Hainan Airlines received US Dept. of Transportation approval to operate flights between Beijing and Hawaii, Honolulu's Star Bulletin reported, adding that Hawaiian tourism officials believe service could begin before year end. Hainan reportedly will use A340s to operate once-weekly flights, with the service eventually upped to thrice-weekly.
China Southern Airlines launched "e-freight" service on its Guangzhou-Dalian route and said it will offer largely paperless cargo carriage on additional routes by year end. It said the initiative could save CNY1 million ($146,300) annually. It is the first Chinese carrier to implement e-freight, which is being pushed strongly by IATA ( ATW, June 2008).
Proposed cooperation on transatlantic services by American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia received another rebuke late last week when AA's 11,500 pilots, represented by the Allied Pilots Assn., stated their "unequivocal opposition" and urged the US Dept. of Transportation to reject granting antitrust immunity for the venture.
Approval of the first alternative fuel specification for aviation jet fuel in 20 years has set the stage for approval of sustainable aviation biofuel blends by the end of 2010, according to FAA Aviation Fuels Specialist Mark Rumizen.
United Airlines Chairman and CEO Glenn Tilton, in his role as chairman of the US Air Transport Assn., called for large-scale US government loans, loan guarantees and grants to jumpstart development and mass production of alternative fuels, including biofuels for the airline industry. Speaking to the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative in Washington on Sept. 30, Tilton said the US government "has a critical role to play" in making biofuels commercially viable. "We need sustained funding and commitment from government and private investment sources. .
Emirates Airlines President Tim Clark slammed governments for using aviation as a cash cow under the guise of an environmental tax. Speaking with Eco-Aviation Today, he claimed that the EU has followed the UK's lead by directing that ETS revenue should go to the general treasury, "which destroys the credibility of the environmental movement at a government level. Why aren't the funds going to engine makers to help fund better engines? Why isn't it going to renewable power sources?"
UK Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis defended his decision to allow a third runway to be built at London Heathrow against a challenge from the Committee on Climate Change (see item below) in a speech to the UK Aviation Club last month.
US Senate's proposed cap-and-trade climate change legislation, introduced at the end of September by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and John Kerry (D.-Mass.), contains more aggressive emissions reduction targets but covers aviation emissions in the same way as the House-passed version of the bill ( ATWOnline, June 30), according to Air Transport Assn. VP-Environmental Affairs Nancy Young.
Air New Zealand is achieving an approximate 1.6% better fuel burn from its blended winglet program on its 767-300ERs than guaranteed, according to GM-Operations and Chief Pilot Dave Morgan. In a briefing in Auckland, Morgan told Eco-Aviation Today that Aviation Partners Boeing had guaranteed a 3.8% improvement and that ANZ expected to get 4.5% but is actually achieving 5.3%. "The 3.4-m.-high kinked tips will save us 1.3 million liters of fuel on each 767 and 16,000 tonnes of CO2 annually," he said.
ICAO concluded its High Level Meeting on International Aviation and Climate Change Friday with a reaffirmation that the organization is the preferred channel to address aviation's impact on the environment ahead of the upcoming UN Copenhagen Climate Summit in December. But it stopped short of adopting all of the recommendations contained in a working paper submitted by IATA, Airports Council International, Civil Air Navigation Services Organization and the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Assns.
In one of the hardest-hitting speeches in recent times, Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe lashed out at the "inconvenient truth" that the world's leaders, regulators and airlines are continuing to "invest enormous resources the world over in debating climate change regulatory frameworks and yet failing to take even the most basic steps to actually reduce emissions."
Alitalia will commence four routes from Turin in December: Four-times-weekly to Amsterdam and twice-weekly to Berlin Tegel, Moscow Sheremetyevo and Istanbul Ataturk. It will add another weekly frequency to each route in mid-January.
Air New Zealand is in the final stages of a campaign to replace its fleet of 15 737-300s, a number of which come off lease in the next few years. ANZ is weighing buying additional A320s (it currently operates 12) to replace the 737-300s or replacing both types with up to 30 737-800s. It has considerable flexibility because most of its A320s are leased and will start coming off those leases in 2010. It also holds 20 A320 options at attractive prices, but they will expire next year.
EC VP-Transport Antonio Tajani said Friday that the EU is seeking to end the ban on passengers carrying liquids and gels using a phased approach that will employ security technology. "There is a will to remove this discomfort," he told reporters. "We want to put out a clear signal [the ban]. . .should come to an end one day. I hope 2014 might be the end of the transition period." The EC is considering requiring major EU airports to install technology that could screen liquids to detect explosive material by April 2012
Olympic Air, the re-launch of Olympic Airlines that started operations at the end of September, already is transporting 10,000 passengers daily and trying to "just do basic things, fly on time and smile to people," CEO Antonis Simigdalas told ATWOnline.
ICAO concluded its High Level Meeting on International Aviation and Climate Change Friday with a reaffirmation that the organization is the preferred channel to address aviation's impact on the environment ahead of the upcoming UN Copenhagen Climate Summit in December.
AirAsia said it has been granted landing rights in Paris by the French government and is awaiting further details from authorities. "The French government's approval places AirAsia in a significant position, in line with the plans by AirAsia X to expand our operations in Europe," AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani said.
EU and Georgia held a first round of negotiations on a Common Aviation Area agreement in Tbilisi last week. The discussions are part of the EU's strategy to create a wider Common Aviation Area including non-EU nations. It has concluded such agreements with western Balkan countries and Morocco and currently is holding similar negotiations with the Ukraine, Jordan and Israel. An EU-Georgia accord would mutually open the respective markets and integrate Georgia into European aviation structures.
Continental Airlines on March 7 will launch daily service between Los Angeles and Maui aboard a 737-800 and four-times-weekly flights between Orange County and Honolulu (increasing to daily this summer) aboard a 737-700.
China Eastern Airlines' acquisition of Shanghai Airlines was approved by both carriers' shareholders Friday. CEA Board Secretary Luo Zhuping reiterated Friday that the merger will be completed by year end. The transaction already has been approved by CAAC ( ATWOnline, Aug. 31) and all other relevant government authorities except the China Securities Regulatory Commission, which has not yet issued a ruling but is not expected to reject the deal.
US Dept. of Transportation Aviation Enforcement Office issued a notice Friday stating that airlines "may not arbitrarily limit compensation for passengers who purchase necessities because their baggage is lost or delayed." DOT said a number of carriers only reimburse passengers for necessities purchased if the baggage is lost for more than 24 hr. and only if the passenger is on the outbound leg of his or her trip.
TAM announced late Friday that CEO David Barioni Neto resigned effective immediately. He will be replaced on an interim basis by CFO Libano Miranda Barroso. Barioni had led the Brazilian airline since November 2007.
ASIG renewed its agreement with Midwest Airlines to provide aircraft deicing services at Milwaukee General Mitchell International. It has provided Midwest with the service since 2001.
Rockwell Collins announced it has added iPod integration to its digital IFE systems. New feature includes USB charging capability and will allow passengers to output audio and video to the in-seat displays and headphones from Apple's iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPod Classic and iPod Nano and other portable media devices.
Cancun will open a $67 million second runway on Oct. 10, upping its capacity to 28 million passengers annually. It also will open a new control tower standing more than 315 ft. tall.
