Manchester Airport (MIA) received approval from the U.K. transport and environment ministries to build a second runway, increasing capacity to handle the nearly 30 million passengers per year projected by 2005.
The new Pan Am, which began operation Sept. 26, posted a 47.1% load factor during its first full quarter of operation. The carrier's load factor began at 28.2% in October, rose to 36.9% in November and surged to 65.7% in December. Pan Am flew 120.9 million revenue passenger miles in the three- month period. "The positive trend has continued in January," said Martin Shugrue Jr., president and chief executive. He said cargo growth has been boosted by movement of interline cargo from international carriers.
American's fourth quarter and annual earnings statistics show a large swing toward profitability from the same periods in 1995. Writeoffs at the end of both years distort the net earnings picture somewhat, but operational figures showed a dramatic improvement, despite fuel expenses that jumped $101 million to $531 million in the fourth quarter of 1996. Operating income, $264 million in the fourth quarter, was $504 million higher than the loss of $240 million reported in the final period of 1995.
Atlantic Coast Built Into Its New Pilot Contract Pay Rates For Potential Addition Of 15 Canadair RJs To Its Fleet Atlantic Coast Airlines has built into its new pilot contract pay rates for the potential addition of 15 Canadair Regional Jets to its fleet of Jetstream 31 and 41 aircraft. The provision was added despite the fact that senior partner United and its owners/pilots have yet to decide whether to allow United Express affiliates to operate jets.
DOT analysts' internal review of slot transfers required to make adequate competition possible at London Heathrow concludes that more than 30 roundtrips or 60 slots per day are needed, not 30 slots per day as reported Jan. 16 by The DAILY. This makes the targeted weekly figure more than 420 slots, substantially more than the 168 endorsed by U.K. Trade Minister Ian Lang and the U.K. Office of Fair Trading.
U.S. National Carriers Productivity, In RPMs And ASMs Per Employee, Third Quarter 1996 Revenue Available Passenger Seat Miles Miles Airline (000) (000) American Trans Air 2,687,420 3,765,082 Carnival 692,792 1,021,534 Hawaiian 986,509 1,309,824
Gert Schyborger, president of Swedish defense electronics company Celsius-Tech AB, will become president of Saab Aircraft AB, effective March 1. He succeeds Hans Kruger, who has been appointed president of Industriguppen and head of the Gripen (fighter aircraft) business unit within Saab AB. Born in 1940, Schyborger served as a Swedish Air Force pilot and joined Sperry Univac in 1976. Since then, he has held positions as executive VP at Sperry Univac, president of Univac Norden, president of Ericsson Information systems and president of Nokia in Scandinavia.
Pan American World Airways filed for an exemption to fly between New York and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and to code-share on the route with APA International Air, starting about March 14. The Dominican airline would place its code on the Pan Am flights, which would operate once a day nonstop, eventually using a 254-seat A300.
Great Lakes Aviation has filed with DOT a notice to terminate the air service it currently provides at Bloomington, Ind., effective April 6. The carrier's flights, operated daily with Beech 1900 equipment, comprise the only scheduled air service in the Bloomington-Chicago O'Hare market. Objections to the notice of termination are due Jan. 26.
Mesa Air Group, responding the threat of a congressional investigation of its Denver service, has hired a public relations company and a government affairs firm "to address its relationships with local communities and government representatives," it said in its annual 10-K report to the SEC.
The Portuguese government plans to sell off airport company Aeroportos e Navegacion (ANA) late this year. Preparations for the privatization of the state-owned organization will be completed in the first half, said Planning Minister Joao Cravinho. Air traffic control activities will be separated from ANA's core airport business, he added. The new ATC company will remain under state ownership, while the airport company will go to private concerns.
Sharon Spector has been named president and chief executive of the CIT Group/Credit Finance, reporting to Joseph Pollicino, CIT vice chairman. Spector was senior executive VP of CIT's Commercial Services unit.
