You can now register online for Aviation Week events. Go to www.AviationNow.com/conferences or contact Lydia Janow, 212-904-3225 or 800-240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada only) SEPT. 19-21 -- MRO Asia, Xiamen, China OCT. 24-26 -- MRO Europe, Amsterdam NOV. 13-15 -- Aerospace & Defense Programs, Phoenix
Five bidders submitted proposals for the 20-year, $600 million contract to upgrade, develop and manage Bogota Eldorado Airport. Bidders are: Futura Concesion, a consortium made up of Corporacion America, representing Argentina's Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 through Casa; Villalonga Furlong; Compania Transportadora S.A., and Nautiserviscios. Nuevo Milenio, a consortium that includes Constructora Colpatria, Houston's HAS Development, Mario Huertas Cotes, Simens Projects Ventures and Dorsch Consult Airport.
Milwaukee Airport has been cleared as a "gateway" airport that can link approved business aircraft to Washington National. The Transportation Security Administration previously announced that Milwaukee, Dallas Love Field and Memphis airports would be added to a list of 12 existing airports that can serve as gateways for DCA-bound flights. TSA is still going through the approval process for Dallas and Memphis, and TSA is expected to add more airports to the list in coming months.
Low-fare airline Sky Europe plans to raise cash through a capital increase, provided its shareholders approve the move. The carrier plans to sell 20 million new shares. The company plans to use the proceeds to fund its growth and aims at converting options for five more Boeing 737-700s to be delivered in 2008. Last September, Sky Europe placed 12 million shares for sale at EUR6 a piece in its initial public offering. The stock has lost almost half of its value since. -JF
Air Canada plans to reinstate the lower "Tango" fares on its online site for travel agents July 7, after changing its agreement with Sabre. The carrier pulled the fares from all traditional third-party global distribution systems last month because their "technology does not support the new features of Air Canada's simplified fare products," (DAILY, May 8). Air Canada said it "exercised its contractual rights," with Sabre and the contract has been modified.
The Flight Safety Foundation yesterday named former ICAO Director of Air Navigation William Voss as its new CEO to replace Stuart Matthews, who will retire Oct. 1. Voss held his position at ICAO since 2004, where he oversaw the deployment of major international safety projects. Before ICAO, Voss spent 23 years at the FAA, focusing on air traffic management and control.
Haitian startup airline Haitair is looking to end American's monopoly on the U.S.-Haiti market with its own services from Port-au-Prince to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and New York.
ATR secured a contract with TransAsia of Taiwan for two new ATR 72-500s and an option for a third. The 72-seat planes are set for delivery in 2007. TransAsia already flies 10 ATR 72-200s/500s.
The European commission has opened a formal investigation into a Belgian government loan scheme that contributed to the GP7000 engine program. The total budget at stake for the scheme is about EUR200 million, including EUR41 million handed out to Belgium's Techspace Aero, a partner in the project launched by Pratt & Whitney and General Electric to power the Airbus A380.
Five U.S. lawmakers yesterday challenged the U.S. Transportation Dept. to submit a legislative proposal to Congress to change foreign ownership rules, rather than continue its attempt to change the rules through a rulemaking process.
Tiger Airways named Evelyn Tan as its new CFO. Tan previously was finance director of electronic manufacturing service (EMS) supplier Celestica, with responsibilities for the company's operations in Malaysia, Thailand, Mexico and China. Before her time at Celestica, Tan was CFO of Omni Industries, an EMS supplier based in Singapore.
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) handed $2 billion in one-year contracts to 11 carriers that start Oct. 1. GSA estimates it will pay about 65% of the cost of full fares, which should equate to $3.6 billion in savings for fiscal 2007. United is garnering the highest amount from GSA at $542 million for travel on 1,176 routes, followed by American's $448 million on 1,322 routes. Other carriers that negotiated GSA contracts are Delta, US Airways, Northwest, Southwest, AirTran, Alaska, Frontier, Midwest and ATA. -LR
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) has been given a $750,000 grant for infrastructure projects at the new Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services Inc., located at Nashville International Airport. The grant came from Tennessee's Dept. of Economic and Community Development under the FastTrack Infrastructure Development Program (FIDP). The authority will use the money for hangar door and floor renovations at the Embraer facility, which opened April 13, said spokeswoman Lynne Lowrance.
The U.K. Office of Fair Trading and the U.S. Justice Dept. are investigating alleged cartel actions involving British Airways and "other airlines" in relation to ticket pricing, including fuel surcharges.
The Thai Dept. of Civil Aviation (DCA) is against operation of airports by local airlines or the private sector and will propose to the government that Airports of Thailand (AOT) manage all facilities. DCA Director General Chaisak Angkasuwan argues that AOT is the most appropriate government agency to operate and manage the facilities. He said there could be conflict of interest should the Ministry of Transport continue to allow airlines to get involved in the day-to-day operations of airports.
Delta, Frontier and JetBlue have each tentatively won from the U.S. Transportation Dept. a highly desired exemption for three U.S.-Mexico routes, after a six-month wait. Competition for the three exemptions -- Los Angeles-Puerto Vallarta, Los Angeles-San Jose del Cabo and New York/Newark-Cancun -- was fierce: At one time, five carriers filed for the remaining Los Angeles-Los Cabos designations (DAILY, Dec. 14, 2005).
Jetstar is rebuffing United's overtures to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation to push for an open-skies agreement as a result of the U.S. major's argument that Qantas's subsidiary might exceed capacity restrictions on its flights between Australia and Honolulu.
Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein tells employees that load factors on its new Hawaiian airline Go are running above expectations, around 75%. Go flies 32 daily inter-island flights with 50-seat CRJ-200s. Inaugural fares were $19 one way, and Go made one-way $39 promotional fares part of its regular fare structure.
The coordinator for NV Participacoes admitted yesterday that his group still doesn't have the required $75 million need to make an initial payment on Varig and solidify the group's bid for the airline (DAILY, June 22).
