Barry Valentine, former acting FAA administrator, has joined the advisory board of The Americas Group. He will work with the company to expand its aviation consulting practice.
In Federal Register dated Jan. 23...Issued an airworthiness directive on Cessna 172R and 182S aircraft concerning operations under instrument flight rules...Issued an AD on Boeing 777-200 aircraft requiring inspections of the main landing gear...Proposed an AD on Pratt&Whitney JT8D engines to require inspection of certain low-pressure compressor disks.
Orally approved a two-year renewal of seven frequencies for United to conduct scheduled foreign combination service between Chicago and Hong Kong...Orally approved a one-year renewal for Aeromexico to conduct scheduled foreign combination service between Cancun and Dallas...Approved eight cargo charter roundtrips by World Airways between points in the U.S. and Brazil Jan. 26-28 and Feb.
FAA certified to Level D the new 737-300 flight simulator at the FlightSafety Boeing training center at Kunming, China. The center will open this spring, offering complete training for pilots, maintenance workers and flight attendants.
Florida West International Airways (FWIA) continues to be fit to provide interstate and foreign scheduled all-cargo service, DOT said in an order renewing its exemption authority and reissuing its interstate certificate. FWIA resolved ownership, citizenship and reporting issues, and DOT renewed for two years its authority to conduct cargo operations between Miami and points in Uruguay and between Miami and New York and Caracas and Maracaibo, Venezuela.
America West believes a Continental-Northwest code share might enhance its established relationship with Continental, a spokeswoman said. The new mega-deal "could help us with growth," she said.
Ian Wigmore, European Regions Airline Assoication air safety manager, will retire, leaving the association at the end of next month. Wigmore joined ERA three and one-half years ago after four years in the airline industry and many years in the U.K. Royal Air Force. He developed the ERA Safety Information System and the ERA Crisis Management Conference. He also wrote the ERA Crisis Management Manual.
Textron reported that revenues from aircraft operations in 1997 rose to $2.1 billion from $1.6 billion the previous year. Income rose to $150 million from $146 million. For the fourth quarter, aircraft revenues grew to $583 million from $428 million and income to $96 million from $79 million. Textron said the fourth quarter was its 33rd consecutive quarter of year-to-year income growth and for the year, returns to shareholders were 35%.
Boeing 747 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Third Quarter 1997 B747-100 TWA United Total Number of Aircraft Operated 5 12 17 Total Fleet Operations Departures 7 22 30 Block Hours 54 117 171
Pilots at Golden, Colo.-based Atlas Air rejected representation by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), management officials said this week. Chief Executive Michael Chowdry said, "We are very pleased that our pilots have chosen not to organize. We recognize, however, that we need to continue to act on our commitment to provide all of our employees with a positive working environment.
Long-haul business travelers are most influenced by the convenience of airline schedules, on-time performance, safety and service, according to an IATA worldwide survey. The poll showed that 70% of the higher-yield group would be willing to try new no-frills airlines on short-haul flights if low prices were offered.
DOT Secretary Slater sent a letter yesterday to 317 foreign airlines reminding them to submit family assistance plans for use in the event of air disasters. The Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996 required U.S. airlines to do so, and the Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act, adopted late last year, imposed the same requirement on foreign airlines operating to U.S. points. DOT issued yesterday a clarifying order to make the foreign plan follow the domestic one, exempting foreign small- aircraft operators from the requirement.
Iberia posted a pre-tax profit of 18.44 billion pesetas (US$123 million) in 1997, a sixfold increase over its 1996 results. Last year's performance was "the best in the decade," the Spanish air transport group said yesterday in Madrid. Iberia got back into the black in 1996, after five consecutive years of losses. It cited implementation of its restructuring plan - subsidized by the government - an aggressive commercial policy, labor cost controls and a buoyant air travel market as the reasons behind last year's success.
Harold McGraw III, president and chief operating officer of The McGraw-Hill Companies, will become chief executive officer on April 29. The current CEO, Joseph Dionne, will continue as chairman.
Western Pacific financier Smith Management has been talking merger with Frontier while Westpac and its unsecured creditors' committee were discussing a reorganization plan, the committee alleged in a motion for disclosure filed Wednesday with a Colorado bankruptcy court. The committee seeks disclosure of all documents from Wexford Management, Frontier's financial backer, relating to communications with Smith Management or Western Pacific dated since Oct. 1, 1997. Westpac filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Oct. 5.
Northwest Airlink affiliate Mesaba Holdings posted a third quarter net income of $5.3 million, an increase of 76.3% from the same quarter a year earlier when the carrier earned $3 million. Earnings per share rose 58.3% to 38 cents from 24 cents. Quarterly operating revenues totaled $75.4 million, an increase of 57.0% from $48 million in the prior-year quarter.
United will grow capacity less than 2% this year, and much of the increase will be in Denver and Los Angeles. The Denver expansion eventually will feature nonstops to London and Frankfurt, said senior VP-Planning Rono Dutta. Over time, Shuttle By United also will grow in Denver.
Intrastate regional airlines in New York would benefit by a bill now before the state assembly. Pushed by Majority Leader Michael Bragman, the measure would change the state's petroleum business tax (PBT) as it applies to airlines. Currently, intrastate flights are taxed on the full amount of fuel consumed within the state, but interstate flights are taxed only on the portion consumed on takeoff, or during the first four minutes of flight. The bill would treat intrastate flights in the same manner.
Three carriers submitted Essential Air Service proposals at DOT for service to Alamosa, Colo; North Platte and Scottsbluff, Neb.; and Laramie, Riverton/Lander, Rock Springs and Worland, Wyo. Great Lakes Aviation intends to operate proposed service as United Express, which recently scaled back its operations with Mesa Airlines. Mesa Air Group, whose Mesa Airlines notified DOT of its intention to terminate its United Express EAS to the communities, applied to serve them on its own. Big Sky Airlines applied to serve Riverton/Lander.
FAA has approved the Rockwell Collins FDS-255 flight display system for multifunction electronic display applications. A technical standard order extends to a variety of navigational and situational awareness applications for the 5ATI flat panel, liquid crystal display system. Included are display of navigational data from Global Positioning System sensors, multisensor inputs, flight directors, distance measuring equipment, VOR/ILS receivers, magnetic direction instruments, and airborne radio marking and receiving equipment.
DOT granted American's request for emergency exemption authority for one year to serve New York Kennedy-Cuzco, Peru, via Lima, and allocated seven frequencies for the service. American told DOT the government of Peru, which also approved the flights, requested that American initiate the service. Peruvian carriers have "significantly" reduced domestic operations in the market, American said. A December 1997 letter from the government of Peru agreed that the U.S.
