Executive Jet ordered 20 new Raytheon Hawker 800XPs, valued at about $210 million, the largest order in the aircraft's history, Raytheon said yesterday. The first two will be delivered this year and the rest in the next five years.
Airline Management Limited (AML) faulted Laker Airways for a "significant abuse" of DOT procedures in its answer to Laker's motion to terminate AML's recently conferred authority for U.S.-U.K. and other charter operations (DAILY, May 5). Laker filed the motion saying the U.K. had not lived up to its obligations under the bilateral, failing to help Laker secure "commercially viable" slots at London Gatwick.
Canadian Airlines will offer its first service to Central America this summer as it grows its code-share agreement with American. The expansion will enable Canadian to provide daily flights from Toronto through Miami to El Salvador and Guatemala. Canadian will offer the service beginning June 1 and expects to develop service later to the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and other Central American countries.
U.K. no-frills carrier Debonair plans to list its shares on EASDAQ, the pan-European stock exchange for small and startup companies. A flotation will be launched in the fall, probably by October, according to Chairman Franco Mancassola. The move follows similar action by low-cost Irish rival Ryanair, which intends to float its stock before June both on Dublin's stock exchange and the U.S. NASDAQ.
United has chosen Excalibur Technologies Corp., Vienna, Va., to provide its Electronic Fileroom search and retrieval software to find maintenance information for mechanics and engineers. More than 20,000 United employees will have access to airframe maintenance manuals, parts catalogs, wiring diagram manuals, structural repair manuals and other documents.
American International Airways wants to amend its authority to conduct wet- lease operations for Colombia's Lineas Aereas Suramericanas (LAS). Last fall's approval was limited to service between the U.S. and Colombia, but the carriers are negotiating an extension of service to Ecuador, for U.S.- Ecuadorian cargo via Colombia. The carriers are simultaneously seeking authority from Ecuador.
Transborder expansion following the success of the U.S.-Canada aviation agreement is making the West Coast of Canada a preferred link to Asia, and American and Canadian Airlines expect to garner a much larger share of Asian traffic, American President Don Carty told the Canadian-American Business Council yesterday in Washington. The "explosion of transborder service" that followed the 1995 accord will be followed by a similar expansion from Vancouver, which, Carty noted, is four hours closer to Hong Kong in flying time than Los Angeles.
Northwest will conduct a DreamPerks frequent flyer auction Aug. 8 at Oakland University's Meadow Brook Hall to benefit three charities - C.S. Mott's Children's Hospital, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's educational programs and Oakland University's beginning school math program. Participants will bid in WorldPerks miles for dream prizes, such as two box seat tickets to the Michigan-Notre Dame football game Sept. 27 with Bo Schembechler, former Michigan football coach, as host. MCI is offering $500 per month in long-distance telephone calls.
Aeroflot Russian International Airlines (ARIA) plans to merge with or purchase a number of regional airlines in Russia, according to its director of international relations, Alexander Voitzehovich. Speaking at the Second Russian-American Aviation Conference in Annapolis, Md., Voitzehovich said Aeroflot is especially interested in buying carriers that are currently government-owned, and he cited Vonukovo Airlines and Nishny Novogrod Airlines as targets.
U.S.Major Carriers Latin Share of Service Fourth Quarter 1996 Total Revenue Departures Alaska 2,255 America West 1,443 American 21,839 Continental 7,695 Delta 2,870 United 4,359 USAir 1,465 Total 41,926 Average Number of
FAA proposed an airworthiness directive yesterday that would require operators of Embraer EMB-120 turboprops to install ice detection systems and change operating procedures in icing conditions. Without referring to the Jan. 9 Comair EMB-120 crash near Detroit, in which icing may have been a factor, the agency cited reports that flightcrews have had trouble controlling the aircraft in icing conditions but did not activate ice protection systems.
