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Air Namibia has placed a firm order for two Airbus A319s, which it will use to replace two Boeing 737-500s in its fleet. The carrier operates two leased A319s, the two 737-500s, two A340-300s and two Embraer ERJ-135s. The new A319s will be configured in a two-class layout to accommodate 112 passengers, Airbus says. CFM International has secured the engine deal.
U.S. airports are modifying infrastructure and beefing up wireless connectivity and other amenities designed to appeal to the increasingly gadget-laden business traveler. “Smartphones are the big trend lately,” says Matthew Griffin, senior manager for Airports Council International-North America’s Center for Policy and Regulatory Affairs. The group surveyed airport chief information officers on how their facilities are catering to the wired traveler.
Air New Zealand is launching the only direct flight between Auckland and Bali Denpasar Airport in June, resuming a route that it suspended in the 1990s. The twice-weekly service will use Boeing 767-300s and will operate seasonally from June to October. The airline says the route has the potential to operate year-round. The new route, despite being international, is not a result of Air New Zealand’s long-haul review, a spokesman tells Aviation Week. It is operated by the carrier’s short-haul unit.
Qatar Airways has selected Engine Alliance GP7200 turbofans to power its Airbus A380s. The win for the General Electric/Pratt & Whitney joint venture continues its success in the Middle East, where Emirates and Etihad also opted for the engine. It adds to the JV’s lead over the rival Rolls-Royce Trent 900 in total number of A380 powerplants ordered.
AMR Corp. is attempting to expand its scope clause to aircraft with fewer than 89 seats, establish a flat pay structure that encompasses both domestic and international bids for flight attendants and outsource about 40% of the work currently handled by its mechanics and fleet services workers.
Air Berlin is set to join the Oneworld alliance on March 20, the airline partnership confirmed last week. The German carrier will fill a significant gap in Oneworld’s route map in central Europe.
The U.S. Labor Department is proposing regulations that should provide more certainty to U.S. airlines and their pilots and flight attendants about how the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) should be implemented for crewmembers.
A double-digit rise in US Airways’ passenger unit revenue in January not only marks another decent start to the year for the Tempe, Ariz.-based carrier, it also indicates that the U.S. airline industry is maintaining the momentum from 2011 that produced profits for almost the entire sector.
With no last-minute rescue package, long-struggling Hungarian flag-carrier Malev ceased flying on Friday. Airline CEO Limburger Lorant says that loss of confidence among partners and suppliers led them to demand advance payment, accelerating cash flow that the airline could no longer sustain. What is more, he blames the decision to cease operations after 66 years on the European Union’s refusal to allow another government capital injection.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Feb. 6-7—2nd Business Aviation Safety Conference, Munich, Germany, www.fly-corporate.com Feb. 7-9—Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems Program Review 2012, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, 703-845-9671, www.auvsi.org
Tokyo Narita International Airport could see annual operations increase to 300,000 from the current 235,000 while authorities negotiate the delicate task of increasing the number of international flights from Haneda Airport, near central Tokyo. The community surrounding Narita long has objected to increasing flights out of the airport, but it has given the nod to increasing operations to 300,000 flights, says Masahiko Kurono, chairman of Japan’s Institution for Transport Policy Studies and the former CEO of Narita International Airport Corp.
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 March 13-14—Innovation Supply Chain Showcase, Orlando, Fla. April 3-5—MRO Americas 2012, Dallas April 3-5—MRO Military Conference & Exhibition, Dallas Nov. 29-Dec. 1—Certification Together-AeroConseil, Toulouse
Kingfisher Airlines’ bid to join the Oneworld alliance has been put on hold while the carrier works to get its financial house in order. The Indian airline and the alliance agreed Friday that admission should be tabled for now. No new date for possible admission was given.
The House Friday passed its version of a bill that authorizes funding for the FAA, smoothing the path of the Next Generation air traffic modernization program. The Senate takes up the bill today, and despite last-minute wrangling by unions over a labor provision, it is expected to pass.
Brazil’s Grupo TAM this year will add no new routes, plans further reductions to its narrowbody fleet and intends to keep capacity close to 2011 levels in an attempt to gain the most revenue benefit from an expected 8-11% increase in domestic demand. The revised guidance for stockholders comes just days after TAM detailed a near two-percentage-point drop in its December domestic load factor to 71.4% on 2.3% more supply. International loads grew 1.3 points to 79.7% on a 4.4% year-on-year rise in available seat kilometers.
