Air Transport World articles from March 2005

Air Transport World archives from March 2005

Jet fuel prices *.(Trends)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... JET FUEL PRICES * January 21, 2005 New York 144.76 US Gulf Coast 137.51 Los Angeles 133.94 Rotterdam 132.21 Singapore 124.45 * Spot cash markets (average). Source: US Dept. of Energy

Top 15 airlines.(Trends)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... TOP 15 AIRLINES JANUARY 2005 RANK AIRLINE RPKs (000) 1 American 17,005,614 2 Air France/KLM 14,369,000 3 United 14,190,794 4 Delta 13,972,090 5...

Exchange rate: currency units per us dollar.(Trends)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... EXCHANGE RATE CURRENCY UNITS PER US DOLLAR COUNTRY/ CURRENCY 1/31/05 11/30/04 Brazil/Real 2.6475 2.748 Canada/$ 1.2394 1.1866...

Make the price right.(Editorial)(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... Although they constitute a duopoly, Airbus and Boeing don't seem to be taking the airline market for granted. The A380 is to fly soon en route to 2006 deliveries, Boeing has begun manufacturing 787 components to keep that program on track for...

Patrick Corp. muscles in on Virgin Blue.(Financial Results, New Deals, And Reports From Every Corner Of The Globe)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Virgin Group's 2002 invitation to Patrick Corp. to take a half-share in Virgin Blue (subsequently reduced to 45.4%) has backfired as Patrick, which operates ports, rail interests and freight, is trying to muscle out its erstwhile partner for...

Worldliner rolls out.(Financial Results, New Deals, And Reports From Every Corner Of The Globe)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... 777-200LR rolled out Feb. 15, with first flight expected this month. Boeing has dubbed the jet the "Worldliner" (see article, p.39). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

EC affirms airports can offer carriers incentives.(Financial Results, New Deals, And Reports From Every Corner Of The Globe)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... As was expected, the European Commission has validated programs to provide incentives to airlines establishing new services at secondary and tertiary airports. The EC announced it would publish guidelines covering such aid in the wake of last...

Governments seek more revenue from airlines.(Financial Results, New Deals, And Reports From Every Corner Of The Globe)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Struggling US and European airlines may be hit with more taxes this year as separate initiatives are underway. In the US, the Bush Administration wants to increase the passenger security tax from $2.50 per segment, or a maximum of $10 per...

JAL Group.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... JAL Group, on the heels of a fiscal third-quarter loss totaling [yen] 3.7 billion ($35.6 million), said it plans to "drastically" restructure its business to slash costs while increasing "financial stability." Although full details of its new...

Ana Group.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... ANA Group, parent of All Nippon Airways, earned [yen] 5.2 billion ($50.2 million) in its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31. its sixth consecutive profitable quarter but a 25% decline compared With net income of [yen] 6.93 Pillion in the...

Spicy 737 order from India.(Asia/Pacific Report)(SpiceJet)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... SpiceJet, an Indian new entrant, ordered 10 737-800s with deliveries beginning next year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Singapore Airlines Group.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Singapore Airlines Group earned S$475.6 million ($290.8 million) in the fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31, up 25.9% over net income of S$377.9 million in the prior-year period. The gain was attributable to sales of aircraft and investments,...

US and India.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... US and India after three days of negotiations reached an open skies agreement in Jan. According to the US Dept. of Transportation, the deal provides "for open routes, capacity, frequencies, designations and pricing, as well as opportunities for...

China and Taiwan.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... China and Taiwan agreed to flights between the two countries for the first time in five decades. The accord, reached in Jan., allowed 48 roundtrip charter flights to carry Taiwanese workers in China home and back during the Lunar New Year...

A 737-200.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Kam Air)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A 737-200 operated by Kam Air of Afghanistan crashed in mountainous terrain east of Kabul on Feb. 4. The aircraft was carrying 96 passengers and a crew of eight and all were killed. The flight originated in Herat bound for the capital but...

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Feb. 8 cleared the British Airways-Qantas joint service agreement for a further five years, permitting them to cooperate on pricing, scheduling and capacity between the UK and Australia. The...

Thales.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Thales was selected by AirAsia for several avionics components that are part of the TopFlight Line, which will be installed on the carrier's 40 new A320s.

AAR Allen Aircraft.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... AAR Allen Aircraft signed a purchase agreement with HAECO under which it will provide an inventory support program for the initial provisioning of airframe rotable materials, airframe accessories and avionics for Air Hong Kong's fleet of...

Sabre Airline Solutions'.(Asia/Pacific Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Sabre Airline Solutions' Reaccomodation Manager, part of the Sabre AirOps Suite, was chosen by Air New Zealand.

New expansive passenger.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... New expansive passenger rights regulations took effect in the European Union on Feb. 17. The regulations, which are the subject of a legal challenge by IATA, raise denied boarding compensation to as much as 600 [euro] ($780) per passenger and...

