Italy's Air Dolomiti has signed an agreement to purchase four new ATR 72-210A and one ATR 42-500 aircraft, Aero International (Regional) announced. The A version of the ATR 72-210 won certification in February. The regional carrier called the ATR 72 - which will be configured with 64 seats - as "the best response" it will have to rising passenger traffic on high-density routes between Northern Italy and Southern Germany.
Rolls-Royce said South African Airways is the first airline to commit to its latest RB211 engine, the 524G/H-T, which received type approval last month from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority. SAA will use the engine on two new 747-400s ordered in February and to upgrade powerplants on its current fleet of four 747-400s. The upgrade includes the complete high- pressure system of the Trent 700, improving fuel consumption 2% and saving 800 pounds per aircraft.
Laker Airways is preparing an antitrust suit against British Airways charging monopolization at London Gatwick Airport, where Laker wants more desirable slots for Miami-London service (DAILY, March 21).
Air New Zealand and Ansett Australia plan to merge their New Zealand domestic air freight and courier businesses - Air New Zealand First Express and Ansett NZ Air Freight. The merged business will be an equal partnership.
Northrop Grumman said it will produce nacelle components for 747, 757, 767 and 777 aircraft under a Boeing contract worth up to $200 million. The new business includes fan cowl assemblies, composite thrust reverser and inlet panels and other composite components.
Aero International (Regional) is running into resistance from partner British Aerospace on the proposed 70-seat AIR(R) JET project. It seems that BAe's Avro unit is making money with the RJ 85 and RJ100 quadjets, now marketed and supported by AI(R), and sees no reason to sink a lot of money into a new airplane that, at 85 seats planned eventually, would be a competitor. This has the other AI(R) partners - Aerospatiale and Alenia - looking for another partner or partners to participate in the AI(R) JET project, which they see as key to AI(R)'s future...
Preview Travel has promoted President Ken Orton to the additional position of chief executive, and he will join the board of directors. Orton will be responsible for development and advancement of online travel services on America Online and the World Wide Web, and for expansion of the company's broadcast division, News Travel Network. As CEO he succeeds Chairman and founder Jim Hornthal, who will remain as chairman and concentrate on strategic planning, industry relations and business development.
Sabre has released Planet Sabre, an Internet-enabled suite for travel agencies, in more than 65 countries in six languages. According to Sabre, the software combines the best of the World Wide Web and the best of Sabre, integrating the tools agents need in a single desktop display. "Agents using this powerful tool can dramatically improve agent productivity, stay one step ahead of their most Internet-savvy clients, and reduce both training time and expenses," the company said.
Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures Inc. said the State of California approved funding that will enable the company to issue industrial development bonds to build its 225,000-square-foot manufacturing and administration facility as planned at Long Beach Airport. The company intends to begin producing its Jetcruzer 500 corporate aircraft there in the second quarter of 1998.
AlliedSignal will purchase Grimes Aerospace, a leading supplier of aircraft lighting systems, from an affiliate of New York investment firm, Forstmann Little&Co. About 70% of Grimes's business is commercial and 30% military. Grimes's annual sales of $230 million are growing at a double- digit annual rate.
Nations Air Express advised DOT to dismiss an objection by charter operators European-American Travel (EURAM) and Student Travel Services (STS) to the department's approval of new service between Miami and Maracaibo, Venezuela. Nations Air plans daily scheduled combination flights on the route using a 142-seat 727-200, and is in final preparations for launch of what it said will be the only nonstop service between those points.
India's directorate-general for civil aviation has begun an inquiry into the errant landing this month of a Saudi Arabian Airlines 747, DGCA officials said this week. The aircraft, carrying 331 passengers and 17 crew members, on a flight from Riyadh with a stopover in Dharan, was slated to land at Chennai Meenampakkam Airport in Madras City but instead landed at the Indian air force's Tambaram base. Aviation industry experts said the occupants had "a miraculous escape" because the IAF base landing strip is too short for the widebody jet.
