German no-frills startup Germanwings is adding several more routes and two aircraft for its summer flying program. The airline will introduce services to Bologna, Venice, Dresden, Prague, Izmir and Thessaloniki on March 30, all from its Cologne/Bonn base. The carrier plans to operate eight Airbus A320 series aircraft, up from six currently.
Airbus warned that 2003 would be "an extremely difficult year" for the aircraft manufacturer, as airlines continue to struggle with the economic downturn and war in Iraq threatens to severely impact industry recovery worldwide. The company nevertheless plans to deliver around 300 aircraft, cautioning that may change depending on the industry's performance in the next few months.
Lufthansa today will begin offering passengers flying between Frankfurt and Washington free access to inflight broadband Internet connections. The broadband access will be available free of charge aboard a specially equipped Boeing 747-400 for three months, providing passengers with unlimited access to the Internet, as well as their corporate networks. The promotion is part of the company's pilot project to conduct internal tests for 'Lufthansa FlyNet,' the working title for its on-board broadband access.
The deputy director of the Ecuador's civil aviation board (DAC), Eduardo Insua, submitting his final report because of the change of government on Jan. 15, says the country should be upgraded to Category 1 in FAA's safety oversight assessment program "eight months to a year from now." FAA inspectors, he added, did not visit the country in the past two years because they had not liked what they saw. "In those days, airline TAME, the DAC and the air force were the same thing, both parties and judges."
FAA yesterday issued a proposed rule for continuous operation of transponders during hijackings on Part 121 aircraft that could cost industry about $88 million during the next three years. Under the rule, flight crew would be able immediately to activate the designated air traffic control hijack alert code and keep it in continuous transmission during a hijacking.
An influential House Republican is urging FAA to improve inspection standards for general aviation license holders and abuse claims investigations after a new report by the DOT's Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlighted concerns with the system.
Figures issued last week by the Brazilian Airline Association show the domestic airline market grew a mere 0.9% in 2002, compared with 2001, after growing 9% since 2000. Internationally, carriers were hurt by the increase in dollar value, which raised ticket prices and caused traffic to drop, down 3.2% in 2002 from the previous year but better than the 6% decrease in 2001.
The Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) in Nelspruit, South Africa, has opened for operations. Construction started in April 2001 and was completed in October last year. Designed for handling capacity of 500,000 passengers a year, it is expected to handle 200,000 travelers in the first year of operations.
Delta celebrated 50 years of operations to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Jan. 10. Delta first flew to San Juan in 1953, on a 57-passenger Lockheed Constellation belonging to Chicago & Southern (C&S) Airlines, which would merge with Delta in May 1953. Starting with one weekly flight, by June 1954 it had increased to daily on Convair 340s from New Orleans. Today, Delta operates 32 weekly flights San Juan/Atlanta with Boeing 757s and 767s.
Air New Zealand plans to boost its schedule between Auckland and Los Angeles from 14 to 17 roundtrip flights per week, to meet the demand following United's recent decision to eliminate daily service to New Zealand.
Continental plans to start new daily nonstop service from Edmonton to Houston, effective May 2. The airline will serve Edmonton with a 104-seat Boeing 737-500, and the city will be the fourth Canadian city Continental serves nonstop from Houston.
US Airways plans to start daily nonstop roundtrip service between Boston and Bermuda this spring, as well as expand service from New York LaGuardia, Washington National and Charlotte, N.C. The new service between Boston and Bermuda will begin on May 4 using 120-seat Airbus A319s. In addition to the new Boston route, US Airways will expand existing Bermuda service. In March, US Airways will resume seasonal Saturday service between Washington and Bermuda, and in April, nonstop roundtrip flights will become daily.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is bullish about the outlook for the economy this year. Thomas Donohue, president and CEO, last week said Chamber economists anticipate the economy will grow 2.5% during the first half of the year, accelerating to 3.5% during the second half. Donohue labeled that a conservative forecast. "We can do better" if government and business "make the right decisions this year to really fire up this economy and set us on a course of sustained growth for the future," he said.
Northwest today is launching a limited "Buy On Board" meals test, but it is expected to be less extensive than a similar program started by America West last week. The Northwest test will run through Feb. 15, and the meals will be offered on four domestic routes and 12 flights. The routes include services from Detroit to Las Vegas and Phoenix and from Minneapolis to New York LaGuardia to Orlando.
Peru's government airport authority (Corpac) issued yearend figures showing the country's airports handled 3,036,920 domestic and international passengers January to November 2002.
AOPA says pilots are on notice that any "inadvertent unauthorized incursion" into a temporary flight restriction area around Cape Canaveral, Fla., could prompt space agency managers to cancel a scheduled Jan. 16 Space Shuttle launch, as well as spur activation of air defenses. An Israeli astronaut is on the mission, and AOPA says heightened security is in effect.
The European Parliament wants speedy adoption of anti-dumping measures to fight what it calls unfair competition from subsidized non-EU airlines, asking that proposed EU legislation be introduced no later than April 1. Last March, the European Commission proposed a draft rule that could lead to imposing penalties on non-EU airlines that benefit from state subsidies and translate them into unfair pricing.
U.S. airlines are expected to report a $2 billion fourth quarter loss, according to Credit Suisse First Boston, a full-year 2002 loss of nearly $7 billion. Continental on Wednesday kicks off the reporting season, followed by Delta on Thursday. Looking ahead, CFSB analyst Jim Higgins forecasts a 2003 full-year loss of $3.7 billion, higher than previous estimates.
Lufthansa's ground staff and cabin crew could go on strike as early as this weekend, if the airline does not come up with another significantly improved offer for a new wage deal. Work stoppages could start on Thursday, German press reports said, citing undisclosed sources.
The DOT's Office of Inspector General (OIG) yesterday released a report accusing regional FAA officials of wrongfully targeting a pilot and contributing toward a fatal air accident in 1999. This is OIG's second report on the crash, upholding claims that pressure from the Kansas City Flight Standards Office led to the pilot not sleeping for three days prior to the crash. House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) has also been pushing the investigation.
Raytheon yesterday reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an informal investigation of the company's commuter aircraft business, specifically, the "timing of revenue recognition" from between 1997 and 2001. Raytheon said the accounting practices at its Raytheon Aircraft subsidiary are "appropriate" and it will "cooperate fully" with the SEC's inquiry. The announcement comes a month after Frank Caine resigned as Raytheon's CFO. Caine was succeeded by Edward Pliner, who previously was corporate comptroller. -SL
