Brazilian cargo logistics company Varig Log and the Universal Travel Plan last week became the latest members of the rapidly expanding Latin American Air Transport Association (ALTA). Varig Log joined the Miami-based association as an airline member, while UATP joined as an affiliate member. ALTA CEO Alex de Gunten praised the specialized nature of Varig Log and UATP's activities and stressed their potential to help support a healthy Latin American airline industry through joint efforts of the association's members and affiliates. -LZ
The Airports Council International (ACI) and Dubai's Department of Civil Aviation have reached an agreement to set up training facilities for safety, security and airport management in Dubai. According to the agreement, the training courses will be accredited to ACI and recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
FAA has approved three airports to implement a $4.50 Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) worth almost $100 million dollars. The largest approval was for the city of Syracuse, N.Y., which will generate $96.7 million in revenue through August 2006 to fund terminal security and access improvements at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
Sabre Holdings pushed a meeting of its shareholders to vote on the purchase of the company by Texas Pacific Group and Silver Lake Partners for $4.5 billion from March 23 to March 29. The company opted to delay the meeting to allow shareholders to examine additional information filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday.
Avianca and Aerolineas Argentinas recently signed a new code-sharing agreement to improve service for Bogota-bound passengers. The deal provides immediate access to passengers arriving on any of three weekly flights operated by Aerolineas Argentinas to connections on Avianca flights bound for an important number of destinations in Colombia covered by the original tickets issued by AR. Passengers arriving in Buenos Aires on Avianca would be given reciprocal treatment on AR's vast domestic route network in Argentina. -LZ
Boeing 747-8 launch customer Cargolux yesterday added three more units of the freighter version to its order, bringing the total to 13 aircraft. The carrier also secured two options in addition to the 10 purchase rights it already holds. The program was launched in November 2005 with orders from Cargolux and Nippon Cargo Airlines. Boeing now has 87 orders for the -8, with almost all customers ordering the freighter version. -AS
Republic Airways Holdings forged a deal with former majority stockholder WexAir LLC to buy 2 million shares of its common stock at a price of $20.50 per share for $41 million. The transaction should occur before March 21, and when it is completed, RAH would have 41.1 million of shares outstanding of its common stock.
Asia/Pacific airports will be the key beneficiaries of the predicted surge in airline capacity and entrants in 2007 and beyond, predicted the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) in its new "Aviation Outlook" report. Asia is expected to lead global passenger growth, with 5.8% annual average growth predicted over the next 20 years, including 7.9% annual growth over the next five years and 8.6% growth in 2007, said CAPA, citing statistics from Airports Council International (ACI).
Boeing executives say they are close to exceeding 500 orders for the Boeing 787 program, and they see no sign of the order flow slowing down even as delivery dates push into the middle of next decade. The current 787 total is 490 orders from 38 customers, but orders are "likely to go over 500 in the not-too-distant future," 787 program head Mike Bair said yesterday. He estimates that Boeing has about three times that number of potential orders in options, purchase rights or active proposals.
Canadian air traffic rose by 6.7% in January, says ATC provider Nav Canada. For the fiscal year-to-date - which runs through Sept. 1 - traffic is up 5%. Nav Canada measures traffic in charging units.
Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein tells employees that the airline continues to have talks with Bombardier and Embraer about aircraft for its China operation and larger aircraft to potentially replace 50-seaters, noting there could be opportunities in that arena with some of Mesa's partners.
US Airways plans to continue its international push, carrier executives say, reasoning that most domestic routes hold little revenue potential. The carrier plans to add service from Philadelphia to Athens, Brussels and Zurich this year.
Washington National Airport can handle some additional capacity, but airport infrastructure constrains how much can be added, according to a new study from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
South African plans to launch a new route to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, during the summer travel season. The flight will depart Johannesburg on Saturday mornings, returning the same afternoon. It will be operated between July 7 and Sept. 29, using an Airbus A319-100.
Delays in getting Mexican government approvals forced Centurion Air Cargo and Florida West International to ask for dormancy waivers for cargo routes won last November (DAILY, Nov. 21, 2006). Centurion will serve Mexico City from Los Angeles while Florida West will fly from Chicago and Los Angeles to Mexico City. Both carriers were obliged by the U.S. Transportation Dept. to launch service by June 18 [OST-2006-24671]. -ARS
Executives at Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) are disappointed that Delta is taking over customer service and baggage handling in Atlanta, but remain confident that the momentum from improving operations will continue as a result of the regional carrier's investment in infrastructure at the Atlanta hub.
House Transportation Ranking Member John Mica (R-Fla.) last week wrote to European Union leaders urging them to approve the U.S./European Union aviation liberalization agreement, on which the EU Council of Ministers will vote next week.
The number of commercial aircraft in the U.S. fleet will grow by 120 planes in 2007, compared with the 2006 total of 7,626, FAA predicts. Most of this increase will come from low-cost carriers. The mainline fleet is forecast to rise by 92 aircraft this year -- or 2.4% -- reversing a 1% aircraft in 2006. Next year will see a 2.7% increase in the mainline fleet.
The European Court of Justice dismissed British Airway's ultimate appeal against a 1999 European Commission stating that the airline was abusing its dominant position with its bonus schemes for travel agents. BA was fined EUR6.8 million following a complaint by Virgin Atlantic on the grounds that the "loyalty discounts" paid to travel agents were detrimental to fair competition.
The House and Senate aviation subcommittees are likely to introduce their versions of FAA reauthorization legislation in May, aiming at floor votes in June or soon after, National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen says. The current authorization doesn't expire until September, but Bolen points out it could take time for a House/Senate conference committee to reconcile the two bills.
