Turkish Airlines wants to expand its network to about 300 destinations and is searching for additional interim leases to continue growing, CEO Temel Kotil tells Aviation Week. Ataturk International Airport-based Turkish has a fleet of 202 aircraft flying to 217 destinations. The number of destinations is expected to rise to 250 by the end of this year. “We are not the largest airline in the world, but we go to many different places,” Kotil says.
The future of the Tupolev Tu-204 narrowbody looks ever more uncertain after Russian authorities suspended the air operator’s certificate of the largest operator, Red Wings. The program is already in limbo and has no firm orders.
TAP Portugal is waiting for information on its planned privatization, which is expected to be relaunched this summer after the sole bidder, Synergy Aerospace, pulled out of the proposed sale late last year. “According to public government announcements the operation will be started again, most likely before summer. Most probably a different model of privatization will be defined,” the airline tells Aviation Week.
The company developing a global air traffic surveillance network using satellites instead of ground stations is forming an advisory panel to involve airlines and other stakeholders in the effort. Aireon is creating an eight-member advisory committee that will include representatives from airlines, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and air navigation service providers (ANSPs). The members will be named before the committee’s first meeting in the second quarter, says Aireon.
Canadian budget carrier WestJet on June 24 will launch its Encore regional operation to three cities across British Columbia. Encore’s initial fleet of Bombardier Q400s will serve Fort St. John, Nanaimo and Victoria daily, with Fort St. John service offered from Calgary and Vancouver. WestJet will operate its Nanaimo flight from Calgary, while the Victoria service will come from Vancouver, about 60 mi. from British Columbia’s capital city.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has named Jeffrey Shane, a respected Washington lawyer and a veteran of U.S. aviation policy, general counsel. Shane, who will be based at IATA’s Montreal headquarters, will assume the role April 2. Currently a partner at law firm Hogan Lovells, Shane is best known for his 25 years in the U.S. government, where he spent most of his time working on international aviation policy.
The boards of directors of AMR Corp. and US Airways could meet Feb. 13 to vote on a potential merger of the two carriers. According to two sources close to the merger negotiations, the boards would meet separately to vote on the deal, and the merger could be formally unveiled Feb. 14. They caution, however, that the deal still is being negotiated and may take longer to finalize.
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.
By Nancy N. Young Make no mistake about it: the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is bad news—for customers, airlines and, ironically, the environment. It is quite simply an exorbitant, extraterritorial cash grab for financially troubled European countries which under the law can use the money however they see fit.
Airbus has reinstated American Airlines’ order for 130 A321NEOs 13 months after taking the firm order off its books when the U.S. carrier entered Chapter 11. The deal was announced in July 2011 when American split a record narrowbody order between Airbus and Boeing. Boeing last week also logged American's 737 MAX order as well a 787 deal unveiled in 2008.
Boeing has received the go-ahead from the FAA to conduct data-gathering test flights of a 787 as part of the ongoing investigation into the causes of two battery failures that have grounded the 787 fleet since Jan. 16. Specific details of what will be tested during the flights remain vague. They are thought to be aimed at measuring the environmental conditions in and around the batteries, which are located in the forward and aft electrical/electronics bays.
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) March 5-6—Defense Technology & Affordability Requirements, Hilton Arlington, Arlington, Va. March 7—Laureate Awards 2013, National Building Museum, Washington, D.C. April 16-18—MRO Americas 2013, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. April 17-18—MRO Military 2013, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga.
Volga-Dnepr Group has been pushing United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) and Antonov to restart production of its An-124 Ruslan freighter for years. With no additional orders in sight, the operator may take the project into its own hands.
U.S. flight attendants and pilots will be entitled to more days of annual unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act than other employees in the U.S., under a new rule issued by the Labor Department. Airlines for America, which otherwise says it is “pleased” with the final rule, calls the additional days of leave “disappointing and puzzling.” But in the rule, the department says the 72-day provision is based on the law.
Aerospace defense companies will start expanding into the commercial sector as the effects of military spending cuts and the continued growth of civil aviation prompt a series of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), says Scott Thompson, U.S. aerospace and defense leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which just released its 2012 M&A report for the aerospace and defense industries.
Boeing has started telling its customers to expect serious delivery delays for the Boeing 787 as far out as this summer. Norwegian Air Shuttle on Friday confirmed that it has been alerted by Boeing that delivery of its first two aircraft, previously scheduled for April and June, could be affected. The company stated that Boeing has not announced a new delivery date or given written confirmation of a potential delay.
American Eagle Airlines’ Air Line Pilot Association (ALPA) chapter have asked the U.S. bankruptcy court overseeing AMR Corp.’s restructuring to block a 12-year capacity purchase agreement signed last month with Republic Airways Holdings. AMR executives “provide no explanation for why it would make sense to use a third-party carrier, one that provides regional feed to American’s mainline competitors, instead of AMR’s wholly owned subsidiary, whose labor costs have been successfully restructured in this bankruptcy,” ALPA says in its court filing.
