The General Electric/Pratt & Whitney-led Engine Alliance received certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration yesterday (4 January) of its GP7200 engine for the Airbus A380 super large aircraft and aims to start flight tests in Toulouse in the second quarter.

The pilots' union at Northwest Airlines says the carrier is "risking labor peace" if it voids their collective bargaining agreement before another consensual deal is in place, according to court documents.

Australia's air safety regulator proposed four years ago that skydiving planes should warn passengers they may not be as safe as other aircraft, but it did not proceed with the idea.

Boeing has finally acknowledged increased interest in the proposed stretched 787-10 and says it will "probably happen".

Boeing is reassuring airlines over the use of composite material for the primary structure of the 787 following claims by Airbus that the new Boeing twinjet could be grounded "because of a scratch in the paint".

A computer problem with United's passenger processing system delayed about 150 of United's 3,700 flights worldwide Jan. 3, airline spokesman Jeff Green said.

Engine Alliance received FAR 33 certification from US FAA for its GP7200, designed for the A380.

US airlines reported an ontime arrival rate of 80% in November, an improvement over the 79.1% achieved in November 2004 but a drop from October's rate of 81.3%, according to the "Air Travel Consumer Report" released yesterday by the US Dept. of Transportation.

France's parliament approved a tax on airline tickets to finance aid for developing countries, particularly for health-related problems such as AIDS and malaria, and the French government will host a conference next month to persuade other countries to do the same.

The development follows country open skies deal with the EU to spur tourism growth. Recently, Morocco signed an open skies agreement with the EU, which will come into force in 2006, to promote tourism, as the country intensifies plans to double the number of tourists to 10 million by 2010, with a turnover of 10 billion US dollars.