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Power Outage Disrupts Flight Operations in the Philippines

Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines encountered operational disruptions due to a severe power outage as thousands tried to return home after the holiday season. (Photo: Marielle Descalsota/Insider)

Returning demand for air travel combined with the busy holiday season has led to millions of travelers across the world to return to the skies as they traveled to visit family and loved ones. While this is good news for the airline industry, this demand surge has been accompanied with operational disruptions that have left thousands of passengers stranded or scrambling to arrange alternative travel plans. Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport has become the next hub to encounter operational disruptions as thousands tried to return home after the holiday season.

These operational disruptions were caused by a severe power outage that occurred on Sunday morning. At around 9:50 a.m. local time, a blower for the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) began breaking down. At this time, the backup UPS also failed to come online, which resulted in the internet, radios, radars, and other communication channels shutting down. Because of this, the airport’s Air Traffic Management Center was forced to suspend operations. Just after noon, some power was able to be restored. However, due to a following power surge, several critical very small aperture terminals (VSATs) were broken.

As a result of this power outage and the Air Traffic Management Center suspending operations, 282 flights were impacted. Some were delayed, some canceled, and several inbound flights were forced to divert to other airports. For example, Qantas Flight #19 departed Sydney, Australia, bound for Manila at just after noon local time on Jan. 1. However, three hours into the flight, it was forced to turn around and fly back to Australia as a result of the air traffic control shut down. By that afternoon, all airlines were restricted from landing in Manila.

To make matters worse, as a result of these disruptions, no aircraft could even use the airspace above the Philippines. This meant several flights that were currently en route were forced to deviate from their flight plans and take an alternative course. On New Year’s Day alone, 56,000 passengers were impacted by the power outage. By late afternoon, several flights were able to arrive and depart from Manila, but many have criticized the Philippines’ air traffic control technology and questioned how something like this could happen.

Jaime Bautista, the Secretary of Transportation for the Philippines, explained that he too was frustrated by the power outages and unhappy with the current technology the country’s air traffic control system uses, saying, “This was an air traffic management system issue. If you will compare with Singapore’s, for one, there is a big difference—they are at least 10 years ahead of us.”

Fixing the issues with the Philippines’ outdated air traffic control system would be a complex and costly task that could take years to fully implement. In fact, by the time the current system was fully in place, it was already outdated due to delays in the rollout of the technology. In the meantime, the transportation department has worked with the airlines to get passengers food and accommodations. Future investigations into this problem and the entire air traffic control system are likely to follow in the near future.

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European Aviation Shows Signs of Recovery

At the end of 2022, EUROCONTROL published an analysis paper on the recovery of the aviation industry in Europe as well as predictions for 2023. (Photo: EUROCONTROL)

The aviation industry has been transformed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as recovery continues, Eurocontrol has published an analysis paper that breaks down the industry’s current situation and also looks to 2023 for continued recovery and further growth of the commercial sector.

Overall, despite conflict in Ukraine, labor strikes, and inflation, European airlines have demonstrated that travelers across the continent are ready to return to the skies. Around 2 billion passengers were flown in 2022 on 9.3 million flights. This figure still trails behind 2019’s record 11.1 million flights. Additionally, overall traffic levels are still lower compared to previous years, with intra-European traffic still down 15% from 2019. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France have not yet fully recovered, with daily flights 20%, 25%, and 13% lower respectively compared to 2019’s records.

These traffic levels are reflected at Europe’s top ten busiest airports. Frankfurt, first in terms of aircraft movements in 2019, has dropped to fourth busiest in 2022. London-Heathrow, formerly in fourth place, has dropped to fifth while Paris has remained in third. Istanbul, formerly eighth, has climbed to first, and boasts 1,156 average daily aircraft movements.

(Photo: EUROCONTROL)

Ryanair is currently the largest aviation group in Europe, with an average of over 2,500 flights per day—a 9% increase from 2019. It is followed by the Lufthansa Group, which operated 2,276 daily flights. Though up from 2021, it still had 31% fewer flights when compared to pre-pandemic operations. These groups are followed by International Airlines Group, Air France-KLM, easyJet, and Turkish Airlines, all of which are operating smaller schedules relative to their historic highs.

