KLM has postponed the delivery of two Boeing 787-9s due to parent company Air France-KLM’s limiting its capital investment program. The airline reached agreement with Boeing over the deferral, although it remains tight-lipped by how much the deliveries have been pushed backed and which delivery slots it concerns. Handover of the first three aircraft remains unaffected, and the first two 787-9s will join its fleet as planned in October and November this year with a third one following early next year.
The fifth and final test vehicle for the initial CS100 version of Bombardier’s CSeries has begun flying, but additional aircraft will be used in the test program in a bid to meet the target of certification towards the end of the year. Aircraft FTV5, the first CSeries fitted with a finished cabin interior, made its first flight from Mirabel, near Montreal, on March 18, with a second flight on March 19. Firm orders for the CSeries still stand at 243 aircraft, but total commitments including options are now 603.
With its pilots ramping up strike actions, Lufthansa’s management is close to defining a response tailored to show the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots union that the company is determined to stand firm.
FedEx Corp. is pushing back hard against major U.S. passenger airlines that, in the cargo giant’s view, are trying to get the U.S. government to alter open skies agreements with Middle East states that are integral to FedEx’s business.
Mexican LCC Interjet is asking the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) for permission to operate flights between Mexico City and Miami, New York and San Antonio, Texas, flights the carrier operated until its authority “unintentionally” lapsed earlier this month.
New widebody types due to begin arriving next year will help Cathay Pacific boost its European network, as well as allowing the carrier to pursue either fleet replacement or growth depending on market conditions.
United Airlines pilots have asked management to overhaul training programs to place a greater emphasis on communication and ensure crews follow standard operating procedures more closely.
An analysis of the record backlogs at Airbus and Boeing suggests that U.S. carriers are the most likely to live up to their commitments, while the Middle East’s major airlines could disrupt order books if U.S.-led efforts to derail Gulf carrier expansion are successful, CRT Capital says.
Martinair’s works council intends to take legal action against Air France-KLM for its plans to drastically downsize the freighter airline from 10 aircraft to four Boeing 747-400Fs and phase out all six MD-11Fs by June 2016.
The long-needed revamping of FAA’s Part 147, the rules governing aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) schools, is underway, Steve Douglas, manager of the agency’s Aircraft Maintenance Division, confirmed.
Citing “distortions in the market,” EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc said she will seek a new mandate from EU countries to open talks with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Saudi Arabia over “unfair subsidies to airlines.”
A resurgent fourth-quarter net profit of $98.3 million helped to ease full-year net losses for Santiago-based LATAM Airlines Group; the company closed out 2014 with a net loss of $109.8 million, narrowed from its $281.1 million net loss in 2013.
The request, delivered in an Information for Operators (InFO) note published Mar. 13, calls for airline, air taxi and fractional operators as well as their training managers and pilots to develop the procedures using approved performance data for the aircraft and manufacturers procedures: “(The procedures) should be part of the approach briefing and adopted in initial and recurrent training, the operator’s SOPs, flight operations manual and crew resource management-training programs.”
Ex-Im’s authorization has been temporarily extended to the end of June, but a long-term renewal for the bank has run up against opposition from, among others, Delta Air Lines and conservative Republicans in Congress.
The development comes as Envoy concentrates flying at its two largest hubs: Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago. Envoy still operates some flights from Miami, but employees were also told this week that Envoy will halt operations there later this year.
Cathay Pacific executives stress that while a new runway is vital for Hong Kong International Airport, raising user fees to pay for construction could be detrimental to the airport’s competitiveness versus other hubs.
Boeing conducted the initial functional check flight and handling qualities test sortie for its newly completed 757 ecoDemonstrator test aircraft on March 17.
According to Hogan, the carrier has always made clear that it received equity investment and shareholder loans. Those have been “supplemented” by $10.5 billion in loans from international institutions, Hogan told listeners at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce aviation summit in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
“Open skies is probably the most powerful global aeropolitical tool,” Clark said, praising the U.S. government for negotiating liberalized treaties with more than 100 countries.
