Lao Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus to buy two A320s “white tails” originally destined for Libya. These white tails were built for Libyan national carrier Afriqiyah Airways which suspended operations when NATO forces on March 19 started imposing a no fly-zone over the country.
Airbus has added 145 aircraft to its order book in July, bringing the gross order intake for the year to 922 units with cancellations remaining at 137 aircraft. Half of the 260 Airbus narrowbodies American Airlines said last month it would order have now hit the aircraft maker’s order book (Boeing also booked parts of its deal with American). The aircraft now booked are all A321NEOs (new engine options).
Now that the U.S. Senate has agreed to put thousands of FAA and construction workers back on the job, the Internal Revenue Service is scrambling to deal with the issue of excise taxes. Airline passengers who paid excise taxes before the FAA shutdown on July 23 and traveled after that date will not get a refund, and taxes will start being charged again on Aug. 8.
U.S. President Harry S. Truman campaigned in 1948 against a “Do Nothing Congress.” One wonders what he would think of today’s lawmakers. A dispute on Capitol Hill about funding for the FAA idled 4,000 civil servants and 70,000 workers in airport-related construction jobs on July 23. Other FAA employees worked without pay, planning to collect when their agency’s budget is approved. With 74,000 voters out of work, one would have expected lawmakers to work overtime to reach a compromise and restore funding. Not this Congress.
Senators may have reached an agreement to reopen the FAA, but when Congress returns the first week of September lawmakers will have just 10 days to pass a new extension. Already, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) is taking a hard line on negotiations on the underlying FAA reauthorization bill, where the House and Senate remain at odds over a controversial labor provision, airport funding and the number of flights at Reagan Washington National Airport.
Germany’s air traffic controllers plan to go on strike some time this week after suddenly deciding not to walk off their jobs Aug. 4, as originally planned. Air traffic control provider Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) legally challenged the planned industrial action, and its request was approved by a local court. The GdF union challenged the decision, but decided late on Aug. 3 to cancel the strike because airlines would not have had time to prepare themselves.
The Airbus/Boeing duopoly in the narrowbody market is being challenged by Comac, Irkut and Bombardier, but it is too soon to tell if these potential rivals will be successful, according to a recent report from the Congressional Research Service.
Fokker Services will be providing aircraft component support for Australia’s Alliance Airlines, one of the largest Fokker operators in the world. The Dutch maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company says it has secured a contract from Alliance that resulted from “a comprehensive tender Alliance issued to identify a core group of component support suppliers to provide repair services, on the basis of fixed price and turnaround time, ensuring predictability of cost and parts availability.”
Lufthansa Technik Group , Hamburg, shuffled several top executive positions: Burkhard Andrich, senior VP-engine services, will become senior VP-aircraft component services; he will be succeeded by Johannes Bussmann, currently senior VP-aircraft component services; Stephan Drewes, VP-engine overhaul at Hamburg, will become CEO of LT Malta, replacing Aloysius Giordimaina, who will retire but continue in Malta as a member of the Supervisory Board; Drewes' former role will be assumed by Bernhard Krueger-Sprengel, currently CEO of LT Philippines, where he will be succeeded by
Click here to view the pdf Top Nonstop Airport Pairs: Canada-U.S., 12 Months Ending November 2010, Ranked By ASMs Onboard ASMs % Chg. Seats Per Load Market (Metr
Alaska Air Group , Seattle, elected Ann Ardizzone VP-strategic sourcing and supply chain management at Air Group and named Andy Schneider VP-inflight services and Shane Tackett VP-labor relations, both at Alaska Airlines. Yvonne Daverin was elected VP-maintenance and engineering at Horizon Air.
Air Canada’s ability to improve its second-quarter financial performance is due to the company’s ongoing cost initiative, although the operator says it is seeking more cost reductions, higher fares and surcharges and may adjust capacity to counter an estimated C$800 million (US$817 million) year-on-year rise in fuel expense. Despite these concerns, the second-quarter net loss of C$46 million ($46.9 million) compares favorably with the C$318 million loss posted in the same period last year, and revenues grew 11.1% to C$2.9 billion.
Pinnacle Airlines last week reported a $2.4 million loss for the second quarter, capping a rough period for the largest U.S. regional airline companies that highlighted some of the challenges they continue to face from their efforts to reshape and grow their businesses.
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) Sept. 12—A&D Finance Europe, London Sept. 14-15—Airlines, MRO, Aircraft & Engine Lessors: “The Tricky Triangle,” Dublin Sept. 26—Aircraft Composite Repair Management Forum, Zurich Sept. 27-29—MRO Europe 2011, Madrid Sept. 28—MRO Military Europe, Madrid Oct. 20-21—MRO IT, Chicago
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Aug. 11-13—Eighth Annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, Congonhas Airport, Sao Paulo, www.abag.org.br/labace2011/ Aug. 12—Aeropodium’s Third Annual Business Aviation in Latin America Summit, Congonhas Airport, Sao Paulo, www.aeropodium.com/conferenceprojects
Canadian low-cost, one-class carrier WestJet is considering premium coach seating. “We’re looking at whether that might make sense for WestJet," since it has worked for other airlines, President and CEO Gregg Saretsky says.
The Canadian government is contributing CA$3.2 million (US$3.3 million) to improve Runway 08-26 at the Region of Waterloo International Airport in Ontario. The funding is part of a safety improvement program that has brought CA$556 million for 678 projects at 171 airports.
New boutique aircraft asset manager Falko has acquired BAe Systems’ aircraft leasing and management business and has started signing agreements with operators on its portfolio of 143 BAe regional aircraft. Falko is backed by New York management company Fortress Investment Group, which bought BAe’s asset management business in May for $187 million.
Garuda Indonesia’s low-cost carrier Citilink is seeking to lease more Airbus A320 aircraft in addition to the five leases it already has in place. Con Korfiatis, who is an adviser to the Citilink board, says the airline is receiving four of the leased A320s by the end of the year, with the first due to arrive later this month or early next month. The fifth will arrive in February, says Korfiatis, who declines to name the mix of lessors involved.
Turkish Technic received another Hamilton Sundstrand APS3200 auxiliary power unit (APU) from Atlasjet, a Turkey-based carrier, in mid-July and should finish repairing it by the middle of this month. The service agreement also included spares support. The parties would not disclose the contract’s value for the APU’s maintenance.
