Adopted an AD on certain Saab 340B aircraft requiring inspections to detect cracking of the beams located over the overwing emergency exits, and replacement if necessary.
National Mediation Board last week declared an impasse in contract talks between Federal Express and the Air Line Pilots Association, which have been in mediation for 10 months. ALPA late Friday said it would accept arbitration on two conditions - that FedEx notify the NMB by 5 p.m. today that it also accepts, and that ALPA and FedEx conclude an arbitration agreement within five working days thereafter, unless both sides agree to an extension.
USAir board will shrink to 15 directors from 16 under investor Warren Buffett's previously disclosed decision to give back the two seats he controls through Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett and colleague Charles Munger will not stand for re-election to the board next month. Robert Bogle, CEO of The Philadelphia Tribune, one of the country's oldest African-American newspapers, has been nominated to the board.
***U.S. Major and National Carriers Commission Expenses*** Second Quarter 1995 % Of Total Passenger Systemwide Revenues America West $ 31,281,617 8.39 American 302,972,000 8.93 Continental 104,502,000 9.38 Delta 290,242,000 9.67
Delta is adding a second daily nonstop flight from Edmonton, Alberta, to Salt Lake City Dec. 1. The evening flight will be in addition to its one daily morning flight with 757 aircraft.
Taiwan and Macau have initialed a bilateral air agreement that will enable Air Macau to begin serving routes between the two countries once the new Macau Airport opens on Nov. 9. The official signing of the accord is expected to take place during the opening ceremonies for the airport. Under the terms of the agreement, each side will be permitted to designate two carriers to fly Taipei-Macau and Kaohsiung-Macau routes. No restrictions will be placed on the number of flights or the type of aircraft to be used.
Adopted an AD on Airbus Industrie A330 and A340 series aircraft requiring replacement of the fire extinguisher distribution pipe and attachments in the lower-deck cargo compartment.
Proposed to supersede an AD on Aerospatiale ATR-42 and ATR-72 aircraft, adding requirements for modification of de-icing boots on the leading edge of the wing, and various follow-on actions, to the conditions under which the aircraft can be operated in certain icing conditions.
Bell Helicopter TEXTron consolidated worldwide sales efforts under Fred Hubbard, senior VP-commercial and military business, and elevated Jim Rogers to VP-program marketing, Jeff Pino to executive director-European marketing and Peter Parsinen to senior VP-customer and marketing control. Reporting to Parsinen is Walter Sonneborn, VP-program and product development, and Ed Keglovits, executive director-marketing support, as is Bruce Camp, executive director-customer support, while Loren Doughty becomes director-customer training academy.
Uzbekistan Airways has placed a $258 million order with Boeing for two 767- 300ERs and one 757-200. "This is a very significant order because this is a new Boeing customer in an important, emerging area of the world," said Seddik Belyamani, VP-sales for Boeing Commercial Airplane Group.
FAA has extended until Nov. 7 the public comment period on proposed policy changes in DOT's airport rates and charges policy. On Sept. 8, DOT published in The Federal Register a supplemental notice of a proposed policy statement on "fair, reasonable and not unjustly discriminatory airport rates and charges for aeronautical uses." Comments should be mailed in quadruplicate to FAA, Office of Chief Counsel, ATTN: Rules Docket (AGC-10), Dockets 27782, 800 Independence Ave. S.W., Washington, D.C. 20591.
Taiwan Minister of Transportation and Communications Liu Chao-shiuan officiated at ceremonies observing the completion of a project to expand the airport on Green Island, the fourth largest of Taiwan's offshore islands. The centerpiece of the project, launched in July 1990, is a new 1,010-meter runway capable of handling 20-seat aircraft, twice the size of the 10-passenger airplanes that currently serve the island. Completion of the airport expansion corresponds with a drive to promote Green Island as a major tourist destination.
Boeing begins negotiations today with the Seattle Professional Engineering Employees Association, which represents more than 21,000 engineers and technical workers at the manufacturer, as the Machinists union strike continues. Executive Director Charles Bofferding said, "We're using a completely revamped negotiations process this time that, hopefully, will allow us to focus on problem solving rather than politics."
Alaska Airlines will name its new ticketless travel system Instant Travel, or IT. Alaska originally intended to call the program Wings, but other companies own that name. Look for Alaska advertising with slogans like "Have you tried IT?"
United plans to pour capacity into Hawaii from the mainland and Japan at the request of Hawaiian officials, adding nearly 9,000 weekly seats by July. United said it will undertake a multi-million- dollar program to reconfigure 10 747s from a three-class configuration to two classes. The airplanes will have 42 first-class seats and 408 economy seats. Some of the 747s will replace 287-seat DC-10-10s and 298-seat DC-10-30s.
Proposed to revise the applicability of an AD on certain Fairchild SA226 and SA227 series aircraft requiring relocation of the essential bus current limiters to the battery bus.
Tower Air's scheduled passenger traffic rose 22.4% last month from September a year ago on 9% more capacity, boosting its load factor 7.9 percentage points to 73.2%. The number of passengers boarded rose 20%, and total block hours flown were up 17.6% to 3,709. Tower attributed the gains to its commercial and military charters, and to increased scheduled passenger service in international markets, including resumption of service to Sao Paulo and a new route between New York and Bombay.
AirTran Airways has reduced fares in selected city-pairs from Orlando, Fla., by about $20 for travel Nov. 1-Feb. 15. Tickets must be purchased by Oct. 29.
Proposed an AD on Pratt&Whitney JT9D-7R4 series engines requiring the replacement of third-, fourth- and fifth-stage, low-pressure turbine vane retention bolts and nuts, and the removal of the fifth-stage vane con- figuration for replacement of an electro-discharge machined slot with a cast slot.
Teleflex Inc. and GE Aircraft Engines have agreed to form a joint venture to repair commercial aircraft engine fan blades and compressor airfoils. Expected to start operations at the end of 1995, the new company, Airfoil Technologies International, will combine the relevant repair and engineering expertise of Sermatech, a Teleflex subsidiary, and GE to develop and implement performance-enhancing repairs for airline and turbine engine overhaul customers.
Issued an AD on certain Raytheon Hawker 1000 and BAe 125-1000A series aircraft requiring an inspection to detect damage to an electrical cable loom, and tying back the loom with a cable tie to the cable loom support bracket.
Granted orally an exemption to Air Micronesia's bid for authority to operate between Guam and Manila and beyond Manila to Taipei, Taiwan/Seoul, Korea/Singapore/Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/Jakarta, Indonesia. The carrier stated that all flight operations under the authority will be conducted under direction, control and responsibility of Continental Micronesia.
Proposed an AD on AlliedSignal (formerly Textron Lycoming) LTS101 series turboshaft and LTP101 series turboprop engines requiring the identification and replacement of certain defective power turbine rotors.
