US President George Bush signed the FAA Extension Act of 2008 into law, extending funding for FAA operations and programs through March 31 ( ATWOnline, Sept. 25). He also signed a Dept. of Homeland Security appropriations bill requiring DHS to conduct two additional US Exit pilot programs--one where airlines collect and transmit biometric exit data and another where US Customs and Border Protection collects data at departure gates ( ATWOnline, Sept. 26).
LAN Airlines said the required adoption of IFRS on Jan. 1 will result in a 4.3% decline in shareholders' equity as of Dec. 31, representing a $42 million reduction to $946 million. LAN said the transition will not have a "significant material effect" on future financial results.
Lufthansa Systems reached a five-year deal with Air Berlin to provide its Traffic Flow Restrictions supplement for its Lido OC flight planning solution. Technology is expected to enhance route planning efficiency and reduce fuel costs.
British Airways World Cargo's former commercial GM, Keith Packer, pleaded guilty to conspiring to fix rates on international airfreight shipments and agreed to serve eight months in prison, the US Dept. of Justice announced. Under terms of the deal, which is subject to court approval, Packer also will pay a $20,000 criminal fine and has pledged to cooperate with DOJ's ongoing investigation into cargo carrier collusion. He is the first foreign national and third individual charged as part of DOJ's investigation.
ExpressJet Holdings shareholders yesterday approved a 1:10 reverse stock split, which the company said will allow it to return immediately to trading on all NYSE Group platforms and return to compliance with NYSE's continued listing standards at the close of the six-month cure period on Jan. 18 ( ATWOnline, Sept. 8).
Air Pacific's two 747-400s will be refurbished with new cabins (including seat covers, carpet and curtains), upgraded digital IFE, renewed galleys and lavatories, interior lighting and paint. The aircraft will be serviced in Singapore in October-November and February-March and a United Airlines 747-400 will be wet-leased to maintain the flight schedule. Separately, FJ will launch twice-weekly Nadi-Gold Coast on Dec. 1 aboard a 737-800.
SELF-SERVICE TECHNOLOGY, particularly booking tickets and checking in for flights online and airport kiosk check-in, has moved beyond the initial "hype period" and is here to stay, becoming a key component of "an irreversible evolution" in the way airline passengers travel.
To the extent that delays in delivery of new aircraft or the modifications, products and services that support current types can be remedied by instant exchange of accurate information within the whole supply chain, relief may be in sight. Product Lifecycle Management tools have been improved and are being used more aggressively by aerospace manufacturers. In July, Boeing expanded its agreement to use Siemens' Teamcenter to standardize PLM across all commercial and military units.
Blue Sky Alliance, a recent joint venture among Avio-Diepen, Interturbine Logistik and Satair, signed a deal with Airbus to serve as its "preferred provider" offering aftermarket spares including consumables, expendables and standard hardware materials through a single point of contact. Based in Hamburg, BSA aims to make it easier and less cost-intensive for Airbus operators to acquire spares and other parts for maintenance. Adopting a one-stop-shop concept, the alliance will employ a joint IT platform that facilitates the complex supply process for customers.
ON JULY 17, 2007, A TAM A320 touched down on Sao Paulo Conganhas's rain-slickened main runway but its 6,365 ft. were not sufficient for a safe landing. The skidding aircraft tragically overran the runway, slid across a multilane road and slammed into a TAM Cargo building. All 187 passengers and crew were killed, as were 12 occupants of the building, and the A320 was destroyed in Brazil's worst-ever airline accident.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE ON AN industry leader, you had better have deep financial pockets and a defendable niche. Toronto-based Porter Airlines appears to have both and the result is that the regional startup has managed to stay aloft for the past two years despite operating out of Air Canada's primary hub city. But Porter isn't flying out of Toronto Pearson International, where it would be just a tiny fish in a big pond filled with hungry predators like AC and its regional affiliate AC Jazz.
Travelport GDS and Microsoft Inc. are collaborating on the development of a new set of integrated services for travelers, suppliers and travel agents, slated for introduction in the first quarter. Beckie Watson, vice president of new business development for Travelport GDS, said the services will provide travelers with a "personalized journey" via an end-to-end application that spans all channels and devices and is "always with them."
a 757 leaves Boston Logan for Los Angeles International, about 3,000 gal. of fuel is sucked up from an underground piping system and injected into its tanks. The system is pressurized and linked to hydrants established at gates. Hydrant carts with hoses and pressure controls connect to aircraft fuel tank intakes. For transcontinental flights, the process usually takes about 15 min.
