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.
Nashville International Airport is joining a hot new trend of providing health care services at the airport. The CareHere clinic and wellness center opened Aug. 4, offering treatment for conditions that typically befall travelers, such as ear aches, rashes and nausea. It is one of a handful of airport clinics, joining others at Philadelphia, Orlando and San Francisco airports.
Brazilian regional carrier TRIP is close to implementing a new reservations and sales technology platform that will enable the code share agreement with Grupo TAM to “grow and consolidate,” confirms the mainline operator, noting that the process will take at least 90 days. Brazil’s largest airline also says it has “satisfactorily completed” due diligence in TRIP as it continues to investigate a possible strategic alliance that could include the acquisition of a minority stake in the regional (Aviation Daily, March 31).
Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) is opening eight reports to public scrutiny that were developed as part of the authority’s master plan through 2030. A key question will be whether Hong Kong International Airport should remain a two-runway facility or expand to three runways.
Having recently agreed on a 35 aircraft sale-leaseback arrangement with American Airlines, AerCap management says it is in talks with other carriers about similar arrangements.
Mesa Air Group is not concerned about a US Airways decision to ditch some Mesa flying in favor of SkyWest Airlines, says Jonathan Ornstein, the regional carrier’s chairman and CEO. SkyWest on Aug. 4 disclosed a tentative three-year agreement with US Airways to fly 14 50-passenger Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft as US Airways Express, with options to switch to larger CRJ700 aircraft. That would replace the CRJ200 and Bombardier Dash 8 service currently provide by Mesa to US Airways at its Phoenix hub, in early to mid-2012 (Aviation Daily, Aug. 5).
NCR Corp. is moving from providing self-service check-in kiosks for individual airlines at John Wayne Airport to managing the information technology network in a major improvement project for the Orange County Airport, which includes construction of a new Terminal C.
The Intermodal Transport Center planned for Burbank, Calif., Bob Hope Airport, scheduled for construction this year, is being redesigned and will go out for bid in the fall. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority authorized a new work order valued at $1.5 million to Pierce Goodwin Alexander and Linville. The redesign was prompted when bids in May came in at $47 million over budget.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is lauding a deal reached yesterday between House and Senate leaders that should put thousands back to work at the FAA and on construction projects around the country. On Aug. 5, senators are expected to approve the House version of a bill to extend the FAA’s authority to administer the Airport and Airways Trust Fund until Sept. 16, leaving contentious issues to be debated again between the end of the August recess and that date.
In one $1.4 billion swoop, Dublin-based Fly Leasing has almost doubled its fleet to 109 aircraft by adding 49 Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies and widebodies in a deal with Sydney-based Global Aviation Asset Management. The deal is another sign that recovering airline demand—coupled with shortages in near-term production slots for new aircraft at Airbus and Boeing—is improving the fortunes for lessors.
U.S. Transportation Department has issued fines against Air Canada and United Airlines worth a combined $70,000. The Canadian carrier’s offense, according to DOT, was a failure to prominently disclose taxes and fees on its website, resulting in a $50,000 penalty. United’s $20,000 in fines, meanwhile, relates to delays in updating information on damages available to passengers with lost, damaged or delayed baggage on international flights.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is asking a court to nullify a cost-cutting agreement between Republic Airways and the former bargaining unit for Frontier’s pilots that Republic considers critical for the survival of its low-cost subsidiary. Nonetheless, Republic says it is forging ahead with restructuring plans, including its proposal to use debt offerings or other financing methods to raise $70 million for Frontier. "Expected completion is within the next month," a spokesman for Republic and Frontier says.
India's ailing flag carrier Air India got a breather Aug. 3 as the federal government approved a 17.32 billion rupee ($38.8 million) package to meet its immediate financial requirements.
Boeing has completed the FAA's flight test certification program for the 747-8 Freighter. It must still clear final approval from the FAA (Aviation Daily, Aug. 3).
The Latin American Civil Aviation Commission, the latest group to oppose the EU's emissions trading system, is calling on ICAO to develop a global system of market-based measures to combat aviation's share of greenhouse gas emissions while also urging the EU not to apply the ETS to international carriers.
Mexicana de Aviacion’s demise has been granted a further reprieve after a judge extended a final deadline beyond the Aug. 9 date initially set by a bankruptcy court. The extension, which was requested by the carrier’s unions, was permitted because of the apparent success of negotiations with three proposed bidders: Altus Prot, Avanza Capital and Ivan Barona.
