Reason Foundation's Robert Poole Jr., one of the US's leading proponents of congestion pricing, said yesterday he was "underwhelmed" by the Dept. of Transportation's decision to avoid using that model to address congestion concerns at New York airports and warned that "this issue isn't finished by a long shot." Poole, who serves as director-transportation studies at Los Angeles-based Reason, has been an advocate of congestion pricing and participated in some of the meetings and discussions leading up to yesterday's announcement (see story above).
Airbus and parent EADS yesterday selected "preferred bidders" for the partial divestiture of six industrial plants to "partners," tabbing GKN, Latecoere and MT Aerospace.
Thales said yesterday that it has received Category IIIb approval from EASA to utilize its MLS precision approach and landing system. Airbus said last month that EASA certification had been granted for Thales' MLS system on A320 family aircraft and that British Airways would be the first to implement it at London Heathrow in 2008 ( ATWOnline, Nov. 14). Thales' announcement yesterday appeared to signal across-the-board certification for all aircraft types, but did note that BA would be the first to use it.
President George Bush and Transportation Secretary Mary Peters are expected to announce a proposal today for reducing airline delays, particularly at crowded New York airports, with the President saying earlier this week that he wants "a market-driven system in place."
Ryanair said it plans to add 50 new routes next year, including 19 from seven UK airports. New destinations will be Angouleme, Arad and Constanta. CEO Michael O'Leary said the LCC expects to carry "almost" 60 million passengers in 2008.
Cebu Pacific Air ordered four more ATR 72-500s, converting options from an earlier order and bringing its firm commitment to 10 of the type. It still holds four options ( ATWOnline, May 25). The carrier said only about one-third of the Philippines' 75 airports can accommodate its A319/A320 fleet. The first 72-seat turboprop will enter service to Caticlan Feb. 29. Cebu will take delivery of six ATRs next year and four in 2009. An additional four A320s added next year will lift its fleet to 25 aircraft by year end.
CAE won orders for full-flight simulators and related CAE Simfinity training devices valued at more than C$126 million ($124.1 million) from Continental Airlines, US Airways, Etihad Airways, Air Algerie and Alteon Training. CO purchased a CAE 7000 Series 787 FFS and a set of CAE Simfinity training devices. US ordered two CAE 7000 Series A320 FFSs, one CAE 7000 Series A330/A340 FFS, nine CAE Simfinity Integrated Procedures Trainers and CAE Simfinity VSIMs for A320 and A330/A340 platforms.
Aloha Airlines yesterday confirmed press reports of a $15.1 million loss in the third quarter, widened from a $9.9 million deficit in the year-ago period. The carrier now has suffered a loss in each of the past 16 quarters, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin calculated. Third-quarter revenue rose 4.6% to $104.4 million, but higher fuel prices and lower fares continued to plague Aloha, according to President and CEO David Banmiller. Expenses climbed 5.1% to $116.1 million and operating loss deepened to $11.7 million from $10.6 million in the third quarter of 2006.
Despite rising fuel prices, Chinese commercial airlines posted a collective profit of CNY9.1 billion ($1.23 billion) in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, up 65.4% over the CNY5.5 billion reported in the year-ago period, according to CAAC statistics. Operating revenue rose 12.5% year-over-year to CNY73.57 billion against an 8.3% increase in operating expenses to CNY65.07 billion.
EasyJet introduced Speedy Boarding Plus, a new facility that combines its existing Speedy Boarding product with a dedicated check-in service. SBP is sold per-flight to the first 30 customers who make an online booking. The fee is based on length of the flight and departure airport and ranges from £5.50 ($11.09) to £9.
ANA signed an MOU yesterday with Tokyo-based international freight forwarders Nippon Express and Kintetsu World Express to establish a joint venture global business-to-business express delivery company with operations to start April 1. ANA will own the largest share of the yet-to-be-named company at 34%, according to a joint statement. Nippon Express and KWE each will own 28% and smaller unidentified forwarders will hold the remaining 10%.
Alitalia board once again delayed its decision regarding a negotiating partner for the Italian government's 49.9% stake in the carrier, this time to Friday, by which time it said it expects to have a recommendation from its adviser Citigroup.
