Prospects for a quick resolution to the partial shutdown of US FAA appeared dim Tuesday with arguing lawmakers holding firm and Congress's focus largely centered on the more high-profile debate over lifting the country's debt ceiling.
Iberia and British Airways parent International Airlines Group firmed up an order for eight Airbus A330-300s plus eight options. GE CF6-80E1 engines were selected to power the aircraft, which will begin delivering in 2013.
News from Travel Technology Update: American Airlines said it is "very close" to reaching a temporary agreement with Travelport under which Travelport would agree not to boot the carrier from its GDS until Jan. 31.
Boeing denied widespread published reports, based in part on comments by the CFO of a key airline customer, that the 787-9's late 2013 EIS has slipped.
TAAG Angola Airlines postponed the relaunch of its weekly Luanda-Beijing service to Aug. 9. Singapore Airlines and Transaero have reached a codeshare agreement under which SIA's code will be placed on Transaero flights from Moscow to Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Samara and St. Petersburg. Transaero will place its code on SIA flights from DME to Singapore and Houston Intercontinental.
IATA reported that international premium traffic climbed 9.5% and economy travel rose 5.5% year-over-year in May, which it said are “encouraging signs” that air travel picked up in the second quarter. However, IATA warned against extrapolating the “encouraging May data” owing to figures skewed by the volcanic ash-related airspace closures in April 2010.
US Transportation Security Administration will begin installing new software on its millimeter wave AIT body scanning machines "in the coming months," eliminating "passenger-specific" images. The Automated Target Recognition software will produce a "generic outline of a person" while scanning for items that may pose a threat.
All Nippon Airways will launch its 787 services with a special charter flight for its frequent flyers from Tokyo Narita to Hong Kong. It will put the aircraft into scheduled service initially on the Tokyo Haneda-Okayama and HND-Hiroshima domestic routes.
Air France-KLM's board, which will meet Wednesday, is expected to endorse an order for 25 Boeing 787s and 25 Airbus A350s with a similar number of options for both, reported La Tribune.
UK regional Flybe unveiled Monday "with immediate effect" the reorganization of its "day-to-day divisional operating structure," dividing the company into three units: Flybe UK, Flybe Europe and Flybe Aviation Support.
US FAA said Monday that "dozens of stop work orders" have been issued on airport construction projects around the country as a result of the partial shutdown of the agency that started Saturday.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines named Bjorn Ekegren GM-Central Europe. Cargoitalia appointed Richard Mohler to the newly created position of manager-network planning and revenue management. Air Berlin named former Martinair President and CEO Paul Gregorowitsch as a new member of its executive board.
Falko Regional Aircraft purchased BAE Systems Regional Aircraft—along with its portfolio of 143 aircraft. The asset manager is supported by affiliates of funds managed by Fortress Investment Group.
Embraer last week became the latest company to link its name with the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Assn. Its membership was announced at the AFRA Annual Meeting in Washington. "We are delighted that such a prestigious company as Embraer has decided to join us on our journey to develop and promote environmental best practices throughout the field of aircraft dismantling and recycling," said AFRA Executive Director Martin Fraissignes. "AFRA membership further confirms Embraer's commitment to pushing for the best sustainable practices in our industry."
Assn. of African Airlines Secretary General Elijah Chingosho last week lashed out at the “invasion” of the continent by European and Gulf carriers, questioning their “preferential treatment” over their African counterparts in obtaining traffic rights. He also accused Middle East aviation companies of “poaching qualified staff in a big way.”
Haikou-based Hainan Airlines Group sealed a deal to invest in Istanbul-based cargo carrier ACT Airlines. HNA, which has made clear that it wants to invest abroad (ATW Daily News, July 19), didn't reveal how much money it will put into ACT or how large its holding will be.
Singapore Airlines selected the Boeing 777-200 as the aircraft type to comprise the fleet of its new long-haul, low-cost subsidiary airline scheduled to launch next year.
The revamped New York LaGuardia/Washington National slot swap proposal submitted by Delta Air Lines and US Airways in May was tentatively approved last week by the US Dept. of Transportation on terms the airlines said they're willing to abide by.
Singapore Airlines selected the Boeing 777-200 as the aircraft type to comprise the fleet of its new long-haul, low-cost subsidiary airline scheduled to launch next year
MTU Maintenance Hannover extended its V2500-A1 Engine Maintenance agreement with US Airways until the end of 2016. FL Technics won a contract with Wizz Air to maintain the carrier's Airbus A320 aircraft at its base in Vilnius. It will provide all-inclusive line maintenance support as well as additional support services.
Minneapolis/St. Paul-based Sun Country Airlines said it has been sold to Cambria Holdings. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The airline operates a fleet of 12 737-800s to 38 destinations (including seasonal services). It has struggled with ownership and financial problems for several years, including going through a bankruptcy restructuring ( ATW Daily News, Sept. 14, 2010).
Boeing has conceded that its experience with new technology and supply chain problems on the 787 put a damper on its ability to assure customers of a timely delivery for the all-new 737 replacement it had been pushing ( ATW Daily News, May 25).
Chinese airlines reported an aggregate net income of CNY12.78 billion ($1.98 billion) for the first half of 2011, up 26% over a net profit of CNY10.14 billion reported in the year-ago period. Passenger boardings climbed 9.8% to 139 million. Passenger traffic on domestic routes rose 10% and international boardings increased 8.2%. Average load factor improved 2.5 points to 81.3%.
