Eurocopter recently established a new international customer technical support center in Dublin, Ireland’s International Financial Services Center. “The new Dublin operation will give Eurocopter greater flexibility and efficiency in responding to its customers’ technical support needs,” says Patrick Berthier, chief executive officer of Eurocopter International Services.
TONY LEITSCHUCK was promoted to assistant manager of customer service for Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln, Neb. facility. Leitschuck started as an airframe mechanic in 1989, then was named lead mechanic/team leader in 1996 before becoming project manager in 2000. He also has served as a structural mechanic for the U.S. Marine Corps and as a line manager for two airports.
Airlines operating smaller commercial aircraft must incorporate new operational procedures or install ice-detection equipment on their aircraft under a new FAA rule. Slated for publication in the Aug. 22 Federal Register, the rule applies to Part 121 operators of aircraft that weigh less than 60,000 lb. maximum takeoff weight (MTOW).
Whipsawing equity markets, sovereign debt issues and overall economic uncertainty are not a precursor to another 2008-like industry free fall, an industry analyst says.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has selected legendary pilot and entrepreneur Clay Lacy to receive its 2011 NBAA Meritorious Service to Aviation Award, and international business aviation pioneer Don Spruston will receive the 2011 NBAA John P. “Jack” Doswell Award. The Meritorious Service to Aviation Award is NBAA’s most distinguished honor, presented annually to an individual who, by virtue of a lifetime of personal dedication, has made significant, identifiable contributions that have materially advanced aviation interests.
MITCH ALEXANDER was promoted to manager of FlightSafety International’s center in Daleville, Ala. Alexander has served in the Daleville center since 2002, beginning as an instructor and later promoted to program manager of the center’s Navy UC-12 training activities. Most recently he was assistant manager of the center. He also spent 22 years in the U.S. Navy.
MONTE REEVES was promoted to manager of customer service at Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln, Neb. facility. Reeves will lead the customer service and line service teams, as well as develop customer service goals and strategies. Reeves joined Duncan Aviation in 1991 in the Avionics Installations department. He later became an airframe mechanic, inspector, airframe structures team leader, project manager and most recently assistant manager. He also has served BF Goodrich Aerospace in Everett, Wash.
Field Aviation has delivered its first two Bombardier Q400 aircraft with custom-designed interiors. Both aircraft were delivered to Avitrade Belgium. The aircraft, with 28 and 40 seats, respectively, were configured with a combination of single VIP-style seats and standard economy-seat pairs. One aircraft features a separate cabin with four individual fully berthable VIP seats in club configuration.
M7 AEROSPACE SA226-T, SA226-T(B), SA226-TC and SA226-AT airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2011-0832; Directorate Identifier 2011-CE-025-AD; Amendment 39-16771; AD 2011-17-07] – Periodically replace and inspect certain elevator, rudder, aileron and aileron-to-rudder interconnect primary control cables. Also, check and set flight control cable tension, per the instructions of M7 Aerospace Service Bulletin 226-27-072 (dated June 27, 2011).
GlobalAir.com has developed an app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch that enables pilots to compare fuel prices. The FBO Fuel Prices app provides updated fixed-base operation pricing across the U.S. Participating FBOs must update their prices at least once every 30 days, and in competitive markets, prices are updated weekly, GlobalAir says. Users can search by airport code or city and state and check pricing in a 100-nm radius.
Brazil’s finance ministry has granted its approval of Grupo TAM’s proposed merger with Chile’s LAN Airlines. The backing from the Treasury Department’s Secretaria de Acompanhamento Economico, while noting there are overlaps on three passenger and 10 cargo routes, says the merger should be approved without restrictions because the airline industry is sufficiently competitive to assure the airlines will not dominate the sector.
Canada and Costa Rica have tentatively approved an open skies accord to replace a bilateral air services agreement from 1996. The deal, which must still be ratified by both countries, follows open skies agreements Canada has signed with Brazil and Mexico (Aviation Daily, Aug. 11).
Australia’s Strategic Airlines plans to build on its new Hawaii routes by linking to mainland U.S. destinations, challenging the established players in the lucrative transpacific market. “Ultimately we are planning to add connections to the U.S. mainland and beyond,” Strategic Chief Commercial Officer Damien Vasta tells Aviation Week following the announcement of flights from Melbourne and Brisbane to Honolulu. Vasta has previously signaled that the beyond-Hawaii links could be achieved through a code-share or interline agreement.
Jay Pierce, chairman of Continental Airlines’ Air Line Pilots Association chapter, is applauding moves to implement a new fatigue risk management system for the work group. The lack of a fatigue plan has for some time been a major concern for Pierce, and he again raised the issue late last month when United Continental Holdings complained about the cancellation of Continental Boeing 737 services at its Newark Liberty International hub because of an apparent sick-out (Aviation Daily, July 29).
Australia’s Tiger Airways is preparing to resume flying on a second route following the lifting of the carrier’s operating suspension last week. Tiger is restoring its Melbourne-Brisbane route beginning Aug. 18 after reintroducing its Sydney-Melbourne service on Aug. 12. The carrier is “resuming Australian domestic services gradually,” and regulators are only allowing it 18 sectors per day during August.
Latvian airline Air Baltic continues to grow traffic in spite of a long-standing dispute among its shareholders. The airline saw traffic increase by 7% in the first seven months of the year. In the same period, the load factor improved by six points to 73%, albeit lower than industry average.
US Airways is citing the Justice Department’s investigation into possible antitrust violations by global distribution system providers as one of many reasons why the airline’s antitrust lawsuit against Sabre should be allowed to proceed.
Frontier Airlines is expanding its presence in Kansas City, Mo., by adding service to Las Vegas and Houston Hobby Airport, starting Nov. 1, on 99-seat Embraer 190 aircraft. With the additions, the low-cost carrier will serve 18 destinations nonstop from Kansas City. As a result of the service expansion, which follows the addition of three other routes within the past year, Frontier will be expanding its facilities at the airport to include a fifth gate in Terminal C. Republic Airways, Frontier's parent company, has crew and maintenance bases in Kansas City.
Israel will build a new international airport at Timna near the Red Sea resort of Eilat to boost tourism in the southern region of the country. The airport will be named after the late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon.
EADS CFO Hans-Peter Ring arrived in New York last week for meetings with institutional investors and analysts in the middle of a stock market meltdown. “Obviously the markets feel that there is [the threat of] a double-dip recession,” he says. But if that does happen, Ring is confident the company’s Airbus unit is prepared.
Efforts to establish the first carbon dioxide certification standard for aircraft are proving difficult, and the recent failure to agree on a metric for CO2 emissions risks delaying completion of the standard. Any delay could empower environmental groups already putting pressure on governments to regulate aircraft CO2 emissions in the absence of a global standard.
