Virgin Atlantic Airways said it has been contacted by a number of companies regarding potential tie-ups after its 51% owner, Virgin Group, contracted Deutsche Bank to assess the airline's position and growth opportunities in the rapidly consolidating European airline industry.
Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly told the Wings Club in New York City that SWA has notified Boeing that it will “substitute 20 of its 737-700 orders for -800s,” with the first delivery scheduled for March 2012. The airline had made known its desire to add the larger type into its fleet of 737-700s, -300s and -500s but needed to get approval from its pilot and cabin crew unions first.
European Commission is warning seven EU members Lufthansa will commence the world’s first revenue flights using biofuel Russia may start using biofuel made from sawdust to power aircraft Lufthansa Consulting was retained by Moskovia Airlines
TAM Airlines together with Airbus on Nov. 22 conducted the first jatropha-based biofuel flight in Latin America using an A320. The biofuel, processed by UOP LLC, a Honeywell group, was a 50:50 blend of locally sourced Brazilian jatropha-based bio-kerosene and conventional aviation kerosene. On board the CFM56-powered A320 were 20 employees from TAM and Airbus.
Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson believes that global industry should be able to remove 17 billion tons of projected CO2 emissions by 2020 and stabilize the climate if governments set the framework for business to go green with global taxes.
Single European Sky Committee agreed earlier this month on performance targets for the EU’s air navigation service providers for the period 2012-14 as proposed by the European Commission, which it claims will result in more than €1 billion ($1.32 billion) in savings over the three-year period and a reduction of about 500,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 150,000 tonnes of fuel annually.
According to WWF Director Stephen Singer, the aviation industry should look to liquid hydrogen and not biofuels if it wants to reduce CO2 emissions. Addressing a roundtable on the environment at the European Parliament last month, Singer declared that liquid hydrogen and algae should be the sole focus because they do not interfere with food production.
The world air transport industry managed to come through the UNFCCC COP16 climate talks in Cancun unscathed and with ICAO's role as the proper forum to address aviation emissions firmly established. Although delegates agreed to create a Green Climate Fund to help developing nations cope with climate change, no determination was made on how to pay for it and aviation was not mentioned.
MTU Maintenance Hanover extended its existing contract with TAM by covering 57 additional V2500 engines for the carrier's A320-family fleet. The volume of the contract is expected earn an additional €500 million ($652.8 million) by 2019. Lufthansa Technik AG and Wizz Air reached a five-year line maintenance services agreement including A-checks for eight Airbus A320s based in Bucharest, Timisoara and Cluj, as well as a further two A320s based in Prague, beginning in February.
Southwest Airlines stock clerks, represented by International Brotherhood of Teamsters, rejected a tentative agreement calling for a five-year contract through Aug. 16, 2013 ( ATW Daily News, Oct. 12). Earlier this year, SWA and IBT, which represents the carrier's more than 170 stock clerks, agreed to seek assistance with the National Mediation Board.
Finnair announced Monday that its flights are “back to normal” after cabin crew members went back to work “without delay” Friday following agreement on a new wage proposal made by state mediator Esa Lonka.
British Airways on Tuesday received notice from Unite, the trade union representing the majority of the airline’s cabin crew, of its intention to ballot members for strike action. The voting, on more than five outstanding issues, is due to begin on Dec. 21 and close one month later, on Jan. 21, Unite said, thus sparing BA from any industrial action during the busy Christmas and New Year holiday season if cabin crew members vote to strike.
US airlines collected a total of $1.5 billion in baggage fees and reservation cancellation/change fees in the 2010 third quarter, up 10.6% from $1.35 billion in the third quarter of 2009 according to US Dept. of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Baggage fees in the third quarter accounted for $906.4 million, up 22.5% from $739.8 million in the year-ago period. Reservation cancellation/change fees accounted for $590.4 million, down 3.8% from $613.5 million in year-ago quarter.
Air traffic to and from Greece will be severely disrupted on Wednesday owing to a general strike called by Greece's two biggest unions—private sector GSEE and public sector ADEDY—in protest of an overhaul of the country’s labor laws and austerity measures.
Ryanair announced further cuts to its German operations next year, citing the new flight tax as reason for its decision. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the new tax in June as part of a €80 billion ($106 billion) package of austerity measures, although she justified it on environmental grounds.
IATA said Tuesday that the world's airlines will earn a collective $15.1 billion net profit for the full-year 2010, a 69.7% increase over its September forecast of $8.9 billion and, in terms of sheer profitability, the most money ever earned by the international air transport industry in a single year.
IATA on Tuesday outlined a new, significantly different airport security checkpoint paradigm that calls for pre-screening passengers prior to issuing a boarding pass to divide them into three levels of risk classification, and aims to enable passengers to eventually "walk uninterrupted" through an airport.
IATA said Tuesday that the world's airlines will earn a collective $15.1 billion net profit for the full-year 2010, a 69.7% increase over its August forecast of $8.9 billion and, in terms of sheer profitability, the most money ever earned by the international air transport industry in a single year.
SITA announced it has acquired Com-Net Software, a provider of integrated audio-visual passenger communication system to airports and airlines in North America. SITA CEO Francesco Violante said it will “greatly enhance SITA’s airport management offering and will ensure our customers have best-in-class technology at airports.”
Pratt & Whitney Canada said it will invest more than $1 billion in R&D over the next five years "to develop the next generation of high-performance aircraft engines." Investment includes a $300 million repayable contribution from the Government of Canada under the Strategic Aerospace and Defense Initiative. "This major investment will enable us to sustain our engineering centers of excellence in Ontario and Quebec and reinforce our position as a leader in the global aerospace industry," said P&WC President John Saabas.
The US Dept. of Transportation Monday announced it assessed a civil penalty of $600,000 against JetBlue Airways for “violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities and for failing to disclose when flights sold by the carrier were being operated under a codesharing arrangement.” DOT noted that “$350,000 must be paid by the carrier” and “up to $250,000” may be used to improve its service to disabled passengers beyond what is required by law.
