National Airlines, an Orchard Park, N.Y.-based provider of international charter service for the U.S. military, U.S. government contractors and foreign defense agencies, wants to expand its operations to include scheduled passenger service to Afghanistan and potentially Northern Iraq. The general public would not be able purchase tickets for the flights, which initially would be confined to U.S. Defense Department-vetted government personnel and contractors. But National adds that it “may eventually expand its operation to include such sales.”
The pilot in command of the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Superjet 100 that crashed into a mountain May 9 during a demonstration flight in Indonesia ignored repeated warnings from the aircraft’s terrain awareness warning system and even turned the system off in the seconds prior to the fatal crash, says Indonesia’s National Transport Safety Committee. The agency’s report, which cites no technical failures, also notes the crew’s failure to maintain a sterile cockpit during the flight.
Turkish carrier Pegasus Airlines has placed a firm order for 58 A320NEOs and 17 A321NEOs in a deal that also includes 25 options. The agreement is a major blow for Boeing, as Pegasus has been an all-Boeing operator since its launch in 2005. In that time, the airline has grown from carrying 500,000 passengers annually to 13.5 million passengers in 2012. Pegasus’s fleet currently is comprised of 40 737-800s and two 737-400s.
A group of American Airlines pilots will ask the bankruptcy court to allow them to retain the lump-sum pension payment option, which American had argued last month to eliminate for retiring pilots.
Pilots at United Airlines and Continental Airlines will begin work on a seniority list agreement after voting to ratify a unified contract for the 12,000-plus pilots, who now work for United Continental Holdings. With a pilot deal out of the way, United can forge ahead with the final stages of its merger, which has experienced its share of rough spots. The ratification also could clear a path for the airline to move forward with a long-awaited narrowbody fleet renewal.
Southwest Airlines could be softening on the idea of charging customers for a first or second checked bag. The door appears open because in a direct question from a reporter on Dec. 14 about the possibility that Southwest might add a charge for those bags or ticket changes, Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly said only that Southwest will not be charging for checked bags or ticket changes in 2013 other than a new “no-show” fee for customers who, without notice, fail to show up for their flights.
Vijay Mallya, chairman and founder of grounded Kingfisher Airlines, is ready to inject about 4.25 billion rupees ($775,000 million) into the carrier to restart operations if and when India's aviation regulator gives the go-ahead, one of the members of the airline’s lenders committee says.
Etihad Airways has signed a substantial funding agreement with Tourism Australia, which is welcome news for the national tourism body after Qantas announced it will not renew its own funding deal.
No one Mexican-flagged carrier has assumed bankrupt Mexicana de Aviacion’s commanding share of the country’s international traffic, data from the country’s transport ministry show.
Dan McKinnon, who helped oversee the deregulation of the U.S. airline industry as the last chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board in the early 1980s, died in late November at the age of 78. “The airline industry right now, the way that it is, is a direct reflection of how he deregulated it,” Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) said in remarks on the House floor. In a 1984 speech to the Aero Club of Washington, McKinnon counted among his accomplishments a tough new U.S. policy to negotiate quid pro quos for U.S.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - Paris DeGaulle, Dec 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - Paris DeGaulle, Dec 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Airport ASMs Airport Seats
Pinnacle Airlines will have another month to reach an agreement with its pilots union or persuade the bankruptcy court to impose one, under an extension granted by Delta Air Lines. Delta, which is financing Pinnacle’s Chapter 11 restructuring, has pushed back the deadline for a voluntary or involuntary settlement between the struggling regional and its pilots to Jan. 17, 2013.
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/
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
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - London Heathrow: Dec 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - London Heathrow: Dec 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is warning Baltia Airlines that it could revoke the aspiring carrier’s certificate authority for failing to progress toward flight operations.
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—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.
