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Boeing reports new cost increases on 787 program
Reaching an ever-elusive breakeven point on Boeing’s 787 program slid still further from the company’s grasp in an otherwise profitable fourth quarter and 2014 overall. At the beginning of last year, Boeing chief executive and chairman Jim McNerney projected that deferred production costs would peak at around $25 billion by the end of 2014, signaling the program’s break-even point on a unit basis. Boeing surprised investors, however, by hitting the $25 billion mark in the third quarter. The dubious milestone suggested the program is digging an even larger financial hole for itself before it becomes profitable.
LinkAirlines
French Co-Pilot Flying AirAsia Jet Before Crash
The French first officer of AirAsia flight QZ8501 was at the controls just before the accident, Indonesia's lead investigator said on Thursday. "The second-in-command, popularly known as the co-pilot, who usually sits to the right of the cockpit, at the time, he was flying the plane," said National Transport Safety Committee (NTSC) investigator Mardjono Siswosuwarno, referring to first officer Remi Plesel. "The captain, sitting to the left, was the pilot monitoring."
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American Airlines to boost regional fleet
American Airlines Group plans to boost its regional fleet by 4.9%, or 28 aircraft, in 2015. The carrier plans to purchase Bombardier CRJ900s and Embraer E175s. At the same time, American will retire smaller regional aircraft such as the Embraer ERJ140.
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American Airlines to boost service from Wichita, Kan., to Dallas
American Airlines in April will move from four to seven daily flights from Wichita to Dallas as the company begins using regional jets operated by Envoy and Mesa Airlines on the route. According to information from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, Envoy will utilize 63-seat Canadair regional jets and 50-seat Embraer regional jets, while Mesa will use a 79-seat Canadair.
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BA Faces Backlash Over Points Changes
British Airways is facing a backlash from customers after making changes to the way passengers can earn and spend miles under its Avios frequent flyer scheme, with some threatening to switch to rival airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and easyJet. Following the example of US carriers, British Airways is tying the number of points awarded to pricing tiers within cabins, rather than the number of miles flown. Those paying for fully-flexible first class and business tickets will earn more points under the new scheme, while economy class passengers buying the cheapest, non-flexible, fares will see the number of points they earn reduced to a quarter of previous levels.
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Hawaiian Airlines unveils new Premier Club lounge
Hawaiian Airlines has opened at the Honolulu International Airport the first of what will be six Premier Club lounges. "These lounges are a service for a wide spectrum of our customer base," said President and CEO Mark Dunkerley. "Hawaiian not only wants to be competitive today, but also in the future."
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JetBlue reports $88M profit for Q4
JetBlue Airways reported a profit of $88 million for the fourth quarter, compared to $47 million in the same quarter of 2013. "While fuel prices have fallen substantially, we are not changing our business plan and the actions we outlined at our investor day in November," said Robin Hayes, president of JetBlue.
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Malaysia Declares MH370 An 'Accident'
Malaysia has declared the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident, clearing the way for the airline to pay compensation to victims' relatives while the search for the plane goes on. The Boeing 777 disappeared on March 8 last year, carrying 239 passengers and crew shortly after taking off from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. Months of searches have failed to turn up any trace.
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Qantas to donate first 747-400 to museum
Qantas will donate its first Boeing 747-400 to Australia’s Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS), which will open it for public display at Illawarra Regional airport, just out of Sydney. The 1989-built aircraft, registered VH-OJA (MSN 24354), will be officially handed over to HARS on 15 March, following a short delivery flight from Sydney airport. HARS is home to Australia’s largest collection of flying and static historical aircraft, and is run by 450 volunteers.
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Shares of Southwest Airlines trade at all-time high
Trade-Ideas LLC identified Southwest Airlines as a new lifetime high candidate. In addition to specific proprietary factors, Trade-Ideas identified Southwest Airlines as such a stock due to the following factors: LUV has an average dollar-volume (as measured by average daily share volume multiplied by share price) of $482.7 million.
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Airlines are modernizing loyalty programs
Airlines are increasingly shifting to rewards programs that award points based on prices paid for tickets, rather than on the number of miles flown. Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines already calculate rewards based on pricing and will be joined this month by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
LinkAirports
2 New York City airports set passenger records in 2014
John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York City both set passenger records for 2014, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. John F. Kennedy saw 53.2 million passengers during the year, while LaGuardia served 26.9 million passengers.
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Spanish Airport Unions Call 25-Day Strike
Unions at Spanish airport operator Aena have called a 25-day strike from February 11, the day the state will list 49 percent of the company on the stock market. Strike days will be taken between February 11 and August 25, Reuters reported. Industrial action, called by Aena workers' two main unions to protest the share sale, will hit maintenance, power and fire fighting services, among other key airport areas, Reuters said.
