The European Union's transport ministers formally overruled France's rearguard battle to abolish the EU's summer (daylight savings) time system in 1998. At their meeting June 17 in Luxembourg, the ministers confirmed the EU-wide system for the period 1998-2001, requiring EU member states to set clocks forward by one hour on the last Sunday of March and one hour back on the last Sunday of October. France's previous government had argued that the inconvenience of the system outweighed the benefits.
British Regional Airlines (BRA) took delivery of the first of five 50- passenger Embraer EMB-145 regional jets in ceremonies at the air show. Two additional deliveries are scheduled in July and August. BRA is the third European regional carrier to receive the -145, after Regional of France and Portugalia. British Regional will operate it from its Manchester and Southampton hubs to destinations in the U.K. and on the Continent. The EMB-145 received certification from the European Joint Aviation Authority at the end of May.
Vanguard Airlines, five days after announcing the resignation of its founder and board director, Robert McAdoo, said yesterday that its chairman, chief executive and president, John Tague, also resigned. The carrier named Robert Spane to succeed Tague in the three positions. Spane currently is a member of the board, and until four days ago, served on the board of Air South. Tague also previously worked for Air South. Hambrecht&Quist is a principal owner of both airlines and owns about 70% of Vanguard.
Russ Meyer of Cessna and Brian Barents of Galaxy Aerospace have agreed to a race from New York to Los Angeles between the Citation X and the Astra SPX. "We accept the challenge, and will also pay for the 2,000 pounds of fuel they will burn on the flight," said Barents.
MTU of Germany believes its agreement with Federal Express on heavy engine maintenance at Langenhagen Airport, Hannover, will boost its engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business toward its goal of becoming the world's largest provider. "The FedEx business alone will be worth DM500 million over the next few years," MTU President Rainer Hertrich said.
Delta has hired Malcolm Armstrong as VP-corporate safety and compliance, effective June 30, to replace John Lauber, who resigned to take a position at Airbus Industrie. Armstrong comes from US Airways, where he was VP- corporate safety and regulatory compliance.
Northwest's exposure to low-fare competitors other than Southwest has declined during the past year and should remain low, according to Bankers Trust. Southwest offers service on only three routes out of Detroit but accounts for 75% of low-fare departures there.
MTU of Germany and Snecma of France will conduct a joint study of turbofan engine efficiency, with emphasis on intercooled compressors and heat exchangers, targeting a reduction in fuel consumption of as much as 30% over the next 20 years. MTU President Rainer Hertrich said other companies may be invited to join the effort after an initial one-year study by MTU and Snecma. Hertrich reported a "dramatic" increase in MTU business in 1997 - the company expects sales as high as DM2.7 billion, compared with DM1.7 billion in 1995 and DM2.4 billion last year.
AirTran Airways and Comair have signed a code-sharing agreement to begin operating to Orlando today under the name AirTran Florida Connection. Connecting service from Orlando will be available to the nine cities Comair operates to in Florida, as well as to Nassau, the Bahamas, and most of the 23 cities in AirTran's network. While the carriers plan to coordinate flight schedules and marketing programs, AirTran will handle reservations, displaying the flights in computer reservations systems under its FL designator code.
The Bombardier Global Express made the trip to the Paris Air Show its longest flight to date, covering the 4,185 nautical miles from the company's flight test center in Wichita, Kan., in 8 hours, 28 minutes. The aircraft, the first flight test article, still is fitted with test equipment. The three aircraft in the flight test program had accumulated 425 hours during 152 flights as of June 1. Two aircraft in Wichita are doing low-speed and systems tests.
Aspen Mountain Air ordered four 328JETS and placed options with Fairchild Dornier for four more of the 32-seat aircraft, the manufacturer announced yesterday. The carrier also ordered eight 328 turboprops. Aspen is the first North American customer for the regional jet. The aircraft, powered by Pratt&Whitney Canada PW306B engines, is the only regional jet able to operate from 4,000-foot runways, Fairchild Dornier said. Aspen currently operates five 328s and six Fairchild Metros from its Dallas/Fort Worth base.
Airlines Reporting Corp. said travel agent sales for May increased 8% over May 1996 to $5.773 billion. Agent sales for the first five months rose 9% to $29.036 billion. Commissions for May decreased 1% to $566.3 million as domestic commissions dropped 8% and international commissions increased 8%. For the year-to-date, commissions were up 3% to $2.814 billion. ARC said taxes, fees and charges, including passenger facility charges, rose 208% in the first five months. For the month of May, taxes rose 339%.
Probable cause of a Delta MD-88 striking the approach light structure and the end of the runway deck last fall at New York LaGuardia Airport was the "inability of the captain, because of his use of monovision contact lenses, to overcome his misperception of the airplane's position," according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The Oct. 19 accident caused substantial damage to the airplane and minor injuries to three passengers.
