An Australian government review has determined that despite airline complaints to the contrary, airport charging practices are reasonable, particularly when compared with other countries. While the government’s Productivity Commission found that the “light-handed regulation” of airport pricing is generally working well, it does recommend some changes aimed at giving the main competition watchdog the ability to proactively intervene if unreasonable pricing is occurring or suspected.
New Zealand competition authorities have prevailed in the first phase of the trial of nine international carriers accused of price-fixing. The New Zealand High Court in Auckland ruled in favor of the Commerce Commission on an important jurisdictional point. This means the court can hear the full Commerce Commission case. If the court had ruled in the airlines’ favor, a major part of the case would not have been able to be heard in a New Zealand court. An appeal against this decision is still a possibility.
Introducing the Aero 100 Airfare Benchmark Index Designed for anyone with risk on the future level of airfares – for example Airlines, Banks/Credit Card Companies, Corporate Travel Managers, etc. The Aero 100 Airfare Benchmark Index tracks daily airfares within the domestic airline market. The Aero 100 delivers financial risk mitigation and protection against constant fluctuation of airline ticket prices by providing the price settling mechanism for Commodity Futures Contracts.
Air Line Pilots Association President Lee Moak says groups opposing the proposed new crew rest rules are seeking a “new set of science” and suggested a compromise of sorts: implement a final rule now with a provision for reassessing it later. U.S. crew rest rules for pilots have not been updated in decades. Congress passed a bill in 2010 that ordered the FAA to establish new rules by Aug. 1, 2011, based on the best available scientific information, and to that end the FAA established an aviation rulemaking committee to draft recommendations.
The Association of European Airlines (AEA) named Athar Husain Khan as the new deputy secretary general. Khan will be in charge of AEA’s political team, dealing with issues such as aviation’s inclusion in the European emissions trading scheme (EU-ETS). Khan has been general manager of infrastructure at AEA since 2007. He was previously director of government and industry affairs at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and worked for the Dutch government as an air traffic rights negotiator.
The FBI and the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) have established the first airport-based office in the U.S. dedicated to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a federal, state and local law enforcement body.
With approval from its board of directors but few technical details, Boeing formally launched a re-engining effort for the 737 family Tuesday, saying five airlines have given it 496 commitments.
Alaska Airlines from March 12 is increasing to daily several Hawaii services from Oakland and San Jose, Calif. This increases the carrier’s three-weekly flights currently operated between San Jose and Lihue and Oakland and Kona and adds three more weekly flights to the current schedule between San Jose to Kona and Oakland to Lihue.
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) is set to make the first composite parts for the Airbus A350 at its Aircraft Commercial Center of Excellence (ACCE) in Clearfield, Utah, which officially opened for business on Aug. 29. The facility, which will also make composite parts for the General Electric GEnx-2B engine on the Boeing 747-8 and the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine on the A350, forms the centerpiece of ATK’s campaign to double its civil and international aerospace structures business in the coming years.
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Costs and Statistics, 12 Months Ended December 2010, Jet Aircraft (Pages 7 and 8 of 11) 737-900 Manufacturer: Boeing
Rockwell Collins is in talks with Inmarsat to become the sole lead to develop, produce and distribute user terminals for the satellite communications provider’s proposed Ka-band inflight connectivity system. The system, dubbed Global Xpress (GX), is scheduled for roll-out in 2014, a year after the launch of the first Inmarsat-5 satellite, which is scheduled for mid-2013. The two companies, meanwhile, expect their agreement in principle to become a definitive deal later this year.
Spurred into action by last month’s partial shutdown of the FAA and what he sees as a leadership void, the president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) says the association is ready to be a forceful advocate for passage of an FAA reauthorization bill, and for the airline industry in general.
The Communications Workers of America is wielding the FAA shutdown as a political bludgeon, ramping up mailers and robo-calls in 25 House districts that blame Republicans for the two-week impasse that ended earlier this month. CWA, which represents the Association of Flight Attendants and is affiliated with customer service agents for some airlines, says it is spending more than $500,000 to target 600,000 voters in those House districts.
FAA is imposing a two-year waiting period before a certificate holder can hire certain former FAA inspectors for jobs that would require interaction with the agency. The rule, which takes effect Oct. 21, applies to both scheduled and non-scheduled carriers, fractional ownership providers, maintenance organizations, flight training organizations and other certificate holders.
As Pratt & Whitney Canada gets ready to test a core demonstrator for its next-generation regional turboprop engine this fall in Longueuil, Quebec, the manufacturer is seeing a great demand from operators to use the engine in turboprop aircraft larger than the 50- or 70-seat aircraft that the PW100 engine family typically powers. According to Eva Azoulay, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s VP of strategic planning and business development, there has been “a lot of demand and discussion” to use the engine on aircraft with 90 seats or more.
Women in Aerospace will hold a forum Sept. 8 to discuss how safety and security has changed for both commercial and general aviation since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The forum is being held at Washington Reagan National Airport’s Terminal A from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The panel will be moderated by Lillian Ryals, executive director, next generation air transportation system for The MITRE Corp., which along with Boeing is sponsoring the event.
Tiger Airways Australia head Tony Davis is leaving the troubled carrier just as it is ramping up services after a lengthy grounding by Australian regulators. Davis is leaving Tiger to take up another position, the carrier says in a statement. Tiger says Davis’s decision to depart “supports his long-term plan to return and reside in Europe.” He will leave Tiger effective Nov. 1. The company says it is “in the process of appointing a permanent replacement” for Davis at the Australian carrier.
Cathay Pacific Airways confirms that it will be rolling out a premium economy product across its long-haul routes next year. The carrier says the new seats will be introduced from the second quarter, and will be installed at the same time as new business class seats. “It will still take most of 2012 before it is on most of our aircraft,” Cathay says.
Delivery of the first 747-8F and 787 is once again developing into a close-run race with hand over of the first new generation 747-8F sliding towards later September, possibly coming within days of the first 787 delivery, now officially confirmed by Boeing for Sept. 25. Following events on Sept. 25-26, Boeing says the initial 787 for All Nippon Airways is set to depart the manufacturer’s Everett site in Washington on Sept. 27, with arrival the next day in Tokyo.
Gulf Air’s winter schedule will include services to the capitals of Italy and the newly formed South Sudan, as well as flights to Entebbe, Uganda. The Rome service is the first scheduled addition, with the four weekly Airbus A320 flights to start Nov. 30. Entebbe also will receive four flights per week with A320s beginning Dec. 5, while the three-weekly Embraer 190 flights to Juba are scheduled to launch Feb. 7.
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Costs and Statistics, 12 Months Ended December 2010, Jet Aircraft (Pages 5 and 6 of 11) MD80 Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas
