JetBlue Airways will launch service Oct. 5 at Newark Liberty International Airport with nonstop round trips to two Florida points--Fort Lauderdale and Orlando--adding West Palm Beach, Tampa and Fort Myers on Oct. 19 and San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 17. Service will build through Nov. 22, reaching a combined 16 round trips per day in the six markets. Continental Airlines hubs at Newark and serves all six markets with nonstops. American Airlines flies nonstops between Newark and San Juan, one of its hubs, and offers one-stops in the other markets.
Last month, I bade good-bye to the 25-year-old son of a friend who was off to be a real airline pilot, make that a real regional airline pilot. He had just completed a regional's flight school, paid his $15,000 and was, with 340 hr. flight experience, off to become an Air Line Pilots Assn. first officer.
Researcher Henk Blom of the National Aerospace Laboratory in the Netherlands says the Hybridge Team (see p. 44) has just submitted a proposal to the European Commission under the sixth framework program to extend work on the application of innovative mathematical approaches to air traffic management. The proposal calls for development of advanced concepts of operations involving autonomous aircraft supported by ATM. This approach would contribute to Europe's goal of handling three times more air traffic in 15-20 years. National Air Traffic Services NATS of the U.K.
When an unknown company such as India's $3.2-billion InterGlobe Enterprises orders 100 Airbus A320s without the traditional fanfare, it's bound to attract notice . . . and criticism. But InterGlobe has done just that on behalf of IndiGo, which expects to begin flying during the coming winter using leased aircraft to tide it over until its own fleet arrives.
Despite congressional reluctance and industry opposition, the Bush administration still intends to seek approval for funding aviation security through increased passenger user fees, says Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. He thinks air travelers are willing to pay "a few dollars more per trip to improve aviation security and enhance efficiency," and he's asking Congress and the aviation industry to work with him on developing an acceptable formula to fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Moog Inc. has agreed to acquire FCS Control Systems, a Netherlands-based manufacturer of simulation equipment and test systems for aerospace and automotive markets. Terms were not disclosed. FCS, which had $24 million in sales in 2004, will be combined with Moog's current simulation business, which had sales of $26 million last year, primarily in North America. The deal is expected to close in August.
I was amused at Neelam Mathews' article detailing Airbus "astonishment" at the Boeing 787 win in India (AW&ST May 30, p. 40). Mathews quotes Airbus Vice President Nigel Harwood, who called for an independent inquiry, as saying: "We are not disappointed, but astonished; we were not given fair and equal treatment." Since when did Airbus compete on a level playing field? European governments are set to pick up the tab for developing the A350, while Boeing pays for the 787 R&D itself.
SN BRUSSELS AIRLINES plans to CONDUCT trials next year in receiving taxi clearances via data link at Brussels Airport. The airline is part of a consortium that will join with Belgocontrol for the tests. Other members include SITA, the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory and BluSky Services (an air traffic management consultancy in Belgium). The airline intends to equip its fleet of more than 30 aircraft for the trials to demonstrate how the service can reduce congestion on voice channels and improve safety by reducing the possibility of miscommunications.
If L-3 Communications Corp. Chairman/CEO Frank C. Lanza ever decides to retire, perhaps he'll reveal the secret sauce behind his strategy. In eight years, Lanza has used dozens of niche acquisitions to transform the discarded defense electronics units of the old Loral Corp. into one of the world's largest defense contractors. The company's revenue growth has averaged 37% a year and, since going public in 1998, L-3 has returned 26% annually to its shareholders. By contrast, the average return of the S&P 500 during the same period was 1%.
The Pentagon seems to be facing the music: Its acquisition system--and credibility--is crippled. The chairman of a massive new review of Defense Dept. acquisition practices says the system is suffering from a "crisis of confidence" and--after a series of skewed contract decisions came to light--he intends to propose improvements in as open and public a fashion as possible.
USAF Capt. Nicole Malachowski (see photo) of the 494th Fighter Sqdn. at RAF Lakenheath, England, has joined the USAF Air Demonstration Sqdn., "Thunderbirds," as the first woman demonstration pilot on a U.S. military high-performance jet team. Lt. Col. Kevin Robbins, from the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., was named lead pilot and squadron commander. Capt. Ed Casey, of the 56th Training Sqdn. at Luke AFB, Ariz., is the Thunderbirds' other new demonstration pilot. Capt. Tad Clark, of the 52nd Operations Support Sqdn.
