Air India’s management, under fire for past financial decisions, must be left alone by the government to have a chance for survival, says a new report by a nodal public auditing agency. The Indian comptroller and auditor general (CAG), in a Sept. 8 report to parliament, recommends “a total hands-off approach” with regard to managing the airline. It says Air India has “inherent strengths,” but there is no evidence that the Civil Aviation Ministry has given the carrier positive support in the past few years.
The chairman of a House panel on transportation plans to offer a new extension to the current Airport and Airways Trust Fund Extension Act today—giving Congress just one week to keep the FAA operating at full capacity. Although a week would be plenty of time to approve most of these kinds of extensions, it was not sufficient in July when Congress failed to agree, forcing a two-week partial shutdown of the FAA and construction projects around the country.
The French air accident investigation office, BEA, has convened a panel of human factors experts to help analyze information linked to the crash of Air France Flight 447. The BEA, when issuing its latest interim report, noted it would set up such a panel to help better understand the actions taken by the plane’s pilots. The big question has been why the cockpit crew did not properly respond to stall warnings as the Airbus A330-200 flew from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The aircraft crashed into the Atlantic on June 1, 2009.
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The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to vote on the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011 (H.R.2594) today at 10 a.m. as one of six bills it will be considering.
Hurricane Irene exacted a serious, but manageable, impact on U.S. airline income in the third quarter. Delta Air Lines says the hurricane, which resulted in more than 2,200 flight cancellations for the carrier, will reduce its income by about $15 million. US Airways is estimating an $8-$10 million impact from temporarily suspending service at airports in Philadelphia, Washington, New York and Boston and from canceling a quarter of its 9,100 scheduled flights.
The Irish government appears to be closer to selling its 25% stake in Aer Lingus just as Ryanair says it will not attempt to buy the shares. Transport Minister Leo Varadkar says the strategic argument for keeping a 25% stake in the airline no longer applies; it has been keeping its stake in Aer Lingus to block an attempted hostile takeover by local low-cost rival Ryanair. Those attempts have been blocked by the Irish competition authority and the European Commission.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says air travelers will not be required to take their shoes off in the future for explosives detection screening, but did not specify when the rules will change. Rapiscan, a security manufacturer, has a walk-through scanning device in production and other manufacturers have proposed similar scanning devices to the Transportation Security Administration. However, a spokesman says the process to test and procure systems has not begun and suspension of the rule is “a long way off.”
The FAA is deploying a new tool at U.S. ATC facilities that will help controllers maintain optimum separation between aircraft on approach. The Automated Terminal Proximity Alert (ATPA) tool was developed by Lockheed Martin and the FAA. The Minneapolis terminal radar approach control (Tracon) was the first to use ATPA, which has also been deployed to the St. Louis Tracon. Chicago and Denver are next on the list, and the agency plans to bring it to other suitable facilities by the end of the year.
Southwest Airlines is sending some mixed signals on the near-term fate of the Boeing 717 fleet it acquired with its purchase of AirTran Airways, but the long-term future does not seem to be in doubt: Southwest still plans to get rid of them, and an Aviation Week review of the aircraft’s performance on AirTran routes may explain why.
Engine manufacturer General Electric has joined an Australian consortium established to develop and commercialize aviation biofuel derived from native eucalyptus trees. The consortium includes Virgin Australia, Canadian biofuels company Dynamotive Energy Systems, its Australian licensee Renewable Oil Corp., and the national Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Center.
The Air Transport Association has named Christine Burgeson senior VP-global government affairs. A former lobbyist for the George W. Bush administration and Citigroup, she rounds out ATA's new leadership. ATA President Nick Calio called Burgeson "a critical addition" to the association's government affairs and policy teams. As ATA pushes for a "national airline policy," Calio notes Burgeson is well liked by both Republicans and Democrats.
A House panel wants to provide $12.6 billion for the FAA in fiscal 2012, increasing the agency’s budget by $233 million over fiscal 2011 and fully funding the Next Generation air traffic modernization system. And although it is a $485 million cut relative to what President Obama had proposed in February, legislation drafted by the House Appropriations transportation and housing and urban development subcommittee, any kind of increase from fiscal 2011 seems remarkable in an environment where deficit reduction has become the focus of Capitol Hill.
By Capt. Lee Moak, President, Air Line Pilots Association International With only days to go before the latest FAA reauthorization extension expires, the U.S. Congress owes it to passengers, cargo shippers, airline pilots and other aviation industry workers to act immediately to grant the FAA the resources to safeguard our skies. A long-term budget reauthorization—not a 22nd short-term extension—is the answer to keeping air transportation safe in this country.
Transportation within Miami International Airport will take a major step forward today as the Miami-Dade Aviation Department hosts an inaugural demonstration of its 1.25-mi. automated people mover system. The MIA Mover will open to the public on Friday, connecting passengers from the airport with the Miami Rental Car Center and the future Miami Intermodal Center.
Faced with by far the weakest expected profitability of the three big European network carriers, Air France-KLM is preparing a large restructuring program to cut annual costs by up to €800 million ($1.13 billion) CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon presented some basic plans to union representatives earlier this week, but details have yet to be confirmed. Unions are concerned that up to 10,000 jobs could be cut, causing serious reductions in parts of the network.
Following successful tests in Malaysia of its Secure Freight pilot program, IATA is ready to expand participation in the program, which aims to set global security standards for the supply chain from shipper to consignee. It has received confirmation from Chile, Egypt, Kenya and Mexico that they are ready to "embrace" it, and the UAE also has shown interest, IATA says.
BMI is making a foray into the burgeoning Indian aviation market by launching a direct flight between London and the northern Indian town of Amritsar, beginning Oct. 14. The airline will operate the Airbus A330-200 in the market, offering initially three flights a week, says Vikas Mathur, the company’s sales manager for India. “Traditionally, Punjab and the United Kingdom share deep and strong business and social relations. We are glad to offer customers from Amritsar the most convenient and shortest route to travel to London,” Mathur says.
The FAA has approved modifications to a $1.16 billion, three-part plan for terminal construction and runway expansion at Broward County’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Demolition of properties to extend the South Runway (9R-27L) to 8,000 ft. and widen it to 150 ft. is scheduled later this year or early 2012.
Dublin Aerospace plans to announce a multi-million maintenance contract this week and expects to sign two to three more large contracts soon. The privately held, two-year-old company, which provides narrowbody base maintenance, landing gear overhaul, auxiliary power unit (APU) maintenance and technical training, plans to triple its turnover this year, compared with 2010, says Frank Furke, head of sales.
