Bankrupt Mexicana de Aviacion could now resume service as soon as the first week of October, one month later than the most recently revised relaunch schedule for an airline that is entering its third year out of operation, says a source close to the airline. This new schedule comes as the bankruptcy court overseeing Mexicana’s restructuring assures the carrier’s pilots union that prospects for the airline’s return to service are good because Mexicana’s assets remain valuable, according to an internal message from union leadership to members.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Doha - Dubai - August 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Doha - Dubai - August 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way De
Allegiant Air, which currently operates U.S. domestic services, could begin flights to Mexico as early as February, Wall Street analysts say after meeting the low-cost carrier’s management team. Raymond James analysts James Parker, Savanthi Syth and Krisztina Katai in an investor note say the new markets could consist of flights from about 10 Mexican cities to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, as well as operations from Western U.S. cities with U.S. Customs facilities to Cancun International Airport.
AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle Airlines that is restructuring under Chapter 11 protection, ended July with about $4.8 billion in unrestricted cash and short-term investments, just $143 million less than at the end of June. The airline’s cash increased from $371 million at the end of June to $444 million by the end of July, due in part to a $59 million influx of positive cash flow from its operations, the company disclosed in the monthly operating report it is required to file with the bankruptcy court.
Airbus has entered a cooperation agreement with China’s Tsinghua University to explore local biofuel production. Results from preliminary trials to determine what feed stocks are suitable are expected before the end of the year. Used cooking oil and algae are possible candidates. According to Airbus, the initial investigation will be followed by concrete steps to build biofuel production. Airbus has established similar projects in Latin America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East.
If Southwest Airlines’ May 2011 acquisition of AirTran Airways is going to have a big influence on the competitive dynamic in the Atlanta market it has yet to show, with the most recent data available indicating that Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport hub operator Delta Air Lines is holding its own market share, and perhaps enjoying an improvement, all while average fares rise.
Low-cost operator AirAsia is committed to launching a Singapore based affiliate and will again try for an air operator certificate (AOC), but the airline is unsure authorities will grant approval. “[We are] always serious but not sure we will get one,” AirAsia Group CEO and Co-founder Tony Fernandes tells AviationWeek. AirAsia first applied for a Singapore AOC in February 2004. Although AirAsia has no Singapore airline operation, it has established a company in the city-state under the name AirAsia Singapore.
Tiger Airways’ newly acquire Philippine affiliate, Seair Inc., has shifted senior management with Chief Operating Officer Patrick Tan replacing Avelino Zapanta as CEO. Zapanta says he has left Seair Inc. to be president of turboprop start-up Seair International, which was founded by Nick Gitsis and Irene Dornier with proceeds from the sale of their 40% stake in Seair Inc. to Tiger earlier this month (Aviation Daily, Aug. 15).
FAA has no plans to change a cargo flight deck security mandate that allows operators to adopt security procedures rather than install a reinforced barrier to keep intruders out of cargo aircraft cockpits, the agency reports in a draft study completed for the U.S. Congress.
October 9, 2012 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Repair in New Generation Aircraft: Challenges and OpportunitiesLightweight composites will soon rival metals as the primary material for airframes. Are you prepared? This event will highlight the latest developments, challenges and best practices in aircraft composite repair and maintenance technology. It will allow all of the key industry players to discuss best practices and share experiences. Register now! www.aviationweek.com/events/composites
A multi-layered approach to aviation security can lead to diminishing returns if the cost of implementing these measures is not fully examined, warns the Rand Corp. The Transportation Security Administration as well as passenger and cargo airlines often promote layers security as part of a growing consensus to approach aviation security from a risk-based perspective. However, continued investment in redundant or complementary measures are “rewarded by less and less enhancement in the overall system performance,” says the Rand Corp. in a new report.
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) Sept. 20-21 —Aviation Week MRO IT Conference & Showcase, Hyatt Regency Miami, Miami, Fla. Oct. 9—Aviation Week Aircraft Composite Repair Management Forum, Amsterdam RAI, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Oct. 9—Aviation Week MRO IT Europe, Amsterdam RAI, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Jeddah - Riyadh - August 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Jeddah - Riyadh - August 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way
Boeing reaffirms it is on track to develop the 777X derivative for service entry by the end of the decade and is not stalling the new widebody project. Denying a Seattle Times report that development progress is slowing, Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, says, “Our timing on a decision to offer that airplane has not changed. We are absolutely committed to the 777X and continue to invest the necessary time and resources to ensure we produce a superior airplane for our customers.”
Honeywell is demonstrating an enhanced version of its RDR-4000 IntuVue commercial-aircraft weather radar, which includes predictive hail and lighting detection as well as extended-range turbulence detection. Certified this year, the enhanced radar has entered service with a “large airline” launch customer, which so far has a single Boeing 737NG equipped with the system. Flight demonstrations to additional potential forward-fit and retrofit customers are under way using Honeywell’s Convair 580 radar test-bed.
Honeywell is “in discussions with a Russian firm regarding the potential use of our TPE331-12U engine” in Antonov An-2 aircraft, the U.S. manufacturer tells Aviation Week.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Sept. 9-12—Airports Council International-NA 21st Annual Conference and Exhibition, Calgary, Canada, www.aci-na.org/conferences/ Sept. 11-13—Airline Engineering & Maintenance: Asia Pacific Conference, Crowne Plaza Mutiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysa, www.airlineengineering-asiapacific.com/
Four companies have expressed interest in buying the assets of bankrupt Uruguayan airline Pluna, according to a source close to the airline, who says Argentine carrier Sol and Venezuelan’s Conviasa have joined Uruguayan airlines BQB and Cutsca in the bidding process. The auction is scheduled for Sept. 13. The Uruguayan government has stipulated that the auction winner also must take on 250 former Pluna employees within 60 days and that Pluna’s assets—13 Bombardier CRJ900ERs and route authorities—go to a single buyer.
Airbus plans to introduce the A350 in at least three batches in an effort to incorporate important changes while keeping to its planned entry-into-service schedule. The most significant modifications to the aircraft will be made in the transition from batch 2 to 3, which is to take place with MSN17, several industry sources tell AviationWeek. Weight Reduction
