Air Transport World articles from November 2008

Air Transport World archives from November 2008

Trends.(Statistical table)
November 1, 2008... WORLD AIRLINE TRAFFIC JANUARY-JULY 2008 US 2008 2007 % chg RPKs (mil.) 490,500 485,800 1.0 ASKs (mil.) 612,700 602,300 1.7 Pass. (000) 448,500 452,100 -0.8 Pass. LF (%) 80.1 80.7 -0.6...

On the one hand ...(Editorial)
November 1, 2008... Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson hit the nail on the head last month when he remarked that "You would rather deal with demand cessation than $150 oil." Anderson's observation sums up the peculiar good news/bad news situation in which the...

Jet and Kingfisher to ally.(NewsBriefs)(Jet Airways)(Kingfisher Airlines)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, India's two largest private carriers, announced an alliance that will include codesharing on domestic and international flights and frequent-flier reciprocity as well as a wide-ranging pooling of resources...

Airlines sue to stop slot auctions.(NewsBriefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... US Air Transport Assn. and IATA followed through on their threat to fight the US Dept. of Transportation's final rule empowering FAA to conduct slot auctions at New York JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports. Days after the rule was announced...

Airbus delays production boost, launches Tianjin assembly line.(News Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Airbus decided to pull back on planned production rate increases, citing "uncertainty in the financial markets." A320 family production will stay at 36 per month rather than being ramped up to 40 by 2010 as planned and A330 production will grow...

Star Alliance takes shine to TAM.(NewsBriefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Star Alliance formally invited Brazil's TAM to be its 24th member last month and said it will look to increase its presence further in the region next year. Without a member south of the US since Varig was expelled in 2006, Star believes TAM's...

Boeing, Honeywell join on biofuels.(NewsBriefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Boeing and Honeywell subsidiary UOP have brought together a group of airlines and environmental organizations to accelerate the development and commercialization of biofuels. Initial airlines involved are Air New Zealand, Air France, ANA,...

The Chinese A320 family.(EAST MEETS WEST)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The Chinese A320 Family Final Assembly Line was officially inaugurated by Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Tianjin Party Secretary Zhang Gaoli in ceremonies in Tianjin on Sept. 28. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines shareholders in late September voted overwhelmingly in favor of the carriers' planned merger, leaving US Dept. of Justice approval as the only significant potential obstacle to the combination. FAA...

Southwest Airlines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... Southwest Airlines will take delivery of 10 737NGs next year, down from the 14 previously planned, with four deliveries deferred until 2016 as it continues to manage capacity. SWA posted its first quarterly net loss in 17 years, a $120...

American Airlines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... American Airlines reported a $45 million third-quarter profit, a result skewed by the sale of American Beacon Advisors, which netted the company a $432 million gain in the period as it reported an operating loss of $216 million.

Continental Airlines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... Continental Airlines reported a third-quarter net loss of $236 million, reversed from a $241 million profit in the year-ago period, and announced that it has pushed back delivery of 18 aircraft scheduled to arrive over the next two years. Two...

Assn. of flight attendants.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Assn. of Flight Attendants said that 1,550 United Airlines flight attendants accepted voluntary furloughs in increments of six, nine, 12, 18 and 21 months beginning Oct. 31, eliminating the need for involuntary furloughs.

Frontier Airlines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Frontier Airlines, which is restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, reached an agreement with the Transport Workers Union, representing its dispatchers, for wage and benefit concessions through September 2012. Deal is subject to...

Sun Country Airlines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Sun Country Airlines Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Sun Country Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Oct. 6 but insisted it will "operate business as usual." The small Minneapolis/St. Paul-based carrier has been on shaky ground for some time but said it was forced into bankruptcy...

DayJet, services.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... DayJet, Services, which described itself as the world's first "per-seat, on-demand jet service," ceased operations Sept. 19 and laid off most of its staff 11 months after launching service using Eclipse 500 very light jets among five cities in...

