Despite load factor declines across AMR Corp.’s three international markets in July and only a 0.5 percentage point growth on domestic routes, the U.S. operator says the month’s passenger unit revenue improved 4% year-over-year to a record 14.61 cents. Domestic loads, which benefitted from a 0.2% dip in capacity and a 0.3% rise in demand, last month reached 88.7%, while international loads, at 86.4%, felt the effect of a 6.2% increase in supply on AMR’s Atlantic, Latin American and Pacific routes but a 5.4% rise in traffic.
European competition authorities have extended until Oct. 16 the review of a revised proposal from Aegean Airlines to acquire its smaller rival Olympic Air. Aegean has offered additional concessions to address the European Commission (EC)’s concerns that the merger will harm competition in the domestic airline market in Greece after an initial batch of proposed remedies—including an offer to cap fares on a number of domestic routes—was rejected by the EC. It is not clear what the additional concessions include.
Inexperience among suppliers and regulators, an engineering shortage and in some cases common cultural practices among Chinese bureaucracies all likely share some of the blame for the latest delay on the Comac C919. The director of an expert committee advising China’s cabinet on the program, Zhang Yanzhong, revealed recently that first flight of the C919, already delayed earlier this year by about nine months, now will not take place until the end of 2015 (Aviation Daily, Aug. 8).
Air Lease’s big bet on the Boeing 787-10 is rooted in the type’s versatility, which should allow it to serve almost every intercontinental route flown by widebodies tagged for replacement as the new aircraft enters service, says Air Lease Chairman and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy.
The in-limbo status of Boeing 747-400 freighters traded in to the manufacturer as part of deals to sell new 747-8s adds uncertainty to an already shaky large freighter aircraft market. Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s Fleets database shows seven 747-400BCFs going from 747-8 customers to Boeing Aircraft Holding Company since April 1. Air China Cargo, Cathay Pacific subsidiary Dragonair, and Korean Air each handed over two planes, while Cathay Pacific traded in one. Air China, Cathay and Korean all operate 747-8Fs.
Development of the massively delayed Comac ARJ21 is now looking stable and on track for its latest target for airworthiness certification, June 2014, say industry officials familiar with the program. Comac is aiming at completing flight-testing by the end of the year, leaving six months for further certification work. “There seem to be no major problems,” says one official. Another, agreeing, says the development schedule has been realistic since last year, when the 2014 target was set.
Montreal-based Air Transat is the first airline to complete the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) new safety audit after helping the association develop the soon-to-be-standard enhanced review process. IATA’s Enhanced Operational Safety Audit (E-IOSA) introduces internal auditing that airlines must follow to show compliance with more than 900 standards and recommended practices (Isarps).
Introducing the Aero 100 Airfare Benchmark Index Designed for anyone with risk on the future level of airfares – for example Airlines, Banks/Credit Card Companies, Corporate Travel Managers, etc. The Aero 100 Airfare Benchmark Index tracks daily airfares within the domestic airline market. The Aero 100 delivers financial risk mitigation and protection against constant fluctuation of airline ticket prices by providing the price settling mechanism for Commodity Futures Contracts.
Aug. 12-13—Aircraft Electronics Association Regional Meeting, Sao Paulo, Brazil, www.aea.net/events.asp Aug. 12-14—AIAA AVIATION 2013, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles, California, www.aiaa.org/aviation2013 Aug. 17-21—55th NEC Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, www.necconference.org Aug. 27-28—Aircraft Electronics Association Regional Meeting, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, www.aea.net/events.asp Aug. 30—1st Airline Cost Conference (ACC), IATA Conference Center, Geneva Switzerland, www.iata.org/events/Pages/airline-cost.aspx
The FAA may require thrust reverser inner wall replacements on all Rolls-Royce-powered Boeing 777s to help prevent wall break-ups that have plagued at least 15 aircraft, including a Royal Brunei Airlines 777-200ER near London Heathrow Airport (LHR) last December, U.K. investigators report.
Air Transportation Modernization Conference September 9-11, 2013 The Dupont Circle Hotel Washington, D.C. Re-Defining NextGen: -- Setting Priorities -- Implementing Capabilities -- Delivering Benefit
Virgin Australia may soon grow its fleet of aircraft dedicated to charter operations as new opportunities arise, particularly to support the mining economy, says Merren McArthur, the carrier’s head of regional and charter business
U.S. scientists tracking aviation wildlife strikes are concerned that pilots aren't reporting strikes often enough, even as the data show substantial growth in the number of large birds showing up as threats to aircraft. Matt Klope, with the U.S.
Tigerair Australia needs to double the size of its fleet of 11 Airbus A320s to create the scale efficiencies expected from a low-cost carrier (LCC), says airline CEO Rob Sharp. The carrier should have 20-22 aircraft to reach critical mass and maximize asset utilization, Sharp said during the Center for Aviation’s Australia Pacific Aviation Summit in Sydney.
An Antonov An-12 freighter was destroyed in a fire at Leipzig Airport in Germany early Friday. The aircraft was parked at the cargo apron and had started up engines 1 and 4 when the fuselage was suddenly engulfed in flames. The seven-member crew escaped unharmed, but thousands of live chickens burned. The aircraft belonged to Ukraine Air Alliance. The airline is based in Kiev/Ukraine and specializes in freight charters. Its fleet consists of An-12s, An-26s and Ilyushin Il-76s.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Day: Hong Kong - Los Angeles Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Day: Hong Kong - Los Angeles Cathay Pacific United Others
Czech Republic-based Travel Service a.s., this week canceled its order for one Boeing 787-8. It is Boeing’s first 787 cancellation this year, but it still leaves the manufacturer with a net of 82 orders booked for the year, according to Boeing’s most recent orders and deliveries overview. The airline has a large portfolio of charter flights and also operates low-cost scheduled flights under the Smart Wing brand. The carrier placed the order for a single Dreamliner in 2007, while taking purchase rights for one more.
U.S. airlines are taking diligent and creative approaches to boost capacity while protecting high load factors from the threat of overexpanding fleets—a trend that is expected to gain momentum, industry experts say. Upgauging, or swapping smaller aircraft for slightly larger ones, is the most direct capacity boosting approach, and it’s continuing unabated. US Airways recently switched its last Airbus A319 order and five A320 orders to A321s, an Aviation Week analysis of the most recent Airbus orders and deliveries report shows.
Etihad Airways is in negotiations with the Polish treasury about an equity investment in LOT Polish Airlines, sources close to the talks tell Aviation Week. The negotiations are already at an advanced stage, they say, but it could still take several months for the process to be finalized.
Japan Airlines’ retirement of its 747 fleet, once the world’s largest, has prompted the Japanese government to bring forward its plan to replace the two 747-400s it uses as official transports. Additional aircraft will be considered for short and medium services, for which the Mitsubishi Aircraft MRJ regional jet is expected be a candidate—and perhaps the reason for the requirement.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) hoped to restore a full flight schedule for Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by late Thursday following Wednesday’s devastating fire at the international terminal. The airport operator has set up temporary structures, tents, security screening and check-in points following the blaze, which destroyed large parts of the international terminal.
