Emirates Airline expects its Airbus A380s to start undergoing permanent wing repairs in March. The airline will pull four of the aircraft from service at a time for a period of eight weeks, Emirates Airline President Tim Clark told Aviation Week. That is about six weeks later than planned earlier this year.
The top management of Philippine carrier Zest Air suddenly left the carrier after it was revealed that the airline’s owner is in talks with potential buyers.
Delta Air Lines is urging the FAA to consider expanding the use of non-voice portable electronic devices (PEDs), such as tablet computers, to all phases of flight. The carrier joins a host of businesses and aviation groups offering guidance to the FAA as the agency prepares to establish an aviation rulemaking committee on PEDs. The comments are “the first step in gathering information” for the committee to evaluate, an FAA spokesman tells Aviation Week.
Bombardier sees a large market for its Q400 family of turboprops in Latin America and is stepping up its sales and support operations in a region where it has historically lagged its rivals, an executive for the airframer tells Aviation Week. “The Q400 is particularly well suited for the Andes,” says Philippe Poutissou, Bombardier Aerospace VP-marketing. “High-altitude requirements make the Q400 valuable, particularly in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and in parts of Mexico.”
The changing roles of OEMs and MRO providers in the aftermarket are cause for concern to some industry observers, but no one denies an evolution is under way.
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) Nov. 29-Dec. 1—Certification Together-AeroConseil, Toulouse Jan. 22-23, 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.
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), who is running for the chairmanship of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says Congress must proceed quickly to confirm the next administrator of the FAA.
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
Boeing is preparing for a big shift to advanced satellite navigation systems by adopting 787-style digital displays for the 737 MAX program, which will enable easier upgrades as airlines adapt to evolving air traffic control requirements. The flight deck upgrade “was an important program decision” made on the advice of the 737 Airline Advisory Board, 737 General Manager and Boeing VP Beverly Wyse said last week during a conference call detailing the completion of the MAX program’s “firm concept,” which defines its design and capabilities.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way: Miami - Toronto Pearson Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way: Miami - Toronto Pearson American Air Canada Others
Virgin America reduced its order for Airbus A320 current-engine aircraft from 30 to 10 without incurring a penalty, and also reached an agreement to defer its 30 Airbus A320NEO deliveries by several years, the San Francisco-based carrier says. Airbus is “oversold” on the aircraft, especially for 2013 and 2014, so it did not protest when Virgin America executives called this summer to explore the possibility of an order reduction and delivery deferral, CEO David Cush said in a Nov. 16 interview with Aviation Week.
Allegiant Air remains “active in the market” for used A320 aircraft and believes it still will be able to get good deals, even though several aircraft lessors said this month that rates for the A320 have stabilized, an executive at the Las Vegas-based low-cost carrier says. “We have a little bit of a different view” than the lessors, perhaps because they are talking about younger A320s than Allegiant wants, says Jude Bricker, senior VP-planning.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Dec. 5—International Civil Aviation Organization Safety Information Protection Task Force listening sessions, L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, Washington, Individuals wishing to present remarks should contact Alison Agnew, [email protected], 202-663-8010 Dec. 6-7—Airports Council International-NA International Aviation Issues Seminar, Washington, D.C., www.aci-na.org/conferences/
Netherlands-based cargo company TNT Express, attempting to clear the way for a merger with U.S. cargo giant United Parcel Service (UPS), has reached a conditional agreement to sell its TNT Airways and Pan Air Lineas airline operations to Dublin-based ASL Aviation Group. The deal will not become effective unless or until the UPS merger is approved by regulators and completed. The financial terms were not disclosed.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has expanded the scope of runway safety priorities in its 2013 “Most Wanted” list of transportation safety improvements. While improved runway safety has been a persistent member on the 10-item list since its inception in 1990, the NTSB for 2013 has broadened the definition of the concern to “improve safety of airport surface operations.”
The growth of Latin America’s aviation industry will be constrained by poor infrastructure and misguided government regulation, regional industry leaders say.
Precision Castparts Corp. (PCP) is strengthening its market position by acquiring Titanium Metals Corp. (Timet), the largest independent manufacturer in the US of titanium billets used in aerospace structures.
AMR Corp. CEO Tom Horton, while still preferring to take the airline through its Chapter 11 reorganization as a standalone company, has told the company’s unsecured creditors committee (UCC) that should it favor a merger with US Airways it should seek a better value for AMR than is likely to be offered. The UCC meeting, held in New York Nov. 14, came a day after US Airways’ leadership promoted the benefits of its own merger plan.
Aviation Week Events - Defense Technology And Affordability Requirements 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
Allegiant Air sees American Airlines as a top supplier of used MD-80s to provide replacement engines for its current fleet while selling off the other parts. Executives at the Las Vegas-based low-cost carrier say buying used MD-80s for engine replacement is cheaper than paying for overhauls, which run from $500,000-1 million per aircraft about every five years. Instead, the carrier can acquire the engines for $200,000-400,000 per aircraft, says Jude Bricker, Allegiant’s treasurer and senior VP-planning.
