Austrian Airlines announces the replacement of its inventory and check-in systems and is joining the Common IT Platform, a Star Alliance wise key initiative. Star Alliance Common IT Platform (CITP) is a joint centralised platform hosted by Amadeus for participating Star Alliance member carriers. Alongside United, Lufthansa and some other regional members of Star Alliance, Austrian Airlines is now launching a comprehensive migration project to oversee the staged transfer of all key airline IT systems, including inventory, ticketing and check-in, to the new platform by 2010.

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ST. LOUIS, May 31, 2007 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today delivered the first of 13 C-17 Globemaster IIIs to Dover (Del.) Air Force Base (AFB) officials during a ceremony at the company’s Long Beach, Calif., C-17 manufacturing facility. The newest C-17 is named the “Spirit of the Constitution” in honor of Delaware being the first of the original 13 U.S. colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution on Dec. 7, 1787. This is the 165th C-17 that Boeing has delivered to the U.S. Air Force.

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31 May 2007 – Leading Asian airline and founding Star Alliance member, Thai Airways International which carries more than 18 million passengers per year, has launched a new range of passenger self-service functionality ahead of schedule, while achieving cost reductions of 30% in new service implementation using SITA’s Integration Platform. Thai needed to roll-out new services such as Internet booking, self-service check-in, and online redemption of frequent flyer points while at the same looking for 30% cost reductions in new service implementation by optimising the airline’s IT capacity.

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Mumbai : Air Cargo development in India has huge potential for foreign players. ‘The domestic market of air cargo is itself so big in India that it can help in sustaining the operations. Overall, the growth rate of the aviation sector in the next 10 years is expected to be not less than 25 percent. This implied huge opportunity for foreign and private players in the Air Cargo industry, be it airport, airline, charter operatiors, Air Cargo handling equipment and services, Cargo Sales Agents, Airports, Consolidators, Custom Brokers, Exporters/Importers, Freight Forwarders, Supply Chain companies, IT Cos., Insurance companies, Multi-modal transportation companies, Security Companies, Shippers, Trade Associations etc. The opportunities available in Indian Air Cargo market has attracted the aviation industry’s attention the world over.

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Following comprehensive discussions on the Power8 programme during several Airbus European Works Council (ECA) meetings, Airbus is now starting negotiations at national level with its social partners, with regular reviews at ECA level to continue. These negotiations are to analyse in more details the reasons and the consequences of the plan. They are also to agree on the appropriate social measures to be applied in line with local regulations and agreements in order to achieve the overhead reduction targets set in Power8. These objectives are to be reached on the basis of mutually agreed voluntary retirements, departures and redeployments, amongst other measures.

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Vienna, May 31, 2007 - Schiebel presented the CAMCOPTER® S-100 VTOL UAS in daily live demonstrations at the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Ankara, Hippodrome Eryaman, Turkey, May 22 through 25, 2007. During the show Schiebel conducted daily 20-minute flights at the venue site at Ankara Hippodrome as part of the air show.

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EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. - (May 31, 2007) - Six of the world’s finest restored vintage aircraft will travel to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this summer to participate in the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s first “Best of the Best” People’s Choice Award competition. These aircraft will be showcased at EAA AirVenture, “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” on July 23-29 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

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31 May 2007 - The French capital has been chosen to host a celebration of space, ‘Paris fête l’Espace’, to be held on the place du Trocadéro on 15 June starting at 21.30. With its ‘Night of the Astronauts’ in Cologne (Germany) in 2004 and then in Barcelona (Spain) in 2006, ESA introduced a new kind of attraction designed to inform the public of and share with it advances to date in the conquest of space. In order to cater for the huge public interest in space demonstrated by these repeatedly successful events, ESA decided to organise, in partnership with the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and with the support of the City of Paris, an altogether novel celebration of space on the place du Trocadéro.

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Aerospace has a strong track record of successful UK-Japanese collaboration and is also a key high value added industry. Its success is important for the economic performance of both countries, Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Sir John Rose said today in a keynote address at the UK-Japan Aerospace Forum 2007 in Tokyo. “We believe that, by working together, UK and Japanese industries can address today’s global challenges far more effectively than on their own. By exchanging information and examining our joint capabilities and research, we expect to identify new opportunities for collaboration,” he said.

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (5/31/07) — The Aerospace Corporation, a leader in national space programs, will hold its 30th annual Robert H. Herndon Memorial Science Competition at its headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., on Thursday, June 7. Paid summer positions are being offered as a prize for high school students who win first place in the popular science fair, meant to stimulate interest among minority students in science, engineering, and technology, and increase diversity across the aerospace industry. The competition, held continuously since 1977, was named for an inspirational Aerospace scientist and mentor who died in 1976.

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Alexandria, VA – May 31, 2007 – After a competitive procurement and evaluation, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), has selected HITT Holland Institute of Traffic Technology B.V. of the Netherlands and Era Corporation of the United States for the deployment of an Advanced-Surface ovement Guidance Control System (A-SMGCS) for Singapore Changi Airport. The system includes HITT’s Display and Processing System together with Era’s MSS network of multilateration and ADS-B sensors and SQUID vehicle tracking units.

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SAN DIEGO, May 31, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — The U.S. Department of Defense has announced that Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE:NOC) MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical takeoff and landing Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle (VTUAV) has reached Milestone C, signifying the beginning of its low-rate initial production phase. The Fire Scout is the first unmanned aircraft system (UAS) within the U.S. Navy and the third UAS of all U.S. military branches to meet Milestone C in the Defense Department acquisition process.

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31/05/2007 | The venue for this important event was the Casláv air base in the Czech Republic, which opened its doors to the public, to stage an immensely successful Open Day. Casláv air base Commander Jiri Verner had hoped for around 20,000 visitors to the show, but despite the rain during the morning, he was delighted to announce an attendance of over 40,000 later during the day.

