FAA administrator Randy Babbitt requested and was granted an immediate leave of absence Monday afternoon after it emerged that he had been arrested Saturday night and charged with driving while intoxicated, and the one-time Eastern Airlines pilot's hold on FAA's top job appears tenuous.
FAA administrator Randy Babbitt requested and was granted an immediate leave of absence Monday afternoon after it emerged that he had been arrested Saturday night and charged with driving while intoxicated, and the one-time Eastern Airlines pilot's hold on FAA's top job appears tenuous.
The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has backed Qantas (QF) union demands to strengthen the Qantas Sales Act, which seeks to ensure the airline remains Australian-owned and -controlled.
Boeing and Lufthansa (LH) will conduct pre-delivery testing on a 747-8 Intercontinental set to arrive at the carrier's Frankfurt (FRA) base Tuesday before returning Friday to Seattle.
Boeing on Thursday opened its new Interiors Fabrication facility in North Charleston, S.C. The Interiors Responsibility Center South Carolina team will manufacture 787 interior parts including stowbins, closets, partitions, class dividers, floor-mounted stowbins used by flight attendants, overhead rests for flight-crews and flight attendants, video control stations and attendant modules for Boeing South Carolina.
LAN Airlines and Amadeus have signed a full-content distribution agreement. The multi-year agreement guarantees Amadeus travel agents worldwide access to the entire range of fares, schedules and inventory relating to the more than 18 million seats sold annually by the LAN Group Airlines (LAN Airlines, LAN Ecuador, LAN Perú, LAN Argentina, Aires and LAN Express). Amadeus has content agreements with key airlines in Latin America including AviancaTaca, Copa Airlines and TAM.
Renewable fuels producer Amyris International and Total, an international oil and gas company, will form a 50/50 joint venture, the two companies announced at the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) Expo in Washington last week. The JV, to launch in the first quarter 2012, will develop, produce and market “a range of renewable fuels and products.”
Ryanair (FR) said it will cut 42 frequencies from its network to/from Riga airport (RIX), citing the new €6.50 ($8.75) security tax imposed by the Latvian government that becomes effective Jan. 1. Beginning Jan. 12, FR will close routes to/from Bristol and Bremen and reduce frequencies on another eight routes, including London Stansted, Bergamo and Rome Ciampino. It serves 16 destinations to/from RIX. The LCC predicts the capacity reduction will result in the loss of more than 300,000 passengers, 300 jobs and over €30 million in tourism revenue.
The Chinese government has raised domestic jet fuel prices to CNY7,655 ($1,206) per ton, up 5.17% from CNY7,279 per ton in November, citing rising international fuel prices triggered by political instability in the Middle East. This is the first fuel price increase since September ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 14).
The Latvian government has acquired the 47.2% stake in airBaltic (BT) previously held by Baltijas Aviacijas Sistemas (BAS), the company controlled by former BT president and CEO Bertolt Flick.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. (ALPA) has been granted court permission to become party to a lawsuit brought by Airlines for America (A4A, formerly Air Transport Assn.) against the US Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank).
Join ATW at this year's Dubai Airshow, held November 13 - 17. Join us as we take a stroll down the tarmac, sit in the cockpit of the 787, and speak with industry leaders, including aircraft manufacturers and MRO companies.
Thai Airways International (TG) acquired an additional 10% in Nok Air, lifting its stake in the low-cost carrier to 49%, it said in a statement to Thailand’s stock exchange. With a 49% share, TG has five directors out of nine on Nok Air's board, compared to four previously, giving it greater control over Nok’s strategy.
United Airlines' (UA) and Continental Airlines' (CO) professional engineers and related employees rejected representation sought by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE). The IFPTE filed a representation application with the National Mediation Board June 30. There were 346 engineers and related employees eligible to participate in the election.
Singapore Airlines’ new long-haul, low-cost subsidiary, Scoot, has chosen Sydney (SYD) as its first international destination ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 1). Scoot will fly daily between SYD to Singapore (SIN) from mid-2012 on a Boeing 777-200ER. More destinations are expected to be announced shortly. Scoot will commence operations with four 777-200ERs with fares up to 40% below legacy carriers. It will operate from SIN Terminal 2, not the low-cost terminal.
The Air Transport Assn. (ATA) has changed its name to Airlines for America (A4A), to “better represent the industry’s vital role of literally connecting the United States to the global economy.” Its new tagline will be “We Connect the World.”
GE Aviation’s GEnx-1B engine, which powers the Boeing 787, has been given FAA 330-minute extended-range, twin-engine operations (ETOPS) approval. The FAA approval confirms the engine has demonstrated the reliability to conduct ETOPS flights up to 330 minutes flying time from a primary or alternate airport, GE said. The approval process included a 3,000-cycle ground endurance test in April. The first GEnx-2B-powered Boeing 747-8 was delivered to Cargolux in October. Five more GEnx-2B-powered Boeing 747-8s have since been delivered.
American Airlines (AA), which will launch its first biofuels flight next summer, has signed a purchase agreement for renewable diesel and an MOU with two suppliers for alternative jet fuels, it was announced Wednesday at the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) Expo in Washington. AA MD-corporate environmental Jim Walsh said that AA’s approach is for “collaborative, industry-wide plans,” which spreads the financial risk for both airlines and potential suppliers, and identifies various sources while remaining feedstock neutral.
Transaero Airlines (UN) has accused Rosaviatsia—Russia’s Dept. of Aviation/Ministry of Transport—of restricting competition and supporting a monopoly after it said the regulator withdrew permission for the carrier to operate charter flights from Moscow to Rome, Milan and Venice in the winter season.
