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Boeing beats Street with Q4 earnings
Boeing reported earnings per share of $2.31 for the fourth quarter, surpassing analyst estimates of $2.11 per share. Boeing's commercial aircraft deliveries also rose by 13% for the quarter, compared to the same quarter last year.
LinkAirlines
Search For Airasia Crash Victims Could End In Days
Indonesia's search for dozens of victims still unaccounted for from last month's crash of an AirAsia passenger jet could end within days if no more bodies are found, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Indonesia's civilian National Search and Rescue Agency said it would scour the sea for bodies for at least another week.
"Within one week we will evaluate (our search) depending on the result," agency chief Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo told reporters. "If we can find one or two more bodies, that means we have the opportunity to prolong the operation."
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Alaska Air to expand in-flight entertainment options beginning next month
Beginning Sunday, Alaska Air passengers will have the option to choose from additional in-flight entertainment options, including tablets, according to the airline.
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American exec comments on Cuba travel policy
When President Obama announced that the U.S. and Cuba were going to reestablish links, American Airlines was non-committal about whether it would be interested in offering scheduled service to Cuba. “We are reviewing the changes to the Cuba travel policy and will continue to be guided by the laws and policies of the U.S. government and the governments of the countries we serve, as they evolve,” the carrier said in a Jan. 15 statement. “American is the leading carrier to the Caribbean and Latin America and we have served Cuba for more than 15 years with charter flights from Miami and Tampa.”
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JAL firms up order for 32 MRJ aircraft
Japan Airlines (JAL) has firmed up an order with Mitsubishi Aircraft for 32 MRJ regional jets, having signed a letter of intent in August 2014. The carrier will deploy the MRJs from 2021, to be operated by its wholly-owned regional subsidiary J-AIR, says JAL and Mitsubishi Aircraft in a joint statement. “As a network carrier that also operates regional jets, we are contributing to the birth of Japan’s first passenger jet,” says JAL president Yoshiharu Ueki.
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Major airlines keep fleet modernization plans
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines are largely maintaining their long-term plans for fleet development and capacity, according to earnings releases by the carriers.
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Malaysia To Release MH370 Interim Report On March 7
Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation will release an interim report on the investigation into Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on March 7, a day before the one-year anniversary of the disappearance. "It will have details on the technical investigation," deputy transport minister Aziz Kaprawi told Reuters news agency. This is to abide by a requirement from the ICAO for Malaysia to release an interim report on the anniversary of the incident, said Aziz.
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Skymark To File For Bankruptcy Protection - Report
Japan's Skymark Airlines is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection from creditors under Japan's Corporate Reorganization law, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Skymark, struggling with rising operating costs and intensifying competition from the country's two big carriers, ANA and Japan Airlines, had projected a record net loss of JPY¥13.6 billion (USD$116 million) for the business year ending in March. The airline also faced the prospect of paying a substantial fee after it cancelled a USD$2 billion contract for six Airbus A380s in July, prompting the European plane maker to sue in December.
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Southwest, AirTran merger was smooth sailing
In 2014, AirTran Airways flew its last flight after Southwest Airlines acquired the carrier in 2011. "With minimal merger turbulence, Southwest pulled off one of the smoothest airline mergers in history while capitalizing on the growth provided by acquiring another airline," writes columnist Alexander MacLennan.
LinkAirports
Concrete association honors S.C. airport for apron work
The American Concrete Pavement Association has given an award to the Charleston International Airport for a 2013 apron expansion. "The real success in this project is due to the cooperation of many agencies, including the airlines, Joint Base Charleston, Boeing and the FAA," said John Connell, deputy director of airports for facilities at Charleston County Aviation Authority.
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London's business airports attack RAF Northolt on safety
Several airports serving the London business aviation community have called for judicial clarification as to whether RAF Northolt, which encourages business flights to use it on a commercial basis, adheres to the aerodrome safety rules civil airports have to follow. The request for judicial review was rejected on a technicality, but the judge ruled that the UK Civil Aviation Authority, not the Military Aviation Authority, is responsible for ensuring the safety of civil aircraft that use Northolt. This reverses current assumptions.
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NYC escapes brunt of blizzard, flights to resume
The blizzard blanketing New York City was not as severe as predicted, and carriers might be able to resume operations earlier than expected in the region. Boston and Hartford, Conn., bore the brunt of the snowstorm instead of New York City.
LinkMilitary
Airbus chief Enders promises action on A400M
Airbus chief executive Tom Enders has promised “management and organisational consequences” as a result of the production and delivery problems that are affecting the company’s A400M tactical transport program. “We have problems – I admit that,” Enders said while addressing an Airbus Group reception in London on 27 January. “We have additional delays and I very much regret that we are unable to meet the commitments made to our customers several years ago. “We are taking corrective action as fast as we can,” he says, adding that the issue will have “management and organisational consequences”.
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Bulgaria turns to Poland for MiG-29 maintenance
Bulgaria is in negotiations to shift the maintenance of its RAC MiG-29 fighters from Russia to Poland'sMilitary Aviation Works No. 2 (WZL-2) in Bydgoszcz, defence ministerNikolai Nenchev has announced. “We must pay three times more than the manufacturer determined, because spare parts are crossed over by a few middlemen,” Nenchev said during a report aired on Bulgariantelevision channelBNT1. Sofia has also received support of a lower quality than expected, he adds.
LinkRegulatory
FAA Issues Notam for Phoenix as Big Game Approaches
With hundreds of business aircraft set to descend on Arizona over the next few days for Super Bowl XLIX, the FAA has issued a notam outlining traffic management procedures for those planning to operate into and out of the eight affected Phoenix-area airports. While there will not be a slot-based traffic management program instituted, the agency has established structured arrival and departure routes for business jet operators, and any incorrect filings from those routes could result in delays as ATC will have to amend the routes manually, NBAA said.
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US FAA Sets New Air Safety Rule
The US FAA said on Wednesday it is requiring domestic airlines to put in place proactive safety measures designed to highlight risks, deter accidents and make air travel safer. The rule requires US airlines and freight carriers to submit "safety management system" plans within six months and implement them within three years, the FAA said. While the US air safety record has been improving steadily, air travel fears have been stoked by a string of high-profile accidents around the world, including the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines airliner last March with 239 people on board.
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Aviation Quote
I've never known an industry that can get into people's blood the way aviation does.
— Robert Six, founder of Continental Airlines.
On This Date
---In 1908... The Imperial All-Russia Aero Club is founded and raises money through public subscription by imperial decree.
---In 1920... President Woodrow Wilson appoints Orville Wright to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
--- In 1959... The first jet passenger service across the United States is begun by American Airlines using Boeing 707 jet airliners.
---In 1964…Unmanned Apollo 1 Saturn launcher test attains Earth orbit.
---In 1976…Zeiss planetarium in Hague destroyed by fire.
---In 1984…Space Shuttle 41-B (STS-11) Challenger launched.
---In 2005… Nonstop flights between mainland China and Taiwan take off for the first time since 1949.
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Trivia
Aircraft Names
Provided is the name, you provide the designation
1. HAVOC
2. BALTIMORE
3. BOLO
4. DRAGON
5. JETMASTER
6. DESTROYER
7. VENTURA
8. TORNADO
9. CANBERRA
10. HUSTLER
