Radiant Power, a HEICO subsidiary, launched its Sentinel power supply unit featuring 10 min. of additional power for crash survivable cockpit voice recorders as required by US FAA on aircraft of 10 or more passengers. Unit is compliant with ARINC 777 and meets TSO-C155 certification standards.
Investigators probing the Aug. 20 Spanair MD-82 crash concluded that the aircraft's flaps were not extended as it attempted to take off and that no warning was sounded in the cockpit.
The European Regions Airline Assn. said that last week's vote by the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety to auction 100% of emissions certificates by 2020 will cost the "typical" regional airline €6 million ($8.2 million) per year ( ATWOnline, Oct. 10).
China's new turboprop aircraft, the MA600, an enhanced version of the MA60, made a successful first flight at Xi'an Yanliang Thursday. The MA600 was designed to optimize the MA60's structure and avionics system as well as improve its cabin interior. It entered production in 2005 and rolled out on June 29 this year ( ATWOnline, June 26).
Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3 is scheduled to open Tuesday. The facility eventually will be able to handle 43 million passengers per year and will open in three phases, with flights arriving and departing to Doha, Muscat, Bahrain, Kuwait City, Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh, New York JFK, Houston Intercontinental, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo Guarulhos and Toronto when the first phase launches next week. EK President Tim Clark said T3 is "geared for the phenomenal growth we have charted for the airline." It features a 4,500-sq.-m.
US Dept. of Transportation announced expanded aviation agreements with Vietnam and Armenia. Vietnam deal affects all-cargo carriers, removing route restrictions and allowing US airlines to carry freight between Vietnam and third countries without stopping in the US. Further liberalization, including on passenger flights, will be discussed at meetings to be held by October 2010. Deal with Armenia is a full open skies accord.
London Stansted received permission from Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears last week to increase the annual passenger cap to 35 million from 25 million on its existing runway.
TAM, which formally was invited to join Star Alliance last week, also hopes to play a major role in Latin American maintenance, repair and overhaul. The carrier's Technology Center is located in Sao Carlos, some 230 km. northwest of Sao Paulo. It has invested $185 million in the 4.6-million-sq.-m., six-hangar facility since it opened in 2001 at the site of a former truck factory.
Turkish Airlines released a statement Friday saying it has not received "any notice" regarding its bid for B&H Airlines. A Bosnian government official told media last week that THY had won the tender ( ATWOnline, Oct. 9). "If such notice is received we will inform the public accordingly," THY said.
Icelandair last week announced a series of enhancements including a premium economy cabin, new IFE-equipped seats, a flexible fare structure featuring six different categories, new aircraft interiors, new cabin crew uniforms and an upgraded website scheduled to go live on Nov. 1.
Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes on Friday announced the formal integration of Gol and VRG (once again called Varig) into a single airline company and from Oct. 19 will launch a new route network in which Gol will focus on shorter routes and Varig will operate longer-haul flights.
Jet Airways will discontinue its Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco service on Jan. 13 owing to "the downturn in major economies worldwide." It said it will serve SFO from London Heathrow through codeshare with United Airlines and continue to optimize its long-haul network "focusing more on its established international gateways and routes." AirAsia will launch daily service to Singapore from Kuching and Kota Kinabalu on Nov. 1. Martinair will increase freighter service to Amsterdam from Quito and Bogota to eight-times-weekly in January.
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, parent of Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo, said last week that full-year 2008 pre-tax operating profit will "exceed $65 million," a downgrade from previous guidance of "approximately $85 million." President and CEO William Flynn cited "lower utilization of our 747-200 aircraft and weaker yields [owing to a weak economy] having a negative impact."
European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety this week voted to amend the EU's emissions trading scheme, increasing the number of emissions certificates that will be auctioned to 20% in 2013 (from 15% in 2012, when the ETS becomes effective) and to 100% in 2020. In addition, the 95% emissions allowance cap set for 2013 will be reduced annually "by a linear reduction factor" thereafter, the International Air Carrier Assn. said.
Boeing and the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers will resume negotiations and are "working out the details of the return to the table" with a US federal mediator, the union said. The IAM strike that began Sept. 6 now has cost Boeing an estimated $3.36 billion in sales and profit, the union claimed ( ATWOnline, Sept. 22).
Raleigh-Durham International is scheduled to open its new $570 million Terminal 2 on Oct. 26. The 920,000-sq.-ft. facility is three times larger than the terminal it replaces. Project's initial phase includes 19 gates, two ticketing islands, seven security checkpoint lanes and three baggage carousels. When the second phase is completed in late 2011, T2 will serve two concourses with 32 gates designed to accommodate up to 11.4 million passengers annually.
US FAA tentatively determined that Los Angeles International may have acted illegally in providing more than $40 million to the city's convention and visitors bureau, L.A. Inc., the Los Angeles Times reported. Funds were given to the tourism promotional office over a period dating back to 2002. US law allows advertising or marketing efforts aimed at increasing travel at a particular airport but forbids spending on general promotion of local tourist attractions. FAA could require that the money be returned or could seek civil penalties of up to $50,000 from LAX.
British Airways begins weekly London Gatwick-St. Kitts on Jan. 10. In addition, it will increase service from London Heathrow to Dubai (to 20-times-weekly from 14 on March 29) and Johannesburg (to 19-times-weekly from 14 on May 1). Atlanta and Toulouse flights will transfer to LHR from LGW on March 29. Shanghai Airlines launched service from Shanghai Hongqiao to Seoul Gimpo aboard a 757 and Tokyo Haneda aboard a 767-300ER. SkyEurope Airlines launched twice-weekly Prague-Bari.
AirAsia majority shareholder Tune Air, which holds 30.9% of the LCC, said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia that it is "considering" privatizing the airline at an indicative price of approximately MYR1.35 ($0.39) per share, according to press reports. AirAsia has 2.36 billion shares outstanding, according to its website. Separately, the carrier this week retired the final 737-300 used on its Malaysian network. It now operates A320s on those routes. The company has 175 firm A320s on order plus 50 options and currently operates 42 in Malaysia, seven in Thailand and one in Indonesia.
The US Dept. of Transportation announced its intention yesterday to move forward with its controversial plan to conduct slot auctions at New York JFK, LaGuardia and Newark as part of an $89 million capacity improvement plan over vehement objections from airlines and airports that are challenging the legality of the action (see next item), and also said it will impose a new limit on hourly operations at LGA.
Airline and airport organizations blasted the US Dept. of Transportation's final rule requiring FAA to conduct slot auctions at New York LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports to reduce delays, with the Air Transport Assn. saying the decision left it with "no choice but to pursue [a] court challenge" to prevent an auction. In a statement, ATA President and CEO James May said the DOT decision (see story above) "patently defies the recommendation of the Government Accountability Office, as well as the will of Congress," and "will result in a lengthy and costly legal challenge."
S7 Airlines took delivery of its first of three 767-300ERs and its fourth 737-800. The 767 was leased from AWAS and will begin flying this month from Moscow Domodedovo to Novosibirsk and Yerevan, the carrier said. Subsequent 767s will replace A310s on flights to Bangkok and Vladivostok. Aircraft will seat 222 in economy and 18 in business class. The 737 was leased from ILFC.
The ARJ21 is in final preparations for its inaugural test flight, which is expected to take place by the end of next month at the latest, according to Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Chairman Zhang Qingwei. The 90-seat ARJ21-700 rolled out last December, but owing to "key suppliers' failure to specify conditions for system tests," its maiden flight, originally scheduled for March, was delayed ( ATWOnline, April 1).
