Air Transport World articles from February 2004

Air Transport World archives from February 2004

Jet fuel prices: spot cash markets (average).(trends)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Jet Fuel Prices Spot cash markets (average) Dec. 19, 2003 New York 94.73 US Gulf Coast 88.98 Los Angeles 100.25 Rotterdam 101.27 Singapore 89.98 July 79.45 Aug. 84.10 Sept....

Top 20 airlines: January-December 2003.(trends)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Top 20 Airlines January-December 2003 1 American 193,101,530 2 United 167,104,981 3 Delta 158,766,020 4 Northwest 110,178,127 5 British Airways 101,183,000 6...

Exchange rate: currency unit per US dollar.(trends)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
February 1, 2004... Exchange Rate Currency units per US dollar Country/Brazil 12/29/03 10/31/03 Brazil/Real 2.903 2.849 Canada/$ 1.3107 1.3158...

If you're not part of the solution ...(Editorial)
February 1, 2004... Anyone who thought that airlines could begin to breathe a bit easier on the security front got a rude awakening over the Christmas holiday period when unspecified terrorism threats caused authorities in the UK, France and Mexico--acting at the...

Airbus is tops in deliveries and orders.(aircraft industry)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... In what it rightfully described as a "landmark year," Airbus surpassed Boeing as the world's leading manufacturer of large civil aircraft in 2003, delivering 305 worth 19.3 billion [euro] ($24.4 billion), up from 303 in 2002 and exceeding...

US deregulates CRSs.(continues an existing requirement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... US Dept. of Transportation lifted most of its rules governing computer reservation systems from Jan. 31, ending two decades of government regulation and preempting its own effort to amend the rules that began in Nov. 2002. Two remaining...

Branson upbeat on 2004 US airline launch.(Virgin Atlantic Chairman Richard Branson)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Virgin Atlantic Chairman Richard Branson said that he "very much hopes" to launch a US-based low-fare airline this year and will be "very disappointed if we can't." Speaking at Mojave Airport at the Jan. 8 rollout of the Burt Rutan-designed...

US requires sky marshals on some US-bound flights.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... US Dept. of Homeland Security at the end of Dec. issued an aviation emergency amendment that requires non-US airlines to place armed, trained, government law enforcement officers on designated flights to the US as an added protective measure....

Continental's Bethune to step down at yearend.(Chairman Gordon Bethune)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Continental Airlines Chairman and CEO Gordon Bethune will retire at the end of 2004, to be succeeded by President and COO Larry Kellner. Bethune, who led the transformation of Continental "from worst to first," in his own words, reportedly is...

EC to look at airline pricing.(European Commission)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Responding to what it described as an increasing number of consumer complaints, the European Commission in late Dec. said it had written to 18 European airlines "asking each of them whether it charges different prices for exactly the same...

The crash of a Flash Airlines.(Europe report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The crash of a Flash Airlines 737-300 on Jan. 3 illuminated gaps in Europe's regulatory safety net after it turned out that the charter carrier had been banned from Swiss airspace for safety violations but that the information had been withheld...

French Administrative Court.(Europe report)(contracts and cases of Strasbourg Airport )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... French Administrative Court of Appeal in Nancy on Dec. 18 upheld a lower court finding that the commercial agreement between Ryanair and Strasbourg Airport constitutes an illegal subsidy to the airline. CEO Michael O'Leary charged that the...

UK government.(Europe report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... UK government in late Dec. proposed building runways at London Heathrow and Stansted to cope with an anticipated tripling in demand over the next 30 years. "There is an urgent need for additional runway capacity in the southeast," Transport...

SAS Group.(Europe report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... SAS Group, in a transaction valued at "slightly more than Sek2 billion ($275 million)," signed a contract to sell its Scandinavian IT Group subsidiary to US-based Computer Sciences Corp. Simultaneously, the companies announced a five-year...

European travel group TUI.(Europe report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... European travel group TUI said it plans to launch a low-cost carrier in the UK named Thomsonfly.com that will take off March 31 with routes from Coventry to nine European destinations as well as Jersey in the Channel Islands. It will operate...

