British Aerospace has shuffled a number of top management positions in its finance departments, including the naming of a new head of its Asset Management Organization and JSX Capital Corporation. Tony Rice, former group treasurer for the U.K.-based regional aircraft manufacturer, was appointed to the newly created position of chief executive of British Aerospace Asset Management.
Air France's Air Littoral subsidiary has begun service into London City Airport, Fokker announced. Fokker said in June it hoped to have its JetLine family of aircraft certificated for operation at close-in, short- runway London City. Air Littoral's 79-seat Fokker 70s, replacing ATR 42 turboprops on the London City-Paris route, will make more than 30 flights weekly in each direction.
Nominations of Charles Hunnicut to be DOT assistant secretary for international aviation and Nancy McFadden to be DOT general counsel were approved Thursday by the Senate Commerce Committee, but Hunnicut's Senate confirmation may take a while. Committee member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R- Texas) said she would place a hold on his nomination because she is concerned about international aviation policy, particularly with regard to the U.K. and Japan. DOT's international aviation slot has been vacant since the Clinton administration took office almost 34 months ago.
General Electric's GE90 turbofan won its long-awaited certification on Boeing's 777 widebody twin Thursday, after final certification test issues with the FAA were resolved earlier in the week. Delivery of the first GE- powered airplane to launch customer British Airways, originally scheduled for late September, was expected during the weekend.
Seat-mile costs for a comparable trip in Europe are 120.5% higher in Europe than in North America, according to cost comparisons developed recently by Bombardier Regional Aircraft. The costs were contained in a comparative analysis of the Canadair Regional Jet and the Saab 2000 high- speed turboprop, but proved instructive when comparing the two operating environments. In addition to higher crew and fuel costs, North American operators do not face exorbitant costs for landing, navigation and Eurocontrol ATC charges, or the $7.24 per-passenger service charge.
Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association named John Thornton, former legislative and PAC director for MEBA affiliate National Air Traffic Controllers Association, deputy director-legislative and political affairs, a new position.
Continental Express Chief Executive and President Jonathan Ornstein has resigned, Continental said Thursday. The company said it expects to be able to name a successor soon.
ValuJet filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Delta and TWA alleging antitrust violations by both and breach of contract by TWA for failing to lease ValuJet 10 slots at New York LaGuardia and instead leasing them to Delta. ValuJet is seeking temporary and permanent injunctions to prevent TWA from leasing the slots to Delta, and to require TWA to lease them to ValuJet. According to the suit, filed in U.S.
During the past five years, sales outside the U.S. accounted for 70% of Boeing Commercial's business, according to Bob Dryden, executive VP. More than 85% of the jobs created by those sales stay in the U.S., he says.
Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon Air flew 70 million revenue passenger miles in October, a 7.9% increase from 65 million in October 1994. Capacity was up 9.5% to 117 million ASMs from 107 million in the prior-year period. The load factor dropped 0.9 percentage points to 59.9% from 60.8%. Passenger boardings rose 2.9% to 315,301 from 306,378. Oct. 1995 Oct. 1994 10 Months 1995 10 Months 1994 RPMs 70,000,000 65,000,000 702,000,000 597,000,000
U.S.-India aviation negotiations, tentatively scheduled to resume today in Washington, now look to be on hold at least until after the Thanksgiving holidays and maybe longer. India has not approved any of the resumption dates offered by the U.S., according to an U.S. industry source.
United's management today will take the results of its USAir study to the UAL board and is expected to propose that a highly conditional offer be made to acquire USAir, according to analysts. "United clearly wants the numbers to work," PaineWebber analyst Sam Buttrick said of the carrier's six-week analysis of whether to acquire USAir. "In any analysis there are discretionary judgments to be made," he said.
Midwest Express subsidiary Skyway Airlines flew 6.2 million revenue passenger miles last month, an 11.1% increase from the same 1994 month. Capacity rose 15% to 14.1 million available seat miles, generating a load factor decline of 1.6 points to 44.2% from 45.8% in the prior period.
Banner Aerospace reported net income of $732,000, operating income of $4.3 million and sales of $66.5 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30. In the same quarter last year, the company reported net income of $1 million, operating income of $4.1 million and sales of $56.8 million.
Atlantic Southeast flew 66.8 million revenue passenger miles last month, a 7.6% decline from the same 1994 month. Because capacity declined only 2.1% to 144.3 million available seat miles from 147.4 million, the regional's load factor dropped 2.7 percentage points to 46.3% from 49%. The number of passengers boarded was off 6.7%.
Lou Harris and Associates, which conducted a poll for Shuttle by United, found that passengers prefer peanuts over pretzels overwhelmingly when given the choice. Also, 45% of respondents had looked out the airplane window to find their homes below, and 38% "always hold on until after the flight" rather than use the aircraft lavatory.
Association of Flight Attendants at Business Express, which has represented the airline's flight attendants for two and one-half years, has reached tentative agreement on its first contract. The deal, covering 150 flight attendants, will be put to a ratification vote early in December. Pat Davis, local executive council president, said, "This agreement provides an example of what can result from a cooperative labor/management relationship. We are pleased to have reached this agreement." Contract details were not disclosed.
Maiden, N.C.-based Air Transportation Holding Company, a small- aircraft cargo operator, parts broker and overhauler, reported net earnings of $300,558, or 10 cents per share, for its second fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30. The carrier for the comparable period last year earned $433,225, or 13 cents per share.
Union officials said no further meetings are scheduled with Boeing following a seven-hour session last week, the first between the company and the striking Machinists in more than a month. Bob Gregory, the union's Boeing coordinator, and Bill Johnson, its district president, said the company did not use the meeting to turn over information the National Labor Relations Board charged it is withholding illegally. "Our strike will continue," Johnson said.
British Airways and USAir have created a jointly owned, U.S.-based engineering services company, Airline Technical Services. ATS is based at USAir's Pittsburgh hub and is intended to capitalize on BA's long-haul and USAir's short-haul expertise. ATS will market the combined range of BA and USAir aircraft engineering and maintenance services, seeking contracts in the U.S. and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere, where the company can jointly serve new customers in the third-party maintenance market.