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Munich Airport officially opened a new facility for the handling of cross-border cargo traffic today. The new Border Inspection Post with Small Animal Station provides a place for dogs, cats, reptiles, birds and ornamental fish to enter the country under the watchful eye of veterinary specialists. It will also perform screening of foodstuffs of animal origin such as fish and meat products. As well as ensuring protection against the introduction of animal diseases, the Border Inspection Post will also ensure that imported foods comply with European standards in the areas of health, hygiene and quality. The explosive rise in imports had increasingly driven the facilities in the existing freight terminal at Munich Airport to the utmost limits of their capacity. The new Border Inspection Post at Munich Airport permits significantly faster handling of all imports while complying with the strict EU import regulations.

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Bedford, Massachusetts, May 31, 2007 — The MITRE Corporation has been named one of the Best Places to Work 2007 by the Boston Business Journal in the large company category. The Best Places to Work 2007 rankings will appear in the June 22 issue of the Boston Business Journal, and companies on the list will be honored at a breakfast event at the Westin Waterfront Hotel on Friday, June 22.

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Alexandria, VA – May 31, 2007 – After a competitive procurement and evaluation, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), has selected HITT Holland Institute of Traffic Technology B.V. of the Netherlands and Era Corporation of the United States for the deployment of an Advanced-Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) for Singapore Changi Airport. The system includes HITT’s Display and Processing System together with Era’s MSS network of multilateration and ADS-B sensors and SQUID vehicle tracking units.

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Qatar Airways has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to buy 80 of the all-new Airbus A350XWB aircraft. The agreement was signed at the Elysée Palace in Paris in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, by Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al-Baker and Airbus President and CEO Louis Gallois. This will make the airline the largest customer for the A350XWB to date and the first one in the Middle East region. This agreement supersedes an earlier one signed in 2005 for 60 of the original A350 aircraft.

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Speaking at a Hearing organised by the European Commission on 29 May 2007, ECTAA expressed strong support for the European Commission’s intentions to enhance information and protection of Union citizens who travel in third countries where their Member State is not represented. Few EU citizens know that when they are travelling to a third country in which their Member State does not have an embassy or a consular post, they are entitled to consular protection by the authorities of any Member State represented on the spot, on the same conditions as the nationals of that State. That protection may be claimed, among others, in case of arrest or detention, accident or serious illness or death, or a crisis leaving EU citizens in distress and requiring assistance and repatriation.

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The Port Authority is increasing its airports’ customer care representatives staff by more than 50 percent, creating new welcome centers for arriving passengers, providing electronic airport information alerts, adding 5,000 new seats and opening nearly 70 new and upgraded food, beverage and retail outlets at John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia airports as part of a comprehensive, $34 million customer-service program detailed today in a news conference.

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The aircraft marks the debut of Embraer regional jets on Nigeria’s airline market São José dos Campos, May 31, 2007 – Embraer has delivered the first ERJ 145 to the government of the State of Bauchi, Nigeria. The agreement signed in September 2006 includes a purchase option for another aircraft of the same model. The Bauchi State government will operate the ERJ 145 jet on domestic routes. In 2005, Embraer delivered a Legacy 600 executive jet, configured to transport government officials, to the Rivers State government, also in Nigeria. Embraer’s Defense aircraft operate in more than 20 countries, worldwide, including transport aircraft operated by seven governments.

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Copenhagen Airport has become the first airport in the world to develop a baggage-handling system that takes bags from check-in to placement in the aircraft without manual handling. In close partnership with SAS Ground Services (SGS), Copenhagen Airports (CPH), FKI Logistex and CPH Design A/S have automated baggage handling. A well-functioning prototype has been patented by CPH and SGS. The ingeniousness of the system is its simplicity – currently available technology has been combined in an innovative manner.

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Toronto, May 31, 2007 - Bombardier Aerospace today introduced next generation versions of its CRJ700, CRJ900 and CRJ1000 regional jets. These new CRJ NextGen aircraft will feature significant operating cost improvements, an all-new cabin and the increased use of composite materials.

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Antwerp, Wednesday 30th May 2007 – Brussels Airport has today officially launched its ‘Fast Lane’ for business travellers. VLM Airlines welcomes this initiative as it further strengthens its position as fastest mode of transport from Brussels to the centre of London. Fast Lane facilities will be offered to VLM Airlines’ passengers travelling with a Business Class ticket or a full Economy ticket from Brussels Airport to London City Airport. In addition, all members of the VLM Airlines’ Frequent Flyer Programme ‘VLM Encore’ will receive access to the Fast Lane.

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Chandra image of 3C438, the central galaxy within Evidence for an awesome upheaval in a massive galaxy cluster was discovered in an image made by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. The origin of a bright arc of ferociously hot gas extending over two million light years requires one of the most energetic events ever detected. The cluster of galaxies is filled with tenuous gas at 170 million degree Celsius that is bound by the mass equivalent of a quadrillion, or 1,000 trillion, suns. The temperature and mass make this cluster a giant among giants.

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30 May 2007 - The voyage will continue over terrain where robots will show what they will be able to do on faraway planets in the not-so-distant future, in particular on a European mission to Mars (ExoMars). Today’s human presence in space will be highlighted by scale models of ESA’s Columbus module and Jules Verne ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle); these two main elements of ESA’s human spaceflight programme will reach the International Space Station towards the end of the year, while three ESA astronauts (Paolo Nespoli from Italy, Leopold Eyharts from France and Hans Schlegel from Germany) are set to fly to the Space Station between autumn and winter this year. Amazing 3-D images taken on the Space Station will enable visitors of all ages to experience the wonder of ‘almost being there’.

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