Conventional wisdom holds that the U.S. is facing a critical shortage of engineers—in aerospace and other industries—and that not enough students are studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to offset this coming shortfall. A secondary concern to this belief is U.S. high-school test scores in these critical subjects are low, hampering the country’s future competitiveness. But, according to some academics, this conventional wisdom is a fallacy that industry repeats for its own ends.
A lack of interest in used aircraft is forcing owners to park jets much sooner than anticipated, flooding the market with engines and depressing prices.
Air France warns that “drastic” cost reductions will be needed to maintain its medium- and short-haul operations as it lays out details of its larger effort to return to financial health. The airline has set a goal of reaching a 20% reduction in controllable costs. In announcing new measures of the so called Transform 2015 plan, CEO Alexandre de Juniac says, “The 20% cost reduction objective is a minimum threshold; to fall short would jeopardize the recovery and the company’s future. These equitably shared efforts must be implemented without delay.”
Bahamasair today is expected to unveil a new wet-lease accord with Boise, Idaho-based charter operator Xtra Airways to replace an operating agreement with Vision Airlines. The Bahamian carrier earlier filed for, and received, permission from the U.S. Transportation Department to assume rights granted to Vision Airlines to serve four U.S. markets from The Grand Bahamas, but had no way of providing sufficient capacity.
Now armed with additional information, the administration and Congress are revisiting whether LightSquared should be able to build its 4G broadband communications network. In February, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) put on hold a waiver that would allow LightSquared to build its voice and data network because of tests that showed it would interfere with GPS signals. Since then, the FCC has been collecting input on that decision, particularly from those petitioning to overturn the suspension of LightSquared’s ability to proceed with the network.
The project to build Beijing’s next airport will be formally launched within weeks, almost 20 years since it was first proposed, local media report. An agreement among the armed forces, the civil aviation authorities and local government late last year removed what long has been seen as the main obstacle to building the new airport, the need to close the military airfield at Nanyuan, says the Economic Observer.
Senate Commerce Committee leaders are pressing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to release the final repair station security rule sooner than the year-end. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) chief John Pistole told industry groups late last year that the agency believed the rule would be completed by the end of 2012. That time line was provided in response to a letter from 22 industry groups and companies to Napolitano saying the ongoing delays in the release of the rule is hurting U.S. industry’s competitiveness.
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
Philippine conglomerate San Miguel Corp. is about to buy about 49% of Philippine Airlines (PAL) from Filipino billionaire Lucio Tan, who controls the airline through his publicly traded company, PAL Holdings. Reports in Manila, citing unnamed sources at San Miguel and the airline, say Tan and San Miguel Corp. have reached an in-principle agreement, with San Miguel to buy about 49% of the airline for about $500 million. The contract documents are being drawn up now and could be signed as soon as April 3, say the sources.
February saw global passenger demand rise by 8.6%, while capacity grew by 7.4%, compared with a year earlier, and although traffic grew worldwide, the outlook remains “fragile,” the International Air Transport Association says. Load factors remain high worldwide, at 75.3%, up from 74.4%. International traffic is up 9.3% from last year, while domestic traffic is up 7.6%. All regions of the world, except Asia-Pacific, where demand rose 5.9% and capacity grew 6.2%, saw demand grow faster than capacity.
Expectations are high that Mexicana de Aviacion will be transferred to new owners next week. Due diligence by Mexico’s government into a group of investors known as Med Atlantica has just been completed, and now the carrier’s bankruptcy judge can proceed with the group’s proposed takeover plan. That plan, which has been delayed after talks between the Mexican transport ministry and Med Atlantica stalled over the issue of an operating certificate and the transfer of money, could now be implemented as soon as April 10, according to several sources.
Southwest Airlines has aggressive plans to dispose of its Boeing 737 Classics over the next several years, but at the same time needs to keep pace, in a cost-effective manner, with the scheduled overhauls on the CFM56-3 engines that power those aircraft. The airline does not want to have to buy expensive new parts for engines that are unlikely to be in the Southwest fleet for more than just a few years.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, Miami - Toronto Pearson Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, Miami - Toronto Pearson American Air Canada Others Check Total 2006Q3 33
Colgan Airlines’ turboprop operation for United Airlines has been hemorrhaging cash for years, but the collapse of the regional airline came from the simple decision by United to do nothing, documents from Pinnacle Airlines’ Chapter 11 filing reveal.
The rhetoric is heating up between the U.S. and the European Union in the World Trade Organization battle over subsidies for large civil aircraft. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office last week said it is calling on the WTO to establish a compliance panel to review the EU’s plan to remove non-compliant subsidies (Aviation Daily, April 2). The EU late last year submitted a compliance plan to remove alleged subsidies, but the U.S. and industry officials widely claimed the plan was inadequate.
Pinnacle Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection April 1 and has 90 days to win court confirmation of a plan of reorganization that is “reasonably acceptable” to Delta Air Lines.
Angola Airlines (TAAG) will expand services to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, as well as Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal, from Luanda with the addition of three Boeing 777-300ERs in an order valued at $895 million. They will join two 777-300ERs and three 777-200ERs already in TAAG’s livery that it uses to serve Lisbon, Beijing, Dubai, Sao Paulo and Rio. The new order includes purchase rights for three more -300ERs.
