The first three Iraqi air traffic controllers have been certified through an FAA-administered program, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters reported. A further 75 Iraqis are enrolled in the program, Peters told The DAILY Thursday from Baghdad. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," she added. FAA is providing technical assistance to the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority for training air traffic controllers, Peters said. Additionally, retired U.S. air traffic controllers are helping in the effort on a contract basis, she said.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has become the first non-U.S. facility to offer reciprocal benefits under U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Global Entry international registered traveler program. Global Entry will begin operating as a six-month pilot at New York Kennedy, Houston Intercontinental and Washington Dulles airports on June 10 (DAILY, April 15). Schiphol has operated Privium, using an iris-scan smart card, to handle immigration control since October 2001 (DAILY, May 12, 2006).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection intends to base a Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle on the border with Canada in the next month or two. By late summer, the agency’s Air and Marine unit will have five air wings on the northern border flying manned aircraft. By the end of this year, the agency will take delivery of two more General Atomics Predators, bringing its total to six.
United Airlines and US Airways have both determined that mergers within the U.S. airline industry are inappropriate in the current high fuel-cost environment and that the priority is to adapt to the industry’s business fundamentals. The CEOs of both carriers today issued internal messages noting that although consolidation could occur down the road, neither will consider such a proposal “at this time.”
Canada’s ACE Aviation Holdings raised about C$434 million ($439 million) from the sale of its remaining stakes in Aeroplan and regional operator Jazz Air Income Fund. ACE remains a holding company of various aviation interests, including Air Canada and ACTS.
Clarification: The European Commission is expected to release its latest Single European Sky legislative package in June. However, it still must be sent to the European Parliament and Council of Ministers for approval. This process is expected to extend into the fall. A story in the May 29 Daily misstated the proposal’s expected release time.
UAE-based Air Arabia on June 8 plans to inaugurate its second Bangladeshi service with the launch of a four-times weekly service between Dhaka and the carrier’s Sharjah base. “With the opening of our newest destination in Dhaka, we will have developed the most comprehensive destination network in South Asia of any Middle East-based carrier,” said Air Arabia Head of Commercial Department AK Nizar in a statement.
Rising fuel costs have prompted Air New Zealand to take 747-400s off one of its main international routes and downgrade its profit estimate. Air NZ will replace 747s with more fuel-efficient--and smaller--777-200s on its Auckland-Los Angeles-London flights from late September. The downgauging will trim about 6 percent from current international capacity, an airline spokesman told The DAILY.
Aviation fuels experts will debate next week in Warsaw whether the specifications for Jet A aviation fuel should be opened up to include biofuels, or be limited to allowing coal-to-liquid and gas-to-liquid synthetic fuels to be used as alternatives to petroleum-based jet fuel.
Air Berlin said it is reconsidering major parts of its current strategy, as the airline was forced to issue a profit warning for the second time this year. The airline’s CEO, Joachim Hunold, said he is reviewing “the entire long-haul operation” and will make a decision on measures in the next three to four weeks.
ANA is jumping on the environmental bandwagon, laying out an ambitious set of carbon dioxide emissions targets for the 2008-2011 period. The Japanese carrier says it is the first airline in the world to set its own CO2 targets. "The environment is one of the most pressing issues facing the airline industry today, and at ANA we are committed to taking a leading role," said CEO Mineo Yamamoto.
Technology provider Mobiqa is talking to essentially the world’s 30 largest carriers, and “a fair number of the next 20” about signing up for its paperless boarding pass, which sends a bar code to a cell phone or PDA, Don Cameron, Mobiqa sales and marketing director, told The DAILY. Airlines currently using or testing such systems are Air Canada, ANA, Continental, Lufthansa, Spanair and, as of this week, Northwest. Air France and KLM will begin offering it for Paris-Amsterdam flights in June.
Airbus is expecting to add another Russian carrier to its customer list after receiving a commitment for 25 of its A319s from Kaliningrad-based KD Avia. Few details are being disclosed, although Airbus in a release from the International Berlin Airshow says the carrier has yet to choose an engine. Airbus does not include commitments on its orderbook, but usually expects such agreements to be firmed within a month of signing.
Air France is to add another four 777-300ERs to its extensive fleet of Boeing widebodies. The four -300ERs are in addition to the 18 777-200ERS, 29 -300ERs and five 777Fs already ordered by the French airline. A Boeing spokeswoman confirms deliveries from this latest order will begin in 2009 after Air France takes delivery of the final five GE90-115B-powered aircraft from its existing -300ER order. Boeing expects to deliver four of these widebodies this year and the final aircraft in 2009.
A record number of international travelers made their way to the U.S. in February, the U.S. Commerce Dept. reports. Some 3.3 million international visitors traveled to the U.S. in February, up 15% from the same month in 2007. Visitation for the first two months of 2007, meanwhile, was up 13% from the like period in 2007. “The strong start in 2008 builds on the momentum set by visitors in 2007,” said Manufacturing and Services Assistant Secretary William Sutton, “which was a record-breaking year for international arrivals and receipts.”
Vietnam is seeing a surge in airline hopefuls and an enthusiasm on the part of investors similar to what has been happening in Indonesia for the past few years. An early group of start-ups have fallen by the wayside, but there are more eager to take their place. A similar situation is emerging in South Korea as well.
Singapore’s Tiger Airways is joining the list of budget airlines that are charging for checked baggage. Passengers will be allowed 7 kg. (15 lb.) of carry-on bags, plus a handbag and laptop, but will have to pay S$5 ($3.70) for up to 15 kg. of checked luggage, rising to S$40 ($29.30) for 40 kg. (88 lb.)
Three U.S. national laboratories are studying the effects of explosives on commercial carrier airframes at the request of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The test’s preliminary results, which are not expected until the fall, could help aviation security officials in the future determine if they are spending too much or too little on technology, TSA Administrator Kip Hawley told The DAILY.
Pilot and maintenance staffing levels in 2007 are off 4% and 32%, respectively, from 2000 despite recovery and growth in the industry following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Surging fuel prices are forcing even highly profitable Qantas Airways to ground some aircraft while minimizing the use of others and even canceling the delivery of one. In a range of changes to domestic services, the company is withdrawing from some routes and says it will cut staff numbers — through outright terminations if necessary. Capacity will fall by 5%, and cuts to international operations are expected to be announced within a week.
A Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) survey of air travelers that said the air travel system is "deteriorating" pits the association against the Air Transport Association. The survey found that frustration with the air transport system caused travelers to cancel or avoid 41 million trips in the last 12 months, which cost the U.S. economy $26 billion. More than 60% of respondents reported that the air travel system is deteriorating, said Roger Dow, TIA president.
Horizon Air will discontinue service on two routes and cut back frequencies on others in August, trying to cope with increased fuel costs. “With fuel prices hitting record highs, it’s never been more important to ensure every single Horizon flight is as productive as possible,” said spokesman Dan Russo.
Northwest said it will cut base commissions for agents in Japan for tickets sold on or after Oct. 1 in what the airline called “part of an ongoing company-wide initiative to reduce costs, including those related to sales and distribution.”
