Mexico's aviation safety rating was raised to Category 1 by US FAA just four months after the agency downgraded the country to Category 2 for being "unable to fully comply with all of the international safety standards" set by ICAO.
Turkish Technic announced it has signed maintenance services agreements for one base maintenance C check on B737NG (VQ-BEO) and one base maintenance A check on B737NG (VQ-BOY) with Yakutia Airlines. Maintenance activities will be carried at Turkish Technic’s facilities in Istanbul, Turkey; during December 2010.
Elijah Chingosho was appointed secretary general of the African Airlines Assn., effective Jan. 1, at the organization's 42nd Annual General Assembly in Addis Ababa. He will take over from Tewodros Tamrat, who has held the position on an acting basis since June. Chingosho has been AFRAA's director-safety, technical and training for the past nine years. Prior to joining AFRAA in 2001, he served with Air Zimbabwe as the GM of engineering and acting GM of human resources. He began his aviation career in the Zimbabwe Air Force.
Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon Air announced Wednesday its pilots, represented by International Brotherhood of Teamsters, ratified a new five-year contract ( ATW Daily News, Sept. 20). Nearly 77% of Horizon's pilots voted, and more than 59% of those voted in favor of the agreement.
Lufthansa this week outlined its vision to reporters in Frankfurt on "a new way to handle irregularity" in travel for its passengers, particularly regarding delays and managing flight transfers. "Our vision is [a] mobile companion" for the passenger, an LH spokesperson said. In the future, the airline hopes to introduce an indoor navigation application for airports that customers will be able to access on mobile phones. "With the mobilization of the world, this is really important," LH said.
Southwest Airlines' pilots ratified a tentative agreement to amend their collective bargaining accord to allow the carrier to add the Boeing 737-800 to its fleet. "With this positive vote, the pilots' current contract will also be extended by one year, becoming amendable August 2012, and will include the potential for wage rate increases based on the company's financial performance," the Dallas-based LCC said in a statement. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Assn. represents more than 5,600 SWA pilots.
China's Ministry of Commerce gave the green light for the air cargo joint venture between Air China and Cathay Pacific Airways, which is expected to launch by year end or early next year, according to CA Board Secretary Huang Bin.
US Dept. of Homeland Security stated that all passengers on flights "within or bound for the United States are now being checked against government watch lists" under implementation of the Transportation Security Administration's "Secure Flight" program, which entails the agency prescreening a passenger's full name, birth date and gender prior to issuance of a boarding pass.
SITA was awarded a five-year contract from Cochin International to provide automation of its passenger check-in process and passenger bag reconciliation solutions, BagManager and BagMessage. Under terms, SITA will also provide common use self-service kiosks and more than 80 AirportConnect Open workstations.
The Finnish Cabin Crew Union, which represents Finnair's and Blue1's cabin service personnel, began its open-ended strike Tuesday at 1 p.m. local time after it failed to reach a deal over shifts and other employment issues ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 18). SLSY Chairwoman Thelma Akers said the union would be on strike for "as long as it takes."
Privately run Uni-Top Airlinesis expected to gain approval from CAAC for its formal launch although the regulator has tightened its grip on new entrants. The Wuhan-based cargo carrier is scheduled to receive an operating certificate from CAAC soon, the last step before approval to commence operations.
International Aero Engines announced Tuesday that BOC Aviation chose the V2500 to power 25 A320 family aircraft newly ordered from Airbus. The aircraft, due for delivery from 2012, will join BOC Aviation’s current fleet of more than 70 V2500-powered aircraft in service or on order. BOC Aviation MD and CEO Robert Martin said, “We continue to see high demand from our customers and the market for A320 family aircraft powered by V2500 engines which delivers environmentally sound and fuel efficient solutions to our customers.”
Boeing and Copa Airlines announced an order for 22 737-800NGs plus 10 options at a signing ceremony Tuesday at the US Dept. of Commerce in Washington. The order, valued at approximately $1.7 billion at list prices, was previously attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing's orders and deliveries website.
Aerolineas Argentinas signed a formal agreement Tuesday to join SkyTeam, setting the stage for it to become the alliance's first South American member in 2012.
Lufthansa relaunched its FlyNet inflight Internet service after a four-year suspension Tuesday, becoming the first airline to offer passengers broadband Internet access on intercontinental routes.
Lufthansa relaunched its FlyNet inflight Internet service after a four-year suspension Tuesday, becoming the first airline to offer passengers broadband Internet access on intercontinental routes. Initially, it will be available on select North Atlantic routes, with LH planning to deploy it throughout its intercontinental network by the end of 2011.
United Continental Holdings announced Monday that Continental Airlines has reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 7,000 CO fleet service employees. The IBT is expected to hold a ratification vote in the coming weeks.
Lufthansa is launching the world’s first scheduled commercial passenger flights using biofuel in the first half of 2011, with an IAE-V2500-powered Airbus A321. In April 2011, LH will begin a six-month trial with an A321 on scheduled commercial flights on the Hamburg-Frankfurt-Hamburg route. Pending certification, one of the aircraft’s engines will use a 50-50 mix of biofuel and traditional kerosene. The primary purpose of the project is to conduct a long-term trial to study the effect of biofuel on engine maintenance and engine life.
The US Air Transport Assn. on Monday named Nicholas Calio, head of global government affairs for Citigroup, as its new president and CEO,effective Jan. 1. He will succeed James May, who led the US airline industry's major trade group since February 2003. Calio, who has been with Citigroup since 2003, previously served as chief liaison to Congress for former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
British Airways and Iberia shareholders on Monday voted in favor of the merger of the airlines at special meetings in London and Madrid, respectively, ending years of speculation and on-and-off discussions that took off following IB's announcement in spring 2007 that it was open to a full or partial sale.
British Airways named Nick Swift CFO, effective March 7, 2011. He will replace Keith Williams, who will become CEO of the BA operating unit upon completion of BA's merger with Iberia early next year. Austral Lineas Aereas took delivery of the fourth and fifth Embraer 190s out of 20 it has on order. The aircraft are configured in a two-class, 96-seat layout. They will join the fleet immediately, serving domestic routes in the Argentine regional's network.
Aviation research firm OAG reported that US airlines have been adding domestic seat capacity at "an accelerated rate over the last four months, increasing 3% in November 2010" compared to the same month a year ago. Despite worldwide expansion, OAG said US domestic capacity "had been declining year-over-year and hadn't seen growth until recently when it grew 0.8% in August, and has remained steady since."
The European Commission said Wednesday it is sending a formal request, or "reasoned opinion," to seven of the EU's 27 member states asking them to "speed up" the adoption of legislative and administrative measures necessary for inclusion of aviation in the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme.
