Mesa Air Group pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn. ratified the labor agreement reached with airline management in October ( ATWOnline, Oct. 8), with only 51% of those voting approving the deal. The union said the voting was a "clear indication that there is still much work to be done" when negotiations on a new contract start in 21 months.
Federal Court of Australia upheld the A$20 million ($13.2 million) fine imposed on Qantas for its role in an international cartel that colluded on air cargo fuel surcharges between 2002 and 2006. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reached a settlement with QF and British Airways, which was fined A$5 million, in October ( ATWOnline, Oct. 29). ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said yesterday that the penalty reflected the seriousness of the contraventions and Qantas's large share of the market.
Air France KLM lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission regarding the conditions under which Lufthansa intends to take over Austrian Airlines. The Franco-Dutch group said it "strongly believes" that the transaction "is not being conducted in the best interest of Austrian Airlines stakeholders and at a fair market price. This sale therefore entails state aid elements that need to be thoroughly investigated."
CAAC yesterday "urged state-owned airlines to cancel or delay orders for new aircraft next year," according to China's official state news agency Xinhua, which estimated that Airbus and Boeing are slated to deliver a combined 180 aircraft to the nation's carriers in 2009.
United Airlines flew 7.47 billion system RPMs in November, a 17% decline from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 14.2% to 9.71 billion ASMs and load factor was down 2.7 points to 76.9% Continental Airlines said November consolidated RASM rose 1%-2% year-over-year and mainline unit revenue climbed 2%-3%. It flew 6.58 billion consolidated RPMs last month, down 10.5%, against a 7.3% fall in ASMs to 8.51 billion. Load factor dropped 2.8 points to 77.3%.
Siemens PLM Software signed a deal with Safran Group's Snecma to provide its Teamcenter lifecycle management solution, which is expected to increase partner and supplier collaboration and improve product development practices. Deployment through three implementation phases will occur over the next three years. Separately, Satair will continue to provide Siemens with product support and serve as its authorized distributor in the Asia/Pacific region under a renewal agreement.
PASSUR Aerospace said Orlando International selected its Pulse Proactive landing fee management technology featuring radar network intelligence, flight information validations, Web transparency and specialized activity filters.
Mexicana took delivery of an A330-200 on lease from CIT Aerospace. A second will arrive later this month. Aircraft is powered by Trent 772Bs. Separately, MX recently unveiled a new logo and livery featuring an angled eagle's head and two shades of blue.
The US Aerospace Industries Assn. said yesterday that US civil aircraft sales are on pace to reach $80.6 billion in 2008, up 0.5% from $80.2 billion last year. It forecast that civil aircraft sales will rise 7.4% to $86.6 billion in 2009. Speaking at AIA's annual forecast luncheon in Washington, President and CEO Marion Blakey asserted that the "main reason [for slow growth this year] was not the economic atmosphere but the work stoppage at Boeing."
IATA might lose up to 20 members owing to its requirement that all members earn their way onto its IATA Operational Safety Audit registry by year end, DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani conceded during Tuesday's Global Media Day in Geneva. "IOSA sets tough and transparent standards. IATA's biggest satisfaction is to bring all our members on board, but for those that do not make the standard, there is no place in our association," he stated resolutely.
American Airlines Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey said this week that the US airline industry "should certainly be at the top of the list of the industries that are deserving of economic stimulus as it relates to infrastructure," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The US government is debating a $14 billion bailout of the country's automobile manufacturing industry, while President-elect Barack Obama said his economic stimulus package likely will include hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in national infrastructure improvements.
GE Aviation signed a contract with Singapore Airlines to launch its OnPoint solutions covering systems content and capabilities for 777s. Contract support is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year after final agreement details are complete. GE's Singapore facility will provide program management for the project.
Nordam Group named Repair Group COO and former CFO Bill Peacher as its new CEO, effective Jan. 1. He succeeds Ken Lackey, who will remain executive chairman.
Aer Lingus cabin crew represented by Impact voted in favor of the airline's cost-cutting proposals by a 59%-41% margin. Approximately 150 cabin staff will lose their jobs--94 at Dublin, Cork and Shannon combined and an extra 60 at SNN, according to press reports. The SIPTU union accepted a similar deal involving ground staff ( ATWOnline, Dec. 8). EI CEO Dermot Mannion said the labor deals will allow the carrier to "recalibrate" its budget for 2009 and that it now expects to "come out with a much better figure. .
Eurocontrol said the number of flights in Europe in November fell 7% from the year-ago month and noted that "a decline of this magnitude has not been seen since the months immediately following 9/11." Even low-cost carriers, which for years have been the biggest driver of European growth, operated fewer flights--the first decrease for the segment in 15 years. Conversely, Eastern Europe, particularly Turkey, continued to see growth. Boosted by high oil prices, Russia also has been a significant contributor of new flights on the European network.
Goodrich reached agreement with Airbus to supply wheels and carbon brakes for A350 XWBs. Contract is expected to generate $3 billion over the program life. The company's Aircraft Wheels and Brakes unit in Troy, Ohio, will provide the equipment.
Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn. received the arbitration decision outlining the integration of their pre-merger seniority lists. Both pilot groups agreed earlier this year to abide by an arbitrator's decision ( ATWOnline, Aug. 12). ALPA explained that the arbitrated list was devised via a "ratioed status and category methodology," meaning it is based on a formula taking into account each pilot's length of service and type of aircraft they fly.
Greek air traffic controllers are expected to stage a one-day strike today, forcing the cancellation of all commercial flights, according to press reports. Aegean Airlines confirmed the cancellation of its program on its website.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey yesterday said it "applauds" the US Court of Appeals decision to stay FAA's slot auctions at New York JFK, LaGuardia and Newark ( ATWOnline, Dec.
UK CAA yesterday issued its proposals for charges at London Stansted during the five years from April 1 and recommended caps lower than the ones proposed by the Competition Commission last month ( ATWOnline, Nov. 5) "to take account of airport charge revenues from cargo and other non-passenger flights." CAA said caps should be set at £6.34 ($9.39) per passenger for the first two years and then rise to £6.65 for the final three.
United Airlines parent UAL Corp. announced a sale and leaseback transaction with Wayzata Opportunities Fund II subsidiary East Shore Aircraft covering 15 757s. UAL said the deal will boost liquidity by $150 million.
IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani yesterday reiterated his call on governments to stop "crazy" taxation, to fix infrastructure, effectively regulate monopoly suppliers and offer airlines normal commercial freedoms as necessary steps to return the industry to the black. "Industry losses clearly show that airlines feel the recession like any other business. But we don't have the commercial tools that other industries take for granted to manage through it," he said, adding he would like to put the "the 60-year-old bilateral system [the Chicago Convention] in a museum."
IATA yesterday offered a slight boost in its 2008 outlook but restated its dismal forecast for the industry as a whole, predicting declines in traffic, yield and revenue and a $2.5 billion loss in 2009.
Ukraine International Airlines said yesterday that it plans to buy back the 6% stake held by AerCap for approximately $3.3 million, or $100 per share, Reuters reported. State Property Fund of Ukraine is the controlling shareholder at 61.6% while Austrian Airlines holds 22.5% and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has 9.9%.
