The African Airlines Assn. criticized the “uncontrolled” opening of market access to foreign airlines and called on the continent’s governments to support their local airlines. It also called on African carriers to forge closer cooperation to address some of the major challenges to ensuring growth and sustainability.
One year after the Eyjafjallajokull eruption, ICAO—in cooperation with the European Commission, Eurocontrol and EASA—is organizing a volcanic ash simulation exercise on April 13-14 to test the effectiveness of changes to its volcanic ash procedures and contingency plan for Europe.
European Commission VP-Transport Siim Kallas said that Asia/Pacific and Middle East airlines are regularly outperforming European and US rivals, driving the need for EU and US regulators to focus more intently on improving their airlines' long-term ability to compete globally.
US National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation of a wingtip clipping incident that occurred between an Air France Airbus A380 carrying 510 people and a Bombardier CRJ700 operated by Comair as a Delta Connection flight Monday night while both aircraft were taxiing at New York JFK.
An Air France Airbus A380 carrying 520 people collided with a Bombardier CRJ701ER operated by Comair as a Delta Connection flight Monday night while both aircraft were taxiing at New York JFK.
A virtual who's who of airline trade groups have united to urge the European Commission not to revise slot allocation rules at EU airports. Groups in favor of maintaining the status quo include the Arab Air Carriers Organization, the Assn. of Asia Pacific Airlines, the Assn. of European Airlines, the Air Transport Assn., the European Low Fare Airlines Assn., the European Regional Airlines Assn., the International Air Carrier Assn. and IATA.
Lufthansa took delivery of its sixth Airbus A380 on April 4. SkyWork Airlines announced it replaced the 31-seat Dornier 328 aircraft serving its daily London City-Bern service with 70-seat Bombardier Q400s, April 4. It said forward bookings for the route have been “very strong.”
Jordan Airline Training & Simulation was selected by Air Arabia's aviation training arm, Alpha Aviation UAE, to provide pilot and ground school aviation training, to launch its Multi-crew Pilot License program. The JATS simulator portfolio includes Boeing 767-300ER FFS, Airbus A310-300, A320-200, A320-200 FFS, 737-800NG and Embraer E-170/190.
Iberia's MRO division converted an Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft into a Multi Role Tanker Transport equipped for mid-air refueling. The conversion is part of a contract between Iberia Maintenance and Airbus Military to convert civilian aircraft into MRTTs, and reflects IB's strategy of reorienting its maintenance business toward technologically challenging, high value-added activities, said Iberia EVP-Maintenance and Engineering Jose Luis Ruiz de Castaneda.
Austrian oil company OMV stopped refueling Iran Air aircraft at Vienna International last month. Its contract with the carrier expired March 23 and was not renewed.
British Airways and Iberia will combine their cargo business and network into a single business unit reporting to International Airlines Group although both cargo operations will retain their current brands, the carriers and IAG announced last week. There will be a small cargo management team within IAG, while all other cargo employees will continue to work for their current airline. The combined business will be led by MD Steve Gunning and Deputy MD Ignacio Diez Barturen. They were previously managing directors of BA World Cargo and Iberia Cargo, respectively.
China Southern Airlines is accelerating the pace of its international expansion this year in response to mounting competition from China’s expanding high-speed railway network.
Lufthansa said that "too many problems remain unresolved" regarding implementation of airlines' inclusion in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, leaving open the prospect that the initiative will become a "fiasco" when it goes into effect at the beginning of next year.
SAS Group said Monday it will lease five new 737-800NGs from GECAS and signed an MOU to lease a further 12 737-700s from the same company as it phases out its remaining nine MD-80s and 11 737 Classics at its Stockholm and Oslo hubs, where it also operates 67 737NGs.
The European Commission on Monday confirmed it intends to review its controversial Regulation 261/2004 on air passenger rights and look at “key issues” such as limitation of liability in cases of exceptional circumstances, compensation thresholds, effective rerouting of passengers, and shared risk between operators in the supply chain.
SAS Group announced Monday it will lease five new 737-800NGs from GECAS and signed an MOU to lease a further 12 737-700s from the same company as it phases out its remaining nine MD-80s and 11 737 Classics at its Stockholm and Oslo hubs, where it also operates 67 737NGs.
Global Collect signed a service agreement with Royal Jordanian to process online credit card payments for the carrier. The agreement will soon be expanded to allow RJ customers to purchase tickets via credit cards through call centers. Amadeus signed an agreement with Singapore Airlines to provide its subscribers with access to the carrier's flight schedules and fares for up to five years.
Turkish Airlines launched four-times-weekly Istanbul Ataturk-Valencia service, its third destination in Spain. It will begin thrice-weekly service to Malaga on April 27. Emirates will launch daily Boeing 777-300ER Dubai-Rio de Janeiro-Buenos Aires service Jan. 3, 2012. Ryanair will launch twice-weekly London Stansted-Corfu service in July. American Eagle Airlines launched daily Miami-La Romana ERJ-145 service.
GOL reached a 39.8% domestic market share in February, slightly surpassing previous Brazilian market leader TAM for the first time since GOL launched in January 2001. TAM posted a 39.6% market share in February.
US FAA proposed a $350,000 civil penalty against Republic Airways Holdings subsidiary Lynx Aviation for allegedly operating a Q400 "when it was not in compliance with federal aviation regulations."
All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines will operate relief flights to Sendai Airport starting Wednesday, more than a month after the airport was inundated by water following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's northeast. The badly damaged airport has been closed to commercial flights ( ATW Daily News, March 15).
US-China open skies and antitrust immunized joint ventures between US and Chinese carriers cannot occur until Washington loosens its visa restrictions on Chinese citizens traveling to the US, Air China VP and GM North America Zhihang Chi said Thursday. "We don't need open skies. Without visa liberalization we don't have enough passengers to fill the planes," Chi told the Phoenix International Aviation Symposium, adding that airlines have many unused frequencies to US destinations owing to the difficulties Chinese visitors face in obtaining visas.
