NewsJapan Airlines orders 31 A350sJapan Airlines (JAL) has signed a purchase agreement for 31 Airbus A350s with an option for a further 25 aircraft, marking its first ever Airbus order. The 31 aircraft includes 18 A350-900s and 13 of the larger -1000 variant. Airbus says the target is for the A350s to enter JAL's fleet from 2019, and gradually replace the Japanese carrier's ageing fleet over a six-year period.
LinkDiscussionLufthansa cuts back A380 orderGerman flag-carrier Lufthansa appears to have cancelled orders for three Airbus A380s. The airline's long-haul order for 25 A350-900s features in the latest revision of the airframer's backlog. But the update also reveals that the carrier has reduced its A380 orders from 17 to 14.
LinkAirbus 9-Month Orders Top 1000 AircraftAirbus orders rose to more than 1,000 aircraft in the first nine months of the year, beating its target for 2013, after the plane maker booked a raft of orders which had been pending from European airlines. Airbus revised its order target up to more than 1,000 aircraft in July, as airlines continue to renew their fleets with more efficient models to reduce fuel costs. Industry sources have said Airbus is aiming for 1,200 orders. Airbus said it had reached a total of 1,112 plane orders between January and September, or a net total of 1,062 orders after adjusting for cancellations.
LinkEuropean ATC Union Calls Off Planned StrikeThe air traffic controllers' union in Europe (ATCEUC) has called off a strike planned for October 10 after the European Commission indicated its willingness to renegotiate changes to civil airspace plans. The union has said it opposed the commission's plans to set "unrealistic" targets for air traffic management by 2019 because the goals seek a tenfold increase in flight safety while cutting costs by 50 percent.
LinkKenya Says Airport Fire Was Electrical FaultA fire that gutted the arrivals building at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta airport in August was caused by an electrical fault, not terrorism, the government said on Friday. Kenya is still on edge, two weeks after Islamist militants killed at least 67 people in a raid on a Nairobi shopping mall, but the airport fire was not an act of violence, cabinet secretary Michael Kamau told staff there. "The fire was an accidental incident... that started from an electricity distribution board," Kamau said. The date of the fire on August 7 coincided with the 15th anniversary of an al Qaeda attack on the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and investigators said at the time they could not rule out terrorism.
LinkOrlando(MCO) dreams of AsiaOrlando International airport has set its sights on winning a new nonstop to Asia, to complement its existing services to Europe and Latin America. Phillip Brown, executive director of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, says that new long-range narrowbodies like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 make a nonstop to Asia possible, at World Routes 2013 in Las Vegas today. However, he adds that this is a “long-term goal”. A flight from Japan could be possible. Brown cites the fact that two-thirds of Japanese visitors to Florida travel to the Orlando area.
LinkAviation industry must prepare for US financial shocksLike the outbreak of a deadly virus in Southeast Asia, the eruption of a volcano in Iceland or a devastating tsunami in Japan, the global aviation industry faces another sudden and apparently uncontrollable financial shock. Only this time the economic calamity – which, thankfully, endangers no lives – comes not from the natural world, but from within a democratic political system. A domestic squabble over how to administer health insurance policies in the USA now threatens to entangle a separate debate over deficit spending – and with it destabilise the global economic system.
LinkLos Angeles credits new terminal for A380 flightsLos Angeles International (LAX) airport will have seven airlines flying the Airbus A380 on international flights from December, a fact that it credits to its new international terminal. Air France, British Airways, China Southern Airlines, Korean Air, Qantas Airways and Singapore Airlines operate at least seven daily flights on the super jumbo to the airport, with Emirates planning to upgauage its existing service to an A380 from 2 December.
LinkAllegiant eyes Canada for international expansionLow-cost leisure carrier Allegiant Air is eyeing scheduled service to Canada as early as the winter of 2014, as the airline prepares to launch its first international service to Mexico in June. The Las Vegas-based airline will likely begin flights to smaller cities in Atlantic Canada as well as Canada's western regions from Florida, Allegiant's vice president of network and pricing Lukas Johnson tells Flightglobal Pro. Potential Atlantic Canada airports include Moncton, Halifax and St John's, he adds, saying that Allegiant is eyeing routes that airlines do not currently serve. "Obviously, you wouldn't see us flying to Toronto Pearson International," says Johnson. In line with Allegiant's business model, the flights will bring travellers from these smaller Canadian cities to warm weather holiday destinations in Florida. The earliest the airline could launch these flights would be the winter of 2014, says Johnson. "We are not trying to do the bread and butter WestJet routes," he adds, referring to the Canadian low-cost carrier.
LinkEdelweiss details Las Vegas launch plansSwiss leisure carrier Edelweiss has detailed its plans to launch twice-weekly flights from Zurich to Las Vegas' McCarran International airport in the spring. Edelweiss will initially operate the new route on Mondays and Fridays from 5 May. The Swiss carrier will deploy refurbished 275-seat Airbus A330 aircraft on the route from June.
