Air Transport World articles from February 2006

Air Transport World archives from February 2006

Onward to Singapore.(AIR SHOW)
February 1, 2006... AS THE FIRST MAJOR international air show of 2006, Asian Aerospace likely will set the tone for the remaining 10 months of a year in which many expect to see a continuation of the positive trends of 2005. After a year in which Airbus and...

China's runway challenge.(AIRPORTS)
February 1, 2006... IF CHINA IS TO BECOME THE world's largest aviation market by 2020, it will have to move mountains of earth to provide enough runways. The country has just 196 certified airports for transport aircraft and 329 "GA Temporary Landing Points" to...

Airline of the Year: Cathay Pacific Airways.(ATW airline achievement awards 2006)
February 1, 2006... Sixty years ago this September, Roy Farrell and Syd de Kantzow, the one an American, the other an Australian, created an airline in Hong Kong. Pilots both, they had become acquainted during World War II while flying the famous "Hump Route"...

Regional Airline of the Year: VLM Airlines.(ATW airline achievement awards 2006)
February 1, 2006... The old saying that good things come in small packages is certainly demonstrated by ATW's 2006 Regional Airline of the Year, VLM Airlines. A true model for the new Europe, it is based in Belgium, owned by a Dutch financier and maintains its...

Aviation Technology Achievement: Embraer.(ATW airline achievement awards 2006)
February 1, 2006... Embraer may not have authored the RJ revolution, but the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer has written a revolutionary chapter with the 170/190 family of large regional jets. In initiating the program in June 1999, Embraer set out to tap an...

Passenger Service: JetBlue Airways.(ATW airline achievement awards 2006)(Company overview)
February 1, 2006... Highly successful companies come in two varieties: Those that rise to the top by playing the game better than their competitors and those that rewrite the rules of the game to their own advantage. JetBlue is among the latter group. Since...

Phoenix Award: Korean Air.(ATW airline achievement awards 2006)
February 1, 2006... Fast growth in any business can bring trouble. At Korean Air, the challenges were compounded by underlying cultural traditions that valued gradual change and distrusted outside influences, aggravated by the operations department's legacy...

Market Leadership: Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes.(ATW airline achievement awards 2006)(Company overview)
February 1, 2006... It can't happen here. That has been the standard response from skeptics of the low-fare revolution since Southwest Airlines started flying outside Texas in 1979. A few years ago, Constantino de Oliveira decided it was time to prove them wrong...

Joseph S. Murphy Industry Service: IATA.(ATW airline achievement awards 2006)
February 1, 2006... The challenges of safely transporting people and cargo in skinny metal tubes at high speeds and altitudes are made vastly more difficult by the conflicting economic rules, technical regulations and financial penalties that appear at national...

Coming events.
February 1, 2006... Feb. 14-17 12th Air Freight Asia, Shanghai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Shanghai-Pudong, China. E-mail Loone Yeo at looneyeo@payloadasia.com; www.payloadasia. com, www.airfreightasia.com. Feb. 20 IATA/Asian Aerospace...

Aeroxchange.(Jim Taylor is chief financial officer)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Aeroxchange named Jim Taylor CFO.

All Nippon Airways.(Damion Martin to head public relations)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... All Nippon Airways appointed Damion Martin to head all non-Japanese PR.

Assn. of European Airlines.(Wolfgang Mayrhuber is chairman )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Assn. of European Airlines selected Wolfgang Mayrhuber, CEO and chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa, as chairman for 2006.

ATA Airlines Holdings.(PEOPLE)(Subodh Karnick)(John Graber )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... ATA Airlines Holdings announced that Subodh Karnick becomes COO, Senior VP John Graber adds GM-military & charter operations to his responsibilities and Doug Yakola becomes CFO.

Aviapartner.(appointment of Rob Kuijpers, Andrew Burnett )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Aviapartner tapped Rob Kuijpers as nonexecutive chairman and Andrew Burnett as business development mgr.

Chapman & Cutler.(appointment of Lynne A. Gochanour )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Chapman & Cutler LLP welcomed Lynne A. Gochanour as a partner in its lease finance group.

China Airlines.(appointment of Hsing-Hsiung Wei)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... China Airlines chose Philip Hsing-Hsiung Wei as chairman and Ringo Chao as president.

Crane Aerospace & Electronics.(appointment of Tim King)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Crane Aerospace & Electronics promoted Tim King to Aerospace Group director-sales & marketing.

EADS.(appintment of Anne-Marie Perus )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... EADS named Anne-Marie Perus head of EADS Sogerma Services.

EasyJet.(easyJet Airline Company Ltd.)(appointment of Jeff Carr )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... EasyJet chose Jeff Carr as corporate secretary.

