American Airlines is expecting to take delivery of its first Airbus A319s in two weeks and should have 15 of the type in its possession by the end of the year. The airline, which has not operated an Airbus aircraft since it retired its A300-600 fleet in 2009, intends to place the narrowbody into service Sept. 16 with flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Memphis International Airport and Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.
India’s High Level Committee on Manufacturing, which is chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has approved a long-delayed plan to develop a 70- to 100-seat civilian aircraft. The program, which could be launched by the end of September, is expected to take seven years, with development taking five years and testing a further two years, says a government spokesman. The spokesman did not provide financial details.
The FAA’s Aviation Safety division has a shrinking staff due to federal budget cuts, and so it is betting on less manpower-intensive risk-based surveillance programs to help inspectors keep tabs on aviation businesses.
The U.S. House of Representatives today will hold a hearing on the businesses and national security implications of Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) plan to open a preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Panelists include CBP Acting Deputy Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, Airlines for America President and CEO Nicholas Calio, and Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association.
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Telespazio has been awarded a €216 million ($277 million) contract by the European Satellite Service Provider, ESSP SAS, as part of the European Union’s Egnos satellite navigation overlay program. The eight-year contract was signed in Toulouse by Telespazio CEO Luigi Pasquali and ESSP President Dirk Werquin. It gives the Finmeccanica/Thales-owned satellite services company the lead-subcontractor role to ESSP, a consortium of European air navigation authorities that functions as the Egnos system operator and service provider to the European Commission.
Etihad Airways President and CEO James Hogan says the company’s strategic partnerships, especially with Air Berlin, were a key factor in a record first half and second quarter financial performance. “Despite the tough global trading climate, we have still achieved record, double digit growth in both Q2 and the first half of 2013. This reflects not only the continuing popularity of our Abu Dhabi hub, but the growing maturity of our airline partnership strategy and the strength of our cargo operations,” says Hogan.
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Statistics, 12 Months Ended December 2012, Widebody Aircraft (Sorted By Seats Per Departure) Aircraft Stage Seats/ Aircraft Car
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Costs, 12 Months Ended December 2012, Widebody Aircraft (Sorted By Seats Per Departure) Cost Per Block Hour
Embattled Alitalia will expand its intercontinental operations and add six new aircraft to its long-haul fleet as part of its latest restructuring plan, which aims to return the group to profitability by 2016. New destinations that may be introduced include Johannesburg, Nairobi, San Francisco, Santiago and Seoul from Rome Fiumicino Airport, and Abu Dhabi, Osaka and Shanghai from Milan Malpensa Airport. Alitalia also may launch a service between Venice and Tokyo.
Boeing and Airbus have backlogs bulging with orders and would like to see production rates increase. The question is can their supply chains meet the schedule and quality marks needed. “We have to think through whether we want to go for higher rates,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner recently said. Airbus is in the same cautious position of not wanting to let its desire for higher rates exceed its supply chain’s capacity. Still, the pressure to get aircraft out the door faster is relentless.
ATR, lacking agreement between its joint owners, does not expect to launch its proposed 90-seat turboprop this year, despite strong interest from its largest customers. In the meantime, the airframer’s engineers are still refining the design of the aircraft, which would extend ATR’s product range above the 70-seat ATR 72, says CEO Filippo Bagnato.
An algae-to-biofuel facility that eventually will convert waste carbon dioxide to jet fuel as well as biodiesel is to be built at a coal-fired power station in New South Wales, Australia. To be built by start-up Algae.Tec, the facility near Syndey is to begin operations early in 2015. The carbon capture and conversion facility at Macquarie Generation’s Bayswater in the Hunter Valley will use Algae.Tec’s enclosed modular algae production system, with grows the algae inside containers into which is piped sunlight, recycled water and nutrients.
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Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, London Heathrow - Los Angeles Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, London Heathrow - Los Angeles British Airways Virgin Atlantic Others 2008Q1 629 4
Investigators probing the July 6 crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) are working to understand what caused the Boeing 777-200ER to make a slow, steady descent into a sea wall just short of its assigned runway, and why the flight crew did not detect a problem until just seconds before the plane hit.
The growth of All Nippon Airways’ (ANA’s) Boeing 787 fleet will allow the carrier to introduce the aircraft on two more international routes later this year, and resume 787 operations on another route. These changes will give ANA a total of eight international 787 routes by October. The 787s will be used on the existing service from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to Munich Airport from Sept. 1, replacing the Boeing 777-300ERs currently used on this route.
Lawmakers at the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, though nearly $1 billion apart on their recommended fiscal 2014 FAA budget, are in agreement on a number of priorities, including support adequate funding for the FAA’s certification and inspection workforce.
Aer Lingus, as expected, plans to reintroduce nonstop service between Dublin Airport and San Francisco International Airport as part of a plan to expand North American capacity 24% in 2014. The airline next year also plans to operate its first service to Toronto Pearson International Airport and increase frequencies to Boston Logan International and John F. Kennedy International airports from Shannon Airport. Aer Lingus says it increased transatlantic capacity 13% this year.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way: London Heathrow - Los Angeles Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way: London Heathrow - Los Angeles British Airways Virgin Atlantic Ot
The European Commission (EC) has revealed plans to drastically reduce state aid to regional airports and streamline rules on airline subsidies for adding new routes or services from these airports.