The increased passenger volumes, combined with strikes and staffing shortages, have made punctuality a challenge for the airlines of Europe. The average arrival delay increased by 33% from 2019, rising from 12.7 to 16.9 minutes. The average departure delay also rose to 19.6 minutes, up from 15.3 minutes in 2019. Overall, 71.7% of flights arrived on time in 2022, while only 65.9% of flights departed on time. The reliability of Europe’s airlines worsens when looking at the peak travel periods of the year. In fact, fewer than 50% of flights departed on time in July. This figure did not rise above 60% for most of the busy summer season. It is estimated that in 2022, 48% of all delays were caused by staffing and another 25% were delayed because of weather.

Despite struggles with punctuality, many European airlines were able to return to profitability in 2022, and many others were able to narrow their losses and improve their financial positions. Although low-cost carriers have seen some of the most success as recovery continues, Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, Ryanair, was one of the only low-cost carriers to report an operating profit. EasyJet and Wizz Air have seen smaller losses but have yet to pass the breakeven point. Meanwhile, Air France-KLM, International Airlines Group, Lufthansa Group, and Turkish Airlines have all reported profits.

Eurocontrol now expects air traffic to reach 92% of its 2019 levels in 2023 and predicts that it will not fully recover until 2025. Though it anticipates further recovery next year, Eurocontrol also points to punctuality and airspace issues from the conflict in Ukraine as challenges still facing Europe’s airlines.

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Southwest Airlines Holiday Meltdown Leaves Thousands Stranded

As of Dec. 21, Southwest Airlines announced that it was intentionally reducing operations in Denver and Chicago due to weather. (Photo: NOAA/NESDIS/STAR/GOES-EAST)

Widespread cancellations on Southwest Airlines between Dec. 20 and Dec. 26 disrupted over 12,000 flights and affected thousands of passengers over the Christmas holiday week.

On Dec. 20, Southwest released a travel advisory, forecasting the impact of Winter Storm Elliott and allowing passengers to voluntarily change travel plans within 14 days of the original departure date. The airline, well-known for never charging change fees, also stated that they would be waiving any applicable fare differences caused by the rebookings.

As of Dec. 21, the airline announced it was intentionally reducing operations in Denver and Chicago due to weather and canceled about 500 flights in an effort to keep passengers and personnel safe. The company cited challenging working and travel conditions and the desire to limit exposure to cold temperatures and unsafe conditions.

These cancellations and reshuffling of personnel caused even more delays, exacerbated by long wait times caused by the airline’s outdated scheduling system. The system became overloaded with the changes and caused widespread delays as passengers had to wait for the airline to manually reassign flights. Southwest’s system has been flagged internally in the past, as other airlines have modernized and moved to incorporate cloud-based platforms.

On Dec. 26, the airline announced it would intentionally reduce service by one-third for the subsequent days in an effort to re-stabilize after the widespread disruption. Normal operations resumed on Dec. 30 but flights were still reduced, with some delayed through Jan. 2.

“Our Leadership team is focused on a thorough review of the disruption with all the needed resources involved, and I expect that work to be completed swiftly. We’ve already taken immediate actions to mitigate the risk of this ever happening again, and the review work will inform additional actions and investment as well.” – CEO Bob Jordan (Photo: Boeing)

The airline issued 25,000 Rapid Rewards points (equivalent to about $300) to passengers whose flights were canceled or significantly delayed during the Dec. 24 – Jan. 2 window. The airline is still working through a backlog of misplaced luggage and has engaged with FedEx to help return lost bags.

The news spread across social media like wildfire with stories of multiple-hour delays and thousands of lost items.

CEO Bob Jordan issued a statement in the aftermath, promising a redoubling of efforts to invest resources to improve Southwest’s internal technology. He acknowledged that the airline has work to do and promised immediate work to understand what happened. He also added in an interview with “Good Morning America” that the company will be “taking care of things like rental cars, hotel rooms, meals, booking customers on other airlines, so that will all be part of what we’re covering here as we reimburse our customers.”

