JetBlue Airways expanded its ever-growing list of interline partners by reaching a deal to interline with Qatar Airways via New York John F. Kennedy International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. Qatar operates daily flights from New York and Washington to Doha International Airport, with the option to connect to flights to the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions, including 12 cities in India.
British Airways (BA) is restructuring its flight operations unit into Airbus and Boeing divisions, fueling speculation that the airline may still be considering further Airbus acquisitions, including the Airbus A350-1000.
Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Marion Blakey wasted no time Thursday in expressing her displeasure with President Obama’s anti-corporate jet comments that came at a time when the U.S. struggles to maintain a leadership role in aerospace and defense.
Worldwide passenger traffic rose by 4% in the first five months of 2011, while freight traffic grew 2%, the latest data from IATA show. Compared with May 2010, passenger traffic grew by 6.8% in May, IATA says. This breaks out into an 8% gain for international traffic and 4.8% for domestic traffic compared with last year. For the year-to-May 2011 compared with the same period last year, international passenger traffic grew by 8.4% and domestic traffic by 4.2%.
JetBlue Airways subsidiary LiveTV is trying to expand its product, customer reach and revenue by adding live television capabilities for international service on widebody aircraft, starting with the transatlantic market.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has reached a deal with Airbus to lease 15 Airbus A330-300s, a move that limits its immediate reliance on A350-900s and Boeing 787-9s on order. The Star Alliance carrier says that the 15 A330-300s will be delivered between 2013 and 2015 and will be assigned to SIA mainline on routes within Asia and to Australia.
Star Alliance partners Aegean Airlines and US Airways have unveiled a bilateral code-share agreement that includes services through hubs in Athens, Charlotte, N.C., and Philadelphia. US Airways says the accord, which requires regulatory approval, will provide access to Athens and Thessolaniki, Greece’s second-largest city, through London Heathrow International Airport, as well as Munich and Rome, while Aegean’s passengers can use the U.S. operator’s seasonal service between Athens and Philadelphia.
The FAA is revising regulations to extend the requirement for wildlife hazard assessments to all certified airports. It normally takes an engine ingestion of a bird or multiple strikes to trigger a hazard assessment. The bird strike problem is worsening, says Elliott Black, deputy director of airport planning and programming. Aircraft movements are increasing, 13 of 14 bird species weighing more than 8 lb. have significantly increased, and many, like Canada Geese, are remaining in urban areas. Reported strikes have quadrupled to 7,516 between 1990 and 2008.
Delta has finished installing full flat-bed seats in the Business Elite cabins on its 18 Boeing 777ER/LR and 21 Boeing 767-400ER aircraft. The sleeper seats will appear on transcontinental routes to Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Tokyo and Sydney.
Air Jamaica on July 1 will adopt the ‘BW’ designator code of parent company Caribbean Airlines. “This will mark a milestone in the streamlining and merging of operations and routes,” says Caribbean Airlines acting CEO Robert Corbie, adding that “operating under one code means that as “one airline, two brands” Caribbean Airlines and Air Jamaica will be able to realize the cost synergies that were anticipated from the onset.”
Flight attendants from United Airlines, Continental Airlines and Continental Micronesia chose the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA to be their union representative at United Continental, winning 55% of the tally in a contest that pitted two unions against each other. Nearly 25,000 flight attendants work for the carrier.
Work to return to service the Qantas Airbus A380 damaged in last November’s uncontained engine failure is underway in Singapore. The aircraft, which was substantially damaged when the No. 2 Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine shed a turbine disc, is about to be placed on stress jacks for major repairs to the wing and fuselage. Work will likely include replacement or repairs to the No. 1 engine nacelle adjacent to the No. 2 engine, which was destroyed. The No. 2 engine and nacelle are also being replaced.
Saab AB's move to buy New York-based Sensis Corp. not only strengthens the company’s activities in the field of air traffic management, but also expands its footprint in the U.S., where it has been eager to grow. The Swedish aerospace company is acquiring Sensis for about $155 million, with another $40 million potentially to be paid by 2014 depending on how the business performs.
The U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) has approved a $562.9 million loan to Amtrak to "finance the purchase of 70 high-performance, electric locomotives from Siemens Industry USA ... to improve frequency, performance and reliability for regional and intercity routes along the Northeast and Keystone Corridors." The funds come from the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program.
Continental Airlines’ OnePass frequent flyer program is being disbanded in favor of United Airlines' Mileage Plus plan as the two operators move toward full integration. Few details are being made available, although parent company United Continental Holdings confirms the automatic transition of OnePass points to Mileage Plus will occur on Jan. 1, 2012.
Hong Kong International Airport reported a whopping profit of HK$4,035 million ($518.4 million) for the fiscal year ending March 31, a 41.9% increase from the previous year. The boost came from strong revenues and a surge in demand that pushed the airport to first place among world cargo airports.
KLM has completed its first commercial biofuel flight using a Boeing 737-800 operating with a 50/50 blend of biofuel to regular kerosene, as a precursor to more extensive use of the alternative fuel. The flight (KL1233) operated June 29 between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport carrying 171 passengers.
Malaysia-based Air Asia is planning to boost its flight operations and develop more routes to India, realizing the potential generated by growing travel demands in the country. The carrier plans to penetrate the South Indian market by expanding its network to Bangkok by next year, Suresh Nair, country head of AirAsia, tells Aviation Week. “AirAsia will soon operate 14 flights weekly from Chennai and almost 100 flights from India,” he says. The airline also intends to increase its frequency on the Chennai-Kuala Lumpur route, Nair says.
