Fokker Aircraft of The Netherlands has frozen the basic concept of its prospective new-design 130- to 140-passenger jetliner and program managers have presented the plans to the company's management board, a Fokker spokesman said Friday.
DOT presented a proposal to industry yesterday outlining possible modifications of the current U.S.-U.K. bilateral. Hammered out during talks between the two sides in Washington last week (DAILY, Dec. 22), the changes include one new route to Heathrow, additional regional opportunities in the U.K. and a code-share provision, a DOT official said. After it assesses industry reaction, the U.S. plans further talks in London in a week or so, the official added.
FAA Administrator David Hinson said Friday the agency will open a public docket soon to seek opinions on how to respond to National Transportation Safety Board recommendations that enhanced flight data recorders be installed on transport aircraft (DAILY, Feb. 23). FAA will conduct a public meeting early in April to review the recommendations and consider actions that industry and FAA can take in response, Hinson said.
United and Northwest are opposing American's attempt to link the potential reallocation of USAfrica frequencies to its bid to expand its code-share agreement with South African Airways. TWA, World Airways and United have applied for the six weekly frequencies held by USAfrica, which suspended operations and declared bankruptcy Feb. 8, but is trying to hold onto the service (DAILY, Feb. 24).
Wings Club will hold its monthly luncheon meeting March 15 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. Guest speaker is Lewis Jordon, president and chief operating officer of ValuJet Airlines. For more information, call 212-867-1770.
FAA has scheduled a workshop March 8-10 for all segments of civil aviation to discuss the safety and efficiency of aircraft operations on airport surfaces. "Just as we are working with the aviation community to improve the management and flow of airborne aircraft, we need to improve the surface movement of aircraft as well," said FAA Administrator David Hinson. Participants will divide into five working groups - human performance, surveillance, surface movement planning, guidance and communications - and share recommendations at the end of the session.
WorldCorp plans to repurchase one-fifth of MHS Berhad's 24.9% stake in World Airways for potential acquisition in the future from a second foreign partner. WorldCorp will buy 500,000 of the 2.5 million shares MHS owns. The buyback, which requires approval of a majority of WorldCorp's subordinated note holders, will be financed in the short term through a note with MHS due Dec. 31, 1995. The stock will be repurchased at $17 a share, versus the original purchase price of $11.
Orlando-based Datamax Corp., which makes printer products for the travel industry and automatic data collection, is consolidating its European operations at its Maidenhead, U.K., facility. The company said the move is intended to enhance its competitive position as European market opportunities improve for automatic ticket and boarding pass (ATB) and bar code equipment.
House passed the regulatory moratorium bill (H.R.450) by a 276-146 vote and defeated the Wise amendment 194-228. The vote totals were reported incorrectly in the Feb. 27 issue of The DAILY.
Foreign travelers to the U.S., evaluating airports in the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration's April-June 1994 inflight survey, ranked airport access most important among seven rating categories.On a five-point scale, airport access scored 3.8, and the lowest rating, 2.9, went to concession prices. Overall, 10.1% of respondents rated airports excellent, 42.7% good, 35.4% average, 9.1% fair and 2.7% poor.
FAA's plan to begin enforcing its regulations on unapproved aircraft replacement parts, published yesterday in a Federal Register notice, won immediate support from the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (DAILY, Feb. 27). Sarah MacLeod, executive director of ARSA, said the group plans to explain the new policy at its annual meeting, scheduled March 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Arlington, Va. MacLeod said that while the new policy still faces some regulatory concerns, "it is definitely something that had to be done.
Testimony on icing dominated yesterday's start of the National Transportation Safety Board's public hearing, planned to last four days, into the crash of an American Eagle ATR-72 turboprop Oct. 31 near Roselawn, Ind., in which all 68 aboard were killed. Icing is suspected as a cause of the accident, and the cockpit voice recorder tape, released yesterday by the board, showed that the pilots were aware of the problem. It also showed that the crew was surprised and unable to control the aircraft when it flipped over and plunged 9,000 feet to the ground in 31 seconds.
General Services Administration is seeking companies to provide support services for Global Positioning System augmentation efforts by FAA and possibly other federal agencies. GSA values the work at $570 million over seven years. In a request for proposals issued Feb. 17, GSA invited companies to submit a technical and cost proposal. "This solicitation is designed to serve GSA's FAA client but may also serve other federal client agencies that require the development and implementation of automated systems that augment the GPS," GSA said.
Fokker Aircraft yesterday unveiled a new restructuring, its fourth in three years, that would cut employment by more than 20%, close one production plant and rework supplier contracts in a bid to reverse years of losses and climb back into the black in 1996. The Dutch company's management board unanimously adopted eight measures designed to cut either its size or its costs, including job cuts of 1,750 from a work force of 8,500. Fokker, which was building as many as 85 aircraft per year, believes it must be profitable at a rate of 50 a year.
A new MD-90 in Delta livery was on display last week at Sungshan Airport in Taipei. Airport officials said the aircraft conducted the first MD-90 demonstration flight outside the U.S. Great China Airlines of Taiwan has ordered the aircraft.
Southwest is offering one-way fares of $29 from Baltimore/Washington Airport to Louisville, Ky., through May 23, and $39 to Chicago, St. Louis and Birmingham. The fares are limited and require a seven-day advance purchase, but they do not require an overnight or weekend stay. The full unrestricted one-way fares are $69 to Louisville, $99 to Chicago, $109 to St. Louis and $104 to Birmingham.
New entrant Nations Air is offering travel agents 50% commissions for bookings through March 6 of its flights between Boston and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The carrier will pay 11% commissions after March 6. It said it is offering the unprecedented rates to establish a positive working relationship with travel professionals, and to make itself known to every travel professional in the country. The Miami-based airline also is offering free flights to travel agents until March 13.
U.S. investors led by Edward Acker hold 25.5% of newly privatized BWIA International Airways; citizens of Trinidad&Tobago and other Caribbean investors hold 25.5%; and the government of Trinidad&Tobago and BWIA's employees hold a combined 49%. The government also holds a so-called "golden share," giving it control over the airline's major decisions (DAILY, Feb. 24).
Delta has hired commercial real estate company Koll to manage its two remaining self-maintained facilities, at Atlanta and New York Kennedy airports. The contract triples Koll's facilities management services business with the carrier. Koll will be responsible for a 3 million- square-foot technical operations center at Atlanta and a 1.5-million- square-foot international and domestic passenger terminal and cargo facility at Kennedy. Koll has hired a former Delta executive, John Connolly, as a Corporate&Facilities Division VP to lead the expansion.
DOT Secretary Federico Pena announced at Washington National Airport yesterday 17 new routes to Canada benefiting a dozen carriers and U.S. communities. The route awards were opened up by the new bilateral agreement in Ottawa (DAILY, Feb. 27), and key beneficiaries were fledgling carriers like ValuJet and Reno, which will gain unprecedented access to the Canadian market. Also gaining were Delta and USAir, which won the prized Toronto frequencies.
House Transportation aviation subcommittee yesterday approved legislation (H.R.1036) that would allow DOT to give airlines exemptions from the high-density airport slot rules at Washington National under the same criteria set out by Congress last year for the other three high- density airports.
New Denver Airport will open to commercial passenger traffic today after four delays in the opening date and $4.2 billion in spending. Cargo operations into the airport began yesterday.
House passed legislation (H.R.450) Friday, 276-228, to halt most federal rulemaking through 1995, but it adopted by unanimous consent an amendment sponsored by Rep. Norman Mineta (D-Calif.) to exempt actions taken in connection with aviation safety. H.R.450 would impose a moratorium retroactive to Nov. 20. Aviation rulemakings not related to safety still would be covered by the moratorium. Mineta warned House colleagues Thursday that the legislation would halt some efforts on aviation safety and even would slow down emergency rulemaking actions.