A Bank of America study estimates that the delays and cancellations over the holidays will cost Southwest Airlines between $600 million and $700 million.

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Altaport Builds Vertiport Automation System to Support eVTOL Aircraft

Altaport recently announced that it has built the world’s first vertiport automation system to facilitate air taxi operations. (Photo: Altaport)

Altaport Inc. recently announced that it has built a vertiport automation system to facilitate air taxi operations. Altaport claims that this is the world’s first vertiport automation system. Vertiports are essentially heliports or helipads that will be used by electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Altaport’s platform enables resource management, passenger management, and scheduling for eVTOL operations as well as safety monitoring of vehicles on the ground and collecting fees. Those managing vertiport infrastructure can take advantage of the system to make operations more efficient and optimize revenue. The vertiport automation system has the potential to increase safety and to reduce the workload for staff.

The system that Altaport has developed is already being utilized at multiple heliports in Brazil. Early use of the platform, and feedback from infrastructure managers, will help to prepare for the commercial launch of eVTOL operations. These advanced types of aircraft could be operating as early as 2024.

“We’ve spent more than a decade building and launching operations that are highly reflective of what future AAM operations will look like, giving us unique insight into the challenges and opportunities that such operations present,” commented Cory Cozzens, co-founder of Altaport.

“Future vertiports will need a robust and efficient operating system to manage high-volume throughput and autonomous ground operations. The Altaport platform provides tools to both vertiport managers and aircraft fleet operators, connecting the two parties to enable a safe and efficient operational environment.” (Photo and caption: Altaport)

Altaport has partnered with Volatus Infrastructure, a company that designs eVTOL infrastructure including vertiports and charging stations. Grant Fisk, co-founder of Volatus, remarked, “Altaport’s VAS [vertiport automation system] platform will play a critical role in establishing and growing a safe and efficient eVTOL ecosystem. We believe their VAS is a key piece in the Volatus vertiport package.”

Volatus is also collaborating with Eve Air Mobility, an eVTOL developer, to supply a vertiport automation solution to support eVTOL aircraft. The two companies signed a Letter of Intent in early December 2022. The vertiports designed by Volatus will utilize Eve’s air traffic management software solution to enable efficient operations.

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DroneUp and Walmart Launch Drone Delivery Services in Florida

Walmart’s drone delivery service, offered in partnership with DroneUp, is now available for some customers in the Tampa and Orlando areas, including the store pictured above in Winter Haven, east of Tampa and south of Orlando.

Some Walmart customers in Florida can now take advantage of drone delivery services through Walmart’s partnership with DroneUp. Seven stores in Tampa and Orlanda offer deliveries via drone, for a $3.99 delivery fee, to customers within a 1-mile radius.

DroneUp and Walmart started drone deliveries in November of 2021 in the state of Arkansas. In addition to Arkansas and Florida, other key areas of expansion for the companies include Arizona, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. As of December 15, 2022, DroneUp’s delivery network had expanded to include same-day delivery from some Walmart stores in the Phoenix and Dallas areas.

(Photo: DroneUp)

More than 10,000 items from Walmart are eligible for drone delivery directly to the customer’s home. Certified pilots operate the drones within FAA guidelines and drop off deliveries either to the customer’s driveway or yard. Tom Walker, CEO of DroneUp, commented in the press release, “Our mission is to set the gold standard for drone delivery and by partnering with Walmart, bring the incredible benefits that drones offer to local communities, organizations, and businesses.”

Vik Gopalakrishnan, Vice President of Innovation and Automation for Walmart U.S., remarked that their team is proud to be on the forefront of innovation for drone delivery services. “Drone delivery makes it possible for our customers to shop those last-minute or forgotten items with ease,” Gopalakrishnan stated. “It may seem like a futuristic option, but it’s giving our customers what they’ve always wanted.”

