Air New Zealand selected Emery Worldwide to handle the transport for its growing engine overhaul business. Emery will transport engines and associated freight for ANZ Engineering Services around the world.
Air Line Pilots Association National President Randolph Babbitt told the Aero Club of Washington yesterday he cannot "fathom why anyone in this country" would support cabotage, and he has concerns about easing restrictions on foreign ownership of airlines. Babbitt noted that no other country allows cabotage. With the U.S. generating about 50% of the world's aviation traffic, domestic airlines should consider whether cabotage would bring any benefits. He said attempts to allow more foreign ownership of domestic carriers could essentially mean handing over U.S.
The U.S. Senate passed provisions of the Value in Supporting International Tourism in the United States Act of 1998. The bill was adopted as an amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill, which the Senate approved by a 92-1 margin. A similar bill was introduced in the House calling for federal funding for the U.S. National Tourism Organization (USNTO). The bill requires the travel industry to match funds provided by Congress, a provision lacking in the Senate bill.
Turkish Airlines posted a 0.8% rise in revenue passenger kilometers in August, and its year-to-date traffic increased 3.3%. Freight volume fell 15.4% for the month but is up 4.8% so far in 1998. The airline's passenger count rose 5.7% in August to 1.23 million, reached 7.15 million year-to-date, and is on a pace to hit 12 million and pass Cathay Pacific, Varig and Swissair.
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey is scheduled to meet today with RTCA to discuss progress on the Free Flight initiative. The aid of RTCA is critical in developing the program. Although a General Accounting Office report had some questions about the program, Garvey is expected to affirm today that the agency plans to "move ahead" with the program, a spokesman said yesterday (DAILY, Sept. 29). "We do agree with the GAO that there need to be specific goals and a process to measure progress," the spokesman said.
Pan American Airlines added to its fleet 727-200 N363PA, which was acquired from Boeing and operated by the original Pan American World Airlines.The 727, the new Pan Am's fourth, will go into charter service."It is fitting that this aircraft will again fly the Pan Am colors," says Bob Mencel, VP-operations. The bankrupt carrier is expanding charter work and evaluating whether to re-enter scheduled service.
FAA on Monday gave airlines 60 days to inspect fuel boost pump wiring on Boeing 737s with 20,000 to 30,000 flight hours. It also ordered the addition of a layer of Teflon sleeving to protect the wires. Earlier, the agency ordered similar inspections of 737s with 30,000 to 40,000 flight hours, but it expanded the order because wiring on some aircraft with fewer flight hours also had also shown signs of chafing.
Purdue University aviation researchers, analyzing alliances, have come across a potential computer issue that rivals Year 2000 problems. Because of the multitude of alliances and multiple flight numbers, airlines may face a Flight 10K problem - the need for five-digit flight numbers.
Eurowings Luftverkehrs asked DOT for an exemption for at least one year to code share with Northwest on the Frankfurt-Berlin segments of Northwest's flights to and from the U.S., beginning Oct. 25. The German carrier already code shares with Northwest on some Amsterdam-Germany flights. Eurowings, formed in 1992 through the merger of NFD Luftverkehrs and RFG Regionalflug, operates passenger and cargo service throughout Europe, serving 40 points with more than 30 turboprop and jet aircraft. (Docket OST-98-4459)
Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a markup tomorrow that includes the consideration and likely approval of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board nominees. Until Robert Brown, Norman Mineta and John Hammerschmidt are confirmed, funding cannot be released for renovations at Washington Reagan and Washington Dulles airports. Oct. 1, Room 253 Russell, 2:30 p.m.
American Eagle will launch nonstop jet service between Chicago O'Hare and the new Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, beginning Nov. 1. American Eagle will operate three daily roundtrip flights with new 50-passenger ERJ-145 jets. DOT last April granted the carrier additional takeoff and landing times at O'Hare.
