Alaska Airlines Passengers Flight Evacuate Boeing 737 at Sea-Tac

Passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from Sea-Tac to Anchorage Sunday were evacuated after smoke and a brief flash of flame occurred on a Boeing 737 as it sat at a gate.

Alaska Airlines spokesperson Bobbi Egan said 144 passengers and crew of seven were on the 737 at gate N7 when residual fuel in an engine of the auxiliary power unit caused brief flame and smoke.

Egan said the APU, which is attached to the rear of the aircraft, provides power to the aircraft when it’s at the gate.

The passengers were evacuated and boarded another plane to Anchorage.

Continental Airlines Completes Biofuel-Powered Test Flight

Continental Airlines has completed the first test flight of a two-engine commercial aircraft powered by a sustainable biofuel last week at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The joint initiative with Boeing, GE Aviation, CFM International, and Honeywell’s UOP tested a biofuel blend sourced from algae and jatropha plants on a two-engine Boeing 737-800.

The test flight is the first time a commercial carrier has used an algae-derived fuel, claims the company.

The algae oil was provided by Sapphire Energy, while the jatropha oil component – the same as that used by the Air New Zealand test flight – was sourced from Terasol Energy.

During the two hour test flight, Continental test pilots will operate one of the two CFM International CFM56-7B engines with a blend fuel made up of 50% sustainable biofuel and 50% traditional jet fuel.

Continental, Boeing, GE Aviation, CFM and UOP have been testing the algae/jatropha biofuel over the past nine months and expect no difference in performance compared with traditional fuels.

The biofuel blend promises to be a ‘drop-in’ fuel requiring no modifications to the aircraft or engine.

The partner companies will analyse the flight data to assess the effect on the aircraft and engine – and look for any differences, apart from performance, with conventional fuels.

“What we have found is that the second generation fuel being tested today comes closer to simulating the characteristics of traditional jet fuel in terms of engine performance and operability, such as fuel consumption, engine start and other parameters,” says Eric Bachelet, president and CEO of CFM International.

According to Jennifer Holmgren of UOP, sustainable biofuels are a real near-term option for aviation.

“We believe that production levels could reach hundreds of millions of gallons per year by 2012,” she says.

British Airways Cancels Short-haul Flights Into and Out Britain on Sunday

British Airways said on Saturday it had cancelled all its short-haul flights into and out of Britain on Sunday.

A spokeswoman for the airline said the cancellation covered all flights to and from European destinations as well as domestic services. A decision on long-haul flights would be made later.

Aviation authorities have closed British airspace until at least 2400 GMT on Saturday because of the danger posed by clouds of volcanic ash from Iceland.

Canadian Aircraft Manufacturer Bombardier Aircraft Handed Over Eight Q-400 Next Generation to Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines has received the first of eight Q-400 Next Generation turboprop aircraft from Canadian Aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Inc. on March 21, 2010.

The Q-400 made its maiden flight including a refueling stop in St. John’s, Canada, then a transatlantic cross over to Santa Maria, Portugal followed by refueling stop in Cairo, Egypt before the last flight to Addis Ababa.

The flight was accorded a warm welcome at the Bole International Airport by H.E Ato Getachew Mengistie, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ato Girma Wake, CEO of Ethiopian, senior officials of the airline and invited guests.

Speaking on the occasion, the CEO Ato Girma Wake said, “Ethiopian Airlines plays a critical and major role in bringing the cities of the different regions of Ethiopia within easy reach of Addis Ababa, the capital. This effort will be further enhanced with the introduction of Q400 NextGen aircraft.” He further stated about the particular attention given to develop the domestic service, advising the establishment of a department in charge of the domestic operations.

The new 78 seater aircraft will support the ever increasing tourism market of the country and domestic business travel, which is growing fast along side the economy. Besides, the aircraft will serve Ethiopian regional routes.

Currently, Ethiopian provides domestic flight service with Boeing 737 and Fokker aircraft to its 17 domestic destinations.

British Airways to Charter Planes from Another Airlines During Cabin Crew Strike

British Airways expects to lease up to 22 aircraft from eight airlines in order to maintain services during a planned cabin crew strike this month.

It will use the aircraft to supplement its short-haul schedule from London Heathrow, and allow it to operate, overall, about 30% of its short-haul schedule over the initial strike period.

British Airways expects to carry 60% of booked passengers during the three-day strike from 20-22 March, adding that a number of other customers will be offered alternative British Airways flights or services on other carriers.

Over 60% of BA’s long-haul flights from London Heathrow will operate over the period. British Airways says it has reached agreements with 40 other airlines allowing customers to rebook free of charge if their flights are cancelled.

“Due to the numbers of cabin crew who have called in to offer their services…the schedule will be slightly larger than we had originally anticipated,” says BA chief Willie Walsh.

British Airways has yet to clarify the schedule for the subsequent four-day strike planned for 27-30 March.