Shares in aircraft interiors supplier B/E Aerospace staged a slight recovery on Monday, but investors remained jittery over CEO Amin Khoury's connection to another company that has drawn attention for questionable stock option grants.
Hawaii's DOT is being sued by Part 135 carrier Pacific Wings over its decision to put Mesa Air's Go operation in the Commuter Terminal at Honolulu Airport.
Engineers and designers at Boeing continue their work to drive down weight estimates close to original targets for the 787, but the head of the program is quick to point out the aircraft's weight is still within its commitment to customers. Previously, Boeing executives have said the aircraft's weight is a little over 2% above its aim, and yesterday 787 Program VP Mike Bair reiterated that statistic and said Boeing was focused on driving the weight of the plane down. Boeing is targeting an operating empty weight of 239,200 pounds for the 787-8.
British Airways CEO Willie Walsh says the Airbus A380 is an attractive prospect for the airline, but he reiterates that BA is still a long way from having to decide on which new widebody type it will introduce to its long-haul fleet.
The Transportation Security Administration spends $6 million a year on hazardous materials removal to dispose of the 30,000 cigarette lighters it confiscates every day. "Do not bring lighters," urges TSA Administrator Kip Hawley in a message to airline passengers that is part plea and part warning. While some previously banned objects, such as small scissors, are now allowed back in airline cabins, butane cigarette lighters are not, and confiscating them costs travelers time and the TSA money, he says.
JetBlue appears to be firming up plans to sell its five oldest aircraft -- as part of a plan to restore its profits -- after previously saying it would shed two to five planes. CEO David Neeleman recently said the number of planes the airline is selling would tip toward the high end of previous estimates, noting the airline would likely put those aircraft up for sale to "get a little debt off our balance sheet."
Star Alliance as early as today could officially invite Air China to join the group, sources say. Shanghai Airlines was invited earlier this month and Star CEO Jaan Albrecht said at the time that he planned to return to Beijing for an Air China event in a matter of weeks (DAILY, May 11). Lufthansa executives are expected to attend the Beijing event, as they are close partners with Air China.
Net profits for Narita Airport Corp. jumped two-fold to 14.7 billion yen (US$131.7 million) for the year ended in March. The corporation, which operates Japan's largest airport, will pay a 1,000 yen (US$8.91) per share dividend, totaling 2 billion yen (US$17.8 million), to the Japanese government, its sole shareholder. The payout is the first since the company began its move toward privatization in April 2004.
Tampa Airport's busiest runway has reopened six days earlier than scheduled after contractor John Carlo Inc. completed its part of a $13.4 million runway and high-speed taxiway construction project. Runway 18 was supposed to be closed for 25 days starting Feb. 24. The contractor earned a $60,000 bonus for early completion of the project. Taxiway work will continue until the end of summer. Upon completion of the construction, Tampa will have increased capacity at the west runway. -BW
Alitalia Servizi hopes to capture third-party business at its new base at Milan Malpensa Airport that opened May 15. "We talked about doing it for years," said Livio Vido, senior VP-fleet facilities and infrastructure, maintenance services. Alitalia Servizi's current offerings at the new base include light maintenance for Alitalia's fleet of Boeing 767 and 777 aircraft. -Lee Ann Tegtmeier
Air Canada and Copa are the least productive airlines in North America, while AirTran and Southwest are the most productive, using employees per seat as a measure, says Goldman Sachs analyst Glenn Engel. Northwest initially appears to be the most productive legacy carrier, but its productivity is only average after adjusting for outsourcing 3,000 maintenance jobs and the low utilization of its DC-9 fleet. Productivity at US Airways and Delta rivals that of low-fare carriers, while United and Continental lag.
Scenic Airlines plans to exit all scheduled service markets after the carrier's board decided earlier this month to focus strictly on the company's tour operations from the Grand Canyon.
Etihad Airways next week plans to launch new weekly service from Abu Dhabi to Jeddah, as part of its plan to boost service in the Persian Gulf. Between May 28 and June 30, Etihad will operate three weekly flights a week between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, with one flight every Tuesday and two flights on Sunday. Starting July 1, the service will operate every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The route will be operated with Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A330-200s. Jeddah is Etihad's third destination in Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh and Dammam.
Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport's capacity will be 25 million annual passengers by 2008, said Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin. The airport currently handles 12 million passengers. The construction of a new 40,000-square-meter terminal building nearby the Sheremetyevo 1 terminal was launched earlier this year. Revamping of Sheremetyevo 2, which handles the bulk of international flights, is scheduled for next year. The facility's annual capacity will rise to 18 million passengers, said the airport. -MT
JetBlue is moving quickly to partner with international carriers serving New York Kennedy to "figure out a way" to trade customers, says CEO David Neeleman. "We hope maybe to announce an airline or two in the not-too-distant future" as a trial. There is also the potential to form partnerships with smaller domestic carriers, he notes, to gain feed from routes JetBlue doesn't serve.
Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services opened a temporary maintenance station at Berlin Tempelhof Airport that offers line maintenance services for Bombardier, Learjet, Challenger and Global business aircraft. LBAS added the base to prepare for an expected rise in corporate aircraft traffic as a result of the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 tournament. LBAS is a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and Bombardier Aerospace ExecuJet Aviation Group. LBAS also has stations at Berlin Schoenefeld and Frankfurt airports. -LR
