Transpacific and intra-Asian cargo growth has been consistently strong for Asian carriers. But is it cooling off? The Assn. of Asia-Pacific Airlines says international freight traffic grew at a paltry 1.3% in August, while passenger results were up 4.1%. Cargo has usually been ahead of passenger growth. Since freight traffic is a good economic indicator, the results are being watched. AAPA's data are a good barometer, but not inclusive.
Gregg Herman (see photo) has been named Aerospace Group director of customer service for Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Lynnwood, Wash. He was director of business management.
All Nippon Airways, which had to cancel the start of 777-300ER services to Los Angeles because of Boeing's recent strike, was set to begin them Oct. 8.
There's no end in sight. European network airlines are now several years into aggressive cost-cutting efforts, but recognize they cannot afford to ease up if they want to ensure their long-term survival as they battle low-fare carriers, competition from high-speed rail and high fuel costs.
The transportation ministry has allowed the Ilyushin Il-96-300 to resume flights. The Il-96-300 was removed from service in July following an undercarriage malfunction.
David J. Gorney (see photo) has been promoted to vice president-Space Program Operations from general manager of the Navigation Div. of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. He succeeds Stephen E. Burrin who is retiring. Gorney will be succeeded by Rita M. Lollock (see photo), who has been the division's principal director of systems engineering.
In addition to generous outlays for fixed-wing aircraft, naval and land weapon systems, France's 2006 defense budget bill would substantially increase spending on command, communications and information systems to link them together. It would permit the delivery of 61 MIDS (Multifunctional Information Distribution System) terminals, 26 RITA digital battle space command systems, 94 regiment-level information systems, 1,250 software radio units and 343 encoding/decoding stations.
The International Air Transport Assn. has outlined a four-point plan to revitalize African aviation. Improving safety is Africa's "most urgent issue," says IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani--noting that 25% of total accidents worldwide occur on a continent that handles 4.5% of world traffic. The association is urging African nations to move toward adopting the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) process in building safety oversight programs. Only three African airlines are among the 140 expected to be in the audit process by year-end.
Lockheed Martin continues to push the Embraer 145 for the U.S. Army's beleaguered Aerial Common Sensor platform despite earlier assertions that the regional jet is too small to handle all of the required missions--and payload--for the surveillance aircraft. To keep the ERJ 145 as the ACS platform, company officials admit they will have to trade requirements earlier laid out by the Army and validated by a high-level interservice panel, an approach that's generating debate at the Pentagon.
Crews with experience in the border protection field, both legacy Customs and Border Patrol, agree that an existing low-noise, high-endurance, fixed-wing platform would be an economical and highly capable alternative to an unmanned aerial vehicle.
Saudi Arabia is considering an avionics boost for 54 C-130E/H transports. The Saudi deal, which would go to Boeing--now in the process of upgrading USAF C-130s--could cost up to $800 million. The Pentagon notes that Saudi Arabia requires the upgrade to ensure the aircraft meet technical requirements to operate in civil airspace.
To help defray the soaring price of jet fuel, Continental Airlines imposes surcharges ranging from $25 for a one-way ticket from the U.S. to the Caribbean to $180 for a round-trip flight to India. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways also have imposed a wide array of fuel-related fees. But when it comes to domestic flights, passengers don't have to worry about shopping around for the lowest surcharge. The fuel fee charged by U.S. carriers is almost always the same: zero.
Enhanced and synthetic vision have been flight tested together by Rockwell Collins and the U.S. Air Force to help set the stage for an autonomous approach and landing capability in 10-15 years. When combined, enhanced vision--provided by a forward-looking infrared (Flir)--and synthetic vision--composed of a computer-generated 3-D view of the world derived from a digital terrain database that includes obstacles--help pilots to make approaches in low visibility and in black-out conditions.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Transportation Dept. tentatively divided three available weekly round-trip frequencies equally among FedEx, Polar Air Cargo and UPS for all-cargo service between the U.S. and Hong Kong through South Korea. The frequencies became available when Northwest Airlines (one) and Kalitta Air (two) gave them up. The new frequencies will be Polar's seventh in the market, FedEx's fourth and UPS's first.
The damaged nosegear wheel supporting structure might have collapsed at any moment on JetBlue Flight 292 (AW&ST Sept. 26, p. 18). I hope all airport crash crews will be taught to provide immediate physical support under a damaged gear structure.
Commercial transport aircraft manufacturers--from the biggest on down through the tiers of subcontractors that constitute the worldwide aerospace industry--value steady, predictable demand for their products from airlines responding to consumer-driven market forces. They have never had it and they never will. But by nature they take a long-range view of their business, regarding demand disturbances and even multi-year economic cycles as fluctuations that will resolve themselves over time--and from sufficient perspective--into smoothly rising curves.
Chairman/CEO W. Douglas Parker, who heads the newest low-cost airline, formed by the merger of America West and US Airways, pledges that the carrier will be "exceptionally diligent" in keeping operating costs under control. At the same time, he believes any cost advantage New US Airways Group currently has "will go away because every U.S. airline will be forced to become low-cost."
The U.S. Army's Light Utility Helicopter program is on the verge of becoming a terrible mistake (AW&ST Aug. 15, p. 20). The purchase of several hundred Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) for National Guard units is a great idea, except these aircraft will have no armor, provision for armament or self-protection equipment. They are intended to support homeland security missions only.
A Boeing-led team is demonstration how a new way of sharing air traffic control information could protect the nation's capital in the event of a 9/11 type of attack and make air traffic management more efficient nationwide.
Scientists using the U.S.-French Argos satellite-relay system have tracked female salmon sharks over thousands of miles of open water between Alaska's glacial seas and the warm ocean off Hawaii. "Sharks are declining globally, yet the movements and habitats of most species are unknown," says Stanford University biologist Barbara Block, chief scientist of the study, which was published in the Oct. 7 issue of the journal Science.
The U.S. and European Union are close to resuming open skies talks, says British Transport Secretary Alistair Darling. The U.S. and EU have been meeting informally in recent weeks. Industry officials suggest formal talks will resume only if both sides are reasonably certain an agreement can be struck, after previous attempts to negotiate an open skies agreement faltered.
BAE Systems' integration of United Defense Industries (UDI) is moving so smoothly the company already is casting an eye toward further acquisitions in 2006. So says Mark Ronald, president of the company's fast-growing North American unit. BAE has told investors it plans to spend the year digesting UDI, which it recently purchased for $4.2 billion. The company also faces a pension deficit in the U.K. Ronald reiterates that another purchase is unlikely in the year's final quarter--but not entirely out of the question.
The machinists' strike at Boeing forced Ryanair to consider putting off some of its fleet expansion plans; but with the strike over, there seems to be no hard feelings and aircraft deliveries are expected to be back on track by year-end. Moreover, Ryanair has exercised options for another nine Boeing 737-800s, which are to be delivered in 2007. At the same time, it will unload five older 737-800s. Those aircraft were bought in 1999, and shedding them is part of Ryanair's efforts to curtail fleet age.
