Oslo 27.03.08. The board of Avinor today decided on the pier concept for Terminal 2 at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. The new pier solution involves a new north-south oriented pier which is based on the current pier format and is integrated with the current central building. A final decision on the extension is expected in early 2009. The new terminal building, Terminal 2, which has already been approved by the board, will be linked to the railway station, west-south west of today’s terminal building, with which it will be integrated. When Terminal 2 and the new pier are completed, they will provide a passenger capacity of up to 35 million passengers per year. It is planned that the first stage of building, with a capacity of 27-28 million passengers, will be completed in 2012.

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31 March, 2008 – AeroMobile, the pioneering provider of inflight mobile phone services, and Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic), the market-leading in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems provider, have signed an agreement with V Australia, the new Australia-based international airline, to provide the technology for mobile phone and BlackBerry/PDA use on board its new Boeing 777 aircraft. The AeroMobile service will enable V Australia’s passengers to send and receive SMS text messages via their mobile phones, and also use GPRS devices such as BlackBerrys®, Palm Treos® and mobile data-enabled PDAs exactly as they are used on the ground. Panasonic eXPhone system incorporating AeroMobile’s technology is planned to be installed on all the Boeing 777-300ERs that V Australia has on order, and would be available on all aircraft for entry into service. The first aircraft are due for delivery prior to the start of operations between Australia and the USA planned later this year, making V Australia the first airline in the world to commence mobile phone service across its entire fleet. The major components of the Panasonic eXPhone system are planned to be installed during aircraft manufacture by Boeing.

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Geneva,31 March 2008 – It was announced today that Jazeera Airways, the Kuwait and Dubai based airline, will provide its passengers with OnAir’s inflight mobile phone services, including voice, SMS and GPRS, starting in 2008. The OnAir service will enable Jazeera Airways’ passengers to use their mobile phones and BlackBerry-type devices to send and receive text messages, emails including attachments, and to make and receive mobile phone calls inflight. The service is the only one based on Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband. The airline, which was listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange in January, currently has six Airbus A320 aircraft flying on routes in the Middle East. All six aircraft will be retro-fitted with OnAir equipment; the airline also has 34 further A320s on order, which will be line-fitted.

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Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has for the first time brought all key security personnel from outstations under one roof in a bid to further strengthen the vigilance and security measures across the airline’s network. The day-long seminar deliberated on reinforcing effective security systems, identify existing and emerging risks/threats, carry-out gap analysis, develop and promote a pro-active approach to solve day to day problems. A range of relevant topics were covered in the seminar held at the Golden Tulip hotel.

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To celebrate the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the firtst Austrian Airlines scheduled flight, the company has launched services using one of its aircraft in a design dating back to the 1950s. The Austrian Airbus A320 bearing the identification OE-LBP now appears in the same design as the first aircraft ever flown by Austrian Airlines, the Vickers Viscount, from 1958. The association with the successful present is created by the current Austrian symbol, the Austrian Airlines brand name in the present-day script, and the supplement “Flying for your smile since 1958”. The aircraft was redesigned from 16 to 22 March 2008.

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SEATTLE — Horizon Air announced today that it will offer twice-daily nonstop service from Los Angeles to Flagstaff/Grand Canyon, Ariz., starting June 23. Introductory one-way fares from Flagstaff will start as low as $89 to Los Angeles, $139 to Seattle, and $129 to Portland, Ore., with similarly low fares to other cities throughout the West, including Mexico. As an extra bonus, passengers with Horizon Air/Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan frequent flier program accounts can earn Double Miles on the route through Aug. 31, 2008. “Travelers from Flagstaff can say goodbye to missed connections or the long, unpredictable drive to another airport,” said Dan Russo, Horizon’s director of marketing and communications. “Instead, they’ll enjoy a relaxing, affordable Horizon Air flight from their hometown airport to Los Angeles. Visitors to the area from around the world will also gain a new, easier way to experience the Grand Canyon, Sedona and the other beautiful natural attractions nearby.”

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FIDAE AIR SHOW, SANTIAGO - Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has begun establishing the supply chain for the S-70i International BLACK HAWK™ Helicopter program, and is developing plans for the aircraft’s final assembly and hangar operations at the company’s PZL Mielec facility. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX). Sikorsky is currently evaluating several companies from various countries to take part in the project. The company expects to receive approval of the manufacturing license in late 2008. The S-70i International BLACK HAWK Helicopter will be produced with global partners and delivered from outside the United States. It will provide multi-mission, 10-ton utility lift capability at a price comparable to helicopters in the 6-to-8 ton class.

