U.S. regional airlines are asking lawmakers and the FAA for relief on new first officer flight time rules the carriers say are causing pilot shortages and associated cuts in service. Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford made the plea during a House aviation subcommittee meeting on essential air service (EAS) on April 30, and it comes as lawmakers mull changes to the FAA as part of the agency’s next reauthorization, which should go into effect in fiscal 2016.
SEATTLE—Pratt & Whitney is examining an ‘anomaly’ on a version of the geared turbofan which forced one of the company’s two Boeing 747SP flying testbeds to make a precautionary landing at its Mirabel Aerospace Centre in Canada.
While Qantas is cutting its international service from Western Australia’s major city because it is unprofitable, the carrier says its charter operation in the region is earning money and growing. The airline has axed direct international flights from Perth as part of its efforts to slash A$2 billion ($1.8 billion) in costs. In a speech to the Chamber of Commerce in Perth, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says the carrier has had to “rationalize” its network, and it could not “insulate [Western Australia] from the need for hard decisions.”
FRANKFURT—As new Group CEO Carsten Spohr settles in, Lufthansa is introducing a group executive committee to more formally organize cooperation between the various airlines of the group.
Following years of construction and delays, Qatar’s Hamad International Airport finally took its first official aircraft arrival on May 1, a Qatar Airways special charter that landed around 11.30 am, and the first commercial flight, flydubai FZ015, arrived 30 minutes later. The twin-runway airport is reported to have cost at least $15 billion as part of the Gulf state’s pitch to establish itself as a key Middle East aviation hub.
SHANGHAI – The Avic unit that is trying to develop a competitive commercial turbofan will begin seeking international suppliers in the second half of this year, with the aim of achieving global cooperation in its project. The search for suppliers will be central to the effort of the unit, Avic Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. (ACAE), to collect foreign technology in a field in which Chinese industry lags far behind the West.
The C919 158-seat airliner will achieve airworthiness certification at the end of 2017, state manufacturer Comac says, setting out a delivery schedule over the next few months for the airframe modules of the first prototype. Comac aims to roll out the first aircraft in mid 2015, fly it four months later and achieve airworthiness certification for the type at the end of 2017.
Japan’s major airlines say that while economic conditions are improving, the weakness of the yen and resulting high fuel costs will continue to dampen their financial results for the fiscal year that began March 31. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines both recorded healthy net profits for the 2013 fiscal year, but in both cases they were significantly lower than in the previous year. ANA is forecasting a profit increase for the current fiscal year, and JAL anticipates another decline.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) submitted opening terms for a new contract for American Airlines’ and US Airways flight attendants and hopes a new, “industry-leading” collective bargaining agreement can be hammered out before the 150-day negotiating period ends. The company and the flight attendants union plan to meet May 13 to discuss the opening terms, which remain confidential.
Two federal programs to help small U.S. communities maintain commercial air service are being put under the microscope as lawmakers begin to formulate plans for the next FAA reauthorization bill, which will be crafted next year and go into effect in 2016.
Increasing competition, difficult Mexico macroeconomics and overcapacity in some markets led to a first-quarter loss for Volaris, but the Mexican ultra-low cost carrier is not planning to stray from its leisure strategy and its campaign to attract first-time fliers to its routes.
Arguing that it is very early in its growth, Spirit Airlines says it sees almost boundless potential for entering new markets and plans to address complaints about its service through a new marketing campaign. “The people on our airplanes are people who wouldn’t have been on an airplane, but for our fares,” CEO Ben Baldanza told analysts during the Spirit’s first-quarter earnings call on April 29. “We are in a different segment of the business and do not take market share away from other carriers.”