As Boeing Commercial Airplanes enters a summer of contract talks, engineers, technical and professional workers at the company's former Wichita facility approved a four-year contract last week with its new owner, Canada's Onex Corp. Now called Mid-Western Aircraft Systems Inc., the Kansas facility is Boeing's supplier for 737 fuselage and tail sections, along with various other Boeing parts. Boeing continues to own facilities involved in military programs, including KC-767 tankers.
The forced resignation of pilot union representative Christian Paris from the Air France board of directors last week could spell trouble for the airline as it prepares to open talks on a new labor contract. The union forced Paris to step down during the shareholders' assembly, suggesting he was not sufficiently backing its interests.
Boeing says China Cargo Airlines has ordered two 747-400ER freighters valued at $430 million at list prices. Deliveries are set for July 2006 and August 2007.
In the face of growing concern about terrorist threats, France and several of its neighbors are approving agreements that call for dismantling national territorial overflight restrictions. The pacts will give the nations' air forces more flexibility in responding to attacks. The bilateral agreements that are now being put into place represent a significant policy change, because they effectively grant a foreign military the right to operate, albeit with restrictions, in another country's airspace.
Overcoming the East Coast's capacity glut, Southwest Airlines parlayed higher fares, cost controls and its aggressive fuel hedging program into a $277-million operating profit for the second quarter of 2005. Net profit reached $159 million, and both represented year-over-year increases of more than 40%. Continuing double-digit capacity expansion despite brutally competitive market conditions for airlines of its size, Southwest is targeting 15% earnings growth for 2006. "We've got the momentum to pull it off," CEO Gary Kelly told securities analysts July 14.
The NASA Kennedy Space Center is seeking input from commercial or military development programs that could make immediate use of the huge shuttle landing runway here as shuttle operations begin to wind down. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) testing by Northrop Grumman and Zero Gravity Corp. commercial operations are two concepts already being discussed with potential users. "We believe there could be many types of potential uses," says Jim Kennedy, center director.
An expanded plan to fund a network of research clusters stands to help Airbus and other European aerospace/defense contractors, government agencies and R&D institutes leverage one another's technology strengths, as Silicon Valley does in the U.S. The French government last week selected the regions of Midi-Pyrenees and Aquitaine, around Toulouse and Bordeaux, as one of six "world-class" clusters.
Capt. Denny Breslin's comments are spot on regarding the Federal Flight Deck Officer program (AW&ST July 4, p. 6). As a former federal law enforcement officer and firearms instructor, I worked closely with the Allied Pilots Assn. during deve- lopment of the FFDO program. Our group was met with hostility and institutionalized resistance by the Transportation Security Administration. Suggestions of practical policy and standard procedures were dismissed because they came from pilots.
Safran unit Aircelle plans to shut down an aging production facility at Meudon la Foret, near Paris, dedicated to aero engine nacelles. Safran said there will be no direct layoffs; most of the 620 employees will be transferred to a new plant at Plaisir, also near Paris.
U.S. Air Force leaders are reviewing a new vision that could guide the service's science and technology research expenditures for decades. A "strawman" vision was to be presented at Macdill AFB, Fla., during last week's Corona Top conference, a periodic gathering of USAF generals and top civilian leaders. The conference typically consists of strategic-level discussions about high-priority current and future issues.
Passenger counts at Indian airports are expected to jump 2.5 times in the next five years--to 50 million from 19 million--as a booming economy and new low-cost carriers stimulate demand. They will step into airports plagued by bureaucratic wrangling that delays construction. The Center for Asia Pacific Aviation, a Sydney-based consultancy with an office here, estimates India must spend $20 billion in public and private investment over the next decade if it's to keep pace with the growth spiral.
Lord King of Wartnaby, who led the privatization of British Airways, died July 12 in his sleep. He was 87. King was named chairman of BA in 1981 by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. By 1987, the flag carrier was a listed company with a heavily oversubscribed initial public offering. During King's tenure, BA's route structure and fleet were overhauled, while 23,000 jobs were cut. He retired in 1993.
