FAA is soliciting advice on a congressionally mandated pilot program to integrate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the national airspace. The mandate was adopted as part of the recently passed FAA reauthorization bill, along with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that was signed by President Barack Obama late last year. Congress directed the agency to establish six UAS test sites to help FAA safely and efficiently integrate civil, public and military UAS into the same airspace with manned airplanes by 2015.
Air freight is expected to grow by 4.5% per year for the next 10 years, but the production rate for new cargo aircraft is expected to grow by just 3.2% per year. This disconnect comes at a time when the worldwide freighter fleet is aging and demand for new, more efficient widebodies is outstripping supply, says Michael Steen, Atlas Air executive vice president for marketing.
Vietnam plans to build a new international airport for Ho Chi Minh City and to upgrade Hanoi’s airport in an attempt to become an international travel hub.
Eurocontrol expects the EU’s inclusion of airlines in its emission trading system (ETS) will have a minimal effect on the region’s air transport sector during the next seven years, falling significantly below the ramifications of airport capacity constraints and high speed rail services.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way - New York Kennedy - Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way - New York Kennedy - Tel Aviv Ben Gurion El Al Delta Ot
The Transport Workers Union and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants have joined AMR Corp. pilots’ bid to involve government mediators in ongoing contract talks with the airline. The requests from all three union, which were formally received by the carrier today, intend to circumvent rules in the U.S. bankruptcy law that allow companies to negotiate directly with employee groups during the Chapter 11 process and request court intervention should those talks fail.
Vietnam Air Service (Vasco), a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines, plans to buy a second general aviation aircraft for aerial surveying. Vasco is evaluating the Cessna 208 and the Pacific Aerospace 750XSTOL, Vasco Deputy Director Vu Duc Bien told Aviation Week in Ho Chi Minh City. Vasco is based in Ho Chi Minh City and currently uses one Beechcraft King Air for aerial surveying. The King Air is a twin-engine aircraft, whereas the new aircraft it is evaluating both have single engines.
A March 9 article “US Airways Hoping To Strengthen Position At National Airport” should have clarified that a transaction between Republic Airways and US Airways in December did not change any routes, capacity or the number of flights operated from the airport.
Watch for policy statements to come from the Transportation Trades Department (TTD), AFL-CIO, today following its Executive Committee Meeting Sunday in Orlando. A closed session of leaders of its 32 union members will hear from a government panel including John Porcari, DOT deputy secretary, and Michael Huerta, acting administrator of the FAA. A likely item high on its agenda is outsourcing of aircraft maintenance jobs, which the TTD has been fighting. How to broaden regulations to reduce crewmember fatigue, especially to include cargo pilots, could be another.
When Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Washington last year, he unveiled with great fanfare $19 billion worth of purchases for Boeing 737 and 777 jets. There was only one catch: The aircraft had actually been ordered between 2007 and 2009. The central government in Beijing has long used its requisite sign-off on orders by Chinese airlines as a tool to further its political agenda, doling out—or withholding—big-ticket purchases at opportune moments.
EADS does not expect a firm decision on whether to permit ATR to pursue a new, larger turborprop this year, says the European aerospace and defense giant’s CFO, Hans-Peter Ring. The main reason is scarcity of engineering resources, which means a decision is not likely “soon,” Ring says.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Segment Performance: Africa/Middle East - U.S., 12 Months Ending June 2011, Ranked By Onboard Passengers Onboard ASMs % Chg. Seats Per Load
Airbus plans to boost A330 production to 11 aircraft per month, the latest in a series of widebody and narrowbody production increases for the aircraft maker.
Two investors, who together own more than 6% of Pinnacle Airlines stock, are threatening a lawsuit to force the troubled regional airline to hold its annual meeting, where they plan to wage a proxy fight to seat two shareholder-appointed representatives on the airline’s board. If successful, the move could give the investors some say in capital spending decisions, such as aircraft acquisitions. Pinnacle, however, did not show any immediate signs of yielding to their requests.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday denounced the EU’s emissions trading system (ETS) and said he is in talks with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on enforcement measures. Speaking at the FAA Forecast Conference in Washington LaHood declined to elaborate on the specific nature of those enforcement measures. Visibly angry when speaking of the ETS, LaHood called the EU’s imposition of the system “one of the biggest irritations” of his tenure at the head of the Transportation Dept. “This system makes no sense at all!” he said.
