Brussels Airport will invest €460 million to expand and upgrade its facilities over the next five years, but it will not construct a low-cost terminal, the airport operator revealed last month.
San Francisco International next week will reopen a rebuilt Terminal 2, which served as the airport's international terminal until its closure in 2000 when SFO's current international facility opened. Built in 1954, T2 has undergone a $383 million renovation started in 2008 through a design-build partnership between Gensler and Turner Construction. From April 14 it will serve as a domestic terminal housing American Airlines and San Francisco-based Virgin America.
American Airlines and Expedia Inc. said they signed an MOU Monday that will allow the companies to resume doing business together. Details were sparse and raised more questions than they answered.
GECAS delivered two new Boeing 737-800 (-86N) aircraft to Xiamen Airlines, part of an existing order book with Boeing. Zim Flugsitz announced it was selected by Air Berlin to equip its Airbus A330-200 fleet with new ECO-01 economy seats. It will deliver the first shipset in mid-October and then on a schedule of every two weeks. The seats will be equipped with IMS' Rave IFE seatback systems.
Chromalloy, a unit of Sequa Corp., said it is developing a new Technology Center of Excellence in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., "dedicated to the research and development of services for gas turbine engine including repairs, parts and coatings." The company also intends to relocate its corporate headquarters from Orangeburg, N.Y. to the Florida location.
EADS Sogerma, a subsidiary of the EADS Group focused on the design, development, manufacture and assembly of aerostructure parts and aircraft seats, has named Jean-Michel Leonard President and CEO. The appointment took effect on Friday.
Air Lease Corp. on Monday launched an initial public offering of 25 million shares priced at between $25 and $28 each. It said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it expects the IPO to raise net proceeds of approximately $622.1 million.
Lufthansa selected Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines to power the 30 A320neo family aircraft it has announced it will order pending contract finalization with Airbus, the third consecutive win for Pratt on the re-engined narrowbody program.
The US Transportation Security Administration announced in conjunction with the US Air Transport Assn. and the Air Line Pilots Assn. union that a new crewmember screening system will be tested to determine if pilots, and potentially flight attendants, can be allowed to bypass traditional airport security checkpoints.
French Air Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA) on Sunday confirmed that the search team on board the vessel Alucia located major assemblies of the Air France Airbus A330 that crashed into the Atlantic while en route between Rio de Janeiro and Paris-Charles de Gaulle on June 1, 2009, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board.
[UPDATED] US FAA will issue an emergency directive Tuesday that will require operators of "specific" Boeing 737-300/400/500 series aircraft to conduct initial and repetitive electromagnetic inspections for fatigue damage following Friday’s midair rupture of the fuselage skin on Southwest Airline Flight 812.
French Air Accident Investigation Bureau on Sunday confirmed that the search team on board the vessel Alucia located major assemblies of the Air France Airbus A330 that crashed into the Atlantic while en route between Rio de Janeiro and Paris-Charles de Gaulle on June 1, 2009, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board.
Japan Airlines announced it will extend the operations of extra flights to Yamagata and Hanamaki between April 8-10 owing to the early recovery of the Tohoku region in Japan that was most affected by the recent disaster. Peoples Viennaline, based at St. Gallen-Altenrhein, launched operations this week. The new carrier will fly thrice-daily from Altenrhein to Vienna, using an ex-Finnair Embraer E-170.
US Air Transport Assn.announced Friday it named Steve Lott as VP communications, reporting to Senior VP-Communications Jean Medina, effective immediately. Lott is the former head of North America communications for IATA. ATA President and CEO Nicholas Calio said that Lott brings “a depth of industry and association knowledge, and is a seasoned spokesman and proponent of aviation.”
Goodrich said it signed an agreement with SSCP Aero Holdings to acquire Microtecnica, "a leading provider of flight control actuation systems for helicopter, regional and business aircraft, missile actuation, and aircraft thermal and environmental control systems."
Bombardier reported net income of $769 million for its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, up 8.8% over a $707 million net profit in its prior fiscal year. Revenue for the year dropped 8.6% to $17.71 billion. President and CEO Pierre Beaudoin said, "Our efforts to lean out our cost structure combined with our continued focus on operational excellence have enabled us to increase our profitability despite this year's reduction in revenues."
LCC Fly Niki, the Austrian partner of Air Berlin, reported 2010 net income of €5.7 million ($8 million), down 68% from an €18 million profit in 2009, on a 25.2% increase in revenue to €337.4 million. Passengers carried in 2010 rose 31% year-over-year to 3.38 million.
Turkish Airlines confirmed that it has exercised options for 10 Boeing 737-800s and five 737-900ERs, valued at more than $1.2 billion based on list prices.
United Continental Holdings and All Nippon Airways announced April 1 the launch of their transpacific joint venture, though which “United Airlines and Continental Airlines may coordinate sales and marketing with ANA and improve benefits offered to each airline’s frequent flyers.” UCH President and CEO Jeff Smisek said the JV “will offer travelers greater choices, convenience and flexibility for their transpacific travels.” It was enabled by the US-Japan open skies agreement and antitrust immunity granted by US and Japanese regulators.
Pratt & Whitney President David Hess said he expects to begin seeing a sharp uptake in engine deliveries, possibly reaching levels last seen in 1983 when the company delivered 1,000 engines. Speaking to journalists at the Pratt test facilities in West Palm Beach, Fla., Hess said he believes the company could be back up to those levels "as early as 2016."
US NTSB has pulled the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of the Southwest Airlines 737-300 that experienced an inflight decompression event on Friday afternoon in which a hole, estimated by witnesses at up to four feet in length by 1 foot in width, opened in the ceiling of the passenger cabin leading to rapid loss of pressurization.
