NewsUS Air, American Gain EU Merger ApprovalUS Airways and American Airlines secured EU regulatory approval on Monday for their USD$11 billion merger after promising to surrender slots at London Heathrow and Philadelphia airports. The carriers offered the concession and also committed to facilitate the entry of a new competitor to allay concerns by the European Commission over the combined company's monopoly of the route.
LinkEmirates launches VIP charter operation Gulf carrier Emirates has launched a private jet charter operation - Emirates Executive - using a 19-seat Airbus ACJ319. "Emirates Executive elevates the high standards and quality of Emirates that our customers have come to expect, with the flexibility and luxury that can only be offered by a private chartered flight," says Adnan Kazim, divisional senior vice-president at Emirates.
LinkComac starts installations on C919 iron bird Eaton Corp and Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Corp's (SAMC) joint venture has delivered the first batch of conveyance tubes to Comac for its C919 narrowbody program. This delivery, made on 29 July, makes the Eaton-SAMC joint venture the first supplier to deliver parts for the C919, says Comac. "Some of these parts have been installed on to the iron bird, while some are still waiting for other parts to be installed together," says an Eaton spokeswoman. Eaton and SAMC set up a joint venture in mid-2011 that focuses on the design, development, manufacturing and support of fuel and hydraulic conveyance systems.
LinkAirAsia extends deal with Air France-KLM maintenance arm AirAsia X has extended its contract with Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance for component support on its fleet of Airbus A330s and A340s. The extended agreement includes an additional seven A330s - one new, six leased - and now covers component repairs, pool access and logistics services for a total of 32 A330s and two A340s.
LinkCanada Draws Up Directive On 787 Fire BeaconsCanada's air transport regulator is drawing up a safety directive concerning the emergency beacons being looked at in the investigation into a fire on a parked Boeing 787 Dreamliner last month. The directive - which would list action that airlines or manufacturers must take - will take into account inspections done by manufacturer Honeywell and its Canadian sub-contractor Instrumar, Transport Canada said in a statement. "Transport Canada is developing an airworthiness directive in consultation with the FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency)," the statement said.
LinkAir Arabia Q2 Net Profit Rises 15 PercentBudget airline Air Arabia, United Arab Emirates' only publicly-listed carrier, reported a 15 percent increase in second-quarter net profit on Monday, as it carried more passengers. The Sharjah-based airline made a net profit of AED76 million dirhams (USD$20.7 million) for the second-quarter, compared with AED66 million in the corresponding period in 2012, the company said in a statement.
LinkFlybe CFO, Three Board Members Step DownEurope's largest regional airline Flybe, which appointed a new chief executive last month, said its chief financial officer had resigned. The group said that Andrew Knuckey, who has been CFO since 2007, would leave the company after his successor is appointed and a suitable handover period is completed. Flybe had appointed former easyJet and Air Berlin executive Saad Hammad as its chief executive last month. Hammad took charge on August 1. The airline on Monday also appointed Paul Simmons as chief commercial officer, effective October 28. Simmons joins from easyJet where he was director, UK market.
LinkJohn Holland moves focus away from heavy maintenance Australia's John Holland Aviation Services will put its focus on line and overnight maintenance and move away from heavy maintenance due to the intense competition from foreign MROs. General manager Ross Alexander told Flightglobal Pro in an interview that the company has recently begun winding down the Boeing 737 and Embraer 190 heavy maintenance programs at its facility at Melbourne's Tullamarine airport. "The actual heavy checks themselves were a line of C-checks and modifications as part of a program which at the time everybody went into hoping it would work," he says. "From a product point of view, it worked, but from a cost point of view I don't think it met the customer's expectations compared to what they could achieve overseas."
LinkPlane Makers De-Rate To Chase Regional GrowthAfter focusing for years on aircraft that could fly ever further, Airbus and Boeing are turning to shorter-range planes that appeal to airlines reluctant to pay for performance they don't need. The plane makers have spent billions of dollars building advanced jets capable of flying a third of the way round the world non-stop, but economic change has forced a new adjustment in strategy. Boeing launched a new version of its 787 Dreamliner at the Paris Airshow in June by chopping 1,800 km from its range and giving it a longer fuselage and more seats. It says the 787-10 Dreamliner will be its most cost-efficient aircraft yet, optimized for regional operations including Asia.
LinkAircraft manufacturers offer shorter ranges for jets Boeing and Airbus are revamping long-haul jets to serve shorter routes. The top three routes in terms of growth are located in Asia and require less distance than the flagship models. Boeing's 787-10 is designed for shorter distances, and Airbus is offering a "Regional" version of its A350.
