KLM has introduced cabin crew of Indian origin on its Amsterdam-Mumbai roundtrip flights, consistent with its new policy to offer route-dedicated services to cater to customers' needs, airline officials said yesterday. Initially, three Indians have joined the nine-person crew.
New Jet Aircraft Deliveries December 1997 Last 12 Months Carrier # Type Engines Delivery Air Canada 2 A319 CFM56-5A5 21 Air Portugal 2 A319 CFM56 - Airworld 3 A320-200 CFM56-5B4 1
Mexicana posted a 9.4% traffic gain in February on 13.2% more capacity, which forced load factor down 2.2 percentage points to 61.9%. International and charter traffic rose 9.7% on 21.3% more capacity, forcing the load factor down 6.6 points to 61.9%. Domestic traffic grew 8.7% on 0.9% more capacity, boosting the load factor 4.4 points to 61.9%.
Canadian Airlines will offer its first daily Toronto-London daylight flight as part of its summer schedule. It also will add frequencies to London from Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary. New Asia/Pacific service from Vancouver includes flights to Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing and Auckland. The carrier is increasing service to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. This summer's schedule will add 30% capacity to its U.S. transborder service, 20.6% to China and 44.9% to the U.K.
Proteus Airlines of Lyon, France, has taken delivery of the 300th Beech 1900D turboprop, Raytheon Aircraft said. Proteus has placed an order for 10 new 1900Ds, and when all 10 have been delivered this fall, the carrier will be the largest 1900D operator in Europe, Raytheon said.
After nearly a decade of handwringing by aircraft and engine industry executives over whether regional jets would overtake turboprops, it appears the market is beginning to vote substantially in favor of the jets, says a new investment report by Merrill Lynch VP Byron Callan and subsequent analysis by DAILY affiliate Aerospace Propulsion OrderBook.
Finnair will enter its summer season with substantially increased capacity as well as its London-Helsinki and London-Stockholm with British Airways (DAILY, March 2). Finnair also has marketing arrangements with BA partners LOT and Iberia, and starting March 29 it plans to increase Helsinki-Warsaw frequencies and launch Helsinki-Barcelona nonstops. With improved service to Riga, Vilnius, Budapest, Prague, Tallinn, Brussels and Bergen, Finnair will increase overall capacity 7%.
Mesaba Airlines and senior partner Northwest will continue seasonal ski flights at Aspen/Snowmass into the summer, operating one daily roundtrip in the Minneapolis-Aspen market June 1-Sept. 8. Mesaba will use its BAe RJ85 aircraft, configured for 16 first-class and 53 coach seats. Barry Hofer, Northwest's manager-North American route planning, said the new service "capitalizes on the area's growing popularity for conferences and summer hiking and biking adventures."
Boeing Commercial Airplane Group and the Indian Institute of Technology have signed a memorandum of understanding on joint research programs in aerospace engineering. Boeing will sponsor student research in aerospace engineering through a Boeing Research Fellowship and work with IIT on aircraft technologies research and development.
Boeing Enterprises signed an agreement by which Boeing will invest $10 million in RADA, an Israeli-based company that provides avionics test equipment and electronic systems. The investment will make Boeing RADA's largest single stockholder.
American Society of Travel Agents has made its World Wide Web site (www.astanet.com) more user-friendly and added interactive features. ASTAnet provides an index of ASTA member travel agents to help customers find an agent, and it can link on-line consumers and agents. It also allows consumers to share their travel experiences and information about destinations.
...Launch of the 70-seat Fairchild Dornier 728JET - an all new five-abreast design with low wing and underslung engines - could come as early as the Berlin Air Show in May. The company is in discussions with Crossair of Switzerland and Lufthansa CityLine for 140 to 160 aircraft, including 55- and 90-seat derivatives, and with other European airlines for between 40 and 60. All are seeking the commonality of a single family to replace their existing turboprop and regional-jet fleets. The 728 is due out in 2001 and the 55- and 90-seaters in the 2003-2004 time frame.
