Philippine Airlines resumed service last week on its Manila-Taipei route. The company originally wanted to use an A320 on the route but, in response to heavier-than-expected demand, used the larger A340-300. A company official said the route will be served by A340-300s or 747-400s, depending on the number of passengers booked.
I.M.P. Group International, Montreal, has acquired Air 500 Ltd. of Toronto, an air charter company providing business charters and specialized cargo transport.
Airport and Airway Trust Fund -- Income Statement October 1, 1997 - September 30, 1998 RECEIPTS (Revenues) September 1998 Revenues: Excise Taxes (Transferred from General Fund): Liquid Fuel other than Gas (23,696,000.00) Transportation by Air, Seats, Berths, etc. (306,863,000.00) Use of International Travel Facilities 61,246,000.00
US Airways filed its expected application for the seven U.S.-Italy frequencies that become available April 1, and Tower Air made the proceeding a four-carrier competition, moving to secure two of the frequencies for service between New York Kennedy and Rome. Updating and amending its November 1997 application for exemption authority, US Airways said it would use the frequencies for a daily roundtrip between its transatlantic gateway, Philadelphia, and Milan, using a 203-seat 767-200ER, beginning April 1.
Air Canada has announced the sale of its 10.2% interest in GPA Group plc (GPA) for a total gain on the sale of C$26.3 million (US$17 million) before taxes and $18 million (US$11.6 million) after taxes, or 10 cents Canadian per share. GPA is an aircraft leasing company based in Ireland.
UPS has applied to DOT for renewal of its exemption to fly to the Philippines. DOT granted the exemption in January 1997 and it expires in January 1999.
China Airlines and TransAsia Airways will invest in a company being formed to provide speed-post service between Taiwan and mainland China. The largest investor in the US$6.17 million venture - Chinese SpeedPost Corp. - will be Taiwan's Directorate General of Posts, which will take 49%. The remainder will be shared by CAL, TransAsia and Hsinchu Transport. The company, to be set up early in 1999, is expected to be fully operational by mid-year.
ProAir has taken delivery of a new 737-300 aircraft and will begin service Dec. 13 from Detroit City Airport to Atlanta and Orlando. The carrier will increase frequency Dec. 6 on routes from Detroit to Baltimore/Washington and Newark/New York. ProAir currently has three aircraft and plans to have four in service by mid-December.
Sabreliner Corp. said its Dimension Aviation unit in Goodyear, Ariz., received FAA approval to overhaul and maintain 727 aircraft. The operation already has FAA repair station certificates for 737 and DC-10 and MD-11 aircraft.
Pan Am International Flight Academy was selected by DHL Airways to provide training on DC-8-70, 727-200 and A300 aircraft. The academy will develop and build a training facility in Cincinnati with five simulator bays.
Airports increasingly are shifting away from the residual cost approach to setting airline fees, in many cases combining it with compensatory pricing, according to a new report on airport financing prepared by the General Accounting Office (GAO) for House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf (R-Va.).
The rate of traffic growth at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport is expected to fall significantly as a result of the Asian economic crisis and a move by airlines to form global alliances. Sydney Airports Corporation (SAC) Chief Executive Tony Stuart said last week he is reassessing earlier growth forecasts in the light of these problems. According to an environmental impact study conducted by SAC last year, the number of passengers passing through the airport would double from the current leve to 40 million by 2000.
FAA said yesterday that the minimum percentage rate for random drug testing will remain at 25% next year and at 10% for random alcohol testing. The positive rate for drug tests in 1997 was about 0.7%, FAA said, and the positive rate for alcohol was 0.1%. There is a one-year lag in data that are not reported to FAA until the following year, the agency said.
EVA Airways said yesterday it has inaugurated cargo services directly linking Taiwan and Texas with three flights a week between Taipei and Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. DFW is EVA's 17th cargo destination and its second in the U.S. this year, following the January launch of Chicago service. DFW carriers exported $365 million in semiconductors and $267 million in aerospace products to Asia last year. Foreign flag cargo between DFW and the Asia-Far East corridor increased 58% last year.
Virgin Express October traffic jumped 28.3% on 20% more capacity, boosting the load factor 4.9 percentage points to 75.5%. The airline carried nearly 230,000 passengers, 55,000, or 31.2%, more than in October 1997. Charter block hours fell 18.8%.
FAA said last week it will propose that foreign carriers flying to and from the U.S. operate under security measures that are "identical" to those imposed on U.S. airlines serving the same airports. FAA has required "similar" levels of security since 1991, but Congress mandated in 1996 that the measures be identical. FAA said it will use the civil aviation security standards in Annex 17 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation as a baseline. FAA said all carriers flying into and out of the U.S.
Northwest yesterday become the sixth carrier - behind United, Delta, Continental, American and Canadian - to cut travel agent commissions on tickets purchased in the U.S. and Canada for international travel to 8% with a $100 cap on roundtrip (C$140) and $50 on one-way travel (C$70).
The Independent Association of Continental Pilots (IACP) has withdrawn from the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA). In a letter to CAPA Chairman Michael Cronin, IACP President Bill Borrelli said the IACP board decided it will not officially affiliate with CAPA, "thus we cannot adopt, nor be a signatory to, CAPA's Proposed Statement of Solidarity Principles or the proposed constitution and bylaws.
Air France traffic for October rose 9.1% to 6.7 billion revenue passenger kilometers, while capacity grew 8% to 8.6 billion available seat kilometers. The load factor was 78%, up 0.8 percentage points. Cargo traffic fell 4.4% to 441 million freight ton kilometers.
DOT should not grant slot exemptions to United and its affiliated carriers until American and American Eagle have achieved slot parity, American Eagle argued in a filing at DOT last week. American Eagle is seeking slot exemptions to provide nonstop service from Greenville/Spartanburg. The carrier filed in reply to United and United Express's opposition to awarding the slots to American Eagle.
Boeing Business Jets delivered its first aircraft this week, one to its partner General Electric and one to an undisclosed customer. Borge Boeskov, president of BBJ, said the order book stands at 46.
US Airways and its Association of Flight Attendants unit have reached a tentative contract that covers US Airways Shuttle flight attendants and their integration with mainline operations. The agreement is subject to the approval of the union's Master Executive Council and the membership.
American asked DOT yesterday to allot it seven weekly combination frequencies to fly Chicago O'Hare-Rome, and it proposed a carrier selection proceeding. American faces competition from Delta and US Airways, which also filed for frequencies to serve Italy. American wants to start Chicago-Rome service April 1 using 767-323ER aircraft. In its filing, the carrier said it holds underlying authority to serve the route.
America West yesterday turned down a request by its Association of Flight Attendants unit for arbitration of its contract dispute. AFA said it will immediately ask the National Mediation Board for release from mediation.
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) has surrendered her House Transportation Committee seat to fill a Republican vacancy on the House Appropriations Committee. Emerson and Rep. John Sununu (R-N.H.), both starting their second terms in the new Congress, were named to Appropriations by the Republican Steering Committee. Appropriations subcommittee assignments may come next month or in January, when the new session starts, at the discretion of the chairman, committee sources said. Rep.
