Lufthansa Systems announced that Airbus successfully integrated its Lido eRouteManual and electronic airport and route charts into the On-board Information System of the A380. The eRouteManual presents a worldwide data set of airport and en route aeronautical information and detailed taxi, departure and approach charts, "as well as global, seamless en route moving charts." LHS will offer it for all Airbus electronic flight bags.
Etihad Airways opened a lounge for Diamond and Pearl Zone guests arriving at and departing from Abu Dhabi. It offers areas for conducting business or enjoying a range of audio and video entertainment or relaxation and is equipped with laptop connections, high-speed Internet access, fax and telephone facilities. Hot and cold refreshments are offered and users can access the airport's gym and shower facilities.
Deepening battle over pilot poaching between airlines in India has ended up in court, with Indian Airlines securing an injunction preventing four of its pilots from leaving to join a rival. The court ruling is expected to stabilize the cat-and-mouse game between carriers and ensure that pilots serve out their contracts. IA has a shortage of 118 pilots while Air-India is short 40, which resulted in Air-India Express having to suspend service between Delhi and Mumbai, according to a spokesperson.
OnAir announced that Munich-based TriaGnoSys and Alabama-based Miltope Corp. will provide the software and server respectively for the OnAir onboard GSM solution that "will allow the safe and effective use of mobile phones on aircraft for the first time." With the recent selection of Siemens as the pico cell manufacturer, all suppliers for the system are identified and fully engaged with Airbus. A pre-production version of the server with the TriaGnoSys software is expected by year end.
News from Travel Technology Update: Sabre Holdings Corp. said US Airways signed a renewal of its Direct Connect Availability Three-Year Option agreement, extending the pact one year beyond October. US Airways was the first carrier to sign a DCA-3 agreement and to join Galileo International's version of the program, Preferred Fares. In Sabre's second-quarter earnings briefing with investment analysts, chairman Sam Gilliland said the extension of the agreement incorporates "roughly similar terms and conditions" as the original.
South Korean government decided yesterday to step in to arbitrate an end to the labor dispute between Asiana's management and its pilots ( ATWOnline, July 19). The pilots have been striking for better working conditions and a greater voice in management. The move came after talks between the two sides broke down. The government had set a Sunday deadline for ending the three-week strike and warned that it would use emergency powers to end the job action by enforcing a 30-day cooling-off period.
Lufthansa will add six new destinations from Hamburg from Oct. 15. It will base four 737s there and start services to Budapest, Gothenburg, Madrid, Nice, Prague and Rome. Separately, Lufthansa said passenger traffic rose 6.8% in July to 10.23 billion RPKs, while capacity climbed just 2.1% to 13.13 billion ASKs. The result was a 3.4-point improvement in cabin factor to 77.9%. Most of the growth occurred on long-haul routes to the Americas and Asia/Pacific, LH said in an statement. The number of passengers rose 2.2 % to 4.76 million.
Korean Air placed into service its first 777-200ER equipped with AVOD interactive IFE systems in all three cabins as well as inflight Internet options. The aircraft, which will be used between Seoul and Los Angeles, also features the new-look interior and seats being installed progressively across the 777 and 747-400 fleets.
Gulf Air appointed Rohan Alce regional GM for Europe, Africa and the Americas. Clive Wratten succeeds Alce as UK GM. Alce has been with Gulf Air since 2002 and previously held positions at Qatar Airways, bmi, Virgin Atlantic and British Caledonian. Wratten joined Gulf Air in 2003 after stints with Qantas and British Airways
Timco Aviation Services said it has acquired tooling and other equipment for the repair and overhaul of CFM56 engines. The acquisition was financed through an operating lease agreement with Maxus Leasing Group. Timco President and COO Gil West said, "With the average age of CFM56 engines being used in North America exceeding 15 years, we believe that demand for their repair will grow rapidly in the future, and we intend to be a significant provider of CFM56 overhaul and repair services." The company expects to select a site for the facility shortly, with opening planned by year end.
Adria Airways and LOT Polish Airlines will launch service between Ljubljana and Warsaw Sept. 2. The four weekly flights will be evenly divided between the carriers, which are codesharing on the route.
Officials continue to investigate the Aug. 6 accident in which an ATR 72 fell into the sea off the coast of Palermo, killing 13 people. The charter flight was operated by Tuninter, a subsidiary of Tunisair. According to news reports, 23 people, including the pilot and copilot, survived the accident. The plane carrying vacationers had flown out of Bari bound for the Tunisian resort island of Djerba. Yesterday, rescue workers still were searching the choppy seas for three people who remain missing.
