NewsPorter confirms CSeries orderToronto-based Porter Airlines has signed a conditional purchase order for 12 Bombardier CSeries 100 aircraft and options for an additional 18, as well as purchase rights for six Bombardier Q400s. The airline, which operates out of Toronto City Billy Bishop airport, will require authorities' approval and a runway extension to operate the jets at the downtown airport. Deliveries of the CS100s will begin in 2016, says Porter, which confirms that it is the unidentified Americas-based customer that signed a letter of intent for the order announced by Bombardier on 19 December 2012. The deal will be worth $2.29 billion at list prices if all options and purchase rights are exercised.
LinkUS department of defense unveils FY2014 spending plan The US Department of Defense (DOD) rolled out its fiscal year 2014 budget request on 10 April. But the $527 billion spending plan does not include overseas contingency operations (OCO) funding nor does it reflect the effects of the automatic budgets cuts imposed by the US Congress. OCO funding plans will likely be submitted next month, according to Pentagon comptroller Robert Hale. The budget rollout comes even as the Pentagon scrambles to implement $41 billion worth of cuts to its 2013 funding. Those cuts have forced the US Air Force to stand down nearly a third of its combat aircraft and have forced the US Navy to reduce the readiness of one of its carrier air wings to minimal levels. A second carrier air wing will also be moved to a reduced readiness level in the near future.
LinkIAG Says Won't Merge Vueling With IberiaIAG will not merge Spanish low-cost airline Vueling with its Iberia unit if its takeover bid is successful, chief executive Willie Walsh said on Wednesday. The board of Vueling on Tuesday unanimously recommended shareholders accept an improved offer of EUR€9.25 (USD$12.08) per share from IAG. Walsh said the profitable Vueling business would operate separately from loss-making Iberia after the takeover.
LinkKorean Air Completes Czech Airlines InvestmentKorean Air has taken a 44 percent stake in CSA Czech Airlines, providing a lifeline for the loss making state-owned carrier and giving the Korean group a bigger presence in Europe. The Czech state had wanted an outside investor to help its loss-making airline restructure and cope with difficult conditions in Europe as a result of the economic crisis, high fuel costs and competition from low-cost airlines such as Ryanair. Smaller airlines in central Europe have had a tough time in Europe's economic downturn, with Austrian Airlines taken over by Lufthansa, Hungary's Malev gone bankrupt and Poland's LOT struggling with mounting debts.
LinkLufthansa Plane Crosses Atlantic With Tail DamageAuthorities in Germany are investigating how a Lufthansa plane flew across the Atlantic with damage to its rear section without passengers or crew noticing that the tail had hit the ground on take-off. The incident involving an Airbus A330 occurred at the start of March on a flight from Chicago to Munich. "It seems the plane touched the ground on take-off, thus damaging the rear," a Lufthansa spokesman said.
LinkKingfisher Submits Plan To Restart AirlineIndia's grounded Kingfisher Airlines has submitted a plan to the country's aviation regulator to restart operations, asking for its license to be renewed with the help of funds from its parent UB Group, its chief executive said on Wednesday. "We have given a complete plan... which includes our schedule that we plan to operate, the aircraft we plan to operate, the number of people we have," Sanjay Aggarwal told reporters in the Indian capital.
LinkForecast: Business travel spending to rise 5.1% this yearSpending on business travel is predicted to rise by 5.1% this year, according to the Global Business Travel Association. "While there are still many factors that could hamper the economy again, from the impact of sequestration to rising energy prices, business travel spending is heading in the right direction so far in 2013," said Michael McCormick, executive director of the association.
LinkFrontier Airlines could be sold to investment firmFrontier Airlines is attracting interest from two investment firms as Republic Airways prepares to divest the carrier. Indigo Partners and Anchorage Capital Group are in discussions with Republic about purchasing Frontier. Republic "does not comment on rumors or market speculation," a spokesman said.
LinkAmerican Eagle asks employees for patienceAmerican Eagle sent a newsletter to employees about the future of the regional carrier after the merger of parent company AMR Corp. "It will be some time before we understand the impact of the merger, if any, on American Eagle," the newsletter said. "We're working as quickly as possible to answer your questions, but give us some time to gather the latest and greatest information."
LinkUS Airways adds new safety software Flight safety in US Airways’ trans-Atlantic cockpit? Now, there’s an app for that. The Tempe, Ariz.-based carrier is rolling out four new software applications, in fact, that are designed to increase both the safety and efficiency of flights across the Atlantic. The airline plans to have the new software features on its 20 Airbus A-330 jets by the end of the year. Those planes fly daily from Charlotte to London’s Heathrow airport and other destinations in Europe. US Airways is the first domestic airline to get federal approval to install the new software suite, known as SafeRoute. It’s tied to the Federal Aviation Administration’s multi-billion dollar NextGen program, which is meant to modernize the air traffic control system with technology such as GPS. The new NextGen systems have been slow to be implemented, however, and could face further delays as a result of the federal funding cuts known as sequestration. Last week, US Airways CEO Doug Parker expressed frustration during a speech that NextGen has been slow to pay dividends.
LinkAOPA warns user fee proposal could cripple GAThe White House today released a budget proposal that includes a $100-per-flight user fee -- a charge AOPA warns could be disastrous for general aviation. "We are disappointed to see this misguided idea resurfacing after it has been repeatedly and overwhelmingly rejected in the past. This is the wrong way to fund our aviation system," said AOPA President Craig Fuller. "Congress has said it will not tolerate user fees, and neither will the general aviation community."
LinkDOD financial picture clouded, uncertain, analysts sayThe Pentagon is unprepared for pending budget cuts and faces more financial uncertainty with the new White House budget proposal, defense analysts say. President Barack Obama's budget would allot $526.6 billion for defense spending, but would rely on revenue hikes and spending cuts elsewhere to provide the increased Pentagon funding, and experts warn achieving such a deal is unlikely. "Pentagon leaders are in for another year that looks like the one before it and the one before that, with no clarity in the short- or the long-term on budget or strategic matters," said Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense analyst at the American Enterprise Institute.
LinkW.Va. students aim for national rocket launchA team of students from John Adams Middle School in Kanawha County, W.Va., is working to build a rocket that can compete in the Team America Rocketry Challenge next month. The team is among the 100 that qualified for the national level of competition, a program aimed at inspiring students in math, engineering, technology and science. "Qualifying within the top 100 is an incredibly challenging and exciting achievement," said Marion Blakey, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, among the competition's sponsors.
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