EU opens air talks with Jordan European Union transport ministers authorized the European Commission to start aviation talks with Jordan, aiming “essentially at markets opening between the EU and Jordan,” said the ministers. Negotiators will seek to establish a so-called “Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement,” which would include the harmonization of regulatory conditions based on the European aviation legislation.
Malaysia’s AirAsia X, enjoying strong demand for its initial long-haul, low-cost service to Australia, will probably soon order 10 additional Airbus A330-300s, firming up options it took when it ordered 15 of the aircraft in April. The airline is also seeking two A340-300s for nonstop services to London Stansted Airport, although it says the type is costly to run and is on its shopping list only because no other suitable aircraft are available.
European Union transport ministers mandated the European Commission to start talks with ICAO in an effort to stop duplicating security audits and inspections on the EU territory. “As both ICAO and the EU have acted in parallel in setting up their respective security programmes, the EU [countries] are today confronted with two monitoring systems with the same objective,” concluded the ministers last week in Brussels.
The seemingly endless torrent of orders for commercial aircraft isn’t far from beginning to subside, says Airbus’s chief salesman, John Leahy. By the end of November, the company had booked orders for more than the 1,111 aircraft that its customers signed for in 2005 — the previous record for the company and the industry — says Leahy. Airlines have ordered 6,000 aircraft in the past three years, about half as many as they are now operating. The market can’t go on like that forever. “This year is probably reaching the peak,” Leahy says.
The Dept. of Homeland Security has addressed legislative mandates requiring the Transportation Security Administration for designating and releasing sensitive security information (SSI), according to a new Government Accountability Office report.
Consolidated traffic for Brazilian sister carriers GOL and Varig was up 59.9% in November 2007 from the same month last year, the carrier’s parent company reports. Capacity for the carriers was up 61.6%, while loads fell 0.7 percentage points from November 2006 to 65.8%.
Republicans have picked Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas to be the ranking member of the Senate aviation subcommittee. Hutchison will take over the panel’s senior Republican post from Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who will retire from the Senate later this month. Hutchison previously chaired the aviation subcommittee when Republicans controlled the Senate.
Dramatic changes in aviation in India are propelling the industry and creating opportunities for Canadian investors, GE India Head Tejpreet Chopra said at the Indo-Canadian Business Chambers summit in Delhi
Environmental groups, state and regional governments yesterday called on the Environmental Protection Agency to address greenhouse gas emissions from the country’s aircraft fleet. Earthjustice filed the petition on behalf of environmental groups including Ocean, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity. The filing seeks to “require the EPA to evaluate the current impacts of aircraft emissions...and reduce aircraft emissions or explain why it will not act,” the group said in a statement.
Mumbai-based aircraft maintenance operator Livewel Aviation Services signed an agreement with Jebel Ali Airport to set up a 23,960 square-meter maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at the newly launched Dubai World Central Aviation City. This is the first such agreement to be signed by an Indian company.
Chile’s domestic and international traffic continued to soar in October, with the former going up 28.8% and the latter 11.4% from the same month last year, figures issued by Chile’s Civil Aviation Board show. A total of 7,351,520 domestic and international passengers were carried between January and October, an increase of 19.1% from the same period in 2006. Major foreign destinations from Santiago were Buenos Aires, up 24.5%, and Sao Paulo, up 10.8%..
Continental Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration have begun testing a pilot program that will allow travelers to receive their boarding passes electronically on their cell phones or personal digital assistants. TSA announced the program’s launch yesterday, noting Continental is the first U.S. carrier to test paperless boarding passes. The electronic passes will be scanned by TSA security officers at the airport checkpoint, eliminating the need for a paper boarding pass, the TSA said.
Southwest Airlines now operates five hangars at Dallas Love Field. The carrier’s 80,000-square foot, $18.5 million new addition, under construction since November 2006, is open and performing basic checks, a Southwest representative confirmed yesterday. Southwest’s fifth hangar already has two aircraft in for A checks, the spokeswoman said, adding that the carrier can simultaneously accommodate up to three Boeing 737-700NG aircraft with winglets.
American yesterday said it is applying for code share authority with Israeli carrier El Al. The agreement would apply from Feb. 1, 2008, allowing American to put its code on El Al flights between Tel Aviv and New York Kennedy Airport, Miami, Newark and European gateways. El Al will put its code on American domestic flights out of JFK, Miami, Los Angeles, Newark and Toronto.
Flights operated by 20 U.S. scheduled airlines arrived on time some 78.2% of the time in October 2007, better than October 2006’s 72.9% but below September 2007’s 81.7%, the U.S. Transportation Dept. reported in its latest Air Travel Consumer Report. Figures compiled by Bureau of Transportation Statistics show a similar pattern in cancellations -- 1.2% of all scheduled flights were canceled in October, down from 1.9% in October 2006 but up from September 2007’s 1.1%.
Argentine commuter carrier AIR Business said it will invest US$3 million in two 19-seat Beechcraft Commuters that will be used to start scheduled service between Santa Fe and Buenos Aires, filling the gap created after Sol Airlines cut operations on that route by 50%. AB serves business travelers in the province of Santa Fe from its base in Rafaela.
Grand China Air, which is to bringing together the operations of a group of formerly independent carriers, including Hainan Airlines, has begun operations. Hainan Airlines Chairman Chen Feng predicts Grand China will be a world-leading airline and a globally known brand within five years. Hainan, headquartered in the island province that has the same name and is its major shareholder, is already the fourth-largest airline in mainland China.
The European Union and the United Arab Emirates yesterday announced a new aviation agreement that allows EU airlines to fly between the UAE and any EU member state. The agreement does not replace bilateral agreements between EU member states and the UAE, but it removes the nationality restrictions in those agreements. By doing so, the new deal brings the existing bilateral agreements in compliance with central EU law.
All-business-class carrier Silverjet saw passenger numbers increase by 10% in November from the previous month. As the airline expanded capacity, load factor dropped from 58% to 55%. The airline stated, however, that “yields continue to strengthen and forward bookings remain strong.” Silverjet will take delivery of two additional Boeing 767s next March, but has not yet said where it will fly them. The carrier launched a new service to Dubai in November.
The American Society of Travel Agents board of directors has chosen South Africa as the host venue for the 2009 International Destination Expo, and Turkey as the host for the 2010 Expo.
Rising jet fuel prices will dampen Delta’s fourth-quarter results, along with those of the rest of the industry, said president and CFO Ed Bastian at the Calyon Securities U.S. Airline Conference yesterday.
