Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling initiated a huge board shake-up that includes newly appointed Chairman Barbara Cassani relinquishing that title and the exit of JetBlue CEO Dave Barger. Co-founders Carlos Munoz and Lazaro Ros are resigning from their positions of chief executive and chief operating officer, effective Nov. 25. The carrier's board expects to name a new CEO shortly. Both Munoz and Ros plan to continue to serve on Vueling's board.
The Air Transport Association predicts passenger numbers will be up 4% during the 12-day Thanksgiving travel period compared to last year, with airlines and airports deploying extra resources to handle the increase. ATA believes 27 million passengers will fly between Nov. 16 and Nov. 26, averaging about 2.3 million per day. This compares with the year-to-date average of about 2.1 million per day. The busiest days will be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the following Sunday and Monday, when ATA expects more than 2.5 million passengers a day.
Chile-based LAN group of airlines this week reported improved figures for international and domestic flights that boosted systemwide traffic 17.5% in October from the same month last year. International traffic by LAN affiliates in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and Peru grew by 15.8% in October and represented 86% of total traffic. Domestic traffic, meanwhile, in Chile increased 28.9% in October. Systemwide air cargo was up 4.3% from October 2006.
US Airways Senior VP and CFO Derek Kerr has been named CFO of the Year by the Arizona Chapter of Financial Executive International. CEO Doug Parker said, "Derek played a critical role in the merger of US Airways and America West, and his stewardship has helped our new airline build unprecedented financial stability."
Brazilian airframer Embraer is not planning a drastic reduction in its use of overtime even as the company approaches its target of building 14 of its E-170/190 aircraft per month by yearend. The company reached a monthly build rate of 13 aircraft during the third quarter as it initiated a formal internal program to improve efficiency.
Middle East aircraft lessor DAE Capital yesterday signed initial agreements representing more than 200 aircraft, with the potential orders to be split evenly between Airbus and Boeing. The DAE deals are expected to be firmed up by the end of the year. DAE is the aircraft leasing and financing division of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, and it aims to become a major player in the international aircraft leasing market. A memorandum of understanding with Airbus covers 70 A320s and 30 A350s, while the Boeing deal includes 70 737s and a mix of 787s, 777s and 747s.
Airbus chief salesman John Leahy says the manufacturer will easily set a new record this year for aircraft orders, and has in fact already broken the old record thanks to orders placed during the Dubai Air Show. Airbus expects orders will exceed 1,200 by yearend.
Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim is remaining firm on his promise to end the so-called "air safety blackout" before the high Christmas/New Year season begins.
British Airways plans to transfer a third Boeing 757 to its Project Lauren subsidiary by the end of 2008, and a fourth in early 2009, project head Dale Moss says. The first two 757s will come from BA's mainline fleet and will be backfilled with Airbus A320s or A321s. The subsidiary, scheduled to launch in March 2008, will fly between Western European cities and the U.S. East Coast, bypassing London Heathrow. A potential hurdle could be the British Air Line Pilots Association, which says it is "a long, long way from any agreement on any aspect of Project Lauren."
IATA and the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (CLAC) on Nov. 8 issued economic benefit reports for Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Panama that spell out the benefits aviation brings to each country, in hopes of avoiding "policy myopia" and building "an even stronger base for future growth." The reports look at supply and demand side benefits to gross domestic product and tourism benefits, as well as country-specific issues, such as Bolivia's gas exports, the necessity of diversification of the economy in Chile and economic growth in Mexico.
Air Canada's new business model, which is a deconstructed airline that now operates as several business units, paid off for the airline in the third quarter.
A European Union-Russia aviation summit scheduled to be held on Nov. 16-17 in Moscow was postponed without setting new dates, as both parties continue haggling over the dismantlement of Siberian overflight charges. EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot and Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin agreed to adjourn the meeting "to allow a more detailed elaboration of the issues put on the agenda," said the commissioner's spokesman. He insisted that contacts continue, and "the Russian authorities have confirmed their commitment to sign the agreement."
SkyWest Inc.'s Atlantic Southeast Airlines subsidiary did not collect incentive payments for contract flying in the third quarter, its first time since SkyWest bought the carrier in 2005. ASA's controllable completion factor was 97.9%, and 71.7% of its flights arrived within 14 minutes of schedule. In the same categories, SkyWest Airlines' posted 99.2% and 78%, respectively.
Despite improved profits and unprecedented growth for some airlines in Latin America, the region's airlines as a whole are lagging behind their global counterparts in meeting IATA initiatives and will continue to face challenges in the arenas of safety and government relations, IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said.
FAA's Jacksonville en route ATC center lost much of its radar feed and communications on Nov. 9 due to a mistake by a BellSouth technician. The center lost some radar, frequency and land-lines at 12:35 p.m., when the technician "worked on the wrong communication line" in the Jacksonville metro area, FAA said. The systems were being restored by 1:35 p.m., although there was a "slow return to normalcy."
Despite problems with its Dash 8 fleet, the SAS Group says nine-month financial results show performance is headed in the right direction. Operating revenue, compared with last year, was up 3.4% to SEK47 million on a 6.2% rise in passenger volume. Earnings and earnings margin were also up, although at 2.1% the latter remains weak.
