Mr Nguyen Ngoc Trong, Executive Vice President, Vietnam Airlines (second right), welcoming the pilots, Captains Dang Ngoc Co (second left) and Tran Tuan Hung (left)

National carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced the arrival in Hanoi of the first of its new B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. After touching down at the capital’s Noi Bai Airport at 1710 (local time) on 2 August aircraft VN-A861 was officially welcomed by Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trong, Executive Vice President of Vietnam Airlines.

This aircraft will go straight into operation on domestic services between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from 4 August, before making its international debut on Vietnam Airlines’ nonstop routes to London in September – making it the first Asian airline to operate both Boeing and Airbus’ modern next-generation aircraft at the same time. The airline will also become the first to operate the new B787-9 Dreamliner nonstop between South East Asia and Europe, it is understood.

This is the first of a total of 19 Boeing 787s which will be delivered to Vietnam Airlines by 2019, as part of a major fleet upgrade programme which also includes 14 Airbus A350-900 XWBs. These new aircraft will replace the airline’s entire fleet of wide bodied aircraft while maintaining its costeffectiveness on long-haul and intercontinental routes. Vietnam Airlines’ next Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is due to be delivered on 10 August 2015.

Left to right: Matthew Banks, Deck Officer Cadet; Captain Nigel Hope, Director of Maritime Training at Trinity House; Thomas Dutton, Deck Officer Cadet

At the beginning of July the Jubilee Sailing Trust and Trinity House announced their new cadet training programme at an event on board SV Tenacious at West India Docks in London.

The first cadet to be taking part in the joint three year programme, Matthew Banks from Cornwall, will study for a Foundation Degree in Maritime Studies at the Warsash Maritime Academy. This will allow him to gain the necessary knowledge before joining Tenacious for unique practical seamanship training on the UK’s largest square rigged sail training tall ship; he will then broaden his sea experience with sea time on board different types of ships, including tanker, container, ferry and cruise ships. As part of this unique cadetship programme, he will also complete additional training in the traditional arts of ship rigging, sail making and boat building.

SV Tenacious at West India Docks, London

For Exercise Indradanush the IAF has flown their Russian built Flanker jet fighters, along with transport and tanker aircraft, across three continents to train with their RAF counterparts. Designed to reinforce the strategic relationship and enhance the mutual operational understanding between the two air forces, pilots and ground forces from both nations are participating in a series of increasingly complex training scenarios. – © Crown copyright 2013

On 27 July it was reported that Royal Air Force and Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft were dogfighting in a major airpower training exercise in the skies above Britain.

It was announced from Cairo on 26 July that IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, reported the inauguration of Saudi Arabia’s new award-winning Medina Airport that day. This was the result of a pioneering public-private partnership project under IFC’s supervision as Lead Advisor.

The $1.2 billion eco-friendly new airport was inaugurated by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. IFC helped Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) structure the PPP, the first of its kind in a Gulf Cooperation Council country. The 25-year deal was awarded to a consortium comprising TAV Airports Holding of Turkey, Al Rajhi Holdings, and Saudi Oger in 2012.

The (UK) Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the national telecoms regulator (Ofcom) will be taking the stage at December’s UK Drone Show in Birmingham to impart the latest drone and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) information to experts in the drone industry. This event, to be held on 5 and 6 December at Birmingham’s NEC Arena, will see the CAA present and discuss UAV and drone regulations with commercial and consumer customers for the first time in what is said to be the UK’s only public exhibition dedicated to the safe use of drone and UAV technology.

The regulator is expected to outline current thinking on how oversight of the rapidly expanding UAV sector will evolve over the short to medium term. As well as addressing issues such as misuse and dangerous flying by recreational users, Ofcom will also be outlining the latest reports from the regulatory body.

Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Yap Ong Heng (left) and ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin (right) review the first ICAO Training Package developed by one of its newly-established Regional Training Centres of Excellence, in this case the Singapore Aviation Academy.

It was announced from Singapore on 10 July that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has launched the first ICAO Training Package (ITP) developed by one of its newly-established Regional Training Centres of Excellence (RTCEs).

The new Personnel Licensing Management Course ITP was developed by the Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA). It is a blended course offered online and in the classroom and targets technical, managerial, and administrative staff involved in personnel licensing activities of civil aviation authorities and service providers. It enables participants to identify essential components and processes of a States’ personnel licensing system for flight crew, air traffic controllers, and aircraft maintenance engineers.

This report gives an update on the progress of the two IAIN co-sponsored documents that were submitted for consideration by the International Maritime Organization at its Maritime Safety Committee meeting (MSC95), which was held in London from 3 to 12 June 2015. Other items considered of interest to IAIN discussed at this meeting are covered in the accompanying report.

A proposal on a way ahead to develop guidance on the so-called ‘S-mode’ for
the design of shipboard navigational equipment, as part of IMO’s work on the
implementation of e-navigation to enhance safety of navigation and protection of the marine environment (document MSC 95/19/12).