AMR Corp., parent company of American, plans to sell the companies that make up its AMR Global Services unit - AMR Services, AMR Combs and TeleService Resources - and concentrate on its airline and related technology businesses. Total earnings for the three companies in 1997 was $451 million, said American spokesman Tim Kincaid. AMR Services conducts ground-handling, cargo, passenger and customer service handling and provides ground transportation to airlines and hotels and conference centers. It serves more than 200 airlines and airports at 65 worldwide locations.
FAA is developing technologies that are expected to maximize the potential benefits of Free Flight, but "some of these technologies have not been designed to work together," the General Accounting Office said in a report to Congress. GAO noted that FAA expects to implement Free Flight Phase 1 by 2002, and that FAA currently is developing a plan that will provide more details on how this is to be accomplished.
George Haddaway, 89, died Saturday in Durango, Colo. Haddaway founded Flight Magazine in 1934 and was its editor and publisher more than half a century. He help found the Civil Air Defense Service, forerunner of the Civil Air Patrol. He founded and endowed the James H. Doolittle Library and the History of Aviation Collection at the University of Texas, Dallas.
Gulf Air is offering promotional fares for travel through Dec. 14 to Bahrain, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Muscat from the U.K. in a bid to boost traffic. The fares are available from London and British Midland code-share points Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Teesside, Leeds and Manchester.
American will expand its partnership with British Midland by code sharing via Manchester, U.K., to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland, effective Oct. 7. American will place its "AA" designator code on British Midland flights between Manchester and the three Scottish cities. American already code shares with British Midland to Edinburgh and Glasgow via London Heathrow. The service will be American's first to Aberdeen and its first code share via Manchester, which it serves with daily flights from Chicago O'Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth.
Swissair has acquired nearly a 50% stake in German tour operator LTU. According to the German newspaper, Welt am Sonntag, the carrier is paying 41 million Swiss francs (US$295 million) - about the equivalent of LTU's revenues in 1997 - for 49.9% of the tour company's shares. The premium price was allegedly the cost Swissair was willing to pay to gain prized landing rights in Germany.
Herbert Deitcher, 64, treasurer and senior VP of Raytheon, died Sunday after a long illness. Peter D'Angelo, chief financial officer and executive VP, will be acting treasurer.
Thai Airways International has alternate plans for eight A330-300s and two 777-200s if it fails in its attempt with Airbus Industrie and Boeing to defer deliveries. Mahidol Chantaragul, transport and communications permanent secretary, told The DAILY that Thai would lease the aircraft to interested parties. "It looks like an insurmountable task to try to convince Airbus to defer delivery by two years due to our tight pockets.
Maersk Air and Sweden's Civil Aviation Authority, Luftfartsverket Holding, have joined to create a company to offer cargo-handling operations across Scandinavia and northern Europe. Novia Holding, formed Sept. 15 as a 50-50 venture, absorbed the former Cargo Center Copenhagen. With offices at the airports of Copenhagen, Stockholm and Gothenberg and 1,500 employees, the new company's ground-handling activities are expected to generate about $100 million per year in revenues.
Sabena and Belgian aviation authorities are trying to trace what happened over the weekend when a Boeing 737-200 belonging to the carrier shed small parts from one of its engines. Though there were no injuries, seven cars parked on the street suffered minor damage in the town of Machelen, adjacent to Brussels Airport International. The pieces, none larger than 2 x 4 inches, fell to ground just after takeoff at 4:45 p.m. from of a Sabena flight headed for Lisbon. Powered by a single engine, the aircraft circled over the North Sea for 15 minutes to reduce fuel load.
South American airlines look to North America for 45% of their business, but only 6% of North American carriers' business comes from South America, according to Tom Dovidas, manager corporate contracts at Varig.The pattern persists in Europe, which accounts for 39% of South American airline business.Vice versa, the rate is 3%.
Air Jamaica, Air Aruba, BWIA, Cayman Island Airways and other Caribbean carriers are developing a joint, more efficient cargo network for the island nations. Miami Airport is the focal point for the joint operation, according to John Lewis, senior VP-sales and service for Air Jamaica, speaking at the Interline Sales Marketing Conference yesterday in Fort Lauderdale. "What we're trying to do is develop a single joint schedule with all Caribbean airlines," he said.
