DOT Office of the Inspector General said an audit of Denver airport spending suggests FAA needs to set policy for prohibiting or limiting the use of airport revenues for lobbying purposes. Citing an ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry regarding Denver bonds, a recent IG report also recommended that FAA review the appropriateness of using airport revenues to defend airport sponsor officials in a federal investigation.
ISIS Aviation Services said it arranged the sale of a 747SP on behalf of Air Mauritius to Qatar Airways. The aircraft was built in 1980 for Braniff Airways and was operated by Aerolineas Argentinas until 1990.
A coalition of airlines, airport authorities, local governments and consumer and policy groups yesterday stepped up pressure on the U.S. government to begin passenger talks with Japan. The Aviation Coalition for Competition and Expanded Services Between the U.S. and Japan, or ACCESS U.S.-Japan, "begins with the proposition that the U.S. national interest is best served by expanding market access," said former Virginia Gov. Gerald Baliles, chairman, in a news conference. "Unfortunately, the current agreements between the U.S.
Hamilton Standard said it has been selected by Bombardier Aerospace Group- North America to provide the integrated environmental control/pneumatic system for the Dash 8-400 aircraft. The United Technologies division has supplied environmental control systems for previous Dash 8 models. The 70- passenger derivative, in development, is scheduled to enter service in 1999.
New Boeing 737 aircraft will enable Southwest to increase its schedule by 14 daily roundtrips this summer, introducing service from Las Vegas to Texas and growing further in California. The carrier said yesterday it will start service June 6 between Las Vegas and Amarillo, Lubbock and Midland, Texas. It will boost capacity between Nashville and Baltimore, Boise and Seattle, Baltimore and Chicago and Dallas and New Orleans, and it will add flights between Las Vegas and Ontario, Portland and Sacramento, Reno and San Jose and Seattle and Sacramento.
Tower Air reported a 1995 net profit of $10.68 million, a significant improvement from the $568,000 earned in the previous year. Earnings per share were 70 cents, compared with four cents in 1994. While full-year results were good, Tower lost $881,000 in the fourth quarter, still an improvement from the $1.56 million deficit incurred in the fourth quarter 1994. Fourth quarter 1995 results include a $5.52 million non-operating gain tied to insurance proceeds covering flight equipment.
National Transportation Safety Board regional offices are looking into the recent spate of emergency or unscheduled evacuations from air transport aircraft, a spokeswoman said yesterday. "It has been since the mid-1980s that we did any studies" on emergency evacuations, "so we just want to take a look. We have always been interested in egress issues and what the circumstances were," the spokeswoman said. The regional investigators will send their reports to NTSB headquarters in Washington, she said. Continental was involved in two emergency evacuations this week.
FAA acquisition reform due before Congress by April 1 will give integrated product teams (IPTs) broad authority to award contracts, saving time and money for taxpayers and industry, an agency official said yesterday. FAA published a draft of its acquisition reform plan yesterday on the Internet, asking for comments by March 5. A Commerce Business Daily announcement could come today or tomorrow, said Dennis DeGaetano, director, Office of Acquisitions. Working in parallel, FAA's personnel reform group is due to report Feb.
Traffic of the major U.S. airlines increased 0.6% last month, compared with January 1995, on a 2.1% decrease in capacity, the Air Transport Association reported yesterday. The increase came despite winter storms that impacted airline operations severely. The majors flew 39 billion revenue passenger miles on 62.1 billion available seat miles. Passenger enplanements for the month were down 2%. The load factor gained 1.7 percentage points to 62.9%. A 0.1% decline in domestic RPMs was offset by a 2.4% increase in international RPMs.
American applied yesterday for authority to operate scheduled service between the terminal points Chicago, Los Angeles and New York and the terminal point Tokyo. The carrier also filed a second motion for immediate action on its two-year-old application for Chicago/Dallas/Fort Worth/Los Angeles/New York-Osaka service.
Delta's tentative pilot contract includes a 2% pay cut that will help it combat low-cost rival ValuJet, and probably will give American and USAir ammunition in negotiations with their own unions, industry experts said yesterday. Delta issued details of the accord after announcing late Tuesday that it had secured a preliminary deal with its Air Line Pilots Association unit.
