LOS ANGELES — General Electric’s strategic push to increase the use of non-metallic materials in turbofans has taken a significant step forward with the introduction of the first load-bearing composite rotating part inside the GE90-115B. GE successfully pioneered the use of composites in the fan and casing of high bypass-ratio engines, starting with the fan on the GE90 in the 1990s, and extended the use of the lightweight material to the casing and other static parts of the GEnx family in the 2000s.
CORRECTION: A story on March 5th incorrectly reported the status of FAA’s Contract Tower Program. The proposed Fiscal Year 2015 budget does not include dedicated funding for the Contract Tower Program.
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Lufthansa is investing €160 million ($220 million) to add a new premium economy-class cabin, in an effort to lure cost-conscious business travelers back on board. The airline is presenting the new seat at the ITB tourism fair in Berlin on March 5; the first aircraft is to be reconfigured in October.
Aviation Daily subscribers should keep visiting the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) 2015 budget page for news, data and analysis of programs and priorities throughout the business day and as the proposal makes its way through Congress during the next few months. The page can be found at http://www.aviationweek.com/awin/USBudget2015.aspx.
Leveraging assets snapped up as part of divestitures from the American/US Airways merger and the elimination of long-standing restrictions on flying out of Dallas Love Field, Virgin America wants to move its North Texas operations from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Love this fall and launch flights to major U.S. business centers.
Aviation Daily subscribers should keep visiting the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) 2015 budget page for news, data and analysis of programs and priorities throughout the business day and as the proposal makes its way through Congress during the next few months. The page can be found at http://www.aviationweek.com/awin/USBudget2015.aspx.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Atlanta - Fort Lauderdale, February 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Atlanta - Fort Lauderdale, February 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily
The Transportation Department’s (DOT) Fiscal Year 2015 budget request of $15.4 billion for FAA dusts off some familiar—and unsuccessful—efforts to boost revenues and cut spending, and reduces funding for aviation’s most high-profile initiative. The request includes $836 million in base NextGen funding, a 7.2% decline compared to FY14’s $901 million in enacted funds and a 5.3% dip from the sequestration-adjusted FY12 amount of $883 million, a budget summary prepared by DOT shows.
The growth rate of air freight traffic continues to accelerate, and current volumes are the highest they have been since mid-2010—when air freight grew at a double-digit annual rate—but there is also ample reason to be cautious, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
LONDON — Rolls-Royce has taken full control of composites manufacturing joint venture Composite Technology and Applications (CTAL), acquiring GKN Aerospace’s 49% stake for £8 million ($13.3 million). CTAL is a Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace joint venture established in 2008 to combine Rolls-Royce’s engine expertise with GKN’s composites capability. In December 2012, the partners formally opened a new £14.8 million CTAL facility on the Isle of Wight to research and develop manufacturing processes for composite engine fan blades and fan cases.
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier has signed a deal to sell up to 10 Q400 turboprop aircraft to the Kazakhstan government for a new regional airline. The airline, likely named Air Kazakhstan, is slated to start services in early 2015, and will be part owned by the country’s sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna. No additional funding details were available. Bombardier plans to extend its offering with a full-service deal for the new carrier. It will include aircraft supply, pilot and technician training, and the establishment of service centers.
Air Berlin is in the process of defining the delivery dates for its incoming fleet of Boeing 787-9s, but no quick fleet exchange is on the horizon. CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer says that the airline is working on its strategy for the next five years and will make a decision about the 787s within the next six months.
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International Airlines Group (IAG) is hoping to integrate US Airways’ flights into its joint venture (JV) with American Airlines and is eyeing other Oneworld-based partnerships. American and US Airways closed their merger in December and have recently begun rolling out some initial network cooperation moves, expanding their codeshare to include nearly 6,500 daily flights.
With continuing political unrest in Thailand adversely affecting the tourism and aviation industries, and poor results released earlier this week, AirAsia is likely to push back delivery of new Airbus aircraft for its Thai AirAsiaX (TAX) operation.
Boeing is on a path to begin offering forward-fit automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) “in” capability to its fleet, starting with the 787 next year.
SINGAPORE — Announcing its first international route, an addition of 12 new domestic routes and a projected ten new aircraft this year, Indonesia-based Batik Air is waving a competitive flag at regional operators across Southeast Asia. Batik, the full-service offshoot of Lion Air, will open its first international flights on a daily basis from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Sinagpore Changi Airport at “the end of 2014,” says Batik Air CEO Capt. Achmad Luthfie.
LONDON — Iberia parent International Airlines Group (IAG) is hoping to cement Iberia’s future by striking a new ground staff deal and finalizing tentative agreements with its pilots and cabin crew. Over the past few weeks, Iberia has reached agreements in principle with its pilots and cabin crew as part of a radical restructuring that has seen the loss of 2,507 jobs, or 12% of its total workforce, since December 2012. These comprise 1,857 ground staff, 458 cabin crew and 192 pilots.
