State subsidies received by a city’s chamber of commerce have drawn the attention of the European Commission, which is investigating aid terms involving Ryanair operations at Carcassonne Airport, in southern France.
Delta quietly rolled out a new fare class in mid-March for four Detroit-Florida markets in which it competes with low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, offering a cheaper ticket for customers who are willing to give up advance seat assignments and any ability to change their tickets.
Airbus has begun final assembly of the first A350XWB after a delay caused by having to work through design and parts issues. The first aircraft is to be used for static ground testing. The second aircraft, or MSN1, to go through the final assembly process in Toulouse starting in the summer will be the first flight aircraft. First flight is planned next year, and Airbus still targets first A350 deliveries to customers in 2014.
United Airlines’ top executive is calling on Houston’s mayor to withhold a decision to allow international services at the city’s Hobby Airport, citing inadequacies in a review commissioned by the city that supports the introduction of Caribbean and Central American flights at the airport.
VistaJet, a fast-growing charter operation best known for its Bombardier fleet and its guarantee of availability to contract customers, plans to establish “a formal presence” in China through a partnership with Beijing Airlines. The two operators signed a memorandum of understanding during the recent Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Shanghai.
Mitsubishi Aircraft says it is still considering a new development schedule for its MRJ regional jet, despite a local newspaper report that the company has already delayed first delivery to 2015. The first delivery of an MRJ is due in the first quarter of 2014, but Mitsubishi Aircraft in February said there would be a delay of an undetermined length for reasons that it did not disclose.
A significant amount of airframe heavy maintenance work soon could be up for grabs in the MRO market. Air Canada had several lines of overhaul work at Aveos before the MRO provider closed its doors less than a month ago. In addition, AMR Corp.’s American Airlines previously performed much of its airframe work in-house, but as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization is seeking to close a heavy maintenance facility at Fort Worth Alliance Airport and possibly reduce work at its base in Tulsa, Okla.
An ongoing tax dispute between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and NetJets is expanding over an apparent effort by the agency to assess the commercial ticket tax on management fees. The IRS recently filed a countersuit against NetJets seeking $366 million in unpaid taxes, interest and fees. The countersuit was filed last month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, claiming NetJets “has failed, neglected, or refused to pay its federal tax liabilities for the assessments.”
A federal judge in Colorado has upheld parts of a union lawsuit challenging the agreements that Frontier pilots reached with Frontier Airlines and parent company Republic Airways Holdings last June. The March 29 decision is not a final ruling on the merits of the case. But it keeps the case moving forward and leaves open the possibility that the cost cuts that Frontier pilots accepted might yet be nullified by the court, or at least subjected to new bargaining.
The World Trade Organization is convening its Dispute Settlement Body on Friday April 13 to begin the process of deciding if the European Union has complied with the WTO ruling on allegations of illegal subsidies for large civil aircraft. The move was brought at the request of the U.S., which last week said the EU’s compliance plan was insufficient.
Republic Airways is the most likely candidate to assume Colgan Airlines’ Bombardier Q400 feeder contract with United Express when the Pinnacle Airlines division starts reducing its turboprop fleet in the coming weeks.
The overwhelming market response to the Airbus A320NEO and the Boeing 737 MAX, coupled with aggressive production rate growth plans by both OEMs, could create a huge wave of CFM Leap and Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engine shop visits by the middle of the next decade, according to an analysis by US Airways.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, New York Newark - Toronto Pearson Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, New York Newark - Toronto Pearson Air Canada Colgan Air Others Check Total 2006Q
The European Union has added a Venezuelan airline to its aviation safety blacklist and also reports a ban on Libyan airline flights into the EU until at least Nov. 22.
In a highly anticipated ruling, a German federal court has blocked night flights from Frankfurt Airport. The move could have wider consequences, with anti-noise campaigners in Munich and other locations expected to use the ruling to press their cases. The local Hesse state government had authorized 17 night flights from Frankfurt. Now, that authorization will need to be reworked. The move is a blow to airport operator Fraport and Lufthansa Cargo.
FAA is laying the groundwork for a proposed new requirement for installation of the helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (HTAWS) on helicopters used in air ambulance operations. The agency released draft guidance—draft advisory circulars 27-1B and 29-2C—detailing the anticipated technical requirements for installation.
A high-powered panel of Washington aviation insiders called for more political leadership in solving the funding conundrum facing the NextGen air traffic control modernization program. The panel argued that NextGen funding, although more assured now that Congress has passed an FAA reauthorization bill, remains uncertain given the scope of the program.
Egyptair has been through a tumultuous period following the sudden change of government in Egypt in February 2011, but the airline’s management is hoping passenger traffic will return to normal by the end of this year.
Fuel costs and economic insecurity are taking their toll on the airline industry’s financial outlook, even as passenger demand continues to grow, the latest data from the International Air Transport Association show.
The judge hearing AMR Corp.’s Chapter 11 case could issue a decision on American Airlines’ union contracts in early June under a time table just agreed by all three parties. With this schedule, AMR will present revisions to its nine collective bargaining agreements, starting April 23, and will have five days allotted for the process. This will be followed by a two-week break.
