Dragonair is relaunching a successful summer tour package from Hong Kong to several points in China. Special weekend packages to Beijing and Hangzhou are available through Nov. 30, as well as a new package to Qingdao. Four- day, three-night packages to Beijing cost HK$4,960 (US$636) including airfare, while three-day, two-night packages to Hangzhou, one of China's six ancient capitals, cost HK$3,290 ($422). The airline, via its web site (http:\\www.dragonair.com), offers package and tour information for many sites in China.
Aircraft Braking Systems Corp. said it was selected by British Midland to provide main wheels and carbon brakes for the carrier's 12 A320s and eight A321s. With the latest order, the company said it is the supplier of wheels and brakes for more than 70% of A320 and A321 orders.
German regional airline Eurowings Luftverkehr will start ATR-42 code- sharing services between Hamburg and London Stansted with Britain's Gill Airways Sept. 8. Gill Airways, which operates a Eurowings service between Newcastle and Dusseldorf, will serve the new route twice daily on weekdays. Eurowings and its partner are jumping into the service vacuum left when Air UK deserted the route. Air UK is now a 100% owned KLM subsidiary and operates feeder services into Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
General Electric GE90 engine, which powers 20 Boeing 777s, has logged more than 100,000 flight hours with no inflight shutdowns, the engine maker announced. The aircraft is rated for extended-range, twin-engine operations. China Southern made history last month with the first nonstop, twin-engine transpacific flight between the China mainland and the U.S.
Charles Kaman, chairman and chief executive of Kaman Corp., will be the 1997 recipient of the National Aeronautic Association's Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. NAA, which will present the trophy Dec. 12 at a black-tie dinner hosted by the Aero Club of Washington, cited Kaman's "more than 50 years of contributions to the development of rotary-wing aviation."
DOT is asking American and the TACA Group for information about the impact of relationships between American, British Airways, Iberia, Austral and Aerolineas Argentinas on the American-TACA code share. Though the department said it would rule separately on a Continental motion to require such information, the materials it wants are similar to what Continental said it should acquire. DOT stopped short of another Continental suggestion - starting an oral evidentiary hearing on the matter.
Airport Systems International's sales for its first quarter 1998 fiscal year increased to $5.8 million from $5.2 million in the year-earlier quarter. Net income rose to $160,000 from $135,000.
United applied at DOT for renewal of its seven weekly U.S.-Poland frequencies through Nov. 1, 1998, when the U.S.-Poland bilateral allows third-country code-share operations without limitations, or a "later date as the department finds appropriate." United now uses these frequencies to provide daily U.S.-Warsaw service via Frankfurt and Munich with Lufthansa. When the frequencies were allocated to United, the carrier received seven additional U.S.-Poland, third-country, code-share frequencies, effective Nov. 1, through Oct. 31, 1998.
Kiwi International Air Lines received approval from Niagara County, N.Y., for a $550,000 loan that will enable it to become the first scheduled carrier into Niagara Falls. Kiwi intends to start service in October from Newark and possibly Chicago Midway to Niagara Falls Airport. The former military airport, half an hour by auto from Buffalo and one hour from Toronto, currently is used by charter operators, a Kiwi spokesman said.
Association of European Airlines Traffic June 1997 Passenger Data % % Pts RPKs Chg ASKs Chg Load Chg Region (Mil) 97/96 (Mil) 97/96 Ftr 97/96 EUROPE 10,071.3 9.4 14,813.2 4.4 68.0 3.1 NORTH AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST 1,529.3 7.3 2,321.8 3.2 65.9 2.5
United petitioned FAA yesterday to restore lost slots at Chicago O'Hare to U.S. carriers, a reaction to reports that DOT plans to create new slots at the constrained airport. Traditionally, the department has withdrawn slots from carriers, including United, for transfer to foreign carriers, essential air service providers and new entrants. (See related story that follows.) United said it is urging DOT to stop the "confiscation" of slots for the benefit of foreign airlines.
Air Pacific has applied at DOT jointly with Canadian Airlines to operate code-share/blocked-space service and display each other's codes on Air Pacific flights between Nadi, Fiji, and Honolulu and on Canadian's flights linking Honolulu with Vancouver and Toronto. Air Pacific plans to operate one weekly Fiji-Honolulu flight, beginning Oct. 26.
United told DOT it should regard petitioners for extraordinary- circumstances slot exemptions at Chicago O'Hare as "special pleaders" seeking an unwarranted escape from market mechanisms. Western Pacific wants to move its Colorado Springs-Chicago Midway service to O'Hare, and Reno Air wants to expand Reno-O'Hare service from three a day to four.
United has authorized the repurchase of up to $250 million worth of the company's common stock. Some of the funds will come from the recent sale of Apollo Travel Services to Galileo International. United intends to repurchase 3.2 million of the 59.7 million shares outstanding as of July 31.
All Nippon Airways will resume service between Fukuoka and Bangkok on Oct. 28. ANA will operate a two-class, 217-seat Boeing 767 on the twice-weekly service. The carrier suspended service on the route in March 1993.
America West Vacations has signed with Mirage Resorts to offer leisure travel packages to three Las Vegas resorts - the Mirage, Treasure Island and the Golden Nugget - via its "one-call-does-it-all" service. The packages include roundtrip air transportation on America West Airlines and accommodations.
International Lease Finance Corp. said it leased a new A340-300ER to Air Canada. Delivery is scheduled next May. The carrier also is extending two existing ILFC A340-300 leases from June 1998 to June 2000.
Changes in type certification regulations and procedures proposed by FAA likely would cripple the supplemental type certificate market, effectively blocking safety improvements to existing aircraft and stopping a manufacturer from restarting production of a previously certificated design, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. AOPA was responding to FAA's notice of proposed rulemaking on changes to FAR Parts 21 and 25, which govern type certification of aircraft designs.
Airlines Reporting Corp. said travel agent sales for July totaled $5.49 billion, 12% more than in July 1996. Year-to-date sales rose 10% to $41.6 billion as domestic fares gained 1% and international fares 16%. Domestic commissions fell 3% year-to-date, while international commissions increased 14%.
Virgin Group plans to launch a #750 million (US$1.32 billion) tender this week to replace rolling stock and improve the quality of its West Coast Mainline railway network, which connects London, Birmingham and Glasgow. Richard Branson's group intends to introduce on rail some of the features of its air transport passenger entertainment and business services.
National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is urging its members to tell FAA they oppose a proposal to require fire detection and suppression systems for Class D cargo holds of transport category aircraft. The proposal grew out of the May 1996 ValuJet DC-9 crash, caused by a fire in the Class D cargo compartment. Operators of many Cessna, Learjet, Beechjet, Mitsubishi and other aircraft will have to make "expensive modifications" if Part 135 aircraft are included in the proposal, NATA told its members.
Fine Air Services, opposing FedEx's purchase of Florida West International's cargo authority to fly U.S.-Colombia, said possession of the authority is in question and should be reallocated in a proceeding or awarded to Fine. Fine has been trying to serve the market since 1995, when it received DOT authority to do so. Colombia did not approve, however - violating the bilateral then in existence, according to Fine - and the U.S.
Dutch Transport Minister Annemarie Jorritsma said she wants to put new legislation on night flight bans at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in place by Oct. 1. The Dutch parliament is scheduled to debate the issue today. Schiphol was pushed to the top of the political agenda when the Haarlem district court ruled that a ban imposed this month by the airport authority was illegal. The judge said only the transport minister can impose such restrictions. Abiding by the judgment, Jorritsma outlined her own plans Friday.
