Duncan Aviation , Lincoln, Neb., named Brad Homeyer airframe service sales representative for its Lincoln and Provo, Utah, locations and Ryan Huss a sales representative for Lincoln. Joe Tulowitzki was added to the turbine engine service sales team for the U.S. East Coast market.
Spirit Airlines is expanding its domestic service at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and the U.S. low-cost carrier wants to begin service from DFW to Toluca, near Mexico City. Volaris, which is based at Toluca, also has its eyes on the DFW market, but with service from Mexico City. The Mexican low-cost carrier received authority from the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) a year ago to offer that service, which had been provided by Mexicana. But American Airlines still operates the DFW-Mexico City route.
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) this week could open labor talks with AMR Corp. with a counter to the airline’s proposed restructuring plan for its seven TWU-represented employee groups. TWU’s negotiations likely will address the proposed closure of the Alliance Fort Worth maintenance facility in Texas and attempt to limit the breadth of job losses among its mechanics and fleet service clerks, which are set for reductions of 40% each under AMR’s current plan of reorganization.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of Feb. 8, 2012• compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
Finnair plans to outsource all or part of its narrowbody flying to a new affiliate company. The airline said yesterday it is in talks with possible partners for a joint venture that, it hopes, would be able to operate European services at much lower costs. A partner is expected to be selected by the middle of this year, and the new airline should be flying in the first half of 2013, according to CEO Mika Vehvilainen
Global Aviation Holdings, a casualty of the ends of wars and some poor planning, intends to jettison 16 of its 30 aircraft leases as part of its restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Japan Airlines is taking major steps toward tightening its relationships with its Oneworld partners, applying for a joint business agreement with the International Airlines Group (IAG) and announcing a code-share with Air Berlin. The joint business agreement (JBA) between JAL and IAG has been expected for some time, with the carriers signaling their intention to form such a link since JAL decided in February 2010 to stay with Oneworld instead of switching to SkyTeam.
Etihad Airways turned a net profit for the first time in its eight year history, reporting 2011 net earnings of $14 million and an operating profit of $137 million on a strong increase in sales.
Boeing has named PPG Industries’ chromate-free pre-treatment and exterior decorative primer as standard for its 737NG series. Chromate compounds have been common in paint for years because they inhibit corrosion. But they are toxic, which is driving the move to replace them with a chromate-free product.
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Costs and Statistics, 12 Months Ended June 2011, Regional Jets, Page 1 of 4 ERJ 135 Manufacturer: Embraer
Contradictions abound in Air Canada’s latest bid to establish a low-cost subsidiary, with the airline claiming a profound need for such an operation and its pilots union saying management has dropped all mention of such a carrier, replacing it with a request to relax the current scope clause to allow for offshore staff.
A decision by CitationAir to exit the fractional business will reshape the industry, but experts believe the model is firmly entrenched and will continue on a smaller scale. CitationAir, which began selling shares in 2000 and grew into the fourth-largest fractional program, notified customers that it was suspending sales of its Jet Shares fractional program and Jet Access membership program to focus solely on its Jet Card and Jet Management businesses.
Pinnacle Airlines, which last month warned that it may have to rely on Chapter 11 protection to overhaul its money-losing enterprise, has struck a two-month accord with United Continental Holdings that essentially presents the troubled regional operator a one-time cash payment.
Airbus CEO Thomas Enders says he will develop Toulouse as the new operational headquarters of EADS after he becomes CEO of the group in June. Enders told executives at an internal meeting in Madrid that 200-300 headquarters staff from Munich and Paris will have to move to Toulouse. Enders also plans to work from Toulouse.
A Mexican bankruptcy judge, as expected, today will suspend the pending liquidation of Mexicana de Aviacion, citing the possible purchase of the grounded airline by a group of domestic investors known as MedAtlantica. The decision enables Mexicana to continue negotiating a takeover agreement beyond Feb. 10, the deadline that was previously set by the court.
EasyJet will be the first airline to test a fuel-saving electric taxi system being developed by Honeywell and Safran. Operational trials on an Airbus A320 are expected to begin in 2013, with the goal of making system available by 2016. The U.K. airline’s announcement comes after Lufthansa Technik and L-3 Communications tested an electric taxi system technology demonstrator on an A320 at Frankfurt in December. WheelTug also plans to demonstrate a system on a Boeing 737-800 in May, “almost certainly in North America,” the startup company says.
WestJet expects to place an order by the middle of this year for the 70-seat turboprop aircraft it wants to use for a new, low-cost regional subsidiary, executives at the Calgary-based carrier say. As previously reported by Aviation Week, the Canadian low-cost carrier says it will send requests for proposals (RFPs) to Bombardier for its Q400 NextGen and ATR for its ATR 72-600 (Aviation Daily, Jan. 25).
The U.S. Transportation Department’s Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement Office issued more fines against airlines and other air service providers and sellers in 2011 than it has in any other year since 2000, an Aviation Week review of the office’s consent orders shows.
Boeing says incorrect shim work in the aft fuselage of the 787 is limited to four locations, is “well understood” and will be repaired concurrently with other planned work. “There is no need to conduct inspections or repairs on in-service airplanes immediately,” the company says in a statement. “There is no short-term safety concern.” Only All Nippon Airways is flying the 787. The issue came to light in late January and concerns structures made at Boeing’s factory in North Charleston, S.C., a former Vought Aircraft facility.
Royal Jordanian Airlines is cutting its route network in an effort to reduce mounting losses. The airline will stop flying to Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates, Munich and Brussels, as well as to two additional points in the Persian Gulf region to be announced. The carrier also will reduce frequencies on routes from Amman, Jordan, to Colombo, Sri Lanka; and Khartoum, Sudan; as well as to Rome, Vienna, Zurich, Geneva and Amsterdam. Depending on advance bookings, there may be even more cuts later this year.
AirAsia Philippines has received its air operator certificate (AOC), paving the way for the new short-haul carrier to launch operations. The new airline, which will be based at Clark, a secondary airport outside Manila, has said it hopes to begin service with flights to Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau. It also plans to fly domestically. Clark, the former Clark Air Base, is also called Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.
Brazil’s first airport privatization program generated more than four times the BRL5.5 billion (US$3.2 billion) expected from the government auction, a bonus that may lead to greater private sector involvement in the country’s air transport infrastructure.