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NASA Conducts eVTOL Crash Test

NASA researchers conducted a crash test of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft at the Langley Research Center in Virginia. (Photo: NASA)

Just before the holidays, NASA researchers conducted a crash test of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. More than 200 channels of data gathered will aid researchers in understanding how the structure of an eVTOL reacts to a crash landing. The data collected will be used to make more accurate predictions for future simulations and testing. It will also inform the potential conditions for a second drop test that is planned to take place in late 2023.

“We successfully tested the eVTOL vehicle concept representing a six-passenger, high wing, overhead mass, multiple rotor vehicle, obtaining more than 200 channels of data, and collecting over 20 onboard and off-board camera views.” – Justin Littell, NASA research assistant (Photo: screenshot from video footage provided by NASA / Credits: Gary Banziger)

The eVTOL concept vehicle, developed by NASA’s Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) project, featured a “Lift + Cruise” configuration. The aircraft was designed to represent a six-passenger vehicle with multiple rotors. Along with the crash test, NASA’s team conducted a variety of experiments such as a range of sizes of crash test dummies and a variety of seat configurations. NASA also tested a modular energy-absorbing composite subfloor on the aircraft.

According to NASA’s announcement, “The subfloor and energy absorbing seats functioned as intended and limited the effect of the impact on the crash test dummies.” It was also noted that “the vehicle was destroyed beyond expectations which gives researchers valuable data when planning to make AAM vehicles safe for public use.”

“Crash test dummies can be seen seated in the vehicle after suffering a severe crash. The vehicle was destroyed beyond expectations which gives researchers valuable data when planning to make AAM vehicles safe for public use.” (Photo: screenshot from video footage provided by NASA / Credits: Gary Banziger)

The researchers are still determining the effect of the collapse of the overhead structure on the crash test dummies that occurred during the test.

The crash test took place at the Landing and Impact Research facility at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Justin Littell, research assistant for Langley’s Structural Dynamics Branch, commented on the experiment, saying, “Our computational pretest models did a good job predicting the composite deformation until overhead structural failure. However, the computational models did not predict the overall collapse as seen in the test.”

Footage of the crash test can be viewed here.

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Weather, Air Traffic Control Issues Cause Flight Disruptions in Florida and Colorado

Weather and issues related to air traffic control caused disruptions to flights in Florida and Colorado over the holidays. (Photo: Pablo Andrés Ortega Chávez/WikiMedia)

Commercial air travel has seen plenty of disruptions over the past few weeks. High passenger volumes and inclement weather have caused delays and cancellations across the country, and both of these factors played a role in Southwest Airlines’ recent operational meltdown that left hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded across its network. Now, it seems additional turbulence has hit the industry as a result of air traffic control issues and more inclement weather. Monday, Jan. 2, proved to be another challenging day for the aviation industry, as Denver along with cities across Florida have seen even more operational disruptions.

In Florida, this led to an average delay of almost three hours, and busy markets like Miami International Airport and Orlando International Airport were hit hardest. The FAA claimed these disruptions were caused by an issue with the En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) system at the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.

ERAM is the modern computer system implemented in 2015 to replace the FAA’s En Route Host computer and backup system. ERAM has increased the amount of flights that can be tracked by one controller by about 73% and allows controllers to share information between different centers almost seamlessly. This has helped to modernize the air traffic control system through increasing traffic flow and improving conflict and navigation detection. This, combined with its further use of satellites, has created a more modern program to improve the efficiency of the United States’ air traffic control system.

Put simply, as former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta explained it, “You can think of ERAM as a foundational technology, an iPad if you will, and we can build applications on top of it that enable us to provide much more robust capability and functionality for controllers to use.”

Though the modern ERAM program provides many benefits, the issues it experienced in the Miami Control Center led to four flight cancellations and another 80 delays between Miami International Airport and Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale International Airport. However, the FAA reported the problem had been resolved by Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, across the country, Denver International Airport encountered its own operational disruptions as freezing fog led to mass delays. Additionally, visibility remained under a quarter of a mile, which only worsened the disruptions. As the busiest city for both Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, two of the nation’s busiest carriers, the inclement weather led to 285 delayed flights and 130 cancellations. This is not the first round of widespread delays Denver International Airport has encountered. Last week one of the airport’s largest operators, Southwest Airlines, encountered an operational meltdown that left countless passengers stranded in the Mile High City.

