The FAA is proposing a new policy that could make it harder for developers and municipalities to build or modify structures that extend upward into navigable air corridors at airports. Airlines are complaining that encroachment around airports is causing them to reduce takeoff weights, through reduced passenger load, cargo or fuel, to safely avoid obstructions in single-engine failure scenarios. In its existing policy, the FAA’s hazard determination for obstructions beyond the runway end is based on nominal
AT&T has partnered with Honeywell to launch an air-to-ground (ATG) broadband wireless in-flight connectivity service over the continental U.S. for airline, business aviation and general aviation aircraft by 2015. The offering will put the terrestrial wireless communications provider head-to-head with GoGo, the dominant player in ATG connectivity in the U.S.
SINGAPORE—With lots of fanfare and a nod from U.S. President Barack Obama, GE Aviation picked up a major win in Asia from LCC AirAsia Group, unveiling an agreement to power 25 new Airbus A330-300 aircraft with CF6-80E1 turbofans. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) covers firm aircraft destined for the new AirAsia X long-haul LCC arm, along with options for three more A330s.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), addressing a Dutch Safety Board (DSB) recommendation tied to a fatal 2009 Turkish Airlines crash, has mandated Boeing 737NG autothrottle computer swaps, giving most operators until early May 2017 to do the work and going somewhat further than a similar FAA mandate a month earlier. The airworthiness directive, issued April 22, is similar to a proposed FAA mandate released March 3 (DAILY, March 3).
Hawaiian Airlines is expanding its reach into the San Francisco Bay Area with new year-round service from Mineta San Jose International Airport and seasonal service from Oakland International Airport. The airline will resume daily San Jose-Honolulu service on May 16, after suspending the flights in January. The new service will be operated with Airbus A330s, an upgauge from the Boeing 767s Hawaiian previously used on the route, says spokesman Huy Vo.
Qantas is already completing the first steps in its plan to reduce its workforce by 5,000 positions over the next three years. Although discussions with its other labor groups regarding the plan could take longer to resolve, cuts to management and non-operational support staff are underway. The job reductions are part of a broader initiative announced in February to shave A$2 billion ($1.9 billion) in costs. Of the 5.000 total, 1,500 of the jobs will be support and management positions.
JetBlue Airways COO Rob Maruster is leaving the company, with President Robin Hayes stepping in to oversee the carrier’s operations in the interim. Maruster has been with JetBlue since 2005 and has been chief operating officer since 2009. “His leadership through a phase of rapid expansion, overseeing our growth from 32 destinations to our current 85, while simultaneously setting new cultural standards for Customer Service leaves a great legacy,” CEO Dave Barger said in a statement.
Boeing’s contentious squeeze on suppliers is gaining traction despite complaints from below and still has a lot more to give, according to the manufacturer’s chairman and chief executive. CEO Jim McNerney told financial analysts and reporters during the Chicago company’s first-quarter teleconference April 23 that Boeing is in “the early innings” of turning the Partnering for Success (PFS) supply chain policy into contracts, and that Wall Street will increasingly see the benefits over the coming decade. &n
Evidently taking a page from Norwegian Air Shuttle’s practice of hiring and domiciling cabin crews at operating bases outside Europe, Helsinki-based Finnair intends to contract cabin crew for flights between Asia and Finland from a company based in Asia if cabin crew’s employee consultation negotiations fail to deliver €18 million in savings. Management and the Finnish Flight Attendants’ Association (SLSY) agreed at the end of last year to negotiate €18 million in cost reductions, but talks ended Monday without an o
Air Berlin bought more time for its corporate turnaround without a change to its shareholder structure for now, but a lot of questions remain as to how far-reaching and sustainable its new agreements are and whether they will be sufficient for a reality check that might come as soon as later this year. As part of a broader emergency rescue exercise, the debt-ridden, money-losing German carrier has emitted yet another convertible bond, signed exclusively by its
JetBlue CEO David Barger is “disappointed” with the carrier’s pilots’ vote to seek union representation with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), but said the decision will have “no material effect” on the airline’s bottom line. JetBlue earlier this year had promised $145 million in higher pilot pay over the next three years, and the increase will continue as planned, Barger told analysts during the company’s first-quarter ea
The head of Ireland’s aviation authority is urging the FAA to allow Norwegian Air International (NAI) to serve the U.S. In a letter obtained by The DAILY, Irish Aviation Authority CEO Eamonn Brennan asks FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to approve NAI as a Part 129 foreign air carrier to the U.S. “The airline is fully licensed and certified in accordance with the EU requirements...and is properly licensed for international commercial
AMMAN, Jordan—Royal Jordanian (RJ) is undertaking several steps to strengthen its capital, with Jordan’s government willing to subscribe half of an initial JOD100 million ($140 million) capital infusion. Also the accumulated losses of $104 million will be fully amortized, the airline’s president and CEO Amer Hadidi says. The airline’s insufficient registered capital is an old sore dating back from its partial privatization in 2007, when Citigroup warne
FAA’s revamped administrative requirements for air carriers that contract out maintenance is being finalized and should be published by mid-year, the FAA’s Maintenance Division chief reports. The contract maintenance notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), issued in November 2012, calls for Part 121 and some Part 135 operators to tailor their manuals to better suit contractors, rather than legacy in-house operations.
Geopolitical instability, the slow recovery of economies in Europe and continuous competition from Persian Gulf carriers have prompted Royal Jordanian (RJ) to kick off a comprehensive review of its strategy and sustainability, which management hopes to complete next month. "We're undertaking a 360-degree assessment of the airline. Everything, including our route network, revenue policy and capital needs is being analyzed with the assistance of U.S.
Despite a massive new competitive threat from Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines is confident it can remain the preferred airline in its Seattle home base, executives from the company said during Alaska's first-quarter earnings call. Delta will have added almost 40% more capacity out of Seattle by year-end, which Alaska thinks is too much for some of the markets being served, CEO Brad Tilden told analysts and reporters on April 25.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Southwest Airlines predicts a year-over-year increase in capacity in 2014, mainly resulting from the carrier changing its fleet mix as it wraps up the integration of AirTran Airways. The company's overall number of aircraft was down by five, to 676 by the end of the first quarter. During the quarter, Southwest took delivery of two Boeing 737-800s and six 737-700s, and divested 12 Boeing 717-200s from the AirTran fleet.
Dallas Love Field is now poised to become Virgin America's third-largest base with the Justice Dept.'s decision, made public Friday, to transfer two Love Field gates from American Airlines to the California-based low-cost carrier.
