Financial constraints have postponed the construction of the proposed third runway at Kansai Airport (KIA) in Izumisiano. The Ministry of Transport in Tokyo and the Osaka Prefecture government had agreed to postpone the 7 billion yen project to reclaim land from the sea for the runway. This was due to the high cost involved and the pressure to reduce the cost. The proposed 1,700-foot third runway is supposed to be positioned at an oblique angle to the other two runways.
Hawaiian and Aloha will acquire more Boeing 717s for interisland travel, according to reports, which said the two companies will replace 18 737-200s with 717s. Greg Brenneman, who will take over the helm of the merged carrier, told the Honolulu Advertiser that he wants to order up to 12 757s or 767s for flights to the mainland, and the merged airline likely will convert its entire interisland fleet to 717s.
The White House ordered creation of an interagency working group (IWG) under the National Science and Technology Council to review and develop national aviation and intermodal transportation system-level policy to "ensure safe, secure and efficiency mobility for all Americans." The presidential directive said that commercial air transportation has "become less and less reliable with frustrating and expensive delays. Terrorist attacks ground civil air transportation for a time and threatened our nation. Airports and airplanes can be noisy and hard on the environment.
Turn times at Honeywell engine, APU, and component overhaul centers have dropped by as much as 66% in the last few years, showing that the company's efforts to improve its services businesses are paying off. Engine turn times that were 60-70 days five years ago are now "in the mid-20s," Honeywell Aftermarket Services VP&GM Bernd Kessler told Aviation Week editors. APU turn times have been cut from 60 days to 15-20, while component times are down to 10 days from 30-35 in that same time period.
Steadily strengthening traffic has allowed American Trans Air to call back more than 600 of the 1,100 workers it furloughed in the Sept. 11 aftermath, including all flight attendants. The news comes as ATA's scheduled service continues to recover, the carrier said. Revenue per available seat mile (RASM) was down 7.0% in December, compared with December 2000. This followed year-over-year dips of 13.5% and 15.3% in November and October, respectively. A charter deal that began last month (DAILY, Dec. 10) also cleared the way for some staff recalls.
Southwest, sensing that the time is right to "cautiously" resume growth plans, will add four parked 737s to its fleet in the coming months. The deliveries -- two in March and two in April -- will help launch two new routes from Chicago Midway and bolster service from that airport to Phoenix. On March 10, Southwest will start twice-daily service between Midway and Seattle. It also will add one daily roundtrip to Phoenix, raising the total to four. On April 7, Southwest will kick off service between Midway and Oakland with three daily roundtrips.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, in what could be her last speech to the Aero Club of Washington before her term expires, said the last three general aviation airports on the Washington area should be able to open within the next few days. Garvey, whose five-year term expires in August, said security concerns of the Secret Service had delayed the opening of the airports.
Air Canada plans to start daily service between Toronto and Dublin, beginning June 1. The carrier will offer the only daily nonstop service between Canada and Ireland during the summer travel season, June through October. Flights on the new route, nonstop eastbound and direct via Shannon westbound, will be operated with Boeing 767s. "Ireland is a very popular vacation destination for Canadians, which is currently underserved following the withdrawal of Canada 3000 from the market," said Marc Rosenberg, VP-sales and product distribution.
AirTran will introduce daily nonstop service to Greater Rochester Airport March 14. In addition to two daily nonstop Rochester-Atlanta flights, AirTran will launch two daily nonstops between Rochester and Baltimore Washington. AirTran also will introduce daily nonstop BWI-Tampa service and add a second nonstop to Fort Myers, Fla. BWI-Fort Myers service begins Feb. 2, and a second flight will be added Feb. 14. BWI-Tampa service starts March 14.
U.S.-Hong Kong negotiations, which began Monday, continue today, a "possibly positive sign," according to a U.S. official. Enough progress has been made to warrant another round of talks in the near future "to discuss specifics," according to an industry source. The U.S. government has made clear it does not expect open skies, which Hong Kong has resisted, and is willing to liberalize both cargo and passenger rights.
Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has denied knowledge of the detainment of two China Aviation Supplies Export&Import Corp (CASC) officials for questioning following media reports that more than 26 spying devices were installed in a Boeing 767 belonging to the Chinese government. The aircraft is intended to become the official plane for President Jiang Zemin. In a telephone interview with The DAILY from Beijing, a CAAC official claimed that no CASC officials are under detention for questioning by high-level State Council officials.