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FIDAE AIR SHOW, SANTIAGO - The X2 Technology™ Demonstrator, a research and development aircraft built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., could transform the aviation industry by demonstrating technologies that, if brought to production, potentially bring significant improvements in productivity across a wide variety of missions, according to market feedback collected by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) The X2 Technology Demonstrator is designed to cruise comfortably at 250 knots, while retaining desirable helicopter attributes including excellent low speed handling, seamless transition to high speed flight, and efficient hovering and autorotation safety. Sikorsky Aircraft brought the Demonstrator to the Heli-Expo exhibition in Texas in February in part to invite and collect market feedback on the suite of technologies as the program moves toward first flight. A standing-room-only crowd watched the unveiling of the Demonstrator, and dozens of customers and industry veterans provided feedback during the three-day exhibition.

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Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Grupo SATA (Sociedade Açoriana de Transportes Aéreos, S.A.) of Ponta Delgada, Portugal has signed a contract to acquire four Q400 NextGen aircraft for its SATA Air Açores regional airline. Based on the list price of the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the value of the contract is approximately $113 million U.S. SATA Air Açores has been in operation for more than sixty years and serves all nine islands of the Azores as well as Madeira and the Canary Islands. Its Q400 aircraft will be configured with 80 passenger seats. “Our current aircraft have been in service for a number of years and it is time to replace them with new-technology, more economical aircraft,” said António Gomes de Menezes, Chairman, Grupo SATA. “The Bombardier Q400 aircraft meets all of our requirements for increased passenger and cargo capacity, cabin comfort, lower fuel consumption and improved environmental compatibility.”

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ST. LOUIS, March 31, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Orion Propulsion Inc. (OPI) have signed a government-sponsored Mentor-Protégé agreement to work together on NASA’s Ares I rocket, which will transport astronauts into space after the space shuttle retires. The one-year agreement was signed today at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and marks the first Mentor-Protégé agreement in 2008 in support of a major NASA contract. The NASA-sponsored Mentor-Protégé Program pairs large companies with eligible small businesses to enhance the protégés’ capabilities and enable them to successfully compete for larger, more complex prime contract and subcontract awards. Boeing has a long history of helping small and diverse businesses. The company subcontracted more than $5 billion of work to small and diverse businesses in 2007.

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ST. LOUIS, March 31, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today said it has submitted a proposal to NASA for the production of two next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, known as the GOES R series, for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “Boeing’s proposal for GOES R is backed by 40 years of experience in building and delivering weather satellites for NASA and NOAA, coupled with a commitment to program execution and providing a low-risk solution,” said Craig Cooning, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems vice president and general manager. “Boeing is uniquely qualified to build GOES R on schedule and on budget.”

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CHICAGO, March 31, 2008 — The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) today named Paul Kinscherff president of Boeing Middle East. He will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and report to Shep Hill, president, Boeing International. Kinscherff, 49, will work with Boeing Saudi Arabia President Ahmed Jazzar to strengthen Boeing’s presence across the region and support its growth there. Since late 2003, Kinscherff has been Boeing’s treasurer, overseeing financing, banking, insurance, pension investment, and global treasury operations. “Paul’s intimate knowledge of Boeing’s businesses and global financial markets will help us capitalize on the emerging opportunities in this vital region,” Hill said. “His appointment underlies our commitment to the Middle East and the importance of that region to our global growth plans.”

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EVERETT, Wash., March 31, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] and PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) have celebrated the delivery of the carrier’s ninth 777. PIA’s newest airplane, a Boeing 777-300ER, departed Paine Field Friday on a delivery flight to its home base in Karachi. PIA’s new 777-300ER, shown landing during a test flight, sports a tail design representing Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier. Two previous 777-300ERs have been delivered to the airline with similar themed tail designs in honor of the country’s Punjab and Sind provinces.

