Aerospace and aviation supplier Alcoa is continuing its roll-up of metals providers—and critical link-forming with giant manufacturers Airbus Group, Boeing and their engine makers—with a deal to buy German-based Tital. Announced Dec. 15, the deal will establish Alcoa’s titanium-casting capabilities in Europe, while expanding the company’s overall aluminum-casting capacity. Tital boasts strong connections to European engine and aircraft manufacturers, such as Airbus, Safran’s Snecma, and Rolls-Royce.
Virgin Australia is installing a business-class section in the aircraft it flies between Australia and New Zealand, which will complete the rollout of the premium product across all of the group’s mainline fleet. The upgrade will apply to the 10 Boeing 737-800s in Virgin’s New Zealand-based unit. These aircraft are used for all flights between the two countries, as well as for flights serving the Pacific Islands.
France’s TAT Group, divesting yet another part of its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) portfolio, has sold Sabena Technics Brussels to the MRO provider’s management. “We confirm that Sabena Technics Brussels does not belong anymore to TAT Group and that there is a new shareholding structure for Sabena Technics Brussels and its subsidiaries or branches,” a spokeswoman said.
The European Commission (EC) has turned over the task of transforming European air traffic management (ATM) research and development (R&D) projects into operational improvements for the continent. Under an agreement signed Dec. 5, the Single European Sky ATM Research (Sesar) Deployment Alliance—a partnership of four airline groups, 25 airports, and 11 air traffic control providers—will plan, coordinate and synchronize “a whole modernization of European airspace” with €3 billion ($3.7 million) in EC funding, the Alliance says in a statement.
AirAsia X has confirmed an order for 55 Airbus A330neos, despite the fact that it is reducing its short-term fleet expansion. The new firm order follows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) announced during the July 2014 Farnborough International Airshow. The MOU covered 50 A330neos, and AirAsia X has added another five aircraft. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2018.
Delta Air Lines’ domestic operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have been profitable “depending on the month,” and margins have expanded since the carrier invested in the new hub, airline executives told investment analysts earlier this month.
Philippine carriers are urging the country’s aviation regulators not to negotiate additional air-service rights for the airlines of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific—usually rivals—issued a joint statement to “reiterate our appeal against holding a new round of bilateral air negotiations with the United Arab Emirates in the near future.” The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is due to decide on Dec. 19 whether to begin accelerated air services talks with the UAE.
For a complete list of Aviation Week’s upcoming events, and to register, visit www.aviationweek.com/events Jan 13-14—MRO Latin America, Buenos Aires, Argentina Feb. 2-3—MRO Middle East, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE Mar. 5—Laureate Awards, Washington, D.C. Apr. 14-16—MRO Americas 2015, Conference and Exhibit Hall, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, Florida
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] . (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Dec. 18-19—8th Australian Pacific Vertiflite Conference on Helicopter Technology and 3rd Asian-Australian Rotorcraft Forum (ARF), Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), Melbourne, Australia www.vtol.org/events/australian-pacific-vertiflite-conference-on-helicop…
United Airlines will give iPhone 6 Plus smartphones to all of its 23,000 flight attendants starting in the second quarter of 2015, although the technology won’t immediately give the carrier much more functionality than it has now. At first, flight attendants will be able to process onboard transactions, including upgrades to Economy Plus and food and drink sales. They’ll also be able to check company email and United.com, as well as access some airline manuals. “What customers see will be gradual over time,” United spokeswoman Karen May said.
American Airlines on Dec. 11 said it will install Gogo Internet on all of its two-class regional jets, but the carrier elected to add a slower onboard system than United Airlines.
LONDON – The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been requested by the European Commission to investigate a series of near midair collisions between passenger jets and Russian military aircraft. The commission raised the alarm after several European Union states reported foreign military aircraft operating near their borders over the sea without transponders activated, nor was it possible, EASA says, to establish radio contact with them.
LONDON—A model helicopter or unmanned air vehicle (UAV) came within 20 ft. of colliding with an Airbus A320 airliner as it made its final approach into London Heathrow airport, investigators have revealed. The U.K. Airprox Board—which examines the causes behind air proximity incidents in British air space—detailed the July 22 incident and said it posed a serious risk of collision.
ALMATY, Kazakhstan—Air Astana will make a decision in 2015 on a new narrowbody order and says it is “definitely” looking at Airbus’s proposed long-range A321neo, which offers a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 97 metric tons and extra fuel tanks.
Air New Zealand plans to launch its first service to South America with a flight to Buenos Aires, coupled with a new codeshare agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas. The three weekly flights begin in December 2015, using a Boeing 777-200ER. The extra 777 capacity will presumably be freed up when Air New Zealand takes more Boeing 787-9 deliveries in the second half of 2015.
The on-time arrival performance for U.S. domestic scheduled flights in October was 80%, declining from September by 1.1 point and from October 2013 by 4.1 points, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Air Travel Consumer Report and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). The report says 1.1% of scheduled U.S. domestic flights were canceled in October. The month’s cancellations percentage improved slightly from September, but was otherwise 0.5 points higher than in October 2013.
LONDON—Airspace over London has re-opened, after a computer problem at the U.K.’s main air traffic control (ATC) center caused it to close for more than an hour. The glitch at the Swanwick control center—which is operated by U.K.
SAN FRANCISCO—Less than a month after launching service from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways is seeing load factors in the “low 80s [percentage],” primarily driven by traffic between the Bay Area and India, CEO James Hogan said in an interview here.
Southwest Airlines is applying for route authorities to four new cities in Mexico from the new international terminal it is building at Houston’s Hobby Airport (HOU). The carrier also has signaled its intent to fly from HOU to Belize and San Jose, Costa Rica. These route authorities are likely to be granted by the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT). If approved, service on these routes, as well as the Mexico routes, is expected to begin October 2015.
