Alitalia CEO Rocco Sabelli has confirmed he intends to resign before yearend on the assumption his mission to return the airline to profitability is now accomplished. Alitalia continues to improve and is on schedule to achieve operationally neutral results this year, notwithstanding the effects of fuel price increases and turmoil in the Middle East, both of which are affecting results in medium-haul markets. The carrier has seen traffic slow in many of its Mediterranean and North African destinations.
The new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS), replacing color-coded advisories in place for nearly a decade, is being implemented across the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Secretary Janet Napolitano promises it will provide timely information about credible terrorist threats with specifics on location, transportation mode and infrastructure affected.
Qatar Airways is allegedly close to buying a minority stake in financially struggling Cargolux. According to various reports, Qatar plans to take a 33.7% stake in the Luxembourg-based cargo airline. However, when Qatar CEO Akbar Al-Baker was asked about the possible move, he answered: “Wait and see. You will hear about it soon.”
The chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has provided ammunition to proponents of sleep regulations for flight crews. NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman questioned several provisions outlawing sleep regulations in the FAA reauthorization bill, calling one “detrimental to the safety of flight crews, medical personnel, patients on board and persons on the ground.”
Germany’s Federal Aviation Office (LBA) is weak when it comes to oversight of airlines registered in the country, the European Union has found. In a stunning finding concerning one of the EU’s leading aviation member states, aviation safety officials note that ramp inspections have found increasing numbers of faults with German carriers.
The U.S. Transportation Department on April 20 expanded government-mandated rights for airline passengers in a sweeping new regulation, often discounting the objections raised by U.S. and foreign carriers on issues such as tarmac delays, fee disclosure, bag fee consistency, full-fare advertising, denied-boarding compensation, 24-hour reservation holds and extraterritoriality.
The European Union has barred Mozambique carriers from flying into the EU and also some Air Madagascar aircraft in its latest update to its aviation blacklist. The EU also signals its concern that some European regulators need to do more on the safety front. In particular, the EU’s Air Safety Committee, which compiles the list, is calling on the European Commission to work with Russia to intensify its dialogue on aviation safety matters with the Russian Federation to ensure that all aircraft flying into the EU comply with international standards.
GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes has contracted GE Aviation Systems to provide repair services and logistics support for its fleet of Boeing 737-700 and -800s. With this five-year, OnPoint service agreement, GE Aviation will handle all General Electric parts on the aircraft including avionics, flight management, instruments and hydraulic systems. “This is the first comprehensive OnPoint Services agreement covering systems on the Boeing 737 Next Generation,” says GE Aviation’s OnPoint General Manager John Jarczyk.
Morpho Detection of Newark, Calif., has signed an agreement with Syagen Technology of Tustin, Calif., to acquire the mass spectrometry technology company. Dennis Cooke, president and CEO of Morpho Detection, says Syagen’s technology will expand Morpho’s explosives trace detection capability against threats from non-conventional explosives. Morpho is a part of the Safran group’s security business.
Strong demand growth in the London-Rio de Janeiro market is setting up a capacity battle between TAM and British Airways. The move comes as both carriers prepare for what are expected to be several years of strong growth on the London to Rio route, owing to the London 2012 Olympic Games, followed by the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.
Launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) has begun training its first Boeing 787 pilots, a sign that Boeing is holding to a third quarter delivery date that could come as early as late July. ANA is using Boeing Flight Services training facility in Tokyo, which starts with computer-based training and transitions to the Thales Flight Training Device before finishing with a full-flight simulator. The FTD simulates a full cockpit layout, but without the cost of full 3Dmotion. That cuts down the time needed in a full-motion simulator.
Delta Air Lines has signed a partnership agreement with Farelogix that will make direct connections with the airline’s internal reservations system, potentially bolstering the booking platform as an alternative to travel agent usage of global distribution systems.
Outperformance in the commercial aftermarket likely will see Goodrich’s results for the first quarter exceed analysts’ expectations. Wedbush Securities on April 19 upgraded Goodrich shares to “outperform” from “neutral” and raised its price target to $100 from $92, ahead of the company’s quarterly report scheduled for April 21.
Russia’s ambitions to revive the country’s commercial air transport fortunes have taken their biggest step forward yet with the first delivery of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 to Armenia’s Armavia Airline. The event in Yerevan also sets off what will be a major test for the program: Can it deliver the in-service support that industry has promised and that has had many customers skeptical given the poor global reputation Russia’s aerospace industry has in this regard?
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says fuel cost increases and unrealistic union contract demands are major threats to the carrier’s future. Spiking oil prices have led Qantas to increase surcharges on international routes by up to AU$100 ($104.9) each way, with domestic and New Zealand fares rising by 5%. However, the revised surcharges will cover less than half the increase in fuel costs projected for the fiscal year that will begin in July, the carrier says.
Air Jamaica’s passenger count in March was 15% higher than the same period in 2010, says owner Caribbean Airlines in a message to staff detailing its continued centralization of operations between the two carriers. According to Caribbean, all job titles and salaries at the two companies have been standardized, and while some redundancies may occur in some functions, others are growing, notably for pilots and inflight crew.
As OEMs get more into the aviation aftermarket, their access to intellectual property rights is not at the levels they would like. Herve Alexandre, VP-technical procurement for Air France Industries KLM, says, “Access to data has become more and more difficult to get,” and “component maintenance manuals and intellectual property licenses can be very costly to us.” He categorizes this issue “as a major concern.”
The Wings Club will present Norman Augustine, first president and now retired chairman and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, with its 2011 Distinguished Achievement Award Oct. 21 at the 69th Annual Dinner-Dance to be held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Augustine currently serves on advisory councils for the Homeland Security and Energy departments, and is a 16-year member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. For more information on the event, go to Wingsclub.org.
Virgin Blue has told the U.S. Transportation Department that it has completed an upgrade to its reservation system, which will allow code-sharing with Delta Air Lines. The carrier informed the DOT of the upgrade on April 19. The DOT has previously cited lack of compatibility as one of its main concerns regarding a joint venture application by the Virgin Blue Group and Delta.
