Much Remains to be Seen: The Future of NextGen

Juliet Van Wagenen

Michael Whitaker, deputy administrator and chief NextGen officer at the FAA. Photo: ATCA

[Avionics Today 09-19-2014] There’s a long road ahead, but nothing will get in their way. That was the sentiment at the NextGen Institute’s public forum yesterday in which speakers from the FAA and private sectors discussed the goals and shortcomings of NextGen implementation.

The NextGen Institute, a public-private partnership between the FAA and the National Center for Advanced Technologies (NCAT), addressed, at its public forum entitled “Achieving Gains, Building the Future,” issues related to the Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) implementation mandate set for 2020, as well as the roles Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) will play in in that mandate, among other topics.

Michael Whitaker, the deputy administrator and chief NextGen officer at the FAA, opened the forum by addressing the progress the program has seen in the last year.

“NextGen is a 20 year, $20 billion endeavor and we’re $5 billion in, so it’s still relatively early in the long haul,” Whitaker said, referring to the money that’s already been spent on NextGen programs equipage such as ADS-B, Data Communications (Data Comm), National Airspace System Voice System (NASVS), and System Wide Information Management (SWIM). “But we are on track for the completion of the foundational pieces of the program.”

The FAA has spent much of the last year building ground structures for terrestrial ADS-B to prepare for when NextGen implementation comes around, conducting research to figure out the best way to forge ahead and reworking airport procedures, from which the largest gains can be seen.

“We introduced 61 new satellite-based procedures in the Houston area to reduce distances flown by as much as 650,000 nautical miles each year in the United States because of the redesign, that’s equivalent to taking 6,000 cars off the streets,” said Whitaker. “There have been new runway procedures in Atlanta that have significantly increased passengers and the new procedures have been hugely popular with carriers to increase runway capacity.”

And while time was spent highlighting the gains made in with NextGen procedures, the conversation quickly turned toward the challenges the troubled and highly criticized program has faced in the past and how those involved are looking to mitigate these issues as it maps out the road ahead. At the forefront of these issues is the budget.

“We’re somewhat at the mercy of the funding process,” said Whitaker, who admitted that the lack of long-term visibility makes future programs uncertain and unstable. The FAA’s Assistant Administrator for NextGen, Edward Bolton, Jr., added to the budgetary uncertainty by noting that the funding necessary to complete the program is $2 billion short. Current levels of funding allow just enough room for the FAA to move forward with the base programs of NextGen; Bolton hopes to capitalize on this short road ahead by demonstrating that, this time, the FAA means business.

“By saying you’re going to do something and doing exactly what you’ve said, demonstrating that you’re capable of carrying it out, that’s the best way to achieve more stable funding,” said Bolton.

And one of the areas where the FAA promises to keep its word is the 2020 ADS-B mandate.

“One of our main initiatives is communicating that the 2020 date is not going to change,” said Whitaker, who set out to demystify the myth that the date would be pushed back.

But, although the timeline might remain the same, the exact terms of the mandate are unclear, particularly in regards to whether UAS — large or small — will need to be equipped with ADS-B capabilities, and how that can be done. With Google’s unveiling of Project Wing, a low-flying, commercial use delivery UAS, and similar projects by Amazon and other non-aviation companies, UAS becomes a more pressing and challenging issue to tackle.

“Thirteen years ago things like UAS weren’t really part of the equation,” said Whitaker, noting the changing landscape of NextGen. “But it’s difficult to see how we wouldn’t use ADS-B to tackle the problems of integrating larger UAS into air traffic.” He continued to note that certain issues with UAS such as sense and avoid and Air Traffic Control (ATC) would have to be tackled first.

FAA officials aren’t being shy about the uncertainty of the NextGen program as well as the program’s numerous shortfalls, but the FAA and private partners are forging ahead nonetheless.

“It will not be easy. It will not go perfectly. There will be problems and setbacks, but we’ll get it done,” said Bolton.

- See more at: http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/topstories/Much-Remains-to-be-Seen-The-Future-of-NextGen_83088.html#.VB5q2JSSxkk

The Museveni regime is under sustained pressure with local media in both English and local languages defying and braving the repressive and suppressive laws and actions of the dictatorial regime to publish crucial liberation communication and guidance from Free Uganda leadership and other comrades in the struggle. The People are rising up and joining the Struggle on a daily basis - soldiers, youths, politicians, civil society activists, and even NRM supporters are helping to break the regime from within. Museveni's days in State House are numbered. The people's day of Victory is fast approaching. The Struggle continues.

