The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Friday issued a final order for 72 U.S. carriers to turn in passenger data from June 2004 for the testing phase of the agency's revamped passenger prescreening program, Secure Flight, setting a Nov. 23 deadline for the records.
AirTran Holdings elected Senior VP and CFO Peter D'Aloia to the board. Banc Of America's Leasing's Corporate Aircraft Finance division named Toennies von Limburg director-international aircraft sales. CHC Helicopter Corp. appointed Sylvain Allard CEO, replacing Craig Dobbin, who will remain with the company as executive chairman. DHL Americas appointed John Mullen CEO, succeeding John Fellows, who will take up a new role with Deutsche Post World Net.
Air traffic between Germany and Eastern Europe is showing dramatic increases this year, with Deutsche Lufthansa and Polish carrier LOT reaping most of the benefits, German air traffic control organization DFS said last week.
AOPA will try to convince Minnesota state lawmakers Friday that a GA reliever airport near Minneapolis-St. Paul should not be closed. Some airport and airline officials say the sale of Crystal Airport to developers would help develop other airports, but AOPA says Crystal receives federal funding and handles 20% of the region's GA traffic.
Cuba's airport departure tax is now payable only in Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) following President Fidel Castro's ban of the U.S. dollar after 11 years in response to tighter sanctions imposed by the U.S. One CUC equals US$1 or C$1.22. The departure tax becomes 25 CUCs. Cuba will charge a 10% commission to change dollars to CUCs.
Independence Air says that in addition to certification delays of its Airbus A319s, FAA is reviewing its maintenance records program. "The outcome of this review cannot be predicted at this time," Independence notes in Securities and Exchange Commission documents, "but could result in additional fines or actions by FAA."
With Virgin Nigeria already in the works (DAILY, Sept. 29), Virgin also may invest in Ghana's struggling airline, which lost its U.S. operating certificate several months ago. "We have been approached by Ghana, and there is a possibility we will, at some stage, have talks," Virgin Chairman Richard Branson said Friday, according to wire reports. Virgin also is in talks to take a stake in Indian airlines.
After weeks of touting a restructuring plan for Avianca backed by an "unnamed Arab sheik" (DAILY, Sept. 20), the carrier's pilots instead will present to creditors a new proposal under which they would team with a Florida-based investor.
US Airways warned Friday that its cash levels are falling to dangerously low levels and unless the bankruptcy court approves a new motion to impose pay cuts on three of its large unions, cut retiree health benefits and end pension plans for its mainline staff, the carrier may be forced to liquidate in January.
FedEx Express says it will challenge a U.S. Transportation Dept. ruling that it must repay nearly $30 million of the money it received under the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act. DOT last week released a final determination that FedEx is eligible for $72 million in government compensation, an increase of only $3 million from initial estimates.
Virgin Group is in talks "with a number of domestic airlines" in India to take a 49% stake, Chairman Richard Branson said on Friday. Branson was testifying before a U.K. Civil Aviation Authority panel hearing that aimed to decide how to allocate an additional 21 weekly frequencies to India. Virgin Atlantic Airways applied for the rights, along with British Airways and BMI British Midlands. Airlines serving mainly Indian domestic routes are Jet Airways and Indian Airlines, among others.
United hopes to tap spring holiday demand to Japan by launching its new service from San Francisco to Nagoya more than two months earlier than planned. Service from SFO to the new Central Japan International Airport near Nagoya will begin March 26, rather than June 1. In addition, United will launch a second daily service between LAX and Tokyo on June 7. The earlier start date for Nagoya service will provide more flights to and from the Expo 2005 Aichi Japan, which starts March 25 and is expected to draw about 15 million people.
Troubled Brazilian carrier VASP in the past few days has been forced to cancel all flights with less than 50% load factor following demands by fuel and other essential suppliers who want the carrier to pay cash in advance for services.
Pilots of the Pinnacle CRJ-200 that crashed last month near a residential area in Jefferson City, Mo., were unable to recover from an aerodynamic stall and restart both engines using bleed air from the plane's auxiliary power unit (APU).
Top officials from Spain's Direccion General de Aviacion Civil (DGAC) will travel to Peking this month in an effort to revise the air services agreement between Spain and China, Spanish diplomatic sources said.
To list an event, send information to Ron Brown at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing in PDF format.) NOV. 16 -- International Aviation Club Luncheon, Marriott Metro Center, Daniel Calleja, European Commission director - air transport, www.iacwashington.org NOV. 16-17 -- The PhocusWright Executive Conference, Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, 44 0 207 526 4550 x500, 888 603 5343 x500, www.phocuswright.com/events/us, [email protected]
The Mexican government is looking to follow the U.S. FAA's example as it tries to establish performance requirements for its agencies. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey went to Mexico last week to brief President Vicente Fox and other leading Mexican government officials about FAA's new performance management efforts. The briefing was heard by thousands of other officials via teleconference.
Canadian Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today will address the Air Transport Association of Canada's 70th annual general meeting in Vancouver and is expected to shed light on the future course of government air policy for the country. Earlier this month, Lapierre hinted that he is open to a more liberalized policy.
Finnair passenger kilometers jumped 10.6% in October, but capacity was up 11.6%, resulting in a passenger load factor of 69.8%, 0.6 points lower than in October 2003. The Finnish group carried 706,500 passengers in October, up 9.9% year-over-year.
Comair's pilot union leaders tell members that highlights of Delta's recently ratified pilot deal include an increase in Delta Connection flying to 50% of Delta's flights, with Delta's wholly owned subsidiaries -- Comair and Atlantic Southeast -- flying at least half of those flights. The accord also boosts 70-seat flying within the Delta Connection through the hiring of furloughed Delta pilots.
Hamburg, Germany-based CSH Cabin Systems Holding hopes to become a leading provider of aircraft interior products by combining dozens of small- and medium-size companies into one big company. CSH, which started with 12 shareholders this year, plans to add about 40 shareholders before yearend and another 50 by the end of 2005 to become an integrated provider for "everything between the cockpit door and the rear pressure bulkhead," Managing Director Carsten Kessler told The DAILY.
