FAA said Friday that it will extend for another 60 days to Dec. 26 the comment period on a rule establishing fees for air traffic and related services for certain aircraft transiting U.S.-controlled airspace. An interim final rule went into effect Aug. 1, and the comment period was originally scheduled to close Oct. 4. FAA on Sept. 29 extended the comment period to Oct.
Differences between DOD and DOT concerning civil and military uses of the radio spectrum means we are "killing ourselves" trying to develop a common approach to solving air traffic problems, Neil Planzer, executive director, DOD Policy Board on Federal Aviation, told a recent Air Traffic Control Association meeting. He also warned that "negative capacity" is a safety issue. "We cannot let FAA stand alone on the hard decisions" between self-interest and national interests.
Singapore Airlines' six-month profits rose 93.3% to S$1.14 billion thanks to Asia's economic recovery and several one-time gains. Revenues grew 15% to S$4.96 billion for the period ended Sept. 30, while a 58% increase in fuel costs pushed expenses up 13% to S$4.04 billion.
Shuttle America said Friday it was expecting FAA to approve on Saturday its New York LaGuardia Hanscom service. The launch had been on hold since early October, when a historical preservation group asked FAA to withhold its approval pending further study on the service's impact on historical parks located near Hanscom. An FAA official has already said the service poses no threat to historical property, but the preservation society is threatening to appeal if FAA gives Shuttle America the go-ahead.
DOT granted a request by Midwest Express temporarily to slide a Washington National slot, which the carrier uses for its daily Washington-Kansas City service, to the 10 a.m. hour from the 7 a.m. hour for the Nov. 1-March 31 period. (Docket OST-00-7189)
AirTran Airways last week entered a fuel hedging agreement covering an additional 15% of its estimated fuel consumption for the first quarter of 2001. The agreement limits the airline's crude oil exposure to a price between $28 and $32 per barrel. When combined with current hedge positions, AirTran will have hedged roughly 50% of its first quarter 2001 fuel needs at a price no higher than $29 per barrel.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, at today's International Air Safety Seminar in New Orleans, will talk about the gap between aviation's safety record and public perception of safety and what safety professionals can do to help close the gap.
Eaton Aerospace said that development of "breakthrough technology" to protect electrical systems on civil and military aircraft is ahead of schedule and has entered a prototype design validation phase. Eaton said that under a recent $1 million, two-year contract from FAA and the Navy, it has adapted its proprietary arc fault circuit interruption technology into miniature circuit breakers in an aircraft's typical 400Hz electrical system.
The Beijing government has agreed in principle to raise the percentage of foreign ownership in Chinese airlines to 49% from the current 35%. The move follows a recommendation by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). CAAC's decision is a clear indication that China is planning to adopt a liberalized policy to open investments from Taiwanese and foreign carriers. Last month, CAAC approved China Airlines 25% stake in China Cargo Airlines, the freighter arm of CEA, despite the strained relationship China has had with Taiwan since the civil war ended in 1949.
CanJet last week won a victory in its fight against Air Canada when a Quebec Superior Court denied the larger carrier's application to suspend a cease-and-desist order issued by the competition commission Oct. 12. Victory could be short-lived, however, if the startup cannot survive cut-throat competition for Eastern Canada traffic. CanJet, which is entering its sixth week of operations, already has cut out one route and is behind on its business plan because of market changes and competition.
Star Alliance partners Air Canada and Singapore Airlines launched their first code-share flights yesterday with service to four cities. Air Canada now has its code on SIA flights between London Heathrow and Singapore and its three weekly flights between Copenhagen and Singapore. SIA offers daily code-share service on Air Canada-operated flights between London Heathrow and Toronto and three weekly services between Copenhagen and Toronto.
Premiair, Copenhagen-based charter carrier, operated a CFM56-5A engine on an Airbus A320 for a record eight years and 30,028 flight hours without a shop visit, according to CFM International. The engine is the highest-thrust version of the CFM56-5A series. CFMI said the CFM56-5 engines average nearly 16,000 hours on wing, about five years, before an initial shop visit.
TWA executives suggested they are progressing toward the formation of a domestic code-share deal, PaineWebber said. Analyst Sam Buttrick believes the most likely prospective partners are America West and AirTran because other carriers have pilot scope restrictions that would limit a domestic partnership.
Spain, one of four EU countries that do not have open-skies accords with the U.S., will be approached informally by DOT staff to assess its interest, DOT Assistant Secretary Francisco Sanchez said. Noting that he is of Spanish descent, he said, "I would like nothing more than to be able, under my watch, to reach an open-skies agreement with Spain."
Delta will launch its Atlanta-Santiago service Wednesday, expecting the route to further boost its Latin America network, its most profitable international region. Even though Latin America represents 3% of total capacity, Delta posted a 14.5% operating margin in the third quarter. Flights to Bermuda were the only weak spot due the addition of second service from Atlanta this year that will be canceled next month.
