Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic say they expect to be able to begin coordinating their pricing and schedules on U.S.-U.K. routes under a transatlantic joint venture within the first three months of 2014, now that Delta closed on its 49% stake in Virgin. But the partnership also could provide some opportunities in the nearer term for vendors.
The Airbus air traffic management unit has secured a major airport as the first customer for an advanced version of its airport surface management system, although the airport’s identity will not be revealed until later this year.
Introducing the Aero 100 Airfare Benchmark Index Designed for anyone with risk on the future level of airfares – for example Airlines, Banks/Credit Card Companies, Corporate Travel Managers, etc. The Aero 100 Airfare Benchmark Index tracks daily airfares within the domestic airline market. The Aero 100 delivers financial risk mitigation and protection against constant fluctuation of airline ticket prices by providing the price settling mechanism for Commodity Futures Contracts.
A June 19 article on South African Airways inaccurately detailed the carrier’s Asian network. The Chairman and CEO quoted in a June 18 piece on SkyWest Inc. should have been Jerry Atkin.
Mitsubishi Aircraft will use “paperwork changes” to overcome union contract restrictions that forbid most U.S. mainline carriers from outsourcing flying on aircraft that exceed a certified maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 86,000 lb.—a cutoff that Mitsubishi will not meet under current plans for its MRJ90 and MRJ70LR jets.
The long wait for the release of the final aircraft repair station security rule continues as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) extends its review of the new regulation past its 90-day window. After years of delay, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in March received final clearance from the Department of the Homeland Security on the congressionally-mandated rule and sent the document for OMB review on March 16.
Iberia is failing to make a profit in all its markets—including routes to Latin America—and more “sacrifices” are necessary to keep the airline afloat, parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) has warned. Until recently, Iberia’s core problem was its short- and medium-haul network, while its long-haul network overall turned a profit. But that has changed.
The tentative agreement that Alaska Airlines reached with its pilots union includes no aircraft size-related restrictions on outsourcing flights, but does add new job protections for the crew members if Alaska acquires or is acquired by another carrier.
Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council (ASC) says pilots of a Far Eastern Air Transport MD-82 ignored the airline’s maximum tailwind limit during a second landing attempt at the Magong Airport in May 2012, leading to an overrun. The aircraft stopped approximately 328 ft. beyond temporary runway end lights put in place for a construction project, according to the ASC interim report issued this month. There were no injuries among the 172 passengers and crew on Flight 025 from Songshan to Magong.
Thales has completed the acquisition of a broad portfolio of capabilities from Egis Avia, a move that will strengthen Thales’ air traffic management offerings. The company in February announced that it was in exclusive talks with Egis Avia to purchase the ATM segments. The transfer has now formally occurred, says Thales. Among the Egis Avia products going to Thales are the Maestro arrival/departure flight sequencing systems, Atalis aeronautical information systems, a data link front-end processer and ATN router, and ATC and tower simulators.
Delta Air Lines’ recently acquired Pinnacle Airlines unit on June 26 will unveil a new brand and logo when dedicating its new headquarters at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. The renaming of Pinnacle to Endeavor Air, which has already been communicated to employees, is scheduled to be formally introduced Aug. 1, say several sources close to the airlines.
Airbus is unimpressed—at least officially—by Boeing’s soon-to-be launched 777X, with Chief Operating Officer-Customers John Leahy dismissing the proposed widebody as a “very heavy paper aircraft.” Leahy, speaking at the Paris air show, argued that Boeing “will discover that a derivative will not compete with a clean-sheet design (the A350),” and that he saw no need for Airbus to react with a counterproposal to the 777-9X.
ATR seems to be gaining more support from its shareholders to launch a 90-seat turboprop. “Airbus is, together with its partners, studying the developments in the regional market,” says ATR Chairman and Airbus Executive Vice President Strategy and Marketing Kiran Rao, adding, “The most likely outcome will be a new generation of turboprops with increased size, greater comfort and significant improvement in efficiency.”
The delivery of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 to Mexican airline Interjet marks the aircraft’s entry into service in the West. And that, says Nazario Cauceglia, CEO of Superjet International, is extremely significant. “Everybody is watching its entry into service,” Cauceglia says. “This gives us a unique chance and we cannot lose it. This could open the door to the Western market.”
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of June 19, 2013, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
While International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) is interested in Boeing’s 787-10, the lessor is signaling that no order is imminent. ILFC is “obviously following every development” with the -10 version, says CEO Henri Courpron at the Paris air show. But he notes that ILFC is already the largest customer for the 787, “and I don’t think it’s a priority for us to take more 787s.”