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Northrop Grumman Corporation’s RQ-4 Global Hawk set an endurance record for a full-scale, operational unmanned aircraft on Saturday, March 22, 2008, when it completed a flight of 33.1 hours at altitudes up to 60,000 feet over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. “It was a picture perfect flight, landing flawlessly on centerline with enough fuel remaining to continue for two more hours,” said Jerry Madigan, Northrop Grumman vice president of high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) systems. “The pilots and ground crew, as well as Edwards Air Force Base senior leadership were very impressed with the Global Hawk’s performance, meeting or exceeding every flight objective.”

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The U.S. government granted an inventor in Colorado a patent for a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle capable of persistent and maneuverable flight. Inventor Adam Ning Chu of Colorado Springs, Colo., designed an inflatable but aerodynamic saucer-shaped vehicle that carries below it a gondola containing a motor, batteries, sensors and control mechanisms. Flying above 100,000 feet, the hybrid UAV would use a propulsion system to lift into high-altitude winds, thereby rising above the buoyancy of blimps and other inflatable aircrafts. The vehicle would steer itself by rotating its gondola, pitching down and thrusting forward when accelerating.

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Last week, U.S. Admiral Timothy J. Keating, the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, informed the U.S. Congress that the US Defence Department’s Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Command (JPAC) is now authorized to negotiate with the Government of India on the details of remains recovery missions to the crash sites of the B-24 “Hot as Hell” and other American aircraft lost in Northeast India during the Second World War. In a statement on “US Pacific Command Posture 2008” delivered to the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 8, Admiral Keating stated that JPAC officials “will engage Government of India officials regarding potential recovery missions in Northeast India” (http://www.pacom.mil/speeches/sst2008/080311-keating-sasc.pdf). Although no details were given about when these negotiations on logistical aspects of the operations will commence, the families of these missing American aviators were informed in recent weeks that Rear Admiral Donna L. Crisp, Commander of JPAC, will lead a delegation of officials to New Delhi in a matter of days.

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The Boeing Company, in partnership with ImSAR and Insitu Inc., has successfully flight-tested NanoSAR, the world’s smallest Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), aboard the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft. During the 1.5-hour flight on Jan. 7 at the Boardman, Ore., test range, ScanEagle, with ImSAR’s NanoSAR payload installed, completed several passes over the target area at various altitudes and ranges. The targets included vehicles, structures and corner reflectors. Data collection onboard the ScanEagle worked as planned, and SAR imagery was later created on the ground. The next step in flight testing will be to create imagery aboard the UA in real time. The NanoSAR is a 2-pound system approximately the size of a shoebox. The weight of standard SARs ranges from 50 to 200 pounds.

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The Pentagon says they killed more than four dozen al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan with air strikes delivered from Predator drones during the past two months. A senior Bush administration official told media this week that the military decided to intensify its air strikes ahead of political changes in Pakistan that may reduce opportunities to fly missions in that country. In an effort to “shake the tree,” the military employed Predator air strikes to dislodge terrorist operatives from hiding, providing U.S. intelligence services the opportunity to glean new information from local sources on the ground there.

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Six young graduates - four Bahrainis and 2 Omanis - recruited under Gulf Air’s Graduate Entry Management (GEM) Programme, were given regular appointments after completing their training with Gulf Air. The graduate trainees - Eman Mohamed Rasheed, Ammar Aley Al-Marjeby, Talal Ahmed Almahmood, Layla Mohamed Alsharif, Ebtehal Salman Abual and Jokha Omar Almaskari- were selected after going through a selection and evaluation process and then given an 18-month intensive training before being given regular appointments. “Gulf Air recognises that people are its greatest resource and encourages young talents by creating long-term career opportunities,” says Gulf Air Vice President Human Resources Mr. Ahmed Al Banna, congratulating the candidates on their appointments.

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WASHINGTON — NASA has awarded a cooperative agreement education grant to Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. The grant supports implementation of the Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience, also known as INSPIRE, program at NASA. The grant features a one-year basic period of performance with four one-year extension options. The estimated value of the agreement is $2.6 million with a potential value of $22 million if all options are exercised. The program is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM. As part of NASA’s education strategy to attract and retain students in STEM disciplines, students selected for INSPIRE will be given the opportunity to participate in unique summer experiences at NASA facilities, provided access to a variety of online resources and invited to participate in special videoconferences with NASA officials.

