Beijing shows off new, expensive airport

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing showed off its new multibillion-dollar airport terminal Wednesday - a mammoth structure of glass and steel with a gracefully sloping roof that the owners said is meant to impress visitors to China's capital for the 2008 Olympics.

Terminal 3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport is a centerpiece project for the Olympics designed to relieve the overloaded airport's other two terminals and accommodate the city's torrid growth for the next seven years, executives with the airport's state-run holding company said at a tour for foreign media.

The terminal, which will be opened for testing in February, is outfitted with a state-of-the-art-baggage handling system, a rail terminal to carry passengers into the city, and gates and a runway capable of handling Airbus' huge A380 superjumbo.

The terminal building alone cost $2.8 billion, and $4.6 billion was spent on all the related infrastructure added in, the executives said.

The terminal is an "important non-competition venue" for the Aug. 8-24, 2008, Olympics, said Zhang Zhizhong, general manager of Capital Airport Holding Co. He said it is intended to "give an excellent impression when visitors arrive at the airport."

Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the building attempts to combine traditional architectural elements with up-to-date technology. Its red columns and muted gold roof are meant to evoke Beijing's imperial palaces and temples while the $250 million baggage system, made by German engineering giant Siemens AG, can handle 19,000 pieces of luggage an hour, the executives said.

Beijing desperately needs a new airport, with the double-digit economic growth of recent years outstripping city planners' original projections and stressing the capital's infrastructure. The capital airport's second terminal, which opened eight years ago, quickly reached its limits, and long lines for check-in and flight delays.

Sept. 11 Damages Trial To Hear Cockpit Tapes

Tapes of the final moments before one of the hijacked airliners in the September 11 attacks crashed into the ground in Pennsylvania may be played at the first case over damages from the attacks to go to trial, a judge has ruled.

The last four minutes of the recording of United Airlines Flight 93 with sounds of passengers trying to force entry into the cockpit and to retake the plane in 2001, was ruled admissible by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

The first of 41 cases left filed by September 11 victims who sued airlines and their security contractors for wrongful death is set to begin September 24. That case was filed by the wife of Patrick Driscoll, 70, who died aboard United Flight 93.

The recordings have not been released publicly but were played in court at the trial of convicted September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui in 2006.

In a bid to encourage further settlements, the judge ruled in July that the first trials would only address damages and a second separate trial would address liability.

The plaintiff's lawyer, Donald Migliori, said the recordings that will be played, which will also include the voice of one or two of the hijackers saying they have a bomb on board, was the most important evidence at the trial.

He said most of the plaintiffs were "glad the process is starting" but frustrated the issue of damages will be decided before liability, which decides who is responsible.

"The remaining families want to be telling their stories in the full context as to why the aviation defendants should be held accountable for letting the hijackers on board with impermissible weapons," he said. (Reuters)

ANA Suspends All Bombardier Flights

All Nippon Airways said on Thursday it had suspended all flights using 14 Q400 aircraft made by Bombardier after the Canadian government said the craft must be inspected.

Bombardier asked airlines worldwide on Wednesday to ground 60 of its turboprop planes for inspections after landing gear failures forced two planes to make crash landings in the last couple of days.

ANA suspended 19 flights on Thursday morning and does not know when it will resume services using Q400s, ANA spokeswoman Keiko Ninomiya said.

Japan Airlines said it had grounded all 10 of its aircraft of the same model earlier in the day but some are now up and flying after having been inspected. The airline suspended flights using three aircraft on Wednesday.

Japan has a total of 24 of the aircraft concerned, an official at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. (Reuters)

SIA, A380 Charity Auction Raises Over S$1.9 Million

Bidders have opened their wallets with generosity and enthusiasm to support the Singapore Airlines A380 First Flight Charity Auction. With almost all seats now sold, the total committed to charities from sold packages so far is approaching S$2 million.

Just 24 seats, listed especially for ‘last chance’ bids, remain for those who are still keen to be part of this historical flight. The seats, in Business and Economy Class in both directions, and Singapore Airlines Suites on the Sydney-Singapore leg, will be open for bids until the end of this week.

Throughout the two weeks of the auction – conducted on eBay, the world’s largest online marketplace – around 2,000 bidders pre-qualified by paying a security deposit, while several thousand others registered, so far buying 638 seats on both legs of the flight.

All the proceeds raised from the auction will be split three ways, between Singapore and Sydney charities, and a global humanitarian organisation:

• One third to Singapore’s Community Chest
  
• One third between the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, both in Sydney
  
• One third to Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders.

Cheques will be presented to the beneficiary organisations in conjunction with the First Flight on 25 and 26 October.

Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Chew Choon Seng, thanked the thousands of bidders who participated, and congratulated those who were successful in their bids.

“The auction has provided many aviation enthusiasts around the world with the opportunity to bid to be a part of history. We are pleased that the charities will benefit meaningfully from the proceeds of the auction".

“We thank all participants who demonstrated such enthusiasm and generosity. Now we look forward to the delivery of this magnificent aircraft and introducing it into commercial service” Mr Chew said.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS

A record was achieved for the sale of the first Singapore Airlines Suites package on the Singapore-Sydney flight, which sold for US$100,380 (S$153,000). The bargain of the auction was a single Economy seat from Sydney to Singapore, which sold for US$560 (S$853).

One Singaporean purchased three Singapore Airlines Suites, two Business Class seats and an Economy Class seat on the Singapore-Sydney sector, paying US$56,000 (S$85,280) for the six seats.

Australians made up the largest nationality of successful bidders (15%), followed by Singaporeans (11%), Britons (6%), Americans (4%) and Germans (3%). The other 60% come from all over the world.

Successful bidders ranged in age, from a San Francisco man who will turn 22 on the day of the flight, to a 76 year old from Vancouver, Canada.

The auction was one of the largest charity auctions, and among the most complex, ever held on eBay, and the largest it has operated across the Asia-Pacific. Some 366 auction items have been listed over the last 2 weeks, including seats in all three classes, in singles, pairs and blocks.

The eBay pages hosting details of the Singapore Airlines A380 First Flight Charity Auction recorded over 26 million hits during the auction, with Australia, Germany, the US then Canada making up the most visitors to the sites. Data suggests internet users from over 160 countries visited the auction pages at some point during the auction.

SIA to begin A380 flights

Singapore Airlines will begin scheduled services with the new Airbus A380 between Singapore and Sydney on Sunday 28 October 2007 as the carrier announced. The A380 will operate a daily return flight, replacing one of the three Boeing 747-400 services on the route. The aircraft will operate SQ221, departing Singapore in the evening and arriving into Sydney in the early morning, and return as SQ220, departing Sydney in the morning and arriving into Singapore is the early afternoon.

The 471-seat aircraft is configured in three classes: 12 Singapore Airlines Suites (on the main deck), 60 Business Class (on the upper deck) and 399 Economy Class seats (on both decks).

"Singapore Airlines is delighted to begin its operations using the new A380 to Sydney," as the carrier stated

The Business and Economy Class cabin products are modelled on those launched in late 2006 and currently featuring on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, to global acclaim. The new Singapore Airlines Suites will be unveiled at the delivery of the A380 in October, and will feature inflight luxury, in a class beyond First.

Flight	Depart		Arrive
SQ 221	Singapore	2030	Sydney	0700 +1
SQ 220	Sydney	0850	Singapore	1345