SAS Group flew 3.2 billion RPKs in July, up 5.2% over the year-ago period. Group capacity rose 1.8% to 4.4 billion RPKs and load factor improved 2.4 points to 74.1%. Flagship Scandinavian Airlines reported a 1.5% decline in RPKs to 2.4 billion while ASKs fell 5.4% to 3.1 billion, pushing load factor up 3 points to 76.9%.
Aerleasing.com, which celebrated its first month in business on Aug. 4, aims to use Web auctions to bring together buyers, lessors and sellers of aircraft and engines. The site is the brainchild of Jason Bell, a UK-based software designer who admits his background is in software and systems, not wheeling and dealing in airplanes. "I've come from the outside in," he told ATWOnline. The site has "two tracks: You are either sourcing an aircraft or you have an aircraft you want to part with via sale or lease," he explained.
Sun-Air of Scandinavia took delivery of a second Dornier 328JET specially configured for short takeoffs and landings and will use it for new service at London City Airport starting in November. The airline, which also operates 328 turboprops, is a franchise partner of British Airways. Private Wings, a charter carrier based at Berlin Templehof, also purchased a 328JET, boosting its total fleet to six.
United Services announced that MD-Sales and Marketing Gene House has retired. He was replaced by Garth Peterson, who assumed the role on July 1. Aviareps named Johnny Gardsaeter as the new GM of its office in Stockholm.
Lufthansa Flight Training began work on the expansion of its training facility at Berlin Schoenefeld by laying the cornerstone for a new complex in the presence of Deutsche Lufthansa AG Executive Board Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber. LFT currently is investing some €18.5 million ($22.9 million), which covers the cost of a new CAE-built A320 simulator that will be operational early next year plus two buildings that initially will house two simulators as well as supporting facilities including a canteen, several classrooms and terminals for computer-based training.
Air Canada flew 4.55 billion RPKs in July, up 6.8% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 2.8% to 5.44 billion ASKs and load factor was up 3.2 points to 83.6%. For the seven months ended July 31, RPMs increased 5.8% to 25.7 billion, ASMs rose 1.3% to 32.01 billion and load factor gained 3.4 points to 80.3%.
JetBlue Airways flew 1.98 billion RPMs in July, up 31.6% over the year-ago period. Capacity grew 27% to 2.17 billion ASMs and load factor was up 3.2 points to 91.1%. For the seven months ended July 31, RPMs increased 30.9% to 11.54 billion, ASMs jumped 24.6% to 13.19 billion and load factor gained 4.3 points to 87.5%.
Delta Air Lines maintenance division Delta TechOps signed a new 10-year agreement with ABX Air to provide engine maintenance services for the CF6-80A and -80A2 engines powering its fleet of 767-200s. The accord extends ABX Air's CF6-80A maintenance relationship with Delta through at least 2015 and provides opportunities for maintenance of up to 80 additional engines over its life. The two companies also recently signed 10-year deals covering 767-200 airframe component repair and GTCP331-200 APU repair.
Babcock & Brown Aircraft Management entered into an agreement with Kingfisher Airlines to purchase and lease back to the Indian carrier two new V2500-powered A320s for delivery in September 2005 and February 2006.
Lufthansa Systems said it received EASA's Letter of Acceptance enabling more than 110 customers of its Lido FMS database to apply for use of new precision area navigation procedures at their aviation authorities. The P-RNAV procedures will be permitted from October provided they are based on certified navigation data as is the case with LHS.
US carriers' ontime performance improved in June compared to the same month last year, but fell slightly against May 2005 figures. According to US Dept. of Transportation statistics, the 20 reporting airlines recorded an overall ontime arrival rate of 75.2% in June, better than June 2004's 73% but below May 2005's 83.7%. Hawaiian Airlines at 94.1% posted the highest rate. Of mainland airlines, SkyWest Airlines was best at 83.1% with Comair at 81.2% finishing second. Alaska Airlines had the lowest rate at 49.8%.
US National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday that it sent a team of specialists to assist in the investigation of the Air France A340 accident in Toronto that occurred Aug. 2 ( ATWOnline, Aug. 3). The team is led by senior NTSB investigator Robert Benzon.
