FAA and South Korea’s civil aviation safety regulator signed a bilateral aviation safety agreement in Singapore on Feb. 19, according to an FAA employee memo. FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell and South Korea’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority Assistant Minister Chung Sang-ho signed the accord at the Singapore Air Show.
Korean Air is investing EUR1 million (US$1.5 million) in a new project at the Louvre museum in Paris, and the airline intends to follow this with more cultural initiatives around the globe. Korean is co-sponsoring a new multimedia guide for the Louvre, which translates commentary into seven different languages — including Korean for the first time. The airline says this is the first step in its strategy to “create new cultural partnerships in different countries.” CEO Y. H.
All six U.S. network carriers added staff to their employee rolls in December 2007, the first time since June 2001 that every network carrier reported year-over-year gains in the same month, reported the U.S. Transportation Dept.’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
More aggressive fuel conservation strategies are thought to be responsible for a systemwide drop in fuel consumption, the Air Transport Association says. Fuel consumption dropped by 0.1% in 2007 despite continuing high passenger and freight traffic. Airlines paid a record $41.2 billion in fuel last year, at an average cost of $2.10 per gallon.
Virgin America is jumping into the supposed two-carrier contest between United and Delta for the remaining designation to fly the Los Angeles-San Jose del Cabo route, in what would be the carrier’s first foray into the international arena. The carrier would use its Airbus A320s to operate daily service in the market. The aircraft are configured for 141 seats in coach and eight in first class.
European network airlines’ bottom lines may not benefit from reduced fuel prices, as carriers would come under pressure to reduce their fuel surcharges, too, JP Morgan’s airline analyst Chris Avery argues.
The Transportation Security Administration is studying ways to make the screening process easier for passengers while continuing to increase security. The agency recently unveiled a self-select security lane pilot at Salt Lake City International Airport. Under the effort, checkpoint lines at the airport are divided into three categories: green for families and special assistance, blue for casual travelers and black for expert travelers.
Delta is making adjustments to its international schedule to accommodate what it sees as strong demand this summer. The carrier plans to move up the start date on its new York Kennedy-Lyon, France, service up more than a month, from July 15 to June 3. Frequencies on JFK-Cape Town and JFK-Malaga, Spain, will increase by one to four a week, while JFK-Orly goes from four to five weekly. Atlanta-Venice will rise from four to five weekly flights, and a second seasonal flight to Sao Paulo will operate five times a week between June 15 and Aug. 15.
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Jazz Air Income Fund, which holds 100% beneficial ownership interest in Canadian regional Jazz Air, this week reported its net income increased by $9.3 million to $14.12 million in its re-filed 2007 financial statements. The refiling stems from the recalculation of future tax liability — the rate will be 29.5% for 2011 and 28% for 2012 and beyond, versus the previously announced 31.5% rate. The results, however, have no bearing on the 2007 results for Jazz Air, which remain unchanged.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has begun collective bargaining talks with Lockheed Martin covering employees at eight locations. The negotiations will continue through Feb. 27, with IAM members voting March 2 on the contract, according to the union. The current three-year contract expires on March 2. John Crowdis, IAM Aerospace coordinator, said “The importance of these negotiations is profound. What happens here will set the curve for aerospace negotiations over the next three years.”
Correction: Fitch Ratings issued a report on Spokane International Airport. The Feb. 20 issue of The DAILY incorrectly stated the report pertained to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
In January, 64% of Aerolineas Argentinas’ and subsidiary Austral’s domestic flights were delayed at urban airport Aeroparque in Buenos Aires, attributable to the nagging conflict between pilots union APLA and AR, Argentina’s Institute of Tourism Legislation (Aedetur) reported.
Unless economic conditions worsen markedly from current expectations, the outlook is expected to remain stable beyond 2008 as the demand for air travel and the financial position of the majority of rated airports is likely to stay strong, according to a new report by debt watcher Moody’s.
British Airways — and its customers — are once again facing major baggage headaches thanks to a breakdown in the baggage system at London Heathrow Airport. Most BA long-haul passengers flying out of Heathrow’s Terminal 4 were not allowed to check in baggage on Wednesday because of what BA labeled a “major baggage system failure” in that terminal. The airline said airport operator BAA is “working to restore the entire system to its full capacity,” although some restrictions are expected to be in effect today.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will spend US$8.4 million to install a new system to detect foreign objects on the two runways at Singapore Changi Airport. The iFerret system will be installed by Stratech Systems Limited. iFerret is an intelligent based system that uses vision technology to detect and identify foreign objects on the runways and pinpoint their exact location 24 hours a day.
The SkyTeam alliance will build a co-location facility at London Heathrow as its members are preparing to move into Terminal 4. The facility will include a common check-in area, common-use self service kiosks and more baggage drop-off points. The investment into terminal upgrades and expansion totals US$194 million, according to SkyTeam.
BJets, Asia’s first fractional jet ownership company, made a stunning debut at the Singapore Air Show yesterday by placing the single biggest order in Asia for business jets
