The Airbus A380 will make its second visit to North America on Nov. 29, flying into Vancouver as part of a worldwide route-proving tour. An A380 also flew to Iqaluit, Canada, in February as part of its cold-weather trials. The Vancouver visit is scheduled to be the last stop before Toulouse on a flight that took the aircraft over both poles.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] NOV. 28-29 -- Kenyon International Emergency Services aviation crisis management exercise planning workshop, Bracknell, Berkshire, U.K., 425-442-5565, email: jerry-alliancepr@qwest. net, www.kenyoninternational.com NOV. 29-DEC. 1 -- ALTA (formerly AITAL) Latin American Airline Leaders Forum, Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Resort & Spa, Cancun, Mexico, 703-608-2071, www.LatAmLeaders.com
You can now register online for AVIATION WEEK events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or contact Lydia Janow, 212-904-3225 or 800-240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada only) NOV. 29-30 -- Aeromart 2006, Toulouse DEC. 5-6 -- Essentials of the PBL Contracting Process, Phoenix
Airbus last week increased its projections for aircraft demand in the next two decades, with both passenger numbers and world fleet size expected to double during this period.
JetBlue CEO David Neeleman says the carrier has moved from 93 full-time employees per plane into the low 80s, but that since Southwest and AirTran are down in the "high 60s and mid 60s, we need to keep going." Neeleman points out 10 full-time employees equate to about $100 million.
Singapore Airlines this week in Seattle plans to take delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER, featuring its new cabin products, and launch the aircraft on the Singapore-Paris route in a few weeks. SIA aims to deploy the new 777s "as quickly as possible across key regions in our network." The second -300ER will fly to Hong Kong next month. The U.S. won't see the new product until March, when it starts flying on the Singapore-Seoul-San Francisco route.
30 Years Ago Dec. 1, 1976 -- An alternate fuel for use in commercial aviation should be designated as soon as possible, argued a Lockheed scientist, who said the fuel will be needed by 2000 because of an anticipated acute worldwide petroleum shortage. Liquid hydrogen is the most promising of the candidates, which includes synthetic Jet A and methane. 20 Years Ago
Airlines in the Middle East and North Africa are furthest from IATA's goal of 100% electronic ticketing by the end of next year, and the group's leader blasted the region's members for not moving fast enough.
Lessor AerCap Holdings last week priced its initial public stock offering at $23 per share, raising more than $600 million in proceeds. The Dutch company sold 6.8 million shares and another 19.3 million were sold by shareholders of the company. The selling shareholders granted to the underwriters an overallotment option to buy up to 3.9 million additional ordinary shares. The stock is trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "AER."
Pilot records on stolen government laptop computers have not been misused by thieves, the U.S. Transportation Dept.'s Office of Inspector General believes.
PAR Investment Partners, which was an investor and driving force behind the US Airways/America West merger, reveals it will hold more than 9% of the Allegiant Air parent company after the planned initial public offering. Some existing Allegiant stockholders signed a stock purchase deal with PAR to sell 1.75 million shares of common stock. PAR also recently invested in ITA Software (DAILY, Jan. 24).
Aerolineas Argentinas (AR) is aggressively implementing its ambitions international expansion plans, encouraged by recent unfreezing of domestic fares by Argentina. As of Nov. 27, AR will reinstate three weekly Buenos Aires-New York (Kennedy) nonstops, and from now to January, operate additional frequencies from Buenos Aires to Caracas, Montevideo, Punta del Este, Miami, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Mexico City, Lima and Miami. Bogota and Mexico City, normally served on the same flight, will be served separately.
Newburgh, N.Y., Stewart Airport could become the fourth airport serving New York if the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has its way. The port authority has been struggling with ways to ease congestion at its three airports -- LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark Liberty. To that end, it has issued a request for proposal to hire a consultant to lay out its options, said spokesman Marc LaVorgna.
Nearly $1 billion in cost overruns in Miami Airport's capital improvement program (CIP) has led Moody's Investors Service to downgrade bonds issued by Miami-Dade County from A1 to A2. Moody's expects that airline costs at the airport will rise significantly enough to potentially erode Miami's future traffic and revenue.
Spirit Airlines last week unveiled plans to launch service to Caracas next April as part of its strategy to broaden its Caribbean and Latin America network and stimulate the market with low fares. According to its application with the U.S. Transportation Dept., the carrier would start daily flights from its Fort Lauderdale hub in April, using Airbus A319s, or A321s when demand is higher [OST-2006-26438]. Caracas would represent the carrier's most southern destination as most of its leisure destinations are in Mexico and the Caribbean.
United's stance on industry consolidation has not changed since US Airways proposed a deal to acquire and merge with Delta, says CEO Glenn Tilton. "We have been consistent for many years in our view that consolidation should happen," he tells staff. "This week's news has not changed our position at United, and should an opportunity present itself, we will take advantage of it, if we and we alone decide to."
Two newly elected senators, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, will join the Senate Commerce Committee in January, when Democrats take control of Congress. McCaskill and Klobuchar are among 10 newly elected senators -- eight Democrats, one Republican and one independent -- who will be sworn in next year as members of the 110th Congress.
Cleveland Airport plans to hire a chief marketing officer within two weeks, says Ricky Smith, director of the city's department of port control, which operates the facility. "Our air service development program has been virtually nonexistent," he says. "Airlines have mentioned that every airport in Ohio has reached out to them for new service except Cleveland-Hopkins." The position is newly created.
Malaysia Airlines last week signed a partnership deal with Transaero Airlines, which includes code-sharing links between Kuala Lumpur and Moscow set to start in January.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says FAA should lift the age limit for commercial pilots, in part because it does not comply with current age discrimination law. EEOC supports raising the age limit from 60 to 65 but believes the age cap should eventually be scrapped altogether. Pilot skills and health can be "assessed accurately on an individual basis, regardless of age," EEOC says.