Sobelair.(Europe report)(acquiring)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Sobelair filed for bankruptcy protection Jan. 7. The former leisure subsidiary of defunct Sabena has been struggling to survive since Belgian World Airlines, controlled by Aldo Vastapane and Luc Mellaerts, bought it in June 2002. Sobelair's...

EasyJet.(Europe report)(joint ventures)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... EasyJet in late Dec said it will withdraw its London Gatwick-Zurich service owing to an "excessive" increase in landing charges at Zurich. The budget airline said the "previously profitable" service has been impacted by a 132% increase in...

Thomas Cook AG.(Europe report)(appointments)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Thomas Cook AG appointed veteran German travel industry executive Wolfgang Beeser to succeed Stefan Pichler as CEO effective Jam 1. Lufthansa Cargo CFO Heinz-Ludger Heuberg became Thomas Cook's new CEO and human resources director on the same...

Air Europa.(Europe report)(slots allocation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Air Europa was awarded 4,482 slats at Paris Orly formerly belonging to Aeris following the decision to liquidate the bankrupt airline in Dec. Air Littoral and Regional, an Air France subsidiary were given 1,460 and 730 slots respectively None...

TAP Air Portugal and PGA-Portugalia Airlines.(Europe report)(memorandum of understanding)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... TAP Air Portugal and PGA-Portugalia Airlines concluded an MOU for establishment of a "strategic association and for the sharing of support services." The collaboration will take advantage of the synergies between the networks, the carriers said...

European Court of First Instance.(Europe report)(ticket sales cases)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... European Court of First Instance upheld a 1999 finding by the EC that British Airways abused its dominant position in the UK travel market through a performance bonus scheme for travel agents that encouraged agents "to maintain or increase...

EC.(Europe report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... EC decided to "remind" Great Britain formally that it must comply with a European Court of Justice ruling last May against its holding a so-called golden share in airports operator BAA.

Sabena Flight Academy.(Europe report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Sabena Flight Academy will upgrade its 737-300/-400/-500 simulator with Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp.'s ESIG-3350GT image generator and six monitor replacement projectors. The upgrade will be completed in the third quarter.

Gate Gourmet and Iberia.(Europe report)(contracts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Gate Gourmet and Iberia signed a letter of intent under which Gate Gourmet will pay the Spanish carrier 23.5 million [euro] ($29.1 million) to acquire the remaining 70% it does not own in caterer Iber-Swiss, As part of the agreement, the...

United Airlines.(North America report)(loans for airlines)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... United Airlines in late Dec. filed an updated application with the US Air Transportation Stabilization Board seeking a $1.6 billion federal loan guarantee to support $2 billion in financing to permit it to exit bankruptcy. JP Morgan and...

US Airways.(North America report)(human resource management)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... US Airways is contemplating asset sales in the face of continued lackluster financial performance, union refusals to consider additional wage and benefit concessions and the arrival of Southwest Airlines at its Philadelphia hub in May....

US majors traffic: full year 2003.(North America report)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
February 1, 2004... US Majors Traffic Full Year 2003 RPMs % chg. ASMs (billions) 2002 (billions) Alaska 14.55 10.4 20.80 American ...

America West Airlines.(North America report)(ratification of Pilots association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... America West Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn., ratified a new three-year contract with 771, or roughly 53%, of the 1,505 eligible pilots voting in favor. Details of the accord were ,or released. The pilots previously...

US majors traffic: December 2003.(North America report)(Illustration)
February 1, 2004... US Majors Traffic December 2003 RPMs % chg. ASMs (billions) 2002 (billions) Alaska 1.30 1.30 1.78 American ...

World Airways.(North America report)(approvals of Air Transportation Stabilization Board (USA))(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... World Airways obtained final approval from ATSB for a $27 million federal loan guarantee in support of a $30 million term loan.

Delta Air Lines.(North America report)(appointments and cash bonus cancellation for top executives)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Delta Air Lines cancelled cash bonuses for top executives in 2003, new CEO Gerald Grinstein told employees in a memo just before Christmas. Grinstein took over from Leo Mullin as CEO on Jan. 1.

