Airlines operating to India from international points have refused to pay sales tax owed on aviation jet fuel to oil suppliers, senior oil company officials said yesterday in Bombay. While the total amount of arrears is not known, officials said the amount has accumulated since April 1, when the state-level administrations of Delhi and Maharashtra, locations of New Delhi and Bombay airports, respectively, imposed a 7% sales tax on jet fuel.
Air Canada affiliate Air Nova is offering discounted weekend getaway fares for travel from Newark to Nova Scotia. The fares are reduced by as much as 85% off full fare for passengers traveling north on Saturday and returning Monday or Tuesday. They require a one-day advance purchase, and travel must be completed by Dec. 12. Other restrictions may apply. Air Nova offers three daily nonstop jet flights between Newark and Atlantic Canada. Fares also are available on Air Canada flights from New York LaGuardia.
Sir Geoffrey Roberts, former Air New Zealand chairman and chief executive, died during the weekend. "His career spanned an era from flying boats to high-technology jets, and he was a driving force behind the effort to expand the range of international air service agreements between New Zealand and other countries that paved the way for the development of Tasman Empire Airways Ltd. and Air New Zealand," said James McCrea, ANZ managing director. Roberts served a term as president of the International Air Transport Association.
Southwest Airlines has taken delivery of its first new-production 737-300 equipped with a head-up guidance system (HGS) made by Flight Dynamics and installed by Boeing. Southwest committed to purchase 236 of the systems a year ago, which will enable its crews to perform Cat IIIa landings in visibility as low as 700 feet runway visual range. Takeoff minimums are as low as 300 feet RVR.
FAA issued Monday night a Priority Letter airworthiness directive outlining inspection and service requirements for aircraft equipped with propeller blades produced by Hamilton Standard. Following earlier, more immediate measures, the new FAA directive increases the number of blades requiring inspection, while stipulating continued regular inspections of the blades. "We have ordered a second aggressive inspection schedule that will require operators to complete their inspections within 15 days," said FAA Deputy Administrator Linda Daschle.
Japan Airlines plans to suspend service to Washington Dulles Nov. 1 because of falling demand, the airline said yesterday as it filed its proposed winter schedule with Japan's Ministry of Transport. JAL launched Tokyo- Washington service on March 30, 1991, and currently operates two roundtrips a week between the national capitals. Rival All Nippon Airways, which serves Washington with three flights a week, wants to add a fourth weekly flight in the market.
America West President and Chief Operating Officer Maurice Myers plans to retire at the end of the year and has given notice that he does not intend to take advantage of the automatic one-year extension of his two-year contract, which ends Jan. 1. Chairman and Chief Executive William Franke will assume Myers's responsibilities until a successor is chosen.
- TWA is offering a four-day fare sale, through midnight Sept. 1, that cuts prices nationwide 50% off the 21-day advance purchase fare. Fares to San Juan are reduced by 40% from the 14-day advance purchase price, and to Honolulu 40% off the 21-day advance purchase price. Travel during peak hours costs $40 more than the discounted fare. The fares require a Saturday night stay, but minimum stay requirements differ in Las Vegas, Honolulu and San Juan. All travel must be completed by Dec. 15. TWA said its only blackout dates are Nov. 22 and Nov. 26.
New York City, with 4.1 million visitors, heads the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration's list of top U.S. destinations for overseas visitors in 1994. Next come Los Angeles with 3.3 million arrivals, Miami with about 2.8 million, San Francisco with about 2.5 million, Orlando with more than 2.3 million, Oahu/Honolulu with 2.3 million, Las Vegas with 1.8 million, Washington, D.C., with 1.3 million, Chicago with 960,000 and Boston with 922,000.
Mexicana is seeking authority to operate combination service between Morelia, Mexico, and Chicago. The carrier proposes starting Sept. 5 five- times-weekly roundtrip service, using 727-200 or A320 aircraft. It said that while Taesa is currently designated to provide Morelia-Chicago service, it understands that the Mexican government will very shortly ask the U.S. to approve the route for double designation. (Docket OST-95-485)
Houston Hobby Airport police searched a Southwest jet yesterday with bomb- sniffing dogs after a passenger boarding the airplane told a ticket agent she was carrying guns, hand grenades and a bomb. The woman was arrested, but no explosive materials were found. The woman told authorities during questioning that she was joking. The flight was canceled, and passengers were put on other flights.