Vanguard Airlines will offer one-way fares of $69 to Orlando from Kansas City and $79 for passengers continuing to Tampa/St. Petersburg on its new daily afternoon flight. The fares are available through June 27 for travel between June 28 and Sept. 3. Kids fly free on the new flight during the introductory period.
TAM of Brazil said yesterday it plans to order five A330-200s and place options on five, all powered by Pratt&Whitney engines. It plans to operate the aircraft initially on routes to the U.S.
US Airways VP-Marketing Services Daniel Brock is leaving the company June 30 to avoid relocation from Winston/Salem, N.C., to Arlington, Va., where the airline plans to move its Dividend Miles and US Airways Clubs programs this year.
Swiss World Airlines is finalizing agreements with suppliers that will enable it to begin long-haul service from Geneva in four months. The airline will begin flying two 767-300s from Geneva to New York Kennedy, Miami and Chicago and is purchasing two new 767s from Boeing for delivery next year. SWA is 40% owned by the Swiss government, "a fact which gives us some capabilities other new airlines will not have," said Robert Eilers, the carrier's director of finance and business. Other owners include Swiss institutional investors and foreign companies.
Executive Jet placed a $400 million order for 50 Cessna Citation Excels for its NetJets fractional ownership program. The company said the deal is the "largest single order in unit size for business aircraft in aviation history," capping two years of Cessna purchases for NetJets - 50 Citation V Ultras, 20 Citation VIIs and 31 Citation Xs, six of them newly ordered. In May, Executive Jet said it will add 20 Hawker 800XPs as well.
Snecma of France, bolstered by strong engine and equipment sales in the commercial airline sector since Jean-Paul Bechat took over as chairman and chief executive officer, is being restructured and expects to turn a profit this year. Last June, when Bechat took over, the state-owned aerospace group was heavily in debt, feeling the full impact of French and international defense cutbacks, and in a running feud with General Electric of the U.S., its 50-50 partner in the highly successful CFM International joint venture.
When exurban Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok Airport takes over from downtown Kai Tak next April, Cathay Pacific will offer a commuting subsidy of up to HK$35 ($4.50) per day to every employee. Instead of forcing employees to apply for the subsidy, Cathay will automatically send the stipend to staff based on their addresses on file.
Continental Express said yesterday that it has exercised options for 25 more Embraer EMB-145 regional jets but opted for the longer-range version. The order brings the number of 50-seat jets on firm order to 50, valued at about $750 million. Continental has 150 options remaining. The long-range EMB-145, currently under development, will have more powerful Rolls-Royce Allison AE3007A1 engines. Maximum range will rise to 1,600 nautical miles from 1,330 for the existing aircraft.
ANZ Grindlays Investment Bank has firmed up plans to syndicate an asset-backed lease-purchase deal worth $63 million for Jet Airways, bank officials said Tuesday. The transaction is believed to be the first international aircraft financing deal for a privately owned Indian carrier. The carrier's assets include two Boeing 737-400 aircraft that were fully financed earlier by ANZ Grindlays through a lease-purchase arrangement.
Gulfstream-Executive Jet joint venture Gulfstream Shares will begin offering fractional ownership of G-IVSP aircraft and, later, G-Vs in the Middle East as the first step toward a global network exploiting the G-V's range, the parent companies said. Executive Jet Chairman Richard Santulli said the expansion is driven by customer demand, and the joint venture's next target will be the Far East. Middle East operations are to begin within six months at a location that has not yet been finalized.
Airlines don't always gouge the customer in markets they dominate. DOT fare data for the third quarter of 1996 show that United held 99% of the Reno-San Francisco market but the average fare was $59 one way; America West had 100% of Las Vegas-Santa Ana and charged $65, and Delta had 96% of Atlanta-Fort Myers and charged $91.
Boeing's 737-based business jet and Airbus Industrie's newly announced A319CJ will be a new arena for competition between the giants but will have no impact on established companies in the field, Gulfstream chief Ted Forstmann said at Le Bourget. "Boeing and Airbus will fight it out among themselves but not with us," he said. "Their airplanes serve a customer who is willing to give up some range and airfields for size.
