U.S. and European regulators are attempting to eliminate restrictions on the transport of liquids and gels in hand baggage by 2016, with duty-free liquids possibly permitted early next year, says the leader of the European Parliament’s Transportation and Tourism Committee. Committee Chairman Brian Simpson says he had “meaningful discussions” regarding the liquid-and-gel regulations with U.S. Transportation Department and Transportation Security Administration officials during his visit.
Airbus has decided to drop lithium-ion batteries on the A350 program. The company told its customers about the decision, explaining that it wanted to protect the A350 entry-into-service schedule. Airbus sources say the airframer’s concerns did not necessarily center on the technology, but arose mainly from the regulatory uncertainty following the two Boeing 787 incidents. Airbus is worried about late additional compliance criteria that could be introduced by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
The nationwide rollout of a data communication network highlights that Nav Canada has a lead role in the global trend of shifting essential ground-to-air exchanges from voice to text. Nav Canada will this year complete the phased introduction of controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) throughout its high-altitude airspace. Nav Canada Chief Technology Officer Sid Koslow says that while CPDLC is hardly a new concept—the industry has been talking about it for at least 20 years—this will be its most extensive deployment for domestic airspace.
Delta Air Lines has launched another legal action against the Export-Import Bank’s (Ex-Im’s) financing support to foreign airlines acquiring Boeing aircraft, which the U.S. carrier says gives overseas competitors an unfair cost advantage. The lawsuit, which includes the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Hawaiian Airlines as co-plaintiffs, opposes guidelines and procedures Ex-Im has developed for establishing the economic impact its financing will have on U.S. carriers and their employees.
Government-wide spending cuts set to go into effect March 1 under the cost-reduction program known as sequestration would reduce FAA funding by $619 million, causing delays to key elements of the NextGen air traffic modernization program and inconvenience for air travelers, concludes a report issued by the Democratic members of the House Appropriations Committee.
Grupo Aeromexico, which still expects to receive its first Boeing 787 aircraft this year, says it will use the first three of 19 it expects to own or lease for service to New York, London and Paris; it will postpone deploying the 787 on Asia routes until the fourth has joined the fleet. Aeromexico previously said London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle International airports would be among the first recipients of its 787 flights.
Airbus ProSky, the airframer’s air traffic management subsidiary, plans to establish an office in Singapore as it strengthens ATM research links with Singapore’s aviation authority. This will be Airbus ProSky’s first office outside Europe, North America and China, President Eric Stefanello tells Aviation Week. It is expected initially to have five to 10 ProSky employees, and is intended to support a new agreement with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and serve as ProSky’s base for the rest of Southeast Asia.
Delta Air Lines could replace at least some of the 18 Boeing 787-8 purchase rights inherited from its 2008 acquisition of Northwest Airlines with alternative aircraft, although it is unclear if the carrier intends to switch to a different variant or type of aircraft. This new condition, which is declared in the airline’s annual financial report, further dilutes a 787 backlog assigned to Delta that once would have made the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport-based airline the first U.S. operator of the Boeing widebody.
The “new American Airlines” created by the merger of AMR Corp. and US Airways should be operating under a single certificate by early 2015. US Airways Chairman and CEO Doug Parker, speaking to analysts and reporters Feb. 14 during a conference call, said previous mergers historically took 18 months to obtain a single air operator certificate. “That is pretty much the longest pole in the tent in terms of operational integration,” he said.
Privately owned Vietnamese domestic carrier Air Mekong is suspending operations at the end of February and hopes to restart a few months later with Airbus aircraft. Air Mekong, which is part-owned by U.S. regional SkyWest Inc., operates a fleet of four Bombardier CRJ900s. High fuel prices, however, have made the CRJ900 too costly to operate, Air Mekong Commercial Director Vu Truong Thanh tells Aviation Week, so the airline will cease regional jet operations Feb. 28.
An International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) committee has agreed to recommend an additional 7 dB reduction in noise levels for aircraft, with the new limits to be put in place at the end of 2017 for large aircraft and the beginning of 2020 for smaller ones. That reduction is 2 dB more than the industry originally wanted, resulting from political pressure to reduce airport noise, and the implementation plan is revised.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of February 13, 2013, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
The first global standard for aircraft carbon-dioxide emissions is expected to be in place by 2016 following international agreement on the test procedures that will be used to measure aircraft fuel efficiency. Meeting in Montreal, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection has agreed the certification procedures supporting the new CO2 standard.
U.S. regional operator SkyWest Inc. is preparing to obtain Embraer E-Jet certification to support the company’s efforts to gain new feeder contracts. The St. George, Utah-based operator offered little detail about its E-Jet fleet plan when asked about its intentions during the company’s 2012 earnings conference call, although President Brad Rich acknowledged that the company is “well positioned” to add the type certificate.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - Doha, Feb. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - Doha, Feb. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Departures Airport Share ASMs (mil) Airport Share Seats/Dept.
Heathrow Airport Ltd., which operates London Heathrow Airport, plans to increase the passenger charge to raise £3 billion ($4.7 billion) for investment in the hub’s facilities. In the airport’s business plan for regulatory period Q6–covering 2014-2019—wants to increase the per-passenger charge incrementally to £27.30 from £19.33 by 2019 to help pay for a multi-billion-pound improvement program. The tariff would increase about 5.9% each year.
Thales wants to increase its air traffic management (ATM) portfolio by acquiring an ATM information technology (IT) business from French group Egis. The two companies are in exclusive talks about selling Egis Avia’s Maestro arrival and departure flight sequencing systems, Atalis aeronautical information systems, datalink servers and Scansim air traffic control simulators. No purchase price has been announced.
GA Telesis, one of the world’s largest aircraft parting-out companies, will disassemble at least a half-dozen aircraft this year that were built since 2000. Abdol Moaberry, GA Relesis’ CEO, president and founder, is unsure if the early retirement of such low-usage aircraft is a permanent trend, but he says demand of some used aircraft remains low despite bargain prices.
Etihad Airways’ expected investment in Jet Airways has the potential to fundamentally change India’s air transport industry. Struggling Indian carriers are hoping other foreign investors will follow. Several international airlines are showing an interest in Indian carriers, especially low-cost airlines, such as SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) is in talks with at least two Indian carriers.
