US FAA awarded Metron Aviation a $1.15 billion, 10-year NextGen contract, making it the largest single award to a small business in FAA history. The System Engineering 2020 (SE-2020) Research and Mission Analysis Set-Aside is the FAA's strategic program for implementing the NextGen satellite-based ATC system. "This program allows us to build upon our heritage of partnering with the FAA to pioneer innovative and transformational capabilities that help open America's skies," said CEO Dave Ellison.
AerCap Holdings said it purchased 19 aircraft and two engines in the second quarter of 2010. It also delivered 18 aircraft and 11 engines under lease agreements, signed new lease agreements for five aircraft, sold five aircraft and five engines and disassembled nine aircraft and eight engines. New lease agreements were with Wizz Air (three new A320s), MNG Airlines (one A300) and Air Company Yakutia (one 737). As of June 30, AerCap’s portfolio comprised 329 aircraft and 90 engines either owned, on order, under contract or letter of intent, or managed.
The probable cause of the 2008 runway overrun of a Continental Airlines 737-500 at Denver International was "the captain's cessation of right rudder input, which was needed to maintain directional control of the airplane, about four seconds before the excursion," the US National Transportation Safety Board concluded yesterday.
A US federal appeals court yesterday upheld the Dept. of Transportation's 2008 rule allowing airports to charge higher landing fees during "peak" periods, with the presiding judge telling objecting airlines that congestion pricing's "creativity should be welcomed on its merits, not spurned for its novelty."
Air France and Flybe yesterday concluded an extensive commercial agreement under which Air France will market and add its AF code to 45 Flybe routes between the UK and France and 17 UK domestic routes through Birmingham, Manchester and Southampton. In turn, Flybe will market and add its code to five AF routes between France and the UK as well as to seven new domestic French routes and 11 international routes.
The governments of Serbia and Turkey have pledged to speed up talks that could result in indebted Serbian flag carrier Jat Airways merging with Turkish Airlines. During a news conference, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said, “We are ready for steps that will make that cooperation possible. I am promising to do my best [to provide] the people of Serbia with links to every corner of the world through our two companies.”
Travelport GDS reached a 2.5-year extension of its full-content distribution agreement with Continental Airlines. Sabre Airline Solutions announced that Avior Airlines is the launch customer for its Electronic Miscellaneous Document solution. EMD is a component of the Sabre merchandising platform that allows an airline to accept electronic payment for many of its ancillary services and products. Sabre said additional carriers will begin using the EMD capabilities in "the coming months."
Air Berlin transported 3.02 million passengers in June, up 3.4% from the year-ago month, while load factor fell 3.7 points to 75.1%. Allegiant Air flew 479.9 million RPMs in June, up 7.8% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 6.2% to 516.7 million ASMs and load factor increased 1.4 points to 92.9%.
Zodiac Aerospace rejected a takeover bid by Safran, which confirmed that it sent a letter to the chairman of the supervisory board of Zodiac proposing that the two companies examine the merits of consolidation. Zodiac directors unanimously decided against considering a merger during a July 9 board meeting.
Air France KLM and Martinair agreed to pay €87 million ($110 million) to settle civil antitrust claims in the US related to price-fixing in the air cargo business on flights to/from the US between 2000 and 2006.
COMAC yesterday announced that many of the C919's most critical systems will be developed and produced via joint ventures between Western and Chinese companies, including a GE Aviation Systems/AVIC JV that will be responsible for the aircraft'savionics core processing system, display system and onboard maintenance system.
With Emirates expanding rapidly and showing no sign of slowing down, European airlines are looking at how to counter a carrier that has become a formidable threat.
China Eastern Airlines parent China Eastern Air Holding Co. posted a net profit of CNY2.21 billion ($326.7 million) for the first half of 2010, a better-than-threefold increase over the CNY600 million earned in the prior-year period.
EasyJet will operate seasonal winter service from Manchester to Amsterdam (starting Nov. 1), Gothenburg (Dec. 10) and Hamburg (Nov. 26). Frontier Airlines will resume seasonal daily Denver-Steamboat Springs service Dec. 16-April 10 aboard an E-190. American Airlines will launch thrice-weekly Dallas Fort Worth-Rio de Janeiro service Nov. 18, subject to regulatory approval.
Alaska Airlines completed outfitting all 55 of its 737-800s as well as 10 737-900s with Aircell's Gogo inflight Internet service, representing more than half the carrier's fleet. It said the service will be available on its remaining two 737-900s by the end of the month and on its remaining -400s and -700s by year end.
EgyptAir said it is making good progress with implementation of its strategy of network expansion and product enhancement and is on course to take delivery of its first new A330-300 next month and a further two 777-300s in November and December as scheduled.
