U.S. helicopter industry shipped 83 U.S.-manufactured commercial in the first quarter of 1995, up from 76 in the same period last year, the Aerospace Industries Association said. Of the 83, 74 were civil helicopters worth $43 million, a $13 million increase over the first quarter last year, when 70 civil models were shipped for $30 million. Nine were direct military export helicopters, compared with six in 1994.
The Air Courier Conference of America (ACCA) said Congress should enact legislation to prevent the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from acting as both a participant and regulator in the delivery services sector. "Quite aside from whether or not Congress should, for the public good, grant the Postal Service a monopoly over some portion of the industry, it is clear that the administration of this public power should be in the hands of a disinterested agency and not a 'business-like' Postal Service," said Harry Geller, president of Global Mail Ltd., on behalf of ACCA.
Aeroflot will add two Airbus A310-300s to its fleet under an agreement with Diamond Sakha Airlines, bringing to six the number of long-range A310s it operates on its international network. The airplanes will be used on routes from Moscow to Berlin and to Beijing, and to northeastern Siberia.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) says the radar at Miami Airport is unreliable. The association recently complained that Congress is making budget cuts that will result in reduced aviation safety. The Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR-9) has failed seven times at Miami since May 24, NATCA said, and on June 5, 33 aircraft were on final approach when all tracking information disappeared from controllers' screens.
Air Ontario and Air Alliance have applied for authority to operate scheduled and charter combination service from any point or points in Canada and the U.S. Both carriers are wholly owned subsidaries of Air Canada. Operating a fleet of de Havilland Dash 8-100 and 300 aircraft and a Beech King Air 200, Air Ontario currently operates scheduled service between Toronto and Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, Hartford and Indianapolis. Air Alliance operates scheduled service between Canada and Hartford, New York and Philadelphia. The carrier flies all Dash 8-100s.
United has revamped its North American Division by appointing five officers, as well as two officers to handle international and public affairs. United Chairman Gerald Greenwald said the changes were made to focus on customers, key markets and profitability. "The role of these regional officers in key North American markets will be to ensure that United responds quickly to customer needs and market opportunities."
The first group of pilots from Gujarat Airways - a new Indian regional carrier based in Baroda, the capital of the Gujarat state - has completed training at Flight Safety's LaGuardia Airport and Wichita centers. The pilots completed type ratings at FlightSafety for Beech 1900D aircraft. The carrier will use 1900Ds to serve a 12-city route system, connecting regional cities with Baroda and Bombay.
Official rollout and simultaneous first flight of two new regional aircraft are scheduled for the same day - Aug. 18. That is the 26th anniversary of Brazilian manufacturer Embraer and therefore the day selected for the rollout of the new 50-passenger EMB-145 regional jet. Embraer established the precedent in 1983 when the prototype EMB-120 Brasilia made its "first flight" immediately after rollout. Aug. 18 also is the 50th anniversary of Indonesian independence from the Dutch, so IPTN will roll out its new N-250 high-speed turboprop and fly it on the same day.
Delta is the favorite domestic airline of travelers on long- and short-haul routes in first class and coach, according to a customer satisfaction survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates in conjunction with Frequent Flyer Magazine and Official Airline Guide. The results are derived from 3,000 respondents who average more than 25 roundtrips a year. The ranking, in terms of overall customer satisfaction, was Delta, American and United, followed by America West, Northwest and TWA - in a three-way tie - USAir, Southwest and Continental.
Northwest Airlink carrier Mesaba Aviation flew 26.6 million revenue passenger miles in May, a 0.6% increase from the 26.5 million it logged in May 1994. Capacity dropped 4.3% to 58.8 million available seat miles from 61.5 million, pushing the load factor up 2.2 percentage points to 45.2%. The number of passenger enplanements rose 0.5% to 120,542 from 119,948. Mesaba operates Northwest Airlink flights to 54 cities in 16 states and one Canadian province. May 1995 May 1994
Mesa Air Group's five airline divisions flew a combined 20% more revenue passenger miles last month than in May one year ago on 23.5% more capacity, producing a load factor decline of 1.5 percentage points to 51.2%. The number of passengers carried rose 19.2%. May 1995 May 1994 5 Mths 1995 5 Mths 1994 RPMs 100,792,000 83,969,000 455,631,000 390,334,000 ASMs 196,850,000 159,407,000 935,519,000 775,833,000
Business Express has appointed Alan Rusinowitz director of safety and compliance. In the newly created position, he will research, interpret and disseminate safety related information, supervise audits, and assure compliance with company and FAA policies.
