New Aircraft Orders And Options December 1997 Firm Orders Options Carrier # Type # Type Engines Air France 1 A321-200 - - CFM56-5B3 Air France Air France Air Holland (AW) 1 757-200 - - RB211-535E4 Air Macau 1 A321-200 - - -V2500 Air Transat (IL) 2 A330-200 - - TRENT 700
Morale is reported at "rock bottom" by sources in FAA's Flight Standards division, which has been without a director for a year. The agency itself has had no deputy administrator since October 1996. FAA credibility is on the line, particularly in technical areas involving foreign aviation authorities, according to Flight Standards sources. They believe only a deputy with technical credentials can erase a reputation abroad of lack of expertise in top jobs.
Used Jet Aircraft Deliveries December 1997 Carrier # Type Engines Previous Operator Aeromexico 1 767-300ER PW4060 Sas Air Charter 1 A310-300 PW4152 Aerocancun Air Transat 2 737-400 CFM56-3C1 Virgin Express Air Wisconsin 1 BAe 146-200 ALF502R-5 BAe Amj All Canada Express 1 727-200A(F) JT8D-17R Express One Int'l
Polar Air Cargo promoted Kathy Styer to senior director-customer service. Swissair appointed Silvio Schmid district manager of its new San Francisco office.
Turnaround expert Milan Mandaric has opted not to invest in bankrupt Pan Am, but the airline will ask the bankruptcy court in Miami today if it can remain in operation as a scaled-down, three-aircraft charter airline to give it time to find other investors. Pan Am, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy less than a month ago, expects the U.S. trustee overseeing the case to seek approval to liquidate the airline under Chapter 7 at this morning's hearing.
SkyWest Airlines Chairman Jerry Atkin is recovering from a March 12 motorcycle accident that threatened his life. Atkin sustained multiple fractures to the left leg and arm and had internal injuries. He will remain in Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, Calif., until at least April 1.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Walter Kross, Commander of U.S. Transportation Command, will speak on civilian-military aviation partnerships at an Aero Club of Washington luncheon Tuesday at noon at the Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C.
Plymouth, England-based Brymon Airways will acquire eight Dash 8Q Series 300 aircraft from Bombardier Aerospace in a transaction that could be worth up to $115 million, the manufacturer announced. The deal is subject to a definitive agreement, expected in the next few weeks, Bombardier said. Deliveries would begin in April and continue into early next year.
Aer Lingus finally is making money on all routes on which it competes with Ryanair. "Two years ago, we were losing our shirt on every route" against the low-fare Irish rival, said Executive VP-North America Jack Foley. Aer Lingus's load factors are 10 percentage points higher than Ryanair's on competing routes.
Delta plans to launch nonstop service between Portland, Ore., and Boston Aug. 1, offering one daily 757 flight with connections to Seoul, Korea, and Osaka and Fukuoka, Japan.
Air Mandalay is rethinking its strategy in the face of a downturn in business, according to newly appointed General Manager Peter Tan. The airline would like to restart flights between Chiangmai in northern Thailand, and Mandalay, Myanmar. The service, launched in 1996 with visitor visas given on arrival in Mandalay, had to be stopped after the immigration department said it could no longer issue such visas. The carrier currently operates three 68-seat ATR 72 turboprops.
Delta and Sabena will code share on Sabena's new daily service from Brussels to Newark, a move against Continental, which has been expanding to Europe from Newark. Sabena will operate MD-11 aircraft on the route starting April 15, and the nonstop flight will connect with a Sabena flight bank that will take passengers throughout Europe. Delta said it is taking "a series of strategic steps" to improve service and frequency to cities around the world. Delta and Sabena will begin a second daily Atlanta- Brussels code-share flight May 15, using Sabena's A340 aircraft.
Reno Air's February traffic rose 6.5% and capacity 2.9% from the comparable 1997 month, pushing the load factor up 2.3 percentage points. The airline reported 239.2 million revenue passenger miles, 360.8 million available seat miles and a load factor of 66.3%. Passengers enplaned rose 4.9% to 423,333. Year-to-date RPMs were up 5.3% and ASMs 1.4%, boosting the load factor 2.3 points. Passenger enplanements were up 7.1% to 836,946.
CFM International said Continental will purchase CFM56-7 engines valued at $150 million to power the 15 Boeing 737-900s it ordered this week (DAILY, March 19).
Aiming to discourage weekend travel from Mumbai to London, New York and Chicago and thus distribute loads equally on weekdays, Air-India is asking its excursion-fare passengers to pay a surcharge in these key sectors until April 15, AI officials said yesterday. Travelers to New York and Chicago will have to pay 2,000 rupees more (about US$57), while those flying to London will add 1,500 rupees (about $42), AI sources said.
Air Canada decided to increase its DC-9 refurbishment plan to 25 aircraft (DAILY, March 19) because it is eyeing service to more than 70 Canada-U.S. city-pairs. The carrier plans to bring the DC-9s up to Stage 3 noise compliance and use them instead of Canadair Regional Jets as its markets in the U.S. mature. The new DC-9 interiors will be configured for 91 seats, up from the 50-seat regional jets. Sixteen of the seats will be in business class.
Fairchild Dornier could launch its new 42- to 44-passenger 428JET in as little as two to three weeks, The DAILY has learned. The company has selected a new powerplant - the 7,200-pound-thrust Pratt&Whitney PW308 - over the 328JET's PW306B to give the aircraft a field performance of less than 5,000 feet. The engine core is essentially the same, but the compressor and low-pressure turbine are new. The field length is predicated by the commuter runway at Philadelphia, which is served by US Airways unit PSA Airlines, a Do 328 turboprop customer.
Europe's aerospace industry agrees that it has lost ground to its U.S. competitors in many respects, according to "1998 Vision in Manufacturing," a study issued this week by Deloitte&Touche.
The rate of fatal approach and landing (ALA) accidents in the 18 European members of the Joint Aviation Authorities is 10 times lower than in non-JAA European nations, according to a report presented this week at a seminar in Amsterdam sponsored by Flight Safety Foundation. The fatal ALA rate for Western-built large commercial jets was highest for African operators, at 2.43 per million flights, followed by South/Central America operators, 1.65 per million.
Gulfstream International, operating as Continental Connection, will launch Fort Myers service May 1 with two daily roundtrips to Miami and three daily roundtrips to Tampa, the regional announced. The carrier will use Beech 1900 aircraft for the service.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines will launch daily 737 nonstop service April 13 between Omaha and Minneapolis/St. Paul with fares starting at $59 one way. Frontier's service challenges Northwest and Northwest Airlink, whose coach fares start at $109 one way. Frontier's introductory fare is available for booking by March 31 for travel through Sept. 11. After March 31, the lowest fare will be $69 one way. Frontier currently has four daily departures from Omaha, three of them to Denver and one to Bloomington- Normal, Ill.