British Airways.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... British Airways' net profit for the third quarter ended Dec. 31 fell 41% to 49 million [pounds sterling] ($92.4 million) from 83 million [pounds sterling] in the prior-year period. "These are respectable results in a quarter where fuel costs...

SAS Group.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... SAS Group lost Sek1.87 billion ($268.1 million)in 2004, worsened from Sek1.41 billion in 2003, while its fourth-quarter deficit widened to Sek636 million from Sek581 million. Excluding capital gains and nonrecurring items, however, the...

Quoted briefly.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... "Steps need to be taken to promote the regional airports and the development of new air service in Europe. At the same time, everything must be done to ensure equality of treatment betwen companies and between airports." --Transport...

Alitalia.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Alitalia reduced its loss before extraordinary items and taxes during the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 to 104.3 million [euro] ($134.2 million) from 150.64 million [euro] in the year-ago period. Operating loss was 88.67 million [euro], down...

Ryanair.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Ryanair earned 34.5 million [euro] ($46.3 million) in the fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31, down 15.8% from 41 million [euro] in the year-ago period. Excluding special items, profit fell 26% to 35 million [euro] from 47.5 million [euro]....

Swiss International Air Lines.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Swiss International Air Lines said it posted a loss before interest and taxes of CHF122 million ($102.5 million) in 2004, much improved compared to an operating loss of CHF498 million before restructuring costs in 2003. Special items that...

Swiss.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Swiss unveiled new cost-cutting steps--including staff cuts of 800-1,000--that are intended to save CHF300 million ($253.1 million) annually. The carrier also plans to trim its fleet by at least 13 aircraft and restructure its operations at...

Australian Airlines Group.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Austrian Airlines Group last month said it will cut about 10% of its nearly 1,000 administrative and service jobs as it continues to pursue cost reductions in the face of overcapacity in Europe and intense competition from low-cost airlines. It...

The Hungarian government.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Hungarian government replaced Malev's top management and part of its board of directors last month after the airline again failed to meet its target to achieve breakeven financial results in 2004. The government selected Janos Gonci as the...

Tarom.(Europe Report)(Resignation and Appointment)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Tarom CEO Rodica Odobescu resigned in Jan. as well after holding her position for nearly two years. Cristian Becerescu, who has been with the Romanian carrier since 1990, assumed the position on an acting basis.

OnAir.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... OnAir, the joint venture of Airbus and SITA to provide in-seat telephone and Internet services to passengers using their own mobile phones, PDAs and laptops, will be offered as a standard option on new Airbus aircraft, the partners announced...

The partial collapse.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The partial collapse of the roof of Terminal 2E at Paris Charles de Gaulle last May was caused by structural weakness of the concrete shell of the building, concluded an official report into the cause of the accident, which killed four.

Rockwell Collins and easyJet.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Rockwell Collins and easyJet signed an agreement to develop a fleetwide Electronic Flight Bag and supporting software solution for the airline's fleet of 54 737s using Rockwell Collins' eFlight information management program.

US majors traffic January 2005.(Europe Report)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... FACT FILE US Major Traffic January 2005 RPMs % chg. ASMs % chg. LF Airline (bil.) 2004 (bil.) 2004 (%) AirTran 0.73 28.1 1.12 23 65.1...

Snecma Service.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Snecma Service signed a "preferential 10-year time and material contract" with Air Europa to provide maintenance of CEM56-7Bs powering the carrier's 25 737-800s. Separately, Snecma said it extended its contract with Air Berlin covering MRO...

Parker Hannifin Corp.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Parker Hannifin Corp. was selected to supply the fuel system for the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, which will power the 787. Value of the business exceeds $190 million, Parker Hannifin said. It also has been chosen to provide the hydraulic subsystem...

Iberia.(Europe Report)(Sosoliso Airlines )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Iberia signed a maintenance agreement with Nigeria's Sosoliso Airlines to perform inspections, repairs and modifications of components on the airline's fleet of MD-80s.

Rolls-Royce.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Rolls-Royce signed a 12-year TotalCare services agreement with Virgin Atlantic Airways covering maintenance of the Trent 500s that power the carrier's fleet of 15 A340-600s.

Lufthansa Systems.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Lufthansa Systems will supply Croatia Airlines with an integrated range of solutions including Lido OC, Lido Route Manual, SkyBook, Slot Handling and the TOPAS takeoff performance software under a letter of intent. LHS also signed a...

Plucked eyebrows.(Europe Report)(Boeing 737NG)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Boeing rolled out the first 737NG without eyebrow windows, a feature on all previous 737s. Removal of the windows, saves 20 lb. of weight and 300 hr. of periodic inspections per aircraft.