US Dept. of Transportation.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... US Dept. of Transportation's Office of Inspector General said in a report released last month that FAA needs to upgrade its safety oversight to account for the growing amount of MRO outsourced to foreign countries by US airlines. According to...

Boeing.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Boeing delivered 84 aircraft in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, down 23% from 109 in the year-ago period as the strike by its assembly line workers that began Sept. 6 took its toll. Deliveries comprised 67 737NGs, four 747s, two 767s and 11...

IAE.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(IAE International Aero Engines)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... IAE announced that the first V2500 SelectOne engine entered service with launch customer IndiGo on Oct.1 on a new A320. Aircraft is leased from Australia's Allco Finance Group.

Pratt & Whitney.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(appointment of Todd Kallman )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Pratt & Whitney placed its Commercial Engines, Global Service Partners and Global Material Solutions operations into a new unit named Commercial Engines & Global Services led by Todd Kallman as president. Kallman has headed the Commercial...

GE Aviation Systems.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... GE Aviation Systems named Lorraine Bolsinger president and CEO. She had been VP of ecomagination, GE's sustainable business initiative.

Pratt & Whitney Canada.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... Pratt & Whitney Canada announced integration of its customer service and support center groups into one organization.

Goodrich Corp.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Goodrich Corp. said it received an FAA STC for "a lightweight durable fan cowl design" for V2500-A5 engine nacelles. The monolithic fan cowl was developed in collaboration with Bombardier Aerospace and uses a resin transfer infusion process...

US majors traffic September 2008.(FACT FILE)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... US Majors Traffic September 2008 * [+ or -] RPMs % chg ASMs % chg. LF chg. Airline (bil.) 2007 (bil.) 2007 (%) 2007 AirTran 1.23...

B/E Aerospace.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... B/E Aerospace will provide galley systems for A350 XWBs under a deal with Airbus valued at more than $1 billion. Deliveries will begin in 2013.

NavAero.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... NavAero said its tBagC22 received an FAA STC as a Class 2 electronic flight bag on 757-200/-300 aircraft.

Radiant Power.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Radiant Power, a HEICO subsidiary, launched its Sentinel power supply unit featuring 10 min. of additional power for crash survivable CVRs as required by US FAA on aircraft carrying 10 or more passengers.

AAR.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... AAR was selected by United Airlines to remarket and provide technical advisory services on the carrier's soon-to-be-retired fleet of 94 737 Classics.

Skyservice Airlines.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Skyservice Airlines, based at Toronto Pearson, launched Skyservice Maintenance initially focusing on "all phase letter checks for the A320 and 757 airframes with developing capabilities on the 737."

AviIT.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... AviIT said it launched its AviTag module extending its AviCheck handheld wireless check-in system enabling airlines to collect excess baggage fees before passengers reach check-in counters or baggage drop locations.

Mindpearl.(NORTH AMERICA Report)
November 1, 2008... Mindpearl was selected by American Airlines as its preferred supplier to deliver multi-lingual contact center services for seven countries in the Asia/Pacific region.

City of Chicago.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... City of Chicago picked a consortium led by Vancouver Airport Services to operate Midway Airport under a 99-year lease. The group's $2.5 billion bid was the highest offer for MDW, the first large US commercial airport to be privatized under an...

Detroit Metropolitana.(NORTH AMERICA Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Detroit Metropolitan's new $431 million North Terminal had its official opening Sept. 17. The 850,000-sq.-ft., 26-gate terminal replaces the Smith and Berry Terminals. It is expected to handle 8-14 million passengers per year.

The 787.(TOO MUCH PRESSURE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The 787 static test airframe recently completed the high pressure test in Everett. During the test the airframe reached an internal pressure of 150% of levels expected during operations. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Qantas's first A380.(MORE TO COME)(Qantas Airways Ltd.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Qantas's first A380 takes off from Sydney on its first commercial flight Oct. 20. During delivery ceremonies, the airline said it expects to add to its existing order for 20 of the Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered jets. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

ANA.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(All Nippon Airways Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... ANA in late September said it reached agreement with Boeing on a revised 787 delivery schedule that will see the launch customer take its first aircraft next August, 15 months later than originally planned. However, the new schedule does not...

