ABX Air welcomed Mike Gerdes as VP-flight operations. AeroInfo Systems tapped Kenneth J. Goosen as president. AirBridgeCargo Airlines appointed Ludwig Hamburger regional dir.-Europe, Middle East & Africa. AirTran Airways announced that Bob Fornaro has become chairman, succeeding Joe Leonard, who is retiring. Fornaro remains president & CEO as well. Arne G. Haak was elevated to senior VP-finance, treasurer & CFO. Alteon promoted Allen Thompason to chief pilot & VP-flight operations.
Kuehne+Nagel recently reached a six-year deal with Airbus to manage and operate its logistics hubs in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. The contract, which takes effect Sept. 1, will involve the consolidation of more than 40 locations across Europe as well as the standardization of various warehouse management systems. "The goal is not merely to make things less complex," Kuehne+Nagel Contract Logistics Executive VP Dirk Reich pointed out to Airline Procurement, "it is to create consistencies and better visibility across the chain of supply."
Skyrocketing fuel costs and the increasing popularity of the green movement are intersecting to create new interest in an old form of transportation: rail.
Alaska Airlines, in an effort to conserve fuel and reduce carbon emissions, has implemented mobile ground-based air units for cabin venting, cooling and heating on parked aircraft at 19 gates at Seattle-Tacoma International. It also retrofitted its 737s with blended winglets manufactured by Aviation Partners Boeing.
United Airlines' decision to pull the plug on Ted, which it announced last month at the same time that it said it would retire 100 aircraft in response to the record surge in oil prices, means that the curtain finally has come down on what may be the US legacy airline industry's longest-lived and most futile effort to respond to the changing face of airline competition without fundamentally altering its business model.
Bombardier signed a five-year component repair and exchange agreement with LuxairGroup covering Luxair Luxembourg Airlines' three Q400s. The component pool will be located at Bombardier's Frankfurt distribution center and cover approximately 250 part numbers.
AIRLINES GOT A GLIMPSE LAST YEAR OF A NEW WORLD IN which the hard work and heartbreak of the past seven years was rewarded with rising profits and a brighter future. Alas, like Moses, they were denied entrance to their promised land, which turned out to belong not to them but to oil companies.
Pratt & Whitney's EcoPower engine wash system, which promises to save fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, has become an attractive option for a number of airlines. At least 50 so far this year have selected the technology. In June, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines signed multiyear agreements with Pratt for EcoPower, which is offered by the manufacturer's Global Service Partners division.
S7 Airlines announced the issuance of RUB2.3 billion ($98.2 million) in debentures scheduled to mature five years from the date of issue. Alpha Bank is lead manager. S7 said the issue is designed to "refinance the debt portfolio."
US Dept. of Transportation Office of Inspector General said last week it will "conduct a series of audits" into FAA's safety oversight of US airlines. "Our reviews will include visits to FAA's headquarters, regional and field offices and various air carrier offices," the IG office said. A review of the agency's oversight of one airline in particular will be conducted, it said, but it declined to name the airline.
MAIR Holdings, which shut down its Big Sky Airlines subsidiary in March ( ATWOnline, Feb. 12), said shareholders last week approved the dissolution and liquidation of the parent company. Yesterday it filed a notice to delist its stock from NASDAQ, with the last day of trading scheduled for July 7.
Helvetic Airways, based in Zurich, will stop operating all scheduled flights at the end of October owing to high fuel prices and instead will use its four F100s on ACMI and charter flights. Three of its aircraft already are on wet-lease with Swiss International Air Lines. Helvetic's scheduled routes to Brindisi, Catania, Lamezia Terme, Palermo and Jerez de la Frontera will be closed this fall. It said all 125 employees will remain on staff. It launched operations in 2002.
Sudan suffered two fatal freighter crashes in recent days. Last Friday a Juba Air Cargo An-12BK crashed in "poor weather" on its way from Khartoum to Juba, according to Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network, killing seven of the eight people onboard. The aircraft first flew in 1968. Yesterday, an Ababeel Aviation Il-76TD crashed on takeoff in Khartoum, killing all four onboard.
General Electric appointed David Joyce, 51, as president and CEO of GE Aviation yesterday succeeding Scott Donnelly, who was named COO of Textron. Joyce has been VP-commercial engines since 2003 and is a 21-year veteran of GE's engine business. He is the first insider chosen to run the unit since the late Brian Rowe, who retired in 1993.
Horizon Air said it will increase the pace with which it will transition to an all-Q400 fleet and retire its remaining 12 Q200s by Oct. 28 rather than April 2009. It also will begin phasing out its CRJ700s in September ( ATWOnline, April 25). During the transition it is scheduled to take delivery of 14 more Q400s. It currently operates 34 and now expects to fly nothing but the turboprop by the end of 2009.
Hawaiian Airlines will begin charging $17 each way for a second piece of checked baggage on inter-island flights July 15. Certain premium customers are exempt.
ANA Aviation Services will handle Gabon Airlines Cargo in the UK, North America, Scandinavia and Spain under a GSA agreement. GAC operates thrice-weekly 767 service between Paris and Libreville, with flights to Marseilles, Johannesburg and Dubai expected to begin later this year when it takes delivery of a second 767.
A fiscal second quarter during which it faced a legal challenge from Hawaiian Airlines, moved forward on the closure of its Air Midwest operation and received notification that Delta Air Lines would terminate its capacity purchase agreement still ended positively for Mesa Air Group, which reported a $9.4 million profit compared to a $24 million loss suffered in the three months ended March 31, 2007.
Iberia Tecnologia and Singapore Technologies Aerospace entered into a 50/50 joint venture yesterday establishing Madrid Aerospace Services, a landing gear maintenance company for A320s, A330s and A340s. Startup capital is €2.57 million ($4.06 million).
Natixis Transport Finance will provide pre-delivery payment loan financing to Norwegian for 10 737-800HGW aircraft scheduled for delivery between summer 2009 and spring 2011, the carrier announced. Norwegian placed an order for 42, plus 42 options, last year ( ATWOnline, Aug. 31, 2007).
US FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell and European Commission VP-Transport Antonio Tajani yesterday signed a safety agreement that "broadens and deepens the regulatory collaboration between the FAA and its European counterparts in EASA and national authorities," FAA said in a statement.
Airbus yesterday said it has selected Kuehne+Nagel as its "lead logistics provider" and DHL as its "lead transport provider." Both become "Tier 1 partners" and will play a big role in "integration of Airbus and will allow a further harmonization and optimization of Airbus' logistics and related transport processes in Europe," the manufacturer said. "The integration will lead to substantial savings in the range of. . .high double-digit million euros."
China Eastern Airlines announced a CNY1.3 billion lease deal for three A340s with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Financial Leasing Co. CEA plans to add 20-30 aircraft each year through 2013, increasing capacity by 12% annually. It currently operates 220 aircraft. CEA MD Cao Jianxiong said the leases will help with the carrier's cash flow problem.
Sterling Airlines no longer will staff bases permanently at Aalborg, Billund, Malmo and Gothenburg Landvetter from Jan. 1 and will focus on its operations at Copenhagen, Stockholm Arlanda and Oslo Gardermoen, the LCC announced yesterday.