FAA.(Federal Aviation Administration)(appointment of David Bowen)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... FAA named David Bowen chief information officer and asst. administrator for information services.

Gate Gourmet.(M. Spence Howard is president)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Gate Gourmet appointed M. Spence Howard president-Division Americas, succeeding Peter Pappas, who becomes president-Global Aviation Services.

GCW Consulting.(appointment of Rick Shuyler )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... GCW Consulting welcomed former Atlas Air CEO Rick Shuyler as a senior consultant.

Gulf Air.( James Harrison is general manager)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Gulf Air named James Harrison GMIreland.

Middle East Airlines.(PEOPLE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Middle East Airlines appointed Naima Kassir mgr.-UK & Ireland.

MTU Aero Engines.( Rainer Martens joins board of management )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... MTU Aero Engines selected Rainer Martens to join the board of management for a three-year term.

Rockwell Collins.(Beverly Carmichael is vice president)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Rockwell Collins named Beverly Carmichael VP-staffing & organizational development.

SkyWest Airlines.(Bryce Higgins promoted)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... SkyWest Airlines promoted Bryce Higgins to dir.-benefits.

Snecma.(Jean-Paul Louis is vice president of Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Snecma appointed Jean-Paul Louis VP-industrial operations and Jean-Christophe Corde VP-strategy & improvement initiatives.

Worldspan.(Andrew Cuomo is vice president)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Worldspan tapped Andrew Cuomo as VP-account mgt.

Yin & Yang.(COMPETITION)
February 1, 2006... FOR STUDENTS OF CHINA'S RAPIDLY GROWING but often puzzling airline industry, at least two developments during 2005 needed no explanation. The landslide victory in early December of the pro-reunification Party in Taiwan's municipal elections...

Black cloud, silver lining.(REGULATION)(European Union. European Aviation Safety Agency proposes a rule on blacklisting airlines in case of accidents)
February 1, 2006... BLACKLISTS ARE NOT A SAFETY tool favored by the airline industry, which believes they are punitive and do nothing directly to improve safety. But with an increasing number of countries now making public their own national listings, the European...

Winners and losers.(EDITORIAL)
February 1, 2006... With this issue, ATW continues for a 32nd year one of our proudest traditions: The presentation of our Annual Achievement Awards. In an industry that sets its internal bar very high, the seven winners each have accomplished things that the...

Facts & figures.(Table)
February 1, 2006... [GRAPHICS OMITTED] Aircraft Values Aircraft Year 2006 * 2011 ** 2016 ** 2021 ** Built A330-200 2000 $57.5 $48.3 $37.3 $25.8 A340-300 1997 $46.7 $40.5 $29.1 $19.4...

Non-US airline traffic--2005.(FACTS & FIGURES)(Table)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Non-US Airline Traffic--2005 Pass. 05/04 RPKs 05/04 Airline (000) chg. (000) chg. Adria 882 6.0 956,539 13.0 Air Asia 1,811 -- ...

US regional & specialty carriers traffic.(FACTS & FIGURES)(Table)
February 1, 2006... US Regional & Specialty Carriers Traffic January-September 2005 ATW 05/04 Load Airline Rank Pass. chg. factor Allegiant 3 826,000 36.8 ...

US national carriers traffic *--January-September 2005.(FACTS & FIGURES)(Table)
February 1, 2006... US National Carriers Traffic *--January-September 2005 Passengers 05/04 Airline Rank (000) % chg. AirTran 1 12,232 25.88 Air Transport Int'l 26 ...

US major carriers system traffic *--January-September 2005.(FACTS & FIGURES)(Table)
February 1, 2006... US Major Carriers System Traffic *--January-September 2005 Passengers 05/04 Airline Rank (000) % chg. Alaska 10 12,706 3.39 American 1 ...

US major carriers domestic traffic *--January-September 2005.(FACTS & FIGURES)(Table)
February 1, 2006... US Major Carriers Domestic Traffic *--January-September 2005 Passengers 05/04 Airline Rank (000) % chg. Alaska 10 11,825 3.53 American 3 ...

US major carriers international traffic *--January-September 2005.(Table)
February 1, 2006... US Major Carriers International Traffic *--January-September 2005 Passengers 05/04 Airline Rank (000) % chg. Alaska Latin 7 878 1.74 American ...

5,000, and counting.(Financial results, new deals, and reports from every corner of the globe)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Boeing began final assembly of its 5,000th 737 last month. It has sold more than 6,000, including 569 last year.

Boeing.(5,000, AND COUNTING)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Boeing began final assembly of its 5,000th 737 last month. It has sold more than 6,000, including 569 last year.

