Cargo carrier ABX Air said it's cooperating with a U.S. Justice Dept. investigation into the immigration status of some employees hired through a Memphis-based contractor. ABX said it uses Garcia Labor Company, a temporary employment agency, to "supplement its cargo sorting work force" in Wilmington, Ohio, as well as its hub in Allentown, Pa. The investigation follows a routine Transportation Security Administration (TSA) inspection of an ABX cargo facility TSA officials conducted Jan. 10, agency spokeswoman Ann Davis said.
The group set up to manage development of Europe's Galileo satellite navigation program expects in March to choose the winner of a bid to deploy and operate the system. Two teams encompassing all of Europe's key aerospace and aviation players have submitted bids to the Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU), set up by the European Commission and the European Space Agency.
Singapore Airlines Engineering Co. (SIAEC) recorded a S$74.5 million profit (US$45.6 million) for the first nine months ended Dec. 31, just 2.9% ahead of the same period the previous year. Riding on a wave of more contracts, revenue jumped 23.8% to S$603.3 million (US$369 million) while spending rose 27.5% to S$113.9 million (US$69.7 million). SIAEC spokesperson Chia Peck Yong said with a rebound in traffic and progressive recovery of the aviation industry, the outlook for the maintenance, repair and overhaul business is encouraging.
Boeing could face a challenge in firming up configuration of the 7E7, now officially the 787, as the "launch team" of customers allowed to contribute to the plane's final design gets larger. The airframer defines the launch team as any carrier that accepted a proposal and put a deposit down at the end of 2004, said 787 Program VP Mike Bair during a news briefing Friday. He added Boeing had accepted proposals for about 250 planes at yearend, and all those customers could be part of the carrier's launch team.
Delta today flips the switch on the largest single-day airline schedule redesign in recent history with the biggest changes expected in Atlanta, and the architects of the new schedule told The DAILY last week they hope the dramatic changes boost the carrier's on-time arrival performance by seven percentage points this year.
Irish charter airline Eirjet took delivery of an Airbus A320 leased from debis AirFinance. Eirjet plans to use the aircraft on leisure routes from Dublin and Shannon but will also grow its wet-lease business.
Iberia, British Airways and Air France asked the European Commission to set rules on airport subsidies to low-cost carriers or risk losing major-carrier service on some routes. The three full-service airlines want the EC "to clarify the issue of the subsidies to low-cost carriers at regional airports," said Iberia Managing Director Angel Mullor in interviews with the Spanish press. He warned that Iberia would have to drop service on some routes to the Catalonia, Andalusia and Galicia regions, unless it receives the same subsidies as low-cost carriers.
Goose Bay-based Air Labrador is set to decide within two weeks about whether and how to fill the gap left by rival Quebecair Express, which temporarily stopped operations Jan. 22. An Air Labrador executive said the carrier is evaluating the next steps and how to fill the void, because Air Labrador was the primary carrier on a lot of the routes flown by Quebecair Express.
Aircraft are being brought into compliance with the new reduced vertical separation minima rule much faster than FAA expected, an agency official says. All Air Transport Association member airlines are equipped for RVSM, as well as 62% of business jets and about 90% of regional jets. The transition to RVSM has so far gone very smoothly (DAILY, Jan. 28).
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Friday named former U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater as its observer at Northwest's board meetings. Currently a partner with Washington, D.C., law firm Patton Boggs LLP, Slater will serve as a non-voting board member, along with former IAM President George Kourpias.
Air Berlin's Carsten Dettmar says if growth opportunities exist, the carrier might operate a dual Airbus-Boeing fleet. If the market changes, however, it has the flexibility to phase out the Boeing fleet as new Airbus planes are delivered. Air Berlin has 70 firm orders for A320s, with deliveries scheduled in the fourth quarter 2005 through 2011. Boeing 737-800s make up the bulk of its 45-plane fleet.
SkyWest CFO Bradford Rich says economics are the driving force in carrier selection of the Bombardier CRJ-700/900 or the Embraer 170/190. He notes that despite whatever passenger acceptance issues exist, he doubts passengers would "book around the -700 to get to the -170."
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ron Brown at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing in PDF format.) FEB. 6-8 -- HELI-Expo, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif., www.heliexpo.com FEB. 9-13 -- Aero India, Yelahanka Air Base, Bangalore, India, www.aeroindia.gov.in FEB. 15-17 -- Virginia Aviation Musuem, Richmond International Airport - Tuskegee Airmen Stories, 804-236-3622, www.vam.smv.org
Avianca has named Fabio Villegas Ramirez to replace Juan Emilio Posada as president of the carrier, effective March 1. Posada is slated to become chairman of the holding company that will control Avianca, SAM, OceanAir and other carriers of the group headed by Brazilian entrepreneur German Efromovich. Ramirez is chairman of the National Association of Financial Institutions.
World Airways last week signed a $29 million contract to extend a passenger service agreement, just a day after the company won a $22 million extension to a cargo contract. Under Wednesday's agreement, World will operate the "Houston Express" flights between Houston and Luanda, Angola, for the U.S. Africa Energy Association and Sonair, a subsidiary of Angolan national petroleum company Sonangol.
Promoted Julie Goodridge to assistant manager-West Palm Beach Learning Center and Russ Axtell to assistant manager-Raytheon Learning Center in Wichita.
The Transportation Security Administration named Darrell Mixon federal security director at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas. Mixon, the stakeholder manager at San Antonio International Airport, takes over for George Hungate, who resigned in mid-January as FSD at Valley citing personal reasons.
United on Friday hit another roadblock in its efforts to wrap up labor concessions after the union representing its mechanics "overwhelmingly" rejected a tentative agreement reached earlier this month and voted for calling a strike.
UPS reported a fourth-quarter net profit of $866 million with a slim 1.3% profit growth due mainly to strong performance for international and domestic next-day air services. International export volume was 13.5%, and next-day air increased 4.1%. UPS had already said its 1.5% ground volume growth was disappointing (DAILY, Jan. 13). The company said it will "focus several new efforts" on ground services in coming months.