The "new world" that airport executives now face on security issues will be the primary topic at the May 19-22 meeting of the American Association of Airport Executives' annual conference and exposition in Dallas/Fort Worth. AAAE speakers will explore a variety of security-related issues as they impact terminal design, financial risks, technology, air service at airports of various sizes, management and liability issues, customer services, air cargo, and employee training.
Change in Air Service January 1-7, 2002 vs. September 1-7, 2001 U.S. Domestic Averages U.S. Domestic Average Air Service Index Value Change By Stop Value Percent Change in Index Value Total Index -11.5% Nonstop Index -10.7% Onestop Index -10.9% Twostop Index -19.5%
World Airways said yesterday it is requesting mediation assistance from the National Mediation Board in contract talks with its flight attendants, who are represented by the Teamsters. The current pact was amendable July 1, 2000. Hollis Harris, CEO, said the company is "committed to reaching an agreement that will be fair for the flight attendants while allowing the company to reduce costs." World needs more flexible work rules, "which will allow us to respond to opportunities in ad-hoc flying," he said.
Aero JBR asked DOT for an exemption for cargo operations "from all authorized airports in Mexico to all authorized airports in the U.S.," using DC-3s. The Mexican carrier also wants to operate cargo flights to and from the U.S. from third countries. It said it has "conducted aerial photography flights in Mexico for five years and national and international charters for one year." (Docket OST-02-11320)
The majority of shares and management control of financially troubled and currently grounded Transbrasil, once one of Brazil's Big Four, have been sold by the founding Fontana family to Dilson Prado Fonseca, former president of Fly Brazil, an air taxi service from the state of Goias, for its total debt, estimated at $420 million. Unconfirmed press reports claim Fonseca is backed by Dodson International, a U.S. seller of aircraft and repair parts, and several Brazilian investors.
American Trans Air plans to start one-stop service between New York LaGuardia and Guadalajara, Mexico. The flight will operate via Chicago Midway. The new service, which begins March 1, consists of one roundtrip flight per day, except Wednesdays.
Use of dogs to sniff for explosives, one of the methodologies approved for examining checked baggage, is very effective from a cost standpoint, according to Carol Hallett, Air Transport Association president.
Honeywell has successfully field-tested a wire bundle inspection tool that plugs into connectors and pinpoints potentially catastrophic faults, such as chafing, to within one-half inch, company executives say. It hopes to start taking orders for the device by April 1 and plans to offer a "pay-as-you-use" option -- similar to power-by-the-hour engine deals -- to customers that can't justify the acquisition cost.
United next month plans to transition its daily nonstop service between Chicago O'Hare and Duesseldorf, Germany, to daily nonstops between Washington Dulles and Duesseldorf. The new flight will start Feb. 14 and will be flown with Boeing 767-300 aircraft configured for three classes of service. After the new launches, the carrier will offer daily nonstop service from Dulles to eight European cities, including London, Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, Munich, Milan and Amsterdam.
WestJet will add Winnipeg-Regina service March 4. The carrier will offer 12 nonstops weekly. Murray Sigler, CEO of Winnipeg Airport, said he expects WestJet's passenger growth in the Winnipeg hub to increase by 50% this year. This is the seventh destination announced by WestJet for Winnipeg in the past three months.
U.S.-France open skies, signed yesterday by DOT Secretary Norman Mineta and French Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot, brings to 56 the number of U.S. open-skies partners and leaves four European Union nations -- the U.K., Ireland, Spain and Greece -- without fully liberalized aviation markets with the U.S. The U.S. has in place 21 open-skies pacts with countries in Europe.
Air Macau committed to leasing two new Airbus A321s from ILFC. The aircraft have IAE V2533 engines and will be delivered in December and February 2003.
Swiss airline Crossair plans to set up its own cargo unit once SAirGroup subsidiary Swisscargo goes out of business, which is becoming more likely with no investor in sight. Crossair plans to integrate part of Swisscargo and take over part of the work force, but has not yet given more details on the plans. Cargo has become of key interest for the airline, as it has to find ways to profitably operate a fleet of 26 long-haul aircraft.
