NewsBoeing To Cut Jobs At Second 787 Plant - ReportBoeing will cut hundreds of jobs at a South Carolina plant that assembles 787 Dreamliners over the course of this year, but the move has nothing to do with the recent grounding of the troubled jet, the Wall Street Journal reported. The cuts, which chiefly target contract workers, are not uncommon as productivity improves on a new aircraft model and were conceived before major problems with the 787's battery surfaced, the Journal said. Two high-profile battery malfunctions led to international aviation regulators grounding the jet in mid-January. The cuts could account for up to 20 percent of the workforce in some teams at the plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, the Journal reported, citing an unnamed source familiar with the plan. Overall, the plant employs more than 6,000 people.
LinkIberia must ‘adapt to survive’ as IAG posts €885 million net loss British Airways and Iberia parent International Airlines Group (IAG) reported a full-year net loss of €885 million ($1.2 billion), down from a €503 net profit in the year-ago period. The airline said the results were depressed by Iberia’s deteriorated performance and the integration of British Midland International (bmi). IAG CEO Willie Walsh cautioned that structural change is needed: “The divergent financial performance of our airlines continued. British Airways made an operating profit of €347 million, including bmi losses, while Iberia made an operating loss of €351 million. We have embarked on a significant transformation program in Iberia—and these results emphasize further that the airline must adapt to survive. It must stem its cash losses and adjust its cost base permanently if it is to compete with other airlines in all its strategic markets and lay the foundations for profitable growth in the future.”
LinkSukhoi Drops Kartika Air Superjet DealRussian plane maker Sukhoi has dropped a USD$900 million deal with Indonesia's Kartika Airlines, which ordered 30 Superjet 100s in 2010, because the airline could not meet the financial requirements of the deal, a Sukhoi executive said on Thursday. The Indonesian airline said in 2012 it would not cancel the order after one of the Superjets crashed in Indonesia in May during a promotional flight, which investigators said was due to pilot error and to Jakarta air traffic control's lack of a minimum safe altitude system. "Kartika wanted to buy 30 planes but until now they haven't met the requirements," Alexander Shamkov, Sukhoi's regional director for Southeast Asia told reporters.
LinkUS Airways Flight Attendants Ratify ContractFlight attendants at US Airways approved by a margin of 80 percent a contract with the carrier which provides pay increases and job protections, their union said on Thursday. The present US Airways, which has about 6,700 flight attendants, was formed from a 2005 merger with America West Airlines. Flight attendants at US Airways have been working under separate contracts for years as their union negotiated to reach a joint agreement. The new contract would apply to flight attendants of the pre-merger US Airways and of the former America West.
LinkRyanair To Cut London Stansted CapacityRyanair is to reduce its capacity at London's Stansted airport by about one million passengers over the next year after the airport increased charges by 6 percent, the airline said on Thursday. The Irish low-cost carrier, which accounted for about 70 percent of Stansted's traffic in 2011, said that it will cut more than 170 flights a week - a 9 percent reduction. Single-runway Stansted, 50 km northeast of central London, is Britain's fourth-busiest airport and handled nearly 18 million passengers last year.
LinkALC adds 10 777-300ERs to swelling widebody fleetUS lessor Air Lease Corp (ALC) today tripled its orderbook for Boeing 777-300ERs, signing a contract for 10 new widebodies valued at $3.2 billion. The order announced by Boeing brings ALC's total order for the type to 15, including an order for five signed in August 2011. "The 777 offers our clients the most economical, fuel efficient and versatile airplane in the 300-400 seat range, suitable for a variety of profitable missions," says ALC president and chief operating officer John Plueger.
LinkP&WC plots new engine core for super-medium helo, ‘evolved’ King Air marketOn the eve of the Heli-Expo convention, Pratt & Whitney Canada has revealed plans to launch a new turboshaft engine in the 2,000shp (1,490kW)-range aimed initially at the top end of the new super-medium helicopter segment, and with potential for a turboprop conversion to support a future Beechcraft King Air replacement. The next-generation 2,000shp engine now in the preliminary design stage targets a future helicopter sized in the 9,070kg (20,000lb)-class, says Richard Dussault, P&WC vice president of marketing. That places the new helicopter in the gap between the 7t-8t super-mediums, such as the AgustaWestland AW189, Bell Helicopter 525 Relentless and Eurocopter 175, and the 12t-14t heavy helicopters, such as the EC225 Super Puma and the Sikorsky S92.
LinkUS Airways to add nine CRJ900s US Airways has reached an agreement with Mesa Airlines to add nine Bombardier CRJ900s to its regional fleet this year. The aircraft will enter the US Airways Express fleet between April and July, and be reconfigured with nine first class seats and 70 economy seats - for a total of 79 seats - during the third quarter, says the Tempe, Arizona-based carrier. The aircraft will operate under an eight-year capacity purchase agreement through 2021. US Airways will remove nine 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145s flown by Republic Airways-subsidiary Chautauqua Airlines from its regional fleet during the same period.
LinkIATA: 2012 Western-built jet accident rate lowest in history There was one hull loss for every 5 million flights of Western-built jet aircraft in 2012, the lowest accident rate for a single year ever, IATA reported. In terms of accidents as measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jets, the 2012 accident rate was 0.20, 46% lower than 0.37 in 2011. There were six hull loss accidents involving Western-built jets in 2012, down from 11 in 2011, IATA said. There were three fatal hull loss Western-built jet accidents last year, down from five in 2011. IATA’s more than 240 member airlines had no Western-built jet hull losses in 2012.
LinkVirgin Australia 1H net profit down 56% Virgin Australia reported first-half FY2012/13 net profit was A$23 million ($23.5 million), down 56% from A$51.8 million year-over-year. The airline’s fiscal year 2012/13 first half ended Dec. 31, 2012. Underlying profit before tax was A$61 million, down 36.5% from A$96.1 million in the year-ago period. Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti said the business was impacted “by the introduction of the carbon tax, the cost of which we were unable to recover due to aggressive competition in the market.” The tax cost A$24.4 million.
LinkF-35s cleared to resume flight operations The US Air Force officials confirm that the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been cleared to resume flight operations after a recent grounding. "The suspension of F-35A flight operations has been lifted for the air force," the USAF says. USAF F-35 flight operations at Eglin AFB, Florida, will resume on 5 March because 4 March is a previously scheduled maintenance training day, service officials say. The US Marine Corps' short take-off vertical landing F-35Bs will resume flying at the Florida base on 1 March. "The Marines' F-35B will fly tomorrow afternoon at Eglin," the USAF says.
LinkAustralia moves closer to Super Hornets purchaseThe Pentagon has notified the US Congress of the possible sale of additional Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers to Australia, with a deal possible by mid-2013. This comes amid growing concerns about a capability gap that could arise from delays to the delivery of the country's Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. Canberra wants 12 F/A-18Fs and 12 EA-18Gs in a deal valued at $3.7 billion, according to the notification by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). The package includes 54 General Electric F414-GE-402 engines, 35 Raytheon AN/APG-79 radar systems and other training, logistics and support services.
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