IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani yesterday cautioned Asian aviation officials not to repeat the "mistakes" made in Europe regarding environmental politics and pushed the region to take a regulatory stance on aircraft emissions more sensible than the EU's "single-minded" agenda.
Virgin Atlantic Airways on Sunday operated a 747 demonstration flight from London Heathrow to Amsterdam partially powered by biofuel. Boeing, GE Aviation and Imperium Renewables partnered on the test, which came three weeks after Airbus conducted an A380 flight test using a liquid fuel processed from gas ( ATWOnline, Feb. 4). The Virgin test used biofuel composed of babassu oil and coconut oil. "These oils are environmentally and socially sustainable," the airline said.
Allied Pilots Assn., which represents American Airlines pilots, said it met with airline CEO Gerard Arpey and CFO Tom Horton along with the Assn. of Professional Flight Attendants and the Transport Workers Union "to discuss the airline industry's current drive toward consolidation." APA said management "spoke in general terms" about consolidation and the union "clearly communicated our concern about the effect that mergers have on employees."
Honeywell said BOC Aviation selected its 131-9A APU for engine starting, electrical power and air-conditioning capacity across the lessor's fleet of A320s to be delivered from 2010 through 2012.
Austrian Arrows Q400 operating as Flight OS142 from Nurnberg to Vienna with 67 passengers made an emergency landing yesterday in the capital after the pilot noticed a problem with the main display indicating landing gear position. The aircraft climbed and entered a holding pattern, and with the main and alternative displays functioning properly touched down approximately 2.5 hr. after takeoff. All onboard were safe. Austrian Airlines Group said the aircraft will undergo a thorough technical examination in Innsbruck and results are expected within two days.
Recaro Aircraft Seating will open a service center in Dubai later this year to accelerate response times and offer direct support to the region's carriers. Services will include technical support, repairs and part replacement.
Ryanair's website came back online yesterday, one day ahead of schedule, after closing down for the weekend to update the system and bring it in line with UK Office of Fair Trading regulations requiring that airline websites include fixed, nonoptional taxes, fees and charges in advertised prices on both their homepages and during the booking process ( ATWOnline, Feb. 14). Ryanair said its new website offers enhancements such as the possibility to change flights up to 4 hr.
AirTran Airways and Spirit Airlines were awarded slot exemptions at Washington National for service to either Jacksonville or Milwaukee (AirTran) and Fort Lauderdale (Spirit), the US Dept. of Transportation announced. Routes must be operational by May 3. Midwest Airlines was awarded backup authority for a Milwaukee or Kansas City service if either AirTran or Spirit does not commence service. Bmibaby will launch service from Manchester to Madrid (four-times-weekly from June 16), Lisbon (twice-weekly from June 17) and Barcelona (four-times-weekly from Sept. 8).
RAK Airways, the United Arab Emirates-based startup that launched service from Ras Al Khaimah in November, selected Boeing to provide its narrowbody fleet. It placed an order yesterday for four 737-800s plus two options worth AED1.65 billion ($449.2 million), it said in a statement cited by numerous press reports from UAE.
CSA Czech Airlines took delivery of a new A319 Sunday, the first of four it expects this year. The second will arrive next month followed by units in April and September.
Vueling Airlines reported a sharp widening in full-year net loss to €63.2 million ($93.7 million), nearly six times worse than the €10.8 million loss posted in 2006, citing falling fares and record fuel costs as causes. The Spanish LCC's average fare dropped more than 20% in 2007 to €37.65 owing to strong competitive pressure from "traditional and low-cost carriers alike," it said, noting that the negative impact on its bottom line amounted to €60 million.
MNG Technic reached agreement with Estonian Air to provide line maintenance and technical support for four 737-500s and two 737-300s at Istanbul Ataturk and Antalya.
Boeing pulled back on its development of the 787-3 while trying to make up for lost time on the new aircraft's larger models, according to press reports. Workers on the -3, a shorter-range variant sought mainly by airlines in Japan, began transitioning to the 787-8 last week. A Boeing spokesperson told Bloomberg News that resources "have been temporarily redeployed. . .in an effort to support the program's nearer-term priorities." ANA has 30 787-3s on order and Japan Airlines has committed to 13.
GE Aviation announced a $30 million project to expand GEASO, its engine repair facility in Singapore, to 76,200 sq. m. The expansion is projected to more than double last year's $250 million revenue by 2013. Construction will begin in April and is slated for completion next year.
BOC Aviation, formerly SALE, place an order for five A330-200Fs on the last trade day of the Singapore Airshow. It is BOCA's first freighter order placed directly with a manufacturer. CEO Robert Martin said the commitment "reflects our confidence in strong future demand for widebody production freighter aircraft." No delivery dates or engine choice were announced. Airbus said the -200F can carry up to 64 tonnes more than 7,400 km. in its standard configuration, or 69 tonnes up to 5,930 km. in an optional configuration.
Bombardier's long-awaited CSeries program moved one step closer to an official launch after the company's board gave the go-ahead to begin actively marketing the aircraft to prospective customers.
Singapore Aero Engine Services signed a $20 million deal with Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies covering MRO module services on four Trent 700s from a Middle East operator's fleet. SAESL also will handle engine MRO on 12 aircraft covered by a Rolls-Royce TotalCare agreement.
British Air Line Pilots Assn. will take its dispute with British Airways over the new OpenSkies subsidiary to mediation, scheduled to begin this week. The union last week voted 86% in support of a work stoppage ( ATWOnline, Feb. 22). "BALPA will not squander the resolve of its BA pilot membership but wants to make every effort to find a negotiated settlement," it said. "Should conciliation not progress in a timely and positive fashion, BALPA will be able to serve notice of action."
Search teams on Friday discovered the wreckage of a Santa Barbara Airlines ATR 42-300 that had lost contact with air traffic control following takeoff from Merida the day before.
The prospect of a link-up between AirAsia and Australia's Virgin Blue appears to be gathering momentum, with the world's lowest-cost operator flagging the launch of a joint venture with Blue to establish an "ultra-low-cost" carrier in Australia. Blue has been searching for ways to counter low-cost entrants Jetstar Airways and Tiger Airways as it focuses more on the corporate market. Speaking to News Ltd. in Australia, Toll Holdings, which owns 62% of Virgin Blue, said it has received expressions of interest for its majority stake.
Airways New Zealand, Airservices Australia and US FAA signed a trilateral agreement to accelerate development of air traffic control procedures among the three countries that will reduce aviation's environmental footprint. Dubbed ASPIRE--Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions--the accord aims to provide a regional platform for a host of technologies pioneered by the trio.
Qantas will hire 900 new long-haul flight attendants by year end in the first phase of what it calls "its largest ever cabin crew recruitment drive." CEO Geoff Dixon said QF will continue to build its full-time cabin staff numbers through 2010, at which point it expects to have approximately 2,000 new flight attendants working on its A380s, 747s and A330s.