Undoubtedly, demand for travel has made a dramatic comeback throughout last year. In fact, on Monday, January 2nd, 42,000 passenger flights were scheduled across the country. Though the high volume of passengers returning to the sky is assisting the aviation industry in recovering from the pandemic, it’s clear that the industry still faces technological and operational challenges as it heads towards a new normal.

The post Weather, Air Traffic Control Issues Cause Flight Disruptions in Florida and Colorado appeared first on Avionics International.

Raytheon Technologies Completes First Engine Run of Hybrid-Electric Demonstrator

The regional hybrid-electric flight demonstrator developed by Raytheon Technologies combines a 1 MW electric motor from Collins Aerospace with a Pratt & Whitney engine. (Photo: Raytheon)

American aerospace company Raytheon Technologies is doing its part to help the aviation industry reach its goal of sustainable air travel. In addition to funding other companies focused on developing hybrid-electric propulsion systems via its venture capital firm RTX Ventures, Raytheon recently completed the first engine run of its regional hybrid-electric demonstrator.

If this program is successful, Raytheon’s new hybrid-electric propulsion system will enable regional aircraft to fly more efficiently, including during take-off and landing. It achieves this by combining traditional, fuel-burning engines with electric batteries and motors. This new method can reduce emissions and fuel burn by up to 30% when compared to preexisting regional turboprops and can lead to additional benefits like lower maintenance costs for operators.

This milestone marks another important step as the program works to begin flight testing in 2024. The system uses contributions from two of Raytheon’s subsidiaries: Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney Canada. Performing up to the company’s standards during its test in Longueuil, Quebec, this system integrates a 1MW electric motor from Collins Aerospace and a highly efficient engine from Pratt & Whitney and demonstrates the newest technology being deployed as the industry attempts to decarbonize air transport.

As Jean Thomassin, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Executive Director of New Products and Services, explained, “Hybrid-electric propulsion technology offers significant potential to optimize efficiency across a range of different aircraft applications, helping our industry meet its ambitious goal for achieving net zero CO2 emissions.”

Next year, Raytheon’s team hopes to begin flight testing the hybrid-electric propulsion system by using a modified De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 aircraft as the testbed. The flight tests will be operated by Flight Test Centre of Excellence (Cert Center Canada – 3C). In addition to leading the flight tests, 3C will also be responsible for integrating the system into the aircraft.

Raytheon Technologies’ project, launched via its Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney Canada companies, has seen support from other organizations across the world. The batteries will be supplied by H55 S.A., which recently received an investment from RTX Ventures. This and other electrical control systems will be further developed by organizations like the Innovative Vehicle Institute and the National Research Council of Canada.

This is not the first time cross-organizational collaboration was utilized to further the cause for cleaner aviation. MTU Engines, with the support of the European Union Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, coordinated with a consortium of aviation technology companies to create systems designed to reduce carbon emissions from aircraft by up to 25%.

As the aviation industry falls under heavier scrutiny for the adverse environmental impacts it causes, it seems like manufacturers and governments alike are rallying behind the cause to reduce carbon emissions and improve the sustainability of air travel. Raytheon Technologies’ successful first test run of its new system demonstrates the industry’s progress towards greener aviation and a more sustainable future.

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Challenges and Opportunities for Electric Aviation

A review published in a recent issue of the Transportation Engineering journal discusses the challenges of sustainable aviation and the technological advancements that are necessary to make electric aviation a viable option. (Photo: Airbus)

As the aviation industry continues to grow, emissions related to aviation also increase. Working towards net zero emissions is a key objective for the industry, and part of that is research and development in electrifying aviation. A review published in a recent issue of the Transportation Engineering journal discusses the challenges of sustainable aviation and the technological advancements that are necessary to make electric aircraft a viable option.

The review, titled “Electric aviation: A review of concepts and enabling technologies,” was sponsored by the Arctic Center for Sustainable Energy through The Arctic University of Norway. Authors Bright Appiah Adu-Gyamfi and Clara Good purport that disruptive innovation is necessary to achieve the industry’s sustainability goals.

