Toronto City Council may be nearing a change of policy on the operation of jets at Toronto Island Airport. The council has long barred jets at the downtown airport because of objections about noise from affluent condominium owners along the Lake Ontario waterfront and residents of the island itself. Lobbying by business leaders appears to be having an effect - aircraft such as the Canadair Regional Jet and Embraer 145 are quieter than turboprops already serving the airport. One knowledgeable observer says jets could be serving The Island by yearend.
American Eagle's December system traffic dropped 0.4% in December to 214.1 million from nearly 215 million in December 1995. The results include a 17.4% decrease for Flagship, whose Nashville hub was dismantled over the 12 months. System capacity dropped 7% to just below 360 million available seat miles, and the load factor rose four percentage points to 59.5% from 55.5%. Passenger boardings dropped 1.7% to 1,008,509.
Union controllers at Chicago O'Hare Airport's new tower are worried about weak and garbled communications that the president of the local said create a "dangerous" situation. FAA officials denied any danger and said they are working to find the source of interference to both air and ground frequencies. Mark Kapeghian, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) local, said the problems began right after controllers moved into the new tower, which opened Oct. 22.
Civil Aviation Administration of China Computer Information Center agents will sell tickets for Singapore Airlines flights directly under a contract signed by the airline and CAAC.
David Schaffer, majority counsel for the House aviation subcommittee, will discuss the panel's legislative priorities for the 105th Congress on this week's Aviation News Today. The program will be presented on Washington's NewsChannel 8 on Sunday from 12:30 p.m.-1 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m.-2 p.m.
Aeroflot carried 3.9 million passengers in 1996, 9% more than in 1995. General Director Yevgeny Shaposhnikov said the Russian carrier's cargo and mail volume grew to 89,500 tons last year, up from 70,400 tons in 1995.
Northwest Airlink Mesaba Airliines posted a 29.7% increase in traffic in December to 37.4 million revenue passenger miles. Capacity rose 23.7% to 75.7 million available seat miles; load factor rose 2.3 percentage points to 49.5%, and passenger boardings were up 22.9% to 161,000. For the full year 1996, RPMs jumped 31% to 425.6 million; capacity increased 15.4% to 823.9 million ASMs, the load factor climbed 6.2 points to 51.7%, and boardings were up 27.4% to 1,893,000.
Continental has asked DOT to consolidate the American Airlines/Canadian Airlines International code-share application and the department's investigation of the American/TACA alliance. Among the American/Canadian points where the carriers want to code share are numerous destinations that coincide with the proposed American/TACA alliance, including Miami-Belize, San Jose, San Salvador, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, Guatemala City, Managua, and Panama City, plus Dallas/Forth Worth-San Jose.
Delta is offering free companion fares on selected flights through Feb. 13 to 16 cities. The deadline for buying tickets is Jan. 31. ValuJet has a similar promotion, mostly in different markets (DAILY, Jan. 7).
FAA's Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) program office and Raytheon Co. have resolved their differences on software requirements for the program, the agency's STARS managers will tell Associate Administrator for Research and Acquisition George Donohue today. Acting Administrator Linda Daschle, who set today as the deadline for reporting to Donohue, will be briefed on the program by midmonth.
Great Lakes Aviation, a United Express affiliate, said it will reinstate all flights between Chicago Meigs Field and Springfield Capital Airport now that Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar announced the airport will reopen for five years (DAILY, Jan. 7). Great Lakes will transfer its flights from Chicago Midway to Meigs the day it reopens.
United Express affiliate Atlantic Coast Airlines has reached a tentative agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association on a three-year contract. According to ALPA, the agreement provides for increased pay and improved work rules for the carrier's 500 pilots and gives the company flexibility for continued growth. ALPA's members are expected to vote on the agreement before the end of January.
A $2.7 billion fleet expansion for Thai Airways International has been placed in jeopardy, as the Thai government is forcing the carrier to reconsider or delay its acquisition of 21 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, the airline said. The government has asked the airline to consider leasing the aircraft Thai intended to buy, or delay the order altogether. The request comes as the Thai government is taking steps to reduce its budget and future spending to shore up the economy.
USAir Express affiliate CCAIR flew 11.8 million revenue passenger miles in December, a 2.7% increase from the same 1995 month. Capacity dropped substantially - 7.9% - to 23.3 million available seat miles from 25.3 million, allowing load factor to rise 5.3 percentage points to 50.7% from 45.4%. Enplanements were up 4.3% to 63,288 from 60,704. For the year, CCAIR's traffic increases outstripped its capacity hikes, 8.6% to 0.2%, pushing load factor up 3.7 points to 47.8% from 44.1%. Boardings rose 3.8% to 806,124 from 776,618.
