The Airport Consultants Council (ACC) has chosen James Bennett, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), to receive its 2007 Aviation Award of Excellence.
Boeing says final definition of the "double-stretch" 787-10 derivative will not begin for "at least another six months to a year," giving the company time to evaluate the baseline performance of the 787-8 as a true starting point before making critical configuration decisions.
Analysts for Deutsche Bank are bullish on the price for European Unit Allowances - the currency in Europe's Emissions Trading Scheme - over the prospect of airlines entering the buying market.
Safety management systems (SMS) represent the best method to achieve further gains in international aviation safety, FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell said yesterday. While accident rates are dropping both worldwide and in the U.S., improvement is still needed, Sturgell said during FAA's annual International Safety Forum in Chantilly, Va. "When it comes to risks, the low-hanging fruit is long gone...SMS uses hard data to point us in the direction we need to go," said Sturgell.
Lynx Aviation is hopeful it will be receiving its FAA certificate within the next few weeks -- it asked the U.S. Transportation Dept. to reinstate the waiver that allowed it to market and sell tickets ahead of winning authority from the FAA.
American's decision to divest its Eagle regional affiliate sends a positive signal, but may not provide much long-term financial boost, analysts believe.
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."