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NHIndustries is pleased to announce the delivery of the first NH90 TTT (Tactical Troop Transport) helicopter to the Finnish Army Aviation. The delivery took place at Eurocopter in Marignane (France) where the helicopter was assembled. Finland is replacing its ageing fleet of MI-8 helicopters with 20 tactical transport NH90. “We are particularly proud to deliver to Finland this advanced helicopter and are fully confident that Finland took the right decision regarding this choice, being sure that the NH90 will meet the stringent requirements of the Finnish armed forces, both in terms of mission capability as well as for its suitability for the management of international operations” said Gala Gonçalves, General Manager of NHIndustries. These helicopters are equipped with the most up to date technology (Fly-by-wire, composite materials, system integration) and equipment in terms of navigation, communications, flight aids and self protection. Of the 20 Finnish NH90 helicopters, 19 are to be assembled by Patria in Finland. The first Finnish NH90 assembled by Patria is to be delivered this April to the Finnish Army Aviation.

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Finnair, which celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, takes delivery of the 200th aircraft in the history of its fleet at Helsinki airport tomorrow, Saturday, March 29. The 200th aircraft in Finnair’s history is an Embraer 190, registration OH-LKM. The delivery continues Finnair’s tradition as a pioneer. It was the first in Europe to take delivery of the Convair plane in 1953, for instance, and the first in the world to use Caravelle 10B3 aircraft. Finnair was also first to take Boeing MD11 aircraft into service, in 1990. The 100th aircraft to join the fleet, in 1986, was an ATR42 propeller driven plane. Up until the 1970s, during its early days under the name of Aero Oy and later as Finnair, it was the custom to name aircraft after great Finnish characters or birds. Fleet renewal is the most important factor in an airline’s sustainability. Each new generation of jet aircraft uses less fuel and is accountable for lower emissions. The average age of Finnair’s European fleet is approximately four years.

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After several days spent in a parking orbit 2000 km ahead of the ISS, Jules Verne ATV is now ready to join up with the International Space Station. This first docking attempt can be followed live on 3 April 2008 from 15:30 CEST onwards from one of the European participating centres. One hour and 6 minutes after lift-off of the Ariane-5 ES launcher from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 9 March 2008 at 05:03 CET, Jules Verne ATV was placed in a circular orbit at 51.6° relative to the equator. At that point in time, the Guiana Space Centre transferred mission authority to ESA’s ATV Control Centre located at the CNES site in Toulouse. Jules Verne ATV was then positioned 2000 km from the ISS while awaiting US Space Shuttle Endeavour’s return to Earth on the night of 26 to 27 March. In the next few days, the CNES and ESA operational teams, supported by the teams of the ATV prime contractor, Astrium, will carry out manoeuvres aimed at positioning the ATV near the ISS and beginning the final approach phase.

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General Aviation is a priority for the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). In order to present and discuss new proposals with the Sport Aviation community, the Agency is organizing a dedicated workshop at the AeroExpo in Prague on 25 April 2008. Under the title ‘EASA’s flight plan for Sport Aviation - Workshop on Initial Airworthiness’, the workshop will focus on the Agency’s forthcoming Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) to Part 21, proposing a simplified process for European Light Aircraft. The Agency wishes to generate an open and constructive dialogue with the Sport Aviation community and welcomes the participation of all stakeholders in the consultation process. The proposals on initial airworthiness are an important step in the Agency’s overall strategy to revitalize General Aviation, through simplified certification procedures, adapted airworthiness rules and new pilot licenses.

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Cannes, March 28, 2008 – Thales Alenia Space welcomed the successful launch of the fourth SAR-Lupe satellite. This satellite will join the current SAR-Lupe satellite constellation, which is providing high-resolution images to the German Ministry of Defence. The satellite was boosted into orbit yesterday from the Plesetsk space centre by a Russian Cosmos-3M rocket. Thales Alenia Space was responsible, on behalf of the prime contractor OHB-System AG, for the design and development of the Sensor Electronic Units, comprising radiofrequency, processing and control sub-units. The SAR-Lupe program, which has a life-time of 10 years, comprises a constellation of five identical small satellites (720 kg) which will be positioned into 3 quasi polar orbital planes at approximately 500 km altitude, and a ground segment. The program is based on sophisticated technologies in SAR radar field, able to get images under any weather or light conditions (day or night). It will provide image in X-band and offer a spatial resolution of less than 1 metre. The last SAR-Lupe satellite is planned for launch this summer.

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