SITA.(Europe Report)
March 1, 2005... SITA and German air navigation services provider DFS reached agreement on the joint provision of aircraft communication services. Under the deal, DFS will own and operate the VHF data link ground stations that SITA INC has installed at all...

Lufthansa Technik.(Europe Report)(Eirjet)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Lufthansa Technik signed a five-year Total Component Support deal with Eirjet for the startup's A320 fleet. The contract is valued at 8 [euro]-10 million [euro] ($10.3-$12.9 million). LHT also will provide line maintenance and engineering...

Jeppesen and Qantas.(Qantas Airways Ltd. and Jeppesen Sanderson Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Jeppesen and Qantas finalized a deal under which Jeppesen will provide its e-Link Internet chart and data delivery service to Qantas. Separately, Jeppesen introduced two new products, the Icing Forecast Map and the Turbulence Forecast Map.

Goodyear Nederland Aviation Tires.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Goodyear Nederland Aviation Tires will provide tire delivery and maintenance for Ryanair's growing fleet of 737-800s under a five-year all-inclusive agreement, with an option for a further five years.

Sensis Corp.(Europe Report)( Innsbruck Airport in Austria )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Sensis Corp. announced that Innsbruck Airport in Austria has begun live operational use of its Multistatic Dependent Surveillance for enhanced terminal and approach surveillance.

Menzies Aviation.(Europe Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Menzies Aviation will provide passenger and ramp handling services at Sydney under a 2.5-year contract with Virgin Atlantic Airways.

US Airways.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... US Airways mechanics and related workers, fleet service employees and maintenance training specialists ratified new five-year deals that together will save the airline roughly $353 million annually. With the ratification, the carrier now has...

United Airlines.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... United Airlines pilots and flight attendants ratified new cost-savings deals at the end of Jan. However, the airline's mechanics rejected a tentative agreement. The group also voted to strike if United goes to court to impose changes to its...

Continental Airlines.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Continental Airlines said that members of its board of directors agreed to cut their retainer and base meeting fees by 30% and forego their entire 2005 stock option grant in light of the company's continuing losses and the sacrifices it is...

Southwest Airlines.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Southwest Airlines, in a rare retreat, will end service to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport on April 2 after 25 years. It currently operates six daily roundtrips between IAH and Dallas Love Field. Service at Houston Hobby, where...

ATA Airlines.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... ATA Airlines, which is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, will reduce its operations significantly at its Indianapolis hub owing to "fierce competition" in the market. It also will end some service from Chicago Midway. ...

Aloha Airlines.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Aloha Airlines said that the US Bankruptcy Court approved letters of agreement modifying its labor contracts with three of its largest unions: The International Assn. of Machinists, the Assn. of Flight Attendants and the Air Line Pilots Assn....

Frontier Airlines.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Frontier Airlines lost $11.1 million in its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31 compared to net income of $5.5 million in the year-ago period. Revenue grew 27.3% to $208.2 million while operating expenses increased 48% to $223.5 million,...

In memoriam.(Arthur Reed)(Obituary)
March 1, 2005... In its 41 years of publishing, ATW has been blessed with an extremely dedicated and talented group of people. Sadly, in 2005 we have had to say goodbye to some of our finest. Arthur Reed, who died on Jan. 11 at the age of 76, was a highly...

JetBlue Airways.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... JetBlue Airways will expand its presence at Boston Logan significantly after reaching an agreement to lease the 11-gate Terminal C, Pier C facility. Expansion will take place in stages beginning next year and continuing through 2009. ...

RAND Corp.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... RAND Corp., in a report that echoes airline industry views, said it is "not cost-effective to spend billions of dollars" equipping the US commercial airline fleet with antimissile defense systems to protect the aircraft from the threat posed by...

Boeing.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Boeing reported net income of $186 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, which included previously announced charges for ending production of the 717 and recognizing expenses related to the stalled USAF 767 Tanker program, slightly...

GE.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... GE said it reached agreements with five companies to supply parts for the new GEnx engine for the 7E7 and A350. Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries will have a 15% work share and will be responsible for the LPT rotating components and module...

Moving faster.(North America Report)(Boeing Co. cuts down assembly time of 737NG)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Boeing has cut the 737NG assembly time in half to 11 days since 1999, in part by adopting a moving assembly line. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Aviall.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Aviall was named exclusive distributor of unique replacement parts for CF6-50 and CF6-80A engines for the life of the engine programs by GE.

Honeywell.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Honeywell is joining the competition to provide airline passengers with the technology to use their own mobile phones in flight and expects to have its system available for installation on aircraft by mid-year. Last month it announced a...

European airline traffic January 2005.(Fact File)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... FACT FILE European Airline Traffic January 2005 % % RPKs change ASKs change Airline (billions) 2004 (billions) 2004 ...

Westlet.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Westlet will team with Aviation Partners Boeing to certify Blended Winglets for the 737-600.

