Improved inspections of critical engine components such as turbine disks will begin on a "priority basis" in the first quarter of 1998, FAA said yesterday. Tom McSweeny, director of aircraft certification, said improved practices and technology to detect potential defects and prevent uncontained engine failures, including automated inspection methods, can cut down on the historical causes of engine-related accidents.
Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), ranking minority member of the aviation subcommittee, has expressed concern to DOT Secretary Rodney Slater and FAA Administrator Jane Garvey that former PATCO controllers hired by the agency are being held back in their jobs.
Senate Commerce Committee hearing this week on Chairman John McCain's (R- Ariz.) bill to boost competition at slot-controlled airports drew criticism from top airline executives. Cyril Murphy, United VP-international and regulatory affairs, and Lawrence Nagin, US Airways executive VP and general counsel, said its passage could harm service prospects for smaller communities (DAILY, Oct. 29).
Virgin Atlantic is mounting its first Internet auction, where frequent flyer members will bid on a package that includes tickets to San Diego and the 1998 Super Bowl. The auction will occur Nov. 3-15, starting with a minimum bid of 150,000 Virgin Freeway miles. Results will be posted at web site http://www.fly.virgin.com.
American rebutted opposition to its Iberia code share from Continental, Delta, TWA, and United, saying carriers like United, "which stands at the center of the global Star Alliance, have no standing to oppose a simple code-share arrangement." American rejected suggestions that its proposal should be consolidated with the American/TACA code-share proceeding, and said its straightforward, non-immunized code share with Iberia is explicitly permitted under the U.S.-Spain bilateral.
Great China Airlines of Taiwan ordered two de Havilland Dash 8Q(x) Series 300 aircraft worth about $38.2 million from Bombardier Regional Aircraft, the company said. The airline intends to replace two older Dash 8 Series 300s with the new Q aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery at the end of the year.
Airlines should immediately establish communications systems and procedures with families of air disaster victims, train their personnel to interact with family members and return victims' personal effects as quickly as possible, the Task Force on Assistance to Families of Aviation Disasters recommended yesterday. The task force issued 61 recommendations targeted at airlines, the government and the Red Cross in an attempt to establish clear guidelines for dealing with victims' families. Measures for airlines include:
All Nippon Airways' first 777-300 was rolled out this week by Boeing at Everett, Wash. ANA has ordered 12 777-300s, operates nine 777-200s and has nine more on order.
Telling DOT that a planned Nov. 1 strike by French truck drivers "will paralyze Air France's cargo operation unless the carrier can obtain alternate truck service from outside France," Air France asked for a short- term exemption to fly cargo to and from the U.S. using other European points. The authority "would end with the strike's end," according to the filing. "Non-French truckers can move the freight into France," the carrier said.
ValuJet Inc., parent of Atlanta-based AirTran Airlines, yesterday posted a third quarter net loss of $14.6 million, compared with a deficit of $21.9 million last year, when its operations were reduced. Revenues totaled $56.4 million, and its operating loss was $12.8 million. AirTran lost $9.2 million in the second quarter, the nearest comparable period, on revenues of $47.8 million.
U.S. and China have agreed to begin informal consultations on expanding and modernizing their civil aviation relationship, DOT Secretary Rodney Slater said yesterday. In conjunction with Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to Washington, Slater said he and the head of China's Civil Aviation Administration, Chen Guangyi, agreed to the talks yesterday during a meeting in Washington. The current bilateral is very restrictive, limiting each country to 27 frequencies a week. China is flying 25 and demand is expected to rise.
Airlines and Chicago aviation authorities renewed their opposition yesterday to a new airport at Peotone. A Peotone facility could do "serious harm" by drawing attention and resources from O'Hare and Midway airports, the Air Transport Association told an Illinois Department of Transportation hearing on a Peotone environmental assessment. Chicago Aviation Commissioner Mary Loney said Peotone could doom the $722 million Midway terminal project and the nearly 94,000 new jobs and $3.6 billion in economic benefits it will create.