Late scores push Airbus past Boeing in 2005 sales.(Financial results, new deals, and reports from every corner of the globe)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... A flurry of December activity, highlighted by an order for 150 A320 family aircraft from China Aviation Supply Corp., raised Airbus's 2005 sales total to 1,111 gross orders and 1,055 net orders, propelling it past Boeing in terms of new...

Top court upholds EC passenger rights rules.(Financial results, new deals, and reports from every corner of the globe)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... As expected, the European Court of Justice followed last September's opinion of the advocate general and in a ruling last month upheld the European Commission's regulation concerning common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in...

United raises $3 billion to leave Chapter 11.(Financial results, new deals, and reports from every corner of the globe)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... United Airlines parent UAL Corp. was on course to leave bankruptcy early this month after the company announced the launch of its oversubscribed exit financing loan for up to $3 billion. The six-year loan consists of a $300 million revolving...

World RPKs rose 7.5% in 2005 ...(Financial results, new deals, and reports from every corner of the globe)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... World airline passenger traffic (RPKs) grew about 7.5% in 2005 compared to 2004, with international RPKs up around 8.5%, ICAO said based on preliminary figures. Capacity, measured in ASKs, increased at a slightly slower pace, resulting in...

... While passenger fatalities nearly tripled.(Financial results, new deals, and reports from every corner of the globe)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The number of passengers killed in accidents involving revenue passenger flights rose substantially to 913 last year from 347 in 2004, according to Airclaims. There were eight fatal accidents involving Western-built jets in 2005, which...

US Dept. of Transportation.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... US Dept. of Transportation's proposal to ease how it interprets foreign control of a US airline stirred up considerable opposition in Congress, where legislation was introduced in mid-December to prohibit the department from issuing a final...

SkyTeam.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... SkyTeam members Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France, Alitalia and Czech Airlines withdrew their application to DOT for transatlantic antitrust immunity after the department tentatively rejected their...

Delta Air Lines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Delta Air Lines reported a November net loss of $181 million compared to losses of $1.14 billion during the six weeks following its entry into Chapter 11 and approximately $300 million in October. November's net loss minus reorganization items...

Northwest Airlines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Northwest Airlines in hearings beginning Jan. 17 asked the bankruptcy court overseeing its Chapter 11 reorganization to permit it to reject the collective bargaining agreements covering its pilot and flight attendant workforces and allow it to...

Air Canada.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Air Canada is taking its simplified fares concept onto the transatlantic this year, beginning with service to London Heathrow and Manchester. The international pricing structure contains just four fare categories: Tourist, Leisure, Latitude...

AirTran Airways.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... AirTran Airways customer service, ramp and reservation agents rejected representation by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

World Airways.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... World Airways' 400-plus pilots, represented by the IBT, were released from mediation by the US National Mediation Board in early January, starting a 30-day cooling-off period after which the pilots will be permitted to strike and the airline...

Frontier Airlines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Frontier Airlines' mechanics, represented by the IBT, ratified a three-year contract.

US DOT.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... US DOT asked for comment on whether it should change its rules on airline price advertising. In particular, DOT wants to know "whether it should allow airlines to separate carrier-imposed charges, such as fuel surcharges, from the advertised...

US Federal Communications Commission.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... US Federal Communications Commission set a date of May 10 to begin auctioning airwaves for use by providers intending to market Internet, telephone and broadband services to airline passengers. The action notwithstanding, use of mobile phones...

Michael Metcalf.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Obituary)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Michael Metcalf, who helped to found the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading and later served as its president, died Jan. 15 from complications of cancer at the age of 59. Metcalf launched FlightPlan International Inc. in...

Connexion by Boeing.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Connexion by Boeing added four channels of live television to its high-speed inflight Internet service beginning Jan. 23. The channels are CNBC/MSNBC, BBC World, EuroNews and EuroSportnews. Connexion also unveiled a new price structure from...

Quoted briefly.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... "It is a sad day for Europe, for consumers, for international law and for the airline industry." --IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani on the ECJ's ruling upholding EC passenger rights regulations

Boeing.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Boeing selected PPG Aerospace to provide electrochromic windows for the 787 passenger cabin. The windows can be tinted electronically, eliminating the need for shades. The deal will be worth about $50 million to PPG over the first five years.

Engine Alliance.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Engine Alliance received FAR 33 certification from US FAA for its GP7200 for the A380. The 21-month test program involved eight engines. The GP7200 initially is certified at 76,500 lb. thrust but was tested at levels in excess of 94,000 lb.

ATW Senior Editor Geoff Thomas was presented with the award for Best Technical Story.(TECHNICALLY, THE BEST)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... ATW Senior Editor Geoff Thomas was presented with the award for Best Technical Story at the Australasian Aviation Journalist of the Year Awards in December for his article "The Longest Haul" (ATW, 6/02, p. 62) discussing the challenges faced by...

