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Boeing Engineers Back New Contracts
Boeing engineers' union ratified six-year contracts by a wide margin, in a vote that ensures stability during a period when the plane maker is bringing out new versions of the 737 and 777. More than 70 percent of voters backed the agreements for two bargaining units of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) that cover 20,100 workers, the union said. The deals mark a sharp shift from contentious negotiations over the last contract in 2012.
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VietJet picks GTF engines for A320neo family aircraft
VietJet Air has chosen Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engines to power the 63 Airbus A320/A321neos it has on order. Delivery of the aircraft is expected to commence in 2017, says P&W.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada reported robust results for 2015
Air Canada posted $222.1 million in net income for 2015. The carrier's results for the fourth quarter also exceeded Wall Street expectations. "We achieved the best financial results in Air Canada's history for a second year in a row, by a substantial margin,” said Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada president and CEO.
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Air France-KLM Returns To Profit
Air France-KLM returned to profit in 2015, helped by a drop in its fuel bill and growth in passenger traffic. The carrier had an operating profit of EUR€816 million (USD$909 million), compared with a loss of EUR€129 million in 2014.
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Alaska Airlines to add flights from San Diego
Alaska Airlines plans to boost service from San Diego with three daily flights to San Jose, Calif., starting June 5. "These new routes will bring low fares and an elevated in-flight experience to our California customers, offering convenient connections to popular leisure destinations in Mexico and Hawaii served by Alaska," said Andrew Harrison, chief commercial officer for the carrier.
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American Airlines to offer Flagship Dining at 4 airports
American Airlines plans to offer Flagship Dining with restaurant meals for first-class passengers at its four airport hubs. The free service will be offered next year at lounges in New York City, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Miami. "Flagship Dining is something no other US carrier has offered, and this separates us from the competition," said Andrew Nocella, chief marketing officer for the carrier.
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Lufthansa’s first A350 XWB destinations to be Boston and Delhi
Lufthansa will base the first of 10 Airbus A350-900s at its second major hub in Munich from January 2017. Delhi and Boston are expected to be the first destinations. “This goes hand-in-hand with the opening of our terminal extension, the new satellite facility at Munich Airport,” executive board chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr said.
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Southwest unveils August network expansion
Southwest plans to launch service to seven new destinations starting in August, the carrier announced on the first day of Routes Americas. The route expansion will pit the Texas-based low-cost carrier against several rivals, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines and JetBlue Airways.
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Virgin America posts $340.5 million net profit in 2015
Virgin America reported a 2015 net income of $340.5 million, a more than fivefold increase over a $60.1 million net profit for 2014. Virgin president and CEO David Cush said, “We achieved the highest net income in company history, generated significant operating cash flow, continued to outperform the industry in domestic unit revenue growth, and began growing the airline again.”
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VivaLatinAmerica shelves Costa Rica start-up
VivaLatinAmerica has shelved plans to launch a Central American airline this year in favour of a new and more attractive opportunity that has emerged elsewhere in the region, says chief executive Joe Mohan. While not revealing the carrier's specific target, Mohan spoke of several new opportunities in the region. These include a new government in Argentina, where VivaLatinAmerica has hopes to stimulate the domestic, low-cost travel market. And the signing of an agreement on 16 February allowing 110 daily scheduled routes between the US and Cuba is another opportunity, with prospects for a "VivaCuba" serving routes from Cuba to the US mainland.
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Wizz Air announces new base in Georgia
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air plans to locate its 22nd base in Kutaisi, Georgia, opening with a single Airbus A320 and seven new routes from September. New twice-weekly services from Kutaisi will include Berlin Schönefeld, Memmingen, Milan Bergamo, Dortmund, Larnaca and Sofia, while flights between Kutaisi and Thessaloniki will be flown 3X-weekly.
LinkAirports
Southwest to debut service from Pittsburgh to West Coast
For the last year, Christina Cassotis has been banging on the doors of the airlines hoping one of them would help to beef up the paltry nonstop service to the West Coast from Pittsburgh International Airport. The Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO finally is getting her wish.
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Airlines welcome US-Japan agreement on Haneda
Several US airlines welcomed an agreement between the US and Japan for daytime flights by US carriers to Tokyo Haneda Airport. US airlines are currently limited to mostly overnight flights at the airport near downtown Tokyo. "Offering daytime service to and from the heart of Tokyo will create appealing new business and leisure travel opportunities for our global customers," said United Airlines.
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Moscow Domodedovo owner detained
Russia’s Investigative Committee has detained an “actual owner” of Moscow Domodedovo International Airport, Dmitry Kamenshchik. He is accused of establishing inappropriate security measures at the airport that led to the terrorist attack that occurred on Jan. 24, 2011, when 37 people were killed and 172 were injured. His arrest could be considered in the near future, authorities said in a statement. On Feb. 17, Kamenshchik said at a press conference his possible arrest will not influence Domodedovo’s investment program.
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Military
Boeing B-52H gets new radar under $500M modernisation plan
The US Air Force wants to spend more than $500 million replacing the outdated Northrop Grumman AN/APQ-166 mechanically scanned array radar on its 53-year-old Boeing B-52H fleet. The old battlewagon, which ceased production in 1962, will not retire anytime soon, but needs a replacement radar if it is to continue supporting nuclear and conventional missions, says USAF deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements Lt Gen Mike Holmes.
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USAF ditches Black Hawk revival in search for Huey replacement
The US Air Force needs $2.5 billion to replace its 62 outdated Bell UH-1N Twin Hueys and is now considering whether to sole-source a portion of that 72-aircraft requirement for security operations around its 450 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile silos. The air force’s latest five-year budget submission funds the UH-1N replacement effort starting in 2017, but reverses last year’s “sub-optimal” plan to revive and modify retired Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawks, and instead seeks new helicopters, perhaps the latest Sikorsky UH-60M, Airbus UH-72A Lakota or Bell Helicopter UH-1Y.
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F-22 Raptors in South Korea as warning to 'provocative' North
American F-22 Raptors have joined locally based F-16s and F-15K Slam Eagles in South Korea for a show of force following “provocative actions” by the North. Considered the world’s premier air superiority fighter, the Lockheed Martin-built supercruise jet was sent to the Korean Peninsula from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.
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Aviation Quote
Airshow flying is tough, it's even tougher if you do something stupid. Don't do nuthin dumb!
— Ralph Royce
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