LinkAlaska Air Group posts July operational results Alaska Air Group reported a 8.4% increase in traffic for July, as compared to the same month last year. Alaska Air Group is the parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Alaska Air Group also reported an increase in capacity and passenger load factor for July.
LinkDelta Air Lines reports traffic for July Delta Air Lines reported an increase of 1.7% in traffic for July on a year-over-year basis. International traffic rose 4.2% for the month, including a 10.3% increase for traffic to Latin America. Meanwhile, domestic traffic was down slightly by 0.1% for July.
LinkUS Airways reports July traffic US Airways Group reported a 6.3% increase in passenger traffic for July on a year-over-year basis. The carrier boosted its consolidated capacity by 4.7% for the month, and passenger revenue per available seat mile rose by around 5% for July.
LinkColumn: "Crunch time" for NextGen Columnist Emily Feliz says much of the general public could use an education about what the NextGen airspace modernization program is and why the U.S. aviation industry needs it, including to reduce delays, increase efficiencies and keep the aviation industry up to date with technology. "We need it urgently... to maintain our country’s status in the global economy. We’re reaching 'crunch time' as the first implementation deadlines near," she writes.
LinkAmerican Airlines takes delivery of first A320 American Airlines took delivery of its first A-320 family aircraft late last month in Hamburg, Germany. With that delivery, American Airlines became the first US airline to fly aircraft with a major new safety enhancement – runway overrun safety protection. Although greeted with little fanfare other than in industry press, this delivery marks a significant step forward in proactive safety improvements for the flying public. Runway overruns are a leading cause of aviation accidents in recent years. American has had its own unfortunate experiences with runway overruns in recent years, including the 2010 overrun at Jackson Hole Airport and the 2009 overrun in Kingston, Jamaica. Fortunately, no one died in either of those accidents, although there were injuries in the Kingston accident.
LinkFix long customs waits at U.S. airports first Airlines for America opposes a plan to build a customs preclearance facility, using U.S. taxpayer dollars, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, when customs resources should be used to fix the long waits experienced by customers arriving into major U.S. airports. "At the end of the day, customs resources should be devoted to where there is need," said Sean Kennedy, senior vice president of global government affairs at A4A. "[R]ight now we have that... here in the United States and we should not be sending dollars to Abu Dhabi as a result."
LinkCongress approves bill to ease airport screening for veterans Congress has approved legislation that would ease the security screening process for wounded or disabled veterans. The bill now heads to President Obama.
LinkDFW Airport to help fund boost in customs staffing Dallas/Fort Worth Airport is part of a pilot program to increase funding for U.S. Customs and Border Control agents. "It will allow us to pay for some of the costs of federal agents in DFW Airport's customs area in Terminal D," said airport spokeswoman Cynthia Vega. "As of next week we are going to start talks with the government to work out an agreement about how much we can fund to alleviate the long lines at customs."
LinkWis. says no to tax exemption for MROs The Wisconsin state legislature rejected an attempt to exempt private aircraft operating under Part 91 from paying the 5.5% sales tax on maintenance and modifications. Nearby states already exempt Part 91 aircraft from paying this tax, and Wisconsin-based maintenance and repair operations say that they are losing business because of it. "It's clear to us from our customer base that the availability of the exemption is a significant factor when operators are deciding where to send their business," said a Gulfstream spokeswoman.
LinkAirVenture was successful for vendors and guestsThe Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture 2013 featured more than 820 vendors who reported strong sales. "It was crazy busy; we had so many customers coming in," said A&W franchisee owner Jim Brajdic. A screening of Disney's "Planes" drew 15,000 people to the Ford Fly-In Theater, and evening airshows wowed crowds.
LinkHelicopters to stock high-altitude lakes in Wyo. with trout The Wyoming Game and Fish Department plans to use helicopters to stock the state's high-altitude lakes with about 30,000 trout, including the Yellowstone cutthroat species. The lakes are not capable of sustaining a fish population, so they are stocked to provide an adequate supply for fishermen.
LinkSenate sets up another hurdle to UAS integration A provision in the Senate's transportation bill requires Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to submit a privacy impact report before it will allow the Federal Aviation Administration to issue final regulations for unmanned aerial systems integration. UAS advocates say delaying integration could cost the U.S. thousands of jobs
LinkAerobatic pilot is excited to inspire children through flight The Experimental Aircraft Association named aerobatic pilot Sean Tucker honorary chairman of its Young Eagles program. Tucker says he's excited to be able to inspire children through flight but disappointed he's not allowed to take them aerobatic flying.
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