Jeppesen and Airbus.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Jeppesen and Airbus finalized an agreement bringing the former's electronic flight bag applications and data to the A320, A330, A340 and A380 families. The first entry into service of an Airbus EFB with Jeppesen applications will be an A330 in...

Honeywell.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Honeywell will provide its Runway Awareness and Advisory System to Lufthansa. RAAS uses GPS technology to compare an aircraft's location against a database of airport runways and provides audio alerts in case of a conflict.

Rockwell Collins.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Rockwell Collins' eFlight initiative said that EasyJet plans to go live in April with a fleetwide EFB for its 54 737s. It will allow electronic posting of technical and journey logs via Panasonic CF-18 laptops linked by wireless telephony...

Italy's Air One.(ONE BIG ORDER)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Italy's Air One ordered 30 A320s in January. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

United Airlines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... United Airlines and its United Services maintenance division signed a three-year, $180 million deal with Pratt & Whitney for MRO on more than 200 F117 engines powering US Air Force C-17s.

Carmen Systems.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Carmen Systems said that Continental Airlines signed a five-year agreement to use preferential bidding software for its pilots.

Juro International Systems.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Juro International Systems announced that Midwest Airlines will use its JIS-MIT Revenue Analysis System to warehouse and study real-time revenue analysis information.

Alitalia.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Alitalia secured an eight-year, $445 million loan from GE Corporate Banking in December, bringing the beleaguered carrier one step closer to stability following the 1 billion [euro] ($1.2 billion) rights issue that concluded earlier in the...

Ryanair.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Ryanair announced a major expansion at Dublin in late December with the unveiling of 18 new routes and additional frequencies on eight existing routes. It will base five new 737-800s at DUB beginning in April. The carrier said its traffic at...

EasyJet.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... EasyJet will add 14 new routes across its European network this spring as it takes delivery of nine A319s. It also will convert its bases in Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow to all-Airbus operations, replacing its current fleet of 737s.

LOT Polish Airlines.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... LOT Polish Airlines' supervisory board dismissed Marek Grabarek, president of the carrier's management board, as well as board members Piotr Dubno and Wladyslaw Metelski, in late December. No reason was given for the action. Grabarek, a former...

European Parliament.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... European Parliament announced regulations requiring EU airports to provide greater assistance to disabled travelers, including free wheelchairs at departure and arrival points. Airlines will have to cover much of the cost associated with the...

FL Group.(FL Group acquires Finnair Oy)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... FL Group of Iceland purchased 6% of Finnair, adding to airline holdings consisting of Sterling and 16% of EasyJet. The investment in Finnair brings the total holding by Icelandic interests in the Nordic airline to 18%. The Finnish government...

Finnair Group.(Henrik Arle appointed )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Finnair Group named Executive VP-Scheduled Passenger Traffic Henrik Arle to the position of deputy CEO. Arle has been with Finnair since 1976 and is a member of the group management board.

CSA Czech Airlines.(Radomir Lasak appointed )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... CSA Czech Airlines named former power company executive Radomir Lasak as its new president. He replaces Jaroslav Tvrdik, who resigned to become general campaign manager of the Czech Social Democratic Party.

FlyBE.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... FlyBE begins charging up to 4 [pounds sterling] ($7.09) per checked bag this month. The British LCC said it was correcting a "historical inequity," relieving the cost burden from the estimated 45% of its passengers who do not check luggage....

US majors traffic.(Table)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... US Majors Traffic December 2005 * RPMs % chg. ASMs % chg. LF +/- chg. Airline (bil.) 2004 (bil.) 2004 (%) 2004 AirTran 1.02 22.1 1.45 23.9 70.0 -1.0...

American Airlines and United Airlines.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... American Airlines and United Airlines objected to BAA's handling of the ongoing fuel shortage situation at London Heathrow caused by the Buncefield oil depot fire in December. The carriers stated that BAA's rationing policy is "blatantly...

BAA.(to acquire )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... BAA finalized its acquisition of Budapest Airport Rt. in late December, agreeing to take a 75%-minus-one-share stake in the company from the Hungarian government plus a 75-year asset management contract for Budapest Ferihegy International...

Assn. of European Airlines.(Association of European Airlines appoints Wolfgang Mayrhuber )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Assn. of European Airlines selected Lufthansa Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber as chairman of the organization for 2006. He takes over from TAP Portugal CEO Fernando Pinto.

Airbus.(European Aviation Safety Agency)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Airbus announced that the PW6000-powered version of the A318 was granted type certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency.