FAA's top certification official left little doubt Friday that, barring a major glitch, the agency will grant ETOPS (extended-range twin-engine operations) certification to Boeing's 777 about two weeks after the first aircraft is delivered May 17 to United. The certification date is April 17. Anthony Broderick, associate administrator for regulation and certification, said in Washington, that he had just completed a "detailed briefing" on the 777 flight test program and that it is "almost eerie how well it is going."
CS First Boston analyst Paul Karos has initiated coverage of Lufthansa with a buy rating on the German airline. "We think the turnaround at Lufthansa is real and powerful," he said.
Delta yesterday began scheduled service with its new MD-90, delivered last week. It will use the aircraft initially between Dallas/Fort Worth and Reno, Nev.
United is offering a waiver on Saturday night stay restrictions to college basketball fans traveling to Seattle between March 30 and April 4. Fans may return home early if their team does not make it to the championship game by showing a ticket stub or program from one of the semi-final rounds.
Hawaiian Airlines has launched a consumer promotion to award 116,000 prizes worth more than $250,000 in its "Dreams of Paradise" game. Four grand prizes include use of a two-bedroom Bay Club resort condominium in Kona for two weeks a year for the next 10 years.
MarkAir last week moved its Northern California operations to Oakland from San Francisco, where air traffic control delays and weather have become "unacceptable." It recently cut most of its West Coast service from its Anchorage base, including Oakland, after it was denied a state loan guarantee (DAILY, March 17). The carrier will operate one daily flight to Reno with through-plane service to Denver. America West will perform MarkAir's ground- handling at Oakland, and will share counter space.
Uzbekistan Airways inaugurated the first direct jet service between Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and New York, operating weekly flights. Using A310- 300 aircraft, the carrier also will offer the only direct service between New York and Riga, Latvia (DAILY, Feb. 24).
No firm date is set, but the U.S. is likely to meet on or about April 24 with the three Scandinavian countries included in the nine-country open skies initiative - Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
DOT late last week completed its proposed legislation to establish a U.S. Air Traffic Service Corporation (USATS), but the proposal differs little from the outline announced in mid-February. The measure is expected to be introduced by request this week in the House and Senate. One change from the mid-February proposal is that the corporation's chief executive, who is appointed by the USATS board, would not be a member of the board.
Canadian Airlines International (CAI) will begin a "massive" restructuring of its route network and a "significant" downsizing of the company this fall unless it can reach agreements with its unions on C$125 million in work rule and other contract changes by June 30, the airline said Friday.
Transport Canada is canceling its MLS project in favor of continued use of ILS and future use of GPS. Negotiations are to begin soon with Micronav International to settle on the termination clauses of the contract.
Denver and Continental today will announce an agreement on lease terms at Denver Airport, a city official told The DAILY. The pact will establish rates and charges for Concourse A. The city filed a lawsuit against Continental in February after the airline reduced the number of gates it planned to occupy from 20 to four.
FAA is evaluating different technologies as a backup system for the Global Positioning System (GPS), including Loran-C, but it does not expect to make a decision before the yearend, George Donohue, assistant administrator for research and acquisitions, said Friday in Washington. This means that the phaseout period for Loran will be reduced in the next Federal Radionavigation Plan from the year 2015 to the 2000 under plans by the Coast Guard, which operates Loran.
ICAO appears headed away from a policy supporting a single international precision guidance system toward one endorsing three systems - GPS, MLS and ILS - and letting nations select whichever suits their needs. The key to the new policy, being considered this week in Montreal, is the multimode receiver.
Granted orally an exemption to Air Nova to perform scheduled combination service between co-terminal points Moncton and Fredericton, Canada, and Boston...Granted orally an exemption to United to conduct scheduled com- bination service between Denver and Calgary and between San Francisco and Calgary, and to integrate the rights with its existing authority to serve other points in Canada...Granted orally an exemption to Continental to engage in scheduled combination service between Newark and Manchester, U.K...Granted orally an exemption to 2734141 Canada Inc., operating as
United officially asked DOT to be designated as the second U.S. carrier to operate combination service between Chicago and London Heathrow. Saying it plans to begin 767-300 service on the route May 1, the carrier also asked DOT for permission to begin advertising and selling tickets immediately. "Sale of tickets for the summer 1995 season normally begins months in advance," the carrier noted. "It is, therefore, essential that no additional time be lost in the marketing and sale" of the new service, it added.
All Nippon Airways has completed a 21 billion yen (US$236 million) sale- lease back transaction involving three Boeing 747s and six 767-200s, the airline said Friday. It will continue operating the airplanes for up to three years. "With the increasing severity of the used aircraft market, the present time was judged best for the sale," ANA said. The Japanese carrier operates a fleet of 120 aircraft, 42 of which are leased. In the fiscal year that ended Friday, ANA took delivery of five 767-300s and three Airbus A320-200s.
Anyone who invested $100 in Southwest on Dec. 31, 1989, would have been better served to sell the shares at the end of 1993 than to hang on to them until the end of last year. The value of that $100 investment was $710.16 at the end of 1993, compared with $318.74 at the end of 1994. The share price peaked at $39 in the first quarter of 1994 and slid to $15.50 in the fourth quarter.
Associated Air Freight named George Frey VP-service. Bombardier Aerospace Group appointed Peter Reynolds director-flight test operations, a new position. DPI Labs named Dave Alderman director-sales and product support. Comsat appointed Chris Leber chairman of Skyways Alliance. Elsinore LP promoted William Ashworth to senior VP-systems integration. Greiner named Leslie Sagar project manager and assistant to Gene Faulkner, deputy division director-air transportation, Texas and Western operations.
FAA has certified for the first time an aircraft designed and built in China. The Y-12 Harbin seats 19 and can be imported and operated in the U.S., said Anthony Broderick, assistant administrator for regulation and certification.
American has sold frequent traveler miles to more than 150 companies since introducing its AAdvantage Incentive Miles program in November. Daniel Flamberg, director-marketing for Dial-A-Mattress, said the company underestimated the allure of miles in changing buying patterns. "Using AAdvantage Incentive Miles got us new, high-end business at a very competitive price. We added more than $150,000 in incremental business at a cost of $2,400." Companies must purchase at least $1,200 in mile vouchers to enter the program.
DOT continues to study its options in dealing with Japan, an official said.Japan said it will not allow any new services by U.S. carriers - even those clearly permitted under existing agreements - until it begins talks with the U.S. The first casualty of the action appears to be United's Osaka- Seoul service, slated to begin June 7.
National Transportation Safety Board last week asked FAA Administrator David Hinson to limit some of Air Transport International's (ATI's) flight activities and conduct an in-depth inspection of the carrier. The board at the same time questioned the competency of ATI's principal operations inspector (POI). NTSB called for FAA to examine its oversight of ATI by the agency's Little Rock and Denver flight standards district offices (FSDS) and to limit the operation of ATI's engine-out ferry flights to test flight crews trained in three-engine procedures.
ValuJet has contracted FlightSafety International to conduct its crew resource management training. FlightSafety will offer training at the carrier's Atlanta base for pilots, and new hires will train at its Miami center.
International Air Carrier Association general assembly confirmed Marcel Pisters, former deputy secretary general of the Association of European Airlines, as IACA's new director general.
