Alitalia is moving forward financially but remains in the red, even if Chairman Roberto Colaninno calls the second-quarter financial performance an “extraordinary result.” Compared with the first half of 2010, Alitalia results show a marked improvement. The operating loss is down to €69 million ($98.8 million), against €129 million, on revenues of €1.5 billion, up 7%. The net result is still a loss of €94 million, but this compares with a €164 million loss a year ago.
The Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) has named Turkia Awada Mullin, the county’s chief development officer, as the authority’s CEO, overseeing Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Willow Run Airport. Mullin replaces Lester Robinson, whose contract was not renewed last May. She was one of 61 candidates interviewed and was chosen from among six finalists, two from Michigan and four others from other states including the District of Columbia. Her starting date and compensation package are being negotiated, officials say.
With a landing by two flight test aircraft at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., Tuesday afternoon, Boeing completed the FAA’s flight test certification program for the 747-8 Freighter, clearing the way for delivery of the first airplane to launch customer Cargolux in September. Flight test airplane RC522 completed testing of the jet’s flight management computer while RC523 finished function and reliability testing.
Japan Airlines returned to the black in the three months through June, despite a demand slump caused by the March earthquake and tsunami. The carrier recorded a net profit of 12.7 billion yen ($164.6 million) for the period, which is its fiscal first quarter. The profit was all the more notable as the carrier emerged from bankruptcy protection in March, following a drastic restructuring.
Filipino carrier Seair in the coming weeks will spin off its turboprop operation into a separate company in preparation for Tiger Airways’ and some local investors’ buying into Seair, which is to be rebranded and repositioned as a low-cost carrier operating only Airbus A320 family aircraft.
President Obama said Aug. 3 he has made calls to key lawmakers urging them to get the FAA reauthorization settled by the end of the week, so the partial shutdown of FAA can be lifted. In remarks before a cabinet meeting, Obama said, “Don’t put the livelihoods of thousands of people at risk. Don’t put projects at risk. And don’t let a billion dollars, at a time when we’re scrambling for every dollar we can, get left on the table because Congress didn’t act.”
The FAA’s partial shutdown is jeopardizing the near-term timetable for introducing a new en route ATC system, a further blow to a crucial program that has already suffered major delays.
The U.S. Air Force could speed a conversion of cellulosic feedstocks, such as municipal waste and agricultural and forestry residues, into jet fuel through its plans to evaluate the feasibility of an alcohol-to-jet fuel process.
A professional accreditation program sponsored by Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has exceeded a milestone with more than 500 participants in the four-year program. Another 200 participants are expected to enroll by year’s end, says Paul Behnke, manager for program promotion of the ACI-ICAO Airport Management Professional Accreditation Program (AMPAP). The air transport system course will be offered Dec. 12-16 in Las Vegas.
Without an agreement in the Senate Tuesday on extending FAA funding, the FAA’s partial shutdown appears destined to stretch into September, potentially costing the Airport and Airways Trust Fund $1 billion.
Air New Zealand has begun accepting pre-paid checked bag fees via the Sabre global distribution system with some travel agents, and is making use of electronic miscellaneous documents (EMD)—the ancillary service version of an e-ticket—to do so. Over time, Air New Zealand says, it expects to add other ancillary service options via Sabre.
Airports Council International (ACI World) estimates global passenger traffic rose 6% in the first half of 2011 mainly due to strong patterns of global economic growth. The pattern augurs a solid year of traffic, the airport organization says, though growing uncertainties could hamper the trend.
Korean Air has ordered another two Boeing 737-900ERs, which will join the two of this type that were delivered in June. Korean had a fleet of 30 737s as of the end of the first quarter, which primarily consisted of -800s and -900s.
Two electric vehicle charging stations have opened at Chicago Midway Airport and Detroit Metro has plans to install four charging stations. The Midway stations are located in the Main Terminal Parking Garage. Users may top off a charge with 1.5 hr. of charging. A similar station was installed at O’Hare International Airport’s main terminal garage in March. Chicago expects to install 281 charging stations by the end of this year. Detroit Metro’s four stations are part of a program to install 16 public stations in southeastern Michigan.
Delays to the Boeing 787 program mean Rolls-Royce’s new engine assembly plant in Singapore will start with Trent 900 engines, rather than Trent 1000s, as originally planned.
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.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has updated its airworthiness guidance for Airbus A330s and A340s related to a concern regarding flight control laws on the widebodies.
A new U.S. State Department report says that since 2003, the U.S. government—led by State with help from the Pentagon—has found and destroyed over 32,500 “excess, loosely secured, illicitly held, or otherwise at-risk” man-portable air defense systems (manpads) in over 30 countries.
Mahindra Aerospace, the aviation division of India's Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., held discussions on Monday with aircraft part manufacturers in Europe and the U.S. for a stake purchase.
Hamilton Sundstrand and Aviation Industry Corporation of China Electromechanical Systems Co. Ltd. (AVIC EM) have “laid the cornerstone” for a facility to house the development and manufacturing of the Comac C919 electrical power system. The facility in Xi’an, China, is slated to open in the first quarter of 2012. The new location will attract about 130 jobs during its first two years of operation. It remains to be seen if the facility will offer repair capabilities in the future.