Air India.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Air India said it is working on a plan to offer unpaid 3-4-year leave to up to 15,000 employees. AI told the Press Trust of India that the "scheme is purely voluntary," and Chairman and MD Raghu Menon said those who accept the furlough (if...

Virgin Blue.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Virgin Blue Airlines Proprietary Ltd.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Virgin Blue postponed the launch of its V Australia transpacific service between Sydney and Los Angeles planned for Dec 15 as the ongoing Boeing strike meant it could not be certain it would receive its first 777-300ER in time.

Chinese carriers.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Chinese carriers should get some relief in the fourth quarter as the Chinese government decided to cut the price of fuel by CNY570 ($82.37) per ton owing to the recent drop in international oil prices. The reduction took effect Oct. 1. It marks...

AirAsia X.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... AirAsia X hopes to announce its first UK service from its base at Kuala Lumpur International's low-cost-carrier terminal this month and commence the route in March, CEO Azran Osman Rani told ATW at the Routes Leaders Forum in the Malaysian...

AirAsia.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... AirAsia shareholder Tune Air, which is the largest investor in the carrier with a 30.9% stake, said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia that it is "considering" privatizing the airline at an indicative price of approximately MYR1.35 ($0.39) per...

Faulty air data inertial reference unit.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Faulty Air Data Inertial Reference Unit appears to have been the cause of an incident that occurred to a Qantas A330-300 en route from Singapore to Perth on Oct. 7. Responding to the false inputs from the ADIRU indicating a stall and over-speed...

Qantas Group.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(appointment of Bruce Buchanan)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Qantas Group named Jetstar Airways GM Bruce Buchanan to take over the CEO role replacing Alan Joyce, who takes over the reins at Qantas Group this month. Buchanan participated in Jetstar's establishment in 2003. Separately, Qantas deferred...

Hainan Airlines.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(China Hainan Airlines Company Ltd.)(promotion of Zhu Yimin)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Hainan Airlines Chairman Zhu Yimin was promoted to VP of parent HNA Group and will be succeeded by HNA Hotel Co. executive Li Xiaoming, who also will be chairman of Grand China Air, an insider told ATW. HNA Group Chairman Chen Feng relinquished...

Singapore and Japan.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Singapore and Japan announced an expanded air services agreement that will nearly double the number of passenger flights Singaporean airlines can operate to Tokyo and also allow carriers from both nations to operate unlimited passenger and...

Yeti Airlines.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Yeti Airlines Twin Otter en route from Kathmandu to Lukla Oct. 8 crashed on landing and caught fire, killing all 16 passengers and two of three crewmembers. According to Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network, "visibility was...

Honeywell.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Honeywell said Tiger Airways selected its avionics suite for eight A320s slated for delivery over the next two years. Suite includes RDR-4B weather radar, Quantum Line Comm Nav Surveillance, TCAS, EGPWS, Solid State FDR and CVR, Flight Data...

Pratt & Whitney Canada.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)
November 1, 2008... Pratt & Whitney Canada established a parts distribution center in Sydney to speed delivery times in Australia and New Zealand.

Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services, a joint venture among Boeing, Shanghai Airport Authorities and Shanghai Airlines, won US FAA repair station certification to provide MRO to Chinese airlines as well as regional and international carriers.

ST Aviation Services.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd. contract with Airbus S.A.S)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... ST Aviation Services, a Singapore Technologies Aerospace subsidiary, reached agreement with Airbus to provide heavy maintenance checks for 19 A330s leased to Singapore Airlines from around 2015.

Amadeus said Qantas.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)
November 1, 2008... Amadeus said Qantas completed migration to its Altea Customer Management System streamlining sales, reservations, inventory and departure control management capabilities.

CTT Systems.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)
November 1, 2008... CTT Systems announced that Air New Zealand ordered 42 Zonal Drying Systems to be installed in 13 A320s, five 767s, 16 737s and eight 777s.

