A British Airways Boeing 777-200ER crash-landed at London Heathrow Airport yesterday injuring three passengers. The aircraft appears to have landed short of Runway 27L and plowed through the adjacent grass. Eyewitnesses reported that the aircraft drifted to the left and quickly downward on short final approach with the crew unable to keep on the extended runway centerline. The main gear collapsed and both engines are understood to have been significantly damaged. The 136 passengers and 16 crew left the aircraft over the escape slides.
Embraer has named LOT Polish Airlines as the unidentified customer for 12 of 175 regional jets carried in the 2007 order book. The airline, a long-time user of the 170/175 regional jets, also indicated through options and purchase rights it may buy a dozen more of the aircraft. LOT’s Embraer fleet currently stands at 10 170s and six 175s.
Alaska Airlines this week revealed plans to add frequencies on some of its most popular California routes, although the carrier also said it will cut its Oakland-Orange County flights. Altogether, Alaska will add four new frequencies to its California flights from Seattle, beginning April 27, and another in June. The Oakland-Orange County route that will be dropped currently has five daily flights, using a mix of Boeing 737s. This capacity will be used for the new flights.
Even as India’s civil aviation policy comes close to fruition, with its draft having undergone changes in the past three years, the government has not incorporated a provision for Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and aviation engineering, concluded attendees at the Airline Engineering & Maintenance conference organized by the Aviation Industry Group. “There is no provision for bilateral reciprocal acceptance of certification with forieign countries,” said MaxAerospace VP Jayesh Mehta, adding that this limits local MROs to foreign access.
Continental surprised many analysts by recording a pre-tax profit for the fourth quarter, saying demand still appears strong despite predictions of an economic slowdown. The airline yesterday reported a first-quarter, pre-tax profit of $71 million, compared to a loss of $26 million in the same 2006 period. This represents Continental’s first fourth-quarter pre-tax profit since 2003 and its largest operating profit for the quarter in the past seven years. For the full year, the pre-tax profit of $566 million was a 53% improvement from the year before.
No one in the travel industry in the U.S. would argue with the need to secure the nation’s borders, but government must be certain not to discourage travel to the U.S. with inefficient visa and entry requirements, said Bill Marriott, chairman and CEO of Marriott Hotels & Resorts.
Greater Toronto Airports Authority’s Facility Activation Team has been chosen to help BAA with the March 27 opening of Terminal 5 at London Heathrow. The team was created to facilitate the opening of Toronto-Pearson International Airport’s Terminal 1 in 2004. It ran extensive trials involving thousands of volunteers to test planned passenger flows and new systems.
US Airways has appointed Alan Ferayorni as VP-IT infrastructure and Kevin Riccoboni as VP-technology delivery for airline operations. They both will report to Senior VP and CIO Joe Beery. Ferayorni has 35 years of IT experience and joins the carrier from Motorola, where he was senior director of information technology. Riccoboni joined the airline in 2001 as director of business technology delivery and was promoted in 2004 to managing director. He spent 18 years at Motorola in various managerial positions.
Midwest Airlines this week announced plans to transition the flying that subsidiary Skyway does as Midwest Connect to SkyWest Airlines, essentially ending Skyway’s airline operations. Midwest said the transition will occur in March and April. Skyway will continue to operate as an airport services provider for Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect, and Midwest will look to grow that business and offer support services to other airlines. SkyWest currently operates to 16 points as Midwest Connect.
Thai Airways will lease 14 Boeing 787s and buy or lease 20 Airbus A321s under plans approved by its board of directors. Management has been authorized to pay a $3 million deposit for the Airbus planes.
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The Vietnamese government says it will sell 10% to 20% of Vietnam Airlines to a foreign strategic investor. The state will retain only 70% to 80% of the company, Vietnam’s largest airline, according to a preliminary plan for the privatization, for which no timetable is available. A chunk of stock, apparently 10%, will be sold to public shareholders in an initial public offering. Proceeds of the sale will go to enlarging the company’s capital, rather than being paid to the government.
Singapore Airlines will continue to operate one Airbus A380 on its Singapore-Sydney route for the next few weeks even though it has taken delivery of a second. The recently handed over MSN005 will replace MSN003, while the latter is upgraded. Singapore will start expanding A380 operations after it receives its third A380, MSN006, in late February. The three mega-transports will then shuttle among London, Singapore and Sydney.
Brussels Airlines’ new Kinshasa-based affiliate, airDC, will start operations at the end of March 2008. The new carrier will launch services to three domestic destinations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and one international route to a yet unnamed African destination, airDC General Manager Johan Maertens told Belgian daily Le Soir on Jan. 16. Congolese carrier Hewa Bora owns 51% of airDC, while Brussels Airlines holds the remaining 49%. The new airline will start off with a fleet of two BAe 146-200s and one Boeing 737.
Russia’s Transaero has become the first client for the new wheel and brake repair and maintenance shop that opened at Moscow Domodedovo Airport in December.
Big U.S. network carriers are likely to remain on the sidelines when it comes to major fleet replacements for the bulk of the year, maybe longer, says Airbus chief operating officer for customers, John Leahy. With aging fleets, there has been hope for some time that U.S. airlines will start to return to the buying market and keep the order pace strong even as airlines in other segments pause as they digest purchase commitments made in the past three years. But Leahy says 2008 is not that year.
A stretched version of the Superjet 100 into a 130-seat configuration is being placed on firmer footing, with Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems moving to back the project. Spirit AeroSystems has agreed to expand its relationship with Russia’s United Aircraft Corp., the umbrella company under which Moscow is consolidating its aerospace industry. The two entities signed a memorandum of understanding in Moscow this week, clearing the way for broader industrial cooperation.
The U.S. shot back at the European Union yesterday in Geneva on the last day of the second hearing on DS353, the EU’s World Trade Organization case against the U.S. in the Boeing-Airbus subsidy dispute. The U.S. argued that the EU’s claims that Boeing benefited from NASA and Defense Dept. subsidies for its civil aviation programs are “meritless.” Any payment from NASA and DOD was for goods and services rendered to those government agencies and do not constitute subsidies, the U.S. said.
Airline employment was up for the 10th consecutive month in November 2007, reports the U.S. Transportation Dept.’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, as the number of workers employed by U.S. scheduled carriers grew 3.7% year over year from November 2006. Full-time equivalent employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.
Qantas Airways plans to decide before yearend whether to place another multi-billion-dollar aircraft order, reports Executive General Manager John Borghetti. Qantas is evaluating the Boeing 787-10, Airbus A350-1000 and additional A380s to cover the replacement of its existing 30-strong Boeing 747-400 fleet and accommodate growth.
