FAA FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT FUNDING, FISCAL 1998 (In Thousands of Dollars) FY97 FY98 FY97 FY98 LINE LINE TITLE ENACTED REQUEST ACTIVITY 1. Engineering, Development, Test and Evaluation A. En Route Programs 1A01 1A01 Aviation Weather Services Improvements 19,942.0 23,000.0 1A03 1A02 Oceanic Automation System 39,000.0 32,000.0
Southwest traffic for January rocketed 24.4% on 11% more capacity, compared with the same 1996 month. The airline's load factor rose 6.5 percentage points to 60.2% from 53.7%. During the month, Southwest flew 8% more flights, or 64,696 trips, and its average length of haul grew 7.8% to 541 miles. January 1997 January 1996 Rev. Passenger Miles 2,154,354,188 1,731,955,231 Available Seat Miles 3,577,954,798 3,223,057,008
Airborne Freight Corp. said its board approved a shareholder rights plan "designed to protect Airborne stockholders against abusive takeover tactics." It said the plan also will "enhance stockholders' likelihood of receiving fair value in any change-of-control transaction, permitting acceptance of an offer the board concludes is in the best interest of Airborne and its stockholders." The rights plan limits the ownership of common stock by any person or group to 20%.
Approved orally an exemption for Pacific International Airlines to wet- lease a 727-100 freighter to Cayman Airways for all-cargo service between Cayman Islands and Miami through Oct.
GTE Airfone President Katherine Harless was selected to participate in the 1997 Leadership America program, a nationwide program for women of achievement.
Flying the Commercial Pilot Flight Test by Ron Fowler. Explains maneuvers that must be successfully completed to obtain a commercial pilot certificate. Iowa State University Press; $21.95. To order, call 800-862- 6657.
Tokyo Haneda Airport expects government approval for international charter and business aircraft operations now that a new runway has been completed. The 3,000-meter runway, to be put in service March 27, will be far enough from residential areas to operate 24 hours a day.
Northwest posted a 7% increase in January traffic on 4.6% more capacity, which pushed the load factor up 1.5 percentage points to 67.4%. International traffic rose 8% on 2.5% more capacity, and the international load factor was up 3.8 points to 75.4%. Domestic traffic grew 6.2% on 5.9% more capacity, keeping the load factor flat at 62.3%. January 1997 January 1996 RPMs 5,223,813,000 4,883,273,000 ASMs 7,754,827,000 7,415,572,000
AirTran Airways flew 62.8 million revenue passenger miles in January, a 15% increase over January 1996. Available seat miles rose 3% during the month to 105 million, and the load factor improved 6.4 percentage points to 59.7%. AirTran carried 75,635 passengers in January, a 22% increase.
Alaska Airlines posted a 14.1% traffic rise in January, to 722 million revenue passenger miles, on 3% greater capacity. The airline had a passenger load factor of 59.9%, up 5.8 percentage points. It carried 854,800 passengers, up from 766,700 in January 1996.
The governments of India and Portugal have signed an agreement to establish new routes and strengthen cooperation in civil aviation. Signed Thursday in New Delhi by foreign ministers I. K. Gujral of India and Jamie Gama of Portugal, the pact allows the national carriers work out plans to start service between Lisbon and New Delhi. Air-India hopes to boost tourism to India from Southern Europe.
General aviation aircraft manufacturers posted record billings of $3.1 billion last year, up 10.6% from $2.8 billion in 1995, according to Ed Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Total units were up 5.1% to 1,132 from 1,077 in 1995, and the manufacturers hope to ship 2,000 aircraft this year. The year-over-year increase would be 76.6%. Piston-engine aircraft shipments rose 4.2% in 1996 to 600, and turboprop shipments were up 13.3% to 289, but turbojet shipments slipped to 243 from 246.
United Express affiliate Atlantic Coast Airlines is relocating its headquarters within Loudoun County, Va., effective Feb. 15, consolidating its various units under one roof. Atlantic Coast currently operates in about 28,500 square feet spread over two buildings in Sterling, by Washington Dulles Airport. The new, 45,000-square-foot facility, at 515-A Shaw Road, will house the executive offices, administrative personnel and training center.
Continental reported the highest January load factor in its history - 64.5%, up 1.7 percentage points - as traffic jumped 15.5%. International traffic surged 19.9%. Capacity increased 13.3%, with domestic available seat miles up 11.8% and international ASMs up 17.1%. Continental Express traffic rose 16.7%, but capacity was up more, 22.4%, pushing the load factor down 2.1 points to 43.1%. Cargo revenue ton miles totaled 20.8%. January 1997 January 1996 RPMs 3,491,307,000 2,995,624,000
Northwest contracted with Ad Opt Technologies for a crewmember scheduling system after tests produced operating savings of several hundred thousand dollars a month. Other Ad Opt customers include Air Canada, Air Transit, Delta, FAA and Eurocontrol.
..MAX carried 15,000 passengers during its first seven weeks in operation, serving Aspen, Durango, Gunnison, Hayden and Montrose, Colo., from its Colorado Springs hub with six, three, five, four and five roundtrips daily. President Tom McClain tells The DAILY that the carrier was able to start up in 91 days with a Part 121 certificate and four new airplanes. About 200 passengers were affected by the drift-down restriction, which had what McClain described as an "emotionally intense impact." Load factors were 45% in December and 42.5% in January.
InVision Technologies said yesterday its CTX 5000 SP explosives detection systems have been installed at Chicago O'Hare and New York Kennedy airports. The devices are the first of 54 CTX 5000s that will be shipped to U.S. airports this year under a $522 million FAA contract awarded last December. The O'Hare system will scan checked baggage for international flights at Terminal 1. It has been installed directly behind United's international check-in counter in a stand-alone configuration. Once baggage clears the CTX 5000, it is fed into United's baggage system.
FAA's proposal to allow the use of single-engine aircraft in commercial Part 135 operations under instrument flight rules (SEIFR) has been lauded by operators and the National Transportation Safety Board as a positive safety initiative, but reaction from manufacturers and the Air Line Pilots Association has been mixed. FAA last week extended the comment period on the proposal until March 3.
Delta set a passenger boarding record at its second-largest hub, Salt Lake City, in January, when it boarded 581,891 passengers, beating the old record set in January 1996 by 67,169 passengers. January was the 36th month that Delta has broken records at Salt Lake City for month-over-same- month boardings.
Air Canada has taken delivery of two additional Canadair Regional Jets with a new mission in mind. The aircraft "will be pressed into immediate service, providing the benefit of jet comfort to markets traditionally served by turboprop aircraft," the carrier said. The two CRJs had been tagged for another carrier, leading some Canadian sources to suggest the move is a shot across the bow of striking Air Canada Connector pilots, who normally fly those turboprops. Air Canada already had 24 CRJs, but they are used on mainline transborder "hub-buster" routes.
Vanguard Airlines board members Kenneth Wagnon and Sharol Rasberry have resigned due to time constraints and other business obligations, the carrier said. The board is considering whether to fill the vacancies. Wagnon, who has been on the board since it was formed, said, "I continue to be an ardent supporter of Vanguard and will be available to offer any assistance the company may require."