Singapore Changi Airport.(ASIA/PACIFIC Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Singapore Changi Airport is to be taken over on July 1, 2009, by Temasek Holdings, the state-owned investment company. The corporatization will see the airport's current operator, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, hived off into a...

Alitalia.(EUROPE Report)(Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. acquired with Italian investment group CAI)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Alitalia's rescue by Italian investment group CAI appears back on track after AZ's unions experienced a deathbed conversion and agreed to back the [euro]1 billion ($1.34 billion) plan to re-launch the carrier when it became clear the government...

Condor, TUIfly and Germanwings.(EUROPE Report)(acquisitions)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Condor, TUIfly and Germanwings merger talks failed following Thomas Cook Group's decision to withdraw. It "became clear that the opportunity was not attractive," Thomas Cook CEO Manny Fontenla-Novoa said. TC holds 75% of Condor (with Lufthansa...

S7 Airlines, Air Berlin and Niki.(EUROPE Report)(contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... S7 Airlines, Air Berlin and Niki announced a codeshare agreement in Moscow and promised that "all three airlines intend to deepen their relationship in other areas in the future." The agreement initially covers flights from Moscow Domodedovo to...

Air France KLM and AF.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Air France KLM and AF Chairman and CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta will relinquish the CEO title at both the parent company and airline on Jan. 1, when Deputy CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon will take over. Air France will drop its daily London...

Fast-growing Turkish Airlines.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Fast-growing Turkish Airlines (see article, p. 60) announced its intention to place an order for 25 widebody and 50 single-aisle aircraft plus 10 widebody and 10 narrowbody options. Requests for proposals will be solicited from both Boeing and...

Aer Lingus.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Aer Lingus intends to cut up to 1,500 jobs and institute a pay freeze as part of an effort to save [euro]74 million ($99.3 million), it announced last month following meetings with unions, according to widespread press reports. EI will lower...

Virgin Atlantic Airways.(EUROPE Report)
November 1, 2008... Virgin Atlantic Airways posted a pre-tax profit of [pounds sterling]72 million ($125.9 million) in the fiscal first half ended Aug. 31, up 67.4% from the [pounds sterling]43 million reported in the year-ago semester. Revenue climbed 15% to...

Iberia.(EUROPE Report)(Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana S.A. acquired with British Airways)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Iberia raised its stake in British Airways to 8.07%, or 93.1 million shares, the UK carrier said. Separately, British Airline Pilots Assn., representing BA pilots, and SEPLA, representing Iberia pilots, said from Madrid that they support a...

Spain's Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Commission.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Spain's Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Commission preliminary report on the Aug. 20 Spanair MD-82 crash concluded that the aircraft's flaps were not extended as it attempted to take off and that no automated warning was sounded in the...

Lufthansa.(EUROPE Report)(Deutsche Lufthansa AG acquired with SN Brussels Airlines)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Lufthansa supervisory board approved the company's strategic investment in Brussels Airlines parent SN Airholding. LH will acquire a 45% stake in SN for [euro]65 million and in 2011 will have an option to purchase the remaining 55%. Deal has...

Aeroflot.(EUROPE Report)
November 1, 2008... Aeroflot posted a RUB2.25 billion ($90.1 million) first-half profit, its board of directors announced. The result represents a 29.7% drop from earnings of RUB3.2 billion in the year-ago semester. Revenue in the six months ended June 30 rose...

European airline traffic September 2008.(FACT FILE)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... European Airline Traffic September 2008 Load RPKs % chg. ASKs % chg. factor [+ or -] Airline (billions) 2007 (billions) 2007 (%) ...

AiRUnion.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... AiRUnion, the failed Russian airline alliance that comprised five carriers, ceased to exist Sept. 30 as the management company shut down. The Russian government has said it intends to replace AiRUnion with a state-owned grouping of nine...

European Commission.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... European Commission gave its approval to the Greek government plan to privatize and restart Olympic Airlines as Pantheon Airways next year but it also demanded that Olympic return [euro]850 million ($1.1 billion) in state aid. EC VP-Transport...

