Air Transport World

LAN Colombia will join oneworld from Oct. 1, the first of the merged LATAM airlines to join the alliance.

Bankrupt Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines has filed a lawsuit against International Aero Engines (IAE), the carrier stated in its annual report.

The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) has named Eduardo Iglesias executive director.

Airbus will help China modernize its air traffic management (ATM) system and implement the latest ATM technologies.

Oslo-based low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle will establish a fully owned asset management company, which will be incorporated under the laws of Ireland and will have the US dollar as its functional currency.

Fastjet has agreed to carry cargo for African cargo specialist BidAir after conducting a feasibility study.

Germania has confirmed to ATW it will end a wet-lease contract with airberlin on two Boeing 737-700s by the end of the summer schedule.

IATA has reported “solid” July growth in global passenger traffic with overall RPKs rising 5% and capacity increasing 5.5% year-over-year.

Southwest Airlines has reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with flight attendants of AirTran Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines.

Lufthansa announced it needs to add 500 cabin crew members for 2014 as the German carrier adds larger aircraft.

FedEx Express has taken delivery of its first Boeing 767-300 freighter as part of its fleet modernization strategy.

Aircraft News

Edinburgh Airport in Scotland is set to launch a five-year, £150 million ($235 million) expansion program to cope with anticipated passenger growth.

The growth trend at Dubai International Airport continues unabated, with passenger numbers reaching record levels during the first half of 2013. A total of 32.6 million passengers passed through the airport in the January-June period, the highest number handled in a six-month period in the history of the airport, according to Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) president Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Swiss International Air Lines is evaluating establishing its own terminal at its Zurich Airport hub to gain more independence from airport operator Flughafen Zurich AG.

Fraport Twin Star Airport Management, which is majority-owned by Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport, has officially inaugurated a new passenger terminal at Bulgaria’s Varna Airport.

Prague Vaclav Havel Airport has signed a collaboration agreement with Seoul Incheon International Airport aimed at developing new connections between

A consortium of South Korean companies, headed up by Incheon International Airport Corp., has been selected as the preferred bidder to build and operate a second international airport to serve Myanmar capital Yangon. The Hanthawaddy International Airport will be built 48 miles northeast of Yangon at a cost of $11 billion.

Briefs from the Sept. 4, 2013 issue of ATW’s MRO Digest

SR Technics and Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT), both members of the Mubadala Aerospace MRO network, have signed a long-term general terms agreement with Moog, which makes precision-control components.

HEICO’s net income increased 25% to a record $28.9 million, or 54 cents per diluted share, for the third quarter of fiscal 2013, up from $23.1 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2012.

Airbus and Russia’s S7 Engineering, part of Engineering Holding, will develop a long-term maintenance partnership in Russia and the CIS.

Enigma has been acquired by PTC.

KLM Cityhopper and Fokker Services will replace seats on the airline’s Fokker 70s with Acro Ultra seats from Acro Aircraft Seating.