CIBC Wood Gundy has arranged its first airline financing deal in El Salvador, a $13.5 million, five-year lease financing by TACA International Airlines for acquisition of two 737-200A aircraft currently being hushkitted.
Delta said yesterday its unit costs for the three-month period that ended Dec. 31 will be "slightly lower" than those of the previous quarter and below the company's expectations. Despite high traffic growth and higher fuel prices, Delta's operating cost per available seat mile will be "down slightly" from the September 1996 quarter, said Thomas Roeck, senior VP- finance and chief financial officer. "These results reflect our intention to maintain our standing as the lowest-cost U.S. hub-and-spoke carrier," he said.
American Airlines Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Crandall wants the Gore Commission to recommend creation of a non-profit organization to be in charge of safety and security at U.S. airports.The suggestion came in response to a question at the International Conference on Safety and Security in Washington.
USAir told employees yesterday that because it has "not demonstrated that it will be able to affirm" its order placed late last year for 120 A319/A320 aircraft, Airbus Industrie is "withdrawing all delivery positions for 1998 and 1999." Airbus also said it will not be able to work with the carrier on the 12 aircraft it planned to lease next year, according to the employee news line.
Boeing has contracted with PATS Inc. to provide supplemental fuel tanks for installation as standard equipment on the Boeing Business Jet, a derivative of the 737-700. The 4,300-gallon tanks give the aircraft a range of 6,200 nautical miles with NBAA IFR reserves. The contract is valued at more than $100 million.
Creating a viable aviation regulatory authority for Bosnia, and improved operating standards at Sarajevo Airport, will be top priorities in 1997 for international civil reconstruction authorities working in the region, experts said at a conference last week in Brussels. Installation of new navigational equipment at Sarajevo Airport began this week, coinciding with a visit by a team of experts sent by the International Civil Aviation Organization to review medium-term development plans for the facility.
Work on Meilan Airport in Haikou, the capital of China's Hainan province, has begun and is expected to be completed in 1998. The new airport, with total investment of 2.3 billion yuan (US$ million), was approved by the State Council in December 1993. The first phase of the work, civil engineering, will cover nearly 600 hectares (1,482.6 acres) of land and will be completed by yearend The number of passengers handled at the current Haikou Airport has surpassed the designed capacity.
Data show that Delta Express, the Orlando-based low-fare unit of Delta, has quickly become a finely tuned machine operationally, easily turning each of the 25 737-200s in its fleet in about 25 minutes. But the operation faces its biggest challenge this month and next, as winter weather in the Northeast U.S. and delays for deicing threaten to play havoc with its efficiency. "From December through February will be a real test for our operation, since 75% of it is in the Northeast," said Carmine Testa, manager-airport customer service.
The president of an Italian company has pleaded guilty in an Italian court to charges stemming from the counterfeiting of JT8D engine parts, Pratt&Whitney said. Enrico Polo, president of General Aviation, an aircraft parts distributor, had been charged with violating P&W trademarks, committing commercial fraud and misappropriating P&W trade secrets, the U.S. company said. P&W said it discovered in 1995 that Polo "had manufactured and sold into the U.S.
Lyon Satolas Airport breaks ground this month on expansion of its main passenger and freight terminals. The region's third largest airport, Satolas, aims to become the principal airport for southeastern Europe. Expansion and renovation of Terminal 2 began in September, and work on the larger Terminal 1 begins this month. Terminal 1 handled 60% of the airport's 5 million annual passengers last year. The expansion will increase Terminal I's computerized check-in stations to 42 from 30 and enlarge its arrival halls, main lobby and baggage delivery areas.
AAR Corp. filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed public offering of two million shares of common stock. Goldman, Sachs&Co. and William Blair&Co. are the underwriters.
Officials representing commercial banking and international trade and development financial consultants will discuss investment in aviation projects, including private infrastructure, at a conference sponsored by the Air Traffic Control Association Feb. 27 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel, Arlington, Va. Speakers are expected from the Commerce Department, Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corp., U.S.
