The regional Central American airline, TACA, launched its new image last night in an event which took place in San Salvador.

The new image was created with the concept of bringing the Central American countries together.  The major change that the airline underwent was its logo.  The new logo replaced the five golden macaws which represented the Central American countries by one large burgundy colored macaw which represents the entire isthmus.

TACA started off as a regional mixed airline service which would transport both passengers and cargo.  During the years of 1989 through 1995, TACA took over the airlines of Aviateca from Guatemala, Aeronica from Nicaragua and Lacsa from Costa Rica.  TACA’s hub is located in San Salvador and service Central and South America as well as the U.S.

Other changes that the airline has adopted are the new burgundy color that is not only seen in its new logo but in the flight attendant’s and staff’s uniforms. The new color has the intention to transmit to its passengers that all staff members are ready to assist them in every part of their trip.

Pilots will also have their unique uniform which will be a first for the airline.  The idea is to allow the pilots to feel more comfortable and at ease while at work.  The image renovation will continue for the next 18 months during which all aircrafts will be painted with the new logo and colors.

The Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia Guanacaste has experienced a dizzying growth in popularity over the past few years.  The tourism offer increase in the region as well as its proximity to all major beaches in the North Pacific coast has made it a preferred point of arrival to Costa Rica by tourists.

However, the increasing flight arrival and tourist influx has surpassed the airport’s capacity much faster than what authorities have had the chance to expand the facilities.  In just five years, a 600% increase in passenger arrival has been reported going from a total of 56,000 in 2002 to 400,000 in 2007.  As for the airplane docking area, the airport can currently fit seven 737’s at a time.

The expansion that is currently taking place, will add over 365,000 square feet to the docking area which will allow for 2 large fuselage planes to fit such as the Boeing 767 and Airbus A330.  The company in charge has already begun working on this 6.1 million dollar investment and should be completed by January 2009.

The expansion has been started before the airport’s concession is turned over to the Houston Airport System Development Corporation (HASDC) due to the increasing flight demand.  During the high season, the Daniel Oduber International Airport has an approximate 52 flights per day while during the low season the amount is an approximate 31 flights per day.

When HASDC takes control, the passenger area will also be expanded to include a two-story building with a 1,500 passenger capacity.  The set date for the terminal expansion has been set to the year 2010 by which authorities expect at least half a million passengers to use the facilities.

As an added precaution of the region’s fast growth, the Municipality of Guanacaste has suspended commercial building permits around the airport in case further expansion will be required in the future.

Spain’s worst air accident for 25 years was caused by faulty landing flaps and not by engine failure, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Spanair MD-82 jet, which was headed for the Canary Islands, crashed moments after taking off From Madrid’s Barajas airport last month, killing 154 people and injuring 18.

The flaps, found on the underside of a plane’s wings, are used to slow down during landing or speed up during take-off. Preliminary investigations show the MD-82’s lack of speed was caused by the malfunctioning of the flaps, according to the American newspaper.

An electrical failure also meant the pilots were unaware of the problem, the report said.

The paper said it had received information on the investigation of the aircraft’s black boxes, the name of the devices used to record flight data. The black boxes are currently being analysed by a specialist laboratory in the United Kingdom.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that initial investigations show that the engines were working correctly and did not catch fire, contrary to earlier theories on the cause of the accident.

The MD-82, unable to take-off, crashed tail-first into the ground before breaking up and catching fire, killing the majority of passengers onboard.

© 2008 AFP