The European Commission (EC) has indicated it will object to Ryanair's third attempt to take over rival Aer Lingus, despite the need for airline consolidation in Europe. Ryanair has offered a package to address competition concerns, but Europe's regulators doubt that would effectively mitigate the merged company's dominance on many routes serving Ireland.

Boeing and CFM International are scrutinizing fuel supplies and the Honeywell-built fuel-control system in the CFM56-7B following a series of thrust-instability events on Boeing 737NG aircraft.

Is the merger of American Airlines and US Airways a good idea? It would certainly seem so if you listen to the upbeat reaction from the financial community, labor unions representing the two airlines' employees and assorted pundits (see p. 24). The link-up, which will create the world's largest carrier, is being touted as providing critical mass to compete against Delta Air Lines and United Airlines while promoting capacity discipline that will enhance profitability across the U.S. airline industry.

As the Boeing 787 enters the second month of its fleet-wide grounding, the manufacturer is poring over data collected on a series of flight and ground tests and says it is making “good progress” toward a solution.

1. Aeria Luxury Interiors MRO: ST Aerospace Locations: Singapore and San Antonio Capabilities: ST Aerospace launched Aeria Luxury Interiors in 2012 to offer total support packages for airline interior completion and refurbishment projects. The MRO also offers this for VIP completions. DRB Aviation Consultants, a design specialist in San Antonio that holds an Organization Designation Authorization, supports ST Aero.

Europe's environmental aspirations and targets are once again set to stir up the aviation industry.

A Lufthansa Technik employee has created a muffler that cuts the noise that avionics ventilation can cause in a hangar. The device, dubbed Silencer, is now being produced by maintenance equipment specialist Franke Care System for widebody and soon narrowbody aircraft. Employee Gunther Adamczyk was rewarded under Lufthansa Technik's “Impulse” internal premium scheme.

Buy-in is important for continuous improvement