At left Michael Glen, Airside Operations Policy and Planning Officer, Southampton Airport and Civilian Instructor at 2428 Squadron with three cadets from the squadron and, at right, Flt Lt Lee Barfoot, the squadron’s Commanding Officer

A British-owned drone consultancy group is attempting to improve public perceptions with the forthcoming launch of a new academy at a Southampton Air Cadet squadron. Pioneered by UAViate, the Hedge End, Southampton, drone academy will teach cadets how to build, fly and race next generation drones, it is understood.

Drones have received a poor press over recent months, with government officials even toying with the idea of banning the airborne devices.

It was reported on 22 January from Brussels that the EU’s TEN-T Programme will back with over €14 million the improvement of port facilities in each of Dover in the UK and Calais in France. The developments include better traffic management, berth enhancements and a new rail freight connection between Calais and southern France.

This project will focus on innovative solutions to adapt and enhance the current transport infrastructure and improve the traffic management on both sides of the Strait of Dover.

This action, it is forecast, will have a positive impact by encouraging modal shift and reducing the carbon footprint of transport as well as decreasing road congestion and the negative environmental impact.

Business aviation in 2014 delivered its first positive growth figures since 2011, and the industry is optimistic that this is just the beginning of its upswing. Three of the four key European markets – France, the UK, and Italy – contributed
robust figures (up to 2.2%). However, since business aviation is intimately tied
to the health of the economy, the overall growth rate was a muted 0.7% on the
previous year.

Competitiveness was at the heart of the discussion. Often construed as meaning solely a level playing field for European versus foreign competitors, the more immediate challenge to business aviation is of a different nature, pertaining to distortions within the European market. A competitive air transport ecosystem must allow all its components to flourish alongside one another; access to air and ground infrastructure cannot be based on a zero-sum game. For business
aviation, a distinct, but sometimes overlooked segment of the air transport sector, this is crucial.

It was announced from Dubai on 19 January that CANSO (the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) has outlined its proposal to reduce congestion and improve efficiency in Middle East airspace. To meet the rapid growth of air traffic in the region, CANSO is proposing five key steps to transform air traffic management performance: effective partnership; harmonisation of airspace; separation of regulation and service provision; flexible use of military airspace; and effective and co-ordinated use of technology.

It was announced from Northwood, UK on 16 January that Rear Admiral Matt Zirkle, United States Navy, relieved Rear Admiral Bob Kamensky, United States Navy, as Commander, Submarine Forces NATO (COMSUBNATO) and Deputy Chief of Staff, Submarines, for NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), at an informal ceremony at the Headquarters in North West London.

Significant progress was made in 2014 to make regulation of the UK’s General Aviation (GA) sector more proportionate and evidence-based the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said earlier this month (January).

Chages support the CAA’s new top level principles for GA regulation as it:

• Only regulates directly when necessary and does so proportionately

• Deregulates where it can

• Delegates where appropriate

• Does not gold-plate, and quickly and efficiently removes gold-plating that already exists

• Helps create a vibrant and dynamic GA sector in the UK.

It was announced on 15 January 2015 by Inmarsat, provider of global mobile satellite communications services, that its enhanced maritime product list now has two new services designed specifically for Inmarsat’s Global Xpress network: Fleet Xpress and FleetBroadband Xtra.

Fleet Xpress is a hybrid service which will operate over the Global Xpress Kaband network, and incorporate Inmarsat’s L-band FleetBroadband service as back-up, providing an advanced connectivity service for maritime customers anywhere in the world. This service will be available when Global Xpress (GX) commences global commercial services early in the second half of 2015. Fleet Xpress will be an Inmarsat managed service sold through the company’s experienced GX Value Added Resellers (VARs).

