SITA Information Networking Computing of Geneva will provide Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport a Wi-Fi network that will allow laptop and cell phone use anywhere in the airport. In 2004, Hartsfield-Jackson, which has earned the title of busiest airport in the world for seven years, handled about 84 million passengers. Under the $5.4-million contract, SITA will establish the Wi-Fi and cellular phone infrastructure and manage the network for one year (AW&ST Dec. 13, 2004, p. 74). Operations are to begin before year-end.
Gradual recovery of legacy-airline pricing power and continued vigilance on costs overcame fuel prices, delivering small and fleeting profits to American Airlines and Continental Airlines in the second quarter of 2005. Delta Air Lines, however, continued to see red.
Prem Shanker Goel, who has been director of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Satellite Center in Bangalore, has become secretary of ISRO's Ocean Development Dept. He succeeds Harsh K. Gupta, who has retired. M. Annamalai has been appointed director of the Satish Dhawan Space Center. He was associate director and succeeds K. Narayana, who has retired.
James R. Parker has been named to succeed Donald O. Barber, when he retires July 31 as senior vice president of air operations of FedEx Express. Parker has been vice president.
The World Trade Organization in Geneva has formally taken up the respective cases filed by the U.S. and European Union over alleged subsidies to commercial airplane makers. A Dispute Settlement Board is now being set up to hear the case. Initial hearings are set for later this year, but a ruling won't come until next year at the earliest. Brussels and Washington say they are still open to discuss and try to resolve the matter outside the WTO, although no serious talks are slated.
Nigeria plans to have its grounded G.222s back in operation within the next 24 months, following a fleetwide revamp by Alenia Aeronautica. The $74.5-million contract will see Alenia overhaul the Nigerian air force's G.222s, with the airframes subject to a stripdown. One of the five aircraft to be returned to service will, given the state of the airframe, first be returned to Italy.
Even though the European Union hasn't lifted its arms embargo against China, but is only considering it, the Pentagon says damage already has been done. The U.S. military tells lawmakers that the EU debate to remove restrictions in place since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown "may have prompted Russia to expand the range of systems it is willing to market to China," in order to preempt new competitors.
Astronomers have their first relatively close look at Saturn's tumbling moon Hyperion, and it has given them something to anticipate in September when NASA's Cassini probe returns for a much closer view. Images collected in mid-June show the tiny moon pocked with craters that give it the appearance of a natural sponge. That's appropriate, because at only 102 mi. on its longest axis, Hyperion is so small that its gravity doesn't crush it into a sphere, leaving it with voids that give it a density only 60% that of water ice.
A technique not often associated with low-cost, low-fare carriers--yield management--is behind profitable second-quarter operations at JetBlue Airways and America West Airlines.
Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors has won a $124-million, three-year contract to upgrade the first of four Japanese Kongo-class destroyers with Aegis ballistic missile defense weapon system upgrades. This involves integration of the Aegis system and upgrades to the ship's vertical launching and command and control systems. The award is a follow-on to a 2003 Foreign Military Sales agreement with the Japan Defense Agency. The U.S.
Cockpit doors slam shut for 60-year-old Part 121 transport pilots under the FAA's "Age 60" rule adopted in 1959. But U.S. Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) and U.S. Rep. James A. Gibbons (R-Nev.)--both pilots--are proposing legislation that would extend the mandatory retirement age to 65. Pilot groups and medical authorities testified last week before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation aviation subcommittee about the pros and cons of an age extension.
The British Atomic Weapons Establishment is to receive a 1.05-billion-pound ($1.84-billion) upgrade over three years to ensure it can continue to maintain the U.K.'s Trident warheads. The government also is considering a successor warhead, as part of broader work on a future nuclear deterrent.
Jacques Chauvet (see photo) has been promoted to vice president-Falcon customer service for the Eastern Hemisphere, based in St. Cloud, France, for Dassault Aviation. He was deputy vice president. Chauvet succeeds Claude Frey, who has retired.
