Colombia's civil aviation department (Aerocivil) will close bidding on the 15- to 20-year concession for management and development of Bogota Eldorado Airport in April.
Leasing new technology could be a good way for FAA to finance ATC modernization, says National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen. The Administration is considering whether to allow FAA to fund new technology through bond issues, but Bolen says leasing may be a better route because FAA would have more flexibility to update technology, and manufacturers would bear the cost overrun risk.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta wants industry groups to "hold your fire" regarding the Administration's proposal for overhauling FAA's funding mechanisms. The plan is still being drafted, he says, and "people are beginning to criticize the proposal without knowing the details." His remarks are probably aimed at general aviation groups, which have been voicing fears that FAA will introduce user fees.
Northwest yesterday reported a deep $1.2 billion fourth-quarter net loss, including reorganization costs and one-time items, partly due to a 59% spike in maintenance costs following a strike by its mechanics. The loss compares with a $434 million deficit in the fourth quarter 2004. Excluding unusual items, Northwest's net loss still widened to $387 million. For the full year 2005, Northwest reported a massive $2.6 billion loss.
French President Jacque Chirac yesterday won support from United Nations Secretary General Kofi Anan for a new aviation tax that would generate revenue to help poor countries fight killer diseases.
FAA's latest aviation forecast predicts sluggish growth in capacity and passenger numbers this year -- down significantly from previous growth forecasts for fiscal 2006 -- but the agency said this is a one-year anomaly that will have little effect on larger, long-term increases.
Air Jamaica last week reported an 86% on-time arrivals rate, a "marked improvement" in recent months. For the past two months, Air Jamaica posted a 99.35 completion factor. "Product integrity is the foundation upon which we expect to realize improved financial results in 2006 and beyond," said CEO Mike Conway. He said the improved performance came during the winter holiday period, when airlines are most prone to cancellations and delays. Conway launched a company-wide plan focused "on product integrity." -SL
Southwest Chairman Herb Kelleher wants Boeing to take the technology used on its 787 aircraft and apply it to a new 737 sooner rather than later. The airline's 447 737s comprise about 10% of the global fleet of the aircraft type, according to Boeing, and the airframer plans to deliver 33 planes to Southwest this year.
Malaysia Airlines reported a deep MYR616.4 million fiscal third-quarter loss that was primarily due to a jump in fuel prices, but even though the carrier launched a "turnaround plan," it may still post losses for 2006.
All Nippon Airways will carry Thai Airways International's code on its flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Tokyo if the U.S. Transportation Dept. approves the carriers' request to amend their U.S. code-share authority. The carriers already have a statement of authorization that lets ANA put the TG code on its flights from Tokyo to Washington and New York, as well as putting each other's codes on their respective flights between Bangkok and Tokyo.
Air Canada recently started testing a handheld device that scans the "Onboard Cafe" and bar products to help reconcile the inventory. The new tool also is intended to improve product forecasting, reduce administrative work for the crews during and after the flight, and allow customers to pay by credit card and receive a receipt right away. Trial tests will continue until March 31 on a number of flights in and out of Montreal. If everything checks out, Air Canada could implement the system on North American flights this summer. -SL
Mexican air taxi operator Azteca has set its sights on the U.S. The carrier wants the U.S Transportation Dept. to award it an exemption so that it can operate foreign charters without having to get DOT approval for each flight. Azteca also wants stopover rights. The Monterrey-based carrier says it expects to operate 150-200 roundtrips between the U.S. and Mexico annually. It would use its sole seven-passenger Hawker Siddeley DH125-400A Jet aircraft for the charters [OST-2006-24007]. -ARS
Austrian Airlines posted a substantial loss for Fiscal Year 2005, increasing the likelihood of the airline becoming a takeover target for alliance partner Lufthansa soon.
ATA was scheduled to emerge from Chapter 11 yesterday after shedding 60% of its work force and trimming 85% of its flights (DAILY, Jan. 24). Flights to Hawaii, military flying, charters and a deepening relationship with code-share partner Southwest are pillars of its new business plan.
Traffic statistics in Asia continue to grow, with international passenger numbers climbing 6.4% in January for members of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. Capacity was up 3.4% to 63 million available seat kilometers. Load factors increased 2.1 percentage points to 75.5%. All major flag carriers of Asian and Australasian countries are AAPA members. -LR
B/E Aerospace nabbed additional business from Korean Air, placing the total value of all deals inked with the carrier at $55 million. The latest agreement covers B/E's MiniPod lie-flat business-class seats and food and beverage equipment for Korean's Airbus A380s and new Boeing 777s, as well as retrofit of those products on its existing 777s.
Two of southeastern Europe's fast-growing airlines are preparing for the entry of Rumania and Bulgaria into the European Union, which could take place as soon as next year. Private Greek carrier Aegean Airlines will launch daily frequencies to Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 27. The airline said it was also planning services to Bucharest pending approval by the relevant civil aviation authorities.
Aloha lost its bid to win an exemption from rules governing wheelchair stowage on the aircraft when the U.S. Dept. of Transportation rejected its claims that the requirement posed an "undue burden" and would fundamentally alter operations.
Qatar Airways will code share with Lufthansa to hold out service to the U.S. Starting March 26, Qatar would put its code on Lufthansa's flights from Frankfurt and Munich to New York Kennedy, New York Newark and Washington Dulles airports. Its code would also appear on Lufthansa's Frankfurt-Houston flights. Qatar flies daily to Frankfurt and five times weekly to Munich from Doha.
Venezuela expects 11 million people will travel in the country or abroad during Carnival despite nagging financial problems, high prices and the breakdown on the Caracas/Maiquetia Expressway. Air travel is expected to follow last year's levels domestically but drop about 25% internationally.
Worldwide international traffic grew 6.2% in January, but freight growth of 5.3% was the larger story as cargo traffic is starting to show some promise after a weak improvement last year.
Frontier will boost capacity on its flights between Denver and Tucson in August, replacing 70-seat CRJs with Airbus A318s and A319s on Sunday flights between the two destinations. The airline's capacity between the cities will rise about 10% from what it offers currently, data from Seabury Airline Planning Group's APGDat web site show. Frontier is swapping CRJ-700s flown by partner Horizon Airlines with Airbus narrowbodies on two daily roundtrip flights. Horizon will continue to operate -700s on Frontier's two daily flights Monday through Saturday.
