FAA is asking Congress to increase funding by nearly 70% for projects that specifically support the agency's efforts to design the next generation (NextGen) air traffic management system.
Congress begins exploring FAA reauthorization and how to pay for air traffic system modernization this week. On Wednesday, the House aviation subcommittee takes up the Bush Administration's Fiscal 2008 budget, which includes -- in broad terms -- an outline of its FAA funding plans. Details of the Administration plan are expected to be released this week, in time for a Senate aviation subcommittee hearing on them Thursday.
Airports worldwide said they were committing $38 billion on new capacity in 2006, up from $36 billion in 2005, a new report from Airports Council International says.
FAA Chief Operating Officer Russell Chew yesterday confirmed he is heading back to the airline industry -- specifically, to Hawaiian -- when he steps down from his FAA post at the end of this month. Chew told FAA senior officials last week that he intended to resign, but he would not immediately reveal who is new employer was. He came to FAA from American, where he held senior operations positions. He told The DAILY last week that he had given FAA Administrator Marion Blakey a three-year commitment, which he exceeded (DAILY, Feb. 7).
Four more carriers -- three incumbents and another aspirant in the market -- have joined US Airways in opposing Delta's application in a still-uninvited competition for 2008 U.S.-China frequencies (DAILY, Feb. 12).
Ryanair plans to sue Irish regulators, arguing slot coordination planned for the summer at Dublin Airport is unlawful and unnecessary. Ireland's Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) issued its decision yesterday, basing its conclusions on results from an independent study by a consultancy showing that demand would outpace capacity at the airport during the 2007 peak summer period.
Traffic at the 12 Mexican airports operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico improved 6.3% last month, compared with January 2006 levels, on the strength of domestic traffic gains fueled by low-cost carrier operations.
British Airways yet again faces the threat of industrial action, after its ground workers and check-in agents rejected the proposed pension deal that is supposed to reduce the company's pension deficit. The GMB union said the deal "favors the highest-paid workers at BA at the expense of the lowest paid." The union said it "cannot rule out the possibility of an industrial action ballot some time in the future if negotiations are unsuccessful." GMB negotiators plan to meet with British Airways CEO Willie Walsh on Wednesday. -JF
Joining fellow Canadian carriers Air Canada and WestJet, startup carrier Porter Airlines has launched multi-trip passes. The transferable packages are pre-paid and include 10 one-way passes redeemable for travel between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Porter offers three types of passes at different prices, $1,050, $2,290 and $2,840.
Iran Air on March 2 will launch long-haul passenger and cargo services between Teheran and Caracas with one weekly flight via Damascus. Franklin Fernandez, president of Venezuela's state-owned airline Conviasa, made the announcement last week at the inaugural of Iran Air's offices in Caracas, which are located at Conviasa's headquarters. He said Iran Air plans to use 287-passenger Boeing 747s for the services. Fernandez also reported that Conviasa will soon open a commercial office in Teheran.
The deadline for the one-year security checkpoint advertising pilot program is now May 17 instead of Feb. 16 to, according to the Transportation Security Agency. The extension, requested by airports and Airports Council International-North America, allows operators more time to review the program before submitting an application (DAILY, Jan. 4). In the letter, ACI-NA argued that the pilot raises "significant legal and commercial issues" to address before airports can decide to apply.
Alitalia Chairman Giancarlo Cimoli is no longer on the list of five candidates nominated by the Italian treasury as members of the board of the 49.9% state-owned airline company. The Italian government designated Berardino Libonati, a lawyer and university professor, as the chairman of the new board, which is due to meet for the first time on Feb. 22. Libonati currently serves as chaiman of Banca Di Roma and was chairman of Telecom Italia in 1998 and 1999.
El Al will no longer carry the Delta code on flights between Los Angeles and Toronto, the U.S. carrier told the U.S. Transportation Dept. last week [OST-2002-11775]. Delta last summer began service to Toronto from its Salt Lake City hub, and also serves the Canadian city from Atlanta, Cincinnati and New York Kennedy. -ARS
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) managed to get $2 billion in tax incentives to help fund a rail link between lower Manhattan and JFK Airport put into President Bush's FY2008 budget. Schumer has been working on the effort for two years, saying it is "critical" for jobs and development in downtown New York. He has support from the New York congressional delegation, including Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Reps. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Peter King (R-N.Y.).
GoJet Airlines, Shuttle America, Mesa and SkyWest all received approval to carry SAA's code on flights they operate as United Express, while SAA won authority to code share with any current or future United Express carrier on flights to Baltimore, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver and Detroit.
Argentine Commercial Aviation Undersecretary Ricardo Cirielli is pushing -- and has been for at least two months -- for the Foreign Office to request a meeting with officials from Venezuela to update and close bilateral air agreements, "now pigeonholed for bureaucratic reasons." Aerolineas Argentinas (AR) is the only carrier operating the Buenos Aires-Caracas route with two weekly flights. Lan Argentina also requested authority for the route.
NTSB board meeting this week will focus on two sightseeing helicopter accidents that occurred on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on Sept. 24, 2004, crash of a Bell 206B helicopter at Kalaheo, and the Sept. 23, 2005, crash of an Aerospatiale helicopter off the coast of Kailiu Point.