[url=http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1422575488.html]LinkMilitary
Airbus military aircraft head quits over A400M delays
Airbus has acted to stem the instability affecting its A400M tactical transport program with the head of the company’s Military Aircraft division having resigned with immediate effect. The departure of Domingo Ureña Raso – who had headed the program for almost five years – was announced two days after Airbus chief executive Tom Enders promised that production and delivery delays on the A400M would have “managerial and organizational consequences”. Airbus head of flight test operations Fernando Alonso will replace Ureña Raso from 1 March, with Airbus Defense & Space chief executive Bernhard Gerwert to oversee Military Aircraft activities in the interim period.
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Air Force awards contract for Air Force One to Boeing
The Air Force said Wednesday that it will award Boeing the contract to build the next Air Force One. The contract won’t be competed because Boeing’s 747-8 was the only plane made in the United States that could meet the requirements for the presidential aircraft while also being “consistent with the national public interest,” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said in a statement.
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Ukraine gives approval for An-70 production start
The Ukrainian defence ministry has given its approval for Antonov’s An-70 tactical transport to enter series production for the nation’s air force, 20 years after the company’s first prototype took to the air. Confirmation of the move came during an event at Antonov’s facilities on 22 January, and followed a deal signed on 13 January. “Adoption of the An−70 allows starting up this aircraft serial production and developing its different modifications,” says Antonov.
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Aviation Quote
I wanted to go higher than Rockefeller Center, which was being erected across the street from Saks Fifth Avenue and was going to cut off my view of the sky. . . . Flying got into my soul instantly but the answer as to why must be found somewhere back in the mystic maze of my birth and childhood and the circumstances of my earlier life. Whatever I am is elemental and the beginnings of it all have their roots in Sawdust Road. I might have been born in a hovel, but I determined to travel with the wind and stars.
— Jacqueline Cochran, The Stars at Noon, 1954.
On This Date
---In 1889... John Herschel uses camera obscura to photograph 48" (120cm) telescope.
---In 1942…Arrow Airways and Canadian Airways merged to form Canadian Pacific Airlines. This airline would later be sold to Pacific Western Airlines in 1987, renaming the paired company Canadian Airlines International. This operation would later be absorbed by Air Canada in 2000.
---In 1943…The Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquito made its first flight.
---In 1948…Orville Wright, one of the two Wright Brothers that were the first in powered flight, dies at the age of 76.
---In 1948…A British South American Airways Avro Tudor IV, Star Tiger, disappears without a trace en route from the Azores to Bermuda with 31 on board. The loss of the aircraft along with that of BSAA Avro Tudor Star Ariel in 1949 remain unsolved to this day, with the resulting speculation helping to develop the Bermuda Triangle legend.
---In 1957... Sikorsky’s HSS-1 S-58 piston-engined helicopter, developed for anti-submarine operations, makes its first flight.
---In 1964…Ranger 6 - USA Lunar Hard Lander launched. Cameras failed; lunar probe impacted the surface of the Moon.
---In 1974…Pan Am Flight 806, a Boeing 707-321B (N454PA) crashes on approach to Pago Pago International Airport in American Samoa. The crash was attributed to the flight crew not realizing their excessive descent rate in time to correct for it, ultimately killing 97 of the 101 aboard.
---In 1979…A Varig Boeing 707 Freighter (PP-VLU) carrying valuable paintings mysteriously disappears over the Pacific Ocean. No wreckage or bodies were ever found. The flight was flown by the same Captain who crashed Varig Flight 820 in July of 1973.
---In 1983…Sun Country Airlines begins operations.
---In 1986…First flight of the Boeing 767-300.
---In 1988... Boeing’s long–range 747 SP Friendship One returns to Seattle to set a round-the-world record of 36 hours 54 minutes 15 seconds.
---In 1989…Phobos 2 - USSR Phobos Flyby/Lander (July 12, 1988) arrived at Mars and was inserted into orbit. The orbiter moved within 800 kilometers of Phobos and then failed. The lander never made it to Phobos.
---In 1992…Space Shuttle STS-42 (Discovery 15) lands.
---In 2000…Kenya Airways Flight 431, an Airbus A310 (5Y-BEN) departing Abidjan, Ivory Coast, crashes just after takeoff following the flight crew’s failure to properly respond to a false stall warning. The aircraft crashed into the water, where 10 of the 179 aboard were pulled from the ocean alive.
---In 2009…United States Air Force C-17A Globemaster III 06-0002 makes a belly landing at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
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