ST Aviation Services, a Singapore Technologies Aerospace subsidiary, reached agreement with Airbus to provide heavy maintenance checks for 19 A330s leased to Singapore Airlines. Agreement is part of a multiparty contract to provide SIA with support under prior lease arrangements. Heavy maintenance is slated to begin in 2015 and expected to last 18 months.
Spanish civil aviation authority suspended the operating license of Futura International Airways, according to press reports. The license could be reactivated if Futura finds an investor to finance its restructuring plan before Jan. 1. The charter carrier suspended operations two weeks ago and filed for bankruptcy protection ( ATWOnline, Sept. 9).
Emirates President Tim Clark said the carrier's thrice-weekly Dubai-New York JFK A380 service, launched on Aug. 1, is performing well. Speaking to ATWOnline en route to Toulouse, where EK will be discussing future A380 deliveries with the manufacturer, Clark said he has received positive feedback from passengers in all three cabin classes and that the bar at the rear of the business class cabin is especially popular and "constantly frequented by up to 25 passengers" ( ATW, September 2008).
S7 Airlines will launch thrice-weekly Moscow Domodedovo-Bangkok Suvarnabhumi on Dec. 23 using 767-300ERs. Separately, S7 said passenger numbers through the first eight months of 2008 rose 16.1% year-over-year to 4.2 million, while load factor was down 1.1% to 80.1%.
Air India parent National Aviation Co. of India Ltd. sealed $548.6 million in loan guarantees from the Export-Import Bank of the US for the purchase of Boeing aircraft. The bank concluded $1.2 billion in financing for NACIL last year.
Quintiq will provide LSG Sky Chefs-Brahim's with its advanced ramp operations scheduling solution under a deal announced yesterday. Technology features advanced visualization capabilities aimed at optimizing workforce, facilities and equipment utilization. Implementation began this month and is slated for completion by year end.
American Airlines said it will introduce "PriorityAAcess" for first and business class passengers and top frequent-flier program members from Sept. 30, an initiative that will include fast-track security screening lanes at 10 major US airports. "Where permitted by airport policy and government security regulations, American will offer exclusive. . .security screening lanes," it said. Airports that will have the new security lanes are Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O'Hare, Miami, Los Angeles, New York JFK , New York LaGuardia, St. Louis, San Francisco, Boston and San Juan.
Air Astana said it continued to experience strong growth during the first half of 2008, recording a 16% year-over-year increase in passengers carried to 1.3 million. The carrier expects to carry 2.4 million for the full year. First-half revenue lifted 26% to $312 million.
Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee said engine failure was not the cause of last week's fatal Aeroflot Nord 737-500 crash in Perm ( ATWOnline, Sept. 16), backing away from comments made shortly after the accident by some government officials that a fire had erupted in one of the engines inflight. "There is no indication of an engine fire or the aircraft breaking up in the air," the committee said in a statement.
World Airways signed a two-year contract with Allied Air to operate one MD-11F on a full-time basis between Belgium and Nigeria. World Airways will begin the Allied service on Oct. 1, flying from Ostend to Lagos and continuing on to Nairobi to uplift perishables. The flights will be operated 3-4 times weekly. Nigeria-based Allied Air operates four 727 freighters, working with its worldwide sales agent ANA Aviation Services to provide scheduled flights and ad hoc charter services.
Alitalia Administrator Augusto Fantozzi made an open plea for an investment plan to rescue the failing airline, calling on "anyone" who could "assure continuity of the air transport service in the medium term" to make a bid on all or part of the carrier by Sept. 30, but Italian regulators warned that AZ could be shut down before then for safety reasons.
Sensis Corp. won a contract from the US Dept. of Transportation to provide its Aerobahn surface operation monitoring technology to FAA at New York JFK. Technology combines flight schedule and operational information with airport ground surveillance data to provide real-time surface views.
Skyservice Airlines, based at Toronto Pearson, launched Skyservice Maintenance initially focusing on "all phase letter checks for the A320 and 757 airframes with developing capabilities on the 737."
US FAA yesterday approved the merger transition plan submitted by Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines that envisions the carriers moving to a single operating certificate within 15-18 months. "The plan outlines the methodology, processes, tools and timing to maintain the safety of the day-to-day operations and to achieve a single operating certificate," the airlines said in a statement. DL Senior VP-Maintenance Operations John Laughter added that FAA's acceptance of the plan is "a significant milestone in our efforts to bring together our two airlines."
Lufthansa Cargo said it allocated seven MD-11 heavy C checks for 2009 after an "intensive tendering procedure. The work will be carried out by EGAT in Taipei and TAECO in Xiamen. LHC valued the contracts at around €6.5 million ($9.4 million).
AviIT said it launched its AviTag module extending its AviCheck handheld wireless check-in system. Technology connects to DCS and secures real-time credit card approval authorization, enabling airlines to collect excess baggage fees before passengers reach check-in counters or baggage drop locations.
Afriqiyah Airways reached a deal with Air France Industries to provide component support for 14 A319s and A320s. Contract includes access to a spare parts pool managed by AFI at Paris de Gaulle.
Embraer named Luiz Carolo Siqueira Aguiar executive VP-finance and CFO and Emilio Kazunoli Matsuo executive VP-strategic planning and technology development.
Frontier Airlines is considering moving some of its maintenance operations outside the US, Denver's Rocky Mountain News reported. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents Frontier maintenance workers, said the bankrupt carrier sees outsourcing as a way to save money but complained that the move could result in the loss of 150 jobs. The Teamsters said Frontier management shared with the union a proposal to outsource heavy maintenance, which includes major repairs and checks.
Amadeus said Air France finalized implementation of its Ticket Changer Shopper solution featuring online rebooking and revalidation capabilities. Since launching the technology across 80 websites in July, the carrier has seen a 35% increase in online rebooking transactions.
Mecmesin said British Airways selected its MultiTest 5-x force system to perform brake unit springs assessments on a variety of aircraft including 737s, 747s, 757s, 777s, A319s, A320s and A321s. System simulates spring performance within load ranges and displays pass/fail messages automatically. Inventory Locator Service said InterSky of Austria selected its ILS Optimizer to streamline repair, inventory and sales operations. Technology will track parts and components through the repair process, synchronize in-stock inventory with website listings and manage sales orders.
