Goodrich Corp. was selected by China Cargo Airlines to supply the main deck and lower lobe cargo handling systems for its two new 747-400ERFs. The Goodrich cargo system includes the mechanical system, power drive units, electrical control system and floor panels. The aircraft will be delivered to China Cargo in July 2006 and August 2007.
Shandong Airlines' application to operate flights to Hong Kong and Macau was approved by CAAC. Shandong operates a fleet of 737-300s and CRJ200s/700s and has 737-700/-800s on order. It serves 43 domestic destinations and Singapore.
Rockwell Collins said its Airshow 4200 moving map system received a "technical offerability recommendation" from Boeing and can be offered on all models of the 737, 747, 767 and 777. Deliveries of Airshow 4200-equipped aircraft will begin in October.
TAP Portugal and Swiss International Airlines concluded a commercial cooperation agreement including joint marketing and codesharing on all flights between Portugal and Switzerland beginning Sept. 1. In the first stage, the Star Alliance partners will codeshare on all flights from Lisbon to Zurich and from Lisbon and Oporto to Geneva. In the next phase, they intend to extend their codeshare operations to destinations beyond Zurich and Lisbon.
Swiss Technical Services concluded a comprehensive long-term maintenance agreement with Blue1 covering five Saab 2000s. Swiss Technical Services also will perform heavy maintenance checks on Lufthansa CityLine's RJ85s. In view of the anticipated work volumes, the Basel-based unit will add up to 50 employees.
Mesa Air Group and AAR Corp. said they finalized an agreement under which AAR will purchase, manage and repair some $50 million in existing and future regional jet rotable spare parts to support the airline's fleet of more than 145 RJs. AAR will be responsible for handling all aspects of the parts supply chain under the 10-year deal. The companies valued the repair portion of the agreement at around $200 million.
American Eagle said it reached a tentative agreement with the Assn. of Flight Attendants, representing its 1,751 cabin attendants. It has been in contract mediation with AFA for nearly two years.
Sabre said Japan Airlines Group selected its AirMax Revenue Manager solution for managing revenues from international operations. Sabre said AirMax "is expected to generate additional revenue from a sophisticated and proven solution set of revenue management functions and business process services."
US FAA, after years of study and debate, announced yesterday that it will not mandate the use of child safety seats on airplanes and instead will continue to permit children under the age of two to travel on the laps of adult passengers "because of the increased safety risk to families." Analyses by FAA showed that if forced to purchase an extra airline ticket to accommodate a child and a safety seat, families might choose to drive, "a statistically more dangerous way to travel." The decision was supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which cited FAA and NHTSA
Loganair, a franchise partner of British Airways, signed for an additional three years of the Saab Aircraft Parts Exchange Program. The new contract, valued at approximately $6 million, covers the airline's fleet of 11 Saab 340Bs and two SF340As.
In the fourth fatal accident this month, a TANS Peru 737-200 crashed in northeastern Peru near Pucallpa Tuesday, killing at least 60 passengers and crew. The aircraft was carrying 93 passengers and eight crew when it went down in swampland just 2 mi. from Pucallpa-Capitan Rolden Airport, a transit stop for the Lima-Iquitos flight. At least 33 injured passengers were taken to hospitals. Reportedly, the captain, first officer and cabin crew all perished in the crash, according to a TANS spokesperson. The 737-244, registration OB-1809P, was built in 1981.
Estonian Air will raise its fuel surcharge from €8 to €12 from Sept. 1. The carrier said it has been able to keep the surcharge at the April 2004 level until now despite a price hike of 68% during the period.
Qantas again raised its ticket surcharge for international and domestic passengers as it faces a A$1.25 billion increase in fuel costs this year. From Sept. 2, the domestic one-way fuel surcharge will lift from A$20 ($15) to A$26, international from A$60 to A$75 and transtasman from A$40 to A$46. Chief Executive Geoff Dixon said the decision was made "reluctantly" and noted that "the volatility of current and future oil and jet fuel prices is a serious issue for all airlines." Qantas is 90% hedged at about $49 a barrel until December.
Air Europa and representatives of pilots union Sepla reached a preliminary agreement to prevent a strike called by the pilots on Aug. 5 for later this year, Expansion reported. The agreement is subject to ratification by a pilots' meeting called for Aug. 30-31.
Embraer installed Europe's first flight simulator dedicated to training crews of the 170/190. The CAE simulator is based at Swiss Aviation Training in Zurich.
British Airways Chief Executive Rod Eddington rejected any suggestion that the carrier should have been better prepared for the wildcat strike in sympathy with fired Gate Gourmet workers that caused a third consecutive summer of disruption to BA flights.
The International Air Transport Assn. yesterday said it opposes a reported initiative by the European Commission to develop a "blacklist" of airline companies determined to be operating unsafely. In a statement, the organization said, "Efforts on safety should have a direct and positive impact. Blacklisting is punitive and does nothing to directly improve safety." It also stated that the industry's success at reducing fatal accidents "has been largely the result of global standards and international cooperation. There are no global standards for blacklisting."
Lufthansa declined to comment on a report in the Financial Times that the Vereinigung Cockpit pilot union cancelled the collective bargaining agreement reached with the airline last December, the first step toward a possible strike. An airline spokesperson told this website that "Lufthansa didn't bring this agenda to the public," adding that "there are always talks with the unions." According to the Times report, the pilots claim LH has violated their scope clause requiring that mainline pilots fly all aircraft larger than 70 seats.
FKI Logistex announced the launch of its CrisBag baggage handling system in North America. CrisBag uses RFID-tagged baggage totes to offer "complete sort-and-trace capability," the company said.
Emirates recorded triple-digit increases in sales via the Internet in the first four months of its current financial year. In April passengers making online bookings increased 195%, in May 230%, in June 225% and in July 154% compared to the same months last year. The carrier did not provide the current or past shares of travel booked on the Internet upon which the percentage increases are based.
British Airways said it reached a new deal with its Heathrow catering supplier Gate Gourmet that "paves the way for a return to full catering onboard all British Airways flights at Heathrow." According to the airline, the accord "improves and extends the commercial arrangement" between the companies that has been at the center of a labor dispute involving Gate Gourmet and its own employees and that spread to BA with disastrous effects earlier this month. The caterer had warned of an imminent bankruptcy filing absent a new contract.
Heading into day four of a strike by its mechanics and aircraft cleaners, Northwest Airlines continued to maintain silence on its operational performance, declining to provide data on daily completion factors and ontime performance. In a taped message to employees, the airline said it expects to complete 96% of its flights in the first full week. Approximately 4,400 members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn. went on strike Saturday ( ATWOnline, Aug.
TeamSAI and Cavok Group announced a collaborative marketing agreement. Cavok offers FAA certification support solutions for startup airlines and those transitioning to ATOS or FAR 121 certification. It also provides custom inspection programs and reliability engineering to airlines, OEMs and MROs. TeamSAI's aviation consulting practice includes strategic business planning solutions, financial and operational performance optimization, fleet acquisition support, planning, technical and implementation services and executive recruiting and support.
AirAsia launched what it claims is the world's first online booking service linking its Internet booking system with mobile phones and wireless devices. Developed by eSpherical.com, the offering allows mobile phone and PDA users with any GPRS, 3G, EDGE or wireless facilities to view the airline's Web pages directly. The service provides AirAsia customers the ability to search for flights, book, use a credit card to pay and receive flight confirmation and itinerary details from anywhere in the world 24 hr. a day.