Revised* Airport and Airway Trust Fund - Income Statement October 1, 1996 - November 30, 1996 Current Month RECEIPTS (Revenues) Revenues: Excise Taxes (Transferred from General Fund): Liquid Fuel other than Gas $ 9,581,000.00 Transportation by Air, Seats, Berths, etc. 47,120,000.00 Use of International Travel Facilities 2,705,000.00
Smaller airlines are asking asked DOT to reconsider its proposed domestic passenger manifest rules, and larger ones want more time to comment on them. The manifests, subject of an advance notice of proposed rulemaking issued in March, would collect information on passengers for use in notifying relatives in the event of a crash. They extend to domestic aviation family notification efforts under way in international aviation.
SabreTech Inc., ValuJet's maintenance contractor in Miami at the time of last year's Flight 592 crash in the Everglades, has filed suit against the airline in federal court, claiming the carrier is required to indemnify it for all damages arising from the crash.
Crossair's board will recommend the introduction of registered shares to simplify the company's share structure. The decision is expected to come during a general assembly of the carrier's shareholders June 10. The goal is to align Crossair's equity structure with those of other companies with small and medium-size capitalization by widening the base of potential investors.
AMR expects to decide which and how many regional jets to buy "within 30 days," President Don Carty said yesterday.The company conducted a flyoff of the Embraer 145 and the Canadair CL-65 April 29 in Texas, and Carty said both aircraft "are strong contenders."
Bombardier's fractional-ownership Business JetSolutions program has 120 customers on its books and 24 aircraft in its portfolio two years after launch. By yearend, the company projects further expansion, to 40 business jets. Starting in 1999, Bombardier will add two aircraft types - two long- range Global Express jets will join the fleet after 1998 and deliveries of 25 Learjet-45 business jets will begin in March 1999. "Eighty percent of our customers are first-time jet owners," said Robert Gillespie, president of Dallas-based JetSolutions.
Air France pilots are considering a strike to protest the airline's lower pay scale for newly hired pilots. Three of four pilots unions at the group's regional unit Air France Europe entered the third week of conflict with a decision pending on extending it further. Air France Europe claims it is operating 90% of flights despite the strike.
While numerous industry and congressional leaders have decried the Clinton administration's failure to name a new FAA administrator, concern also has been building about the growing list of other key vacancies within the agency. In addition to the administrator's position, now open for more than six months, and the deputy administrator's post, open since the end of January, the agency has lost a number of senior managers in the Flight Standards Service.
Western Pacific Airlines, struggling to find profitability at two Denver airports, posted yesterday a net loss of $17.8 million in the first quarter on revenues of $35.8 million. "The results can only get better from here," said Furman Selz analyst Ray Neidl. "Yield was off, load factor was off, costs were off and revenues were flat." Westpac's load factor for the three-month period was 48.7%, down from 58.7%. Most of the carrier's load factor problems occurred early in the quarter.
All Nippon Airways President and Chief Executive Seiji Fukatsu, 64, is resigning in June after four years on the job. The resignation was expected. Unexpected, however, was the appointment of Kenzo Yoshikawa to fill the position. Yoshikawa, 60, an airline outsider, has been president of ANA Real Estate.
Aer Lingus will add two years, instead of the usual one, to its contract with Societe de Frt et de Services, the French cargo ground-handler based at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The parties have worked together for the last 10 years. Cargo traffic accounts for about 7% of Aer Lingus's total income and is growing steadily in volume each year, the company said. It operates four daily Dublin-Paris flights, up from two in 1987. Cargo, mail and express traffic is expanding about 12% annually, the Irish flag carrier said.
American Airlines Cargo reported record first quarter revenue despite a decline in capacity. Revenue was up 1.8% and yield rose 4.9%, even as traffic declined 3% to 479,750 million cargo ton miles.
Southwest Airlines will begin nonstop service to Kansas City from Baltimore/Washington Airport June 11. It is offering one-way fares of $69 through June 10 for travel through Oct. 24. Tickets must be purchased at least 24 hours in advance.
