Air Greenland is considering replacing its single Airbus A330-200 with two narrowbody aircraft beyond 2015 when the carrier’s leaseback arrangement for the aircraft ends, says Jacob Nitter Sorensen, director of operations for the Nuuk, Greenland-based carrier.
The newly created American Airlines Group’s (AAG) near-term fleet plans don’t include major deviations from pre-merger commitments made by American and US Airways, while revamping cabins on several aircraft types will help boost capacity without adding new metal, AAG executives say.
Gilbert W. Speed, the founder of SpeedNews publications and conferences, a sister business of Aviation Week, died Jan. 27 after a long illness. He was 81. Speed had a storied career in the aviation and aerospace industries that stretched more than 60 years. He started as a student apprentice at The Bristol Aeroplane Company—now part of BAE Systems—in 1952. Five years later, he moved to New York to work for Eastern Airlines as a development engineer for the DC-8 and Lockheed Electra.
The second Airbus A350 prototype to fly, MSN003, just wrapped up cold-weather tests in Iqaluit/Canada after having undergone hot-weather trials and high-altitude performance testing. MSN003 is expected to participate in the flying display at next month’s Singapore Air Show and will also be on static display for several days, marking its first on the ground appearance at an airshow. MSN001 flew over the Paris Air Show a week after its maiden flight in June 2013.
Results from a series of large scale lithium-metal and lithium-ion battery fire tests last year at the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City reveal continued concerns about transporting the batteries as bulk freight in passenger or cargo aircraft. The findings come as the dangerous goods panel of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is set to meet in February in Atlantic City to discuss new restrictions on global protocols for battery shipments.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is the latest Asian carrier to boost its presence in the Myanmar market, signing a code-share deal with Myanmar Airways that will increase frequencies between the two countries.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board says the risk of runway incursions at Canada’s airports will not be reduced until “additional strategies” are put in place, including safety systems that directly alert crews of an impending high-speed collision.
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Cyprus Airways’ plans to sell a pair of London Heathrow slots to Qatar Airways have been thwarted after it was undercut by another airline. Aviation Week affiliate Air Transport World understands that the Cypriot carrier was in final negotiations to sell one of its two pairs of scarce Heathrow slots, but the deal fell through when another unidentified airline offered Qatar a slot pair for a better price. The plan won mixed internal buy-in within Cyprus Airways. It is extremely unlikely that the deal will be resurrected.
India has lifted a ban on Airbus A380s from flying into the country, a move that will permit international airlines such as Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines to start its flights to the world’s second most-populous country. “Now, flights of [the] A380 to India will be allowed to airports which are equipped to handle them. At present only 4 airports—Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore have the required infrastructure for operations of the world’s largest passenger aircraft,” Ministry of Civil Aviation says.
The first Boeing 787 to be produced under the 10-aircraft monthly rate has been rolled out at Everett, Wash., in readiness for delivery to International Lease Finance for eventual operation by Aeromexico.
Southwest Airlines Monday revealed its first international destinations, confirming strong hints from CEO Gary Kelly that the carrier’s first year of international service will see it gradually assuming AirTran’s existing footprint. Southwest will begin international service on its aircraft on July 1, connecting Atlanta, Baltimore, and Orlando with both Aruba and Montego Bay, as well as operating between Baltimore and Nassau.
Reports from United Technologies (UTC) of increasing spares sales continued in the fourth quarter, but the company’s Pratt & Whitney (P&W) subsidiary delivered even more encouraging news for those awaiting an upswing in heavy engine overhaul visits.
Lufthansa is facing the increasingly serious threat of a potentially lengthy and expensive pilot strike, as the company tries to negotiate terms for a new collective bargaining agreement and new rules for retirement benefits.
Feb. 4-6—MRO Middle East, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE Feb. 10—Air Transport World’s 40th Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards, Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel, Singapore Mar. 4-5—Defense Technology & Affordability Requirements, Hilton Arlington, Arlington, Va Mar. 6—57th Annual Laureates Awards, National Building Museum, Washington, D.C. Apr. 8-10—MRO Americas 2014, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Ariz. Apr. 9—MRO Military 2014, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Ariz.
Rising demand for heavy maintenance and modifications helped boost the global aftermarket service sales outlook to a 5.7% increase in the first half of 2014, a healthy bump over the half-year outlook from just three months ago, Canaccord Genuity reports in its latest quarterly Commercial Aerospace MRO Survey.
Low-cost leisure carrier Transavia France is planning to grow its fleet to 30 Boeing 737-800s by 2017, nearly triple the figure it operated in 2013. Last year Paris Orly-based Transavia France’s passenger numbers swelled by 38.7% to hit 2.7 million, after it shifted its focus from tour operator work to direct-sell flying. Transavia France added three aircraft to its fleet to support this growth, taking it from eight to 11 aircraft in 2013, but it will need more aircraft this year as it prepares for a further 25% hike in passenger numbers.
