Amerijet International announced five promotions to new positions created under a recent corporate restructuring. James Bassett was named senior director-domestic operations and Jay Klucar senior director-international operations. Al Donofrio was named senior director-hub operations, Rick Alberty senior director-human resources and Simon Pantin director-planning.
FAA yesterday published in the Federal Register a policy statement saying it will begin cracking down on pilot scheduling violations. The statement says that on Dec.
Jersey European, which recently started Birmingham, U.K.-Toulouse, France, service, will launch a direct route between Birmingham, U.K., and Cork, Ireland. The new service will inaugurate twice-daily flights between the two cities in September, with roundtrip fares starting at #79 (US$126), including taxes and airport charges. The new route will be operated with Dash 8 aircraft.
Royal Air Maroc is promoting special fares this month for travel from London Heathrow to 14 points in Morocco, including Agadir, Casablanca, Fesand Marrakech. Fares start at #188 (US$300) roundtrip to Tangier, and other fares include Casablanca, #207 ($331) and Marrakech, for #228 ($364), plus taxes.
Cathay Pacific will return to operating its full flight schedule by June 20 in the wake of a crippling labor dispute with its pilots. Cathay's North America service will fly a normal schedule by Friday. Gus Whitcomb, Cathay Pacific spokesman, said all but 45 of the airline's 700 pilots accepted a wage cut of 7%-22%. The remaining 45 pilots chose early retirement. The two-week pilot protest, which ended June 11, cost the airline between HK$300 million (US$38.7 million) and HK$500 million.
International Lease Finance Corp. President Steven Udvar-Hazy said yesterday the leasing company plans to order up to a record 100 next-generation 737s from Boeing. "This commitment for the next-generation 737 will bring to 390 the total [number] of 737 airplanes owned by ILFC. It also assures our strong order and delivery positions beyond 2001," he said. Sun Country and BWIA announced they are leasing six 737-800s each from ILFC. BWIA also is leasing a used 737-700.
European Union's response to U.S. proposals for working out a new international aircraft noise standard before the EU's May 2000 hushkit rule implementation "has been desultory and inadequate," David Aaron, Commerce Department under secretary for international trade, told the House International Relations Committee yesterday."If they do not respond more seriously and constructively, the crisis will revive," he added.
Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise plans to order 23 more A320 family aircraft from Airbus, increasing its commitments to 39. Engine selection will be made later. The $920 million order comprises 20 A320s and three A321s. Gulf Air has taken delivery of the first of six A330-200s, becoming a new operator of the type.
NATO military activity in Kosovo this spring delayed about 36% of flights within Europe, according to the European Regions Airline Association. Rerouting caused roughly 30% of the delays and airspace restructuring in Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy the rest. ERAA predicts that delays at European airports caused by the air traffic control system this summer will be the "bleakest" yet.
Qantas Airways will beat United in the race to launch nonstop Los Angeles-Melbourne, Australia, service. Qantas Chief Executive James Strong said yesterday the carrier will begin 747-400 service in October with five flights a week. "We are confident of strong support from both the business and leisure markets on a route where demand is very healthy," Strong said. Melbourne flights from the U.S. on Qantas and United previously stopped in Sydney or Auckland, New Zealand.
Japan Air System (JAS) will reduce its debt by 13% over three years and will not purchase any aircraft in the next fiscal year, beginning April 1, 2000. The move, announced yesterday, is part of the carrier's ongoing restructuring efforts amid cutthroat fare competition in Japan. JAS officials said the airline will cut 60 billion yen (US$500 million) from its 470 billion yen debt. The carrier's decision to suspend aircraft purchases next fiscal year will not affect the purchase of one Boeing 777 and one Airbus narrowbody this year.
Crossair will add one daily Saab 2000 flight to Rome Fiumicino from Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg July 1. The service represents "a valuable addition to the 'EuroCross' hub, which offers rapid connections to and from four Swiss and 23 European airports," the Swiss regional said.
Loganair, a British Airways franchise partner based in Glasgow, is taking two Saab 340Bs from Saab Aircraft Leasing AB to operate flights in Scotland. Starting July 1, one of the aircraft will be based in Glasgow, serving Inverness Kirkwall and Sumburgh, and the other in Kirkwall, flying to Inverness and Edinburgh and beyond to Shetland. For the first time, the new service will enable passengers to fly directly between Shetland and Edinburgh.