JetBlue Airways.(North America report)(service introduction on fleets)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... JetBlue Airways, which already offers passengers 24 channels of live DirecTV programming inflight, reached agreement with XM Satellite Radio and News Corp. under which the airline will add up to 100 channels of free digital satellite radio and...

Frontier Airlines.(North America report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Frontier Airlines announced plans to establish a minihub at Los Angeles International Airport and launch service to St. Louis, Kansas City and Minneapolis from LAX early this year in what will become its first point-to-point routes outside of...

US Dept. of Homeland Security.(North America report)(contracts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... US Dept. of Homeland Security selected teams led by Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and United Airlines for Phase 1 of DHS's systems development and demonstration program for evaluation of antimissile devices for commercial aircraft. Under the...

Boeing.(North America report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Boeing said its board of directors elected James Bell CFO. He had been serving in an acting role since Nov. following the dismissal of Executive VP and CFO Mike Sears over the latter's role in the hiring of a former US government official who...

GE Aircraft Engines.(North America report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... GE Aircraft Engines said its GE90-115B for the 777-300ER and dash 200LR was certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency at a record 115,000 lb. thrust.

Goodrich Corp.(North America report)(supply of wheel and brake system)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Goodrich Corp. was selected as the main systems supplier for integration of the wheel and brake system for Sukhoi's new Russian Regional Jet family. Goodrich will be integrating and supplying the wheels, carbon brakes, brake control system,...

Timco Aviation Services.(North America report)(orders for new seats)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Timco Aviation Services' Brice Manufacturing subsidiary received new seat orders for more than 50 shipsets valued at more than $10 million. Qantas chose Brice's economy seat for A320s in its new Jetstar low-fare domestic operation. Air Europa...

Qantas and Bristish Airways.(Asia/Pacific report)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Qantas and British Airways scored a major victory in their defense of lawsuits involving deep vein thrombosis with an Australian appeals court squashing an action brought by a passenger against the airlines. In what was seen as a test case for...

The Japan Air System.(Asia/Pacific report)(mergers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Japan Air System brand will disappear from April 1 as Japan Airlines and JAS complete their merger to become Japan Airlines System. All current JAL and JAS domestic flights will be renumbered as JAL flights with new 4-digit numbers and...

KLM.(Asia/Pacific report)(contract to sell spare parts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... KLM sold two 747-300s, including spares, to Holiday Airlines. The aircraft will don Phuket Airlines livery and operate international services out of Thailand. Phuket Airlines is part of the same group as Holiday Airlines. The new owners...

CAE and China Southern Airlines.(Asia/Pacific report)(joint ventures)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... CAE and China Southern Airlines, as part of their joint venture, added an A321 full-flight simulator to the Zhuhai Xiang Yi Aviation Technology training center. Airlines are expected to begin using the simulator in Sept.

Japan Airlines.(Asia/Pacific report)(partners)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Japan Airlines joined Air France and American Airlines as a "developmental partner" for Boeing's Airplane Health Management system in what will be a four-month pre-release test. AHM gathers data about aircraft systems and relays it in real time...

China Airlines and Connexion by Boeing.(Asia/Pacific report)(contract)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... China Airlines and Connexion by Boeing signed a letter of intent that calls for the onboard Internet service to be installed on CAL's long-haul fleet beginning in late 2004. The agreement initially covers installation on CAL's 747-400s and...

JAL and GE Engine Services.(Asia/Pacific report)(contract)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... JAL and GE Engine Services signed an agreement to create a GE90 Overhaul Center of Excellence for Asia. Maintenance services for GE90s will begin in April at an existing JAL Engine Dept. facility located at Tokyo Narita. JAL will use the...

Avianca.(Latin America/Caribbean report)(divestment plans)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Avianca may be sold to a new international capital or strategic investor this year. Analysts believe the cost of restructuring the Colombian airline will be around $270 million and that the airline will need a further infusion of $40-$60...

TAM.(Latin America/Carribean report)(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Marco Antonio Bologna is the new CEO of TAM. Bologna returns to the airline after serving as general director of investment bank Banco VR. He was TAM's VP-finance and management between March 2001 and May 2003.

