ARINC said that Korean Air chose its Graphic/Text Weather Service. Korean began receiving G/TWS service last month. In addition, ARINC announced a contract renewal with Frontier Airlines for its OpCenter Messenger Service, an Internet-based system allowing dispatchers to send, receive and manage data link message exchanges with aircraft and host pre-departure clearances. It also signed a two-year radio service contract with WestJet providing support for VHF, UHF and networked digital voice systems at 23 Canadian airports.
Korean Air cancelled more than 200 flights today--more than half its flight schedule--in advance of a pilot strike called by the Flight Crew Union that began at midnight Thursday (Seoul time). The walkout took place despite a government warning that it may use emergency powers to order the pilots back to work, as was done in the case of Asiana Airlines, whose pilots struck that carrier for nearly a month last summer. The FCU represents around 70% of KAL's nearly 2,000 pilots.
Qatar Airways will increase its four-times-weekly service to Manchester by one from Feb. 11 and to daily from March 26. QR operates the route with A330-200s. Separately, the airline signed an IT partnership agreement with Lufthansa Systems covering passenger and ticketing processes.
SriLankan Airlines lashed out at Pakistan and Bangladesh over restrictions it claims are hindering its growth. CEO Peter Hill, speaking at the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation 2006 Outlook conference in Kuala Lumpur, called on the governments of the two countries to liberalize aviation access. "Pakistan and Bangladesh have yet to take a leaf from India's book and open their skies," Hill told delegates. "India is now the premier tourism generating country to Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka is one of the main tourism generating countries to India."
Arger Enterprises partnered with Japan Airlines on a five-year development and purchasing contract estimated to be worth about $20 million in PMA parts and battery and ground support equipment.
Panasonic Avionics Corp. joined Thales as a recommended inflight entertainment system provider for the 787, Boeing said. Panasonic will offer a wireless version of its X-Series platform called X-Series Wireless. Thales's offering, the wireless TopSeries I-8000, was chosen by Boeing early last month ( ATWOnline, Oct. 3).
Gol launched its Voe Facil (Fly Easy) Program allowing Brazilian residents to pay for tickets in up to 36 monthly installments. Customers can apply for a Fly Easy card and make purchases through the carrier's website.
JetWorks Leasing named Sigma Aircraft co-founder and President Anders Hebrand president and COO. The two companies announced they have entered into an alliance in which JetWorks will assume management of aircraft currently under Sigma asset management contracts.
Delta Air Lines received some welcome financial relief yesterday as cargo carrier ABX Air and CIT Group agreed to purchase a combined 21 aircraft from the beleaguered company. CIT announced it will buy 10 737-800 delivery positions from Delta in a deal worth approximately $600 million. The aircraft, part of the carrier's order backlog with Boeing, will be delivered in 2007 (nine) and 2008 (one). CIT Aerospace manages a fleet of more than 300 commercial and regional aircraft operated by more than 100 airlines.
Intersky, an Austrian Regional operating as a low-cost airline, will add Dresden, Zadar, Rijeka and Naples to its network effective March 26. It also will increase frequencies from its German base at Friedrichshafen to Vienna and Hamburg. Prague will see five-times-weekly service and Cologne receives two extra weekly frequencies from March 26. Intersky will add two former Augsburg Airways Dash 8-Q300s to its fleet and return one Dash 8 to its lessor.
AirBridge Cargo of Russia announced that Regional Director and Area Manager-Asia Pacific Peter Yap will retire at the end of January. He will be succeeded by Robert Song, formerly of Air New Zealand Cargo.
Northwest Airlines' traffic fell 5.1% to 5.47 billion RPMs last month against a 9.1% decline in capacity to 6.74 billion ASMs. Passenger load factor rose 3.5 points over the year-ago month to 81.2%. Norwegian's November traffic surged over the year-ago month thanks to additional routes and "adjustments to production capacity," according to the carrier. RPKs climbed 79% to 225 million and capacity rose 53% to 306 million ASKs, driving an 11-point increase in load factor to 74%.
Mercator, the IT division of Emirates Group, won its first contract in Eastern Europe for its airline passenger revenue accounting solution from Tarom of Romania. FAA awarded a $1.35 million contract to AeroSat Airborne Internet to demonstrate and evaluate basic concepts and components of the Airborne Internet System. The one-year contract calls for AeroSat to conduct Airborne Internet flight demonstrations on FAA aircraft.
AD Aerospace was selected by Boeing to provide video monitoring for the forthcoming 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter, enabling crew to view the main-deck cargo hold from the flight deck.
Major US airlines, unions and caterer Gate Gourmet yesterday urged members of Congress to support "swift passage of H.R. 2830, the Pension Protection Act," in the House of Representatives. The Senate has passed a pension reform bill and awaits House action. In a joint letter to House members, representatives of American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Gate Gourmet, the Air Line Pilots Assn., Allied Pilots Assn., Transport Workers Union, Assn. of Professional Flight Attendants and Professional Flight Attendants Assn.
European transport ministers showed no overwhelming enthusiasm yesterday for the provisional open skies agreement reached between negotiators of the European Commission and the US government last month ( ATWOnline, Nov. 21). The ministers of the 25 EU member states were supportive of the progress achieved to date in the Open Aviation Area talks, yet they stressed to reporters that an accord is conditional on the US relaxing limits on foreign ownership and control.
Amicus union members and Birmingham International Airport agreed to third-party arbitration, ending the threat of a strike over the disputed termination of two workers that would have closed the airport during the Christmas holidays, the BBC reported.
Virgin Nigeria CEO Simon Harford announced he will be leaving the airline, which commenced operations June 28 and currently flies to London Gatwick, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Accra, Douala and Johannesburg.
British Airways flew 8.8 billion RPKs in November, up 6.3% compared to November last year, on a 3.6% capacity increase to 12.06 billion ASKs. Passenger load factor rose 1.9 points to 73.2%. The gain in traffic comprised growth of 12% in premium and 5.2% in nonpremium traffic, BA said. Cargo RTKs fell 1.9% and overall cargo load factor declined 0.5 point to 70.1%. Ryanair reported 2.75 million earned seats flown in November, up 25% from 2.19 million in the year-ago month. Load factor slipped 1 point to 82%. For the rolling 12 months ended Nov.
JetStar Asia named Neil Thompson acting CEO following CEO Ken Ryan's decision to return to Australia from Singapore. Thompson was GM-customer relationship marketing at Qantas.
Aerolineas Argentinas said in a press release that the Argentine Labor Ministry ordered the Asociacion de Pilotos de Lineas Aereas and the Asociacion de Personal Tecnico Aeronautico to fulfill their obligations on 50% of domestic scheduled flights and 75% of international flights.
