Business Express received final approval from DOT to operate as a reorganized company, emerging from bankruptcy proceedings that began Jan. 22, 1996. The airline, which code shares with Delta and Northwest, offers 340 daily flights with 37 Saab 340s.
International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading elected Allen Oliver, CIT Group, its president. Professional Aviation Maintenance Association and Aircraft Technical Publishers presented the PAMA/ATP Maintenance Technician of the Year Award to Richard Wellman, supervisor of technical services at Signature Flight Support, East Granby, Conn.
Concorde and the Americas by Kenneth Owen. Details the bitter political controversies over the Concorde's economic and environmental effects and the strained diplomatic relations among the U.S., France and the U.K. Smithsonian Institution Press; $35 hardcover. To order, call 800-782-4612.
Unisys is providing its Year 2000 information services system of assessment planning, conversion and testing to help Ansett prepare business operations and information technology systems for the turn of the century.
Japan Transport Minister Makoto Koga Friday proposed formal bilateral talks with the U.S. during the first or second week of June. The two countries have had three informal bilateral meetings, most recently in Honolulu. When President Clinton and Prime Minister Hashimoto met in Washington last month (DAILY, April 29), they expressed a desire for negotiators to sit down and resolve outstanding issues, a Japanese government official said. "We've been waiting for a reply from the U.S. on this, but so far we have not got it," he said.
Flight of Passage by Rinker Buck. Audio version of the Hyperion hardcover book telling the true story of two teenage brothers who bought a dilapidated Piper Cub, rebuilt it in their barn and flew it from New England to California, making headlines as the "youngest aviators to fly America coast-to-coast." Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing; $23.95, four cassettes. To order, call 212-782-9652.
New three-day truck service by FedEx has stirred union arguments that its ground employees do not fall under the Railway Labor Act even though FedEx last year "held Congress hostage" until the FAA reauthorization bill gave the carrier "added defense against efforts by its truck drivers to organize a union" under the National Labor Relations Act.
Abacus has begun operations in Pakistan and has formed a Club Abacus "recognition program" for travel agents with whom it does the most business. The Asia/Pacific computer reservations system started up in Pakistan with the cutover of eight travel agencies since midmonth, and Michael Lim, senior manager-market development, said the company will train more than 100 agents and install its system at more than 50 travel agencies there during the next few weeks. Lim leads the Abacus support group in Pakistan.
CCAIR, an independent US Airways regional, will be paying its large partner more and keeping less for itself this summer.Under a new agreement effective July 1, US Airways will capture an additional 4% of CCAIR's revenues and assess increased handling and service fees, the Charlotte- based regional said in a 10-Q securities filing. Mesa also faces a re- evaluation of its service agreement (DAILY, May 23).
Associated Air Center, Dallas, added Louis Churchville to the sales staff with responsibility for corporate/VIP/head-of-state aircraft completions and modifications. Banner Aerospace named Kristina Redline corporate controller. BMW Rolls Royce named former Fokker VP Gert Reitsma head of purchasing and Michael Corne head of marketing and sales. DeCrane Aircraft Holdings elected Mitchell Quain, executive VP of Furman Selz, to the board.
Walter Kidde Aerospace will retrofit Delta's 382 narrowbody aircraft with cargo bay protection systems, the company said. Currently, most narrowbody aircraft and many older widebodies have no protection systems, relying instead on fireproof cargo liners to contain a fire. FAA is preparing a notice of proposed rulemaking to require protection systems, which at a minimum will include smoke detectors in all cargo compartments.
American International Airways made its case for Ecuadorian cargo frequencies in a consolidated filing addressing applications by five other operators, including Challenge Air Cargo, the dominant carrier in the market.
International Civil Aviation Organization last week launched its first comprehensive organizational overhaul since its creation in 1944, aimed at increasing flight safety and security. At the same time, ICAO Council President Assad Kotaite renewed his proposal for increased powers to oversee the implementation of safety and security standards.
The Senate Friday passed 78-22 its version (S.Con.Res.27) of the five-year budget resolution, adopting a measure expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should consider legislation to exclude the receipts and disbursements of the aviation trust fund from U.S. budget totals. The amendment is a watered-down version of a proposal by Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) that would have made off-budget status an assumption of the budget resolution. Earlier last week, the House cleared its version (H.Con.Res.84) of the budget resolution by a 333-99 vote.
With no Boeing 777-200X\300X launch customer in sight and ample high-margin CFM56 and CF6 engine business in hand, GE Aircraft Engines will postpone certification testing on its planned 102,000-lbst. GE90-120B turbofan. Verification tests for the growth engine will continue and development will be brisk through next February. Both a fan booster rig test and a core engine test are on tap for the fourth quarter, the fan at Snecma facilities in France and the core at GE's Evendale, Ohio, altitude facility.
Society of British Aerospace Companies President Michael Turner says allocating workshares "by passport" must end as Airbus Industrie restructures itself. "We have to have the best guy doing the job," he told reporters last week. "We are competing with Boeing, which is a bloody good company with the best people running it."
Visions of a Flying Machine: The Wright Brothers and the Process of Invention by Peter Jakab. Summarizes the development leading to the first flights of the Wright Brothers and their flying machines. Smithsonian Institution Press; $15.95 paper. To order, call 800-782-4612.
Civil Aviation Administration of China selected Raytheon Electronic Systems to provide a $4 million air traffic control radar system for the new airport at Guangzhou. Other bidders were Siemens-Plessey, Alenia and Northrop-Grumman.
Millon Air told DOT's Air Carrier Fitness Division last week that its flights are listed in the May 1997 Official Airline Guide because lead times for publication are very long. Airlines are not to list flights in the OAG unless they are authorized to operate, and Millon has been shut down since the crash of one of its aircraft last year.
Varig is making South America's first foray into self-ticketing. The Brazilian carrier is investing $2 million to develop self-ticketing machines and will test them on the Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo shuttle route. The "Varig Express" system, created with Unisys and Siemens, may be used in other national and international service soon.
Two-week trial run of TV commercials to get prospects for a "Stop Dreaming, Start Flying" campaign has netted more than 2,000 requests for a free, $35- value introductory flight coupon, according to General Aviation Team 2000. More than 1,100 flight schools have signed up for the campaign, supported by general aviation manufacturers, businesses and associations.
Great Lakes Aviation resumed limited service Friday to five cities in Iowa and Illinois, operating as United Express. The company suspended service May 16 under pressure from FAA.
British Airways will sell a large portion of its 14.65% stake in computer reservation system Galileo International. BA owns the shares through its subsidiary Distribution Systems Inc. The airline could sell up to 45% of its holding in Galileo. Another BA subsidiary, Travel Automation Services Ltd., which trades as Galileo UK, is not affected, even though it is the national Galileo distributor in the U.K.
