European government and industry officials are struggling to assess the magnitude of the terror attacks on the airline industry here. But the first steps are already being taken to avert a financial bloodbath and tighten security. The financial community is bracing for continued uncertainty with regard to both airlines and airports. ``Nobody can ascertain what the effect is going to be,'' said Chris Tarry, an analyst at Commerzbank.
Susan M. Morgan has been appointed director of strategic planning and Charles A. Royce has been promoted to vice president-sales and marketing for the Western U.S. from business development manager for the Americas for Houston-based Oceaneering International Inc.
MTU Aero Engines and Fiat Avio are negotiating a possible strategic alliance, industry sources said. The companies already cooperate in a range of engine programs. MTU's parent DaimlerChrysler declined to comment, but an outright merger or sale is unlikely given the companies' many transatlantic and European commitments. The idea of setting up a closely linked system of European engine manufacturers that would leave each member room for development has industry-wide support.
Albert Koszarek has been appointed vice president-operations, Toshimasa Mori vice president-corporate planning and strategy, David Smith vice president-business development, Mark Tedone vice president-product development/chief technical officer and Mark Williams chief financial officer, all of Aeroxchange. Koszarek was executive vice president of Avport Inc., Mori director of corporate planning for Japan Airlines and Smith director of finance at Legend Airlines.
Aerodynamicists often have to use several different software packages to work computation fluid dynamics problems. The workhorse CFD program is fed by a separate mesh-generating program, and results are analyzed by other separate software. To put the pieces together, CFX, which makes CFD software, is working with ICEM CFD Engineering, which makes the pre- and post-software. CFX is now selling a ``CFX-Hexa'' mesh generator as an integrated option to some of its CFD programs. CFX-Hexa is based on ICEM CFD's Hexa mesh generator.
Rene P. Visscher has beecome vice president-technical operations and Carol Fischer vice president-customer service for Spirit Airlines. Visscher was vice president-technical operations for Emery Worldwide Airlines and later an aerospace operations consultant. Fischer was director of product marketing for Northwest Airlines.
H. Patrick Swygert, president of Howard University in Washington, has been named to the board of directors of the United Technologies Corp., Hartford, Conn.
U.S. senators, in an effort to boost public confidence in the airline business, are calling for the creation of a highly trained FAA-managed civil service security force to screen passengers. The action comes in response to the four terrorist attacks on U.S. airliners Sept. 11 and numerous General Accounting Office audits outlining flaws in today's airline-funded airport screening services.
Air transport pilots--infuriated by what they see as inadequate short-term government and airline safety measures--are taking ad hoc, crew-by-crew action to protect themselves and ensure their aircraft do not become ``manned cruise missiles'' capable of destruction.
Flight testing is underway for the first prototype of the Sikorsky SH-60K antisubmarine helicopter, which rolled out last month at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' plant in Nagoya, Japan. A second prototype is to be flying soon. The ``K'' (for improvement) may be a temporary designation, but distinguishes the aircraft as an update of the SH-60J that MHI builds under license from Sikorsky. The Japanese navy has 98 -60Js but how many -60Ks will be built is unclear.
Aeroflot-Russian Airlines, in an effort to improve passenger services, plans to build a new terminal at its main hub, overcrowded Sheremetyevo airport, near Moscow. The Russian flag carrier intends to use a $30-million loan it secured this month from Western banks to initiate phase one of the Sheremetyevo 3 terminal project, which is expected to cost $250-300 million. The new terminal is expected to increase capacity to 3 million passengers a year by October 2003 (AW&ST Aug. 6, p. 53).
Markos I. Tambakeras has been appointed to the board of directors of ITT Industries Inc., White Plains, N.Y. He is president/CEO of Kennametal Inc., Latrobe, Pa.
Honeywell is building on positive feedback to the dot.com connection its BendixKing avionics business unit has made with the general aviation community by extending the same Web portal concept to executive jet and regional aircraft operators.
With Reagan Washington National Airport the only major airport in the U.S. to remain closed, locals are smarting even more from the post-attack economic squeeze and fearing it could mortally wound Arlington, Va.-based US Airways. No technical security or operational case has been advanced for closing the airport, complains the Washington Airports Task Force.
EADS reported a 38% increase in earnings for the first half of 2001. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) was 764 million euros ($711 million), on sales of 14.04 billion euros--an increase of 33%. Net profit was 456 million euros before exceptional items. Airbus, 80% owned by EADS, continued to be the single largest contributor to both profit and revenues. Airbus accounted for roughly two-thirds of the revenues, but alone achieved a higher EBIT (797 million euros) than EADS as a whole.
The European Civil Aviation Conference's (ECAC) 38 member states on Sept. 20 agreed to rapidly establish teams to prepare recommendations on effective control of cockpit access, flight attendants' in-flight security and effective air-to-ground communications in crisis situations. ECAC also plans to review passenger and hand luggage screening.
Darleen Druyen, a top Air Force acquisition official renowned for her hard-nosed management style, is telling military leaders that preparations for the war will ``absolutely not'' delay selection of a prime contractor for the Joint Strike Fighter program. The down-select is set for Oct. 26 in the competition between Boeing (now hard hit by airline woes) and a Lockheed Martin-led team that includes Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.
Sean Lee (see photo) has been named head of corporate communications for the Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise. He was Singapore-based Asian communications director for Airbus.
Christian Bittencourt has been named London-based managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa for L-3 Satellite Networks. He was director of sales engineering for Gilat Europe.
Hafthor Hafsteinsson has been appointed president/CEO of Air Atlanta Icelandic. He was vice president-marketing and succeeds Arngrimur Johannsson, who will remain chairman. Succeeding Hafsteinsson will be David Masson, who was assistant vice president-marketing. Arnar Thorisson, who was vice president-finance, will be executive vice president.
For Asian carriers, the 3-4-day suspension in flights that followed the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington is being measured against a general slowdown in passenger and cargo traffic that began early this year.
Before terrorists leveled the World Trade Center Sept. 11, setting the stage for a U.S. recession that now seems all but inevitable, Honeywell Aerospace was forecasting a potential recovery in orders of traditional business aircraft in about a year. But that was assuming the economy recovered in 2002 from its year-long malaise. Today, the near-term outlook for business jet sales is less certain.
Boeing quickly moved last week to cut commercial transport delivery estimates through 2002 by what could more than 100 aircraft in an announcement that surprised even some veteran Boeing-watchers by its swiftness and scope. At a hastily arranged news conference Sept. 18, one week after the terrorist attacks in the U.S., the company said it could also lay off up to nearly one-third of its commercial aircraft workforce.
