The FAA’s Next Generation air traffic control system is flying past steep cuts levied on many other government programs. The House and Senate this week are poised to consider an FAA spending bill for fiscal 2012, signed off on a by a conference committee, that provides about $800 million for core NextGen programs.
In the midst of doom-and-gloom predictions about prospects for the FAA reauthorization bill, there is also some movement toward an agreement. The leaders of the House and Senate transportation committees met yesterday to discuss how a “pre-conference” to resolve outstanding issues between the two versions of the bill should proceed. “We directed our staffs to begin again and come back to us on the 30th,” of November, said Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House panel. The current extension expires Jan. 31, 2012.
Declan Collier, CEO of the Dublin Airport Authority, has been named CEO of London City Airport, succeeding Richard Gooding, who will join the London City Board as a non-executive director. Collier will retain his title and role as president of Airports Council International-Europe (ACI-Europe). The appointments will take effect in 2012.
An irate U.S. senator implored the aviation industry to advocate more aggressively for an FAA reauthorization bill, which he says is in danger of failing to pass at all and is again falling apart over small-bore issues. He also asked an aviation community fighting tax increases to consider the need to address revenues to save the community’s flagship modernization program—the Next Generation air traffic control (ATC) system.
Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers John Leahy concedes that the Emirates order for 50 Boeing 777-300ERs could be linked to the delay of the Airbus A350-1000. “There was no case for a 777 today if I had an A350,” he said at the Dubai air show. “But if you need lift now, you are going to buy a 777. It is what it is.”
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Costs and Statistics, 12 Months Ended March 2011, Jet Aircraft (Pages 5 and 6 of 11) MD80 Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas
GE Aviation is “not interested” in delivering an engine for the United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) MS-21, the company’s President and CEO David Joyce tells Aviation Week at the Dubai Air Show. He confirmed that there have been “some discussions” through CFM International, the GE-Snecma joint venture, about whether a version of the Leap-X engine could be used for the Russian aircraft.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is reactivating an industry-based advisory panel that will make recommendations to improve aviation security procedures and equipment. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appointed 24 members to the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC), the first official appointments to the panel in the Obama administration.
Both Airbus and Boeing landed huge aircraft orders at the Dubai air show. Emirates placed a firm order for 50 additional Boeing 777-300ERs plus 20 options on Sunday. The order is one of the largest ever commitments placed with Boeing in terms of its U.S.-dollar value. According to Emirates Chairman Sheikh Ahmad bin Said al-Makhtoum, the order is valued at $18 billion, and at $26 billion including options. He says Emirates’ commitment for 75 Airbus A350s still stands.
The U.S. Transportation Dept. (DOT) levied its first fine under the tarmac delay rule on Monday. It is unclear, however, whether the $900,000 fine of American Eagle for events on May 29 will set a precedent for future applications of the rule.
The economic turmoil in Europe and overall slow recovery globally have Embraer believing its ‘downturn’ market forecast scenario is more likely for business aviation than a rosier projection.
Boeing expects the Middle East’s “unprecedented” growth to continue over the next 20 years with an estimated 2,520 aircraft worth $450 billion to be added there by 2030. Airbus, on the other hand, forecasts the region will require 1,920 aircraft worth $347 billion in the same period.
While Boeing’s Everett site is starting work on the 1,000th 777, the fuselage for the 7,000th 737 quietly entered the company’s Renton site last week. The aircraft is due to be delivered in mid-December to Middle East-based carrier FlyDubai. The Boeing 737 is the most produced jet airliner in history and is on track to continue hitting the record books with 2,191 currently unfilled orders, not including the recently launched 737 MAX re-engined derivative. Also noteworthy is the accelerating rate at which the milestones continue to fall.
At the request of the Philippine government, the FAA plans to conduct a technical review of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to see whether it is complying with applicable International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) annexes.
The U.S. “online travelers” most likely to be among the first to acquire new technologies, such as smartphones and computer tablets, also are the ones who take the most frequent and most expensive leisure trips, says a new survey by the travel industry research company PhoCusWright. PhoCusWright defines “online travelers” as adults who took at least one leisure trip in the past 12 months and used the Internet to plan their travel. The Consumer Traveler Technology Trends survey drew 1,948 respondents.
Even though Boeing is collecting increased customer commitments for its 737 MAX re-engined narrowbody and the 777 widebody, it has decided to lean more heavily on Boeing Capital in sales campaigns to bolster its chances for success in the future.
Caticlan Airport, gateway to the Philippines’ famous beach resort area of Boracay, will be upgraded. Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) President Jaime Bautista says San Miguel Corp., one of the country's largest conglomerates, has made a proposal to the authorities to upgrade the airport. San Miguel owns 93% of TransAire Development Corp., which has a concession from the government to operate and develop the airport.
As a Nov. 23 deadline bears down on a congressional “Super Committee” tasked with agreeing on how to cut another $1.2 trillion from the U.S. budget deficit during the next 10 years, Democrats and Republicans remain far apart. One area of possible compromise is an overhaul of the U.S. corporate tax code. At 35%, the federal tax on corporations is one of the highest in the world, putting U.S. companies at a disadvantage with their competitors in Europe, Asia and Latin America. It also is distorted by a mishmash of credits and deductions.
Government regulations are becoming a bigger concern for airline executives worldwide. In a soon-to-be released survey, Sabre Airline Solutions asked executives at 77 airlines worldwide to identify the key challenges their airlines will face in the next 18 months, and 34% named government regulations. That’s up from 17% in the 2009 survey and essentially ties for second with revenue/yield and competition/alliances/consolidation. Fuel price instability remains the biggest concern and a growing one, identified by 69%, compared with 57% in 2009.
