The European Commission has ordered Belgium to be less generous with its aerospace manufacturers. Belgium's EUR82.5 million (US$110 million) support scheme for the 2002/2006 period allowed launch aid of more that 33% of development costs and did not include any interest charges on the loans to manufacturers, explained the EC. "These conditions differ from standard (European) practice, whereby advances have to be paid back with interest if the projects succeed," said the EC.
Implementing a policy to expand and improve its route structure in the Americas, Grupo TACA this month will beef up its schedules on the Los Angeles-El Salvador and Washington-El Salvador routes.
United Business Media yesterday acquired OAG Holdings on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary Commonwealth Business Media for GBP2.5 million in cash. OAG has nearly 400 employees and annual revenues of more than US$47 million, the company said. The OAG business is "highly complementary to, and will be integrated into," Commonwealth Business Media's BACK Aviation database business. OAG is a primary data source used by BACK Aviation for its various schedule database products.
The U.K. government should consider removing price caps at Stansted Airport, but keep them in place at Heathrow and Gatwick between 2008 and 2013, say initial recommendations made by the Civil Aviation Authority.
A Brazilian federal judge in Rio de Janeiro yesterday ordered the country's police to return the passports of U.S. pilots Joseph Lapore and Jan Paul Paladino within 72 hours. According to Brazilian media, they are now restricted to travel while being questioned on their role in the collision between the Legacy executive jet they piloted and the GOL Boeing 737 in September. The judge determined that three days was enough time for the police to finish questioning the U.S. pilots.
Italy will sell no less than a 30.1% stake in Alitalia and all the convertible bonds held by the government, the Italian ministry of the economy and finance said.
Opponents of the O'Hare Modernization Project have filed with the U.S. D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to stop the city of Chicago from relocating hundreds of homes and businesses and destroying St. Johannes Cemetery to make room for the airport's new and relocated runways. Litigants include St. John's United Church of Christ and the cities of Bensenville and Elk Grove Village. The D.C.
Implementing the U.K. government's plans for airport expansion would boost the country's economy by GBP13 billion (US$25.7 billion) a year, according a new study.
Worldwide airport passenger traffic rose 4% in October, driven by a boost in international traffic, according to statistics released by Airports Council International (ACI).
House subcommittee chairmanships are expected to be resolved before lawmakers leave town, and it appears that Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) will take over the House aviation subcommittee after potential challengers opted for other leadership positions.
SAS Maintenance Training won a new five-year training deal with Spanair. The carrier has tapped SAS Maintenance for technical training for the past 16 years. SAS plans to start construction of an expansion of its training center in Palma de Mallorca next year. -LR
Continental yesterday converted 12 Boeing 737 options into firm orders for the -900ER. With this latest conversion, Continental has 24 firm orders for the model after becoming the first U.S. carrier to order the new extended-range aircraft which flies approximately 500 nautical miles farther than the existing 737-900. Continental said the -900ERs will be configured with 20 first class seats. The announcement does not change the quantity of new 737s Continental has on order.
American reported a significant capacity drop in November, but healthy load factor gains offset the accompanying traffic reductions. Systemwide ASMs fell 3.7%, with domestic down 4.8% and international 1.5%. For the year through Nov. 30, system capacity declined 1.1% and domestic capacity 3.3%, while international capacity rose 3.1%. Traffic fell 1.1% in November, with international traffic growth of 3.3% offsetting a domestic reduction of 3.2%. For the year to date, traffic was up 1%.
The complaints about expensive user fees charged by Argentina's airports reached Washington yesterday, The DAILY has learned, when the U.S. weighed in with its concern about the high charges.
By Steve Lott Not all hubs are created equal, and the industry needs to take a fresh look at the definition of a hub because the data reveal vast differences across the U.S. airlines. By measuring hubs differently from the government's methodology, some airlines may lose their long-held claim of having some of the largest hubs in the country.
The U.S. Transportation Dept. yesterday bowed to the inevitable and withdrew its proposal to relax airline foreign ownership rules; the focus now shifts to European Union officials as the aviation industry waits to see if progress can still be made on a transatlantic open-skies deal.