Northwest is being sued by six individuals and one company represented by six law firms, on monopoly pricing charges dating back to Northwest's acquisition of Republic Airlines in 1986. The plaintiffs fly Northwest regularly and say they are being ripped off by fares out of Minneapolis in violation of federal antitrust laws. Northwest spokeswoman Marta Laughlin said the same argument has been tried in many different ways under different disguises.
Airbus Industrie and Alenia signed agreements yesterday that formally create Airbus Industrie Asia, which will represent European interests in the Euro-Asian 100-seat aircraft project and be Europe's single interface in the joint-venture company to be established with Aviation Industries of China and STPL of Singapore. The Airbus-Alenia company, established under French law as a Societe par Actions Simplified, will be owned 62% by Airbus and 38% by Alenia. Carlo Scaglia, previously with Alenia, was named president and chief executive.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, buoyed by EMB-145 regional jet orders from Continental Express and now AMR Eagle, is continuing development of a long- range version of the aircraft. The -145LR will offer a 50-passenger range of as much as 1,600 nautical miles, versus 1,330 nautical miles for the existing extended-range -145ER. The enhancement will be powered by the Allison AE3007A1, which is optional for the -145ER.
China signed memorandums of understanding with Rolls-Royce and Pratt&Whitney and set up an advisory council with Rockwell Collins as Western companies tried to position themselves at Paris for participation in the 100-seat regional jet venture of Aviation Industries of China (AVIC), Singapore Technologies, Airbus Industrie and Finmeccanica. AVIC signed an MOU with Rolls to produce engine components at Xian, and with P&W to produce components of the PW6000 turbofan, a 15,000-24,000-pounds-thrust engine timed to be available for the 100-seater.
Boeing and the Seattle Professional Engineering Employees Association (SPEEA) reached agreement on treatment of employees affected by the company's joint venture with FlightSafety International, Boeing said Monday. Boeing Customer Training workers will be able to remain with Boeing or move to FlightSafety. Originally, the training employees were asked to leave Boeing and join FlightSafety, which will manage the joint venture.
Jean-Claude Gayssot, the transport minister appointed after the Socialist- Communist victory in the general elections in France June 1, said yesterday he is against privatizing flag carrier Air France. "Air France will only be privatized when I'll be gone," he said in Luxembourg. "I will not be the minister of privatization, deregulation and ultra-liberalism." Privatization was a cornerstone of the airline's restructuring program drawn up in 1994 by Chairman Christian Blanc.
Bell-Boeing reported orders for 29 civil tiltrotor aircraft from companies in scheduled airline service, corporate transport, offshore oil support and emergency medical service. "These are not just customers, these are visionaries," Bell Chairman Webb Joiner said, noting their commitment to a new aviation concept four years in advance of an aircraft delivery, and to a design that only now is being frozen. Eurocopter President Jean Francois Bigay said his company's studies indicate that there is no market for a commercial tiltrotor.
FAA said it plans to fine FedEx $187,500 for "failure to properly maintain records for 21 aircraft engines." FAA said an audit showed the JT8D engines were not in the carrier's computerized records management system, which tracks time, takeoffs, landings and maintenance schedules. FAA said that for three engines, FedEx "lacked documentation regarding compliance with airworthiness directives, the time of last required overhaul and status of life-limited parts."
Senate Finance Committee Chairman William Roth (R-Del.) proposed yesterday to extend current aviation excise taxes for 10 years but replace the $6 per-passenger international departure tax with a 10% tax on the portion of an international ticket price attributable to flight through U.S.- controlled airspace. Roth's aviation tax package would generate about $37.1 billion over five years, almost $3 billion more than the aviation taxes approved last week by the House Ways and Means Committee.
American Eagle President Dan Garton announced yesterday orders and options for as many as 117 regional jet aircraft valued at $2.5 billion list price. Admitting that American's regional carriers trail competitors in moving to regional jets, Garton said Eagle ordered 42 Embraer EMB-145 50-seaters plus 25 options and 25 Canadair CRJ Series 700 70-seaters plus 25 options from Bombardier. He said "price was definitely a factor" in not ordering Canadair's 50-seat jet, which would have given the carrier training and maintenance commonality benefits.
Standard&Poor's has raised the corporate credit ratings of AMR Corp. and American Airlines to triple-B-minus from double-B-plus. The upgrade affects some $5.8 billion of rated securities. S&P said AMR has "stronger industry fundamentals" and expects American to have "further, but slowing, improvement in financial measures" as it spends more to buy new aircraft.
SC International Services, the largest inflight caterer, has signed a purchase agreement to acquire the catering operation of Air New Zealand, the airline said. SCIS, parent of Sky Chefs and Caterair International, will operate the new unit as a separate company, Caterair New Zealand Ltd. The transaction is expected to be completed within eight to 12 weeks. Details and purchase price remain confidential.