Laker Airways will begin daily service from Miami to London Gatwick March 20. Sir Freddie Laker also announced the introduction of Premier Regency, a business class section on the airline's DC-10-30s that will be available on all routes, beginning March 20. By then, the carrier will operate its newest route, as well as Orlando-London, Orlando-Manchester, Orlando- Prestwick and Fort Lauderdale-London. Laker will add a third weekly flight from Fort Lauderdale, starting June 2.
DOT orally renewed a Polynesian Limited exemption for scheduled combination service between Apia, Western Samoa, and Honolulu in a code-share agreement with Air New Zealand. The exemption raised concerns by Hawaiian Airlines, which noted that Polynesian Limited predecessor Polynesian Airlines Holdings had engaged in unauthorized cabotage, which led to a consent order.
Jim Beard, Saab Aircraft's leading salesman in North America during the life of the program, has left U.S. subsidiary Saab Aircraft of America, effective Dec. 31. His plans were not immediately known. A former corporate pilot, Beard was with Saab for 12 years, responsible for approximately 171 Saab 340 sales, including those to both American Eagle and Northwest Airlink Mesaba Holdings. According to one colleague, Beard "is an icon in regional aircraft sales...he is the best." Saab has sold 290 airplanes in North America, of which 259 are still in operation.
U.S. Major Carriers Operating Revenues and Expenses Nine Months 1996 Operating Operating Revenues Expenses (000) (000) Nine Months 1996 Alaska $ 1,011,276 $ 924,004 America West 1,308,421 1,265,164 American 11,413,835 10,297,955
FAA has extended an exemption allowing properly trained pilots of Air Medical Services helicopters to change oxygen bottles using ordinary tools, according to Helicopter Association International. Normally, FAA considers replacement of oxygen containers a maintenance function requiring a certificated mechanic and special tools. HAI said often during AMS operations, oxygen sources need to be replaced immediately.
Air Transport Association reported that total air cargo grew a healthy 8.3% in November due to a strong economy. "The year began with cargo experiencing negative growth. This strong yearend growth will help the overall figures for the year," said ATA President Carol Hallett. She said that while overall growth is strong, the international sector is strongly outpacing the domestic sector, growing 16.2% in November, up from 2.4% a year ago. The strong international growth was attributed to increases in freight and express, up 16.9%, with international mail up 7.3%.
Tower Air flew 2,475 block hours in December, 30.3% fewer than last December. The carrier attributed the decrease to reductions in international scheduled service, including its termination of service to India. Cargo charters also decreased with the grounding of one of its two cargo aircraft. For the year, Tower's block hours fell 12.4% to 41,336. In December scheduled service, revenue passenger miles were down 23.9% to 242 million and available seat miles 30.6% to 311 million, lifting the load factor 6.8 points to 77.8%.
FedEx and Taiwan government officials signed an agreement allowing FedEx to open a transshipment center at Chiang Kai-Shek Airport in Taipei. The center, FedEx's first step toward express handling on-site at the airport, is due to begin operations in August. The agreement resolves a seven-year effort by FedEx to build the facility, and the carrier now is expected to withdraw its objection to expanded service to the U.S. by Taiwanese carrier EVA. It also defuses a potential conflict between the U.S. and Taiwan, one of five key countries with which the U.S.
USAir's December traffic rose 16.5% on 8.7% greater capacity, pushing the load factor up 4.6 percentage points to 68.2%. International traffic - only a fraction of USAir's system - rose 76.4% on 74.6% higher capacity. For 1996, traffic increased 3.5% as capacity declined 2.2%. Load factor for the year improved 3.8 points to 68.5%. Domestic capacity fell 4.1% in 1996, while international capacity increased by one-third. The enlarged international route structure comprises 7% of USAir's systemwide capacity.
Slovakia and Spain have become the 23rd and 24th members of Eurocontrol, the European air navigation organization in Brussels. Slovakia was the first former East Bloc country to conclude a cooperation agreement with the agency, in 1995. Spain has had an agreement for collection of route charges since 1971, and it applied for membership and was accepted in 1989, but bureaucratic delay held up its formal accession until November.
Condor Flugdienst, German charter carrier, placed a $65 million order for CFM56-5A3 engines to power six A320 aircraft. Delivery of the aircraft is scheduled to begin early in 1998.
