Independent appraisals have pegged the current market value of a new Boeing 787-8 at $129 million, or about 38% below Boeing’s $206.8 million list price for the model, while a new 737-900ER is valued at $55 million, or 44% below Boeing’s $94.8 million list price, a United Airlines regulatory filing reveals. The three appraisals, conducted as part of a prospectus tied to United’s financing of 21 soon-to-be-delivered Boeing aircraft, value a 787 slated for October delivery at $123.6 million, $124 million and $129 million, respectively.
Preliminary results from a ballot of AMR Corp.’s creditors and shareholders show that the two groups overwhelmingly support the company’s proposed merger with US Airways, says the operator. The airline says that of the eight creditor classes entitled to vote, at least 88% of the ballots (representing more than 97% of the claims value voting in each class) voted in favor of the plan. AMR also says more than 99% of the shares tabulated for the class of AMR stockholders voted to accept the merger.
Buoyed by the fast-track resolution to the cause of the recent Boeing 787 fire at London’s Heathrow Airport, and with the imminent rollout of the stretched 787-9, Boeing is dropping the strongest hints yet that it will inevitably push 787 production beyond 10 aircraft per month.
For the U.S.’s Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), this time the sky really might be falling. Just as the program was demonstrating early results and the FAA was solidifying its pro-NextGen leadership, including Administrator Michael Huerta and new Chief NextGen Officer Michael Whitaker, now comes a one-two budget punch that threatens to disrupt the fragile momentum the decade-old program had built up lately.
Aer Lingus plans to decide on the composition of its future long-haul fleet by the end of this year, CEO Christoph Mueller tells Aviation Week. The airline is mulling several options, including an all-Airbus A350-900 fleet, a mix of A330s and A350s, or just A330s.
EADS has decided to make significant changes to its corporate structure and put the entire company under the Airbus brand. The board of directors approval followed a proposal put forward by CEO Tom Enders to change the company’s name to Airbus Group. Defense and space units Cassidian and Astrium will be merged and called Airbus Defense and Space. Eurocopter also will lose its current brand and be re-launched as Airbus Helicopters.
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) opened its 2013 AirVenture on July 29, welcoming FAA controllers to help bring in the thousands of aircraft to the week-long event. But the effects of sequestration were apparent without any military flights on the air show schedule, or any forums involving the heads of either the FAA or NTSB.
A Boeing 787 grounded by Qatar Airways for more than a week has resumed scheduled services. According to industry sources, the aircraft—registered A7-BCB—on July 21 was surrounded by fire trucks just prior to its planned departure, following what is believed to have been a smoke incident towards the rear of the fuselage. Qatar Airways did not comment on the details, other than confirming a “minor issue.”
Air France will cut a further 2,500 to 2,600 jobs in an effort to restore its short- and medium-haul network to profitability. Management informed union representatives of the planned cuts at a works council meeting July 31. These redundancies will occur on a voluntary basis.
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Cessna Aircraft has logged nearly 200 hr. on its Jet A-fueled Turbo Skylane JT-A aircraft since it first flew in May, and company executives say the aircraft remains on track for delivery in the third quarter. The manufacturer unveiled plans to develop the diesel-powered Skylane at EAA AirVenture 2012 in Oshkosh, hoping to tap into a growing demand for alternatives to light aircraft powered by aviation gasoline, particularly in parts of the world where aviation gasoline (avgas) is not readily available.
The Chinese air force appears to have had enough of being held responsible for the country’s notorious flight delays, or is at least trying to shift the blame. The largest cause of flight delays is poor airline management, not the air force, according to statistics issued through official media by “relevant departments.” And, contrary to common belief, civil aviation gets plenty of air space, says a report by the China News Service, a state news agency.
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Cirrus is beginning initial production work of the first conforming Vision SF50 single jet, and is hoping to launch an 18-month certification program early next year. Patrick Waddick, who in March was named president of the Duluth, Minn., general aviation manufacturer, says the company is focused on completing the first certification aircraft, called C0, and kicking of the certification program late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of next year.
Growth in air freight has begun to accelerate according to figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The latest statistics show a 1.2% growth of air cargo for June. That compares to 0.9% in May and 0.1% for the first half of the year. IATA however, still remains cautious. “It is too early to tell if June was a positive turning point,” Director General and CEO Tony Tyler says, noting that the basis of the June development is fragile.
Ryanair is sticking with its net income guidance of €570-600 million ($755-795 million) for the fiscal year ending March 2014, despite a year-over-year decline in first quarter net income.
Third-party revenue at Air France-KLM Group’s Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) unit is on the rise as the entity adjusts its focus to more profitable work and trims costs through streamlined operations. Revenues from outside the group are up 19.6% to €621 million ($824 million) for the first half of 2013, including a 20.4% increase in the second quarter, group executives explained during of the company’s first half earnings call.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) intends to use leased Airbus A320s to set up a new low-cost carrier (LCC) following the demise of joint venture AirAsia Japan. The airline says the operation will launch at the end of December with two A320s, and will have five by the end of March 2014. ANA already has an agreement in place with AWAS to lease three A320s, which an ANA spokeswoman says originally were earmarked for AirAsia Japan but now will be used in the new LCC.
AeroVironment’s Puma AE unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is to be used for commercial missions in the Arctic following receipt of restricted-category type certification from the FAA. Insitu’s ScanEagle also received type certification and operational approval for Arctic flights. AeroVironment expects the 13-lb., hand-launched Puma AE to be deployed later this summer to support oil-spill monitoring and wildlife observation in the Beaufort Sea off the coast of Alaska’s North Slope inside the Arctic Circle.
Tying a potential repair station safety management system (SMS) mandate to specific criteria, such as work performed on transport category aircraft, could be an acceptable alternative to a broad rule covering all FAA-certified facilities, a survey of MRO executives suggests. The survey, conducted by St. Louis University’s Center for Aviation Safety Research (CASR), generated about 440 responses from repair stations of all sizes, including some foreign facilities.