FAA has issued "Human Factors Guide for Aviation Maintenance," a guide book designed to reduce human error and improve the performance levels of airline maintenance technicians, managers and safety inspectors. Introducing the manual in both hard-copy and CD-ROM versions, FAA expects the volume to be used as an operational tool not only to enhance safety, but also to reduce the overall costs of maintenance.
Airport and Airway Trust Fund Income Statement October 1, 1994 - June 30, 1995 Current Month RECEIPTS (Revenues) Revenues: Excise Taxes (Transferred from General Fund): Liquid Fuel other than Gas $ 15,781,000.00 Transportation by Air, Seats, Berths, etc. 512,210,000.00
SF Wings, owner of Sportsflight Airways, has appointed former Kiwi International Air Lines President Danny Wright interim president of the Tucson-based charter carrier. Wright replaces Robert Fleming, who has been president and chief executive of Sportsflight since its inception in October 1993. The company received its FAR Part 121 certificate in April 1994. Fleming is leaving the company to pursue other business opportunities in aviation, Sportsflight said.
Air Transport Association and 59 airlines filed a rates and charges complaint Friday at DOT arguing that landing fees that took effect July 1 at Los Angeles Airport are unreasonable. Carriers also asked DOT to intervene and order airport officials to provide more consultation on landing fees. DOT issued a scheduling notice on the new complaint yesterday, providing procedural deadlines leading up to a Sept. 25 decision on the significance of the dispute.
U.S. Customs Service will begin a trial run this year at Miami Airport of a streamlined inspection process designed to speed passengers through customs and improve enforcement. A Customs spokesman said passengers who fit the profile of residents returning from a country where the risk of drug trafficking or terrorism is considered low will be allowed to declare orally what items they are bringing back into the country, instead of providing a written document. Customs already allows the oral declaration for land border crossing.
At the prompting of FAA and Hamilton Standard, regional aircraft operators inspected during the weekend between 350 and 380 propeller blades like the one that broke off the Atlantic Southeast Airlines' Embraer EMB-120 that crashed last Monday in Georgia. The actions were taken after the National Transportation Safety Board FAA Friday urged to require immediate ultrasonic inspection of Hamilton Standard blades (DAILY, Aug. 28).
National Transportation Safety Board recommended Friday that FAA issue airworthiness directives requiring inspection of General Electric CF6 high- pressure compressor (HPC) spools for cracks induced by hard alpha inclusions, and broadened HPC inspections for cracks caused by dwell time fatigue. FAA Deputy Administrator Linda Daschle said the agency will act on the recommendations "as soon as we have determined the correct inspection interval for the program."
In a shakeup of top management, Air France Managing Director Rodolphe Frantz, one of the few remaining longtime employees in upper management, resigned Monday, and Jean-Pierre Courcol was made head of domestic subsidiary Air Inter. Courcol replaces Michel Bernard, who resigned in May as chairman of Air Inter and head of the Air France European profit center. Following Bernard's resignation, Air France Chairman Christian Blanc was appointed to fill the post temporarily.
United has expanded electronic ticketing nationwide, to all 2,000 of its daily domestic flights. The E-Ticket option is available, effective yesterday, on sales for travel beginning Sept. 18. United said its surveys show that 95% of its customers believe ticketless is the most convenient way to travel, and 88% said E-Ticket would be their preferred ticketing option.
Aeromexico plans to launch nonstop San Diego-Cabo San Lucas flights Oct. 29, with direct service to Mexico City, subject to government approval. The airline described its expansion into Cabo San Lucas, located on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, as "just another step in Aeromexico's continuing effort to address the international traveler's never-ending quest for outstanding destinations."
U.S. National Carriers Traffic July, 7 Months 1995 July July % 1995 1994 Change Alaska Revenue Passenger Miles (000) 881,000 788,000 11.8 Available Seat Miles (000) 1,346,000 1,167,000 15.3 Load Factor (%) 65.5 67.5
