Schiphol Group is firming up plans to build a new terminal and pier at Amsterdam Schiphol airport (AMS) while awaiting final governmental authorization for the development of nearby Lelystad airport (LEY) as a twin gateway to AMS. The Netherlands’ Minister of Transport and Environment is expected to issue the airport decree required to undertake the intended development and operation of Lelystad airport in November.
Ireland’s Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) wants the FAA to study the effects of “extreme ground gusts” on aircraft control systems in response to an increase in “extreme weather events” associated with climate change. The recommendation comes from the final report on a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 that experienced rudder control problems after departure from Faro Airport in Portugal on October 24, 2011.
The Malaysia-based AirAsia Group has ruled out the possibility of investing in troubled Japanese domestic carrier Skymark Airlines. Speculation about AirAsia buying into Skymark had grown to such a degree that AirAsia felt compelled to issue a statement on Aug. 19 refuting it. “We dismiss the speculation as just another industry rumor and continue to focus our efforts on growing the businesses of all existing airline affiliates within our group,” AirAsia said.
FAA has given operators of nearly 500 U.S.-registered Boeing 737NGs until September 23, 2017 to replace autothrottle computers—a fix that eliminates a design flaw which contributed to a 2009 Turkish Airlines accident in Amsterdam. While the fix mandates changing the GE-supplied computer, the directive’s purpose is getting new software, contained on the computers, installed.
Allegiant Air will add five new routes this fall to Florida, continuing its strategy of connecting smaller U.S. cities with popular vacation destinations.
Finnair is aiming to conclude cost-savings negotiations with its pilot corps by Sept. 7 and is proceeding with plans to outsource 540 cabin crew positions. Finnair is aiming to slash €60 million ($80.4 million) from its labor costs under the second phase of its cost-savings plan, but so far it has only reached firm agreement on €6 million of the total. The cabin crew talks ended without agreement in May, after Finnish Cabin Crew Union SLSY failed to meet Finnair’s €18 million cost-savings target.
ISTANBUL—Turkish Airlines plans to keep a significant presence at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökcen airport even after the city’s massive new airport opens in little over three years. The carrier is developing Sabiha Gökcen—situated on the Asian side of the city—into a stronger base to deal with capacity constraints at Atatürk International, Istanbul’s current main airport.
Norwegian Air International (NAI) and its supporters say the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) does not have the right to deny its application for a foreign air carrier permit to operate in the U.S., while organized labor, led by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), argue the opposite: that the public interest is best served by the DOT unilaterally denying NAI’s application.
Inflight-connectivity provider AeroMobile is expecting to sign at least two new airlines this year and swell its installed fleet by 50% within the next 12 months. Over the first-half of 2014, the number of AeroMobile-connected aircraft rose 30% to 245 aircraft, with widebodies forming the bulk of that total. Usage also shot up, as data tripled and texts increased 48%.
In another sign that Frontier Airlines has shifted from full-service airline to an ultra low-cost carrier (LCC), the Denver-based airline has revamped its frequent-flier program, moving from two elite tiers to one and cutting many benefits.
The multi-year shakeout that is reshaping U.S. airline networks is nearly complete, but smaller airports are suffering until the bitter end as carriers continue their shift toward strategies that emphasize bigger, more lucrative markets, a Moody’s analysis concludes.
Key representatives of the ruling grand coalition in Germany are proposing to drop the country’s air transport tax. The deputy chairmen for the parliamentary groups of the two ruling parties wrote a joint letter to Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt saying the tax should be abolished.
SkyWest Airlines plans to cut another at-risk route from its network, saying it cannot turn a profit with twice daily Embraer E-120 service between Los Angeles and Yuma, Arizona.
BEIJING — Avic subsidiary Avic Capital says it is in talks to buy Irish aircraft lessor Avolon but stresses that no deal is certain. In a stock-exchange statement, Avic Capital denies a newspaper report that the deal will be valued at €12 billion ($16 billion). Reuters reported last week that Avic Capital and state-run firm China Investment Corp. were negotiating to buy Avolon for $4-5 billion, including the value of debt that they would assume in the acquisition.
LONDON — Icelandic authorities have raised aviation alert levels to orange after seismic activity around one of the country’s volcanos was detected. A swarm of earthquakes have been measured by Icelandic experts with the country’s Meteorological Office around the Barðarbunga volcano that could indicate signs of an impending eruption. Experts raised the alert level from yellow green to yellow on August 16, and then to orange on August 18 after the strongest earthquakes detected around the volcano since 1996.
Slovenian carrier Adria Airways has detailed plans to hit two million passengers and a €220 million ($295 million) turnover by 2020, supported by a fleet of 16 aircraft. In 2013, Adria carried roughly one million passengers, generating €150 million in revenue. This marks a drastic turnaround from Adria’s €67 million net loss in 2010.
Etihad’s introduction of Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s will mean major changes for its Australian network, as this will be among the early markets to see the carrier’s new aircraft types. The airline is on track to take delivery of its first A380 in December, and is due to receive four more in 2015. While the first few will be deployed to the Abu Dhabi-London route on Dec. 27 and March 1, one of the other 2015 deliveries will take over the Abu Dhabi-Sydney route in June.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority boosted its oversight of airport vehicles following the near-collision of an Air Canada Embraer E190 regional jet and a Sunwing Airlines maintenance van at the Toronto airport, according to a final report on the March 2013 incident issued by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB).
You can now register online for Aviation Week events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or contact: Lydia Janow, 212-904-3225 or 800-240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada only) Sept. 23-24—Brazing Symposium, Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, Phoenix, Arizona Oct. 7-9—MRO Europe, Madrid Spain Nov. 4-6—MRO Asia, Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] . (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Sept. 7-10—2014 ACI-NA Annual Conference & Exhibition, Atlanta, Georgia, http://annual.aci-na.org/ Sept. 10-11—TRAM Aerospoace Conference, Chicago, Illinois, www.tram-conference.com
United Arab Emirates (UAE) low-cost carrier Air Arabia managed to significantly improve performance and recorded a 128% increase of its net profit in the second quarter, in spite of the aggressive fleet and network expansion of neighboring rival flydubai.
Chorus Aviation, parent of Canadian regional airline Jazz, posted a second-quarter net profit of C$36.5 million ($34.2 million), more than quadrupling its 2Q 2013 net income of C$7.9 million. Chorus’ operating revenue grew 1.8% year-over-year to C$417.8 million as expenses increased by 1.3% to C$383.6 million, leaving an operating income of C$34.3 million—an 8.1% improvement on the year-ago June quarter.