Copa and Continental Airlines.(Latin America/Carribean report)(alliances)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Copa and Continental Airlines expanded their codeshare alliance comprising flights throughout Central America and the US, raising the number of US destinations served via the partnership from 27 to 127.

Emirates and Lufthansa Tecknick.(Africa/Middle East report)(memorandum of understanding)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Emirates and Lufthansa Technik signed an MOU in Dubai under which the two companies will evaluate the "feasibility of a joint venture for spare pooling support." The project initially will use the A340-500 and A340-600 to review the JV...

EADS Sogerma Services.(Africa/Middle East report)(sign out)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... EADS Sogerma Services signed a joint venture agreement to assist Air Algerie in "further evolving the airline's maintenance capabilities" at its Algiers operating base at Houari Boumedienne International Airport. The JV will enable Air Algerie...

A 727-200 operated by Union des Transports Africains crashed on Dec. 25 while taking off from Cotonou Airport in Benin en route to Beirut.(Africa/Middle East report)(casualties)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... A 727-200 operated by Union des Transports Africains crashed on Dec. 25 while taking off from Cotonou Airport in Benin en route to Beirut. Of the 161 persons believed to be onboard, 140 were killed, according to press reports. The aircraft was...

Astar Air Cargo.(Cargo)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Astar Air Cargo, the former DHL Airways, "is a citizen of the US," Dept. of Transportation Administrative Law Judge Burton Kolko ruled in late Dec. The decision was a blow to FedEx and UPS, which had argued that the airline actually is...

Cathay Pacific Airways.(Cargo)(services and contracts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Cathay Pacific Airways will add up to 13 aircraft to its cargo fleet. The airline placed an order for one new 747-400F scheduled for delivery in Feb. 2005 and will convert at least six, and as many as 12, 747-400 passenger aircraft into...

FedEx Corp. and Clayton, Dublier & Rice.(Cargo)(contracts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... FedEx Corp. and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice inked an agreement for FedEx to acquire Kinko's, a document solutions and business services provider, for $2.4 billion in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter. FedEx Corp....

TNT Express.(Cargo)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... TNT Express said it plans to introduce a further five 737-300 freighters to its European fleet over the next four years. The aircraft, leased for five years from GECAS, will replace chartered airplanes currently operating in the TNT Express air...

Jetstar.(Equipment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Jetstar, the new Qantas low-cost unit, formalized its previously announced selection of the A320, ordering 20 and taking options on 40 with deliveries beginning in Oct. All will be powered by IAE V2500s. Jetstar will lease a further three...

WestJet.(Equipment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... WestJet finalized a previously disclosed order for seven 737-700s. The aircraft, valued at around $360 million at list prices, are scheduled for delivery in 2005.

Korean Air.(Equipment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Korean Air firmed a previously announced commitment for nine PW4090-powered 777-200ERs.

Boullioun Aviation Services parent WestLB, controlled by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, set aside in its 2003 balance sheet 416 million [euro] ($516 million).(Leasing & Finance briefs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Boullioun Aviation Services parent WestLB, controlled by the German stole of North Rhine-Wnslphidia, set aside in its 2003 balance sheet 416 million [euro] ($516 million [euro]) for depreciation linked to weakness in aircraft values and the...

Emirates plans to launch a seven-year floating rate, dollar-denominated $400 million international bond issue this year to be listed initially in Luxembourg.(Leasing & Finance briefs)(alliances)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Emirates plans to launch a seven-year floating rate, dollar-denominated $400 million international bond issue this year to be listed initially in Luxembourg. It will be joint-lead managed by HSBC, Emirates Book International, National Bank of...

GE Capital Aviation Services will lease three A330-200s to Qatar Airways.(Leasing & Finance briefs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... GE Capital Aviation Services will lease three A330-200s to Qatar Airways. The first two enter service in Jan. and Feb. with the third following in June 2005.

Finnair will lease an MD-11 from Boeing Capital Corp.(Leasing & Finance briefs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Finnair will lease an MD-11 from Booing Capital Corp. with delivery in late spring.