Neelam Mathews (New Delhi), Michael Mecham (San Francisco)
Russia is fortifying itself to face competition in the Indian defense market from U.S. rivals that are savvy about after-sales service. To improve its image in that sector, Russia is launching a joint venture in Mumbai called Rosoboronservice India to provide after-sales warranty work on Russian naval and air force equipment. Besides India, the company also expects to serve Russian equipment buyers in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Satisfied with the outcome of the 2005 Paris air show at Le Bourget last month, the organizers plan to retain this year's four-trade/three-public-day format for June 18-24, 2007.
American Honda's HondaJet flies over the countryside near Greensboro, N.C. Cessna Aircraft, Embraer, Eclipse Aviation and Adam Aircraft also are developing small, turbofan-powered airplanes for the new very light jet market (see p. 44). The twin-engine HondaJet has been in development since late 2003 and will make its public debut this week at the Experimental Aircraft Assn.'s AirVenture 2005 sport aircraft exhibition in Oshkosh, Wis. Mike Fizer photo.
The technology is feasible, but don't bet on fast implementation of the vision for an on-demand, point-to-point air transport system. The NASA-led Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) program is aimed at building technologies that would allow small (4-10 passengers) aircraft access in low-visibility conditions to more than 3,000 underused U.S. airports, particularly those without radar. That vision is the foundation of a future transport system filled with air taxis and personal jets. Yet without access to the airports, the dream would simply vanish.
France's Europe Airpost has suspended passenger-carrying operations for low-cost Flywest. Europe Airpost, which provides aircraft for revenue-generating passenger service, cited failure to make required payments since the start of July as the cause. It further stated it would be willing to resume working with Flywest if the carrier can resolve its financial problems. Europe Airpost, a subsidiary of France's La Poste mail service, operates several aircraft types. These include 147-seat Boeing 737-300s.
Northwest Airlines is preparing to ride out a mechanics' strike that could start anytime after Aug. 20. The National Mediation Board released Northwest and the union, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn. (AMFA), from mediated talks last week, starting a 30-day cooling-off period that could end in a legal walkout. The mediation board's release came after the airline rejected the board's offer of arbitration to settle contract differences developed over months of negotiations.
Safran has recorded first-half 2005 sales totaling 4.9 billion euros ($5.9 billion), a 2.3% increase over the year earlier. The weak dollar depressed sales totals. On a constant-dollar basis, sales would have grown 4.8%. The bulk of Safran sales came from the propulsion side, 1.1 billion euros, with commercial airplane and helicopter engine revenues particularly strong. However, sales in the military and space propulsion business were flat.
The U.S. Army awarded a $41.5-million contract to Boeing to refurbish 70 more AH-64 Apache helicopters. The work is an addition to a 2004 contract that calls for work on 15 of the helicopters. Preferred turnaround time is 60 days.
An Antonov An-24B operated by Equatorial Guinea-based Equatair crashed on July 16, killing six crew and 49 passengers after takeoff on a domestic flight. An An-24 operated by Sudan-based Marsland Aviation was lost last month, killing three people.
Although it wasn't what they planned, managers at Tokyo Narita International Airport and the Japanese transport ministry say they have found a way to extend a second runway to enable larger aircraft to use the nation's busiest international gateway.
The air defense array around the pending shuttle Discovery launch at the Kennedy Space Center will be led, as in the past, by six Florida Air National Guard F-15s, instead of F-16s as earlier envisioned by U.S. Northern Command (AW&ST July 11, p. 26). Although exact basing remains classified, the task has been handled by the ANG's 125th Fighter Wing out of Jacksonville. The F-16s normally used to patrol the East Coast on a daily basis will be available to supplement the F-15s.
The NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, set for launch here Aug. 10, should have enough propellant to operate in Martian orbit four additional years--until 2014--following the loading of more propellant. The orbiter is to obtain extremely detailed global imagery, composition and weather data around which to plan and operate the next 15-20 years of Mars robotic lander and orbiter operations (AW&ST Jan. 31, p. 48).
