The White House says it will nominate retired Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thomas Barrett to be acting deputy secretary of transportation. Barrett was previously head of DOT's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The previous deputy secretary, Maria Cino, is stepping down March 2 after almost two years in this post (DAILY, Feb. 5).
Fourth-quarter traffic at Cancun International and the eight other airports operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR) shot up 57% year over year, reflecting the recovery following Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and a quiet 2006 hurricane season. Tropical Storm Alberto was only one of the nine named storms in the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season that tracked close to the Yucatan Peninsula. Its effects were mild -- light to moderate rainfall in parts of southeastern Mexico.
There is no doubt that surging aircraft operations at New York Kennedy Airport are making it tougher to deal with weather disruptions, but airport officials say JFK is still well short of reaching maximum capacity.
Delta intends to launch its third U.S.-Africa nonstop route, with daily roundtrips between Atlanta and Lagos, Nigeria. The two-class Boeing 767-300ER service is scheduled to begin Dec. 3, pending Nigerian government approval. In December, Delta began service between New York Kennedy and Accra, Ghana, and between Atlanta and Johannesburg, South Africa, via Dakar, Senegal. The carrier said the Lagos nonstops will be three to six hours shorter than one-stops through European hubs.
FAA officials will brief industry representatives on its fiscal 2008 budget next month, in an event organized by the Air Traffic Control Association. The March 28 briefing will also include officials from NASA, the Defense Dept. and the Joint Planning & Development Office.
Phoenix airport officials are willing to work with carriers serving the airport to find the most cost-effective ways to execute its 10-year $2.9 billion development plan. The plan, recently presented to carriers serving the airport, includes a proposed $1.2 billion people mover, and $100 million-$150 million site preparation for a potential new West Terminal to cut construction time if demand warrants building the structure.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] FEB. 26-MARCH 1 -- Civil Military Air Traffic Management Summit, "Global Air Transportation Systems -- Harmonizing Civilian and Military Operations," Millennium Hilton Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, 703-299-2430, fax: 703-299-2437, www.atca.org, [email protected] MARCH 1-3 -- HAI: Heli-Expo 2007 Conference & Exhibition, Orlando, Fla., 703-683-4646, fax: 703-683-0341, email: [email protected], www.heliexpo.com
Republic Airlines this week won two-year exemptions to fly from Denver to Ixtapa/Zihuatenejo, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and San Jose del Cabo as part of seasonal flights it will operate for Frontier.
SR Technics CFO Richard Steiblin is leaving the company, following the departure of former Chairman Frank Turner late last year (DAILY, Nov. 30). The MRO said Steiblin is leaving at his own request. His replacement is Georg Radon, a member of the executive management team of SR Technics Switzerland since 1997.
American is launching a major marketing push in the New York region, backed by new routes and increased frequency in existing markets. The airline is adding about 4,000 annual flights from New York Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, on top of the 175,000 annual flights it already operates from the region's airports. In an effort to impress New Yorkers, American stresses its long history in New York and its financial investment in the region.
Brian H. Rowe, the larger-than-life figure who led General Electric's aircraft-engine business through a period of tremendous growth and to eventual market dominance, died Thursday following surgery; he was 75.
Air New Zealand plans to introduce new nonstop flights from Auckland to Vancouver, beginning in November. This route will initially be seasonal and operate Nov. 2-March 28. The three weekly flights will use Boeing 777-200ERs. More than 46,000 Canadians visited New Zealand last year.
Jetstar, in its first code share outside its arrangements with parent Qantas, struck a deal to carry Japan Airlines' code on its daily flights from Sydney-Osaka-Brisbane, beginning March 25, provided final regulatory approval is granted. Jetstar plans to fly Airbus A330s on the route. The schedule includes a direct daily flight from Sydney to Osaka and a daily roundtrip flight from Osaka to Brisbane and back into Sydney. Jetstar also wants to launch Cairns-Nagoya flights in August and Cairns-Osaka in September. -LR
A site at Pittsburgh Airport has won the sweepstakes for a new $25 million US Airways flight operations control center; other cities vying for the 60,000-square-foot facility are Phoenix and Charlotte. US Airways chose Pittsburgh after considering several factors, including the effect of moving current employees away from Pittsburgh and the financial com- mitment from city, county and state officials in Pennsylvania, according to airline President Scott Kirby. The airline declined to reveal the value of the incentives.
The European Commission extended the deadline for its probe into Ryanair's hostile bid for Aer Lingus from May 11 to June 13, agreeing with Ryanair that the extra time is needed "because it is a detailed, complicated case." The two carriers are the only competitors on many routes out of Ireland.
Aeroflot plans to buy five used Airbus A330s to fill a short-term capacity gap in its long-haul fleet. The airline could add up to 15 A330s in the coming years, Deputy CEO Lew Koschljakow said in an interview. Aeroflot earlier said it wanted to buy 22 Boeing 787s and 22 A350s, but the Boeing deal appears to be shelved for the time being. The order for the A350 could still materialize in the next few months, but the aircraft will not be available until 2013 at the earliest. -JF
Restrictions on carrying liquids on board aircraft that Australia will implement on March 31 "will have a very damaging impact on airport retailers, airports and liquids producers," said European Travel Retail Council President Frank O'Connell.
Boeing last week delivered the first 737-700ER to Japanese carrier ANA, which will use it to launch its BusinessJet service next month. ANA was a launch customer for the -700ER in January last year, ordering two of the aircraft by transferring existing -700 orders. The -700ER is based on the Boeing business jet lineup. It has a range of up to 5,510 nautical miles with up to nine auxiliary fuel tanks and blended winglets -- 2,145 miles further than the -700.
Indonesia's National Commission for Transportation Safety yesterday grounded Adam Air's fleet of seven Boeing 737-300s after a crack in the fuselage surfaced in a similar aircraft following a hard landing at Surabaya Juanda International Airport (JIA). The aircraft, which was on a flight from Jakarta to Surabaya, stopped in the middle of the runway with the rear half of the fuselage tilting backwards. All 148 passengers and the six crew members evacuated from the aircraft safely.
AirTran is pushing further into rival Delta's territory when it starts flights between Atlanta and Charleston, S.C., in May. Customers voted in an online survey to name the city as AirTran's latest new market. The carrier asked passengers to vote online last October on new destinations from 49 potential targets. Phoenix was the winner of the contest (DAILY, Nov. 29).
Canada's safety agency told the country's Minister of Transport that it is concerned about growing flap failures on Bombardier CRJ aircraft and is urging the Minister to take action. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada voiced concern after an flaps on an Air Canada Jazz CRJ remained at 45 degrees during a missed approach. The crew requested a diversion and tried unsuccessfully to recycle the flaps circuit breakers to clear the fault.