Pilots at Federal Express have no plans to use UPS's Independent Pilots Association contract as a model for a new agreement, FedEx Pilots Association President Mike Akin told The DAILY yesterday. Last week, FedEx pilots rejected a tentative agreement that had been approved by the FPA leadership, and IPA ratified its contract on Tuesday. Akin said FPA conducted a straw poll of its members last Thursday to find out why they voted the contract down, and it is conducting a mail survey as well.
Belgian consumer groups are threatening action against the airports of Brussels and Charleroi to protest what they consider lax noise standards. Residents adjacent to Brussels South Charleroi Airport want a halt to night flights and training flights, and municipal authorities of Woluwe-St.- Pierre, a Brussels borough close to Brussels Airport International (BAI), say the airport is not monitoring or enforcing noise rules for older aircraft.
Foreign ownership of Yangon Airways which, with Air Mandalay, is a 49/51% joint venture majority-owned by Myanmar Airways, has shifted with the withdrawal of the Thai partner. The departing company's place has been taken by Singapore-registered Mayflower Holdings, which is related to the Mayflower Bank in Myanmar. Air Mandalay and Yangon Airways, which operate tourist flights in Myanmar, have been hit by a downturn in business. Yangon has suffered more because it does not have the international sales network of Air Mandalay. Both airlines must charge U.S.
The head of a major airport who also served on the National Civil Aviation Review Commission (NCARC) told a House panel yesterday he is disappointed that FAA is considering support of "consensual" passenger facility charge increases as a major part of an airport funding initiative. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey told the House Transportation aviation subcommittee Wednesday that FAA may support an increase in the statutory $3 cap in cases where airlines and airports agree (DAILY, March 19).
The Swedish regional carrier, Malmo Aviation, will offer a new service linking London City Airport to Gothenburg, starting March 30. Gothenburg is the last scheduled destination approved before London municipal authorities decide on the airport's application to increase its total annual air transport movements.
With the lower cost of jet fuel reducing airline costs, the American Society of Travel Agents wants carriers to pass their savings along to consumers in the form of lower fares. In the past, carriers blamed the high cost of jet fuel for rising air fares, but jet fuel has reached a nine-year low. "The lower cost of jet fuel presents the airlines with a rare opportunity to reward the consumers that have been responsible for the industry's record profits," said ASTA President Mike Spinelli. Airlines are unlikely to take up ASTA's challenge.
American Express is running into complications with its Airfare Index in the Asia/Pacific region. It reported that average economy fares are 5% higher than a year ago, while both business- and first-class tariffs are up 4%. The report comes at a time when the industry is cutting fares to unprecedented low levels, many by as much as 50%. American Express declined to specify which fares it uses for its index and where it collects them.
India and Germany will negotiate on aviation matters, notably frequencies, in early or mid-April, Indian civil aviation ministry officials said yesterday. The talks were postponed from January because of national elections in India.
Swissair and its partner, Sabena, are moving to smoke-free service throughout their networks, starting June 1. Currently, the carriers ban smoking only on their intra-European and transatlantic flights, but passenger surveys reveal that 80% of their customers prefer traveling smoke-free.
New Regional Aircraft Deliveries, December 1997 Last 12 Months Carrier No. Type Engines Deliveries Air Georgian 2 Beech 1900D PT6A-67D 1 Air UK Ltd 1 AA ATR-72 PW124 - American Eagle 2 AA ATR 72-200A PW124 5 Atlantic Coast 1 Canadair RJ200 CF34-3B1 4
Average load factor for 15 of the nation's largest regional airlines increased by 3.3 percentage points during February to 53.1%. United Express Atlantic Coast Airlines posted the biggest increase of the sampling, up 10.1 points to 48.3% while US Airways Express CCAIR was not far behind with an increase of 9.8 points to 55.1%. Horizon Air turned in the highest load factor at 59.8%, up 0.58 points from February 1997. Gulfstream International, which code shares with Continental and United in Florida, was not far behind with 59.1%, up 7.4 points.
Congressional testimony by FAA Administrator Jane Garvey and National Civil Aviation Review Commission Chairman Norman Mineta will be shown this week on Aviation News Today, to be broadcast Sunday on Washington's NewsChannel 8 at 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