The key highlights of the review include the following:

Battery technology has not achieved sufficient maturity to make commercial electric air transport viable.

The future of electric aviation will be characterized not only by advancement in battery technology but electric motor technology as well as efficient aerodynamic design.

Turbo-electric aircraft architecture may present the first opportunity for commercial electric air transport.

In their article, Adu-Gyamfi and Good establish the need for decarbonization and for advancements in aviation technology. They draw attention to the opportunities presented by different electric propulsion architectures, including turbo-electric and hybrid-electric configurations, as well as fully-electric aircraft. Next, the review features a comparative analysis to identify what areas of development are critical to enable electric aviation. Adu-Gyamfi and Good also cover some of the current concepts for electric aircraft and what technologies have the potential to be implemented in the relative short-term.

(Graph from article by Bright Appiah Adu-Gyamfi and Clara Good published in Transportation Engineering Volume 9, September 2022)

One of the main factors preventing developments in electric aviation is the low energy density of today’s battery technology, which limits the maximum range of aircraft. “To match the electrical energy equivalent required to power an Airbus A320 using present technology, the batteries’ weight will exceed the maximum take-off weight by a factor of 38,” write Adu-Gyamfi and Good.

They explain that, while current battery technology is limited, distributed propulsion may have the potential to enable more powerful electric aircraft. “The two most common distributed propulsion techniques used are Distributed electric propulsion (DEP) and Turbo-electric distributed propulsion (TeDP),” the review states.

(Figure from article by Bright Appiah Adu-Gyamfi and Clara Good published in Transportation Engineering Volume 9, September 2022)

Fully electric or hybrid-electric propulsion may be more practical for small aircraft that are designed to travel 500 km or less at a time. However, to make a significant reduction in emissions, larger aircraft also need to be electrified. Single-aisle and regional fleets contribute to 41% of the industry’s emissions.

(Figure from article by Bright Appiah Adu-Gyamfi and Clara Good published in Transportation Engineering Volume 9, September 2022)

The authors of the review conclude, “Turboelectric aircraft could open the opportunity for the first electric commercial air transport capable of achieving significant emission reduction since the major technological risk of low energy density batteries is eliminated.

“Although other challenges, including power conversion and distribution, low power generators, and issues with power management, still exist, these components are also available in both full-electric and HEP architectures.”

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Viasat Receives $325M US Special Operations Command Contract Extension

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) awarded Viasat a $325 million contract extension for tactical satellite communications and network management. Pictured above is the Pentagon, headquarters for the Department of Defense. (Photo: Britannica)

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) awarded Viasat a $325 million contract extension for tactical satellite communications and network management.

It is a sole-source, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract award worth up to $325 million over five years. It extends a $350 million contract Viasat won in 2017. The initial IDIQ contract was awarded to Viasat for the supply of advanced equipment, systems, services and support to modernize ground/air situational awareness, tactical data links, terrestrial networking, Intelligence, Surveillance, And Reconnaissance (ISR), tactical satellite communications, information assurance, network management and cybersecurity for Special Operations Forces. The flexible nature of the IDIQ allows Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to rapidly acquire, deploy and evolve a new operational capabilities, terminals, products, systems, services, support and sustainment in support of current and future SOCOM missions.

Viasat announced the extension on Dec. 29 and said the IDIQ award structure allows for flexibility for the military to acquire technology developments.

Viasat will provide equipment, services, and support to SOCOM for situational awareness, integration, terrestrial networking, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), tactical satellite communications, information assurance, and network management capabilities.

“This contract award reaffirms Viasat’s deep commitment and partnership with the SOCOM community to understand and address the capability needs of forces for the most complex missions,” said Craig Miller, president of Viasat Government Systems. “Networking and communications needs across the modern battlespace are continually evolving and we’re excited to help SOCOM maintain the advantage with solutions that deliver the performance, flexibility and resilience Special Operations Forces require to successfully operate independently and interoperate effectively with joint forces.”

This article was originally published by Via Satellite, sister publication of Avionics International. It has been edited.

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