Rolls-Royce on Friday said it would lay off another 600 workers at its Derby, U.K., large commercial engine facility. The amount is in addition to 400 layoffs announced last month. In total, the company will cut 7.8% of its 13,000 workers at Derby in central England. Layoffs affect only large commercial engines, according to spokesman Robert Baugniet. Lower commercial aircraft deliveries and increased engine pricing pressures are blamed for the layoffs.
All-cargo airline Cielos del Peru has been granted third, fourth and fifth freedom rights by Ecuador. This means it will be able to operate from Ecuador to the U.S., Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, with service originating in Peru. A joint venture of Peruvian and Argentine investors, Cielos del Peru started domestic and international operations in Peru in 1998.
Pro Air will launch service to Seattle Dec. 23. The airline will offer four evening flights per week between Seattle and Detroit City Airport using Boeing 737-400s.
Mesa Air Group appointed Greg Stephens president of Air Midwest; Michael Suckow VP of flight operations and Ronald Mallard director of systems control.
LanPeru will join Airlines Reporting Corp. as of Dec. 13. ARC agents automatically will be appointed as agents of LanPeru unless they tell the airline otherwise. LanPeru is a Peruvian airline in which LanChile holds a 49% stake.
United wants authority to code share between the U.S. and Cyprus with Lufthansa, seeking rights similar to those requested by Northwest and Cyprus Airways. "Northwest and Cyprus Airways have indicated [that] Cyprus would grant similar code-share authority to other U.S. carriers on the basis of reciprocity," United told DOT, allaying a concern raised by United. Lufthansa operates nonstop Frankfurt-Larnaca service on which United would place its code under the carriers' blanket authority for beyond-Germany third-country code sharing.
In Federal Register dated Dec. 1...Issued special conditions on Boeing 767-400ER aircraft...In FR dated Dec. 3...Issued special conditions on bombardier DHC-8-400 aircraft...Superseded two ADs on IAE V2500-A1 engines concerning high pressure turbine disks...Proposed special conditions on Douglas DC-9-30 aircraft modified by Lockheed Martin Aircraft Center...Proposed to supersede an AD on Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent engines concerning inspections of the fan blade roots.
Cathay Pacific Airways signed an agreement to lease four simulator bays to GE Capital Aviation Training (GECAT). The simulator bays are located at Cathay Pacific's new Flight Training Center at its corporate campus at Hong Kong International Airport. Under the agreement, GECAT will market excess simulator time and training services at the Flight Training Center to various other commercial airlines. The facility houses seven flight simulators and offers training for Airbus A330/A340, Boeing 777, 747-400, and 747-200.
Sabena signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus Friday "aiming" at ordering four A340-300s that will replace two A340-200s and two -300s currently on lease. Four options on any A330/340 model also were part of the agreement. Two planes will be delivered in early 2001 and two others in mid-2002. The A340-200s in service are on lease from Atrix Aviation, and the -300s are leased from Senne Aviation, according to BACK Associates. The airline said the replaced aircraft "will be sold by Sabena." New -300s will be powered by CFM 56-5C4 engines.
Atlas Air VP and Chief Financial Officer Stephen Nevin has decided not to stay with the company when it moves headquarters next year from Colorado to New York. Nevin will leave Atlas in January to join a startup company, Flight Options, as its CFO.
Calgary-based WestJet Airlines saw traffic grow 44.7% on 49.9% more capacity for November year over year, which pushed load factor down 2.4 percentage points to 67.9%.
United will comply with FAA's directive to inspect its Boeing 777 engine backup generators, even if the issue hasn't affected the carrier's Pratt&Whitney-powered fleet. Inflight shutdowns by two Rolls-Royce-powered 777s prompted the FAA directive. None of United's 39 777s - the world's biggest 777 fleet - has experienced an inflight shutdown since the first arrived in 1995. United's fleet has made 82,650 takeoffs and landings since 1995 without a shutdown, according to AvData Inc., and the fleet is averaging more than 11 hours per day in flight.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association will open its campaign today to reverse a congressional directive to the FAA to delay implementing the Controller-in-Charge plan negotiated last year. Randy Schwitz, NATCA VP told The DAILY that the controllers union would be meeting today with House transportation appropriations staffer Richard Efford, the subcommittee's aviation specialist, and with subcommittee chairman Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) as soon as it can be worked out.
Approved a one-year exemption renewal for Aeromexpress for all-cargo service between Manzanilla and Los Angeles...Approved a one-year exemption renewal for Aero Mexico for Chihuahua-Dallas/Fort Worth service...Approved a one-year exemption renewal for Aero Mexico for service between the coterminal points Mexico City (including Toluca), Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta and San Diego...Approved a two-year exemption renewal for Qantas to operate intermodal cargo services between and U.S.
Virgin Atlantic signed a code-sharing agreement with Air-India on Friday that could lead to daily service for Virgin to India within three years. "There is a huge and growing demand for services between our two countries, which the current service frequency simply cannot fulfill," said Chairman Richard Branson. The agreement allows Virgin to operate three of Air-India's currently unused frequencies on the London-Delhi route beginning next summer using Boeing 747s. Under the terms of the code share, flights will carry both airlines' codes and flight numbers.
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