Unlike the niche carriers that recently received slot exemptions, slot winner Trans States Airlines is a regional carrier flying for United, TWA, Northwest, US Airways and Alaska (DAILY, Oct. 28).
Fine Air said yesterday it has received authorization from FAA to resume flight operations and expects to operate to all of its destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean "within the next several weeks." Fine Air was shut down by FAA following the fatal crash in August of one of its DC-8 cargo jets during takeoff from Miami. The carrier said that, working with FAA, it has "implemented the newest and safest cargo loading procedures in the industry."
DOT has granted Lufthansa and SAS a two-year exemption to code share on certain U.S.-Scandinavia/Germany service. SAS will display Lufthansa's code on flights serving Seattle, Chicago and Newark. Lufthansa will display SAS's code on flights serving New York Kennedy, Newark, Chicago, Washington Dulles, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami. Atlantic Coast Airlines earlier applied to code share with Lufthansa under ACA's United Express code (DAILY, Oct. 10). (Docket OST-97-2963)
Alitalia plans to operate a new daily service five times a week, starting Nov. 3, between London City Airport and Milan Linate Airport. The flight will be operated by Italian startup AzzurrAir until early next year, when Alitalia will take over.
International Air Cargo Association chose the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to host the 20th International Air Cargo Forum and Exposition in 2000. Tentative dates are Sept. 26-29. The other finalists were Los Angeles World Airports and the Metro Dade County Aviation Department in Miami.
William Jara, vice minister for transportation of Peru's ministry of transportation, communications, housing and construction, and Francisco Garcia Calderon, president of Peru's airport privatization committee, will take part in a Trade and Development Agency business briefing tomorrow at the Doubletree Park Terrace, 1515 Rhode Island Ave., Washington, D.C. Contact McKinney Larkins 202-785-3500.
Although last week's DOT slot awards generally favored niche carriers, non- niche airlines still are pressing for exceptional-circumstances exemptions. Two examples are America West, which replied this week to objections to its bid for slots at Chicago O'Hare and New York LaGuardia, and American Eagle/Simmons, which remains "cautiously optimistic" about winning 60 slots at O'Hare.
Business Travel Contractors Corp., asking Congress and DOT to intensify efforts to increase competition among airlines, praised DOT for last week's slot awards at New York LaGuardia and Chicago O'Hare (DAILY, Oct. 27) but said communities and businesses still suffer from inadequate competition.
General aviation aircraft billings of $3.2 billion for the first three quarters surpassed the full-year 1996 total of $3.1 billion, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported. Deliveries increased 30.7% to 954 units in the first nine months. Ed Bolen, GAMA president, said 1997 is "turning out to be a great year for general aviation," and the "outlook for the future is encouraging." Piston-engine deliveries rose 47% to 561 units, and jet shipments were up 56.3% to 236 units, but turboprop deliveries declined 20.3% to 157 aircraft.
Airborne Express reported net earnings of $46.6 million, up from $4.6 million during the year-earlier period, and revenues of $788.6 million, up 29%, partly as a result of the August strike against UPS. For the first nine months, net earnings were $89.3 million, up from $16.5 million, and revenues rose 18% to $2.2 billion. Domestic revenues for the latest quarter increased 32% to $687.5 million and international revenues 12% to $101 million. For the first nine months, domestic revenues rose 20% to $1.7 billion and international revenues 5% to $295.2 million.
International Lease Finance Corp. said pre-tax profits for the third quarter increased 33.3% to $139.7 million while revenues grew 19.5% to $506 million. For the first nine months, pre-tax profits rose to $343.8 million from $298 million a year earlier, and revenues increased 15.8% to $1.4 billion.
McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and MD-80 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Second Quarter 1997 DC-9-30 Continental Northwest TWA Number of Aircraft Operated 30 110 34 Total Fleet Operations Departures 157 549 185 Block Hours 253 900 298
China will sign its much-anticipated aircraft acquisition contract with Boeing tomorrow in Washington during the visit of President Jiang Zemin. Boeing declines comment on reports that the deal will total $1.9 billion in firm orders and a letter of intent for $1.1 billion more.