To allow maritime customers to benefit from high-speed broadband connectivity between now and global commercial introduction of the Global Xpress network, Inmarsat has announced an additional service, FleetBroadband Xtra. This service will overlay capacity from the first Global Xpress satellite (Inmarsat-5 F1), which is already operational, in the Indian Ocean region, with the existing L-band connectivity. As the next two Global Xpress satellites are launched, covering the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean regions, FleetBroadband Xtra will expand to include the additional Ka-band capacity as each satellite enters commercial service.

This event with the theme >b>Sustainable Safe Navigation will be held at the
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 8 – 12 August 2016 and attended by those involved in the provision, operation, maintenance or use of Vessel Traffic Services.

The Symposium organisers invite contributions by experienced VTS operators, users, planners and trainers from all parts of the world and to be considered by the Paper Selection Committee.

A brief list of topics will be found below with more details on the accompanying pdf.

It was announced from Brussels on 5 January that Estonia had become EUROCONTROL’s 41st Member State on New Year’s Day.

With the accession of Estonia, EUROCONTROL covers all 28 European Union
states. This event reinforces EUROCONTROL’s status as being truly pan-European.

Even before becoming a member state, Estonia actively participated in the network and has contributed to improve Europe’s ATM performance. Over the last six years fifteen airspace design improvement packages have been implemented and two more are planned.

At the time of writing, 12 January, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is responding to a general cargo vessel, experiencing mechanical issues near the Great Barrier Reef.

Antigua and Barbuda-flagged general cargo vessel, Thor Commander, reported on 11 January she had damaged her main engine. The vessel is drifting approximately 31km north-east of Perkins Reef in the Swains Reefs group, about 379km north-east of Gladstone.

AMSA has tasked a tug from Gladstone to respond and two merchant vessels are nearby to assist after responding to a broadcast to shipping in the area. The tug is expected to arrive on Tuesday morning (13 January).

On 7 January 2015 Transas reported from Bulgaria positive progress of the Bulgarian Vessel Traffic Management and Information System (VTMIS) – the Phase 3 project. Since its announcement, the project had met its required milestones and is ready to move forward to its next phase. Being a part of the European safety system SafeSeaNet, Bulgarian VTMIS is expected to be fully operational by mid-2015.

To reach the next level of safety, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued on 7 January a final rule that requires most US commercial airlines to have Safety Management Systems (SMS) in place by 2018. The rule builds on the programmes many airlines already use to identify and reduce aviation risk.

As part of its policy to offer an ever more efficient and safe waterway to users, Voies Navigables de France continues to provide electronic navigational charts for all. This was announced from Béthune, on 29 December 2014.

The navigational charts of the Franco-German Rhine between Basel, Gambsheim and the large-gauge Niffer/Mulhouse reach are now available on http://www.vnf.fr/vnf/content.vnf?action=rubrique&rub_id=1830.

Shortly before Christmas ICAO announced from its HQ in Montreal that some 3.2 billion passengers used air transport for their business and tourism needs in 2014. This was according to preliminary figures on scheduled services released on 18 December by the Organization. The annual total passengers figure was up approximately 5% compared to 2013 and is expected to reach over 6.4 billion by 2030, based on current projections.

World scheduled freight traffic, measured in freight tonne-kilometres (FTKs), grew strongly by 4.6% in 2014, a rebound from the 0.4% growth rate registered in 2013. This is a reflection of improvement in world trade.

The International Civil Aviation Organization will be holding the Second High Level Safety Conference (HLSC2015) from 2 to 5 February 2015 at ICAO Headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

In particular, the Conference will also be invited to discuss emerging safety issues, including the global tracking of aircraft and risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones.

On 24 December Qatar Airways reported that the world’s first Airbus A350 XWB (Xtra Wide Body) and the airline’s fourth A380 had arrived in Doha simultaneously.

The A350 aircraft, for which Qatar Airways is the global launch customer, is set to commence service on the Doha-Frankfurt route starting in January 2015.

The world’s first A350 XWB aircraft to be delivered flew to Doha from France, following a handover ceremony and press conference which were attended by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar Al Baker, senior Airbus and Rolls-Royce officials, and more than 150 international media in Toulouse.

