The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is reaching into the airline industry for a successor to longtime President James Coyne, announcing that Thomas Hendricks will take the helm, beginning Sept. 1. Hendricks most recently was senior VP-safety security and operations for Airlines for America (A4A), responsible for technical and operational functions, as well as advocacy and policy positions on flight operations, safety, engineering, air traffic management and security.
Boeing expects that a bulging backlog of about 4,000 airplanes may prompt an order slowdown next year as airlines wait for the company’s factories to catch up, but Chairman Jim McNerney does not think the company has reached a peak in the current ordering cycle.
Daher-Socata will not have a new twin-engine aircraft in its portfolio in the near future, company executives say. They note that the company has decided against moving forward with the Grob G180 SPn aircraft, and that announcements on a new platform may still be 18 months away.
Rosemarie Andolino, Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner and head of city’s O’Hare International and Midway International airports, has joined the growing chorus of industry leaders seeking a national aviation policy to revive the U.S.’s aging infrastructure. Speaking to the Aeroclub of Washington July 25, Andolino called for an industry-wide campaign to develop new financing and regulatory standards that would “find some common ground” for all stakeholders, and not just airlines and airports.
Chinese low-cost carrier Spring is firming plans to launch a joint-venture airline in Japan under a strategy that incrementally targets international expansion. A formal announcement is expected in September, a Spring executive tells Aviation Week on the sidelines of the Aviation Outlook Australia Pacific conference in Sydney. All local partners in the joint venture are confirmed, although none are Japanese airlines, the executive says.
United Airlines plans to launch a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) pre-screening program at 24 airports by year-end, a senior executive tells Aviation Week. This expansion more than doubles the airline’s current use of the TSA PreCheck initiative, which just this week was implemented at designated United security checkpoints at Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. The airline now uses the pre-screening program at 10 airports, including three of its hubs—Chicago O’Hare, Houston and Los Angeles.
By Joseph Rubin, President, Interactive Travel Services Association The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA’s) Douglas Lavin has treated readers of Aviation Daily to an audacious exercise in sophistry. “Imagine if the federal government published a regulation to require Apple to sell its entire product line through third-party retailers,” he writes (“It’s Not Really About the Passenger,” Departures, July 18).
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Costs and Statistics, 12 Months Ended December 2011, Jet Aircraft Pages 1 and 2 of 10 737-500 Manufacturer: Boeing
Hawaiian Airlines is proving that its relatively rapid capacity growth is continuing to be sustained by strong demand, even in its newest long-haul markets. CEO Mark Dunkerley admits that financial analysts have been divided over whether the carrier’s new Honolulu-New York route was a good idea. But the early signs are encouraging, he says, with forward bookings for the route ahead of those for its other U.S. domestic services. These flights are also ahead of internal goals set by the carrier, says Dunkerley.
Delta Air Lines has a “clear path” to reducing its 50-seat regional jet operations to 125 aircraft or fewer within the next few years, CEO Richard Anderson said July 25 in a conference call on second-quarter earnings, but he declined to specify how the carrier plans to get there. “I think you just have to stay tuned, but it’s going to happen,” Anderson declared.
Spirit Airlines has recalculated and increased the number of markets it believes are conducive to its market-stimulation model for route expansion, which could have ramifications for the number of aircraft the South Florida-based, low-cost carrier will need in the future. Spirit generally looks for “high-fare” markets in which it believes a 25% reduction in fares can stimulate new demand by more than 200 passengers a day each way while producing double-digit operating margins.
While Virgin Australia is not yet ready to add more widebody aircraft, when it does place another order, it will probably be for Airbus A330s because of their ability to serve both domestic and Asian routes, an airline executive says.
General Electric (GE) has revealed plans to launch new variants of its recently certified H80 turboprop as part of an aggressive push to challenge Pratt & Whitney Canada’s market dominance. The two derivatives of the H80 are the H75 and H85. The H75 engine will be rated at 750 shp and the H85 engine will be rated at 850 shp. Although no specific applications have been identified, GE says that like the H80, the H75 and H85 will be aimed primarily at the agricultural, commuter, utility and business turboprop market.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Cheju - Seoul, July 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Cheju - Seoul, July 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way Depts. Share ASKs (000) Share Seats/Dept.
The FAA is resisting a U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) recommendation to develop validation processes for the data it collects under a voluntary, non-punitive reporting program for air traffic controller safety concerns. Provisions intended to safeguard the confidentiality of controllers who report such concerns through the FAA’s Air Traffic Safety Action Program (ATSAP) result in an excess of unsubstantiated data, according to a DOT Inspector General (DOT IG) report.
Republic Airways officially canceled its remaining four firm orders for Embraer E-190s, months after indefinitely deferring delivery of those aircraft. Republic had six firm orders for E-190s as of the first quarter 2012, according to an Embraer report. Republic has taken delivery of two of the aircraft, leaving a backlog of four. The second-quarter report, however, listed only two firm orders for E-190s–the two that had been delivered to Republic.
Transport ministers from Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago are seeking approval from their governments to create a bilateral team to study options to keep Air Jamaica’s brand alive.
A U.S. Appeal Court on July 24 upheld the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new requirements on airline price advertising, ticket refunds and post-purchase price increases—a decision with ramifications beyond the preservation of the new rules, which already have been implemented. Most critically, by upholding the scope of the department’s regulatory authority, the court’s decision clears the way for the department to require airlines to provide all their ancillary fee information to global distribution system providers and online travel companies.
A slight dip in Rockwell Collins’s third-quarter aftermarket sales should reverse course in the fourth quarter on the strength of increased air transport business, company CEO Clay Jones reports.
