EasyJet appointed Warwick Brady director of operations, replacing Cor Vrieswijk, who abruptly resigned. Brady was formerly the LCC’s procurement director. Virgin America named Anthony Mosse VP-finance and treasurer. He joined the San Francisco-based airline in August 2009 as director-corporate finance and treasurer, and previously served as MD of Babcock & Brown's corporate and structured finance group.
Southwest Airlines reached a tentative agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters representing the carrier's more than 170 stock clerks calling for a 5-yr. contract that will expire Aug. 16, 2013 and is retroactive to Aug. 16, 2008. The stock clerks still have to ratify the accord; they voted down a prior tentative agreement ( ATW Daily News, Feb. 24).
AerCap Holdings purchased 12 aircraft and eight engines in the third quarter while selling five aircraft and five engines, the Amsterdam-based lessor said in a statement issued Monday. During the three months, it signed agreements to lease two A320s with LAN Airlines and one 737 with Canada's Air North (both aircraft were delivered during the period). It also entered into 12 engine lease agreements for nine CFM56s and three CF6s.
Sahaab Aircraft Leasing, a subsidiary of Jazeera Airways Group, placed four A320s on long-term leases with Virgin America, the companies announced Sunday. The contract is valued at $155 million. This is the first lease to a US-based customer by Sahaab, which was acquired by Jazeera Airways Group in February 2010 ( ATW Daily News, Feb. 17).
Finnish Aviation Union, or IAU, announced Monday that its air transport technical service companies will strike beginning Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. unless a new collective agreement is signed. If the IAU members strike, Finnair said its flight operations would be affected significantly. It added that it “hopes the National Conciliator will intervene in the dispute as soon as possible.”
Some air traffic controllers' trade unions will take part in the general strike announced for Tuesday in France, prompting French Civil Aviation Authorities to limit the number of flights for all airlines operating to/from the country.
The Chinese government cut the country's domestic aviation fuel prices by 2.1%, from CNY5,610 ($841) per ton to CNY5,490 as of Oct. 1, according to China Aviation Oil Corp.
US House of Representatives Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) cautioned last week in a letter to the US Dept. of Justice that the Southwest Airlines-AirTran Airways merger could severely damage the famous "Southwest effect" that keeps fares low at airports in which SWA operates through the LCC's exertion of "competitive discipline on network carriers."
EasyJet and easyGroup reached agreement over the terms of the ‘easyJet’ brand license, resolving a 2-yr. brand dispute and ending litigation in the UK High Court.
US FAA reported that "serious runway incursions" at US airports dropped by 50% year-over-year to just six in the US government's 2010 fiscal year ended Sept. 30, the second straight year serious incursions have been lowered by half.
The European Commission said ICAO's comprehensive agreement on climate change provides a "good basis" for it to "swiftly" proceed with plans to include aviation in its Emissions Trading Scheme starting in 2012.
US House of Representatives Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) cautioned last week in a letter to the US Dept. of Justice that the Southwest Airlines-AirTran Airways merger could severely damage the famous "Southwest effect" that keeps fares low at airports in which SWA operates through the LCC's exertion of "competitive discipline on network carriers."
Member states of ICAO finalized an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions including creating a framework to implement market-based measures to manage aviation GHGs on a sectoral basis.
Pratt & Whitney won a 5-yr. exclusive engine management program agreement with Air Memphis covering the Cairo-based carrier's fleet of V2500 engines. AFI KLM E&M reached a 3-yr. contract renewal agreement with Royal Jordanian to continue to provide A340 component and engine support, and will now provide component support for its A330s as well. The contract includes repairs and access to the spares pool, it said.
Vision Airlines, a US charter operator, said it will launch its first scheduled service from Dec. 13 with daily flights between Louisville and Atlanta using 30-seat Dornier 328 aircraft. Finnair and Air Berlin will begin codesharing from Oct. 31.
Southwest Airlines flew 6.1 billion RPMs in September, up 5.1% from the year-ago month. Capacity increased 4.7% to 8.1 billion ASMs and load factor rose .3 point to 75%. United Airlines operated 8.6 billion mainline RPMs in September, up 5.8% from the year-ago month. Capacity increased 2.7% to 10.2 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 84.5%, up 2.4 points.
Chromalloy launched a Web-based turbine engine parts and repairs catalog, which lists information by manufacturer, engine type and engine section. "The catalog lists thousands of turbine engine parts and allows users to input a part number, part name or ATA number," said VP-Marketing and Corporate Communications Andrew Farrant. "Results show all relevant part numbers as well as information about related parts."
Delta Air Lines' more than 16,000 passenger service workers will hold a vote Nov. 2-Dec. 7 to determine whether they will be represented by the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union said Friday.
Jazz Air said Friday that its parent Jazz Air Income Fund, the independent entity spun off during Air Canada's bankruptcy restructuring, will convert from an income trust to a corporate structure called Chorus Aviation Inc. that will pay quarterly dividends to shareholders.
US FAA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that calls for raising fees charged to airlines overflying the US by 14% annually for four consecutive years beginning in the US government's 2012 fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, 2011, and airlines appear willing to live with the proposed rule despite serious reservations about it.