DOT has issued a show cause order tentatively finding Sun Pacific International fit to operate domestic and international combination charter service. The Tucson-based carrier plans to offer sub-service to other certificated supplemental charter air carriers, using a 727-200 (DAILY, Sept. 14, 1995). (Dockets OST-95-585&OST-95-586)
General Accounting Office said last week that it found no reason to doubt that Denver International Airport can meet its financial obligations for now, including repayments to current bondholders, but it cited "risk factors [that] could result in limiting DIA's future ability to meet its obligations." GAO noted, however, that the limited operating data available to it - six months' worth - was of "limited predictive value." (GAO/AIMD- 96-27)
Citicorp Global Aviation said it sold a 737-200 to Indigo Aviation. Southwest continues to lease the aircraft. Citicorp also said it sold two 737-200s to Boullioun Aviation, both of which still are leased by Carnival Air.
Aeroflot applied for authority to operate scheduled combination service between Russia and Atlanta via intermediate points, and to co-terminalize Atlanta with the other U.S. points it serves. As the official Russian national carrier for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Aeroflot said it needs the authority to transport the Russian Olympic teams and their families, official delegates and Russian tourists to the games. The carrier plans to operate 29 roundtrip flights to Atlanta in July and August, using Boeing 767, Il-96, Il-86 and Il-62 aircraft.
Clinton administration is considering about $150 million in user fees to help fund FAA's budget for fiscal 1997. The budget request, due in mid- March, is expected to propose FAA funding at about the fiscal 1996 level. Planned increases for FAA operations would be offset largely by cuts in the Airport Improvement Program and facilities and equipment.
World Airways said yesterday it has reached a wide-ranging marketing agreement with Continental that will boost World's international service and Continental's limited international presence from the northeastern U.S. Continental and World will code share, and Continental will license its Business First brand to World and allow World to participate in its OnePass frequent flyer program. World will shift its international flights from New York Kennedy Airport to Newark Airport, where Continental can feed them from its hub routes.
Boeing 737 Systemwide Aircraft Utilization Per Day Third Quarter 1995 B737-300 America West Continental Delta Number of Aircraft Operated 37 64 13 Total Fleet Operations Departures 245 291 65 Block Hours 417 621 105
In Flight Phone Corp. said it has improved its FlightLink inflight entertainment system, used by America West and Continental. USAir removed the system from its aircraft in October after major problems. New software provides for station-to-station handoff and built-in diagnostics on major components of the system.
Aeroports de Montreal, operator of Dorval and Mirabel airports, said Tuesday it will close Mirabel to scheduled passenger traffic and use the facility only for cargo and charter flights. Canadian Airlines International, Alitalia, Sabena and Lufthansa already have left Mirabel for Dorval, and remaining carriers - Air Canada, British Airways, Air France, KLM and Swissair - presumably will switch soon. Mirabel opened in 1975 with a design capacity of 10 million passengers, but traffic never approached that level - there were 2.5 million passengers in 1994.
Virgin Atlantic Airways Chairman Richard Branson confirmed this week that he has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire an 80% stake in EuroBelgian Airlines. Branson plans to operate the airline as Virgin European Airways, a low-cost entity that will be separate from privately held, long-haul carrier Virgin Atlantic. Last year, Branson explored the feasibility of starting a low-cost, no-frills operation in Europe.
Continental has applied for authority to operate code-share service with the TACA Group - TACA International Airlines, Aviateca, Copa, Lacsa and Nica Airlines. If approved by the U.S. and Honduran governments, Continental plans to begin June 1 displaying the designator codes of its partners on its service in the Dallas/Fort Worth-Houston, Newark-Miami, Panama City-Guayaquil, Panama City-Houston/Los Angeles, and Houston-San Pedro Sula markets.
Delta's Air Line Pilots Association canceled a systemwide teleconference, scheduled at 7 p.m. tonight, on the status of negotiations with the company. ALPA said yesterday negotiations under the auspices of the National Mediation Board have not ended, and because of a strict media blackout, the teleconference will not take place.
With a two-year financial recovery under way, Aer Lingus has launched a $14.2 million makeover of its operations. The carrier recently unveiled a new livery - the first redesign in 20 years - that includes a variation of its trademark shamrock and new lettering. The carrier launched the new design in Europe and will expand it piecemeal across its system. The upgrade also includes new leather seat covers in business class and a new look in coach. The changes will be unveiled in the U.S. on St. Patrick's Day, March 17.
