Japan Airlines (JAL) and Qantas are boosting their investment in Japanese low-cost carrier Jerstar Japan, a move that represents a vote of confidence in the performance of the fledgling carrier and its growth prospects. The two mainline carriers have announced a combined equity injection of 11 billion yen ($111.9 million), which will lift their ownership stakes to 45.7% each, up from 41.7%. The other two partners in the joint venture, Mitsubishi Corp. and Century Tokyo Leasing, will now each own 4.3%.
Fewer commercial aircraft deliveries and a shift in the mix toward smaller regional and business jets caused Embraer to miss its profit forecast for the third quarter. But the Brazilian manufacturer expects a strong fourth quarter, and is maintaining its full-year forecast for 2013. Rival Bombardier also missed its third-quarter revenue and earnings forecasts on lower aircraft deliveries and orders, but has not commented on whether it will meet its full-year targets.
In another potential blow to the Airbus A380 program, Air France-KLM yesterday indicated it may not take all of the aircraft it has on firm order for its Air France unit. According to Air France-KLM CEO Alexandre de Juniac, the airline may swap part of its remaining order for other aircraft types and plans to enter discussions with Airbus on the matter. Air France has taken delivery of nine of the 12 A380s it has on order, and is scheduled to receive another A380 in 2014.
The FAA says it has “streamlined” the approval process that airlines can use for approving on-board personal electronic devices (PEDs), opening the door for individual airlines by the end of the year to approve PEDs for use at all times during a flight.
Lufthansa CEO Christoph Franz says the company’s third-quarter financial performance indicates a “trend reversal” for the group’s passenger airlines. Lufthansa Passage, the unit comprising Lufthansa and Germanwings, posted a €300 million ($408 million) operating profit in the period, an improvement of 170% over the previous year. According to Franz, the unit’s short-haul segment also will post a full-year operating profit for the first time in five years.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of October 30, 2013, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
Airframe manufacturers face an uphill climb to capture consistent revenues from the aftermarket, but hold several advantages over traditional maintenance suppliers that—if leveraged correctly—could lead to market-share gains, a PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) analysis concludes.
An agreement that will bring Ukraine into the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) could be concluded at the end of November, Aviation Week has learned. European Commission officials say the initialing of the comprehensive air services agreement will take place during the third biennial Eastern Partnership Summit, which will be held in Vilnius Nov. 28-29. During the summit, Ukraine also is expected to sign an association and free-trade agreement with the EU. Some unresolved political issues, however, still could halt the deal.
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The FAA, in a step toward developing a consistent source of regulatory interpretations, is reviewing all guidance and plans to ensure that still-relevant documents are available in an existing electronic database, while duplicative and irrelevant guidance is canceled, the agency’s certification director says.
China will have the capability for performance-based navigation procedures at all of its airports by 2016. Speaking yesterday at the Flight Safety Foundation’s International Air Safety Summit in Washington, Wang Zhong of the China Academy of Civil Aviation said there currently are 196 airports in the country. He noted, however, but only a limited number of facilities are able to offer area navigation (RNAV) or required navigation performance (RNP) approaches or procedures.
As the only all-new engine developed for one of the most ambitious aircraft models built in the jet age, General Electric’s GE90 family has more than held its own.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - Buenos Aires, Oct. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - Buenos Aires, Oct. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Departures Airport Share ASMs (mil) Airport Share Seats/Dept.
Estonian Air’s drastic restructuring and downsizing efforts are starting to bear fruit, and the airline now has reached sustainability in its core business as a result of resizing operations, says CEO Jan Palmer says. The airline came close to bankruptcy at the end of 2012, owing to an over-ambitious growth strategy as a hub-and-spoke operator. However, it has now reduced its fleet to seven regional jet aircraft. Two Saab 340s were sent back to lessors during the second quarter and a Boeing 737 was returned in July.
The much-delayed maintenance, repair and overhaul facility jointly established by Air India and Boeing in India will be operational by mid-2014, the U.S. aircraft maker says. “The handover of the facility will be done by the end of this quarter or the next,” says Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president-sales, Asia Pacific and India, Boeing Commercial Aircraft.
Inefficient certification processes are delaying hundreds of new applications for aircraft operations and repair stations, says Jeffrey Guzzetti, assistant inspector general for aviation audits for the U.S. Transportation Department.
Efforts to better understand wildlife strike patterns and translate that knowledge into reducing the risk of strikes with aircraft are paying off, the latest FAA wildlife hazard report shows. The recently released report—Wildlife Strikes to Civil Aircraft in The United States, 1990-2012—shows that strike reports, which mainly involve birds, are rising at about 4% per year, hitting a record 10,726 in 2012. This is not unexpected, as officials have focused efforts on expanding reporting in an effort to build the knowledge base.
