NetJets Europe says it almost doubled sales of aircraft shares last year and expects more growth this year, confirming earlier reports that the European fractional ownership operation is finally turning the corner a decade after opening for business. Mark Booth, chief executive of the European operation, said the company sold fractional ownership shares for 18 aircraft in 2004, an 80% increase over 2003. The company's 600 or so customers booked more than 32,000 flights during the year, with an average flight time of 1.4 hr.
The FAA intends to propose "soon" a permanent system for limiting flight operations at Chicago O'Hare International Airport that is "more refined" than its current ceiling on the arrival rate, but the agency wants to extend the current regime until Oct. 31. Controls would expire Apr. 30 without an extension, and the FAA believes O'Hare would resume its pattern of chaotic delays if this happens. The extension is proposed at six months, but is intended to last until the new system takes effect.
The shape of the U.S. Air Force will change dramatically over the next two decades as the total number of aircraft drops by 10% and the number of fighters by 25% under a policy of "aggressive divestment" of older systems, say two of the service's top strategic planners.
As expected, Snecma group and Sagem both announced sharply increased 2004 earnings last week, as they prepare for a May merger. Snecma reported a 7% increase in consolidated earnings before interest and taxes, to 511 million euros ($664 million) in 2004, on sales of 6.8 billion euros (+6%) divulged earlier (AW&ST Jan. 17, p. 406). Orders, including MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul), rose 27% to 7.6 billion euros. Sagem posted a 22% improvement in operating earnings, to 205.7 million euros, on revenues of 3.6 billion euros (+12.3%).
European space managers can now turn their attention to a wide range of programs waiting in the wings, following the successful Feb. 12 launch of the Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift booster.
I was bothered by your article on the Navy's VXX decision (AW&ST Feb. 7, p. 40) You state that 90% of the program's value remains in the U.S. Directly above that statement it says that AgustaWestland will supply the fuselage, rotor blades, and dynamic components.
Laurels 2004 honorees were nominated by Aviation Week & Space Technology editors in the traditional categories of Space, Commercial Air Transport, Aeronautics/Propulsion, Government/Military, Electronics and Operations, plus two more. This year, we add Innovation/Entrepreneurship and Business/General Aviation. And in recognition of the role that information technology plays in all aspects of aerospace, we have expanded our Electronics category to include IT accomplishments.
Goodrich will provide nacelles and thrust reversers for Airbus' new A350 aircraft, due to enter service in 2010. The contract is expected to generate approximately $6 billion in original equipment and aftermarket sales for Goodrich over 20 years. Design and production of A350 nacelle systems will be performed by Goodrich's Aerostructures business in Chula Vista, Calif., and its major assembly facility in Toulouse, France.
As Boeing adds the 777-200 Longer Range (LR), the world's longest-range aircraft, to its big twin-engine jet family, the airplane's capacity to carry cargo is as likely to determine its success as its long legs.
Stiff new regulations compensating passengers for denied boarding, late cancellations and long delays took effect Feb. 17 throughout the European Union. The European Commission said it expects "a dramatic reduction in the frequency of denied boarding," for which per-passenger compensation will range from 250 euros ($325) for flights of less than 1,500 km. (930 mi.) to 600 euros for flights of more than 3,500 km. The rules apply to scheduled and charter service operated by European airlines from or to a European airport, and to any flight leaving the EU.
Emphasizing the use of well-understood technology, Japan's Space Activities Commission says the country will limit future satellite development to spacecraft buses of no more than 2,000 kg.
Our target for the day was a bridge at Bac Ninh on the northeast railroad. Ingress could be along the mountainous coast, and the only heavy defenses were along the railroad itself and in the flatlands where the narrow valley that harbored the rail line opened up on the delta. I was flying wing on Maj. Bill Loyd, with the new assistant operations officer, Maj. Ken Frank, flying as number three and Karl Richter as four. Our load was five Mk.83 low-drag bombs. Rain the night before hinted that the monsoon was overhead and the only weather factor was going to be local.
David Wightman, who has been president of Dow-Key Microwave, Ventura, Calif., also will be president of K&L Microwave. Both are subsidiaries of the Dover Corp. Adolf Cheung has been named general manager of Dow-Key Microwave, Julie Williams sales manager for Southern California and Canada, and Vince Harter product line sales manager.