An information document on Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS), introducing an initiative to explore the application of the existing IMO regulatory framework to MAS to ensure their safe, secure, environmentally sound and sustainable operation (document MSC 95/INF.20).

This report gives an update on the progress of the two IAIN co-sponsored documents that were submitted for consideration by the International Maritime Organization at its Maritime Safety Committee meeting (MSC95), which was held in London from 3 to 12 June 2015. Other items considered of interest to IAIN discussed at this meeting are covered in the accompanying report.

A proposal on a way ahead to develop guidance on the so-called ‘S-mode’ for
the design of shipboard navigational equipment, as part of IMO’s work on the
implementation of e-navigation to enhance safety of navigation and protection of the marine environment (document MSC 95/19/12).

An information document on Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS), introducing an initiative to explore the application of the existing IMO regulatory framework to MAS to ensure their safe, secure, environmentally sound and sustainable operation (document MSC 95/INF.20).

The 95th session of the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization was held at IMO headquarters in London from 3 to 12 June 2015. Close to 900 delegates from 116 countries attended the eight-day meeting, as did representatives from intergovernmental organizations and 49 non-governmental organizations including the International Association of Institutes of Navigation (IAIN).

The 95th session of the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization was held at IMO headquarters in London from 3 to 12 June 2015. Close to 900 delegates from 116 countries attended the eight-day meeting, as did representatives from intergovernmental organizations and 49 non-governmental organizations including the International Association of Institutes of Navigation (IAIN).

The volunteer Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij (Royal Dutch Sea Rescue Institution) has noted a decrease in experience among recreational boaters. First-time sailors increasingly do not own their craft, they rent them. Furthermore, more people simply rent their craft without proper preparation for their trips or sufficient knowledge of their craft. The free app: KNRM Helpt is an all-in-one aid in preparation of a passage, providing weather information, chartletsmaps and logs. Sailors in need of rescue or assistance can use the app to call for help.

The app and accompanying website have been developed to increase safety in Dutch waters and facilitate a quick response in case of an emergency. KNRM is trying to make it easier to prepare better for a trip and prevent emergencies.

The global shipping industry, represented by a wide cross section of international shipowners’ associations and seafarers’ unions, has collectively updated the industry’s Guidelines on Large Scale Rescue Operations at Sea. This is in response to the continuing crisis in the Mediterranean, in which merchant ships and their civilian crews have so far assisted in the rescue of over 50,000 people. But the Guidelines are also applicable to other regions where ships may have to assist with rescue operations involving large numbers of migrants or refugees, for example in the waters of South East Asia.

An important aspect of the revised Guidelines is the additional attention given to ensuring that rescued people are looked after safely once they have been embarked on board commercial ships, whilst also ensuring the safety, security and welfare of the seafarers undertaking such rescue operations, which often involve a significant degree of risk.

The Guidelines can be downloaded here

At all airports in Canada, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) is responsible for the application of the 100% hold baggage screening requirements. In March 2012, CATSA launched an extensive multi-year financing plan to replace the existing hold baggage screening equipment in all Canadian airports with more efficient Standard 3 equipment. With the approval of CATSA, Montreal’s airport commissioned ALSTEF in December 2014 to carry out the modifications related to the replacement of the screening machines in the trans-border terminal of Montreal-Trudeau International Airport.

Aéroports de Montréal is the third airport, after Nice and Roissy Charles de Gaulle, to entrust ALSTEF with the integration of Standard 3 CTX 9800 machines in its baggage handling facility; strengthening the ALSTEF position as a leader in this type of integration.

ECSAT and Harwell personnel raise the flags. © ESA – all rights reserved

On 9 July Jan Woerner, ESA Director General, and Jo Johnson, UK Minister of State for Universities and Science, watched ESA Member States’ flags rise for the first time at the Agency’s first centre in the UK.

Two hundred space leaders from the public and private sectors came to ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, joined by the first ESA Director General, Roy Gibson, after whom the new building is named. They also celebrated the opening of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory’s Space Development and Test Facility on the campus.

Tim Peake speaks to UK Minister Johnson and Jan Woerner. © ESA – all rights reserved

ESA’s first British astronaut, Tim Peake, took part in the celebrations via Skype from Star City in Russia, where he is training for his mission to the International Space Station in December.

A new inter-agency platform for information sharing on migrant smuggling by sea was launched on 6 July by the IMO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in order to better understand unsafe mixed migration by sea. This was reported that day in a briefing by IMO.

It is anticipated that the platform will assist in improved monitoring of incidents associated with unsafe and irregular mixed migration by sea, on a global basis, with a view to better analysis of trends.

The IMO/IOM/UNODC platform will include a joint database on migrant incidents and on suspected smugglers and vessels.

It was announced from London on 1 July that the Airports Commission published its final report, which sets out recommendations to the government for expanding aviation capacity in the UK.

