Ethiopian Airlines is leasing another three Boeing 787-8s from International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC). The aircraft, which are to be delivered in the first half of 2015, are in addition to 10 787s ordered by the African airline. The airline has already placed its first 787-8 into service and with the new long-term leases expects to have 13 787s in service by the end of 2015. The ILFC 787s will be powered by General Electric GEnx-1B70/75 engines.
Indonesian Aerospace (IAe) plans to develop a new model of the IAe C-212 twin-engine turboprop, as well as an updated variant of the IAe CN-235. The new C-212 will seat 28 passengers, whereas the current model, the C-212-400, seats 24 and the original, the C-212-100, 22 passengers, says an IAe spokesman. He adds that the increased passenger capacity will be achieved through more efficient use of space and a different type of seat.
United Airlines has revived some of its domestic promotional Boeing 787 services scheduled for Nov. 4 after taking delivery of its second aircraft Nov. 1, but still has postponed a December 787 service to Amsterdam until February due to the unavailability of the aircraft.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Nov. 5-8 19th Annual Global Airport Development (GAD)Conference, Pullman Paris Bercy, Paris, France, www.fisherinstitute.org.il/Eng/ Nov. 7-5 Annual Civil Aviation Conference 2012, Israel Air Force Center (IAFC), Herzliyya, Israel, www.fisherinstitute.org.il/Eng/ Nov. 12-14—Airports Council International-NA Airport Concessions Conference, Denver, www.aci-na.org/conferences/
The Philippines Civil Aviation Authority has failed an International Civil Aviation Organization assessment of its ability to provide regulatory oversight of the country’s airline industry, making it unlikely Philippine-designated carriers will gain approval in the near future to operate to the U.S. or Europe. The ICAO team found two significant safety concerns, one relating to aircraft registration and the other to flight safety inspection, sources report.
As Iridium readies to launch its Aireon global aviation monitoring venture, the level of investment to come from partner Nav Canada remains in question. Iridium established Aireon in June to provide global aircraft tracking capability through Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receivers to be built into Iridium NEXT, the McLean, Va.-based satellite fleet operator’s second-generation communications satellite constellation scheduled to launch in 2015.
Atlas Air last week halved its forecast earnings per share (EPS) growth three months after issuing guidance that it would add almost $1 per share, but still expects to close 2012 with EPS 13% higher than 2011. Executives of the New-York based cargo operator, during the carrier’s third-quarter earnings call, cut full-year earnings-per-share guidance to $4.65. Last quarter, Atlas forecast full-year earnings of $5.10 per share; adjusted earnings per share for 2011 reached $4.12.
South African low-fare carrier 1time Friday ceased operations and filed for liquidation, providing no notice to stranded passengers. The airline operated mostly domestic services with a fleet of 11 MD-80s, although it also provided flights to Zambia and Namibia, and was due to start services to Zimbabwe on the day it ceased operation. 1time was launched in 2004 and has been in financial distress for some time. The company filed for so-called “business rescue,” South Africa’s equivalent of bankruptcy protection, in July and continued to operate.
Delta Air Lines, one of the first carriers to reveal Hurricane Sandy’s impact on its bottom line, says cancellation of more than 3,500 flights in October amounted to about $45 million in lost revenue and reduced October profit by about $20 million. The airline, which has hubs at New York LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International (JFK) airports, says it still is assessing the storm’s impact on revenue and profit for November, but expects it to be less than in October.
Southwest Airlines’ is reducing the residual values of all 156 of its Boeing 737-300 and 737-500 Classic aircraft from about 10% of their original cost to 2%, citing changes in the retirement dates and “future market conditions.” Southwest says the new valuation was driven in part by its decision to sublease 88 Boeing 717 aircraft to Delta. Because Southwest is not using the 717s, it will need to hold on to some of its 737 Classics longer than anticipated, which will lower their value by the time Southwest retires them.
Arguing that civil aviation promotes economic growth, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is defending its policy of building airports before air traffic demand justifies them. As a developing country, China must maintain its policy of building civil aviation infrastructure in advance of requirements, CAAC Director-General Li Jiaxiang says in state media reports.
Republic Airways Holdings will focus on maintaining its 50-seat operations at breakeven and will only add to its higher capacity purchase operations if pre-tax margins are more than 5%, CEO Bryan Bedford told analysts Nov. 1 during the company’s third-quarter results conference call.
India’s second-largest, low-fare carrier, SpiceJet, is in talks with Airbus and Boeing to purchase aircraft to expand its domestic and international networks. “The plan is at a nascent stage. Discussions are on with both the companies,” an airline spokesperson tells Aviation Week. “We will look at both the options and take a final decision depending on whichever suits us best,” the spokesperson adds. The no-frills carrier plans to deploy 15% of its capacity on international routes over the next three years, up from 6% currently.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of October 31, 2012, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
“I’m not Richard Branson,” says Tony Fernandes, co-founder and CEO of the AirAsia Group, when asked about the similarities between him and Branson. “I have zero interest to go to the Moon. My sense of adventure is more down to Earth.” Fernandes, who worked for Virgin Records in the U.K. and counts Branson as a personal friend, says the Virgin Group boss is a serial entrepreneur. Branson establishes a business, then finds people to manage it for him, so he can move onto the next venture, says Fernandes, noting, “I like to manage the business.”
The FAA is starting to define concepts and requirements for a phased-array radar that could replace all the mechanically scanned terminal aircraft and weather surveillance radars now in use, some of which have been in operation for four decades. The two-year concepts and requirements definitions phase for the next-generation surveillance and weather radar capability (NSWRC) program will begin in December and include demonstration of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) capable of both functions.
Japanese company Mitsui has become the first strategic partner to join General Electric’s (GE’s) GE9Xengine development effort for Boeing’s proposed 777X. Though technically not launched as a firm program, the GE9X study has been under way for more than 18 months, and additional partners are expected to be signed up in the near future as the effort crystallizes.
Airlines in the next decade will face what might be an unprecedented requirement to equip their aircraft with communications, navigation, surveillance and safety kits in order to gain access to the FAA’s NextGen system’s most efficient routing and operations.
