After four years and 23 extensions, the Senate late Monday approved a bill to authorize funding for the FAA. Though it was widely expected to pass by the necessary 60-vote margin, the bill wasn’t a slam dunk, as labor unions were lobbying against it in its final weeks, objecting to a House-Senate agreement over a labor rules issue. According to the Communications Workers Union, the legislation is a “‘compromise’ in name only, would set a dangerous precedent by amending 75-year-old labor law, and would inflict significant harm on union organizing efforts.”
Azul Linhas Aereas Brasilias’ rise to prominence in Brazilian aviation was cemented in 2011 as the budget operator claimed almost 10% of all traffic just three years after launching service. That 9.8% share of traffic marks a 2.2-percentage-point increase year-on-year on a 1.7-point rise in the share of domestic capacity, which grew to 8.5% in 2011.
Despite a headwind, NetJets Europe is looking for business to recover in 2012, with the fractional jet operator also aiming to begin a new fleet growth phase. “I think 2012 is going to be a good year,” says CFO Luis Pinto.
A corporate turnaround specialist appointed to the top job at Hawker Beechcraft says his top priority is to revive–not sell–the struggling manufacturer.
Boeing is studying several options, ranging from routine checks to minor structural modifications, to reactivate the closed-out tail fuel tank on the 747-8 passenger model.
A panel of government ministers has recommended approving a debt restructuring plan for Air India and issuing bonds with a sovereign guarantee worth 74 billion rupees ($1.5 billion). “The proposal will go to the federal cabinet for a final approval soon,” said Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh. Currently, Air India has a total debt of 437.77 billion rupees, including loans and money due to vendors, such as oil companies and airport operators.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way Los Angeles - Tokyo Narita Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way Los Angeles - Tokyo Narita Delta Singapore Airlines Others 2006Q3 364 285
The “Arab spring” revolutions will have “a tremendously positive effect” on air travel in the region eventually, says an officer of the Arab Air Carrier Organization (AACO). Secretary General Abdul Wahhab Teffaha told delegates at Aviation Week’s MRO Middle East conference last week that he expects the transformation from totalitarian regimes to democracies to be “difficult.”
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, Honolulu - Tokyo Narita Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, Honolulu - Tokyo Narita JAL Delta Others 2006Q3 1,304 715
Operators of business jets operating under Stage 1 and 2 noise standards must meet Stage 3 requirements by Dec. 31, 2015, under the comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill now going through Congress. Business jet operators have long known that Congress had plans to end the use of non-Stage 3 aircraft. The question, however, was when. The deadline kept being pushed back with each year that Congress was unable to reach an agreement on long-term FAA reauthorization.
Although Airbus is projecting a roughly flat book-to-bill ratio for 2012, it began the year with 91 new orders last month, more than double the number of aircraft booked in the same month a year earlier.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified the Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional jet. Last year, Russian authorities approved partial certification of the aircraft, clearing the way for Aeroflot and Armavia to operate the plane. The Superjet RJ-95B, which is the specific type covered by the EASA type certificate, is the second Russian airliner to receive EASA approval, the agency notes, following the Tupolev Tu-204. The formal handover of the document is planned Feb. 24.
Global Aviation Holdings, the parent company of North American Airlines and World Airways, has filed for Chapter 11 protection, citing a need to restructure the company’s fleet and labor costs. Peachtree City, Ga.-based Global says it reduced some of its debt obligations in the past year but “determined that a Chapter 11 reorganization provides the most effective and efficient means to restructure with minimal impact on the business.” A filing with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York was announced Feb. 5.
Lufthansa yesterday as expected launched a wide-ranging cost-savings program that is aimed at improving profitability by €1.5 billion ($1.9 billion). Some key points have been presented to senior management of the group’s various divisions, although details have not yet been defined. The savings target is expected to be reached within three years and produce full results for the first time in the 2015 financial year.
The FAA reauthorization bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and scheduled for a late Monday vote in the Senate provides funding for the NextGen air traffic management modernization process, but it does not go far enough to preserve funding for the program, say two people who were intimately involved in one of the first iterations of the bill.
General aviation groups are urging U.S. regulators to withdraw LightSquared’s conditional waiver for a broadband wireless network, saying the GPS system must be protected from all sources of interference. Their comments are in response to a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) request for input on LightSquared’s December petition for a ruling that commercial GPS receivers are not entitled to protection from interference caused by a broadband wireless network operating within technical parameters set by the government.
AMR Corp. has identified $4.8 billion in liabilities it believes can be reduced during its Chapter 11 reorganization, with more than half attributed to debt. In addition to the $2.5 billion in debt and accrued interest the company thinks it can renegotiate, there is some $1.9 billion in aircraft lease and facility bond obligations that may be repriced. This does not include a $713 million non-cash impairment recorded in the fourth quarter to revalue the company’s Boeing 757 fleet and some $102 million deducted in December to cover rejected aircraft leases.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Segment Performance: Asia/Oceania - U.S., 12 Months Ending June 2011, Ranked By Onboard Passengers Onboard ASMs % Chg. Seats Per Load
The European Commission says Chinese airlines could face stiff penalties even as Brussels waits for formal notification from China that it is barring airlines from complying with the European Union’s inclusion of aviation in its emissions trading system (ETS).
Air France was forced to cancel close to 700 flights on Monday, after pilots, cabin crew and ground staff went on strike. The employees are protesting proposed changes to French labor regulations that would make strikes in the air transport sector more difficult. The cancellations affected about two-thirds of the airline’s Monday schedule, and many of the disruptions were decided at the last moment, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports. Air France earlier had said that only one-fifth of its services would be affected.
The opening salvo in the Transport Workers Union’s response to AMR Corp.’s restructuring plan targets maintenance outsourcing, claiming it is a “dirty little secret” that compromises safety. AMR last week approached its unions with a concession package that called for 20% cuts in labor costs. For TWU’s mechanics and flight services clerks these cuts included a 40% reduction in staff numbers, the closure of a maintenance base in Fort Worth and with it the loss of widebody overhaul work.