The Museveni regime is under sustained pressure with local media in both English and local languages defying and braving the repressive and suppressive laws and actions of the dictatorial regime to publish crucial liberation communication and guidance from Free Uganda leadership and other comrades in the struggle. The People are rising up and joining the Struggle on a daily basis - soldiers, youths, politicians, civil society activists, and even NRM supporters are helping to break the regime from within. Museveni's days in State House are numbered. The people's day of Victory is fast approaching. The Struggle continues.

Ethiopian Airlines chooses single aisle Boeing 737 Max aircraft

Ethiopian Airlines has chosen the single aisle Boeing 737 Max aircraft as its future regional jet fleet, reports Ethiosports.

The decision comes after the airline invited companies to present their proposals for the supply of narrow-body aircraft. Six aircraft manufacturers have submitted their proposals. 

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: “Given that the Boeing 737 family is the incumbent at Ethiopian Airlines, it makes sense for the rapidly growing African carrier to stick with the 737MAX since the commonality, cost of operation and ease of network integration would be far easier to absorb. 

“While the A320neo too would have been a good selection, that model has fewer open delivery slots and this will have been a key facet in Ethiopian Airlines' decision making. While the Bombardier CSeries was also mooted as a contender, the reality is that the CSeries is beset with flight test woes, it has been slow in terms of sales and there is widespread consensus that the CSeries will not be as competitive as the A320neo or 737MAX because its smaller and has less range and its operating costs and lifecycle/utilisation rate could never match the Airbus and Boeing products - notwithstanding the fact that the bulk of its order book is held aloft with shaky, junk credit rated customers.” 

Ahmad added: “Ethiopian Airlines however has made a smart decision to stay with Boeing and the 737 MAX family - after early woes with Boeing on the 787, the airline is also eyeing up a sizeable order for the new 777-9X to complement its long haul growth strategy.”

Emirates adds second service to Dar es Salaam

Emirates will be able to connect even more people and cargo with Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, with the start of a second service to the east African coastal city from 26th October.

The new five times weekly service will complement Emirates’ existing daily operation, and further boost inbound and outbound passenger traffic and cargo flows between Tanzania and Dubai, and Emirates’ worldwide network.

Emirates started a twice weekly service between Dubai and Dar es Salaam linked with Nairobi on 28th October 1997 using an Airbus A310-300. Following steady growth and demand on the route over the years, the frequency and capacity was increased and the flight was delinked from Nairobi, becoming a daily non-stop service between Dubai and Dar es Salaam in 2006.

The new flight will be operated with an Emirates A330-200, in a three class configuration with 12 seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 183 in Economy Class, adding a total of 2,370 seats and up to 170 tons of cargo capacity a week on the route. 

“Dar es Salaam is an important destination in our east African network. In our last financial year we carried over 180,000 customers on the route, and we are expecting further growth with the introduction of the second service, which will offer our customers more choice and convenience from Tanzania to Dubai and onward to Europe, the Middle East, the United States, India and the Far East. Dar es Salaam will now become the second destination in east Africa, after Nairobi, to have more than a daily frequency, said Orhan Abbas, Emirates senior vice-president, commercial operations, Latin America, Central and Southern Africa. 

Emirates’ customers on the route will have the opportunity to enjoy cuisine prepared by gourmet chefs and world famous service from Emirates’ multi-national cabin crew, including Tanzanian nationals. Customers in all three classes enjoy generous baggage allowances, with 50kg in First Class, 40kg in Business Class and 30kg in Economy Class. 

The new frequency is also expected to boost trade between Tanzania and various markets around Emirates SkyCargo’s global network. About 75% of the cargo exported from Tanzania are perishables, consisting of fresh, frozen and chilled fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood. The remainder of the exports are mainly household goods, jewellery, dry foods and automotive spare parts, while major imports are pharmaceuticals, automotive spare parts, electrical and electronic products and construction equipment and machinery. 

The new service will operate on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. It will depart Dubai as EK727 at 1655hrs and arrive in Dar es Salaam at 2150hrs. The return flight EK728 will depart Dar es Salaam at 2330hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0620hrs the next day.

