Embraer delivered 28 jets in the first quarter of this year, slightly less than Wall Street had expected. The Brazilian airframer announced it delivered 20 commercial jets. These include 11 E-190s, six E-195s, two E-175s and one E-170. The company also delivered eight business jets. At the end of the quarter, Embraer’s backlog was $16 billion, $400 million more than at the end of 2010. In the first quarter of the year, Embraer logged sales of 44 commercial aircraft, including orders from KLM, Alitalia and Brazilian carrier Trip.
Virgin Blue subsidiary V Australia has returned to service a Boeing 777-300 that was grounded for inspections after engine problems during takeoff in Los Angeles on April 13. The 777 (VH-VOZ) was declared serviceable after a component was replaced and borescope inspections over the weekend found no internal damage to the engine, a Virgin Blue spokeswoman tells Aviation Week. The aircraft departed at 8:35 p.m. local time April 17, on a scheduled flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne.
Jazeera Airways signed an agreement with global distribution system (GDS) provider Travelport to provide Galileo-connected travel agents in Kuwait with access to Jazeera online inventory that previously had been off limits, including the low-cost carrier’s last-minute web-only fares.
Greater Rockford, Ill., Airport Authority will work with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s career and alumni services in a search to replace Chicago Rockford International Airport Executive Director Bob O’Brien. The authority says it may hire a search firm to assist with the effort and work through other resources. O’Brien resigned to pursue other interests after having discussions on the airport’s strategic direction with Chairman Bharat Puri.
An application by Star Alliance members to the U.S. Transportation Department to drop three of the remaining carve outs in their immunized joint venture has been approved. With this approval, New York to Copenhagen and Stockholm will be included in the JV from April 28, and will be followed May 5 with the addition of U.S. to Beijing. A separate request to drop a carve-out from New York to Geneva is still pending (Aviation Daily, Feb. 7).
As Congres goes into a two-week recess this week after finally reaching a budget agreement, the industry awaits their return to work on the FAA reauthorization bill. The House must still choose its conferees sometime between their return on May 2 and the bill's expiration date of May 31.
Canada’s own brand of airport and airways privatization has “allowed us to build a modern network and a state-of-the-art air traffic management system,” says James Cherry, president and CEO of Aeroports de Montreal. It was either good luck or good planning, he says, that moved the Canadian government to lease airports and set up Nav Canada, a private capital corporation. Canada, he says, is “light-years ahead” of many other nations. The latest push is “how to improve services at the airport. It’s a dynamic model.
The Association of European Airlines wants the European Commission to issue guidelines on passenger rights as a near-term fix to what it views as flawed rules now on the books.
Boeing is teaming with Fujitsu to create a maintenance inventory and verification tool designed to enable airline ground crews to check out an airplane’s fitness-to-fly about as fast as they can walk around it or down a passenger aisle.
Southeast Asian countries are developing aerospace parks to attract foreign investment, but poor planning means most are lagging behind market-leader Singapore.
Boeing Shanghai Maintenance Services has signed a one-year agreement with Ukrainian carrier AeroSvit for heavy maintenance and winglet modifications on its Boeing 767 fleet. Boeing Shanghai received the first 767 from AeroSvit for a C-check in early March and has also started to perform pylon modifications and a D check on another 767 in the fleet. This deal with AeroSvit is the first winglet modification work for Boeing Shanghai. The company, a joint venture of Boeing, Shanghai Airport Authorities and Shanghai Airlines, opened in June 2006.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) April 19-21—Flight Safety Foundation Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar, San Diego, www.flightsafety.org April 20—Global Aerospace’s SM4 Human Factors Seminar, Blackwell Inn and Conference Center, Columbus, Ohio., 973-490-8500, www.global-aero.com April 21—The Wings Club Luncheon featuring Calin Rovinescu, president & CEO, Air Canada, The Yale Club, New York, 212-867-1770, [email protected]
China is positioning its helicopter industry to compete commercially, both domestically and internationally. The task falls to Avicopter, created by Avic in 2008 to consolidate China’s state-owned helicopter companies. Local industry hopes to meet demand with indigenous designs, but foreign manufacturers see a potentially huge market through joint programs; several Avicopter helos owe their origins to Eurocopter designs.
Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, has applauded the U.S. Transportation Department’s decision to mandate a minimum of two controllers for each tower across the country’s air traffic control system.
You can now register online for Aviation Week events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or contact: Lydia Janow, 212-904-3225 or 800-240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada only) May 10-12—Aviation Week NextGen Ahead, Washington Marriott at Metro Center, Washington, D.C., www.aviationweek.com/events May 17-18—Aviation Week Events, Affordability Requirements Forum, “Creating Leaner Defense Programs,” National Press Club, Washington, D.C., www.aviationweek.com/events
The much-delayed Multimodal International Passenger and Cargo Hub Airport, or MIHAN project, in India’s western Maharashtra state is likely to see some action soon as the state government is greatly accelerating the pace of the project and engaging both domestic and foreign investors.
Delta Air Lines and Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes are seeking approval to extend their current code-share (Aviation Daily, Dec. 8, 2010) to any point within or beyond Brazil from Delta’s Brazilian gateways, as permitted under a new phased open-skies accord between the operators’ governments.
Republic Airways Holdings promoted Tim Dooley to senior vice president-finance and CFO, and Lars-Erik Arnell to senior vice president-corporate development.
Bombardier Customer Services will offer repair capabilities for CRJ 200/700/900 regional aircraft at its Dallas maintenance center near Love Field, says Kenneth Leonce, director of the facility. The new capabilities will include repairs and overhauls for nacelles and flight control components on these aircraft, which Bombardier has been offering at its Belfast facility for more than 15 years.
