More than 1,000 aircraft will leave the global airline fleet by the end of this year through either retirements or carrier failures, according to Ascend Director Eddy Pieniazek, who spoke yesterday in a webcast presented by the UK-based aviation consultancy and information services firm.
Air Pacific's two 747-400s will be refurbished with new cabins (including seat covers, carpet and curtains), upgraded digital IFE, renewed galleys and lavatories, interior lighting and paint. The aircraft will be serviced in Singapore in October-November and February-March and a United Airlines 747-400 will be wet-leased to maintain the flight schedule. Separately, FJ will launch twice-weekly Nadi-Gold Coast on Dec. 1 aboard a 737-800.
AiRUnion, the failed Russian airline alliance that comprised five carriers, ceased to exist Tuesday as the management company shut down. The Russian government intended to replace AiRUnion with a state-owned grouping of nine airlines ( ATWOnline, Sept. 11), but AiRUnion COO Gustav Baldauf told ATWOnline that "we are still working on a concept for a follow-up company" and that decisions on how the replacement alliance would function "will take some time."
Ryanair will expand its Madrid Barajas base with two new 737-800s on Nov. 18 and launch twice-daily service to Alicante, Palma, Santiago and Valencia. It also will increase frequencies to Dublin, Santander and Bergamo. Expansion will see the LCC's MAD network grow to six domestic and 17 international routes on six based aircraft. Ryanair also said that delayed delivery of new aircraft resulting from the machinists strike at Boeing ( ATWOnline, Sept. 22) has forced it to cancel 25 flights to/from Birmingham between Oct. 24 and Oct.
IAE announced that the first V2500 SelectOne engine entered service with launch customer IndiGo yesterday on a new A320. Aircraft, which was delivered to the Indian startup Sept. 23, is leased from Australia's Allco Finance Group.
Lufthansa Technik announced that the former Swiss International Air Lines technical division based in Basel has been relaunched as Lufthansa Technik Switzerland, focusing on technical support for VIP and business aircraft including the BBJ and ACJ. It also will service regional aircraft and engines operated by Swiss, such as the Avro RJ100. It employs nearly 500. The company will be headed by CEO Rainer Lindau and CFO Jan-Hendrik Labe. Lindau previously headed aircraft maintenance at Lufthansa CityLine.
Rockwell Collins was selected by Air Arabia to provide a package of communication, navigation and surveillance avionics for 59 forthcoming A320s. Package includes RC's WXR-2100 MultiScan Hazard Detection System. Deliveries are scheduled from 2009 through 2013.
United Airlines continued to take measures to boost its cash position, announcing yesterday that it has completed financing transactions that will add approximately $275 million in cash by year end. It said $125 million will come from an aircraft financing agreement, an additional $140 million from asset sales and another $10 million from substituting "certain cash collateral with a letter of credit." It did not provide more specific details.
Porter Airlines will launch 19-times-weekly Toronto City Centre-Chicago Midway on Nov. 12. Flights will operate thrice-daily on weekdays and twice on Saturdays and Sundays. Q400 service will increase to six times each weekday, twice on Saturdays and thrice on Sundays from Jan. 8. Porter said it is targeting flights to Boston, Washington and Philadelphia over the next 18 months. Air New Zealand will launch six-times-weekly Auckland-Masterton on Feb. 16 aboard an Eagle Air Beech 1900D.
Pratt & Whitney Canada announced integration of its customer service and support center groups into one organization. Move aims to streamline point of contact through Web tools, advance parts availability and improve TATs.
US President George Bush signed the FAA Extension Act of 2008 into law, extending funding for FAA operations and programs through March 31 ( ATWOnline, Sept. 25). He also signed a Dept. of Homeland Security appropriations bill requiring DHS to conduct two additional US Exit pilot programs--one where airlines collect and transmit biometric exit data and another where US Customs and Border Protection collects data at departure gates ( ATWOnline, Sept. 26).
LAN Airlines said the required adoption of IFRS on Jan. 1 will result in a 4.3% decline in shareholders' equity as of Dec. 31, representing a $42 million reduction to $946 million. LAN said the transition will not have a "significant material effect" on future financial results.
Lufthansa Systems reached a five-year deal with Air Berlin to provide its Traffic Flow Restrictions supplement for its Lido OC flight planning solution. Technology is expected to enhance route planning efficiency and reduce fuel costs.
