A coalition of airline groups believes industry is putting more money into Customs and Border Protection (CBP) than it is receiving in services because other transportation sectors are underpaying, setting the stage for a battle over CBP funding and allocation of services. The coalition is led by Airlines for America, the International Air Transport Association and Airports Council International-North America.
Hawaiian Airlines has finally announced plans to launch its first Chinese route, a move it has often signaled that it wanted to make but was waiting for the right time. Beijing will be the latest international Asia-Pacific destination added by Hawaiian, with three weekly flights beginning on April 16, 2014. The carrier will use Airbus A330-200s, once the service is granted government approvals.
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) has picked up 18 co-sponsors so far on a bill, “Protect Our Skies Act,” that would prohibit FAA from pulling funding from both contract and federally run air traffic control towers. The bill, while not yet introduced, is expected to include stronger protections than those contained in Moran’s failed amendment to limit the FAA’s cuts in the contract tower program to 5%, the same as in other sequestration reductions.
International Airlines Group (IAG) is close to acquiring Barcelona-based Vueling Airlines after the low-cost carrier’s board of directors approved a new takeover bid. The board’s approval recommended that shareholders accept IAG’s late March offer of €9.25 ($12.08) a share, which marked a 32% premium on the €7-per-share offer previously dismissed by the same board. IAG’s revised offer also sought a smaller investment in Vueling than the initial bid, although IAG still wants a majority stake in the Spanish airline.
Medium-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X has applied to launch an initial public offering (IPO) on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange and plans to almost double its fleet this year; it also is understood to be planning to start an airline in Bangkok.
A growing number of lawmakers are urging the FAA to consider alternatives to pulling funding for 149 contract towers. FAA plans to eliminate funding for the towers as part of its effort to slash $637 million from the remainder of its fiscal 2013 budget, but on April 5 postponed the funding cutoff date until June 15.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Fukuoka - Tokyo Haneda, April 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Fukuoka - Tokyo Haneda, April 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way Departures Share ASKs (000) Share Seats /Dept.
Taiwan carrier EVA Air, which already is buying Boeing 777-300ERs, is considering the Boeing 777X and Boeing 787-10. “Both types are on our shopping list, and we are waiting for Boeing to reveal more information with respect to the 787-10 and 777X when the programs are launched,” EVA’s top management says in a statement in response to a query from Aviation Week.
Turkish Airlines is adding to its substantial order book for narrowbodies with another major purchase. The fast-growing carrier revealed in a note to the Istanbul stock exchange that it will order 95 Boeing 737s—20 737-800s, 65 737-8 MAX and 10 737-9 MAX. The order complements a previous one for 82 Airbus A320-family aircraft, among them 53 A321NEOs, four A320NEOs and 25 A321s.
Budget Coverage: When the U.S. government’s fiscal 2014 budget proposal is released on April 10, Aviation Week Intelligence Network subscribers should be sure to visit http://www.aviationweek.com/awin/USBudget2014.aspx, which will feature all the latest budgetary and programmatic news, data and analysis grouped in one place.
The growth of Jetstar’s New Zealand domestic operation is likely to continue, with a senior airline executive acknowledging the carrier is considering bringing in additional aircraft to boost market share. Jetstar has nine Airbus A320s based in New Zealand and has captured 22% of the domestic market, says David Hall, who heads Jetstar’s Australian and New Zealand operations. Hall tells Aviation Week he would like to see this share grow to 30%, which would be a “good position” in a market dominated by an incumbent national carrier like Air New Zealand.
Ecuadorian airline TAME will enter the widebody and long-haul market with the introduction of its first Airbus A330-200 in July. TAME plans to operate the aircraft on the Quito-New York route exclusively, TAME CEO Rafael Farias told Aviation Week. The aircraft is on a six-year lease.
MTU Aero Engines CFO Rainer Winkler will replace CEO Egon Behle by the end of the year. MTU said Behle, 57, decided not to extend his contract, which will expire at the end of the year. Behle and MTU both cited personal reasons for the decision.
Lufthansa Cargo is in talks with undisclosed Asian carriers about possibly forming a joint venture that will enable the European carrier to tap intra-Asian traffic.“We are talking to various partners about collaborating on the network side,” says Lufthansa Cargo VP-Asia Pacific Helge Kruger-Lorenzen, adding that “maybe we will end up collaborating with someone from Star Alliance.” Four Star Alliance carriers operate in Asia: All Nippon Airways, China Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways International.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) will spend the next 12 months creating a dedicated aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) force at the four New York-area airports it owns and operates—John F. Kennedy (JFK), Teterboro, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty International—after acknowledging lapses including allowing untrained Port Authority police officers to serve on active ARFF duty.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Buenos Aires - Madrid, November 20-26, 2011, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Buenos Aires - Madrid, November 20-26, 2011, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way
One night last February, a single-engine light aircraft skidded to a stop on the main runway at the Salisbury-Wicomico County Airport after its gear collapsed on landing. Leaving the aircraft on the runway, the pilot got out, shut off the lights and walked to a nearby facility for help.