AAR to provide airlift support across central Africa

The United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) has contracted AAR to set up a dedicated rotary-wing operation to provide airlift for its Africa Command across four central African countries beginning next month.

 

Under the contract, AAR will perform rotary-wing passenger and cargo transportation services and logistics support for Allied Forces. The operation will be based in the Central African Republic and also service the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of South Sudan and Uganda. The total value of the contract is approximately $34 million, inclusive of all optional task orders.

“AAR Airlift is pleased to announce the addition of another new Africa-based operation to our portfolio,” said Randy J. Martinez, President and CEO, AAR Airlift Group. “We are proud to support our

national service

 members and allies in this important region.”

USTRANSCOM is the Department of Defense’s (DoD) single entity for transportation, sustainment and distribution to the nation’s warfighters. Its responsibilities include the procurement of commercial transportation services for U.S. military forces. USAFRICOM is one of six of the DoD’s geographic combatant commands and is responsible for military relations with African nations, the African Union and African regional security organizations.

Ethiopian Airways to be official Aviation Africa 2015 airline -

Ethiopian Airlines has been named as the official carrier of

Aviation

 Africa 2015 Summit to be held in Dubai from May 10-11, 2015.

Ethiopian will be offering special discounted fares for all participants traveling on Ethiopian online destinations from Africa and Middle East. Ethiopian Airlines, a global Pan-African carrier, operates to 5 continents; Africa, Europe, North America, South America and Asia, serving 83 international and 20 domestic destinations.

At the two day summit, an overview of Ethiopian’s success story whilst operating in a challenging environment and concerns that hampered African carriers from sharing a ‘level playing field, will be discussed among participants.

Mr. Henok Woubshet, Director Distributions of Ethiopian said, ‘’ As a Pan-African airline, we are very pleased to be an official carrier of the 2015 Aviation Africa Summit. It is a testimony of our commitment to further strengthen cooperation among African carriers to create a single African aviation market and I believe this will foster future prospects of African Aviation”.

Mark Brown, Publisher of African & Arabian Aerospace magazines and organizer of Aviation Africa 2015 said “I am delighted to welcome Ethiopian Airlines as Official Airline to Aviation Africa 2015. With the African region poised for huge growth in the aviation industry it is appropriate that we have one of the largest carriers supporting this important event which will be tackling the issues surrounding handling, financing and supporting this growth area”.

Africa’s Demand For Business Aviation Is On The Rise

VENTURES AFRICA – Booming sectors in sub-Saharan Africa, including oil and gas and agriculture, have expanded demand for business aviation, French aircraft maker, Dassault Aviation has said.

“Sub-Saharan Africa is an area of fast growth and industries such as mining, oil and gas and agriculture are booming which provides expanding demand for business aviation,” said Gilles Gautier, Vice President, Falcon Sales for Dassault Aviation.

The company will present its large cabin, 

long range

 Falcon 7X at the Africa Aerospace & Defence Expo, which will hold in Gauteng, South Africa on 17-21 September 2014.

“Falcons, with their exceptional short field and hot-and-high performance and low operating economics, are ideal for the tough conditions and vast expanses of this market,” Gautier added.

South Africa, venue of the Expo, which is regarded as the foremost exhibition of aviation technology on the continent, is home to a third of Africa’s business jets and some of its biggest operators. Angola and Nigeria are also two of its fastest growing markets.

Falcon 7X interior

The aircraft maker said Falcons can access challenging airports where competitors are unable to operate – a strong selling point in Africa, where the average age of business aircraft is higher than elsewhere. Features like this, Dassault said have won it 33 percent share of the African market and a quarter of the large cabin segment. The French company also said government users operate 30 percent of the Falcons on the continent.

The newly introduced very large cabin Falcon 5X and ultra long range Falcon 8X are expected to further boost African demand.

With the 6,450nm 8X, an extended version of the 7X featuring an unparalleled selection of cabin configurations, customers will be able to fly non-stop from Cape Town to London or Johannesburg to Moscow while benefiting from the outstanding operating economy and flexibility offered by the 7X.

Aviation contributed $34.5 billion to the GDP of Africa in 2012, which could increase to $168.7 billion in 2032, according to data from the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). Dassault Aviation’s new offering is expected to boost the growth of the sector on the continent.