minimum requirements of ICAO; 2) current regulations that meet those requirements; 3) procedures to carry out the regulatory requirements; 4) air carrier certification, routine inspection, and surveillance programs; and 5) organizational and personnel resources to implement and enforce the above.

The FAA has established two ratings for the status of these civil aviation authorities at the time of the assessment: (1) does comply with ICAO standards, (2) does not comply with ICAO standards.

• Category 1, Does Comply with ICAO Standards: A civil aviation authority has been assessed by FAA inspectors and has been found to license and oversee air carriers in accordance with ICAO aviation safety standards.
• Category 2. Does Not Comply with ICAO Standards: The Federal Aviation Administration assessed this country's civil aviation authority (CAA) and determined that it does not provide safety oversight of its air carrier operators in accordance with the minimum safety oversight standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This rating is applied if one or more of the following deficiencies are identified: (1) the country lacks laws or regulations necessary to support the certification and oversight of air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards; (2) the CAA lacks the technical expertise, resources, and organization to license or oversee air carrier operations; (3) the CAA does not have adequately trained and qualified technical personnel; (4) the CAA does not provide adequate inspector guidance to ensure enforcement of, and compliance with, minimum international standards; and (5) the CAA has insufficient documentation and records of certification and inadequate continuing oversight and surveillance of air carrier operations. This category consists of two groups of countries.
• One group is countries that have air carriers with existing operations to the United States at the time of the assessment. While in Category 2 status, carriers from these countries will be permitted to continue operations at current levels under heightened FAA surveillance. Expansion or changes in services to the United States by such carriers are not permitted while in category 2, although new services will be permitted if operated using aircraft wet-leased from a duly authorized and properly supervised U.S. carrier or a foreign air carrier from a category 1 country that is authorized to serve the United States using its own aircraft.
• The second group is countries that do not have air carriers with existing operations to the United States at the time of the assessment. Carriers from these countries will not be permitted to commence service to the United States while in Category 2 status, although they may conduct services if operated using aircraft wet-leased from a duly authorized and properly supervised U.S. carrier or a foreign air carrier from a Category 1 country that is authorized to serve the United States with its own aircraft.

No other difference is made between these two groups of countries while in a category 2 status.

The FAA has assisted civil aviation authorities with less than acceptable ratings by providing technical expertise, assistance with inspections, and training courses. The FAA hopes to work with other countries through ICAO to address non-compliance with international aviation safety oversight standards.

The FAA will continue to release the results of safety assessments to the public as they are completed. First announced in September 1994, the ratings are part of an ongoing FAA program to assess all countries with air carriers that operate to the United States.

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