Onboard ASMs Market (Metro Area Airports) Passengers Departures (mil) 1 New York LaGuardia - Toronto Pears 1,061,606 18,380 600 2 Los Angeles - Vancouver 745,249
A coalition of unions is supporting Dreamjet’s application to the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) for a foreign air carrier permit, but is using Dreamjet’s application as a proxy to fight Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) application to start low-cost service using an Irish AOC and is urging DOT to conduct a separate, deeper review.
The integration of International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) into AerCap is hitting its marks and the formal closing of the deal that will establish AerCap as the largest independent lessor is on schedule to close “in the coming weeks,” CEO Aengus Kelly says.
JetBlue Airways’ expansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, could help the carrier tap a large and affluent market as the carrier expands into Latin America, its executives say.
Alaska Airlines’ board authorized the company to begin a $650 million share buyback program, the carrier’s seventh since 2007. The share buy back will begin as soon as the current $250 million program is completed, the carrier says. Alaska has bought $208 million in shares in the current program. The carrier also upped the quarterly dividend it pays investors to 25 cents from 20 cents. The company began paying a dividend last year for the first time since 1992. Alaska since 2007 has repurchased 21 million shares.
Copa Airlines predicts the steps it is taking to reduce its exposure in Venezuela will reduce its full-year 2014 operating margin by 1%, as it draws down capacity in what was a high-yield market.
LONDON—Aerostructures and engine component supplier GKN Aerospace says it wants to grow by building greater ties with Boeing’s commercial aircraft division. The division—part of the wider GKN group—is looking for further expansion following its strategic takeover of Volvo Aero during July 2012, an acquisition which has made the company the second largest supplier of aero-engine components behind MTU and the engine OEMs themselves.
NASA has been given a glimmer of home for a low-boom supersonic flight demonstrator, with the 2014 authorization language approved by the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology directing the agency develop a plan for demonstrating quiet supersonic flight over land. The authorization act approved by the committee also directs NASA to develop roadmaps for hypersonic and rotorcraft research, both of which have been cut back as the agency’s budget for aeronautis research has been squeezed.