LinkCardiff back on a growth missionCardiff Airport is on a mission to grow back capacity at the Welsh airport under its new owners, after passenger numbers roughly halved over the last five years. “We are now 100% owned by the Welsh government,” says returning chief executive Jon Horne, who last ran the airport from 2001 to 2007. “The government really understands the economic benefit of air service and came in to ensure the airport of Wales is fully focused on Wales and on developing connectivity.” The Welsh government bought Cardiff from private owner TBI in March this year.
LinkLas Vegas targets lift in international flightsLas Vegas tourism officials are targeting a 10% lift in air services to the city over the next year and a half as a result of showcasing the destination at World Routes this week. This year's World Routes marks the first time the global event has been co-hosted by a tourism authority, alongside an airport, and Rossi Ralenkotter, president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, sees it delivering a big lift to the city's growth aspirations. “This has been part of a strategy to allow us to showcase Las Vegas," he says. "We continue to reinvent the destination. If you haven’t been in the last five years, you have to come back to see it. It allows us to be competitive in the international market place. We have the demand side of it to fill those planes and allow them to be profitable," he says.
LinkNASA to launch Mars orbiter, government shutdown or not NASA and other government employees working on a space program have been exempted from the ongoing US government shutdown. Despite the furlough of 97% of NASA’s roughly 18,000-strong workforce, employees working on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) program, including launch, have been declared essential to the functioning of government.
LinkDassault and Thales win Atlantique 2 modernisation deal Dassault Aviation and Thales have been awarded a deal to modernise the mission systems of the French navy's 15 Dassault-built Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft, extending the type's operational life into the 2030s. Under the enhancement contract, awarded by France's DGA procurement body on 4 October, the turboprop-powered aircraft will receive a new tactical mission system and "state-of-the-art" sensor subsystems and display consoles, says Dassault.
LinkUnited Airlines to install new, lightweight seatsUnited Airlines has unveiled a slimmer seat design that will be installed on 500 aircraft. The lightweight seats will also save fuel for the carrier. United is introducing the seats on aircraft operated by regional partner SkyWest Airlines.
LinkUS Airways boosts traffic, capacity for Sept.US Airways Group reported a 3.5% jump in passenger traffic for September, as the carrier boosted capacity by 3.8% for the month. Passenger revenue per available seat mile also rose by up to 6% for September.
LinkBoeing: 14% rise in commercial jet deliveries for Q3Boeing reported a 14% increase in commercial jet deliveries for the third quarter, as compared to the same quarter last year. The aircraft manufacturer delivered 170 commercial jets during the quarter, compared to 148 for the third quarter of 2012. Boeing will disclose third-quarter earnings later this month.
LinkAirlines look ahead to FAA decision on electronic devicesAirlines are preparing protocols to handle a wider use of personal electronic devices during flights. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will issue guidelines after the government shutdown concludes. "We're eager to give our customers the flexibility they want to use electronic devices," said Paul McElroy, a spokesman for Alaska Air Group.
LinkOklahoma AG: DOJ should drop case against AA-US Airways mergerScott Pruitt, the attorney general for Oklahoma, has asked the Justice Department to drop its antitrust case against the merger between US Airways and American Airlines. "Not allowing the merger to proceed creates continuing uncertainty for the thousands of employees for American Airlines, one of the largest private-sector employers in the states," Pruitt wrote in a letter to Eric Holder, U.S. attorney general. "It is evident the merger would actually benefit consumers," Pruitt also wrote.
LinkDelta to provide documents in American-US Airways caseDelta Air Lines has been asked to submit documents related to its merger with Northwest Airlines, in the US government’s challenge of American Airlines and US Airways’ proposed merger. Richard Anderson, chief executive of the Atlanta-based carrier, says he was advised that Delta must submit the documents to the court. He made his comments while at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) fall 2013 conference in New York today. American and US Airways requested the factual records of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) review of Delta and Northwest’s merger as well as those of United Airlines and Continental Airlines, and Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways in 2010, and US Airways and America West Airlines in 2005, on 20 September.
LinkColumn: Privacy groups comment on TSA PreCheck When the Transportation Security Administration’s Pre-Check formally launches sometime this fall, its trusted-traveler program will already have the enthusiastic endorsement of frequent travelers — and an equally enthusiastic denouncement from privacy advocates. Pre-Check offers an appealing shortcut past the often long airport security lines. After you pay an enrollment fee and submit to a background check and interview, the TSA promises to treat you like a VIP. You’ll be sent to a preferred line, where you can leave your shoes, light outerwear and belt on, leave your laptop in its case and keep your bag of liquids and gels in your carry-on.
LinkRegional carrier experiences temporary communications outageA short-term communications outage delayed flights at ExpressJet, a regional carrier. The outage "affected our ability to dispatch flights," said Allison Curtin, a spokeswoman for ExpressJet. The outage lasted for approximately an hour on Thursday.
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