Russia’s United Engine Corp. is promoting its TV7-117SM turboprop engine at the Aviation Expo/China 2011 show this week in Beijing as part of its campaign to persuade Xian Aircraft to select the engine for the MA700, China’s new 70- or 90-seat turboprop. This engine type is already used on the Ilyushin Il-114-300, a twin-engine Russian commercial turboprop aircraft developed in the 1990s. Russian company Chernyshev Moscow Machine Building Enterprise is spearheading United Engine Corp.’s sales push for the TV7-117SM at the show.
The 6 a.m. hour no longer is a low-demand period at Reagan Washington National Airport, the FAA has decided, which means the limited number of takeoff and landing slots for that hour no longer will be doled out to airlines on a first-come, first-served basis.
A Texas state court judge set a trial date of June 13, 2012, in the American Airlines antitrust lawsuit against Sabre. American and Sabre recently signed an agreement to maintain their contract for including American inventory on the global distribution system until at least two weeks after the lawsuit is resolved.
The Harbin Aircraft Y12F, which has completed several test flights, is expected by the company to achieve its Chinese certification next September, according to Li Xiaodong, senior business manager for marketing of parent company Avicopter.
Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Bradley Penrod is polishing a revised copy of the airport's Capacity and Service Enhancement (CASE) program, which suggests the airport’s location and unused capacity make Pittsburgh the top candidate to relieve congestion at major East Coast airports. He is now waiting for an airline to come forward and take him up on the idea.
Comac forecasts that 30,910 commercial passenger jet aircraft of all sizes will be built by 2030, of which slightly more than 10% will be single-aisle aircraft of 100-200 seats sold in China.
Jacobs Engineering Group and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport have modified a contract for the design of passenger Terminal A, adding $13.7 million in changes and increasing the design and design management cost to $52.4 million for the first of three one-year, optional extensions. The engineering company is providing architecture and engineering services for DFW’s $1.9 billion Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program (TRIP), which includes building a light rail station and improving the parking system. TRIP is expected to be completed in 2017.
Air Baltic is blaming the Latvian government’s lack of financial support and attempt to offload its holding in the troubled carrier for its decision to file for bankruptcy protection. The carrier, which will continue operations during its bankruptcy, says the government has “neglectfully and repeatedly delayed” decisions on a capital increase requested for the past six months and approved by Baltic Aviation Systems (BAS), a private shareholder in the airline. The Latvian state currently owns 52.6% of the airline’s stock, while a further 47.2% is held by BAS.
The Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday approved the fiscal 2012 transportation, housing and urban development appropriations bill that will fund the FAA in fiscal 2012 as a freshman senator issued a warning about the current strategy for passing spending bills. The bill’s aviation-related portions remained largely unchanged from Tuesday’s subcommittee markup, in which senators agreed to fully fund the Next Generation air traffic management system and provide $3.5 billion for the Airport Improvement Program.
The Indianapolis Airport Authority has selected ET Energy Solutions to develop a solar farm consisting of 41,000 solar panels on the grounds of the Indianapolis International Airport, which will vie to become the largest solar operations in the U.S.
Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) will take in 45 Etihad Airways aircraft for heavy maintenance checks as part of a new four-year contract that covers the UAE carrier’s entire fleet. The contract, which lasts from 2012 to 2015, covers 4C and six-year maintenance checks on Etihad’s Airbus A319, A320, A330, A340-500, A340-600 and Boeing 777 aircraft.
Chile’s antitrust court will approve LAN Airlines’ merger with Grupo TAM but only if they drop at least one of their global alliances, support cabotage in Chile’s domestic market, return some slot allocations and open their frequent flyer program to other airlines for five years.
Avic Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. (ACAE) has been speaking to German engine maker MTU and Italian engine parts manufacturer Avio about possible involvement on the Chinese company’s CJ-1000, currently in development, and designed for the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China’s (Comac) C919.
Bombardier announced it will slow production of its CRJ line of regional jets to align with market demand, a move that did not surprise analysts, given orders and backlogs for the aircraft.
The China market accounted for 22% of Airbus deliveries last year and is likely to account for 15-20% of the total in the next 20 years, according to Airbus China President Laurence Barron. Airbus delivered 111 aircraft to Chinese customers in 2010 and expects to deliver 115 this year. Of last year’s 111, 26 aircraft were built at Airbus Tianjin, says Barron. The plan is for the Tianjin plant to reach a production rate of three aircraft per month by year-end, increasing to four per month by the end of 2012, he says.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport has planted a 928-sq.-ft. aeroponic garden in the G Concourse of Terminal 3 to produce vegetables and herbs for use in airport restaurants. The Chicago Department of Aviation is working on the hanging garden with HMS Host, which operates four restaurants at O’Hare.
Some Emirates Airlines executives, including Andrew Parker, senior VP-public, industry, international and environmental affairs, were in Washington yesterday to meet with the Air Transport Association to explain the airline's position on export financing, a contentious issue for U.S. airlines, which believe their competitors in the Gulf states are receiving unfair subsidies. The entourage then travels north to plead again for more slots from the Canadians. Quietly consulting in the airline's corner is John Byerly, former top aviation negotiator for the U.S.
Air Baltic CEO Berthold Flick says he “would have left a long time ago if I was not the owner” of the Latvian airline. Speaking at the World Low-Cost Airlines Conference Tuesday in London, Flick told delegates he will “definitely not be Air Baltic CEO this time next year.” However, the details of his departure depend on an agreement with the Latvian government.
Los Angeles City Council’s approval of a lease between Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and Delta Air Lines will restart the renovation of Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport. The lease restates the original 40-year term, which expires in 2025. LAWA expects revenue of $19.6 million for the first year and $283.1 million in the remaining 14 years of the term. The lease calls for Delta to complete its $228.8 million terminal renovation.
China is forecast to be the world’s second-largest market for new commercial aircraft in the next 20 years, but the rapid growth in the industry means many more pilots and maintenance engineers are required, and quickly.
Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines are taking the first major steps to implement the transpacific joint venture that was approved by U.S. and Australian regulators in June.
