HNA Group carrier Hong Kong Airlines will launch daily all-business services to London Gatwick in March, using three Airbus A330-200s fitted with only 116 seats each. The main cabin will feature 82 business-class seats, arranged six abreast. Forward there will be 34 seats fitted four abreast in “suites,” although a seating diagram does not make clear how the they will be privately enclosed. The airline says it is aiming for the ambience of a private jet. Hong Kong Airlines has been flying since 2006.
The Allied Pilots Association is expected to remain silent on American Airlines’ all-encompassing contract proposal for at least a few more days and may hold official judgment until after the U.S.’s Thanksgiving holiday, as the union’s leadership considers how it will counter the airline’s attempt to conclude years of negotiations.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Nov. 23-24—BCI Aerospace’s European Defense Meetings, Palais de Congres, Bordeaux, France, en.edm-bordeaux.com/391-homepage.html Nov. 28-30—Airports Council International Europe/Asia’s 2011 Airport Exchange, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, United Arab Emirates, www.airport-exchange.com Nov. 28-30—Power of India: “New Horizons for Airport Commercial Revenues, Novotel, Hyderabad, www.aci.aero
The global airline industry appears to have passed its latest financial peak, and the billion-dollar question now is how far—and how quickly—it will fall before bouncing back. Airlines are hoping that the dip is a brief one, but the cyclical history of this sector shows that a sustained drop is just as likely.
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) Nov. 30-Dec. 1—Aerospace & Defense Finance Conference, New York Feb. 1-2, 2012—MRO Middle East 2012, Dubai, United Arab Emirates March 7—54th Annual Laureate Awards, Washington March 13-14—Innovation Supply Chain Showcase, Orlando, Fla. April 3-5—MRO Americas 2012, Dallas
Republican lawmakers negotiating a way forward on the FAA reauthorization bill are bringing in campaign cash from opposite sides of a labor issue central to passage of the bill. Players on all sides of the bill have identified the House provision changing the rules of the National Mediation Board (NMB) as one of the key differences between the House and Senate versions of the FAA bill. House leadership has taken control of talks on the NMB provision.
ALTA , the Latin America and Caribbean Air Transport Association, has named David Neeleman, chairman of Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras, the recipient of its 2011 Federico Bloch Award. Mauro Kern, Embraer executive VP-engineering & technology, received the Rolim Amaro award.
After four days of open bidding, the FAA’s slot auction at New York LaGuardia and Reagan Washington National airports has yet to yield a single offer, although airlines are expected to rouse closer to the 5 p.m. deadline on Nov. 22.
AMR Corp. appointed Charles Schubert VP-network planning, Andrew Backover VP-corporate communications for American Airlines and Pedro Fabregas senior VP-customer service for American Eagle.
The timing of the Air Transport Association’s (ATA) lawsuit to stop the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) from providing loan guarantees to Air India has struck some in the industry as curious. The suit claims, among other things, that the loan guarantees will have adverse effects on the U.S. airline industry’s ability to create jobs.
ExpertFlyer.com this week began offering airlines an applications programming interface (API) for its Seat Alerts feature that notifies travelers when a better seat becomes available on their flight, and it could open the opportunity for carriers to charge customers for getting out of a middle seat.
The SkyTeam alliance yesterday formally started the process to accept Chinese operator Xiamen Airlines as a full member at the end of 2012. Xiamen, which is based in East China’s Fujian province, will provide a network primarily focused on domestic services, although the carrier has plans to expand into Australia, Europe and North America from 2014.
A system that enables an aircraft to taxi without engine power or ground tugs has been launched by Israeli airline El Al for application on its fleet of Boeing 737s. Developed by WheelTug, the system will use two electric motors integrated inside the wheels of the aircraft’s nose gear to propel it at speeds up to 28 mph.
The U.S. and the European Union have struck a new agreement on passenger name record (PNR) data, which now is pending European Parliament and member states’ approval. The new accord replaces the contentious 2007 agreement, which was hammered out over EU objections to U.S. data protection safeguards. That deal was fought out in the European Parliament, with several member states pushing for more stringent privacy standards.
Volaris’s memorandum of understanding to acquire up to 30 Airbus A320NEOs, as well as 14 standard A320s, puts Airbus within reach of its latest 2011 NEO target. Airbus Chief Operating Officer for Customers John Leahy expects to end the year with about 1,500 orders and commitments for the re-engined narrowbody. The Mexican low-cost carrier becomes the 27th airline and the first in Mexico to sign up for the type. The Volaris deal is not yet firm, and an engine selection also is pending.
United Continental Holdings President and CEO Jeffery Smisek yesterday sharply dismissed claims by United pilots that training procedures they are being forced to adopt are compromising safety. “This is purely an industrial relations issue,” he told a large gathering of aviation professionals at the Wings Club in New York City. “A few members of the [pilots union] are crossing a line that is shameful.”
Aviation entrepreneur Peter Leiman is the person behind Caterham Jet, the new Kuala Lumpur-based operator that AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes is spearheading and targeting at business travelers. Industry executives say Fernandes is overseeing Caterham Jet’s development, but Leiman is the one driving the day-to-day business. They say the new venture has already secured some Bombardier CRJ200s, which are now being retrofitted at a facility in Canada.
India’s privately owned Jet Airways this week inducted a Boeing 737-800 into its fleet, bringing to 100 the number of aircraft it operates. With the inclusion of the new aircraft, the country’s largest carrier by market share will fly to 76 destinations, including 24 international points, the airline says in a statement. The new aircraft will enter commercial operations on Dec. 5.
India’s debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines is rejecting speculation that it soon will shut down and instead is taking steps it hopes will enable the carrier to turn a profit. Chairman Vijay Mallya, after announcing a second-quarter net loss of 4.69 billion rupees ($94 million), tried to stem worries about the carrier’s future by saying all airlines in India are operating in a tough environment. “Other airlines were making losses too. To write the epitaph for Kingfisher Airlines constantly is neither fair nor accurate,” he said.
