Grupo TACA subsidiary TACA Peru won a blanket statement of authorization to carry United's code on its flights between Peru and other Central American points and the U.S. Though a code-share agreement inked early this year included the operations of all TACA carriers (DAILY, March 2 and May 24), the U.S. Transportation Dept. said United's code could not be "displayed on aircraft operated by TACA Group carriers other than TACA or LACSA until each such carrier applies for and receives a statement of authorization from the Department" [OST-2006-25602].
Governments around the world should accelerate the liberalization of the aviation industry -- particularly between the U.S. and Europe -- urged IATA CEO Giovanni Bisignani, and he warned that the failure to do so is hindering airline economic recovery.
EgyptAir yesterday placed a firm order for six Embraer 170s with options for another six to serve as the launch fleet for a newly created Express subsidiary to fly domestic and regional routes.
United on Oct. 29 will begin to carry ANA's code on flights between Washington Dulles and Tokyo. ANA, meanwhile, will carry United's code on flights between Tokyo and Okinawa. The code will also appear on wet-lease flights that Air Nippon operates for ANA [OST-2002-13144]. ANA's new cargo joint venture, ANA and JP Express (AJV), also got the nod from the U.S. Transportation Dept. to serve Chicago (DAILY, July 10). The carrier also won a foreign air carrier permit for its U.S. operations [OST-2006-25317, -25318]. -ARS
Lan Peru and Aerolineas Argentinas subsidiary Austral will win authority to operate to and within Bolivia, that country's civil aviation department announced last week.
Ryanair is temporarily suspending service three French markets and deferring launch of a new route from Stansted to Deauville scheduled to start Oct. 31.
Northwest on Friday won a significant victory in its battle to prevent its flight attendants' union from walking off the job and hurting operations when a federal judged overturned a bankruptcy court decision.
Jeanne Olivier, general manager of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's Aviation Security and Technology Division is going to Iraq on a one-year assignment with the U.S. State Department's Iraq reconstruction man- agement program to help the government rebuild and reactivate the country's commercial airports.
U.K.-based TAA, under pressure from workers now in control of Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB), said it would not insist on its plan to rescue the troubled carrier and is a planning to return equity shares in its possession to the workers (DAILY, Sept. 13).
Continental on Friday announced it will launch direct flights from Cleveland to Paris, beginning in 2008 and starting with seasonal service. The airline stressed that the route links two hubs with significant connecting opportunities. This route is "especially attractive as it allows Continental to enhance its participation" in the SkyTeam alliance, the airline said. The service will open for sale in the summer of 2007.
Construction started on Friday on the long-awaited extension to the second, shorter runway at Tokyo Narita Airport, which should boost the capacity of larger aircraft at the airport. On Sept. 11, 2006, the Japanese government issued the approval for the construction to extend Runway 16L/34R to 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), and work began on Friday. The work will take several years to complete, and the airport authority hopes to have the extension open in the first quarter of 2010.
Most airports are taking a wait-and-see attitude about unveiling a Registered Traveler program despite the Transportation Security Administration's now allowing advanced registration for passengers (DAILY, Sept. 14).
Nearly three-quarters of the 3,000 world freighter fleet additions in the next two decades will be modified passenger and combi aircraft, with the remainder comprising production freighters worth about $170 billion, Boeing says in a new cargo forecast. Most of the larger-size aircraft added to the fleet will be new. Freighters will maintain a 10% share of the total global commercial jet fleet, Boeing says.
The Bush Administration believes that although it has the authority to introduce the controversial foreign ownership rule, it "should not and probably cannot be implemented over the significant opposition" of Congress, says DOT Under Secretary for Policy Jeff Shane. DOT wants to "engage members and staff more aggressively" to explain the rule and address concerns. "There is no point in promulgating a new rule unless it is clearly sustainable," Shane says.
Thales reports that its TopSeries i-5000 inflight entertainment system passed all initial tests on four Airbus A380 test flights with full passenger loads. The Thales system is the first IFE system to fly on the A380 and is installed in 474 passenger seats and 15 crew areas on test aircraft MSN2. The i-5000 system has been bought by Air France, Malaysia Airlines and Etihad Airways.
The Senate Commerce Committee plans to hold a confirmation hearing on Wednesday for Transportation Secretary nominee Mary Peters. Peters was head of the Federal Highway Administration from 2001 to 2005 and also directed the Arizona Dept. of Transportation.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has attacked the latest ATM blueprint document produced by the multi-agency Joint Planning and Development Office, arguing that it ignores general aviation concerns. AOPA said the scenario laid out in JPDO's concept of operations (CONOPS) "increases barriers for the GA community to operate more than it reduces them," particularly for aircraft flying under VFR rules. In a letter to JPDO head Charles Leader, AOPA President Phil Boyer said the CONOPS fails general aviation, and he is calling for changes.
