Cobham said Chairman John Devaney has assumed the position of executive chairman while a search is conducted for a successor to CEO Andy Stevens, who has taken early retirement.
Republic Airways has hired Barclays Capital as its financial adviser to help determine the best options for “monetizing” its Frontier Airlines subsidiary, even as Frontier’s new management team continues to look for additional cost cuts that can make the Denver-hubbed low-cost carrier profitable.
Embraer saw commercial aircraft deliveries increase in the first quarter of 2012, compared with the same period the year before, boosting revenue, although net income and net cash for the period fell year-on-year. The Brazilian manufacturer delivered 21 regional jets and 13 business aircraft in the first three months, up from 20 and eight units, respectively, in 2011’s March quarter. Earnings before interest and taxes also dropped to $85.7 million, largely because of increased labor costs.
Flight Safety International promoted John Brasfield to manager of the Cessna Aircraft Maintenance Learning Center in Wichita. Director-Marketing Terry Hibler has been elected to the Regional Airline Association Associate Member Council in the area of flight training.
A proven sense-and-avoid system is the biggest challenge for the coming integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system (NAS), a panel of experts says. Commercial and military unmanned aerial vechicles (UAVs) are coming to the NAS as soon as it is ready to accommodate them, and it is FAA’s NextGen air traffic modernization effort, now entering implementation, that will be charged with certifying the unmanned aircraft and making the new rules to handle the proliferation.
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) May 8-9—CAM - Civil Aviation Manufacturing Conference, The Renaissance Charlotte Suites, Charlotte, N.C. May 15 — Aviation Week Webinar: Mitigating Weather Delays with NextGen Capabilities, 11am ET May 23-24—MRO Regional (Eastern Europe, Baltics and Russia) Conference & Exhibition, Crowne Plaza, Vilnius, Lithuania
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - Buenos Aires April 23-29, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - Buenos Aires April 23-29, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs
Philippine Airlines (PAL) named Ramon Ang president and chief operating officer, succeeding Jaime Bautista. Ang remains PAL chairman and CEO. Jose Gabriel Olives was named CFO, Harry Tan treasurer and Estelito Mendoza corporate secretary.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker is pushing back until “sometime in May” a decision on whether to support the Southwest Airlines proposal to start international service from Houston Hobby Airport, a spokeswoman in the mayor’s office says. The mayor, who planned to make her recommendation to the city council by the end of April, will use the time to meet with more “stakeholders,” the spokeswoman says.
Boeing on Friday capped a 2.5-year transition from swamp land to the building of its most modern aircraft factory with the rollout of the first 787-8 at North Charleston, S.C. Due to be delivered to Air India by the end of June, this airplane has the distinction of moving through the new 1.2 million-sq.-ft. final assembly line without requiring any of the rework issues that Boeing’s main 787 factory in Everett, Wash., is only now clearing since it began production on the composite widebody jet in 2005.
International Air Transport Association named Hussein Dabbas VP for the Middle East and North Africa, succeeding Majdi Sabri, who plans to retire in June.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of April 25, 2012• compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
Latin America continues to provide the best passenger unit revenue (PRASM) performance for United Airlines, although the carrier’s first-quarter revenue growth globally trailed that from last year. President and CEO Jeff Smisek during the carrier’s first-quarter results conference call confirmed that PRASM was particularly weak in Asia, where increased competition is “challenging,” especially in China, and though Japan and Australia produced decent growth, the region’s PRASM declined 0.2% on 6.1% more capacity.
Republic Airways Holdings says it needs to attain $40-60 million in annual cost savings and productivity improvements at its Chautauqua Airlines subsidiary to make its 50-seat regional jet (RJ) operations profitable.
With a strong first quarter behind it, UPS expects the remainder of the year to be strong with the second quarter expected to mirror the 10% earnings-per-share (EPS) growth recorded in the first three months, the third quarter slightly lower, albeit because it has one fewer trading day, and the highest EPS in the final three months of the year. Strong retail sales and the improving employment environment in the U.S.
A showdown between two titans of the aircraft leasing business is under way in the Superior Court of California for Los Angeles County, as American International Group (AIG), parent of International Lease Finance Corp., takes on Air Lease Corp., the operating lessor founded by Steven Udvar-Hazy after he left ILFC in 2010.
Airbus is temporarily slowing down the build rate of its A380s to reduce the number of aircraft that will need to be modified to resolve fatigue cracking in a wing component.
MTU Aero Engines CEO Egon Behle says negotiations for a higher share in the PW1000G program for the Airbus A320NEO family have been “successful,” and should be concluded by mid-year. The manufacturer has been in talks with its partners on the engine program to secure more work packages on applications for the Bombardier CSeries and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ).
Norwegian Air Shuttle posted a NOK285.5 million (US$50 million) net loss in the first quarter of 2012, a little less than the NOK293.2 million loss recorded in the same period last year, due to high fuel prices and costs associated with the airline’s fleet expansion. The airline has an aggressive expansion plan, supported by an order for 222 Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies. Revenues were up 25% to NOK2.36 billion, while passenger numbers increased 19% to 3.65 million. The airline’s load factor also improved three percentage points to 77%.
International Air Transport Association Director General Tony Tyler blasted the U.K.’s Air Passenger Duty and called upon the country to boost capacity at London Heathrow Airport.
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House aviation subcommittee members are signaling they expect regional airlines to meet a congressionally set Aug. 1, 2013, deadline for air carrier first officers to have airline transport pilot (ATP) certificates. During a hearing April 25, Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), ranking member of the subcommittee, pressed for the number of regional airlines that have an approved plan in place to meet the ATP requirement.