The Liberian-registered container ship Rena left the New Zealand port of Napier at 1020 on 4 October 2011 bound for Tauranga. The master had given an estimated time of arrival at the Tauranga pilot station of 0300 the following day. The master calculated the estimated time of arrival by dividing the distance to steam by Rena’s normal service speed. The calculation did not account for the unfavourable currents that normally prevail down that stretch of coastline…

The full report here.

The President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili and President of Latvia Andris Berzins visited Batumi State Maritime Academy (BSMA) to open the renovated state-of-the-art simulation centre on 27 November. The Full Mission Offshore simulator, which has become the extension of the existing simulation complex, has been developed and installed by Transas Marine. Now, the BSMA boasts one of the most advanced simulator complexes in the Black Sea region, it is claimed.

In Chicago on 8 December CANSO, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation, was presented with a major award for its contribution to the aviation industry. During events to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Chicago Convention CANSO also signed an agreement on cyber security which will ensure a common and united approach to tackle this significant and evolving threat.

It was reported on 15th December that the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) have agreed the establishment of an independent inquiry following the disruption caused by the failure in air traffic management systems on the afternoon of Friday 12 December 2014.

The CAA will, in consultation with NATS, appoint an independent chair of the panel which will consist of NATS technical experts, a board member from the CAA and independent experts on information technology, air traffic management and operational resilience.

It was reported by IALA from St Germain-en-Laye, France, on 15 December that Francis Zachariae of Denmark is to be the Secretary General of IALA with effect from 1 February next.

Coast Guard aviators have patrolled the nation’s skies for nearly 100 years, but it wasn’t the pilots who first helped get the airplane off the ground.

On a stretch of empty sand in the Outer Banks of North Carolina 111 years ago, a group of surfmen from Life-Saving Station Kill Devil Hills guarded the shore near the town of Kitty Hawk. The surfmen lived hidden away between the Atlantic Ocean and Albemarle Sound, within the sparsely populated lands of the Outer Banks….

Responding to the major air traffic control shutdown that took place yesterday (12 December), Mrs Louise Ellman, Chair of Transport Committee said on 13 December: “I am very concerned about this major breakdown in UK air traffic control and the impact of the disruption this failure has caused on airports, airlines and passengers. In such circumstances safety remains paramount, but going forward it is vital that we establish what happened yesterday, and what NATS must do in order to ensure the same problem does not recur in future. The Committee will ask the Secretary of State these and other questions when he appears before us on Monday.”

“I also hope that the Committee will call NATS and the CAA to give evidence to us, so that we can get to the bottom of what led up to this weekend’s events.”

Following a technical fault with the flight data system used by air traffic controllers at Swanwick in the south of England on 12 December the (UK) National Air Traffic Service (NATS) confirmed later in the day that the system had been restored to full operational capability and a thorough investigation was underway to identify the root cause, it is understood.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has joined with other UN agencies in calling for concerted action from the international community to address the deeply concerning problem of the loss of life, injury, trauma and serious human rights violations affecting migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees travelling by sea, it was reported from IMO in London on 10 December

In a joint statement, IMO, along with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that closer co-operation between States of origin, transit and destination, and other relevant actors, was critical to reducing loss of life at sea, addressing the drivers of dangerous sea journeys, as well as ensuring that responses by States upon arrival and disembarkation uphold human rights and dignity, and address specific needs for protection of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees.

UK airports should be better placed to minimise the impact of disruption on passengers thanks to good practice guidance published by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) early in November.

This guidance sets out key principles and recommended practices to help airports work effectively in partnership with airlines, ground handlers and the many other organisations working within airports so they are better prepared for large disruption and can manage it effectively when it does occur. With the aviation industry now gearing up for the winter season, the guidance is a timely reminder of the practical steps airports can take to make sure they are prepared for bad weather and protect their passengers.

Guidelines can be found here.