Alteon Training won CASA approval as MTRO under new Civil Aviation Order 100.66 aligning Australian maintenance training regulations with European regulations. Approval affects the 737NG family. The 777 and 787 are slated for approval later this year.
Gol reported a first-quarter net loss of BRL3.5 million ($2.1 million), reversed from a profit of BRL116.6 million in the year-ago period, as last year's acquisition of Varig and its subsequent integration with Gol weighed heavily and led to sinking load factors.
Pakistan International Airlines concluded an "exceptionally difficult" 2007, during which it was blacklisted by the European Union, with a PKR13.4 billion ($207.5 million) loss, widened slightly from the PKR12.76 billion loss suffered in 2006.
Air India announced the appointment of Raghu Menon as chairman & MD. AirTran Airways welcomed Cynthia Tinsley-Douglas as corporate communications mgr. Alaska Air Group named Kris Kutchera VP-IT & strategy mgt., Wayne Newton MD-station operations-Alaska Airlines, Todd Sproul MD-operations support-Alaska Airlines, Peggy Willingham MD-strategy mgt., Andrew Harrison MD-planning and Joe Samudovsky sales dir.-Alaska Air Cargo. Alteon Training introduced Leonard Weber II as COO. Aviation Partners Boeing promoted Kathryn Crandell to VP-contracts.
AerCap Holdings subsidiary AeroTurbine will purchase British Airways' entire stock of wheels and brakes for 737, 757, 767, 777 and 747-400 aircraft under a 10-year component lease deal announced in April. Contract specifies that AeroTurbine lease back the stock to BA for a 6- to 10-year period in accordance with BA's fleet renewal plans.
THE ASIA/PACIFIC REGION'S RESPONSE to the emerging and sometimes heated debate on aviation's role in contributing to climate change is divided, reflecting the vast cultural and socioeconomic differences among nations that collectively are home to a third of the world's human population and 26% of its GDP.
So $110 oil has achieved what terrorism, SARS and the Iraq War could not: The failure of three airlines collectively representing around 1% of US domestic capacity. It is easy to forget that despite the horrendous financial losses, only one US scheduled passenger carrier of any consequence actually ceased operating after 9/11: Midway, which was already in Chapter 11 protection and going down for the third time when the planes struck.
CAE recently broadened the scope of its pilot provisioning initiative by signing contracts with Jazeera Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Wizz Air to source, recruit and train more than 600 candidate pilots over a four-year period. "I think it's now widely accepted that there is a shortage of qualified crewmembers to transport and fly commercial airplanes," Innovation and Civil Training & Services Group President Jeff Roberts tells Airline Procurement. "The good news is that it's certainly not a demand question. The issue is on the supply side."
MOST, IF NOT ALL, GLOBAL NETWORK AIRLINES' stated aim is to increase their share of premium traffic. Few have been as creative as has Lufthansa at developing an array of services aimed at achieving this goal. To do so it has looked beyond the conventional aircraft tube to the entire travel experience. Examples include its dedicated First Class Terminal at Frankfurt and the transatlantic all-business-class service from Frankfurt to Newark operated on its behalf by PrivatAir of Switzerland using ACJs and BBJs.
PRAGUE RUZYNE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS ONE OF the few midsized airports currently up for sale, and insiders expect the price tag could top CZK75 billion (€3 billion). The intent to privatize the Czech Republic's main gateway, which ranks 29th in passengers among airports in Europe, according to ACI, is certainly not new, but it got the ultimate go-ahead from the government in November.
BARACK OBAMA AND HILLARY Clinton may be debating the merits of NAFTA, the continually controversial North American Free Trade Agreement, but such is not the case at Continental Airlines and American Airlines.
AFTER A DECADE OF robust growth and financial success,US regional airlines are facing a challenging future as they deal with aging fleets of 50-seat jets that are increasingly expensive to operate at today's record fuel prices, pilot shortages, potential consolidation of their mainline partners and slowing demand for their services. Last year, mainline domestic RPM growth outpaced regional carrier growth for the first time since 1995, according to FAA's "Aerospace Forecast 2008-2025." Mainline domestic ASMs grew 1.8% against a 0.5% rise in regional ASMs.
An investigation by the European Union found that buying airline tickets online is still fraught with risk, and a third of consumers are "ripped off or misled and confused."
MANUFACTURERS OF REGIONAL aircraft experienced another good year in 2007 as orders for turboprops and large regional jets more than offset the absence of sales for 50-seat RJs. The transition to 70/90-seat jets meant plenty of business for Bombardier and Embraer, while soaring fuel costs helped push sales of ATR 42/72 and Q400 turboprops to record levels. Poised to enter the regional market within the next 12-24 months are new offerings from Russia and China, while Mitsubishi plans to have its 70/90-seat Mitsubishi Regional Jet in service in 2013.
AS HE LOOKED AT THE LAST remaining Yun-10 resting in the corner of a Shanghai aircraft manufacturing factory last year, Cheng Bushi, deputy chief designer of China's first domestically designed and manufactured large civil jet transport, recalled that he didn't expect he would have to wait more than two decades for Beijing to respond affirmatively to his pleas to build a successor.
Pratt & Whitney last month announced the launch of the second phase of ground testing for its Geared Turbofan demonstrator engine. Tests analyzing engine performance, acoustic characteristics and the nacelle system took place at Pratt's facility in West Palm Beach.
Iberia and Consorci Zona Franca of Barcelona last month launched construction of a 12,100-sq.-m. widebody hangar at El Prat. The €24 million ($38.2 million) facility will be designed to accommodate simultaneously two A340s or four A320s and is expected to increase airport capacity for dispatching and receiving long-haul flights.
Lufthansa Technik won a significant contract from Qantas for technical support of GE and CFM56-7 engines powering the carrier's 737, 767, 747 and A330 aircraft. The 10-year deal gives LHT a 50% stake in Qantas's engine overhaul business Jet Turbine Services, a Melbourne-based company with a current workforce of 140.
ARINC announced a partnership with Gate Gourmet to market onboard sales programs for airlines and passenger rail systems worldwide. Agreement calls for GG to include ARINC's SkyBuy sales technology in its buy-on-board programs while ARINC works with GG on outsourced catering and buy-on-board projects. The two will introduce the wireless point-of-sale system to ongoing retail programs at easyJet, Norwegian and Jetstar Airways. Technology uses ARINC's Mobile Communications Gateway to upload sales data automatically into back-office systems.
Of all the actions taken by the airlines to defend against high fuel costs, none has brought the gravity of the fuel crisis home to consumers quite like American Airlines' plan to charge most coach passengers $15 each way for the first checked bag.
Korean Air said yesterday that its first first-quarter operating income dropped 87.1% to KRW19.6 billion ($19.5 million) "owing to the huge pressure from surging fuel costs."
The sale of its hotel assets last June catapulted ANA Group to a record ¥64.1 billion ($616 million) net profit for the fiscal year ended March 31, a period in which most other indicators were approximately level and operating profit fell.
Qantas Freight Enterprises reached agreement to purchase Jets Transport Express, a trucking business that specializes in interstate airfreight support. "The acquisition of Jets will allow us for the first time to offer a truly seamless transfer between international and domestic operations," QFE Executive GM Grant Fenn said. Purchase price was not disclosed.
LAN Airlines reported $91.1 million in net earnings in the first quarter, up 5.8% from the $86.1 million posted in the year-ago period, as revenue soared and its fuel hedges contributed to a positive $6 million swing.