Sabre Airline Solutions.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Sabre Airline Solutions signed an agreement with American Airlines to implement new open systems technology to provide "an easy and efficient way to enable interline e-ticketing."

Lufthansa Systems.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Lufthansa Systems said Air Canada implemented its NetLine/Plan solution for network planning. AC also chose the NetLine Flexible Costs module.

AAR.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... AAR entered into a joint venture with Malaysian aircraft maintenance provider AIROD to establish a landing gear repair and overhaul facility in Malaysia, expected to be operational by mid-2005.

The Trax.(North America Report)(Atlantic Express to use Trax Maintenance and Engineering System )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Trax Maintenance and Engineering System was selected by proposed startup Atlantic Express. The airline plans to launch low-cost transatlantic flights from New York JFK to European cities in Aug.

Inventory Locator Service.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Inventory Locater Service launched a new group of related services under the My ILS label that enables subscribers to "more easily manage the inventory information they list on the ILS e-marketplace."

Flight Deck Resources.(North America Report)(SkyLink Airways )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Flight Deck Resources was selected by SkyLink Airways to supply a complete Electronic Flight Bag solution for the its fleetwide needs through 2006. SkyLink is a US startup that intends to operate 767-200s on transatlantic services beginning...

SkyWay Communications Holding Corp.(North America Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... SkyWay Communications Holding Corp. signed an agreement with IBISES International to manufacture the SkyWay Media Server II and drop-down display screens. Lion Air will be the first international carrier to install the server on its MD-80s, the...

AeroMexico and Mexicana.(Latin America/Caribbean Report)(Mexicana Airlines)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... AeroMexico and Mexicana will be sold separately under a new plan approved by the board of Cintra, parent company of both carriers. Under the plan, AeroMexico and Regional unit Aeroliteral will be combined in one company while Mexicana will be...

Brazilian federal government.(North America Report)(new bankruptcy code may help airlines reorganize themselves)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Brazilian federal government implemented a new bankruptcy code similar in many respects to the US Chapter 11 process. It is viewed as likely to help both Varig and Vasp reorganize and continue operating. Vasp faces the biggest challenge, having...

Avianca.(Synergy Aerospace)(Juan Emilio Posada replaced by Fable Villegas at Avianca Airlines)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Avianca CEO Juan Emilio Posada will become CEO of Synergy Aerospace, the holding company for Brazilian entrepreneur German Efromovich's growing portfolio of aviation businesses in Colombia (Avianca), Brazil (OceanAir) and Peru (Wayra Air,...

Air Luxor.(Africa/Middle East Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Air Luxor of Portugal and Linhas Aereas de Mozambique signed an agreement to launch joint operations to Mozambique from April.

Kale Consultants.(Africa/Middle East Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Kale Consultants was awarded a contract from Gulf Air to provide revenue recovery services through Kale's Managed Process Services on an outsourced basis.

Israel Aircraft Industries'.(Africa/Middle East Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Israel Aircraft Industries' Bedek Aviation Group was awarded a long-term contract from AirTran Airways to provide component maintenance for the airline's 737-700 fleet. Bedek already performs maintenance on AirTran's 717s.

Dnata.(Africa/Middle East Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Dnata took delivery of a Douglas Equipment-manufactured TBL-600, an A380-compatible towbarless aircraft pushback and towing vehicle.

Dnata Cargo.(Africa/Middle East Report)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Dnata Cargo announced that it will offer enhanced document records management services to its airline and freight forwarding customers beginning in April.

Smiths Detection.(Africa/Middle East Report)(Houari Boumediene International Airport)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Smiths Detection received an order valued at more than $6 million to supply x-ray systems to screen checked and carry-on baggage at Houari Boumediene International Airport in Algeria.

UPS.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... UPS will acquire 11 ex-Swiss International/Swissair MD-11s. They will be converted into freighters by Boeing and deliveries are expected to begin in the current quarter and extend through 2007. The sale was arranged by Focus Aviation on behalf...

Air France-KLM Group.(Cargo)(Cargo European House)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Air France-KLM Group is creating a so-called Cargo European House that it described as "a unified management body" for the carriers' cargo businesses. It should be fully operational by year end and will be in charge of network management,...

Continental Airlines Cargo.(Cargo)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Continental Airlines Cargo joined the Unisys-operated Cargo Portal Services, an electronic booking and shipment management service.

World Airways.(Cargo)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... World Airways signed a two-year ACMI cargo charter contract with EVA Airways valued at $116 million to provide three MD-11Fs for EVA service between Taipei and the US. EVA currently has a contract for one MD-11F until March.

Africa's first dreamliner.(Cargo)(Ethiopian Airlines)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Ethiopian Airlines will become the first African cutomer for the 787 with a preliminary agreement for up to 10 787-8s.