Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp.’s decision last month to delay the MRJ program by more than a year has not yet affected Pratt & Whitney’s schedule to develop the PW1200G geared turbofan (GTF) powerplant for the aircraft, evidenced by the start of engine flight testing this week on Pratt’s flying test bed 747SP.
Munich Airport’s (MUC) Terminal 2 expansion project officially started last month. When the terminal is complete in 2015, MUC will increase its handling capacity by 11 million passengers per year. The T2 expansion is a joint project between Flughafen Munchen (FMG) and Lufthansa (LH). The €650 million ($856.8 million) investment will be shared 60%-40% between FMG and LH. A new pier will be more than 600 m. long and have and 52 departure gates.
Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) moved 4.28 million passengers in March, setting a passenger record for the third month of the year, SIN said in a statement. “Passenger traffic for the month increased 15.3% year-on-year, in tandem with the increase in aircraft movements which grew 10.6% to 27,000. Airfreight movements decreased 1.8% to 163,000 tonnes during the month,” according to SIN. In the first three months of this year, SIN recorded 12.3 million passenger movements, an increase of 12.9% compared to the corresponding period in 2011.
A survey of more than 80 airlines in the UK shows that more than half plan to base services in other European countries because of congestion at London Heathrow (LHR), according to the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK). Also, 86% of the carriers surveyed said they would add more flights at LHR if more slots were available at the hub. BAR UK represents 84 scheduled domestic and international carriers operating into the UK. The survey results were announced by Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA, which operates six UK airports including LHR.
IATA has said Thailand should expand Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (SVB). “Thailand needs to urgently build new terminal and runway capacity at Suvarnabhumi to ensure it remains one of the region’s top hubs,” IATA said in a statement. IATA commissioned consultants Oxford Economics to carry out a study of 54 countries to better quantify the benefits they receive from aviation.
In response to a ruling by the UK Competition Commission (CC), airport operator BAA has agreed to the sale of Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for £807.2 million ($1.3 billion). The sale is expected to close by the end of May. GIP, an independent infrastructure fund manager, already owns a 75% interest in London City Airport (LCY) and a 42% controlling stake in London Gatwick Airport (LGW).
Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) state government last month implemented a night-flight ban for passenger aircraft at Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN) between midnight and 5 a.m. local time. Cargo flights are excluded. The decision affects around 6,000 aircraft movements annually. CGN CEO Michael Garvens said in a statement that the ban is without a legal basis, will damage the aviation market in NRW and put jobs in danger. He added that the airport would appeal the ban to Germany’s transport ministry.
It is familiar scene at airports around the world, but one that has become far less common than just a few years ago: a disgruntled passenger looking at a nearly empty baggage carrousel, wondering where his luggage might be.
Cargolux Airlines International elected SVP Richard Forson to CFO, succeeding former CFO David Arendt. Virgin Atlantic selected Greg Dawson as director-corporate communications, effective June 7. Dawson is currently director-communications for Travelodge Hotels. Virgin America named Jim Davis as VP-airports and guest services. Davis joins the carrier with more than 25 years at Hawaiian Airlines, the former Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
US Airways (US) has priced two offerings of enhanced equipment trust certificates at approximately $623 million to refinance two Airbus aircraft and to finance 12 Airbus aircraft scheduled for delivery between September and March 2013.
Florida-based Spirit Airlines (NK) reported first-quarter net income of $23.4 million, almost tripled from a net profit of $7.9 million in the year-ago period.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK) has announced the latest step in its strategy of focusing on its core airline business through the divestiture of six properties at Swedish airports.
American Airlines (AA) parent AMR Corp., which is restructuring via the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, on Tuesday announced it will eliminate five manager positions as part of the third phase of restructuring.
News from Travel Technology Update: After years of wooing potential IT customers in North America, Amadeus finally gained a foothold on the continent with its new contract with Southwest Airlines.
Vienna-based Austrian Airlines (OS) decided late Monday to transfer the company’s mainline operations—which include about 80 aircraft and 2,100 employees—to subsidiary Tyrolean Airways from July 1 after failing to reach agreement with labor representatives.
Delta Air Lines (DL) anticipates its US northeast operations will easily take up all the fuel available from the oil refinery that the carrier is purchasing and that payoffs of the daring strategy will be almost immediate.
Travora acquires Nile Project HP implements ATPCO’s tax solution SITA to help TSA identify bottlenecks DOJ broadens GDS investigation to TMCs EasyJet teams with eNett Int’l for virtual card solution T2RL’s latest report on the PSS market finds Amadeus still in lead World news briefing
After years of wooing potential IT customers in North America, Amadeus finally gained a foothold on the continent with its new contract with Southwest Airlines. The contract calls for Southwest to use the Amadeus Altéa Customer Management System to handle its international flying beginning in 2014. But in his first-quarter earnings call with analysts, Gary Kelly, the airline’s chief executive officer, said “it also sets the stage for us to move all of our reservations, the domestic reservations that is, to Amadeus if we choose to.
As a still uncertain economy continues its stagnating effect, governments talk of stimulus packages and job-creation schemes. What you too rarely hear about, however, is a pledge for renewed investment in what is a top economic driver for any country—its airports.
