President Barack Obama late last week, during an appearance at a Boeing facility, weighed in for the first time on U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) reauthorization, urging Congress to approve funding legislation. Despite this, U.S. airlines are pressing ahead with their lawsuit to block a recent Ex-Im Bank-financed deal.
Click here to view the pdf Arab Air Carrier Organization Monthly Traffic - December 2011 Arab Air Carrier Organization Monthly Traffic - December 2011 RPK % Chg. ASK % Chg.
New details are emerging about AMR Corp.’s plan to boost annual revenues $1 billion under its Chapter 11 reorganization, with Chief Commercial Officer Virasb Vahidi confirming that two-thirds of the amount is expected from new scope rules and the remainder from expanded partnerships with Oneworld members and a relaxation of current code-share rules.
After a six-year absence, Southwest Airlines is returning to the Detroit-Las Vegas market, which already is served by Delta Air Lines and low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines. Spirit operates three daily flights; Delta offers as many as six. The average one-way fare in the third quarter 2011, the most recent quarter for which data are available, was about $121 on Spirit and $173 on Delta, according to Oliver Wyman’s PlaneStats.com analytic tool.
Tax authorities in India have frozen Kingfisher Airlines’ bank accounts, forcing the ailing carrier to ground aircraft and cancel flights over the past few days. In addition, dozens of Kingfisher pilots are reported to have resigned. The airline, controlled by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, has grounded most of its aircraft and canceled more than 100 flights in the past two days, leaving scores of passengers stranded in various parts of the country.
The first flight of a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine kicks off a busy year for the lone engine supplier for the Airbus A350 twin-widebody as a raft of tests and design choices have to be accomplished to keep the program on track. The test flight on an Airbus A380 took place in Toulouse, France, on Feb. 18, and lasted more than five hours, reaching an altitude of 43,000 ft. and speeds of up to Mach 0.9, according to Airbus. The Trent XWB was the inner-left engine, and the other powerplants were Trent 900s.
China’s Comac has secured a tentative deal to sell ARJ21 regional jets to Indonesia in an arrangement that includes giving manufacturing work to that country. Indonesian carrier Merpati Nusantara, which already operates the Chinese-built Xian Aircraft MA60 turboprop, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Comac and AVIC International to buy 40 ARJ21-700s, with the first four to be delivered in 2013, the airline’s CEO, Sardjono Jhony Tjitrokusumo, told reporters in Indonesia. He says deliveries will continue through late 2017 or early 2018.
Qantas subsidiary Jetstar confirms that Singapore will be among the first cities on its network to be served by Boeing 787s, with the aircraft slated to operate on flights from Singapore to Melbourne, Auckland and Beijing. The first Qantas 787 is due to arrive in mid-2013, and initial deliveries will go to Jetstar, displacing Airbus A330s that will in turn be sent to the Qantas mainline operation.
Indonesia’s Civil Aviation Authority has reactivated Mandala Airlines’ air operator certificate (AOC), paving the way for the grounded carrier to resume operations.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is expanding its Boeing 777 fleet to 14 aircraft with an order for five 777-300ERs. PIA Managing Director Nadeem Yousufzai cited accelerating regional traffic as the reason for the order, which has a list value of $1.5 billion. The deal includes purchase rights for five more -300ERs. PIA set a mark for fleet expansion in 2002, when it ordered three 777 variants—the -200ER, -200LR and -300ER. In so doing it became launch customer for the ultra-long-range 777-200LR. All orders are powered by General Electric GE90 engines.
Spirit Airlines, continuing a shift away from growth at its Fort Lauderdale, Fla., base, is adding service to a very competitive Denver market that already includes two low-cost carriers. Spirit says it will begin nonstop service on May 3 to the carrier’s four largest bases. That includes Fort Lauderdale, but also Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Las Vegas McCarren International Airport.
Pratt & Whitney’s Thompson Glacier Facility in Manitoba, Canada, is set to begin icing tests for the PW1524G geared turbofan engine that will power the Bombardier CSeries regional jet. The engine has completed more than 1,200 hours of full engine testing, including more than 200 flight hours on P&W’s 747 flight test aircraft operating out of the engine maker’s Canada’s facility in Mirabel, Quebec.
Air Mauritius is cutting several routes and plans to focus on fewer markets with more frequencies after completing a strategic review aimed at stemming recent losses. The airline has decided to withdraw from Bangalore, Durban, Frankfurt, Geneva, Melbourne, Milan, Munich and Sydney and redelpoy this capacity to Paris, London, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hongkong, Shanghai, Perth, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi, Antananarivo, St Pierre and St Dennis and Rodrigues.
Alaska Air Group , Seattle, named Brad Tilden CEO in addition to his role as president. He succeeds Bill Ayer, who will step down in May. Mark Eliasen was named VP-finance and treasurer.
According to the U.S. government’s main audit agency, the FAA has to do a much better job of managing the big modernization programs that are essential to the success of NextGen. A new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that although the FAA is improving in this area, there are still many cases where the FAA is not following cost estimate and scheduling best practices.
In observance of the U.S. Presidents' Day, Aviation Daily will not publish an issue dated Feb. 21. The next issue will be dated Feb. 22. Aviation Week Intelligence Network subscribers may visit www.aviation-week.com/awin at any time for news updates.
When it comes to biofuels for aviation, Washington state has it all—a major aircraft producer in Boeing, a major carrier in Alaska Airlines, a large military presence, plenty of feedstock in forestry and farming—and advocates on Capitol Hill, such as Sen. Maria Cantwell.
Financially troubled, low-cost startup carrier Air Australia has suspended all services and filed for voluntary administration. The carrier’s director put Air Australia into voluntary administration on Feb. 17, a process under Australian insolvency laws that appoints outside counsel to take over a company and determine if it can be rescued. John Park and Mark Korda of Kordamentha have been named administrators.
