To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Oct. 28-29—NBAA Tax, Regulatory & Risk Management Conference, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla., www.nbaa.org Oct. 30–Nov. 1—National Business Aviation Association 65th Annual Meeting & Convention, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando Executive Airport, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000, www.nbaa.org
African startup FastJet is moving ahead with its planned mid-November launch, signing lease agreements for a further two Airbus A319s with Volito Aviation, picked ground-handling and maintenance providers and announced senior management appointments. The airline, which says it is the first low-cost carrier in Africa, plans to launch operations next month from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The airline wants to build a fleet of five A319s after six months and fly 15 after the first year.
AviancaTaca Holding has not directly bid for TAP Portugal, although its majority owner, Brazilian conglomerate Synergy Group, has been named the sole candidate to buy the ailing state-owned Portuguese carrier. “AviancaTaca and none of its subsidiaries will participate directly in the privatization of TAP,” a spokeswoman tells Aviation Week. The Synergy Group, which is headed by German Efromovich, also holds a stake in Mexico’s Volaris, which has no affiliation with AviancaTaca.
South African Airways named Liam Quinn business development manager; Jon Danks head of U.K. marketing and communications; Stephen Gerrard commercial manager; Matt Parr leisure manager; Philip Ariss corporate sales manager; and Kerry Farmer online sales manager.
The availability of used Boeing 747 aircraft is growing substantially, based on listings in Airfax, which advertises aircraft sales and leases for more than 100 marketers worldwide. Airfax currently lists 61 available 747s, up from 42 at the beginning of the year. The number most recently topped 60 in the first half of 2010, but generally runs lower. It dipped below 30 in late 2010 before beginning a steady climb that accelerated in the past few months, with increases in nearly every month since March.
United Airlines today will break ground on its first widebody aircraft maintenance hangar at the Washington Dulles International Airport hub. The airline, which is investing almost $45 million in the 125,000-sq.-ft. facility, expects construction to take a year. When opened, the hangar will enable United to perform maintenance simultaneously on two widebodies. United employs some 300 technical operations workers at Dulles.
Hawaiian Holdings, parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, has come one step closer to launching an inter-island subsidiary with the purchase of the company’s first turboprops. Hawaiian says it has reached a purchase agreement with Dublin-based ASL Aviation Group for two ATR 42s to be delivered next month. Financial terms are not disclosed. Hawaiian in June announced that it planned to launch a turboprop, inter-island subsidiary that would complement the Boeing 717s it flies.
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Etihad Airways and Garuda Indonesia, as expected, have entered into a code-share agreement. The code-share agreement, which comes into effect on Oct. 28, gives the Middle Eastern carrier greater access to Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Garuda, meanwhile, gets greater access to the Middle Eastern, African, European and North American markets, thanks to Etihad.
AAR Corp. will provide airframe heavy maintenance service for Air Canada’s Airbus A320s under a letter of intent signed with the carrier. Should the deal proceed, AAR would provide scheduled maintenance and modifications for about 89 A320s through September 2017.
Canadian regional operator Jazz in February will start deploying new Bombardier Q400s as part of a phased roll-out to replace older aircraft under contract to provide feed to Air Canada. Jazz already had 15 Q400s in its fleet when parent company Chorus Aviation in July exercised six of 15 options held with Bombardier (Aviation Daily, July 16). Two Q400s are scheduled to be delivered monthly in February, March and April 2013, a Jazz spokeswoman tells Aviation Week.
Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes by year-end plans to begin one-stop flights to the U.S., marking a departure from the carrier’s strategy of focusing on domestic and near-international routes.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly attributes a sharp decline in September demand for the fall in third-quarter operating revenues and income. July and August traffic was slightly off the company’s expectations, Kelly told analysts during Southwest’s third-quarter earnings call. But the carrier’s own published traffic reports show that July and August revenue passenger miles (RPMs) were essentially flat, while September RPMs fell 2.1%.
Bombardier President and CEO Pierre Beaudoin yesterday called on the Canadian government to develop a comprehensive strategy to help domestic companies compete with state-funded enterprises in emerging markets.
