Civil Aviation Administration of China has scheduled the 1998 China International Airport Facilities and Air Service Exhibition for May 12-15, 1998, at Beijing. Airport equipment, airplanes, air service products and gifts, and land shopping products will be displayed.
Boeing Commercial Airplane Group will move its headquarters from the current site on the south end of Lake Washington in Renton to a new building in Longacres Park, a 12-acre site near SeaTac Airport. The 300,000-square-foot building will house executive offices, sales, contracts, legal, human resources, marketing and communications. Design will begin in January, site preparation will follow in April and completion is scheduled for October 1998.
FAA, following a recommendation of the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, is acquiring 54 explosives detection systems from InVision Technologies under an initial $52.2 million contract. The CTX-5000 SP systems are to be delivered over 12 months, starting this month. FAA has an option to buy additional units that would increase the value of the contract to $110.9 million. The CTX-5000 SP, developed with FAA support, is based on CAT scan technology - using X-rays, it maps objects inside baggage for analysis by a computer.
The Canadian province of Alberta yesterday dropped its aviation fuel tax to 1.5 cents per liter from five cents a liter, dropping fuel prices there "below all provinces west of the Maritimes," according to the government. A slightly smaller reduction had been slated for January 1998, but the reduction was accelerated "in light of developments at Canadian Airlines."
Baltia Air Lines, a U.S. startup that has been working to launch operations since at least 1992, has asked DOT for permission to delay operations again, this time until late spring. DOT found Baltia fit and willing to operate foreign scheduled service last Feb. 7, and the carrier plans to fly between New York and St. Petersburg, Russia, with a 747. It said in its filings that it is well on its way toward meeting financial and certification requirements.
United and SITA signed a service performance agreement covering the Managed Data Network Services that SITA provides to the carrier around the world. The pact also provides for closer cooperation.
In a move to shorten domestic and international air routes, the Indian government has directed the defense ministry to allocate more air corridors to civilian flights. The directive was prompted mainly by allegations from aviation industry analysts that the Chakri Dadri midair collision last month could have been avoided with better air traffic regulation. Two government-appointed committees are investigating the accident.
New Jet Deliveries September 1996 Last 12 Months Carrier # Type Engines Delivery Air Jamaica 1 MD-83 JT8D-219 - Air Nippon 1 737-500 CFM56-3C1 2 Ansett 1 A320-200 CFM56-5A1 -
The Machinists union has sued Walt Disney Pictures&Television for $50 million for negative characterizations in the studio's movie "Ransom." The two co-writers of the script also are named in the suit. The Machinists complained that a character in the movie is described as a corrupt Machinists union official, and there are other references to Machinists union indictments and strikes. The union said it has received "hundreds of inquiries and expressions of concern" from union members and the general public since the movie was released.
Federal Express, continuing its seven-year effort to build and operate an express cargo warehouse and handling facility at Chiang Kai Shek Airport in Taipei, asked DOT to defer action on two pending EVA Airways applications for expanded intermodal authority between the U.S. and Taiwan. FedEx does not oppose Taiwan-based EVA's bid to renew and expand its authority, but it wants the U.S. to help exert pressure on Taiwanese authorities to permit construction of the facility.
Taiwanese domestic carrier Great China Airlines has begun operating what it plans to be three-times-weekly charter flights between Kaohsiung and Subic Bay, the Philippines, using aircraft leased from another domestic carrier, U-Land Airlines. GCA joins Far Eastern Air Transport Corp., Taiwan's largest domestic airline, which also offers three charters per week in the market.
United is establishing an employee awards program and intends to hold an annual awards banquet to recognize 50 to 100 employees. In an employee news bulletin, United said it will choose winners at the division level in six categories - safety first, customer satisfaction, leadership excellence, most valuable player, vision and the United We Care community service program. Names will be forwarded to the company level for recognition at the dinner, to be held April 17.
Even as Europe's giants struggle to integrate the continent's air traffic control systems, tiny Latvia and Lithuania are quarreling over carving up airspace of the former Soviet Union in the Baltic area. Lithuania claims that its proposals to divide the airspace, opposed by Latvia, have been approved by Russia, Poland, Sweden, Finland and the International Civil Aviation Organization. But the former USSR's air control center for the Eastern Baltic region was located in Riga and has been under the authority of Latvia since Latvia became independent in 1991.
Qantas Airways will reduce its scheduled service between Brisbane and Taipei to two flights per week from the current three, beginning March 30. The company plans to introduce two additional flights to Shanghai and Beijing next August, pending government approval. Sources in Taipei said increased competition by EVA Airways, Mandarin Airlines, Ansett Australia and Air New Zealand cut into Qantas's load factor on the Brisbane-Taipei route and led to the carrier's decision to reduce service.
Fine Air applied to DOT for authority to operate a wet lease providing all- cargo service for Fast Air between Miami and Chile via intermediate points, using Fine DC-8-50 and DC-8-61 aircraft.
Carnival Air Lines will offer a $97 roundtrip companion fare between Newark and two points in Florida, Tampa and Palm Beach, for travel from Jan. 7 through Feb. 13.
Northwest Airlines will attempt further inroads into the Asian market under a proposed code share with Garuda Indonesia Airlines. The carriers have signed a memorandum of understanding for what would be the first marketing and operational alliance between U.S. and Indonesian airlines.
Northwest has applied to DOT for an exemption to fly scheduled combination service between the U.S. and Belgrade via Amsterdam in a code share with partner KLM. The Dutch carrier plans to launch Amsterdam-Belgrade service March 30.
Kiwi International Air Lines' inability to find enough flightcrew personnel to fly charters for ValuJet during the weekend caused ValuJet to cancel all flights from Atlanta to Dallas/Fort Worth and Fort Myers and refund money to passengers. ValuJet has made advance cancellations to "minimize the negative impact of this situation," and it gave passengers roundtrip certificates for future travel.
Virgin Atlantic ordered automated external defibrillators from Physio- Control International, expanding its 1990 decision to adopt simple defibrillators to deal with sudden cardiac arrest during flights.
LanChile is offering "Visit Chile" fares in 1997 from its three North American gateways, Miami, New York and Los Angeles. Travelers will be able to visit as many as nine different destinations in Chile within a 21-day period. LanChile operates 28 weekly flights to Chile from the U.S.
MSAS is expanding its logistics and transportation management business into Mexico. MSAS de Mexico S.A. de C.V. will begin operations Jan. 1 with headquarters in Mexico City and branches in six Mexican cities and Laredo, Texas. The expansion was established via a majority owned joint venture with Central de Aduanas de Mexico. MSAS plans other expansion in Latin America in the coming 18 months.
Asiana Airlines, the eight-year-old Korean carrier with a young fleet, has set a corporate goal of becoming at least the 20th largest carrier in the world within nine years. Today, the airline is ranked 39th, said Patrick Khoury, its Los Angeles-based general manager of marketing and sales. "In other words, our goal is to become one of the best airlines in the world," he said. With 45 aircraft in operation - and one additional 747-400F delivered Friday - the carrier will more than double in size by 2005, when it will have 100 aircraft.
LTU is expanding domestic service from Dusseldorf to Westerland/Sylt, Erfurt and Saarbrucken. All flights are operated by LTU's new partner, RAS, formerly Rheinland Air Service.
