LOT Polish Airlines CEO Sebastian Mikosz has announced his resignation after the government delayed privatization of the airline yet again. The airline said Mikosz will leave Sept. 17 after little over 18 months on the job. The CEO, who has been in the airline’s top job twice, says he is leaving because the Polish government will not go ahead with the planned sale of the national carrier. Mikosz was hired back with a mandate to turn around and sell the airline.
Fast-growing Allegiant Air has finally started keeping its Las Vegas customer service call center open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a spokeswoman told Aviation Daily.
The French civil aviation investigative authority, BEA, is asking EASA and Airbus to consider issuing an airworthiness directive that would force operators of hundreds of Airbus A320-family aircraft to replace legacy flight management guidance computer with an updated version.
New Boston-based carrier OneJet is taking a unique approach to filling holes in service at former hub cities, using mass distribution channels to fill seats on seven-seat Hawker 400 jets. Since launching four-times weekly flights between Milwaukee and its main focus city of Indianapolis in April, OneJet has also added service to those cities from Pittsburgh and introduced service to Nashville and Memphis from Indianapolis as well.
Fiji Airways is preparing to expand its long-haul network as the carrier’s recent restructuring continues to yield strong financial results. In a first-half earnings report, Fiji Airways executives said the carrier is “working hard to finalize a new long-haul route.” While the destination is not yet being revealed, former CEO Stefan Pichler previously indicated the carrier was considering Asian markets such as mainland China and Japan (Aviation Daily, Feb. 24).
Cathay Pacific is benefiting from strong demand across most of its international network, although it also faces headaches from declining yields and a slowdown in cargo markets. The carrier reported a dramatic improvement in profit for the six months through June 30. While this was partly due to healthy economy class traffic, it was also boosted by other factors, including declining fuel costs and improvements by subsidiaries and companies in which Cathay holds stakes, such as Air China.
AirAsia X blames a string of setbacks in various markets for a bleak second-quarter performance, although it remains confident that it can achieve a turnaround in the second half of the year.
A former House Aviation Subcommittee chairman is calling on the FAA to provide a “full report” on the causes and reactions to the air traffic control automation system glitch that he says caused 475 canceled flights at the three Washington, D.C.-area airports on Aug. 15.
Economic weakness in certain parts of Asia is starting to affect travel demand, with both economy and premium markets recording a slowdown of their growth rates, International Air Transport Association (IATA) data show.
American Airlines will begin operating charter flights between Los Angeles and Havana, Cuba later this year, the first flights to the Cuban capital from the West Coat since diplomatic relations were restored.
Sydney Airport has struck a deal with Qantas to buy back the lease on one of the main terminal buildings, which will give the airport more flexibility in its redevelopment plans. Qantas currently has a lease on Terminal 3 through 2019, but the airport will pay A$535 million (U.S.$392 million) to end the arrangement this year. Under the deal, Qantas will continue to use the entire terminal for its domestic operations until 2019, and will occupy most of the facility from 2019 to 2025. The airline will pay usage fees in the same way as other airline tenants.
The two major carriers in the Philippines have both recorded strong increases in net profits for the first half of the year, although Philippine Airlines (PAL) improved the most and overtook its LCC rival Cebu Pacific. Cebu this week posted a net profit of 5.2 billion Philippine pesos ($53.98 million) for the six months through June 30, up by 64% over the same period last year. However, it was below the P5.9 billion profit predicted by PAL in a recent stock exchange filing.
The remote British outpost of St. Helena is preparing for the first fixed-wing aircraft to land at the South Atlantic island’s new airport. The calibration flights, using a Beechcraft Super King Air, are due to take place in mid-September, following approval from Air Safety Support International, a company set up by the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority to provide aviation regulations for U.K. overseas territories.
Search and rescue personnel have reached the wreckage of an ATR 42 aircraft that crashed in mountainous terrain in the Papua region of Indonesia on Aug. 16.
While unmanned aircraft have received bad press for forcing firefighters to halt aerial operations when one is sighted, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are widely regarded as potentially powerful tools for fighting wildfires that are becoming increasingly destructive as urban development expands into unoccupied land.
Wreckage believed to be from a missing ATR 42 aircraft has been located in mountainous terrain in the Papua region of Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea.
Finnair Group improved second-quarter financial results as the effects of its cost-cutting program set in, but it still remained in the red. “While we cannot be satisfied with our loss-making result, our financial position and liquidity are very strong,” Finnair CEO Pekka Vauramo said on Friday.
30 Years Ago After investing millions into aircraft overhead baggage-storage bins, airlines asked frequent fliers to oppose an FAA proposal for mandatory check-in of carry-on bags. 20 Years Ago Lufthansa Systems began testing the Broadband Integrated Services for Aircraft Maintenance (BISAM) system, a joint-venture product created with Systemtechnik to enable technicians to track aircraft-maintenance status. 10 Years Ago
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Aug. 23-25—AAAE Airfield and Facilities Mangement conference, Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah, http://events.aaae.org/sites/150804/
For a complete list of Aviation Week’s upcoming events, and to register, visit www.awin.aviationweek.com/events Oct. 13-15—MRO Europe, ExCel London Exhibition and Convention Center, London, U.K. Nov. 4-6—MRO Asia, SingEx Exhibition and Convention Center, Singapore. Feb. 3-4, 2016—MRO Middle East, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE. Mar. 3, 2016—Laureate Awards, The National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.
Turkish Airlines says it has no intention to slow capacity growth and is planning to increase available seat-kilometers (ASKs) by 15% this year compared with 2014. The carrier said it is not changing its capacity guidance for this year.
India’s biggest and most profitable privately owned airline, IndiGo, has finalized its order for 250 Airbus A320neo aircraft, ending months of uncertainty stemming from the expiration of the term sheet. The airline “firmed up” its commitment to buy the 250 A320neos on Aug. 15. “This new order further reaffirms IndiGo’s commitment to the long-term development of affordable air transportation in India and overseas,” IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh says.
FAA has pledged to improve internal guidance and training of foreign civil aviation authority inspectors in response to a U.S. Transportation Department Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that expresses concern about the shift in oversight of foreign repair station compliance with U.S. regulations.