Jat Airways.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Jat Airways, which the Serbian government put up for sale over the summer, has not found an investor willing to purchase the state's 51% stake and now must depend on the government for a rescue, CEO Sasa Vlaisavljevic told the daily Blic at the...

SmartLynx.(EUROPE Report)
November 1, 2008... SmartLynx is the new name of Riga-based LatCharter Airlines, which operates eight A320-200s and two 767-300s. Carrier is a subsidiary of Icelandair Group.

EU and India.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... EU and India signed a horizontal aviation agreement that brings the 26 bilateral agreements India has with individual EU members into conformity with Community law. With nearly 5.7 million passenger traveling between the EU and India last year,...

UK CAA.(EUROPE Report)(United Kingdom. Civil Aviation Authority)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... UK CAA said it "strongly supports" the UK Competition Commission's provisional recommendation that BAA sell three airports and that the move "can be expected to significantly increase competition between airports in the South East and Scotland,...

US FAA.(EUROPE Report)(United States. Federal Aviation Administration)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... US FAA announced that Croatia has been designated Category 2 and "does not comply with international safety standards" set by ICAO. It said the Croatian government is "working diligently to correct all areas of concern," without elaborating.

Croatia Airlines.(EUROPE Report)
November 1, 2008... Croatia Airlines announced a partnership with Privredna banka Zagreb and PBZ Card that will allow passengers to pay for tickets at nearly 400 Privredna ATMs.

Rockwell Collins.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Rockwell Collins will provide side displays and docking stations for the new Class 2 electronic flight bag on A320s for production and aftermarket applications. It will provide Norwegian with avionics for 42 737NGs with an option for 42...

CTT Systems.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... CTT Systems will supply Nord-Micro with its Cair System cabin humidifiers and Zonal Drying System designed for the A350 XWB. Nord-Micro will deliver the systems to Honeywell to offer as an option to Airbus and airlines.

Thales Training and Simulation and A J Walter Aviation.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Thales Training and Simulation and A J Walter Aviation added the A330 to a flight simulator support program that also covers the A320 and 777 and includes maintenance and spare parts for instruments and avionics.

Lufthansa Technik Sofia.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Lufthansa Technik Sofia opened formally on Oct. 28, employing 258 and featuring a two-bay, 6,000-sq.-m. narrow-body hangar. LHT has invested [euro]20 million in the facility along with partner Bulgarian Aviation Group. LHT Budapest reached...

Air France Industries.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Air France Industries will provide component support for 14 A319s and A320s operated by Afriqiyah Airways. Contract includes access to a spare parts pool managed by AFI at Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Iberia Maintenance.(EUROPE Report)(contract)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Iberia Maintenance signed an MOU with GE to become the preferred regional fulfillment center for CFM56-5A MRO in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. IB will enter into an OnPoint solution agreement with GE for material and services. Under an...

Turkish MRO myTECHNIC.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Turkish MRO myTECHNIC received DGCA/EASA certification for heavy maintenance at its 46,000-sq.-m. facility at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen. Certification covers C and D checks as well as major modifications on MD-80s, A300s and 737s. It also allows...

Shannon Aerospace.(EUROPE Report)
November 1, 2008... Shannon Aerospace completed D checks on two Philippine Airlines A320s. Contract was undertaken by SAL at the request of Lufthansa Technik.

Sabena Technics.(EUROPE Report)
November 1, 2008... Sabena Technics signed a three-year contract with Swiftair to perform component support and overhaul services on its five 737-300 freighters.

S7 Engineering.(EUROPE Report)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... S7 Engineering, an S7 Group subsidiary, announced successful audits by EASA and the Bermuda Dept. of Civil Aviation. S7 now is certified to perform maintenance, including A checks, on 737NGs.

Lufthansa Flight Training.(EUROPE Report)(Deutsche Lufthansa AG)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Lufthansa Flight Training announced the opening of its Munich training center. Expected to have a staff of 24, the facility initially will accommodate E-190, A320 and A330/A340 simulators.