FAA is finalizing the list of federally funded and contract air traffic control towers slated to close and hopes to provide details by March 20, a little less than three weeks before the first wave of towers shuts down.
Thai Airways International’s short-haul carrier Thai Smile is about to launch services to five international destinations, a move that also marks the introduction of a business-class cabin. A spokeswoman for Thai Airways says Thai Smile on March 31 is launching a twice-weekly service between Bangkok and Ahmedabad, India, and a five weekly operation between Bangkok and Mandalay, Myanmar.
Boeing’s board of directors is expected to decide as early as its next meeting in April if the Commercial Airplanes division (BCA) can offer the proposed 777X to airlines. The milestone move, if confirmed, puts Boeing at the start of a six-year development track culminating with the entry-into-service (EIS) of the first of two new 777 family members in 2019. The extended twinjet series will include a 777-8X, sized to succeed the 777-300ER, and a larger 777-9X, which opens up new territory in the 400-plus-seat, long-range market.
International Airlines Group (IAG) has agreed to a Spanish mediator’s proposal that reduces job and wage cuts at its Iberia operation in the hope that the concession will end a series of strikes over the company’s restructuring plan.
Boeing is taking advantage of a lull in demand for 787 pilot training to relocate all of its full-flight simulator bays from Seattle to Miami.Maintenance training for all but the 787 will remain in Seattle
Pinnacle Airlines expects revenues to fall by more than half by 2017 after it transitions to a fleet comprising solely Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, but the U.S. regional carrier forecasts a $4.2 million profit for that year as operating expenses decline at a slightly faster rate. The U.S. regional currently operates 140 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft and 41 76-seat CRJ900s for Delta Air Lines.
ATR and Bombardier are predicting buoyant prospects for larger-capacity turboprops. ATR, which this year is increasing production to deliver 80 ATR42/72s, forecasts a market for some 3,350 aircraft worth $80 billion in this category over the next 20 years. And Bombardier, which now has 47 operators of its Q400 in 22 countries, sees a market for some 2,850 over the same period.
AirAsia Philippines, a joint-venture company of Malaysian carrier AirAsia, has agreed to buy 49% of rival low-cost carrier Zest Air. In a statement to the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange, AirAsia says AirAsia Philippines will acquire 49% of Manila-based Zest Air and 100% of Asiawide Airways, the company that owns Zest Air’s fleet. It also says that Zest Air majority owner Alfredo Yao will buy shares in AirAsia Philippines.
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (Canso) is weighing the possibility of establishing a safety audit system for air traffic management providers. In a new slate of actions and policies it will be pursuing, Canso mentions an audit program. It says it will “consider the possible establishment of a Canso safety certificate, focusing on the maturity of safety management systems and practices, which would include an evaluation and audit program” for air navigation service providers (ANSPs).
Lion Air on March 23 is scheduled to launch its Malaysian subsidiary Malindo Air, which initially will serve East Malaysia’s two biggest cities from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Malindo’s booking engine says it will launch a four-times daily service on March 23 from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching and follow this on March 27 with a three daily services from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu. The airline’s website also says it intends to serve Miri, Sandakan, Bintulu and Sibu.
Air Astana is planning to code-share with Star Alliance carrier Turkish Airlines, a sign that Kazakhstan’s national carrier may be positioning itself to join the alliance. Turkish Airlines and Air Astana have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to code-share on each other’s flights between Istanbul and Kazakhstan’s two international gateways in Almaty and Astana, says Air Astana CEO Peter Foster. The LOI also says the two carriers will be permitted to sell tickets on each other’s flights beyond these hubs under a special prorate agreement.
Brazil’s antitrust regulator has endorsed a merger between Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras and TRIP Linhas Aereas that will create the country’s third largest carrier with control of 15% of the domestic market. The approval is conditioned on TRIP ending its code-share with TAM Airlines, and Azul Trip utilizing at least 85% of each of their slots at Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro.
You can now register online for Aviation Week events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or contact: Lydia Janow, 212-904-3225 or 800-240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada only) April 16-18—MRO Americas 2013, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. April 17-18—MRO Military 2013, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. May 8-9—Civil Aviation Manufacturing Conference, The Renaissance Charlotte Suites, Charlotte, N.C. May 15—Aviation Week Webinar: Mitigating Weather Delays with NextGen Capabilities, 11am ET
Competition between lessors for aircraft acquisitions is heating up and raising prices, says Dublin-based Fly Leasing, although this has not dissuaded the company from earmarking $300-500 million for aircraft purchases this year.
Construction work on a new airport for Beijing is unlikely to begin this year, says the country’s new transport minister. Transport Minister Yang Chuantang, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of China’s annual meeting of parliament, said a lot of preliminary work is needed for the airport at Daxing, in Beijing’s southern suburbs. Yang added that it would be hard to begin full-scale construction this year, suggesting the airport may not be ready until 2019.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - Miami, Feb. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - Miami, Feb. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Departures Airport Share ASMs (mil) Airport Share Seats /Dept.
Boeing on Friday named a pair of veteran engineering program managers to lead its 737 MAX and 777X development efforts, further refining how the manufacturer balances leadership of current airplane production with increased delivery rates and the introduction of new models.
