AIR TRANSPORT
ightglobal.com 19-25 January 2016 | Flight International | 15
Super Hornet
extends anti-ship
trials
DEFENCE PD
evelopers of the Frigate Ecojet
widebody airliner will in
February disclose a site for assem-
bly of the initial test prototype.
The team, working under the
umbrella of the Rosavia
consortium, has now finished
testing a mock-up of the
aircraft’s elliptical fuselage in
Germany. This has enabled
developers to refine the design of
the four fuselage sections and
validate aerostructure strength
and endurance parameters, says
the project’s deputy chief
Alexander Klimov.
He adds: “To expedite
regulatory approval process,
we’ve decided to relocate and
build the prototype in a Europe-
an country with certification
standards set by the [European
Aviation Safety Agency]. We’ll
identify it in February.”Working with German
manufacturer ThyssenKrupp,
the start-up has worked out a
blueprint for a Frigate Ecojetproduction plant. An
independent consultancy has
helped the consortium deter-
mine some 140 potential sites for
the facility.
“Following analysis of various
financial aspects and logistics
schemes, we’ve tentatively
shortlisted sites in Germany, the
Czech Republic and Slovakia,”
says Klimov. “The plant will
initially have capacity to pro-
duce up to 15 aircraft, with a
view to ramping up the output to
45 aircraft per year.”
If the project proceeds as
planned, Klimov expects a first
Frigate Ecojet prototype to be
built in 2018 and flight trials to
begin in 2019. ■Rosavia
Flight trials of the highly elliptical widebody could begin in 2019Frigate Ecojet developers shortlist production sites
manufacturing tom zaItsev moscow
K
azakh low-fare carrier Bek
Air is protesting a govern-
ment regulation, which came
into effect on 1 January,
requiring airlines to have
passed an IATA operational
safety audit (IOSA).
Bek Air wants the rule de-
clared illegal and has sought an
opinion from the country’s pros-
ecutor general. It says the regula-
tion will involve “wasteful
spending” of more than $1.5 mil-
lion which will affect fares –
pointing out, as a private compa-
ny, it does not receive subsidies.
It says the audit requirement
will transfer responsibility from
the Kazakh Civil Aviation Com-
regulation DavID KamInsKI-morrow london
Safety audit rules
rile Kazakh carrier
Budget airline Bek Air may start legal action to counter new
national regulations mandating IATA oversight for its airlines
mittee (CAC) and make the coun-
try’s airlines “dependent” on for-
eign specialists – a situation it
describes as “unacceptable”.
Bek Air, which primarily oper-
ates seven Fokker 100s on do-
mestic routes, says it “does not
understand” the committee’s in-
tentions, claiming the carrier has
demonstrated high safety levels
over five years. It also stresses
several operators have suffered
accidents despite passing the
IATA audit.
The airline has enlisted
Kazakhstan’s national chamber of
entrepreneurs, Atameken, which
states it has scheduled a meeting
between interested parties – in-cluding the CAC and IATA – for
12 January. Atameken says it was
informed by the country’s trans-
port prosecutor in mid-December
that the state’s position on estab-
lishing international standards
for civil aviation, even for domes-
tic services, does not contradict
national law. But it says the
planned meeting is necessary be-
cause Kazakh airlines “do not
have a unified position”.
Bek Air says, while an IOSAcertificate is needed for IATA
membership, such status is vol-
untary. Forcing an IOSA obliga-
tion on airlines, it says, will in-
crease the cost of fares.
Kazakh carriers Air Astana and
SCAT have obtained the IOSA
certificate and new operator
Qazaq Air has been granted a
grace period. The CAC says it has
no plans to restrict flights of carri-
ers which have yet to obtain
IOSA certification. ■AirTeamImages
Low-cost operator believes the requirement will drive up faresIN ASSOCIATION WITHFlight to the future: our forecast for
long-haul air travel in the 2030s
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