NEWSAMR To Seek Termination Of Contracts - Report
AMR, the bankrupt parent of American Airlines, will ask a US bankruptcy court to reject nine collective bargaining agreements with unions, after failing to secure cost-cutting concessions, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
LinkKingfisher Nearing Point Of No Return
Rich, famous and well-connected may not be enough for drinks baron Vijay Mallya to rescue his Kingfisher Airlines.
LinkAmerican Eagle Seeks USD$75 Mln Cost Cuts
American Eagle, a unit of bankrupt AMR said on Wednesday it was seeking USD$75 million in staff cost savings as part of its restructuring.
LinkSouth Africa Urges EU Suspend Airline ETSSouth Africa on Wednesday urged the European Union to suspend for two years its controversial airline emissions trading scheme (ETS) to allow time for a global agreement on carbon charges to be worked out through the United Nations.
LinkUS airlines protest Germany's eco-tax on flight ticketsAirlines for America (A4A) filed a complaint Wednesday with a German court to protest Germany's eco-tax on airline passengers, arguing the charge violates international agreements governing aviation.
LinkUK government sticks to APD increase of 8% on April 1The UK government has confirmed the Air Passenger Duty (APD) will rise to 8% April 1 as previously announced, despite strong lobbying from airlines, airports and the tourist industry to cancel the tax. It is also keeping plans for a further “inflationary” increase in APD from April 2013.
LinkJAL to take delivery of first Boeing 787 on 25 March 
Japan Airlines (JAL) will take delivery of its first Boeing 787-8 aircraft on 25 March, becoming the second carrier to operate the aircraft type. The aircraft will depart from Seattle, Paine Field, at 16:00 hours local time on 26 March and arrive at Tokyo's Narita Airport at 18:30 hours local time the following day, operated by JAL pilots. On 22 April, the carrier will start nonstop services between Tokyo and Boston with the aircraft.
LinkUnstable approach spun Lion MD-90 off runwayPilots of a Lion Air Boeing MD-90 landing at Jakarta activated just one of the aircraft's two thrust-reversers in a failed bid to regain directional control before the jet skidded sideways and sustained serious damage. Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee determined that the aircraft's approach to Runway 25L had not been stabilised. While the first officer had been flying, the captain took over the controls at a height of just 100ft from touchdown.
LinkFAA first officer proposal draws fire Airline advocates are concerned that a proposal by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to drastically increase the number of flight hours for first officers could hurt hiring in the regional airline sector and damage the image of US regulators in the international community. "We're concerned about quantity over quality," A4A senior vice president for safety, security and operations, Tom Hendricks, told legislators during a Senate aviation subcommittee hearing on 20 March. The hearing focused on FAA's implementation of congressional mandates from 2010, made in the wake of the Colgan Air Bombardier Q400 crash near Buffalo, New York, in February 2009.
LinkUS Airways: Merger with AA might make sense
US Airways continues to explore whether a merger with American Airlines would be a good move, but consolidation is not a strategic necessity, US chairman and CEO Doug Parker said Wednesday.
LinkAMR’s biggest partner says AA reorganization will strengthen OneWorld
The chief executive of International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, says American Airlines' reorganization will boost the oneworld alliance. "Anybody who pursues restructuring does it to make themselves better and more competitive," Willie Walsh said. Tom Horton, head of AMR Corp., the parent company of American, said the "company's restructuring 'is not about shrinkage,' but is focused on 'renewal and growth,' The Wall Street Journal says. Separately AMR reiterated its position in favor of allowing bankruptcy court to oversee labor talks, while three unions argue that the National Mediation Board has authority over contract negotiations that began before AMR's bankruptcy filing.
LinkAlaska Airlines moves into new, larger home at LAX's Terminal 6
Alaska Airlines has moved into a larger space at Los Angeles International Airport, switching from Terminal 3 to a newly renovated space in Terminal 6 that will provide passengers with more ticket kiosks, more electrical outlets on seats in the gate areas and a new Board Room lounge for club members. AirTran Airways is also making a switch in April from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 to join its parent company Southwest.
