GE Engine Services said it signed an agreement to buy Unison Industries of Jacksonville, Fla., a privately held company that sells and services turbine ignitions, wiring harnesses, alternators, piston ignitions, sensors and switches.
DOT intends to recruit the first 81 of 429 federal security directors, to be placed at the nation's largest airports, using a fast-track plan under a contract with Korn/Ferry International, a recruitment firm. The FSD will be the ranking Transportation Security Administration official at each airport, leading and coordinating security functions throughout the airport, with the "authority and resources to ensure that effective security surrounds civil aviation operations," DOT Secretary Norman Mineta said.
Malaysia Airlines will raise RM5.6 billion (US$1.51 billion) from the sale of eight aircraft and some of its property. The aircraft will comprise six Boeing 747-400s and two 777-200ERs. The sale to Aseambankers Malaysia Holdings is expected to raise RM4.1 billion. Three of the -400s are yet to be delivered, while the other three are part of the airline's fleet.
American Ammunition said it has filed for a patent on a bullet that will not pierce an aircraft fuselage "but will penetrate human soft tissue." It said the bullet was specifically designed for use inside the cabin of commercial aircraft but that it also can be used in nuclear power plants, at hazardous materials storage facilities and for home defense.
Datalex recently started a project with Unisys Korea to develop code-share functionality for Korean Air. The agreement will provide the functionality that is needed for Korean Air's participation in the SkyTeam alliance.
James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Association, said that as tragic as the suicide crash was in Tampa of a 15-year-old pilot, "We do not want to rush to implement needless restrictions when this was simply an isolated incident perpetrated by an obviously distraught individual.
Air Traffic Control Association is sponsoring a symposium Jan. 15 "Space-based ATM-An Update." Carl McCullough, FAA director of the Office of Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems, Col. Rick Reaser, chief engineering, NavStar GPS space and Missile Systems Center, and Michael Shaw, director of DOT's Radio Navigation and Positioning System Planning, will be among the speakers. There will be panels on global initiatives and concepts for the future, and issues surrounding GPS also will be explored.
Alaska Airlines in April plans to launch service to Denver and Boston as part of its strategy to expand long-haul flying. Alaska and regional carrier Horizon Air will begin service to Denver on April 28 with six daily nonstop flights. Alaska will operate three of the services from Seattle and two from Portland, while Horizon will fly from Denver to Boise. Alaska's new service between Boston and Seattle will begin April 4 with one daily nonstop operated with a Boeing 737-700.
Sun County, which ceased scheduled service in December, will likely file for Chapter 11 protection from creditors within 20 to 30 days so it can restructure, an attorney for the company said yesterday. Three of the airline's aircraft lessor creditors filed a petition with a Delaware bankruptcy court on Tuesday to force Sun Country into involuntary liquidation.
SAirGroup's administrator has asked the Swiss aviation concern's creditors to present their demands by Jan. 29. The formal request was published yesterday in the Swiss press and on the Internet (www.sachwalter-swissair.ch).
Embraer signed a deal to buy regional aircraft overhaul facility Celsius Aerotech. The Nashville-based shop would be Embraer's first wholly owned and operated airframe maintenance facility outside Brazil. The facility services Embraer EMB-120s and regional jets as well as Saab 340s, the ATR 72s, Bombardier Dash 7/8s, Bombardier CRJs, and BAe Jetstreams.
"The most important thing to bring back traffic...is to ensure that customers have confidence in the safety of our system," proclaimed Northwest CEO Richard Anderson, the first U.S. airline executive to call for the development of a "Trusted Traveler" program. As DOT focuses on implementing 100% baggage screening and a new federal security work force, the private sector must provide tools that allow security to be intelligently focused, enable operational efficiencies, and restore passenger convenience.
Air Transport Association has signed on as the latest partner in Aviation Week's Next Century of Flight program, which is a growing education initiative to promote career opportunities in aviation and aerospace. The DAILY is part of the Aviation Week Group. NCF is dedicated toward positioning the industry better in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of powered flight next year. As part of the partnership, NCF advertising will appear in inflight magazines, beginning this month with America West Airlines Magazine.
Air-India will constitute a five-member internal technical evaluation committee to start the process for aircraft purchase next year. The committee to be appointed next week will consist of departmental heads of finance, operations, engineering, commercial and stores, who will be expected to submit a report within three months, sources at Air-India said.
Air France, reporting a load factor of close to 90% on the India-Paris and Paris-India sectors for the past two months, is likely to close the current fiscal breaking even, the airline's general manager-South Asia region, Jean-Louis Calmettes, told reporters in New Delhi.
Boeing yesterday said its commercial aircraft orders for 2001 fell by 45% to 335 from 608 the year before. The company said that 80% of the orders will be delivered within the next three years. "This continues to firm up Boeing's near-term backlog and reflects favorable order-to-delivery timing," CEO Alan Mulally said. The 527 jetliners delivered last year constituted 62% of all commercial transport jet deliveries. Boeing is anticipating orders for 350 to 400 aircraft this year.
Northwest and its Air Line Pilots Association union leaders recently agreed to postpone opening contract talks until summer, but the carrier believes the two sides will meet before the current agreement becomes amendable Sept. 13. President Doug Steenland told The DAILY they planned to meet this month, but talks were delayed due to the current "economic circumstances" and post-Sept. 11 events.
American Trans Air parent Amtran expects to report a 2001 yearend cash balance of about $180 million, a 12.5% increase from $159.9 million it had as of Sept. 30. During the fourth quarter, it cut debt by more than $125 million by financing two Boeing 757-300s that were being carried on a short-term loan, as well as repaying a portion of its credit line.
America West last week posted an Internet sales record. On Jan. 2, the carrier sold 7,750 tickets, which generated about $1.65 million in revenue. The sales broke the previous one-day online revenue record of $1.6 million, set more than 16 months ago. The record comes days after the airline closed 2001 with about $250 million in Internet revenue in 2001. The full-year sales jumped 46% from 2000 when it earned $171 million.
U.S. airline flight and cabin crews need better training on fighting hidden inflight fires, and areas that may hide fires must become more accessible, NTSB concluded after reviewing several events and airline training programs. The review triggered six recommendations to FAA in a Jan. 4 letter. NTSB wants, among other things, better training on when to use fire extinguishers and additions of panels on cabin surfaces that would permit access to hard-to-reach areas.
Richard Surratt, Atlantic Coast chief financial officer, has been promoted to executive VP. Surratt will retain his positions as CFO and treasurer. He joined ACA in 1999. CEO Kerry Skeen said Surratt has become "in just a relatively short time, a key member of our senior management team." Surratt is responsible for budgeting, aircraft financing, cost control and relations with United and Delta, Skeen said.
The French government has decided to grant Air Lib, Swissair's former French subsidiary, a EUR30.5 million loan, the ailing company said last week. Swissair still owes EUR61 million to Air Lib; the government loan would be what amount so an advance payment that Air Lib would refund once it recovers the monies owed by Swissair.
The Indian civil aviation ministry plans to allow Air-India and Indian Airlines to hold on to their unused bilaterals for a period of seven years, according to a draft policy under consideration by the Planning Commission. Earlier, the proposal was to permit the carriers to retain them for three years, after which the unused rights would be offered to other international airlines. The first right of refusal to flying on these routes will remain with the national carriers, officials said.
Bolivia's attorney general will request the extradition from Brazil of entrepreneurs Wagner and Ulises Canhedo, owners of VASP Airlines, on charges of alleged financial damages to Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB) while they held majority control (50.3%) and exercised management during the last five years.