Airport and Airway Trust Fund Income Statement October 1, 1994 - April 30, 1995 Current Month RECEIPTS (Revenues) Revenues: Excise Taxes (Transferred from General Fund): Liquid Fuel other than Gas $ 17,863,000.00 Transportation by Air, Seats, Berths, etc. 364,823,000.00 Use of International Travel Facilities 13,220,000.00
Switzerland yesterday became the fifth country to sign its open skies agreement with the U.S.Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and Norway have yet to sign their pacts.
The Dash 8 Series 400 program, launched this week, has been in the works for so long that designers will be able to incorporate new engine technology into the product. When discussed some five years ago, officials were eyeing offerings from Allison and General Electric/Lycoming for the Series 400. Pratt&Whitney, which produces engines for other Dash 8 models, did not offer an engine deemed suitable for the Series 400 then. P&W, however, since designed the PW150 based on its PW100 and again landed the contract for a Dash 8 aircraft (see story below).
Kenyan Airline Eagle Aviation has ordered one ATR 42, Avions de Transport Regional announced in Paris. The aircraft will link Eagle Aviation's main base at Mombasa with Nairobi, Kisumu, Masai Mara and Kilimanjaro, as well as connecting Nairobi to Mombasa, Malindi, Zanzibar and Lamu. The aircraft is expected to be delivered next month.
Qantas has opened a national training center in Melbourne for domestic cabin crew. The A$2 million facility will provide training to more than 600 Qantas staff each year and handle training for other airlines, including China's Yunnan Airlines and Nordstress, which will operate leased aircraft for Alitalia. Crews will train in the 767 and 737 service trainers.
United Express affiliate Great Lakes Aviation's traffic rose 8.8% in May to 19.9 million revenue passenger miles from 17.3 million, as capacity rose faster - 13.5% - to 45.5 million available seat miles from 38.7 million. The load factor, as a result, dipped 1.1 percentage points to 43.7% from 44.8%. Enplanements increased 10.8% to 65,132 from 54,708. May 1995 May 1994 5 Mths 1995 5 Mths 1994 RPMs 19,905,000 17,343,000 87,575,000 80,493,000
Aero International Regional (AIR) Chief Executive Henri Paul Puel of ATR faces a major challenge in putting together the organization of the new European aircraft joint venture and to clear all antitrust hurdles. "First, he told The DAILY, "the joint venture was negotiated by the lawyers of the three partners [Aerospatiale, Alenia and British Aerospace], and we need five months to [obtain the approval] of the EEC and U.S. antitrust authorities so we can launch on Jan.
Sabre Concierge, an electronic library of destination information, is now available to Sabre subscribers, Sabre Travel Information Network said yesterday. The product features instant information on visa requirements, travel advisories, including those from the State Department, and other travel-related matters. The Windows version of the product is being shipped free of charge to all Sabre-with-Windows subscribers in the Western Hemisphere.
British Aerospace unit Jetstream Aircraft announced five orders for its 29-passenger Jetstream 41, three of which were the exercise of options held by Manx Airlines Europe, a unit of Airlines of Britain Holdings Group. One airplane will be delivered in the third quarter and the other two next year. Two Jetstream 41s have been ordered by the Royal Thai Army for delivery in November 1995 and November 1996.
Maruzen Air Express International, the Japanese parent of Air Express International, has been awarded ISO 9002 certification by the International Organization for Standardization. MAEI is the first integrated logistics provider in Japan to comply with the internationally accepted standard for quality management for its entire operation, AEI said. MAEI specializes in air and ocean freight forwarding, warehousing and distribution, and customs clearance.
The Belgian Airport Authority last week dedicated a new air traffic control radar system at Brussels Airport, replacing the airport's 20-year-old- equipment with new Westinghouse ASR-9 primary airport surveillance radar and Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR). Using the latest approach radar technology originally developed for FAA and now tailored to meet European requirements, the ASR-9 provides the air traffic controllers with simultaneous display of aircraft and weather information for increased flight safety.
Meanwhile, according to at least one news report, Saab is informally discussing with Raytheon a joint venture relating to the manufacture of regional aircraft. A Reuters report, quoting an account in the Swedish business paper Finanstidningen, said only that full negotiations between the companies were not yet on the agenda and that a Saab source referred to Raytheon as "a very interesting option." Raytheon Aircraft President Roy Norris previously said the company is interested in the possibility of developing a regional jet.
Capacity for Delta Connection SkyWest rose 15.1% in May to 95.6 million available seat miles from 83.1 million, dwarfing its 5.9% traffic increase to nearly 44 million revenue passenger miles from 41.5 million and pushing load factor down four percentage points to 46% from 50%. Passenger boardings declined 1.7% to 175,358 from 178,454.
