New Zealand’s Christchurch International Airport (CIAL) says it has become the first in the Southern Hemisphere to win carbon neutral certification. The airport worked with New Zealand-based Landcare Research to measure, managing, reducing and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions arising from its operational business activities under the carboNZero program. The program offers optional mitigation strategies by providing high-quality verified offsets.
Dozens of U.S. and foreign carriers filed a court action yesterday seeking to reclaim from the Transportation Security Administration millions of dollars in retroactive airport security fees. The carriers, including American, Southwest, Aloha, Hawaiian, Mesa, United, US Airways, Delta, Northwest, Continental and Air New Zealand, are appealing a May 31, 2007, decision by TSA requiring them to pay a total of about $98 million a year, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2005, for the screening of airline passengers and their baggage at U.S. airports.
Airbus has signed up U.S. Investment fund MatlinPatterson Global Advisers for six A330-200F freighters. The freighters will be used by two of the investment firms’ units, Brazil-based Varig Logistica and U.S.-based Global Aero Logistics, Airbus says, noting that both are first-time customers for the European aircraft maker. It’s the first deal for the cargo aircraft this year. The backlog for the aircraft launched just over a year ago now stands at 72 aircraft. First deliveries are planned in late 2009.
Opponents to the sale of Alitalia to Air France-KLM are trying to put the brakes on the deal, following the collapse of the Italian government last week (DAILY, Jan. 28). Umberto Bossi, leader of the right wing Northern League party, says the current exclusive talks with Air France should be interrupted because the power vacuum creates legal uncertainty. “The majority shareholder is the (Italian) Treasury,” explained Bossi. “But if we don’t have a new treasury minister, how do we do it? This is not a simple day-to-day administrative issue,” he said.
Delta will boost its New York-Cape Town, South Africa, service this summer with additional frequencies requested from the U.S. Transportation Dept. to upgrade the service from three-times-weekly service to daily flights, starting on or about June 3. The airline would use its Boeing 767-300s on the route, which operates via Dakar, Senegal.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) has won an election to represent the 47 flight attendants at New York-based regional airline CommutAir, which operates as Continental Connection. The IAM won by a vote of 28 to one in a National Mediation Board tally. The IAM had organized for less than three months before the election was held. The IAM said the group should nearly double in size as soon as a large group of new hires emerges from training.
The looming threat of recession may not have much of an effect on airline profits or demand for air travel, an industry consultant says. The world’s airlines should deliver between $7 billion and $10 billion in profits, said Olivier Houri, president of Unisys Global Transportation. This is up from the $5.7 billion in profits last year, and higher than IATA’s 2008 forecast of $5 billion in profits, he said.
VRG Linheas Aereas (Varig) last week launched daily nonstop Boeing 767 service between Sao Paul and Mexico City, its first flight into North America since its 2006 downsizing.
Smaller Israeli airlines may be able to expand their international routes under a policy change being considered by the Israeli government, and the government is also moving to take on more of the security cost currently borne by airlines. The government currently allows no other Israeli carrier except El Al to compete on many international routes. It is now proposing to open many of these routes to competition from Israeli airlines, such as Israir and Arkia.
The Air Transport Association’s composite cost index rose by 0.2% in the third quarter of 2007, the industry group said yesterday. The increase in the airline composite index — comprising several different measures — was lower than the rise in the consumer price index, which was up 2.4% in the quarter. ATA noted that airline costs are still up by 91% since 2000, but this increase has been offset by a record load factors.
Canada’s Industrial Relations Board has certified the Air Line Pilots Association as the bargaining agent for pilots at Wasaya Airways of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The 70 pilots fly 24 airliners offering passenger, cargo and charter service. An ALPA organizing team was assembled in November 2007 at the request of Wasaya pilots.
LOT has extended leases for its long-haul Boeing 767 because of delays witht the replacement 787. LOT Polish Airlines was banking on receiving the first of eight 787s in 2008, but Boeing has been forced to push all aircraft handovers for the year to 2009. LOT was to receive four aircraft in 2008, one in 2009 and three in 2010. Now the first handover will not occur until at least 2009.
The Polish government in March is expected to unveil a legislative package to allow it reduce its holding in LOT below the 51% threshold currently enshrined in law. The government holds 68% of LOT shares.
Dublin-based Liberator.aero has created the LFI System, which it says can help airlines reduce fuel burn. Liberator.aero claims its LFI System can not only cut aircraft fuel burn by 2%, but also reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. “It’s done by micro-managing pre-flight weight and balance. This function is rarely subjected to the same level of quality control as equivalent cost drivers,” said Tony McDermott, Liberator’s joint managing director.
Delta late in February will begin to carry the code of SkyTeam partner Korean on its flights from Atlanta and Dayton to Buenos Aires. The traffic beyond Korean’s U.S. gateways will be on a blind-sector basis only, the carriers said [DOT-OST-2003-14367].
According to FAA data, the most serious categories of runway incursions are below the agency’s target maximum for the fiscal year to date. There have been eight Category A or B incursions so far, compared with the target maximum of 10. However, serious operational errors are above planned maximums — 104, compared with the target rate of 99.
US Airways on Jan. 25 named VP-Financial Analysis Dion Flannery president of US Airways Express to succeed Robert Martens, who has announced plans to re-enter retirement. Flannery, 41, will assume responsibility for oversight of Piedmont and PSA and will also oversee the regional affiliates that operate under the US Airways Express brand. Reporting to him will be PSA President Keith Houk and Piedmont President Steve Farrow. Flannery, meanwhile, will report to Chief Operating Officer Robert Isom.
AAR Corp. promoted Donald Wetekam, previously president and general manager of AAR’s aircraft maintenance facility in Oklahoma City, to VP of the company’s entire maintenance, repair and overhaul segment. The company also named Mickey Cohen VP-commercial MRO group, reporting to Wetekam.
Skybus is bringing new business to Port Columbus International Airport. The airport set a passenger record in 2007 of 7.7 million, which was 840,000 more customers than in 2006. Skybus, which launched flights on May 22, carried more than half of that increase, while the other 10 scheduled and charter operators made up the rest, according to the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.
Frontier last week announced plans to sell four aircraft to improve its cash position, and stressed that while it can put more of its Airbus fleet on the market if it wants to improve liquidity further, this is not an attractive option. The airline said the cash it will gain from the sales depends on which of its 22 Airbus aircraft it sells. The aircraft all have varying levels of payments remaining, so they would net Frontier anywhere from $5 million to $16 million per aircraft.
The Asia Pacific aviation industry is entering “unknown territory,” with a new industry structure potentially better positioned to cope with an economic downturn, says Peter Harbison, executive chairman of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA). “We are entering a tunnel — economically — and we don’t know how long or how deep it will go,” said Harbison. But it is the first time the Asia/Pacific region will have faced these conditions with a full armory of low-cost and low-fare airline options.
The National Mediation Board (NMB) has authorized the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) to hold a representation election for United’s mechanics, now represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA).
Virgin Blue will launch daily flights between Canberra, the national capital, and Gold Coast, a sunny holiday surf city, on March 4 with Embraer 170s and 190s. Introduction of the Embraers alongside Boeing 737s has allowed the former budget carrier to connect such previously uneconomic city-pairs.
