Even as they develop engines promising 15-16% lower fuel burn on the latest narrowbodies, manufacturers are looking toward the 25-30% fuel-consumption reductions expected to be required by the mid-2020s to help keep airlines ahead of oil prices and emissions targets. For Safran group company Snecma, that means continuing work begun three decades ago on open-rotor engines—then with General Electric, but now with a European flavor.
Air France-KLM’s comprehensive restructuring program—Transform 2015—launched 18 months ago is starting to bear fruit, and the group now expects to report a positive operating result for 2013. The company reversed a five-year history of ending the second quarter in the red, posting a €79 million ($105 million) operating profit in the quarter ended June 30. Air France-KLM’s passenger business made an operating profit of €93 million in the quarter, reversing a €57 million operating loss a year earlier.
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The FAA is canvassing the aerospace industry for low-cost solutions to prevent runway incursions at small- to medium-density commercial airports. A new market survey says the agency wants to evaluate “existing technologies which may be applied, or enhanced through additional research” to prevent runway incursions, which are defined as “any unauthorized intrusion onto a runway, regardless of whether or not an aircraft presents a potential conflict.”
Airbus has completed the first cabin virtual flight in the A350 flight-test program. The simulated flight took place at the manufacturer’s Hamburg site and involved cabin zero—a representative section of an A350 with real aircraft systems installed. According to Airbus, the test took 5 hr. and involved two pilots, eight flight attendants and 129 passengers, who brought hand luggage on board. During the exercise, a main meal course plus pre-landing snacks were served from the galleys.
China Southern Airlines has moved up the date for introducing its Boeing 787s on routes to New Zealand, which will make it among the first to operate the 787 on scheduled services in Australasia. The airline was previously planning to introduce 787s between Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Auckland International Airport from Dec. 4. However, the carrier has announced that it will begin 787 service on Oct. 28.
EADS is preparing a major structural overhaul that will lead to realigned divisions and a new name: Airbus. According to several industry sources, the changes may be confirmed at a board of directors meeting scheduled for July 30. The European aerospace group, which will not comment, is going to merge its defense and space divisions—Cassidian and Astrium—into a new entity. The new unit is also going to include Airbus Military, according to some sources.
Hawaiian Airlines will take a break from its fleet and network growth in the second half of this year, as it looks to consolidate its latest wave of international expansion. During the airline’s second-quarter earnings call, CEO Mark Dunkerley told analysts that Hawaiian has reached a “hiatus in new international route launches.”
The Irish government has approved a draft law to create the Shannon Group, an entity aimed at revitalizing the development of aviation services in the region around Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland. The new state-owned company will combine the Shannon Free Airport Development Company (Shannon Development) and the Shannon Airport Authority, which was separated from the Dublin Airport Authority last December and now operates on an independent commercial basis.
Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s EasyGroup is increasing its stake in African low-fare carrier Fastjet from less than 3% to 5.81%, by converting licensing and consulting fees due until December 2013 into additional equity. “The roll-out of this embryonic operation from Tanzania to the rest of Africa will clearly take both time and more investment,” says the founder of U.K. low-fare carrier EasyJet. “I have faith that the extensive airline experience of Ed Winter and his management team will take the company to the next level,” Haji-Ioannou adds.
American Airlines and US Airways will only have to cede market share on their services between London Heathrow Airport and Philadelphia International Airport to gain the European Commission’s (EC’s) approval for their proposed merger.
About 50 Airbus A380s need wing leading-edge lift devices inspected for incorrectly installed hinge assemblies, a proposed European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) airworthiness directive says. The regulator says “a deficient assembly process” could cause gaps to form between bolts and bushings installed on droop nose hinge arm forks. Left unchecked, the stress could deform the forks and—in the worst case—break them.
Emirates Airline may be considering transatlantic services from the U.K. if granted regulatory approval. Laurie Berryman, the airline’s vice president for the U.K., in an recent interview with British trade publication Buying Business Travel said that Emirates would like to see complete open skies (including fifth-freedom opportunities for non-U.K. carriers) for all the “regional” airports in the country, to take pressure off the already congested London Heathrow Airport.
MTU Aero Engines is suffering from weaker than expected MRO business for the Pratt & Whitney PW2000 and General Electric CF-6 engines, as key operators such as United Airlines and American Airlines appear to have cut back on shop visits this year. The engine specialist was forced to pull back on its profit guidance for the full year, and now says it will only reach last year’s level of about €235 million ($311 million). The company had earlier projected earnings to rise by up to 12%.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of July 25, 2013, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is showing no sign of granting Jetstar Hong Kong access to mainland China, casting doubt over the potential scale of the low-cost subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines and Qantas Airways that is due to begin operations this year. Without mainland rights, Jetstar Hong Kong would be limited to addressing Asian markets where budget-airline competition is abundant. One of the strengths of the carrier’s business plan was its potential to offer budget fares to mainland Chinese travelers.
Delta Air Lines expects this year to be one of its most profitable, as it benefits from a decline in fuel costs, better-than-expected control of fixed costs and a fleet upgauging initiative that will cut 40 50-seat regional jets from its operations in the second half of the year.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, New York Kennedy - Santo Domingo Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, New York Kennedy - Santo Domingo JetBlue American Others 2008Q1 133 579
The government of India has backed privately owned Jet Airways’ decision to sell parking slots at London Heathrow Airport to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways. In April, Jet Airways agreed to sell a 24% stake in the company to Etihad. The Middle Eastern carrier’s overall commitment to Jet includes an injection of $220 million to create and strengthen a wide-ranging partnership between the two airlines.