Lufthansa Chief Executive Jurgen Weber is expected to lower the carrier's earnings forecast today because of continued transatlantic overcapacity, analysts told The DAILY. "I expect a downward forecast revision," said Salomon Smith Barney analyst Andrew Light. Speaking at the airline's annual meeting today, Weber also could elaborate on the effects of NATO air strikes in Yugoslavia. In April, Lufthansa forecast a pretax profit of 2 billion Deutschmarks (US$1.1 billion), lower than the DM2.5 billion earned in 1998.
Boeing and Aviation Partners formed Aviation Partners Boeing, a joint venture that offers blended winglet technology for in-service Boeing transports...Boeing will open a new European office June 18 in Vienna, headed by Franz Viehbock...Airports Authority of India selected Northrop Grumman and Bharat Electronics of India to produce and install four air traffic control systems in Nagpur, Varnasai, Behrampur and Mangalore...Raytheon Control-By-Light and Smiths Industries Aerospace introduced the first optically powered aircraft fuel quantity indicating system...Messier Servi
Pratt&Whitney says a new burner for its JT8D-200 engine "exceeds all ICAO standards for new production engines and qualifies for the Swiss Class 5 emission category." Kits will be available in the fourth quarter. Pratt also said Aloha selected its Columbus center to overhaul and repair JT8D engines.
Despite Airbus's delay in launching the A3XX, plans to run a core engine technology demonstrator for the giant aircraft this October remain on track, according to Bruce Hughes, president of The Engine Alliance, a joint company of GE Aircraft Engines and Pratt&Whitney. The two rivals are sharing the $1 billion cost to develop a new 67,000- to 80,000-pound-thrust turbofan, the GP7200, for the proposed 555-passenger aircraft. "We're not discouraged by the adjustment in Airbus's timetable.
Shuttle America, the Connecticut-based regional airline, is adding one new destination, Long Island/Islip, to its markets and three new nonstop routes - Norfolk to Trenton, Hartford/Springfield and Long Island - and a systemwide refinement and improvement of its service. Changes are effective July 13. The six-month-old Windsor Locks company also will add service to Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Williamsburg and improve its business schedules in Hartford/Springfield, Buffalo, Wilmington, Albany and Trenton.
Air Canada introduced two daily code-share services between Canada and Helsinki, Finland, with Star Alliance partners SAS and Lufthansa. Effective June 10, Air Canada and SAS started code shares on five flights a week to Helsinki via Copenhagen, and yesterday Air Canada launched code-share service with Lufthansa to Helsinki, via Frankfurt. Danielle Poudrette, VP-marketing for Air Canada, said the new service enables the carrier to offer a wider choice of flights and gives it the option of using Copenhagen or Frankfurt as hubs to North America and Europe.
Aviation Management Services was retained by Uruguay to develop a program to upgrade its governmental aviation safety oversight program to meet International Civil Aviation Organization standards. Bob Booth, chairman of AvMan, said the company will audit existing aviation safety oversight programs, determine which areas need reform and assist the government in making the changes. The U.S. FAA has designed Uruguay's safety oversight as Category 3 - not meeting ICAO standards - and no flights by Uruguay flag airlines are allowed to U.S. airports.
Virgin Express's traffic in May increased 9.8% on 7.7% more capacity, driving up the load factor 1.3 percentage points to 79.2%. The airline carried 254,545 passengers last month, up 23.9%
British Airways will take 13 of the 27 check-in desks available at Paddington Station in West London, due to open June 23. About 60,000 passengers a year, including those of oneworld partners Canadian Airlines and Qantas, are expected to use the facility.
The House yesterday overwhelmingly supported House Transportation Chairman Bud Shuster's proposal to take the aviation trust funds off budget and establish firewalls to prevent the accumulating billions of dollars in aviation taxes from being used for other purposes. The key vote came when the House rejected an amendment sponsored by Appropriations Chairman C.W. (Bill) Young (R-Fla.), Budget Chairman John Kasich (R-Ohio) and Ways and Means Chairman Bill Archer (R-Texas).
IATA 1998 Regional Traffic Flows Passenger Passengers Change Kilometers Change (000) % (millions) % Scheduled Services -- International Within North America - International 13,477 0.0 26,628 -3.7 North America -- Central America 18,901 2.7 41,161 10.8
Lufthansa Technik said it is under contract to an unnamed Saudi customer to complete the interiors of a Boeing 777-200 and two Boeing Business Jets. "We have already converted all the standard Boeing and Airbus models into VIP aircraft, but the 'triple seven' is a real challenge for us in view of the owner's time frame," said Jurgen Wilken, senior VP marketing.
