Wolfgang Prock-Schauer has replaced Hartmut Mehdorn as Air Berlin’s CEO just three months after joining the German airline as head of strategy. The appointment ends months of speculation over who will replace 70-year-old Mehdorn, who has headed the airline since mid-2011, but comes earlier than expected as Mehdorn’s contract expires by the end of 2013. Two months ago Air Berlin denied reports that a new CEO was to be named.
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.
Pinnacle Airlines will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines once the regional carrier emerges from Chapter 11, if a new plan of reorganization filed by Pinnacle is approved by its bankruptcy court. Under the proposed restructuring, Delta, or an affiliate, will acquire Pinnacle’s equity once the Memphis-based regional exits Chapter 11.
Indian operator Jet Airways has formally acknowledged that it is in discussions with Etihad Airways about the sale of minority stake to the Abu Dhabi-based carrier. Although the companies have not finalized any provisions, “various structures are being explored by the legal and commercial teams,” says Jet Airways in a regulatory filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange. “Care [is] being taken to ensure that all regulatory requirements are fully complied with,” the Indian carrier adds.
Iberia pilots represented by the powerful SEPLA union are meeting with management to discuss the airline’s restructuring, which proposes the loss of 4,500 jobs, productivity improvements and cuts to salaries and benefits. Pilots are the last employee group to agree to enter negotiations. Management and unions representing ground staff and cabin crews, comprising 93% of Iberia’s staff, on Dec. 17 agreed to discuss the company’s transformation plan; a similar accord was reached last week with SEPLA, an Iberia spokesman tells Aviation Week.
U.S. regional operator ExpressJet this week will meet with its pilots union to discuss the addition of large, dual-class regional aircraft to the carrier’s fleet, Aviation Week has learned. Few details are available, although sources at the Air Line Pilots Association and the airline say the talks will start in the coming days. No details on aircraft type or which feeder contract is involved are being disclosed.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] Jan. 9-11—Airports Council International-North America, 2013 Risk Management Conference, Las Vegas, Nev, www.aci-na.org/event/2406/ Jan. 18-20—Wings Over Wairarapa 2013, Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, New Zealand, www.wings.org.nz/ Jan. 22-24—Airports Council International-North America, 2013 Customer Service Seminar, Amelia Island, Fla., www.aci-na.org/event/2410/
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) Jan. 21-23, 2013—MRO Middle East, DWTC Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE 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.
Virgin America’s expansion into Newark Liberty International Airport is being facilitated by American Airlines, which is leasing 15 slots to the low-cost carrier. The slot lease will go into effect March 31 and expires in October 2022. Virgin America will pay $10,000 a month in rent for each slot, according to an American filing with its bankruptcy court.
The non-disclosure agreement (NDA) preventing US Airways, American Airlines and their pilots unions from speaking about a new labor agreement could be lifted if the US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA) board approves an interim deal. The Allied Pilots Association’s (APA) board last week approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will serve as an interim contract in the event of a merger between American and US Airways. However, the details of the MOU were not released, as all parties have signed an NDA.
The FAA, bowing to broad industry opposition, will rescind its interpretation of a rule governing rest for airline mechanics, reverting to a more flexible view that both management and unions have long considered acceptable. The agency delivered the news in a Dec. 26 letter to the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), which spearheaded the challenge to an FAA interpretation made nearly three years ago.
March 5-6 2013 Hilton Arlington Arlington, VA Join senior defense officials and discover where priorities and opportunities exist beyond the FY 2014 budget and hear First-hand how programs are implementing affordable and effective designs! Register now at www.aviationweek.com/events/dtar Click here to view the pdf
Estonia’s national airline Estonian Air and the Estonian Airline Pilots Association throughout the weekend continued negotiations on a new collective labor agreement in an attempt to avert a strike which could potentially spell the end of the struggling carrier. The carrier’s pilots union in December said it would start industrial action today if the terms of a 2008 agreement are not restored. Financially troubled Estonian Air scrapped the collective agreement with its pilots in August 2012 and the decision will become effective Feb. 9.
Mexico and Paraguay this week will announce an air services agreement that the two sides began negotiating more than five years ago. The agreement allows each country to designate up to two carriers—passenger, cargo or mixed—to operate routes between Mexico and Paraguay, according to a copy of the treaty obtained by Aviation Week. The designated carriers will be allowed unlimited overflight over each country, unrestricted rights for stopovers en route to third countries and unrestricted carriage of passengers and cargo between Paraguay and Mexico.
As the outlook for heavy maintenance on the global single-aisle fleet of 13,000 aircraft shows only modest growth during the next 36 months, there will be pockets of opportunity, particularly among Latin American operators. Based on the most recently compiled data, heavy maintenance visits (HMV) will generate about $1.4 billion in annual sales, with C checks accounting for nearly $1.3 billion each year through 2015, concentrated strongly in the U.S., U.K. and Brazil.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - Moscow Domodedovo: Dec 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - Moscow Domodedovo: Dec 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs
The European Commission (EC) is between a rock and a hard place with more European airlines turning to their governments for financial support. It can either strictly apply its state aid rules and risk more bankruptcies, or the EC can compromise its tough stance and help struggling carriers to survive.
Delta Air Lines in 2013 will focus on getting “a higher percentage of the travel wallet” from its 160 million annual passengers and leveraging that customer base, says Glen Hauenstein, the carrier’s executive VP for network planning, revenue management and marketing.
The Uruguayan government has refused to let a group of former Pluna employees use the defunct carrier’s brand for a proposed startup, Aviation Week has learned. The government, however, has given the group of about 400 employees its blessing to relaunch the airline, and the new airline is likely to get Pluna’s route authorities and possibly all 13 of the carrier’s Bombardier CRJ900ERs, a source involved in the discussions tells Aviation Week.
Airlines for America (A4A) has named Dan Elwell senior VP for safety, security and operations. The position is a liaison with the Transportation and Homeland Security Departments, the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration. Elwell joins A4A from the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), where he was VP-civil aviation. Prior to AIA, Elwell was FAA assistant administrator for aviation policy, planning and environment. Elwell will join A4A on Feb. 1.
India’s Kingfisher Airlines has announced plans to resume operations by March even though the country’s aviation authority has refused to renew its operating license, citing the company’s failure to provide evidence of sufficient funding.
