IATA issued new predictions yesterday that the world's airlines may need as many as 17,000 new pilots per year to keep pace with growth and the number of pilots hitting retirement age. IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said that if industry and governments do not work together to change training and qualification practices, there could be a severe pilot shortage. He added that raising the retirement age from 60 to 65 will help, but it will not be enough.
Kingfisher Airlines Chairman Vijay Mallya, having inspected the New York Kennedy and New York Newark airports last week, decided on flying from India to JFK Terminal 4 in August 2008, The DAILY has learned. Accenture is working on the merger of Air Deccan and Kingfisher that will permit the carrier to fly abroad. India requires its carriers to have a five-year operational history a fulfilling and meeting a minimum fleet requirement before flying abroad, requirements that Kingfisher wouldn't have met on its own (DAILY, Nov. 8).
Aeromexico subsidiary Aerolitoral plans to begin using its wet-leased Embraer 190 in the Mexico City-Houston market and accordingly wants the U.S. Transportation Dept. to amend its exemptions and code-share authority so that it can use the larger aircraft in its U.S.-Mexico operations.
Some regional airlines believe a pilot shortage in the U.S. could be greatly eased by passage of the FAA reauthorization bill now on hold, which contains language raising the retirement age of pilots from 60 to 65. One regional executive says passage will give regionals some breathing room, and without it "we'll be struggling. There are a lot of retirements coming up."
Washington Dulles International Airport begins using 10-fingerprint scanners for foreign visitors starting today under the Dept. of Homeland Security's USVISIT program. DHS is moving ahead with a plan announced in January to have foreign visitors submit 10 fingerprints, rather than the two that are required currently (DAILY, Jan. 12). The agency says collecting 10 prints will allow it to keep dangerous people out of the United States, while making legitimate travel more efficient.
Ecuadorian startup Air Ecuador is eyeing a March 2008 start of service to the U.S., with combination wet-lease service between Quito, possibly Guayaquil and New York. The airline's U.S. service would use aircraft wet-leased from Gadair European Airlines, a Spanish carrier with which Air Ecuador is affiliated. Gadair holds 42% of Air Ecuador's voting stock and Gadair President and majority equity holder Santiago Roberto Sanchez Marin sits on the Ecuadorian carrier's board.
Singapore-based Paxflow has created the Passenger Assist (PPA) card, an electronic boarding pass that delivers flight and advice messages to travelers. The PPA system allows airports to locate and prompt passengers and manage flow and services, said Todd Irving, the company's commercial director. "It provides early warning of potentially late passengers and can identify service problems within an airport," he said.
Seven U.S.-Colombia frequencies held by American may end up in the hands of another carrier next year, should the U.S. Transportation Dept. decide to reallocate the frequencies as part of a new frequency contest.
Delta has decided to discontinue its search for a new CFO in favor of retaining President and CFO Ed Bastian for the CFO responsibilities. In a memo to employees, Bastian said, "This will allow us to seamlessly maintain the relationships and momentum we've built since executing a successful turnaround plan together." To further tighten the financial team, Hank Halter, senior VP-finance and controller, will add supply chain management to his responsibilities, with the VP of that division, Shawn Anderson, reporting to him.
Avianca will become bigger next year, as its Synergy Aerospace affiliates Ocean Air (Brazil), VIP (Educador), Sam and Helicol will operate under the collective Avianca brand, Synergy Aerospace majority equity holder German Efromovich announced last week. Efromovich said he signed a contract with Airbus to purchase seven A330-200s and 21 A3l9s and A320s, plus options for 13 more A320s, to support the Synergy affiliates as they seek to expand their market share. Deliveries would start in 2009 and at a total cost of $3.56 billion.
El Al this week reported a dramatic growth in net profit for the third quarter, driven by a 27% rise in revenues which offset higher fuel costs. The carrier's net profit for the quarter was $41.2 million, compared to just $1.4 million for the same period in 2006. Revenue was $567 million, and operating profit climbed to $63.8 million compared to $8.5 million last year.
Virgin Nigeria has joined the Airlines Reporting Corporation as a participating carrier, and appointed Discover The World Marketing to promote its flights in the U.S. and most of Europe.
A formal investigation has been launched by the European Commission into contracts between the Pau airport authority in France and Ryanair, which the EC believes "may constitute start-up aid for the low-cost airline."
Washington Dulles Airport begins using 10-fingerprint scanners for foreign visitors starting today under the Dept. of Homeland Security's USVISIT program. DHS is moving ahead with a plan announced in January to have foreign visitors submit 10 fingerprints rather than the two that are required currently (DAILY, Jan. 12). The agency says collecting 10 prints will allow it to keep dangerous people out of the U.S., while making legitimate travel more efficient.
International Air Transport Association head Giovanni Bisignani yesterday took some shots at the U.S. government for its handling of the New York congestion issue, suggesting proposals currently on the table will have little positive effect.
Turkish Airlines' IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate, first obtained in 2006, has been renewed and will be valid to October 2009. In addition, FAA found the technical standards of the carrier's maintenance arm, THY Technics Corp., to be compliant with FAA rules and standards.
Lloyd Aereo Boliviano last week won from airline regulator Javier Garcia a new extension, until Dec. 25, to operate at least one regular flight to avoid losing its operating license (DAILY, Nov. 21).
The European Union is well on its way to reaching its Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions but more needs to be done, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said. Through aggressive National Allocation Plans, the EU has almost reached its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the 8% reduction target for 2012. Dimas is confident that the target will be reached "once the member states have adopted and implemented the additional actions now under discussion."
Senior officers of Argentina's ministry of federal planning have advised Gonzalo Pascal and Gerardo Diaz Ferran, majority shareholders in Aerolineas Argentinas' Spanish parent company Grupo Marsans, that Argentina is exercising an option to increase its equity position in the airline to 20%. The move is in line with an agreement signed by the parties a year and a half ago in Madrid that would raise to 5% the original token 1.39% held by the Argentine state, which provided for an increase to a ceiling of 20%.
The European Commission removed the Surinamese carrier Blue Wing Airlines and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from its "black list" of unsafe carriers. Blue Wing and PIA "have successfully completed the implementation of a corrective action plan following their inclusion in the list," said the commission.