Austrian Airlines Group and Lufthansa Technik signed a wide-ranging MRO cooperation agreement in Vienna based on an MOU reached last spring and firmed over the summer ( ATWOnline, Aug. 6) that the two said will reduce Austrian's annual technical costs by approximately €15 million ($21.6 million) from 2009.
Tiger Airways converted 20 A320 options, completing the firming of its 50-aircraft order (30 firm and 20 options) announced at the Paris Air Show ( ATWOnline, June 22). Aircraft will seat 180 passengers in an all-economy configuration. Tiger currently flies 12 A320s and will take eight more through 2009. The final aircraft now will be delivered in 2016.
FlyLAL Group announced the opening of a 5,000-sq.-m. hangar at Vilnius. Subsidiary FlyLAL Technics will operate it, conducting MRO services on 737s and A320s including maintenance checks, engine replacements and other repairs and modifications.
Horizon Air plans to launch weekly Los Angeles-Loreto flights on Jan. 19 aboard a CRJ700, marking the regional's first service to Mexico. Sister carrier Alaska Airlines will continue to operate four-times-weekly 737-400 flights on the route. Emirates will start daily Dubai-Cape Town service on March 30 using A330-200s.
Austrian Airlines Group carriers flew 1.41 billion RPKs in November, down 15.4% from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 16.3% to 1.92 billion ASKs and load factor rose 0.8 point to 73.4%. Alaska Airlines flew 1.51 billion RPMs in November, a 7.6% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 4.5% to 1.96 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 2.2 points to 76.7%. WestJet flew 923.5 million RPKs in November, an 18.3% increase from the year-ago month, against a 14.8% rise in ASKs to 1.2 billion. Load factor climbed 2.2 points to 75.6%.
Aviapartner Handling won a contract from Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines for provision of full handling services in Venice. The contract, effective Jan. 1, covers some 5,000 flights per year for both airlines combined.
Mesa Air Group will appeal to the US District Court in Hawaii after US Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Faris denied last week's request for a new trial, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported. Faris had ordered Mesa to pay $80 million in damages to Hawaiian Airlines for using confidential information provided by Hawaiian when Mesa established its go! subsidiary ( ATWOnline, Nov. 21). In requesting a new trial, Mesa said it had discovered information that was not presented during the initial trial.
Lufthansa is considering placing two wet-leased PrivatAir A319LRs, which are outfitted with all-business-class cabins and fly out of Dusseldorf to Newark and Chicago O'Hare, on a new Beijing service beginning next summer, a source close to the carrier told ATWOnline. They would be the first all-business-class flights between Europe and China. Separately, LH will launch a weekly Frankfurt-Luanda service on April 1 aboard an A340-300. It will be LH's 15th African destination.
SAS Group, which is endeavoring to simplify and narrow its business to focus on its "core" activity of transporting passengers in northern Europe, conceded yesterday that it has been unable to reach a consensus on the future of its noncore subsidiaries. Decisions on the "future structure" of SAS Ground Services, SAS Technical Services and Spirit (terminal management within SAS Cargo) were postponed until at least Feb. 5, the next time SAS's board is scheduled to meet.
As Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines' stake sale to Singapore Airlines draws near completion, Shanghai Airlines is planning to introduce a strategic investor of its own in order to boost its competitiveness.
EasyJet will establish a base at Manchester, building on the presence of GB Airways, which currently has two aircraft based at MAN operating on six routes. The LCC intends to add another three aircraft by 2010, although final plans will depend on the regulatory approval of its acquisition of GB ( ATWOnline, Oct. 26), which it expects by the end of January. It also plans to develop its base at Liverpool with an additional two aircraft by 2010.
International Aero Engines said the SelectOne build standard of the V2500 received FAR 33 certification from US FAA. IAE said SelectOne will reduce fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions 1%, improve time-on-wing 20% and reduce "miscellaneous" shop visits by 40%. Indian LCC IndiGo will launch the engine in the second half of next year.
China Eastern Airlines applied to the Chinese government to be allocated 40 of the 110 A320 family aircraft Beijing recently agreed to purchase from Airbus and is contemplating ordering a similar number of 737s. It also plans to give Singapore Airlines executives significant management roles following next month's expected closing of SIA's and parent Temasek's 24% stake purchase, according to Chairman Li Fenghua.
