FAA is developing a lease-versus-buy study on the Wide Area Augmentation System and the agency will send it to Congress "after the New Year," an agency spokeswoman said. She declined to be more specific about when Congress would receive the study, but with fiscal 2001 budget hearings likely to start in February, presumably the study could reach Capitol Hill early in the year.
As part of an ongoing effort to boost aftermarket services, Boeing said KLM, Transavia and Braathens are the launch customers for a new Spares Exchange Program that is intended to reduce the costs of line replaceable units (LRU). The program is being offered to operators of Next-Generation 737s. "We anticipate the three launch customers will experience substantial savings during the first decade of spares exchange coverage in their growing fleets of new Boeing 737s," said Darce Lamb, VP and chief operating officer of Boeing Airplane Services.
The Fonds de Solidarite de Quebec's board of directors will decide Jan. 10 whether to invest in financially troubled regional InterCanadian, which as been grounded since the end of November (DAILY, Nov. 30). FSQ has concluded a deal with InterCanadian that enables it to look at the airline's finances, spokesman Jean Robillard told The DAILY Friday. The deal allows FSQ to appraise the "financial and legal situation of the company" before proposing a survival strategy.
Air New Zealand has begun equipping its fleet with automated defibrillators and the installation will be completed first on its Boeing 747s and 767s. The 737 fleet will follow next year. The airline has selected the Hewlett-Packard Heartstream Forerunner, the same device being used by Star Alliance partners United and Lufthansa.
Pan American Airways - the third incarnation - is expected to announce this week that it plans to launch service to Pittsburgh during the first half of next year. The airline likely will serve the city from its Portsmouth, N.H., base and from Gary/Chicago Airport.
Venezuela's main international airport serving Caracas was closed last week after the region was struck by torrential rains. The weather caused killer landslides and floods that closed the Simon Bolivar Airport at Maiquetia last Thursday, according to a Reuters report. Officials said all commercial flights were suspended indefinitely, and the airport may not reopen until this week. The coastal region around the airport was the worst hit as small villages were washed away, leaving thousands homeless.
Continental last week took delivery of its 58th new Boeing aircraft this year, bringing its average jet fleet age to 7.4 years, "the youngest jet fleet among the 10 largest U.S. airlines," says Chairman Gordon Bethune. Average age of Continental's fleet five years ago was 13.4 years. It retired 61 aircraft in 1999, including 27 727-200s and 20 DC-9-30s.
KLM and Alitalia signed a "tripartite" letter of intent Friday with Air Europa to develop a long-term alliance agreement. The three airlines hope to complete the agreement by April 1, and are planning to cooperate in network planning, sales and marketing, cargo, and airport ground services. Air Europa, a privately owned carrier based in Palma de Mallorca, operates scheduled and charter services within Spain, and between the Iberian peninsula and the rest of Europe, North America and the Caribbean.
Continental Express is expanding service from Houston to San Luis Potosi, Mexico, on March 2, subject to government approval. With the addition, Continental/Continental Express will serve 18 destinations in Mexico. Daily nonstop service will use Embraer ERJ-145 jets. Continental also has initiated daily nonstop New York-St. Thomas, Virgin Islands service and Saturday-only New York-Tucson flights. On Dec.
An Air France Concorde landed in Ushuia, Argentina's southernmost airport, for the second time as part of a round-the-word trip that included stops in Havana, Santo Domingo, Lima, Easter Island, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Dakar.
British Airways' German subsidiary Deutsche BA has posted its first half-year financial gain ever. Chief Executive Adrian Hunt says he expected Deutsche BA "to make a positive contribution" to the BA result, avoiding the term profitability. Hunt is cautious, partly because DBA's Germany to London Gatwick services are based on a pro-rate agreement with BA, so the profit of this part of the operation automatically goes to BA. Hunt says DBA is heavily affected by rising fuel prices because the company didn't hedge fuel.
DOT Inspector General is reviewing FAA's use of RTCA as an advisory committee. The IG said it will review the role and organization of RTCA and compare the relationship between RTCA and FAA with that of other federal advisory committees.
Polar Air Cargo is leasing five new Boeing 747-400 freighters from GE Aircraft Leasing, becoming the "first U.S. scheduled flag carrier to operate" the latest 747 freighter. This will bring Polar's fleet of 747 freighters to 19, said Louis Valerio, chief executive. The first three aircraft will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2000 and two more in 2001 and 2002. Polar Air recently signed an alliance with Air New Zealand for South Pacific service.
American Eagle is adding jet service between Boston and Nashville, Richmond and Norfolk, offering twice-daily Boston-Nashville and three-times-daily Boston-Richmond flights, beginning March 21. Norfolk-Boston service begins April 3 with three daily nonstops. The expansion is the latest in the airline's efforts to strengthen its network in the Northeast. Earlier this year, American acquired Business Express to boost its presence in New England.
Delta is stepping up its code-share service with alliance partner AeroMexico to include five new transborder flights from four U.S. gateway cities to Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico. Beginning last week, Delta placed its code on AeroMexico's new daily nonstop service from Phoenix to Mexico City and its third daily nonstop flight between Miami and Mexico City. In addition, new daily same-plane service began, connecting Los Angeles and Monterrey, as well as Phoenix and Monterrey.
American Association of Airport Executives gave Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer Spencer Dickerson the additional duties of president of AAAE's Training Services Division; promoted Todd Hauptli to senior VP-policy and government affairs; promoted Carter Morris to staff VP-regulatory affairs, and named Denise King director-meetings.
Paris-bound airlines had to find creative ways to make it through the strike of Charles de Gaulle Airport fuel workers last week. As Air France canceled 50% of flights for two days until the strike ended Friday, other carriers tankered fuel in and out of CDG. American brought fuel from the U.S. to Paris, with enough - plus reserves - to fly all eight daily flights on a Paris-Manchester-U.S. routing, according to spokesman John Hotard. United had fuel stops in Glasgow, Shannon and London Stansted.
JetBlue wants the okay from DOT to start selling tickets and accepting payments on Jan. 5. The New York-based startup carrier, which received its DOT certificate and 75 LaGuardia slots in late summer (DAILY, Aug. 17), is completing FAA certification.
CIT Group purchased two Boeing 737-500s on lease to Sabena and sold one 737-200A to an affiliate of Grupo TACA. The -200 was on lease with LACSA Airlines of Costa Rica.
Des Moines Airport wants six New York LaGuardia slots for Midwest Express to restore single-plane access to the market. The community lost the service when AccessAir stopped flying in late November (DAILY, Nov. 30), which was "a tremendous blow to the business community of Des Moines and Iowa," the airport said. Midwest Express would "fill this critical void" with three daily Des Moines-LaGuardia flights, two via Indianapolis possibly starting in March and one nonstop to complete the service pattern by June.
In Federal Register dated Dec. 13...Issued special conditions on the CASA C-295, which will have an automatic takeoff thrust control system...Superseded an airworthiness directive on Airbus A300/A310/A300-600 aircraft concerning tests of the free-fall control mechanism of the landing gear...Issued an AD on Douglas MD-11 aircraft to require inspection of the tail tank fuel transfer pumps... Issued an AD on Fokker F27 aircraft to require removing the tapered nylon shims under the seat rails at certain stations...
Aviation Safeguards of Florida pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FAA regarding alleged background checks for jobs requiring access to secure areas of Miami International Airport, the DOT Inspector General said last week. Guillermo Blanco, former general manager of the firm's Miami operation, pleaded guilty earlier to 22 counts of making false statements concerning fictitious background checks and was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, the IG said.
