Shanghai-based cargo carrier Yangtze River Express Airlines wants to modify its authority to serve the U.S. so that it can also serve Anchorage. The carrier currently makes a technical stop there on its way to Los Angeles [OST-2006-24630].
U.K. LCC Flybe wants to expand its business model of flying mainly domestic routes to include service to other countries, and funds raised by a planned initial public offering could support those plans. Carrier Chief Commercial Officer Mike Rutter told The DAILY this week at the World Low Cost Airlines Conference in London that while Flybe had a strong balance sheet, a float would power its capability to take its business plan outside the U.K. Domestic routes account for about 80% of Flybe's flights.
El Al announced plans to double the number of flights between Chicago O'Hare and Tel Aviv, effective Oct. 22. The carrier will offer four weekly flights on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The service will operate with two-class Boeing 767s. The planes have an upgraded business class with a 60-inch seat pitch and 165-degree recline. -SL
Startup Virgin America yesterday named Pace Communications and Spafax Airline Network as the lead content suppliers of its inflight entertainment product, but the carrier's launch has slipped into 2007.
KLM yesterday signed a significant agreement with Amadeus to provide a new direct sales and reservations system, replacing KLM's existing Corda system.
Thai low-fare airline Nok Air postponed the launch of its daily Bangalore flight from Oct. 1 to Feb. 2 because it has not yet secured a slot at Bangalore Airport. Additionally, one of the carrier's Boeing 737-400 aircraft was grounded for heavy maintenance at the Thai Airways International's engineering base in U-Tapao. Nok Air is 39% owned by Thai Airways and operates a fleet of five 737-400s, all leased from the stakeholder.
Northwest in November plans to expand its Indianapolis schedule for the second time this year with additional flights to New York LaGuardia and four cities in Florida.
Chinese officials yesterday signed a deal that will see Rolls-Royce supply Trent 1000 engines for the 15 Boeing 787s ordered by Air China. The deal is valued at $800 million, including a long-term maintenance agreement. Deliveries of Air China's 787s are scheduled to begin in June 2008. Rolls said it now has options and firm orders covering 154 Trent-powered 787s. The other 787 powerplant is offered by GE. -AS
Washington Dulles International Airport has unveiled its new $1.3 billion AeroTrain system that will connect the main terminal to airfield concourses starting in 2009.
Boeing's aircraft order numbers so far this year are higher than expected, and the company is sticking to its prediction that it will announce the first -- and possibly the second -- customers for the passenger version of its proposed 747-8 model.
Abu-Dhabi-based MRO Gamco should finalize a deal by yearend with an original equipment manufacturer to build aircraft parts under a strategy to expand its business and break into manufacturing. Currently, the company builds parts only if availability from an OEM is in question, but Gamco officials said the company is working on gaining the necessary regulatory approvals to make the parts.
By the time Washington Dulles Airport finishes the current phase of its development projects, started in 1999 and scheduled for completion in 2009, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will have spent more money than it cost to build Denver International Airport, said President and CEO James Bennett. MWAA has spent $6 billion on its development costs, while it cost $4.5 billion to build DIA.
Airports should use a mix of voluntary tax credit bonds, Transportation Security Administration appropriations and passenger facility charge funds to pay for installing future inline explosives detection systems (EDS) and explosive trace detection systems (ETS), according to a report from the Aviation Security Advisory Committee's Baggage Screening Investment Study.
Fred Buttrell has been named president and CEO of Bismarck, N.D.-based TJ Holding Co., Inc., the parent company of Executive Air Taxi Corp., a fixed-base operator in Bismarck and Med-Trans Corp., an air ambulance provider.
Eos Airlines this week hired former TWA manager Andrew Menkes as its new senior VP-sales for the Americas. Menkes will report to Toby Joseph, executive VP-global sales. Menkes started his career with TWA, and was the carrier's first regional manager of automation sales during the start of global distribution system installations at travel agencies and corporate accounts. Menkes also founded and was CEO of Priority Travel, a New York-based travel agency. He also was VP-finance and administration for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives. -SL
Pemco Aviation Group has signed a deal with ILFC Corp. to convert up to four Boeing 737-300s into freighters. The agreement covers one 737-300 conversion for delivery this year, and options to convert three more in 2007. The work will be done by Dothan, Ala.-based subsidiary Pemco World Air Services.
The Transportation Security Administration will be taking a "strategic look" at airport checkpoint equipment this year. The process has not been clearly defined, but TSA will look for input from the aviation community similar to what is currently done with the Aviation Security Advisory Committee.
Unions at Lloyd Aereo Boliviano are in no mood to waste time in dealing with U.K.-based consortium TAA and are asking the group to return the equity shares (DAILY, Sept. 6) in its possession to the airline, claiming that four other investors are waiting in the wings.
Jet Airways recently signed an interline e-ticketing agreement with KLM, Northwest and British Airways as the Indian carrier works to extend its reach across Europe and North America.
Northwest plans recall at least 25 pilots every month for the rest of the year and into 2007 and the odds are increasing that the airline may offer jobs to pilots on furlough next year.
TAM's August posted a 32.5% jump in domestic traffic, far outpacing the 25.2% capacity increase, giving the carrier a significant jump in market share.
Swiss in December will add a sixth frequency to the five already operated weekly between Santiago, Chile, and Europe. Swiss and Lufthansa's head of operations in Chile, Timo Friederichs, noted that "with this new frequency, plus the additional flight between Sao Paulo and Munich starting this month, we will fully meet our market commitments in this part of the world. Service to Munich, Zurich and Frankfurt will also be enhanced."
Passengers flying out of Los Angeles Airport now have access to remote airline and baggage check-in under a pilot program started by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and the Transportation Security Administration. LAWA has inked a deal to use Orlando-based Baggage Airline Guest Services (BAGS) to start processing passengers at the Van Nuys and Union Station Flyaway bus terminals, the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Port of Los Angeles cruise ship terminal by the end of September.
