Safety, Ops & Regulation

Airlines for America (A4A) has launched a campaign for a National Airline Policy to ensure the US airline industry remains globally competitive.

Embraer broke ground on its $26 million Engineering and Technology Center at Melbourne International Airport in Florida late last month.

Bahrain-based Gulf Air will use network services from SITA to optimize its operations across its 48 destinations.

China’s couriers are looking to launch their own cargo airlines in the fast-growing domestic express delivery market.

British Airways has committed to buying the jet fuel produced by a planned new UK biofuel plant that is part of the GreenSky London initiative.

Parker Aerospace and GE Aviation agreed to form a joint venture (JV) to enhance the development and the manufacture of commercial aircraft engine fuel nozzles. The JV, Advanced Atomization Technologies, will be based at the Parker Gas Turbine Fuel Systems Division facility in Clyde, New York. Saab named Görgen Johansson as head of its dynamics business area. Johansson has served as CFO at Saab since March.

Southwest Airlines will consolidate three AirTran reservations call centers and combine the jobs into a single Atlanta, Ga.-based center.

EasyJet has begun allocating seat assignments on all its flights, a departure from its open seating strategy, following a trial in April.

Airbus parent EADS confirmed Monday that “key shareholders are discussing potential changes in the company shareholding structure.”

Engaging in nepotism, accepting expensive gifts, ignoring regulations . . . these are among the charges leveled against the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) in a government report released last month. MWAA, which manages Washington National (DCA) and Dulles (IAD) airports, has largely acknowledged the failings.

Global traffic in October showed a continued softening of airline passenger traffic growth and “significant” weakening of freight demand, IATA said, citing Hurricane Sandy as a contributor.

Concur invests $2 million in Evature, a natural-language search company Lufthansa Group reduces stake in Amadeus Amadeus unveils ‘curated’ search functionality Priceline, Kayak CEOs talk about their future together TravelClick unveils ‘risk-free’ Google ad program for hotels Branding in the digital age: You need values and beliefs World news briefing

The Business Travel Coalition launched a petition to urge the Obama administration to force airlines to provide ancillary fee information to all sales channels. The petition was posted on the “We the People” platform on the White House website, which allows any American to create and post a petition on the site and collect signatures.

Unions representing almost 90% of employees at Spanish airline Iberia have announced a series of 24-hour strikes in the run-up to Christmas.

Samer Majali is to step down as CEO of Gulf Air at the end of 2012 after three years with the airline.

US House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) blasted the Transportation Security Administration for skipping a Thursday House hearing on aviation security.

Continental Airlines has been cleared of criminal blame for the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde aircraft at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) has been selected by US House of Representatives’ Republicans to become the chairman of the chamber’s influential Transportation and Infrastructure Committee when the new Congress convenes in Washington DC next month.

The Director General of Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA), Richard Masozera who is also a board member of the regional Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) said this week that the East African civil aviation authorities are progressing with talks to streamline their operations,.

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. (SCAC) has reported a first-half net loss of $100.3 million, deepened from a $16.9 million loss in the year-ago period.

Slovenia-based Adria Airways (JP) said it has been unofficially informed that the European Commission (EC) has opened an investigation into the state's measures for the benefit of the company from 2007 to 2011.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways (EY) is reportedly in talks to take a minority stake in India’s Jet Airways (9W), according to a Reuters report.

Boeing was selected by Guggenheim Aviation Partners to manage and engineer the conversion of three Boeing 767-300ERs to freighters, for delivery in 2013. The conversion will take place at ST Aerospace subsidiary ST Aviation Services Co. in Paya Lebar, Singapore.

News from Travel Technology Update: The Business Travel Coalition (BTC) launched a petition to urge the Obama administration to force airlines to provide ancillary fee information to all sales channels.

US President Barack Obama signed into law on Tuesday legislation that enables the country’s transportation secretary to “prohibit” US airlines from participating in the European Union’s (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).