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.
The Airbus Industrie jetliner consortium companies involved in Europe's Future Large Airlifter (FLA) have formally transferred responsibility for the military plane to an organization within Airbus, meeting one of Britain's key demands for returning to the FLA program and buying the aircraft.
DOT has approved Downeast Flying Service's application to start up commuter service. Operating as Downeast Express, the carrier will provide service with Piper PA 31-350 aircraft, initially, operating a single daily roundtrip between Portland, Maine; Rockland, Maine, and White Plains, N.Y., said Richard Goodrich, Downeast's president and owner (DAILY, May 9).
Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, is urging President Clinton to press the issue of aviation rights for U.S. passenger and cargo carriers at this week's Group of Seven summit meeting in Halifax, Canada. Pressler said that Clinton should confront Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama concerning Japan's violation of its agreement allowing United and Federal Express to operate into Japan and beyond to other points in Asia.
Emirates has chosen the Rolls-Royce Trent 890 to power the four B version 777-200s it will begin taking from Boeing in February 1997, Boeing said yesterday. With its selection of the Trent 890, Emirates, the international carrier of the United Arab Emirates, became the first 777 customers to select an engine for operation at 90,000 pounds thrust. Emirates has seven 777s on firm order and seven options. The carrier will begin taking delivery of its first three 777s, all shorter-range A versions of the twinjets powered by the Trent 877, in March 1996.
AOM French Airlines has exercised options to acquire two more McDonnell Douglas MD-83s for delivery beginning next March, the aircraft manufacturer said yesterday. AOM, which operates an all McDonnell Douglas fleet, currently has eight MD-83s.
Regional Airlines of Nantes, France, took delivery in Paris of the first of three Saab 2000 turboprops. The aircraft, configured for 53 seats, will begin scheduled service between Lyon and Madrid. Additionally, Saab announced that Air Marshall Islands has taken delivery of its first Saab 2000, becoming the third carrier to operate the high-speed turboprop.
Delta Connection Comair will introduce jet service from Cincinnati to Outagamie County, Wis., Airport Sept. 11 when it upgrades aircraft from 30- passenger turboprops with Canadair Regional Jets. The carrier operates four daily flights to Outagamie County, and the early morning and late evening flight will be operated with the RJ.
The unofficial committee representing holders of TWA's 8% notes yesterday reiterated its support of a pre-packaged swing through Chapter 11 as "the most efficient and effective" way for the airline to accomplish its financial restructuring. "The 8% Note Committee believes that the restructuring, which is to be accomplished through the prepackaged Chapter 11 plan, is fair and reasonable and the best alternative available to the 8% noteholders," the committee said in a statement issued yesterday.
Nigerian company Aeronautical Industrial Engineering and Project Management (AIEP) has placed an order for 13 used Dornier 228s, Daimler- Benz Aerospace announced in Paris this week. With the delivery of the 13 aircraft to AIEP, the Do 228 fleet in Nigeria will total 35. DASA also last year won from Nigeria three firm orders and nine options for the new Dornier 328.
European regional aircraft manufacturers not included in the new AIR joint venture - CASA of Spain, Daimler Benz Aerospace (DASA) and Saab Aircraft of Sweden - may be allowed to join AIR in whole or in part, or may not. There is some speculation that they may elect to form their own joint venture in competition with the British, French and Italians. DASA certainly covets a spot in the new partnership and would like very much to be designated the lead on any new 100-passenger jet project, which seems to generate the most excitement among the members.
America West's dispatch/flight control employees rejected a bid by the Transport Workers Union for representation. Of 41 eligible voters, the National Mediation Board counted only 18 in favor of the TWU. America West President Maurice Myers said, "We're obviously pleased with the result. America West is committed to building a high-performance corporate culture in which employees are valued and compensated competitively." The carrier noted that employees have rejected four union attempts to organize in the last six months.
Qantas yesterday filed a legal challenge to the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department's proposed restrictions on its carriage of fifth-freedom traffic through Hong Kong to Bangkok and Singapore. The restrictions are scheduled to go into effect July 1. Qantas filed an application to the Hong Kong Supreme Court for a judicial review of the decision. The Hong Kong government decided in April to restrict Qantas's fifth-freedom traffic to Singapore and Bangkok to 50% of the total number of passengers on each flight.
General Aviation Manufacturers Association President Edward Stimpson will be the guest speaker at the National Aircraft Resale Association's fifth annual membership meeting Sept. 24 at the Golden Nugget Hotel in Las Vegas. NARA has 21 brokers and dealers as regular members, and 25 associate members.
...Puel had no immediate staff and no senior VP when the joint venture was announced June 10; only three of six board members - two from each partner - had been appointed. He was handed a list of 22 things he could not do, but nothing to tell him what he could do. "I have to prepare the organization and the strategy as soon as I have the authority to do so." The man most responsible for pushing through the joint venture was Jetstream Aircraft Managing Director Allan MacDonald, but he is stepping down July 1 to head BAe activities in South Africa.
KLM and Northwest plan to inaugurate daily nonstop service from Washington Dulles to Amsterdam on Oct. 29. The joint service will be flown with a Northwest DC-10. Arrival in Amsterdam will be timed to provide convenient connections to such KLM destinations as Berlin, Moscow and Delhi. KLM and Northwest currently operate three times a week between Washington and Amsterdam, but the flights do not connect to a KLM flight bank at Schiphol.
American is shutting down its Nashville-London flights, service it fought hard to win in 1993 and which the city of Nashville offered to bankroll. American will end the service Oct. 1 after losing "several millions" of dollars to operate the flights, which drew mostly Nashville-originating passengers and produced low-yielding, coach/discount travel, a carrier spokesman said. Given its cost structure, American needs stronger business- and first-class traffic to make a profit, he said.
Mesa Airlines' second Fokker 70, on display at the Paris Air Show this week, suffered its first "fender bender" when ground-handling crews pushed the right aileron of a Dornier 328 into its rudder. The F70 was immediately towed to a hangar where the composite rudder was replaced.
Air Transport Association Cargo Traffic April, 4 Months 1995 Revenue Ton-Miles (000) April April % 1995 1994 Change Domestic Freight 670,596 659,014 1.8 Mail 146,211 135,361 8.0 Total 816,807 794,375 2.8 International
Japan Airlines' systemwide passenger traffic increased 4.4% in March, the most recent month for which figures are available, to 5.59 billion revenue passenger miles. The number of passengers enplaned rose 15.7% to 2.58 million. The airline's cargo traffic increased 11.5% to 308.1 million revenue cargo ton kilometers. Through the first three months of 1995, JAL's passenger traffic was up 6.8% to 15.93 billion RPMs. The number of passengers boarded increased 13.8% to 6.92 million, and the airline's cargo traffic rose 12.7% to 858.8 million CTKs.
British Aerospace's Asset Management Organization and AlliedSignal Engines this week announced an initiative designed to reduce ALF-502 maintenance costs on the BAe 146 23% - to under $40 per operating hour over the next five years. Current selling standard for maintenance cost per flight hour is $52. Both companies will contribute funding for hardware improvements, AMO said.
