Virgin America, well past a major growth phase and in the midst of a lull in aircraft deliveries thanks to a restructuring of outstanding orders, is “now poised to produce meaningful profitability,” President and CEO David Cush says. On Aug. 7 the airline reported its first-ever second-quarter profit, $8.8 million in net income, compared with a $31.8 million loss in the same quarter of 2012. Its year-to-date profit at the halfway point—$12.9 million—is also a first.
China Southern will market select WestJet flights connecting between Vancouver and Edmonton, Kelowna, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Prince George, Calgary, Toronto and Regina under a code-share deal unveiled today. China Southern sees it as a logical extension of its growth strategy, citing as an example the airline’s recent move in June to boost its Vancouver frequency to daily. The two airlines have had an interline agreement since March of last year.
Results from an Australia Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) study have prompted the regulator to formalize revised standards for reinforced cockpit doors that take emergency access and egress into account. The July 31 notice of proposed regulation (NPRM) would address two situations: assistance from cabin crew when a pilot becomes incapacitated, and post-accident escape from the cockpit to the cabin. The changes would be incorporated in CASA’s Part 90, “Additional Airworthiness Requirements.”
Airbus is now near its full-year target to reach more than 1,000 firm orders in 2013. Having signed up firm commitments for an additional 175 aircraft in July, the European manufacturer is now at 932 gross firm orders, 892 net after cancellations, since the start of the year. Airbus’ original sales target was more than 700 aircraft, but management last month revised that upward in the face of strong demand in recent months.
South African domestic carrier Comair Limited is slowly returning its Boeing 737 fleet to regular service, after a total of 11 aircraft were temporarily grounded over the weekend. The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) decision came after it was determined that the aircraft had been flying with spindles that should have been replaced in August 2012. The airline is understood to have modified six of the 11 aircraft in question.
Deputy NASA Administrator Lori Garver, a policy lightning rod at agency headquarters as the Obama administration worked to shift U.S. human spaceflight from a government-run operation to a commercial venture, has resigned to take a job as general manager of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).
A strong showing by Gulfstream and Bombardier helped propel first-half general aviation billings to their highest levels since 2008, but the continued sluggishness at the light end of the jet market kept down business shipments overall, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA) first-half shipment report. Even so, the piston market—usually a leading indicator of market recovery—is showing signs of a rebound.
Cost-conscious Norwegian is looking at opening a U.S. crew base either in New York or in Fort Lauderdale, the airline’s CEO Bjoern Kjos says. Norwegian plans to go ahead with the idea once it has taken delivery of its third Boeing 787 in October.
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Putting its Oklahoma operations on the market could be the first major step in Spirit AeroSystems’ effort to re-focus resources on what it does best: playing major roles in maturing, growing Boeing and Airbus airliner programs.
Bristow Helicopters has begun offering the AgustaWestland AW189 to its oil and gas customers in the North Sea region. The company, which has ordered six of the type for the offshore support mission, has been demonstrating the aircraft to customers since July 30 using one of AgustaWestland’s pre-production aircraft at Norwich Airport, U.K., one of the locations where the new aircraft is likely to be based once it enters service in early 2014.
A series of one-off costs—mainly related to restructuring initiatives—have helped push Virgin Australia into the red for the year ending June 30. The carrier will not report its full fiscal year results until Aug. 30, but in its latest guidance it predicts an annual loss of A$95-110 million ($84.5-97.8 million). This is a downgrade from previous guidance, and would represent a significant slide from its A$23 million profit in the previous fiscal year.
A consortium of energy companies is investing in a conversion program to use Boeing 727s in the oil-spill dispersal missions, extending that capability longer distances and potentially speeding response times. Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL) has contracted U.K.-based T2 Aviation—a consortium of 2Excel Aviation Limited and TAG (Stansted)—to develop an aerial oil spill dispersal system for the three-engined airliner.
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Financially troubled British regional airline Flybe is losing a key executive, as Andrew Knuckey, the airline’s chief financial officer (CFO), announced his resignation Monday. Knuckey will remain on board until a suitable successor has been hired, a statement from Flybe said.
A testbed for future fuel-efficient civil transport and unmanned aircraft with slender, flexible wings has made its first flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif. The X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed (MUTT) has been built by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and NASA to test active aeroelastic control technologies for flutter suppression and gust-load alleviation.
The FAA plans to order inspections of LiveTV in-flight entertainment system radomes on certain Boeing 737NGs, after 26 reports of radomes being cracked due to mishandling during installation or maintenance.
An expected bump in air freight demand created in part by two new video game systems and a decline in subsidized one-way flying has Atlas Air bullish on the second half of 2013, company executives report. “Several major products, particularly the [Microsoft] Xbox One and [Sony] PlayStation 4...should drive fairly significant demand for schedule capacity, as well as into the charter market,” Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings President William Flynn said on the company’s quarterly earnings call Aug. 1.
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Airbus has been quick to dismiss the merits of Boeing’s new 787-10 since its launch at the Paris air show in June, a sure sign that the European airframer considers the new aircraft a serious competitor. Another sure sign is this: Airbus plans to launch a new A350 version to go head to head with the -10.
