Emirates Group of Dubai reported net income of $39.7 million for the fiscal year that ended March 31, 23.9% higher than its 1993-94 net. The group comprises Emirates, the airline of the United Arab Emirates, which accounted for $25.9 million of the 1994-95 profit, and DNATA, the ground- handling and travel-management agent, which turned in $13.8 million. Emirates' income grew 6.1% for the year while DNATA's was on a productivity-fueled rebound, up 80.7%.
Granted orally an exemption to TWA to conduct combination scheduled service between terminal point St. Louis and Cancun, Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Montego Bay, Jamaica. The carrier proposes to begin seasonal service on the routes in Winter 1995/96...Granted orally an exemption to TACA International Airlines to serve Guatemala City, Guatemala, as an intermediate point on its existing scheduled combination service between San Salvador, El Salvador, and the U.S. coterminal points Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Air Cargo Equipment selected William Dye president and general manager. Aviall named Anthony Massaro VP-information services and Randy Jones director-audit and security. BE Aerospace added Arthur Lipton president and general manager of In- Flight Entertainment; Nelson Zagalsky VP of engineering-IDE Division and David McGonigle corporate VP-marketing.
Taiwan customs officials have agreed to permit air cargo originating or terminating at some of the nation's industrial zones to leave or enter the country with a single inspection. Under current regulations, shipments must be inspected twice, at the zone and at the airport. Under the new system, cargo inspected at the zone will not have to be inspected at the airport. The Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park will be the first zone to benefit from the system, customs officials said.
BWIA International Airways switched its internal reservations system during the weekend to the Sabre computer reservations system. The carrier, based in Trinidad and Tobago, is the first customer for a new Sabre product - Sabre Qik - designed to cut down training time. BWIA also purchased Sabre's departure control system and flight operating system.
EVA Airways is seeking authority to operate service beyond its authorized U.S. points - Guam, Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and New York - to Panama City, Panama. The carrier also has applied to operate to Washington Dulles Airport (DAILY, July 19). (OST-95-335)
Last week's U.S.-Japan aviation agreement clears the way for Federal Express to begin its beyond-Japan service, provides additional U.S. cargo authority to Japanese carriers and sets the stage for broad-based cargo discussions between the two countries. After months of talks, the U.S. and Japan forged an agreement late Thursday that allows Federal Express to operate beyond Japan to its new transshipment facility at Subic Bay, the Philippines.
Passenger traffic growth still is ahead of last year but has been tailing off progressively. In January it was up 8.2% over the same month last year, but in June the gain was only 3.8%. The slowdown in cargo growth has been steeper, from 16.6% in January to 6.4% in May.
DOT Friday dismissed TWA's complaint against the City and County of Denver over rates and charges at the new Denver Airport. The department said Denver "employed a reasonable, consistent and transparent method" of formulating its rates and charges, and TWA did not present a "significant dispute." In the final analysis, DOT said, the complaint over rental rates turned on whether the city should have allocated the costs of space not rented by Continental to all other carriers at the airport rather than absorbing the cost itself.
Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-Colo.) asked DOT Secretary Federico Pena last week to tighten rules on moving expense reimbursements to FAA employees and launch an investigation. She said an FAA policy loophole allows employees to be reimbursed for moving costs incurred when they are transferred. She cited a Rocky Mountain News report that four FAA workers were paid to move farther away from their work during the transfer of personnel to the new Denver Airport.
Certification flight testing of the GE90-powered Boeing 777 resumed last week following FAA approval, General Electric said. FAA officials were on the aircraft July 19 for two scheduled flights that added about five hours to FAA testing required for certification, the company said. The test aircraft first resumed flights on July 16 (DAILY, July 20) and flew daily after that with what GE called "minor modifications to the engines' aluminum platform spacers and the electronic control system.
Sundstrand reported second quarter sales of $377 million and net earnings of $27 million, up from sales of $331 million and earnings of $19 million during the same period last year. For the first six months, sales rose to $723 million from $655 million but net earnings fell to $9 million from $37 million. Excluding $62 million in pre-tax restructuring charges taken in the first and second quarters, net earnings were $52 million. It increased its 1995 earnings forecast from a range of $3.55 to $3.75 per share to a range of $3.70 to $4 per share.