LinkTransAsia approves expansion plan; to buy nine ATR aircraftTaiwanese carrier TransAsia Airways is planning to spend $200 million on new jets and set up a subsidiary in Japan to expand operations in Northeast Asia, business.asiaone.com website has reported.
LinkSenate votes down Export-Import Bank re-authorizationThe US Senate has voted against reauthorization of Export-Import Bank, casting more uncertainty about the future of the federal credit agency that will soon reach its $100 billion cap.
LinkAir Canada pilot union files court challenge to back-to-work legislation
Air Canada's pilot union has asked the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to strike down new government back-to-work legislation that it says violates pilots' constitutional rights. The legislation requires pilots to accept a contract imposed through arbitration and fines pilots if they fail to show up for work. The union argues pilots are not allowed to fly if they have any reason to believe they are unfit to perform their duties.
LinkHearing is held on FAA implementation of pilot training ruleThe Federal Aviation Administration has failed to meet deadlines from Congress requiring improved pilot-training standards and minimum pilot qualifications, according to Senate testimony from Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel III. The FAA has said the new rule, which requires co-pilots to hold an Airport Transport Pilot certificate and to have accumulated 1,500 hours of flying time, cannot be met until August 2013. "We are concerned about the issue of quantity versus quality," said Tom Hendricks, A4A senior vice president of safety, security and operations. "Hard-hour minima are not a substitute for the quality of a pilot's training and experience. Moreover, we need to avoid the unintended consequences of this rule becoming a significant barrier to recruiting airline pilots."
Link737 MAX will rival 320neo in market share, say industry leadersLeading airline industry voices expressed confidence at a conference of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading that the new Boeing 737 MAX will compete evenly with the Airbus A320neo despite its engineering challenges in placing a larger engine "under the wing with minimal ground clearance," this feature says. Some in the industry say they expect United Airlines to place a large order for narrow-body jets to replace its 757 fleet within weeks.
LinkRegional market could be too tough for five playersegional aircraft manufacturers face a battle of attrition, an aviation consultant warned Tuesday. MBA president and CEO Robert Agnew told an audience at the ISTAT Americas 2012 conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., that there was a lot of uncertainty in the regional aircraft sector. How it will play out will depend to some extent on whether fuel prices continue to climb and the impact of new technologies such as the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engine, which will power some of the new regional aircraft types.
LinkFAA certifies Boeing's GEnx engine-equipped DreamlinerBoeing has received formal clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to begin selling its 787-8 Dreamliner equipped with General Electric engines. The FAA approved Boeing's Dreamliner equipped with Rolls Royce PLC engines last year. Japan Airlines is expected to take delivery of the first GE-equipped planes, followed by Air India.
LinkICAO narrowing down proposals for global airline emissions marketThe United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization has narrowed its options for implementing a global airline-industry carbon-emissions-reduction plan from 20 to four, the organization says. The options are "global mandatory offsetting, global mandatory offsetting complemented by a revenue-raising mechanism, a global emissions trading cap-and-trade and a global emissions-trading baseline and credit system," said Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez, president of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization. The organization's 190 members could decide next year on a final plan.
LinkAir France, Unions Agree To Negotiations
Air France-KLM said it had reached an agreement with French unions to renegotiate working conditions as it seeks to cut costs and stabilise its EUR€6.5 billion (USD$8.6 billion) debt.
LinkEuropean Debt Crisis Hits Aircraft FinancingAirlines that rely on European banks to finance aircraft purchases will have to find alternative backing for their deals as the debt crisis intensifies this year, US airline executives said.
LinkEmbraer Books Net Loss On AMR BankruptcyBrazil's Embraer, the world's third-largest aircraft maker, booked a net loss in the fourth quarter due to a provision for the bankruptcy of American Airlines, wiping out steady revenue growth from an improved mix of deliveries.
LinkUdvar-Hazy makes case for MAX engine choiceBoeing will handicap itself on potential sales of the 737 MAX if it sticks with a sole-source engine on the aircraft, Air Lease Corp. chairman and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy said Tuesday.
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