Fly Leasing sold nine aircraft with an average age of 13.5 years for a total of $78 million in the first quarter, generating a $6.5 million gain over net book value and contributing to a big increase in its first-quarter profit.
Air France-KLM is preparing further cuts to its cargo division to accommodate the current weakness in global airfreight. “We must continue to reduce capacity in this business,” the group’s CFO Philippe Calavia said May 3, during a first quarter earnings call. “We believe there is too much capacity and we are competing with other transport modes.” Calavia believes the weakness of global air freight is partly structural, and Air France-KLM is adapting by focusing more on belly cargo.
To help meet the environmental and energy-saving goals of NextGen, the FAA plans to establish a cost-sharing partnership between academia, industry and the government to advance alternative fuels development and reduce emissions and noise. The university-based Center of Excellence (COE) for Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment is planned to be operational by late this year to carry on research conducted by the Partnership for Air Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction (Partner), which has run for 10 years.
Aer Arann, which operates as Aer Lingus Regional, is putting its first ATR 72-600 into commercial service and will take delivery of another seven of the type over the next 11 months. The ATR 72-600s will replace the older existing fleet of ATR 72-200s and ATR 42s.
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The FAA is seeking companies to conduct airport operations and safety research at the agency’s William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, N.J., and is accepting responses through May 9. According to a market survey issued on April 30, the agency is specifically looking for “competition level” companies able to conduct research, test and demonstration efforts related to operational efficiency, safety and enhanced infrastructure.
TUI Airlines Belgium, which operates as Jetairfly, could issue a legal challenge against the Belgian government’s decision to deny the carrier the right to serve Kinshasa N’Djili Airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) while granting Brussels Airlines two additional weekly frequencies to the African airport.
A change of government in Australia’s upcoming general election could mean policy changes on two issues that concern the country’s regional airline industry. The opposition Liberal-National Coalition—which currently is ahead in the polls—is signaling that it would remove a carbon tax and consider reinstating subsidies for rural air service if it prevails in the September elections.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) says fatigue and other procedural errors led to the overrun of an Enerjet Boeing 737-700 at Fort Nelson Airport in British Columbia on Jan. 9, 2012. There were no injuries to the 112 passengers and six crewmembers after the chartered flight overran the end of Runway 03 by 230 ft. into snow and ice after a flight from Fort St. John Airport, British Columbia.
Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti says his airline’s purchase of a majority stake in Tiger Airways Australia will not affect the independence of the two carriers’ operations. There will not be wholesale substitutions of one carrier for the other on established routes, Borghetti said earlier this week at a Macquarie investor conference in Sydney. This means Virgin Australia will not be pulling out of domestic routes or airports so that low-cost carrier Tiger can serve them instead.
Some six weeks after officially selecting General Electric (GE) as its “engine partner” for the 777X, Boeing has received approval from its board of directors to formally offer the stretched twinjet to customers. Boeing, which was originally expected to seek board approval for this milestone sometime in April, says it is “taking the next step by engaging in the marketplace, discussing more details and offering the airplane to customers—conditional on final approval to launch the program.”
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of May 2, 2013, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
Mark King, president of Rolls-Royce’s Aerospace division, is leaving the company just four months after assuming the role. King, who has been with the company since 1986, reportedly has cited personal reasons for his departure. Rolls-Royce in a May 2 statement says King “has decided to resign.” King will be replaced by Tony Wood, who currently is president of the Marine Engines division.
Lufthansa no longer plans to divest its catering business LSG SkyChefs, as the unit shows signs of positive financial performance. “LSG is, and will remain, an important part of Lufthansa,” CFO Simone Menne said during the company’s May 2 first quarter earnings call. “It’s positive development is encouraging and [LSG] will continue to work without a partner.”
South Korea and Bombardier have failed to come to an agreement on joint development of a 90-seat regional turboprop, leaving the country without a current manufacturer as a potential partner, since talks with ATR shareholder EADS also produced no deal.
In response to industry criticism of its “sequencing” process, the FAA today will roll out a proposal aimed at providing better servicing for a wide range of certification applications.
Lufthansa is expected to add new members to its executive board soon in an effort widely interpreted as a move by CEO Christoph Franz to strengthen his control over the airline and address staff disputes more effectively.