British Airways World Cargo's former commercial GM, Keith Packer, pleaded guilty to conspiring to fix rates on international airfreight shipments and agreed to serve eight months in prison, the US Dept. of Justice announced. Under terms of the deal, which is subject to court approval, Packer also will pay a $20,000 criminal fine and has pledged to cooperate with DOJ's ongoing investigation into cargo carrier collusion. He is the first foreign national and third individual charged as part of DOJ's investigation.
SELF-SERVICE TECHNOLOGY, particularly booking tickets and checking in for flights online and airport kiosk check-in, has moved beyond the initial "hype period" and is here to stay, becoming a key component of "an irreversible evolution" in the way airline passengers travel.
To the extent that delays in delivery of new aircraft or the modifications, products and services that support current types can be remedied by instant exchange of accurate information within the whole supply chain, relief may be in sight. Product Lifecycle Management tools have been improved and are being used more aggressively by aerospace manufacturers. In July, Boeing expanded its agreement to use Siemens' Teamcenter to standardize PLM across all commercial and military units.
Blue Sky Alliance, a recent joint venture among Avio-Diepen, Interturbine Logistik and Satair, signed a deal with Airbus to serve as its "preferred provider" offering aftermarket spares including consumables, expendables and standard hardware materials through a single point of contact. Based in Hamburg, BSA aims to make it easier and less cost-intensive for Airbus operators to acquire spares and other parts for maintenance. Adopting a one-stop-shop concept, the alliance will employ a joint IT platform that facilitates the complex supply process for customers.
ON JULY 17, 2007, A TAM A320 touched down on Sao Paulo Conganhas's rain-slickened main runway but its 6,365 ft. were not sufficient for a safe landing. The skidding aircraft tragically overran the runway, slid across a multilane road and slammed into a TAM Cargo building. All 187 passengers and crew were killed, as were 12 occupants of the building, and the A320 was destroyed in Brazil's worst-ever airline accident.
TO TAKE OVER IN MID-COURSE THE reins of an airline with a culture that places a high value on tradition, honor and respect for hierarchy takes courage. That is what Japan Airlines Senior VP-Finance and Purchasing Haruka Nishimatsu had to do in early 2006 as the company was riven by dissension in the senior ranks while simultaneously confronting a spate of embarrassing operational incidents, some with implications for safety. Nishimatsu, who had joined JAL in 1972, was named president and CEO, becoming the third person to hold the position in just 18 months.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE ON AN industry leader, you had better have deep financial pockets and a defendable niche. Toronto-based Porter Airlines appears to have both and the result is that the regional startup has managed to stay aloft for the past two years despite operating out of Air Canada's primary hub city. But Porter isn't flying out of Toronto Pearson International, where it would be just a tiny fish in a big pond filled with hungry predators like AC and its regional affiliate AC Jazz.
Travelport GDS and Microsoft Inc. are collaborating on the development of a new set of integrated services for travelers, suppliers and travel agents, slated for introduction in the first quarter. Beckie Watson, vice president of new business development for Travelport GDS, said the services will provide travelers with a "personalized journey" via an end-to-end application that spans all channels and devices and is "always with them."
a 757 leaves Boston Logan for Los Angeles International, about 3,000 gal. of fuel is sucked up from an underground piping system and injected into its tanks. The system is pressurized and linked to hydrants established at gates. Hydrant carts with hoses and pressure controls connect to aircraft fuel tank intakes. For transcontinental flights, the process usually takes about 15 min.
FINALLY, THE END IS IN SIGHT FOR the biggest--and longest--airport capital improvement program underway in the US. Miami International's new North Terminal, the last piece of the airport's $6 billion-plus modernization that began in 1992 and already has produced a 28-gate, 1.7-million-sq.-ft. South Terminal, a fourth runway and expanded cargo, parking and road facilities, is on track for completion in 2011. When this reporter last visited MIA in late 1999, the target date was 2007--and even that was four years later than previous estimates.
Hamilton Sundstrand 787 Program VP Geoff Hunt spoke recently with Airline Procurement about the company's $15 billion deal with Boeing to provide the electrical, auxiliary power, air-thermal management, hydraulic, fire protection and engine systems for the Dreamliner. (Edited for clarity and length.) AP: Can you please provide an overview of Hamilton Sundstrand's 787 systems program?