I am pleased that you have given increased coverage to Heavy Lift (AW&ST Feb. 7, p. 28; June 28, 2004, p. 26). Sadly, unproven startups have already begun bashing heavy-lift (AW&ST Feb. 7, p. 23).
BE Aerospace posted a net loss of $9.3 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, a 52% reduction from its loss the same period a year earlier. Quarterly sales at the aircraft-interior supplier were up 16%, bolstered by a strong recovery in the business jet market.
The global helicopter market is projected to grow at an annual clip of 11% in the next five years, driven by $25 billion in competitions from the military sector, according to a new Wall Street report. JPMorgan analyst Joseph B. Nadol, 3rd, forecasts the industry will deliver nearly 1,000 helicopters in 2010 worth $11.2 billion, up from an estimated $6.8 billion in deliveries this year. "We expect the global helicopter market to grow nearly three times as fast as the U.S. defense budget," Nadol writes. Indeed, three major U.S.
Aviation Week & Space Technology has selected the following Laurel Legends for 2004. The Legends can be previous Laurel winners or individuals chosen for contributions to the global field of aerospace over a period of years. The Legends also will be recognized at the Apr. 5 dinner in Washington and will be inducted into the Laureates Hall of Fame.
John Griffing (see photo) has become Northrop Grumman's lead executive for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps programs in the Hampton Roads, Va., region. He has been business development manager there for the company's Integrated Systems Sector.
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg has been appointed director of the Joint Theater Air and Missile Defense Organization in The Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He was director of the Enlisted Personnel Management Directorate in the Army Human Resources Command, Alexandria, Va.
As the FAA prepared to meet with general aviation groups to seek ways to improve safety, NTSB investigators sped to the Pueblo, Colo., crash site of a Cessna Citation 560 that killed all eight people on board--including six employees of Circuit City Stores Inc. The electronics retailer would not release the names of the employees pending notification of next of kin, but confirmed that no corporate officers were on board. According to FAA preliminary information, the aircraft, N500AT, had received clearance to land at Pueblo Memorial Airport's 10,500-ft.
United Arab Emirates' national airline, Etihad Airways, has selected Rolls-Royce's Trent 900 engines to power the airline's four Airbus A380s. Additionally, Etihad has signed for the Trent 700 to power 12 A330s; the airline already has agreed to lease two A330s with the Rolls engine. The total deal, including Rolls' long-term maintenance arrangement, is expected to cost $950 million. The A380 selection gives Rolls its sixth A380 customer and, for now at least, the market share lead with 51% over the GP7200-offering of Engine Alliance (GE and Pratt & Whitney).
This letter is in response to the Frances Fiorino article about Independence Air (AW&ST Jan. 3, p. 41) in which regional airlines are cited as having the best operating margins. I believe that these margins are high only when operated under the umbrella of a code-share partner. Typically, the regional is paid on a "fee per departure" and often fuel is even paid for by the legacy carrier. This guarantees that the regional is profitable. In fact, I would argue that regionals are slowly killing their own legacy carriers.
Michael A. Taverna (Bordeaux and St. Cloud, France)
Dassault Aviation says sales and orders rebounded last year, thanks in part to stronger than expected sales of its new Falcon 7X ultra-long-range business jet and a follow-on French Rafale fighter order. However, uncertainty over the business aviation recovery and export fighter sales could cloud prospects for this year.
Average passenger traffic at European airports climbed 6.9% in October 2004 compared with the same month a year ago, while freight traffic was up 7.5%, according to Airports Council International Europe. A few of the smallest airports--those that handle fewer than 5 million passengers per year--experienced rapid growth, however. Gerona Airport in Spain was up 89.5%, Riga International in Latvia was up 40.8% and Vilnius in Lithuania was up 36.9%.
L-3 Communications has won an initial $16-million contract, which could eventually be worth up to $411 million, to provide the Missile Defense Agency with airborne mission support for ballistic missile defense testing. The Airborne Sensor (ABS) Mission Operations program is to provide airborne electro-optical and infrared sensor capabilities. It involves the support of two High-Altitude Observatory aircraft (modified Gulfstream IIBs) and the Widebody Airborne Sensor Program (a modified DC-10). The ABS program provides quick-turn mission data analysis.