DOT is seeking applications from U.S. carriers for available combination service frequencies in the U.S.-Germany market for the winter season, from Nov. 1, 1995, to March 31, 1996. U.S. carriers will be allotted a total of 267 third- and fourth-freedom weekly roundtrip frequencies, an increase of 14 weekly services over the previous season, as well as 127 weekly frequencies for fifth-freedom roundtrip service.
Passenger traffic of Air Transport Association member carriers increased 3.8% in June while capacity rose 1.7% compared to the same month a year ago, ATA reported. Revenue passenger miles grew to 46.4 billion from 44.7 billion, and enplanements gained to 44.4 million from 43.4 million. Available seat miles increased to 64.6 billion from 63.5 billion. Load factor rose to 71.9% from 70.4%. For the year to date, passenger traffic was up 5.1% to 248.7 billion RPMs, capacity was up 3.2% to 375.7 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 66.2%, up from 65%.
Avro International received an order for a ninth RJ100 aircraft from Sociedad Aeronautica de Medellin Consolidada (SAM), an affiliated company of Avianca. The $25 million order brought the total value of the SAM deal, including a June 1994 order of the first eight aircraft, to $225 million. When the additional aircraft is delivered, next August, the carrier plans to use it to open new international routes to Quito, Ecuador, and Central American destinations.
Many of China's 32 aviation companies are in financial difficulty and kept alive by subsidies from local governments, according to Li Zhao, deputy of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The government will not approve any more companies and will encourage existing ones to merge with larger carriers in an effort to improve safety and staffing, he says.
Airlines of Britain Holdings, parent company of British Midland, Manx and Loganair, appointed Stewart John non-executive director of the group. British Midland appointed Chris Craig director of sales-central and southeast U.S. Emirates named Mary Abri sales executive for northern California to Alaska. Ladeco named Paul Gartlan VP-general manager for U.S. and Canada, replacing Jeffrey Stern.
Alaska Air Group posted a second quarter net income of $7 million, or $.52 per share, compared with a net income of $9.7 million for the same 1994 quarter. Its poor first quarter left it with a $9.3 million net loss for the first six months. Operating expenses were up 10.4% to $337.7 million in the second quarter and operating revenues did not keep pace, gaining only 9.6% to $362.2 million. Chairman and Chief Executive John Kelly said the group experienced steady growth in yield and traffic.
After difficult talks with Japan Transport Minister Shizuka Kamei, DOT Secretary Federico Pena will turn to a more upbeat meeting with Germany Transport Minister Matthias Wissmann. The administration expresses no more than cautious optimism about an open skies deal with Germany, but industry is becoming bullish. United Chairman and CEO Gerald Greenwald said last week two countries are "on the threshold of a truly landmark agreement on free trade in air transportation services."
DOT's fiscal 1996 funding may be headed for a delay in a congressional conference because of an anticipated House vote on a line-item veto amendment to the DOT appropriations bill (H.R.2002). The House moved a step closer to this scenario Friday when it approved a rule for the appropriations bill. One potential amendment affecting aviation, sponsored by Rep. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.), would cut about 0.2% of FAA's administrative budget.
USAir Group Inc. earned $112.9 million in the second quarter, traditionally its strongest of the year, in a substantial gain over the same period in 1994. The net profit was a $99 million improvement, and revenues hit a quarterly record high, $1.98 billion. Profit per common share, after preferred dividend requirements, was $1.47.
Robert Martens, president of AMR Eagle, will leave the company this week to "pursue other opportunities," an AMR spokesman said. Martens has headed AMR's regional subsidiary since June 1987, moving there from a stint as VP- pricing and budget planning for the parent company. Appointment of a successor is expected within a week.
Russell Meyer, chairman of Cessna Aircraft, will be the 1995 recipient of the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, the National Aeronautic Association said. The trophy will be presented Dec. 15 at a dinner sponsored by the Aero Club of Washington.
America West reported second quarter net income of $20.9 million and operating income of $53 million on revenues of $399.9 million. Both of the income totals are the highest in company history, up from net income of $20.1 million and operating income of $44.1 million on revenues of $363.4 million during the same period last year. Per-share data are not comparable because of the company's recapitalization upon emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year.
Promising to target local Detroit residents for hiring, Spirit Airlines and the City of Detroit continue to press for approval of the airline's proposed Detroit City Airport-New York LaGuardia service.
