Argentine Transport Secretary Ricardo Jaime last week ratified the government’s decision, made late in 2007, to increase its equity participation in Aerolineas Argentinas from 5% to 20% and took the occasion to squash persistent reports that Argentina is pressuring its majority owner, Spain’s Marsans group, to “Argentinize” the company by selling equity shares to more native investors (DAILY, April 29).
Korean Air sees Singapore Airlines and Emirates as its biggest competitors in the fight to woo first-class and business passengers with the best cabin amenities, said Steve Kim, the Seoul-based carrier’s general manager for the passenger marketing and development team.
A Brazilian investment fund has signaled it may bid for Alitalia, just as Italian banks indicate readiness to support an “Italian” team to try to save the struggling carrier. Meanwhile, the airline has lost a legal battle to retain control of Volare. A EUR1 billion (US$1.56 billion) struggle continues between the Milan airport authority and the airline.
The Senate will try again to pass FAA reauthorization legislation this week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has scheduled a vote tomorrow to bring the measure to the floor for limited debate. It looks like the major hurdles that have stalled the measure for the past seven months were cleared when the chairs of the Finance Committee and the Commerce aviation subcommittee agreed on financing the FAA and ATC system improvements. But the legislation quickly bogged down in behind-the-scenes bickering over airline pensions and non-aviation tax issues.
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) SEPT. 23 — Green Aviation, Madrid, Spain SEPT. 24-25 — MRO Europe, Madrid Spain OCT. 15-16 — MRO Asia, Singapore NOV. 18-19 — Aerospace & Defense Finance, New York, N.Y.
Spirit AeroSystems is entering a joint venture comprising HAECO, TAECO and First Wave MRO to establish a thrust reverser and nacelle overhaul facility in Xiamen, China.
Virgin Atlantic has eliminated the inflight beauty therapy, including massage, that is has provided to premium-class customers for nearly two decades. A Virgin spokeswoman said the airline ditched the service, which it had provided since 1990, on Tuesday after a full review of its beauty therapy services in the air and on the ground (in its upper-class lounges) revealed a strong demand from customers for more of the service on the ground. She said Virgin Atlantic is simultaneously increasing the service it offers in its lounges by 70%.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Friday it has proposed $215,500 in fines against United on allegations of “multiple serious and repeat violations of federal workplace safety standards” at O’Hare Airport.
Tourist flights over Peru’s famous Nazca Plain came under scrutiny last week when regulator DGAC suspended the flights of Aerocondor after the operator made an emergency landing on the Pan American Highway.
Aloha Airlines resumed its cargo division flying shortly before midnight Thursday as part of a revived deal to sell the division to Saltchuk Resources, albeit for a bit less than originally offered in a deal that appeared to have completely collapsed Tuesday. The cargo division received bankruptcy court approval Thursday to fly until at least May 14, and on May 12 the bankruptcy court judge will hear arguments for and against the proposed sale to Saltchuk for $10.5 million.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) MAY 5 — Greater Washington Aviation Open, Lansdowne Golf Resort, e-mail: [email protected], www.gwao.org MAY 5-7 — SpeedNews 6th Annual Aerospace & Defense Industry Suppliers Conference, Jonathan Club, Los Angeles, Calif., 310-595-9405, e-mail: [email protected] MAY 5-8 — Regional Airline Association Annual Convention, Indianapolis, Ind., 202-367-1170
Russian airline Volga-Dnepr is part of a working group to assess the potential for an air cargo hub at Havana’s Jose Marti Airport. The group includes Cuba’s flag carrier, Cubana de Aviacion, and cargo operator Aero Varadero.
Airline travelers are more likely to be exposed to germs while they’re getting on or off an aircraft, rather than when they’re underway in cruise flight, according to a series of epidemiological studies recently made public. More work would be needed to sort out next steps airlines might take, but the findings seem to suggest that anyone concerned with how air travel contributes to illness might look at exposures during ground-based operations, as well as while passengers are at their seats in a relatively calm cabin-air environment.
Continental last week reported that load factors declined in April, and unit revenue growth slowed significantly. Consolidated loads fell 2.9 points to 79.4%, with traffic dropping 0.2% and capacity up 3.4%. Mainline loads fell 3.1 points to 79.6%, and domestic mainline loads declined 1.7 points to 83.8% due to a 4.8% traffic drop and a 2.9% decrease in capacity. Passenger unit revenue, meanwhile, was up 3%-4% in April, and up 2%-3% for the mainline operation. In comparison, unit revenue increased 6.3% in March.
Latin American carriers have higher fuel bills than airlines of any other region of the world because of local taxes and fees. They pay 14% more even though Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil are net exporters of fuel, says Alex de Gunten, executive director of ALTA, an association for Latin American and Caribbean airlines. “Our authorities and governments see this as an easy source of revenue instead of an engine for development.” To add to the financial burden, some of the taxes are on a percentage basis, so the bill rises when the price goes up.
Gategroup , as part of organizational changes, tapped Chairman and CEO David Siegel to assume the role of executive chairman. President Guy Dubois was named president and CEO designate.
May 13-14, 2008 Seattle Crowne Plaza, Seattle, WA The Program Risks Management Forum will identify the best practices to mitigating risks and identifying opportunities throughout the project life cycle. Learn the strategic risk management principles that will differentiate you from your competitors! Register Today at www.aviationweek.com/forums or call +1.212.904.3195.
Service to Guangzhou isn’t faring too well for U.S. carriers — United got approval to delay the launch of its flights to the city and now Northwest plans a gradual suspension of all-cargo service to the Chinese city.
