London Heathrow Airport is preparing to end a 50-year-old restriction on runway movements with an infrastructure plan that would allow alternations during easterly wind patterns.
A prominent U.S. think-tank is proposing a model for consolidating FAA air traffic control facilities in parallel with the NextGen program, and is urging the FAA to create a comprehensive consolidation plan. The Reason Foundation in a new report estimates that the current 20 en-route centers and 167 terminal radar approach control (Tracon) facilities could be replaced by five high-altitude centers, eight integrated control facilities and 38 consolidated Tracons. This could result in one-off savings of $1.7 billion, and annual savings of around $1 billion.
Qantas is adding routes to its code-share with China Eastern Airlines, deepening its relationship with the carrier and significantly expanding its China network. By adding two Australia-China nonstop routes to what was largely a domestic code-share arrangement, Qantas is advancing its efforts to increase its Asia network. Currently, it does not have a strong China presence, while Chinese carriers are making more and more inroads into Australia.
Sequester-driven federal budget cuts are having an impact on two U.S. airlines, with Delta Air Lines and US Airways both reporting lower-than-anticipated gain in passenger unit revenue in March. A few weeks ago, Delta forecast a 4.5-5.5% year-over-year increase in passenger unit revenue for the first quarter after reporting gains of 5.5% for January and 5% for February. On April 2, however, it posted a 2% gain for March.
The UAE’s Ambassador to the U.S. says the two countries are close to finalizing a deal to allow a U.S. customs facility to be based at Abu Dhabi International Airport. According to Yousef Al Otaiba, he had hoped a deal could have been reached to coincide with the April 2 launch of Etihad Airways’ nonstop service between Abu Dhabi and Washington Dulles International Airport. But while that did not transpire, he says that an agreement is “very, very close” and that the opening of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility is then dependent only on equipage.
Boeing has taken the unusual step of alerting Washington state residents to ongoing engineering flight tests of an updated enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) in a 777-300ER.
Taiwan’s EVA Air is downplaying the prospect of a low-cost carrier (LCC) partnership even though flag carrier China Airlines (CAL) has expressed an interest in such a venture. The country’s air passenger market has yet to mature enough to support a home-grown low-cost carrier, An EVA spokesman tells Aviation Week, adding that Taiwan’s domestic market is too small and that the country lacks sufficient secondary airports.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Paris Orly - Toulouse, March 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Paris Orly - Toulouse, March 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way Departures Share ASKs (000) Share Seats/Dept.
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Avionics manufacturers are hopeful that organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays that are progressively entering the consumer electronics sector will be ready for cockpit displays in about three years. The technology, available in some Samsung and LG mobile phones and televisions, will allow for thinner, lighter and more luminescent displays that can conform to curved surfaces once reliability and durability concerns are addressed.
NASA this summer plans to begin wind tunnel tests of a control system augmentation method that could produce more efficient commercial aircraft designs. The tests, part of NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project, incorporate a technology called sweeping jet active flow control on a full-scale Boeing 757 vertical tail in a 40x80 ft. wind tunnel at the Ames Research Center in California.
Brazil’s traffic reports for the first two months of the year clearly illustrate that the country’s two largest operators have implemented dramatic capacity reduction plans, and that their competition continues to grow. Both TAM Airlines and GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes have reversed years of growth to counter shifting demands among domestic travelers, which increasingly are favoring low-cost, low-fare operators. TAM and GOL launched their strategies last year, but the momentum, particularly at TAM, is more evident this year.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to tie up with local airlines and state-run oil companies to meet the fuel requirements of domestic airlines. The AAI, which operates 125 airports in the country, will hold a 13% stake in the joint venture, “with other stakes being held by different partners,” says Chairman V. P. Agarwal. AAI currently is working out the details of the initiative, which include inviting “airlines to be part of the joint venture.”
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Barcelona - Madrid, March 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Barcelona - Madrid, March 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way Departures Share ASKs (000) Share Seats/Dept.
Taiwanese carrier EVA Air is on track to join Star Alliance in June, and has made progress integrating its IT systems. “After evaluating our passenger service system requirements for the past few years, we have determined that Amadeus Altea will integrate our system adequately with Star Alliance’s to meet our needs. Our IT department and front-end users have completed testing and training. The migration was successfully completed on March 17,” EVA management says in a statement, in response to an Aviation Week query.
The Texas Transportation Commission on April 4 has scheduled a special meeting to consider funding, at least temporarily, for 13 contract air traffic control towers that are slated to lose federal funding over the next month. The 13 towers are among 149 contract towers that are slated to lose federal funding as part of the FAA’s attempt to meet mandatory budget cuts under sequestration.
The U.S. Supreme Court on April 1 effectively ended the challenge to the Transportation Department’s new fare advertising rule, declining the petition by Southwest Airlines, Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines for a hearing. The court declined the petition without comment. The three low-cost carriers petitioned the Supreme Court in November to hear their challenge to the new rule, which they described as an “assault” on the Airline Deregulation Act passed by Congress in 1978 and a violation of First Amendment free speech protections.
Most non-aviation people believe life’s lone certainties are death and taxes. Those who understand aircraft operations know there is at least one more: maintenance downtime.
