The bidding tender for selling AeroMexico and Mexicana, to be issued in September, probably will not be concluded until the end of 2003, said Luis Gutierrez Ruvalcaba, president of Cintra, the holding company that controls the carriers. Investors should not expect "an autumn clearance sale," he warned yesterday.
Transportation Safety Administration head John Magaw speaks July 16 to the International Aviation Club at the Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C. Register at www.iac-washington.org, under "Events."
Nav Canada this week opened a new air traffic control tower at the Springbank Airport, in Calgary, Alberta. The C$5 million tower is the seventh opened by Nav Canada since it took over as provider of Canada's air navigation services in 1996.
House lawmakers have approved a bill aimed at streamlining the environmental review process for runway construction projects, shifting attention to similar legislation awaiting attention in the Senate.
Lloyd Aereo Boliviano, taking advantage of Argentina's economic problems which have turned Buenos Aires into one of the world's most inexpensive vacation destinations, this week increased to nine its weekly frequencies to Buenos Aires from Bolivia's three main gateways, La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. It is also aggressively promoting three-day, two-night, all-inclusive tours as low as $349. LAB, now controlled and managed by Bolivian entrepreneur Ernesto Asbun, also serves Miami, Cancun, Havana, Santiago (Chile), Cordoba (Argentina), Mexico City and Caracas.
FAA has teamed with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington to improve identification and tracking of bird species involved in aircraft strikes and is expanding the research to include a DNA database. Knowing the exact species involved in a strike is important in tracking bird population changes and could affect future engine designs, according to FAA Wildlife Biologist Ed Cleary.
Boeing, Rockwell Collins and FLS Aerospace have completed their eighth and final 747-400 with South African Airways' "New Millennium" interior. The 747-400 was the highlight at a delivery ceremony last week at FLS Aerospace in Dublin. The new interior includes cabin reconfiguration, featuring new first-, business- and economy-class seating. This program also marks a first for a fully digital, audio and video on-demand throughout the 747-400 cabin. The entire airplane has been fitted with the Rockwell Collins Passport inflight entertainment system.
Shanghai-based alliance China Sky Aviation Enterprises Group (CSAEG) is under imminent threat of disintegrating following China Southern Airlines decision to acquire a 49% stake in member carrier China Postal Airlines for 150 million yuan (US$20 million). Shanghai-based China Postal operates to Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xian, Wuhan, Shenyang and Guangzhou.
GE Engine Services (GEES) got a five-year, $20-million deal to maintain Malaysian no-frills carrier AirAsia's CFM International CFM56-3 medium turbofans. Work will be done at GEES Malaysia in Subang. AirAsia operates five CFM56-3-powered Boeing 737-300s.
A new public-private coalition says it will begin development work soon on a third Chicago airport at Peotone, and could begin construction of the airport in 18 to 24 months. The South Suburban Airport Coalition includes two well-known international airport development companies, LCOR Holdings and HOCHTIEF AirPort, as well as local groups. Meanwhile, plans for expanding Chicago O'Hare Airport face a new hurdle in the form of a local court's injunction delaying talks for land purchases.
House lawmakers yesterday passed a bill allowing pilots to carry guns in the cockpit, but the expected smooth passage of this legislation was disrupted when it was amended to abolish a cap that allowed only 2% of pilots to take part. The bill passed 310-113, even though the amendment wrecked a bipartisan compromise negotiated earlier by leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee limiting the firearms program to a two-year trial.
Spain's Iberia said it would operate three of its new 342-passenger Airbus A340-600s on its long-haul routes Madrid-Buenos Aires and Madrid-Mexico City as of June 2003. For these flights, the aircraft will be configured for 10 in first class, 42 in business and 249 in economy, replacing Boeing 767-300s on those routes today. Iberia announced last week it was buying the A340s.
Congress needs to rethink baggage screening requirements and deadlines now, as well as focus on passenger risk and the wise -- rather than rapid -- use of resources, the Reason Foundation urges. The U.S. also should take advantage of best practices from other countries and make research on emerging technologies a priority, the think tank said in a study to be released today.
Fraport AG, the company running Frankfurt airport, hopes to wring new profits from a program identifying cost-saving and efficiency enhancing opportunities.
The Air Transportation Stabilization Board conditionally approved US Airways' $1 billion loan guarantee, but cautioned that full approval will require concluding concession deals with employee groups and getting additional stock warrants. ATSB felt it wasn't participating sufficiently in US Airways' future gains under the proposed warrant plan.
Malev Hungarian Airlines exercised options this week to lease eight more new Boeing 737s from International Lease Finance Corp. The deal includes four 737-600s, one -700 and three -800s. The deal adds to 10 previously contracted to lease from ILFC. Powered by CFM56-7 engines, the planes should be delivered between October 2003 and April 2005.
Peru approved a special US$17 million budget for Corpac, the agency in charge of airport improvement and maintenance, to begin a range of projects in several provincial airports -- Cajamarca, Nasca, Iquitos, Tarapoto, Pucallpa, Puerto Maldonado and Juliaca. The work includes runway improvements; ADS and other air navigation aids; Awes meteorological systems; X-ray metal detectors for security purposes; and deployment of fire-fighting and other emergency vehicles.
Swiss, the successor to defunct SAirGroup, carried 5.2 million passengers in the first half of 2002, putting it "well ahead" of plans aimed at carrying 10 million passengers in its first full year, a spokesman for the company said. "Overall, a seat-load factor of 66.1% was recorded for the traditionally weak seasonal months of the first half-year," Swiss said on July 10. "Whereas for European business the load factor was 55%, for intercontinental traffic it was 76.9 percent."
Northwest will accelerate retirement of its 22 remaining Boeing 727 trijets while considering deferring additional deliveries during the next three years, Northwest CEO Richard Anderson told employees this week.
Brazil's Vasp, now operating only as a domestic carrier, last week belatedly announced losses equivalent to US$21 million in the first quarter of this year. Vasp's first-quarter net revenues were US$81 million, with a gross of 34.6% in reals and net equity of $3.8 million.
Japan Airlines Cargo recently announced plans to join the Wow airfreight alliance, joining Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and SAS. The alliance was originally proposed in April 2000 and took the name of Wow in March. With JAL joining Wow, the group now has a combined fleet of 43 dedicated freighters and the bellyhold capacity of more than 760 passenger aircraft. JAL Cargo plans to play an "active part" in the alliance's ongoing development, executives said.
Dutch carrier KLM boosted its weekly frequencies from Caracas to Amsterdam from six to seven. "With this additional flight, we continue growing in Venezuela as we have for over six decades," said Lilian Pinot, newly appointed KLM general manager for Venezuela, Colombia and Central America. KLM just marked its 68th anniversary in Venezuela.
