Lufthansa Technik yesterday officially opened its new Cabin Innovation research center in Hamburg. The €10 million ($13.2 million), 6,300-sq.-m. facility features testing laboratories and an exhibition center to showcase newly developed cabin products. LH's Hamburg base also includes a new engine overhaul center and an expanded Airframe Related Components business unit.
Blue Wings ceased operations yesterday following suspension of its operating license by the German LBA, which had changed the Dusseldorf-based carrier's operating status to provisional in January. Blue Wings launched in 2003 and flew mainly for German tour operators with nine A320s but has faced significant financial difficulties recently. It had an additional 20 A320s on order ( ATWOnline, Oct. 18, 2006). It transported 1.1 million passengers last year and employs 400.
Sustainable biofuels could be in use by airlines by 2014, experts confirmed yesterday. "We think it is quite reasonable that there will be commercial availability of some type in the next 3-5 years," Boeing Commercial Airplanes MD-Environmental Strategies Bill Glover said.
US FAA yesterday projected "a sharp decline in [commercial aviation] activity in the near term with a return to growth over the long term," though it cautioned that "the downside risk has increased" and growth will be slower than previously anticipated.
Nav Canada said it reached a tentative collective agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers/Canadian Air Traffic Control Assn. Agreement is subject to ratification. Terms were not released.
Usablenet, a mobile-Web platform, launched mobile browser service for Emirates' and British Airways' websites, allowing travelers to access them from phones or PDAs.
Nordam Group's interiors and structures division delivered bar structures for Air New Zealand's 777-200s and V Australia's 777-300s. Nordam was awarded the ANZ bar project by Altitude, ANZ's aircraft interiors business, in December covering eight aircraft. Two delivered in February, four are scheduled to deliver this month, with the last in April. Additionally, Nordam said it was awarded a contract from Altitude for 20 shipsets that represents the first program award directly to the OEM.
41st Parameter said US Airways selected its FraudNet solution to detect and prevent "card not present" fraud across multiple reservation channels and to protect its loyalty program accounts from compromise and fraudulent access. Solution uses PC fingerprinting technology.
Airlines' recovery from the current recession will be slower than in previous downturns owing to a substantial debt burden for consumers and businesses that is likely to curtail spending even after economic growth returns, IATA Chief Economist Brian Pearce told reporters yesterday in Washington.
Qantas domestic flights were halted for 4 hr. yesterday during a wildcat strike by the airline's baggage handlers. The action affected some 400 flights and about 50,000 travelers. The Transport Workers Union was protesting Jetstar Airways' decision to take its ground handling contract away from Qantas Airport Services and award it to independent, and cheaper, Aero-care. TWU officials initially claimed Aero-care's workers lacked security clearance but later changed the focus of the dispute to job security.
American Eagle will furlough 75 pilots and eliminate 45 management positions in line with planned schedule reductions, the company confirmed to ATWOnline yesterday. The pilot reductions will take place in two stages, with the first 35 on May 1 and the remaining 40 on June 1. The management positions will be eliminated over the next few months and are in addition to the 30 layoffs previously announced for 2009.
Norwegian said February yield rose an estimated 8% year-over-year to NOK0.64 (9.64 cents) in February. It flew 528 million RPKs, up 14%, against a 15% increase in capacity to 679 million ASKs. Load factor was level at 78%. Vueling Airlines flew 306 million RPKs in February, down 24.3% year-over-year. Capacity dropped 27% to 457 million ASKs and load factor rose 2.4 points to 67%.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Aviation Director Bill DeCota, speaking yesterday at an Aero Club luncheon in Washington, complained that "the federal funding is not there" to enable US FAA to transition to the NextGen satellite-based ATC system. "We're all disappointed by the lack of investment in NextGen," said DeCota, who oversees New York JFK, LaGuardia and Newark. He said only $800 million was pledged for NextGen in President Barack Obama's 2010 budget proposal recently submitted to Congress.
Liberator.aero will provide its fuel savings program and emissions measurement module to Bangkok Airways under a three-year deal. It said it is targeting a 2% reduction in the annual fuel bill.
IATA said it welcomed the abolishment of the Dutch departure tax that was introduced last year ( ATWOnline, Oct. 20, 2008) (Oct. 20. 2008). The Dutch government last week decided to eliminate the tax when it implemented an economic stimulus package. "Abolishing the departure tax was the right decision for the Dutch economy," DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said. "It will provide an economic boost in this crisis. . .This is just the tip of the iceberg. Airlines saw $6.9 billion in crazy new taxation last year.
Air France will launch twice-daily London City-Nantes flights April 27 aboard F50s. Finnair will operate four-times-weekly Helsinki-Ljubljana seasonal service March 29-Oct. 23. Separately, it took delivery of its first of eight A330-300s. El Al will start six-times-weekly Tel Aviv-London Luton 767 flights on May 3. Lufthansa Cargo today will launch new weekly MD-11F Frankfurt-Hanoi service. It also will add a weekly Frankfurt-Hyderabad freighter flight on April 6.
Southwest Airlines Pilots Assn. Friday endorsed the tentative five-year deal reached with SWA management earlier this year ( ATWOnline, Feb. 2) and sent the agreement to its more than 5,900 members for a ratification vote. "We believe this contract addresses the needs of our pilot group," SWAPA President Carl Kuwitzky said.
Emirates said it will introduce an A380 on its Dubai routes to Bangkok (daily) and Toronto (thrice-weekly) on June 1. The aircraft will provide a capacity increase of about 30% on each route.
US President Barack Obama Friday announced his intent to nominate former Air Line Pilots Assn. President Randy Babbitt, 62, to be the next FAA Administrator. Previously an Eastern Airlines pilot for more than 25 years, Babbitt is currently a partner in the aviation practice of management consulting firm Oliver Wyman. Following two terms as ALPA president in the 1990s, he founded aviation consultancy Eclat Consulting, which became a part of Oliver Wyman in 2007.
US Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) last week expressed frustration with the pace at which FAA is transitioning to the NextGen satellite-based ATC system ( ATWOnline, March 19). "We have to do this and we have to do it right away," he stated during a Senate hearing. "Why are we so slow?. . .We're going to fall farther and farther behind unless we have the intensity and political will and the money in the budget to pay for it. .
Pratt & Whitney executives said last week that interest in the PurePower PW1000G geared turbofan engine has increased since Lufthansa's recent commitment to Bombardier's CSeries and that additional orders may boost a company whose parent, United Technologies, has launched a major restructuring featuring up to 11,600 job cuts this year.