Hamilton Sundstrand 787 Program VP Geoff Hunt spoke recently with Airline Procurement about the company's $15 billion deal with Boeing to provide the electrical, auxiliary power, air-thermal management, hydraulic, fire protection and engine systems for the Dreamliner. (Edited for clarity and length.) AP: Can you please provide an overview of Hamilton Sundstrand's 787 systems program?
IT'S EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHY procurement at one of Latin America's premier carriers is so dispersed. Grupo TACA is an airborne amalgam of six airlines: Guatemala's Aviateca, Costa Rica's Lacsa, Nicaragua's NICA, El Salvador's TACA International, Honduras's TACA de Honduras and newcomer TACA Peru.
IN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT OF mass globalization, multinational conglomerates and globe-spanning airline alliances, it is heartening to find in the midst of it all a family-owned niche carrier that is effectively managing to compete against legacy airlines and LCC newcomers alike.
LET'S TAKE A TRIP BACK to the future for a glimpse at the MRO market in 2018. The purchasing professional in 2018 will be part of a much different environment. Certainly the fleet is bigger and more is spent on MRO than in 2008. The fleet is 28,000 aircraft, an increase of 9,000 since 2008, and the A320 family and 737NGs make up nearly half of it. Airlines are spending $61 billion on MRO, up from $45 billion in 2008. Engine MRO alone exceeds $22 billion.
THE GREAT ANTI-MANPADS DEBATE is in abeyance just now. Perhaps it is the US's success in helping destroy some 26,000 of the shoulder-fired devices since 2003. Maybe it is the US State Dept.'s efforts to keep those that remain out of the hands of bad guys. Then, just maybe, there's pure, undiluted luck. In any event, no passengers on a regularly scheduled flight have died from a Man-Portable Air Defense System attack since Oct. 10, 1998, when Tutsi rebels downed a Lignes Aerinnes Congolaises 727-100, killing 41. Since the mid-1970s, State Dept.
Amadeus plans to introduce Crazy Shopping, an application that will free searches from the tyranny of origin, destination and time frame, in the second quarter of next year. The new search functionality enable users to query airlines in new ways: "I live between Frankfurt and Munich and can fly from either airport. I would like to go to either Thailand or Indonesia. Show me my options." Or, "I have €600. Where can I go?"
Parts management, as opposed to merely transactional parts sales, began with engine OEMs several decades ago. Component manufacturers and third-party firms became active in this market. Now, airframe OEMs have entered it aggressively.
ALTHOUGH IT MAY SEEM counterintuitive in today's troubled economic environment, demand for aircraft maintenance technicians is expected to more than double over the next two decades. The numbers are daunting. Alteon, for example, estimates that on average 24,000 mechanics need to be hired annually through 2027 to support fleet growth and replace retiring technicians, or 480,000 in total. By comparison, the Boeing subsidiary estimates that over the same period 360,000 new pilots will be required, or 18,000 per year.
IN FEBRUARY, A NEW umbrella brand was launched in the aviation services industry to integrate various competencies now encompassed by airline catering giant Gate Gourmet and other brands it has acquired since 2007. Representing 11 brands, gategroup is the result of a process begun in 2005 to first restructure and then expand Gate Gourmet to turn it into a one-stop provider with a full range of cabin-related services.
Greek government yesterday called for expressions of interest from potential purchasers of Olympic Airlines and holding company Pantheon. "The buyer of Pantheon will be selected through a multistage process. It is envisioned that a number of qualifying interested parties will be allowed to participate in the net stages of the process," the government said in a statement cited by Reuters.
SAS Group yesterday signed an MOU with Gate Gourmet Switzerland for a five-year catering contract scheduled to be finalized in two weeks. Agreement, which includes a two-year extension option, applies to catering supplies for SAS departures from Copenhagen, Stockholm Arlanda, Gothenburg, Malmo, Oslo and Bergen.
US Government Accountability Office General Counsel Gary Kepplinger told Congress yesterday that he has concluded "that FAA may not auction [airport] slots under its property disposition authority, user fee authority, or any other authority, and thus also may not retain or use proceeds of any such auctions."
