And, after apologies to the singer Jimmy Buffet, don't forget longitude, either. What I'm referring to are the changes in geography of airline headquarters locations, and whether this seems to have had any discernable impact on the persona of the companies involved. Following the recent spate of airline mergers, as well as those still proposed it might be a good idea to take a look at his phenomenon.
Air China confirmed it has ordered 10 Airbus A330s and 10 A350s and plans to use the aircraft to facilitate international expansion, according to a CA filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Aigle Azur appointed APG as its commercial representative in 30 countries from Nov. 1. APG will provide full GSA services in Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the US, including sales and marketing activities, as well as call center and helpdesk support for the French carrier. The airline has signed for APG GET services, a hybrid GSA service for more limited routes, in 20 markets.
Dublin Airport’s new Terminal 2 was officially opened Friday. The €600 million ($815.9 million) three-story terminal building will be home to Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways and US Airways and is opening for operations on a phased basis ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 5).
European Commission last week authorized the Dutch government to grant a repayable advance of €19.7 million ($14.5 million) to NG Aircraft, the former Rekkof Aircraft, for the development of the Fokker Next Generation, an updated version of the F-100 narrowbody. It reasoned that the aid is compatible with the EU Framework for state aid for research, development and innovation, and that the “positive effects of the aid outweigh any potential distortion of competition.”
US FAA on Friday proposed a $530,250 civil penalty against Everett, Wash.-based repair station Aviation Technical Services for allegedly “failing to follow approved procedures while maintaining 14 Southwest Airlines Boeing 737s.” FAA alleged that ATS failed to follow Southwest’s Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program in performing five ADs to detect fuselage skin cracks. The reported violations are said to have occurred between January 2007 and March 2008.
European Commission VP-Transport Siim Kallas issued a tough critique of Russian commercial aviation last week, charging that the nation has paid “too little attention to the huge potential it has in world aviation.”
Delta Air Lines said it was notified by the National Mediation Board that its below-wing Airport Customer Service and Cargo warehouse employees rejected representation by the International Association of Machinists, which had sought to organize the workers (ATW Daily News, Oct. 11).
[UPDATED] Boeing is set to announce a seventh delay in its 787 program, possibly pushing delivery out by up to nine months to the fourth quarter of 2011, after the inflight electrical fire to its ZA002 on Nov. 9 (ATW Daily News, Nov. 17).
El Al Israel Airlines reported net income of $42.5 million in its third-quarter ended Sept. 30, more than tripling its $12.3 million profit in the year-ago period.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. welcomed the TSA’s announcement Friday of expedited screening for airline pilots as an “important action to move the nation toward a threat-based strategy” and focus security resources where the risk is “highest” and away from a “one-size-fits-all approach,” it said in a statement.
Boeing is set to announce a seventh delay in its 787 program, possibly pushing delivery out by another nine-months—at least—after the inflight electrical fire to its ZA002 on Nov. 9 (ATW Daily News, Nov. 17).
AirAsia X will launch four-times-weekly Kuala Lumpur-Paris Orly service Feb. 14 using a 327-seat Airbus A340. Southwest Airlines will launch daily Denver service to Columbus, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh June 5. Aeromexico will increase Mexico City service to Barcelona (thrice-weekly to four, Dec. 6, aboard a Boeing 767), and Sao Paulo (seven-times-weekly to nine, Nov. 21, aboard a 777).
Goodrich Corp. was selected by Airbus to provide the main landing gear for the A350-1000. Goodrich said the contract is expected to generate more than $2 billion in original equipment and aftermarket revenue over the life of the program. This selection covers the design, test, manufacture and in-service support of the main landing gear.
IATA reported that, after a dip in August, international premium traffic increased in September by 12.1% compared to September 2009, providing grounds for a "reasonable expectation that the recovery in premium traffic will continue into the final quarter of the year," according to the organization's September Premium Traffic Monitor. On the strength of the performance, IATA also said that "it would appear that earlier concerns over a stalling of recovery of premium traffic might have been misplaced.
US FAA announced Thursday it is proposing that all pilot certificates include photos of the certificate holder, following a requirement that all pilot certificates be “made of plastic and contain security features, such as a hologram and an ultraviolet-sensitive layer, to prevent tampering, altering and counterfeiting.” Under the new FAA proposal, the new certificates would have a proposed expiration date of eight years.
JetBlue Airways and Emirates announced this week that they entered into an interline agreement, which will allow customers seamless connections via New York JFK with joint Emirates-JetBlue itineraries. "Our new partnership with JetBlue will enable customers from across the United States to connect quickly and easily to Emirates' extensive network of worldwide destinations,'' said Emirates SVP-Commercial Ops for Americas and Africa Nigel Page.
AVIC International has signed an agreement with COMAC to purchase 100 ARJ21s at the Zhuhai Air Show. Both companies said they will work together to market to international customers.
ICAO announced Wednesday it adopted more stringent air cargo security standards in the wake of the threat recently exposed when explosives disguised as printer cartridges were found in air cargo shipments originating in Yemen (ATW Daily News, Nov. 9).
Nearly 500 airline industry leaders and executives of Latin America and the Caribbean, including representatives from 40 airlines, are meeting this week at the 30th ALTA Airline Leaders Forum in Panama to discuss the transformation and challenges of the region.
