NewsPortugal Picks Synergy For Final TAP BidPortugal has named Synergy Aerospace, owned by Brazilian airline entrepreneur German Efromovich, as the sole potential buyer of its struggling national carrier TAP.
LinkAir Berlin Steps Up Cost-Cutting DriveAir Berlin, the German airline partly owned by Gulf carrier Etihad, is launching another cost-cutting initiative as it tries to return to profit.
LinkManchester confirms Stansted bidManchester Airport Group (MAG), which owns Manchester, East Midlands and Bournemouth airports in the UK, has confirmed it will submit a bid for London Stansted Airport (STN) with Industry Funds Management (IFM) as its investment partner. Current owner BAA has been forced by a Competition Commission ruling to sell the airport and the closing date for submission of bids is understood to be Oct. 23.
LinkHawker Beechcraft breaks off talks with Chinese buyer, dumps Hawker product lineHawker Beechcraft announced on Thursday that it has broken off talks with a possible Chinese buyer and will seek to dispose of the Hawker jet line as it attempts to emerge from bankruptcy protection as a standalone company. The announcement ends three months of negotiations with Superior Aviation Beijing, a Chinese aviation parts supplier and kit-built helicopter manufacturer that had tentatively agreed in early July to buy Hawker Beechcraft for $1.8 billion.
LinkQatar CEO plans aggressive expansion Qatar Airways (QR) will continue its aggressive expansion over the next three years, growing from 119 to more than 170 destinations, according to CEO Akbar Al Baker. Next year alone, it will add 15 new destinations to its network. Speaking to the UK Aviation Club, the outspoken Al Baker said, “Our aggressive expansion will continue unabated and we remain focused on remaining focused. Despite the backlash, we have found our road to success.” He said QR is “no longer the follower, but the pace setter. We will take on the challenge and operate in new markets where other people dare not venture. Until now we have been very successful in finding and fueling new markets,” Al Baker said.
LinkAustralia's first F-35 nears assembly milestone Production activities on Australia's first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will make a significant advance early next month, according to a Lockheed Martin program official. Speaking to Flightglobal in London on 17 October, vice-president F-35 program integration and business development Steve O'Bryan said the first part of the aircraft's centre fuselage is due to be loaded into a jig at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale site in California on 1 November.
LinkEADS urges US Army to buy new scout helicopter EADS North America is urging the US Army to buy a new armed reconnaissance helicopter to replace its aging fleet of Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warriors. The service is expected to make a decision by year end as to whether it will buy a new helicopter or soldier on with what it has. Sean O'Keefe, EADS North America chief executive officer, says the US Army is looking for a new helicopter that it can acquire for less than the cost of continuing to sustain and upgrade the Kiowa. EADS believes its aircraft, a derivative the UH-72 Lakota called the AAS-72X, meets that criteria.
LinkSouthwest Airlines posts Q3 profitDespite losses earlier in the year, Southwest Airlines posted a $16 million profit, equivalent to 2 cents per share. According to CEO Gary Kelly, prospects are bright with passenger unit revenue up by about 4% this month. "While the economy remains a significant concern, we are encouraged, thus far, by October's bookings and revenue trends," he said.
LinkAmerican Airlines plans to hire 1,500 flight attendantsAmerican Airlines plans to hire 1,500 flight attendants in the next year, with openings posted next month and new hires to start training in January. The additional employees will meet the company's new needs after the success of the buyout program offered to staff earlier year. "For the first time in over a decade, American is seeking to add more than 1,500 new flight attendants who we believe will bring new perspectives to the airline," said Lauri Curtis, the airline's vice president for flight service.
LinkHawaiian Airlines will expand service with turbopropsHawaiian Holdings Inc. has made good on its announcement earlier this year to purchase turboprops to provide service to smaller airports around the state's islands. Hawaiian Airline has received one ATR 42 twin-turboprop plane to begin service to small airports in Molokai and Lanai next year, and a second ATR is slated for delivery in November. Company officials are working to develop a brand identity for the turboprop fleet, which will operate out of Hawaiian Airlines.
LinkBoeing is building a longer version of the DreamlinerBoeing says it has begun assembling a stretched version of the Dreamliner. This version of the 787 jet will be assembled next year and delivered in 2014. It is 20 feet longer than the 787-8 model.
LinkUnion reps aim to win over workers at Boeing's S.C. plantRepresentatives of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union met with workers at Boeing's 787 plant in Charleston, S.C., this week to lay the groundwork for a possible union vote. "We're a lot closer [to union formation] than folks think we are," said Tommy Mayfield, a territory organizer for the union.
LinkTravelers hang up on in-flight cellphone usageAccording to a Corporate Traveler survey, 88% of people say they think in-flight cellphone use should be reserved for browsing, e-mailing and texting, not calls. More than 20 airlines worldwide offer satellite-based phone service.
LinkBTS: August brought a decline in U.S. airline workforceThe Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics released preliminary data showing that the U.S. airline workforce was smaller in August than in the previous month and the previous year. Total full-time and part-time employment was down 2.2% from July, and it was down 1.5% from August of last year.
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