U.S. regional airlines continued their impressive record of growth in 2000, carrying 84.6 million passengers, representing an increase of 8% over 1999, according to statistics compiled by AvStat Associates of Washington. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) increased by more than 21% to 25.27 billion. In 2000, regional jets accounted for 51% of the industry's RPMs. The number of cities in North America receiving service decreased 1% to 729 in 2000. In total, regional carriers serve 94% of all North American airports offering commercial airline service.
Virgin Atlantic plans to launch daily service between London and Lagos, Nigeria, late this summer in competition with British Airways. The move follows an agreement between the British and Nigerian governments to allow two airlines from each nation to operate on the route. Virgin would operate Boeing 747s on the Lagos route. In addition, the carrier will begin new London-Toronto service in June and will take delivery of five leased 747-400s. Virgin also plans to increase London-Hong Kong flights from seven to nine each week beginning Aug. 14.
The FAA is mandating changes to the flight manuals for Boeing 737s to address safety concerns uncovered after the Mar. 3 explosion of a Thai Airways 737-400 in Bangkok. Though Thai and U.S. officials have not issued a finding in that case, investigators have determined that the center tank fuel pumps had been running in a ``dry'' state when the center tank exploded. The pumps were also operating dry in a similar -300 fuel tank explosion in 1990.
Virgin Atlantic signed a contract for six Airbus A380s last week, endorsing a commitment it made in 2000. Deliveries are to begin in 2006. Virgin has options on an additional six of the 555-seat aircraft.
EADS would like to expand the portion of its revenues derived from services. Visiting Washington this month to open EADS' U.S. corporate offices, co-CEO Rainer Hertrich said the aerospace giant generates about 10% of $21 billion in annual sales in the service sector. Hertrich and EADS' other co-CEO, Phillippe Camus, said they hope to expand services to perhaps 30% of revenues. With more than 1,100 Airbus aircraft flying or on order in North America, EADS has been expanding its service activities in the U.S.
Battered by a decade of downsizing and lean budgets, U.S. intelligence agencies no longer have the technical expertise needed to counter a broad spectrum of threats to national security, according to their chief scientists. Consequently, these executives are turning to academia, industry, government laboratories and even science fiction writers for ideas and temporary expertise to solve critical technical problems.
Eugene J. O'Rourke has become senior vice president of the Titan Corp. of San Diego and president/CEO of the Titan Wireless Corp. He was vice president/general manager of Motorola's Emerging Markets Network Solutions Div.
Airline labor strife has spread to Capitol Hill, where industry is urging legal curbs on long work stoppages, unions are demanding that government keep its hands off collective bargaining and lawmakers are denouncing ``pilot greed.''
Lack of access to major hubs and intractable regulatory authorities will remain the principal impediments to growth for Europe's regional airlines, asserts Mike Ambrose, director general for the European Regions Airline Assn. (ERA).
Security mavens expect Bush's grand plan for a multilayer missile defense to wilt. The roadblock, they say, is the Administration's inheritance of so many deep-seated defense shortfalls, rendering a combined land-, sea- and space-based national missile defense (NMD) unaffordable. Retrenchment is likely, predicts Reagan national security adviser Robert C. McFarlane.
Singapore Airlines has introduced a satellite-based e-mail system for passengers, and plans to have its fleet of nearly 60 long-range aircraft converted with the system by mid-2002. The decision is considered another step in the development of what is projected to be a multibillion dollar industry of providing communications services and Internet access to a growing number of passengers who carry laptop computers.
Carol Hallett, president/CEO of the Washington-based Air Transport Assn. and former U.S. Customs Service commissioner, has won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Assn., also in Washington.
NASA boss Dan Goldin offers no apology for chopping the $25.5-million rotorcraft R&D account (AW&ST Apr. 16, p. 28). Making helos ``a little quieter and a little faster'' would have been closer to product development than basic research, he told a Senate panel. Goldin was equally unabashed about aerospace as a whole, dismissing appeals for an immediate multibillion-dollar initiative to revive the industry. ``It is not NASA's job to help the industry compete at the margins of a constrained market.'' Rather, Goldin is working with the Transportation Dept.
International Space Station astronauts and flight controllers late last week were dealing with the most serious inflight crisis of the program as all three of the outpost's three primary command and control computers failed for most of two days because of apparent software problems.
Andy Love has achieved the highest attainable rank for a ``citizen-soldier'' by being promoted to major general in the Colorado Air National Guard. He is ANG assistant to the commander of Air Force Space Command and director of ANG forces at Peterson AFB, Colo.
EADS (Germany) and Thales (Netherlands) are forming an equal partnership on German and Dutch naval equipment programs, including frigate projects for both navies, as well as a multifunction phased-array radar. The venture, to be called ET Marinesysteme GmbH., is to be operational by midyear.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. is on schedule to meet a planned fourth-quarter 2001 first flight of its ultralong-range Gulfstream V derivative, the GV-SP. In addition to a state-of-the-art cockpit that includes an infrared landing aid as standard equipment, the GV-SP will feature a larger cabin and a 6,750-mi. range--up 250 naut. mi. from the 6,500-mi. maximum trip distance for both the Gulfstream V and its competitor, Bombardier's Global Express.
A table listing the current and projected fleets of Asia-Pacific airlines (AW&ST Apr. 16, pp. 62-64) incorrectly referred to Hong Kong-based Dragonair as China National (Dragonair).
Rybinsk Motors and Moscow-based Lulka-Saturn Design Bureau have agreed to merge their operations to create the largest integrated aircraft engine design and manufacturing facility in Russia. The new joint stock company, which will reportedly be called Saturn, will combine the research, development and manufacturing capabilities and financial resources of both companies. The Russian government will hold a 37% stake in the new entity. All formalities necessary to conclude the merger are expected to be completed this fall.
Senior management at Legend Airlines has filed documents with a U.S. bankruptcy court to change the carrier's status from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 and liquidate its assets. According to the Dallas Morning News, Legend CEO T. Allan McArtor said the airline's demise stems chiefly from ``capital deprivation,'' not a viable business plan. Legend ceased flying in December, and McArtor sought funding to restart operations. Earlier this year, a New York investment group failed to provide $20 million to rescue the airline.
John K. Stockman has been appointed vice president-finance and Joseph I. Murli vice president-manufacturing of the Kamatics Corp., Bloomfield, Conn. Stockman was assistant vice president of the parent Kaman Corp. Murli was chief operating officer of Sterling Autobody, Natick, Mass. He succeeds David Johansen, who is retiring.
Curtis&Co. and Xavian have formed London-based commercial transport leasing company XS Aviation, which also plans to convert DC-10-30s into all-cargo configurations.
The Gromov Flight Research Institute, one of Russia's primary flight test and aeronautical research facilities, is adding an advanced new centrifuge for high-speed flight research while proposing new international programs to benefit civil aviation. GFRI, with a staff of about 5,000, is located at Zhukovsky, 35 mi. southeast of Moscow. In March, it celebrated its 60th anniversary, said Vyacheslav M. Bakaev, who heads the organization.