The Commission’s analysis shows that expanded airport capacity is crucial for the UK’s long-term prosperity. While each of the three schemes shortlisted was considered a credible option for expansion, the Commission has unanimously
concluded that the proposal for a new northwest runway at Heathrow Airport,
combined with a significant package of measures to address its environmental and community impacts, presents the strongest case and offers the greatest strategic and economic benefits – providing around 40 new destinations from the airport and more than 70,000 new jobs by 2050.

Prof. Ing. František Vejražka reports that after careful consideration there is to be a change of congress venue and it will now be held at the Corinthia Hotel Prague.

In addition, according to Prof. Ing. František Vejražka, Congress Chairman, the deadline for acceptance of papers has been extended to 15 July. Currently the conference team is working on assigning papers to sections and preparing them for distribution to reviewers. IAIN national institutes will be approached and asked to recommend four members to serve as reviewers.

More information will be found at: www.iain2015.org

Prof. Ing. František Vejražka reports that after careful consideration there is to be a change of congress venue and it will now be held at the Corinthia Hotel Prague.

In addition, according to Prof. Ing. František Vejražka, Congress Chairman, the deadline for acceptance of papers has been extended to 15 July. Currently the conference team is working on assigning papers to sections and preparing them for distribution to reviewers. IAIN national institutes will be approached and asked to recommend four members to serve as reviewers.

More information will be found at: www.iain2015.org

Transas Group reported on 1 July changes in its brand positioning. Taking into account the strong success of Transas and its brand awareness in the maritime IT market, dominating position in several key segments of this market, Transas shareholders made the decision to focus the Transas brand on the maritime business alone.

Brand focusing as well as strong consolidation of the Transas Marine international business will support ambitious plans for the development of Transas as a global leader of maritime IT, it is understood.

Transas went on to report that other business segments of the Group, ncluding aviation technologies and non-marine simulation, will be rebranded in accordance with the new strategy.

Mr Ki-tack Lim (Republic of Korea) has been elected as the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), with effect from 1 January 2016, it was announced by the organization on 30 June. This is for an initial term of four years and is subject to approval by the next Assembly).

Mr Lim is currently president of Busan Port Authority. He served as the Republic of Korea’s Deputy Permanent Representative to IMO from 2006 to 2009 and was Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Flag State Implementation (FSI) from 2002 to 2004.

It was announced from Washington on 25 June that the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in partnership with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), has begun a safety reporting programme called the Safety Review Process (SRP). This 18-month pilot programme, open to all bargaining-unit employees, allows FAA employees who work in the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) to elevate safety concerns without fear of retaliation.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx commented: ‘It is critical that our DOT employees have the opportunity to work in an environment where they are comfortable coming forward with safety concerns. This new safety review process will further advance our culture of safety and help ensure that the flying public has the best, safest experience possible.’

Standard TV signals could one day be used for tracking aircraft, following a proof of concept trial led by the UK air traffic control company, NATS, in conjunction with Thales ATM UK and Roke Manor. This was reported by NATS in mid-June.

For two years NATS, working with Thales and Roke Manor, has been testing whether the same signals delivered to televisions across the country could simultaneously be used to detect and direct aircraft.

The trial, part funded by Innovate UK, was carried out primarily over London with a Thales concept demonstrator using signals from the Crystal Palace transmitter. The results of the trials were then validated by Roke Manor. Up to thirty aircraft were tracked at any one time at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet, although more would have been possible had additional equipment been used.

UK air traffic delays in May dropped by almost half compared to the same month last year, it has been reported by the National Air Traffic Service (NATS). There were 1,502 minutes of NATS-attributable en route delay – a 47.6% drop from May 2014’s figures. While the average en route delay per flight remained historically low at 0.42 seconds – which was down almost half from the 0.81 seconds in May 2014 – 99.95% of flights last month had no en route delay.

In May 2015 NATS handled 214,176 flights which was a steady increase in traffic as it was up 0.3% compared to May last year.

It was announced on 12 June that following the tragic and sudden passing of the European Space Agency Council Chair, Harald Posch, the Council has elected Bo Andersen of Norway and Jean Yves Le Gall of France as Co-Chairs. A Deputy will be named by Austria at a later date, it is reported. They will serve until the end of the current Chairmanship on 30 June 2016.

Paris Air Show
Full-size Ariane 5 and Ariane 1 mockups at the ESA Pavilion, 2015 Paris Air and Space Show. Credits: ESA-CB PROD, 2015.

ESA was present at the Paris Air & Space Show at Le Bourget in week commencing 14 June with a pavilion offering guests an overview and updates of its activities, 40 years after the signing of the ESA Convention.

It was announced from Montréal early in June that some 600 participants from 48 States and 18 international and regional organizations had gathered in Maputo, Mozambique the previous month for a special four-day series of meetings for AFI Aviation Week hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin opened the event, which was designed to further the development of the aviation network supporting Africa and delivered important results in the areas of safety, security, facilitation and human resources capacity-building. All present recognized the value of the AFI Aviation Week’s consolidated meetings and agreed that it should become an annual event on Africa’s aviation calendar.