Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Costs and Statistics 12 Months Ended June 2011 Regional Jets Pages 3 and 4 CRJ 700 Manufacturer: Bombardier
Panama’s Copa Holdings, bouncing off a solid fourth-quarter and ful-year 2011 performance, has added a further 10% growth to its 2012 capacity guidance, which now stands at 22% for the year. Unit revenue (revenue per available seat mile) expectations improve 2.3% to 13.4 cents for 2012 while non- fuel unit costs remain stable at 6.5 cents. A 20-cent-per-gallon increase in expected jet fuel costs to $3.25, however, means Copa’s full-year operating margin guidance remains at 18-20%, the operator says.
Singapore Airlines is introducing a digital version of a pilot’s logbook as an application to the 777’s Electronic Flight Bag, which the airline also helped Boeing develop. Called the Electronic Logbook (ELB), the application was developed with software from Ultramarine Systems, and brings the 777 to parity with what Boeing is offering as a standard feature on the 787.
The demise of Hungarian operator Malev will cost the Oneworld alliance just five routes from its combined network, and while the group faces potential capacity reduction at American Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines, and the suspension of Kingfisher Airlines’ integration, the pending addition of Air Berlin could greatly improve Oneworld’s European network.
Greenwich Aerogroup , Wichita, Kan., named Warren Persavich president and CEO, succeeding Aki Sato, and Robert Bial VP-component repair and overhaul and distribution.
There are worrying signals that a significant part of the airline industry could implode in the coming months, and despite the doom-and-gloom predictions from Europe, this catastrophe is occurring on the other side of the Atlantic. U.S. regional airlines have always been perceived as tertiary to the majors and low-cost carriers that are household names in the country. But despite the low-key brand awareness, most U.S. passengers have some first-hand experience with regionals as legacy carriers increasingly rely on these smaller operators for feed.
Operators of about 9,000 business aircraft and commercial airliners must upgrade the software on Aviation Communication and Surveillance Systems (ACSS) traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) units by March 13, 2015, under an airworthiness directive (AD) issued last week.
Oneworld Chairman Thomas Horton has confirmed that the alliance has issued a formal invitation to Grupo TAM, although he expects no answer to the offer until after the Brazilian carrier, and Star Alliance member, completes its merger with Oneworld’s LAN Airlines. The confirmation by Horton, who is also AMR Corp.’s CEO, gives further evidence that Latam Airlines Group, the entity being created by the merger, will affiliate with Oneworld under a rule by Brazilian and Chilean regulators that the merging carriers shed one of their alliances.
Germany’s DFS has become the first air navigation service provider approved to operate a GPS ground-based augmentation system (GBAS) for Category 1 precision approaches in regular air service, at Bremen Airport. The Honeywell SmartPath system has been in test operation since 2008 with airlines Air Berlin and TUIfly. Air Berlin has approval for unlimited use of the Cat 1 GBAS with its Boeing 737 fleet, says DFS.
A reshuffle at TAM Airlines sees Libano Barroso pass his CEO responsibilities to Marco Antonio Bologna, who holds the same role at the carrier’s holding company, to focus on the Brazilian company’s pending merger with LAN Airlines. While relieved of his operational duties at the airline, Barroso remains CFO and head of investor relations at the parent company. He will assume the same role at Latam Airlines Group, the holding company created by the merger, once that agreement is finalized.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is proposing to alter the review procedures for FAA enforcement applications and to facilitate electronic filings. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), published in the Feb. 9 Federal Register, follows a December 2010 advanced NPRM that covered the standard of review for emergency determinations, discovery and information exchange, and electronic filing of documents.
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) March 7—54th Annual Laureate Awards, Washington, D.C. March 13-14—Innovation Supply Chain Showcase, Orlando, Fla. April 3-5—MRO Americas 2012 Conference & Exhibition, Dallas April 3-5—MRO Military Conference & Exhibition, Dallas May 23—MRO Regional (Eastern Europe, Baltics and Russia) Conference & Exhibition, Vilnius, Lithuania
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Feb. 13-15—The Trinity Forum, organized by The Moodie Report and Airports Council International, Seoul, Korea, http://www.aci.aero/cda/aci_common/display/main/aci_content07_banners.j…^45095_725_2 Feb. 13-16—Practical Aeronautics Short Course: “Introduction to Jet Engines—A Practical Perspective,” The Aero Institute, Palmdale, Calif., 970-887-3155, www.practicalaero.com
An airline that Bombardier Aerospace will not yet identify has signed a firm order for six CRJ1000 NextGen regional jets, with options for an additional 18, the aircraft manufacturer says. The airline “has requested to remain unidentified at this present time,” Bombardier says. The airline’s firm order is valued at about $297 million, which could increase to $1.32 billion if all 18 options are exercised, it says. There were reports in December that Garuda Indonesia had decided to order the CRJ1000, subject to the approval of its board (Aviation Daily, Dec. 19).
The U.S. Export-Import Bank is vowing to better facilitate sales of business aircraft and helicopters, after a long period in which commercial aircraft were at the forefront. The “golden age” of Ex-Im Bank’s support of commercial aircraft is over, but “the golden age for export credit for business aircraft and helicopters is ahead,” says Ex-Im Bank's VP- transport, Bob Morin. Last year, Ex-Im Bank provided $11.75 billion in aviation-related financing support, $11.5 billion for commercial aircraft and the rest for business aircraft and helicopters.