Allegiant Air took delivery of an MD-83 from Scandinavian Airlines.(Leasing & Finance briefs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Allegiant Air took delivery of an MD-83 from Scandinavian Airlines. It is the fin of three intended for the Fresno, Cafif.-based carrier in a transaction arranged by Sigma Aircraft Management. Sigma also arranged the lease of an ex-Varig...

Bombardier, Embraer share Air Canada order.(Regional News)(purchasing agreements)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Air Canada reached "agreements in principle" with Bombardier and Embraer to purchase 45 50- and 74-seat CRJs and 45 93-seat Embraer 190s. A decision on an additional 15 aircraft is pending. AC took options on 45 aircraft from each manufacturer....

Mesa drops bid for Atlantic Coast.(Regional News)(takeover)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Mesa Air Group dropped its bid to acquire Atlantic Coast Airlines almost immediately after United Airlines with drew an MOU under which Mesa would have become United's Regional feeder at its Washington Dulles hub following a successful...

Regional airline traffic edges up in Europe.(Regional News)(passenger growth)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Members of the European Regions Airline Assn. reported average passenger growth of 5.6% for the first nine months of 2003. ERA, which represents some 70 airlines, saw the increase as "encouraging" but noted that yields are continuing to fall....

Hamilton Sundstrand signed a 12-year agreement with ExpressJet.(Notes)(maintenance and repairs contract)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Hamilton Sundstrand signed a 12-year agreement with ExpressJet to provide repair and inventory support for the air management system on its fleet of Embraer 135/145 aircraft.

ATR has opened an office in Beijing to serve China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. Xinjiang Airlines has been operating five ATR 72-500s since 1998.(Notes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... ATR has opened an office in Beijing to serve China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. Xinjiang Airlines has been operating five ATR 72-500s since 1998. China has also been a manufacturer of ATR 72 fuselage sections and ATR 42 wings. ATR has a support...

Air Wisconsin.(Notes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Air Wisconsin reached agreement on a three-year contract with Messier-Bugatti-Tracer to provide wheel and brake services for its fleet of 17 BAe 146s and 60 CRJs.

Frontier Airlines'.(Notes)(contracts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Frontier Airlines' regional jet service, Frontier JetExpress, began operating with its new provider, Horizon Air, which replaced Mesa Airlines, whose agreement to fly five 50-seaters in the program expired Dec. 31.

Coming events.(Calendar)
February 1, 2004... Feb. 10-12 Passenger Terminal Expo 2004, Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland. Visit www.passengerterminal-expo.com. Feb. 11-12 2nd Annual Aero-Engine Parts--Repair or Replace? Conference for Europe, Sofitel Forum Rive Gauche, Paris, France....

Airbus.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Airbus announced that Laurence Barton and Guy McLeod swapped positions, with Barton becoming president-Airbus China and McLeod becoming senior VP & head-asset management.

Airport Consultants Council.(People)(elected board of governors)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Airport Consultants Council elected Laddie Irion board of governors chair.

Alaska Airlines.(People)(appointments)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Alaska Airlines named Brandon Pedersen staff VP-finance & controller.

American Airlines.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... American Airlines elevated Dennis M. Gary to president-AAdvantage marketing programs, Craig S. Kreeger to VP-Europe & Asia and C. David Cush to VP & general sales mgr.

AMR Corp.(People)(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... AMR Corp. tapped James Beer as CFO.

ATA Holdings.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... ATA Holdings promoted William F. O'Donnell to senior VP-human resources.

Boeing.(People)(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Boeing elected James A. Bell CFO.

FAA.(People)(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... FAA named Ventris Cassandra Gibson asst. administrator-human resource management.

IAE.(People)(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... IAE introduced Mark King as president & CEO.

ILS.(People)(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... ILS elevated Don Wilson to Vp-business development.

Korean Air.(Korean Air Lines Company Ltd. (Korea) appointed Simon S.J. Yang )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Korean Air appointed Simon S.J. Yang managing VP-Hong Kong & Southeast Asia.

Lufthansa.(People)(appointments)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Lufthansa selected Holger Haetty as director-network management, IT & purchasing.

Lufthansa Cargo.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Lufthansa Cargo chose Stephan Gemkow as CFO & labor relations dir.