NewsFedEx sees 2Q net profit drop 12%; orders 767Fs FedEx reported net income of $438 million for its fiscal second quarter ended Nov. 30, down 12% from a net profit of $497 million in the prior-year period. The company also announced an order for four Boeing 767-300 freighters for its FedEx Express unit. It said the aircraft, which bring its total 767-300Fs on order to 50, will help modernize its fleet by replacing aging MD-10Fs. FedEx Express executive VP-air operations James Parker said, "These new 767s will provide significantly improved reliability and are substantially more fuel-efficient than the aircraft they will replace."
LinkGulfstream reveals new supersonic aircraft, inlet designs in patent filingsGulfstream has released new drawings of a supersonic business jet design in patent application forms, revealing features such as a telescoping nose, highly-sloped fuselage and variable-geometry wings. The drawings from patent filings dated in April and August emerge less than two months after a Gulfstream executive said the company is "very close" to overcoming the noise problem that prevents commercial supersonic aircraft from operating over populated areas.
LinkAustralian competition watchdog clears Qantas-Emirates alliance Qantas Airways and Emirates have welcomed a draft decision from Australia's competition watchdog that approves their proposed alliance. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a draft ruling that proposes to grant authorisation to the two airlines for their plan to coordinate passenger and freight operations across their networks. "The ACCC considers that the alliance is likely to result in material, although not substantial, benefits to Australian consumers," says ACCC chairman Rod Sims.
LinkDiamond tests fly-by-wire on DA42Diamond Aircraft has tested on the DA42 what it considers the first fly-by-wire system for an aircraft in the general aviation category. The four-axis fly-by-wire system was flown on the twin-engined aircraft as part of an EU funded research project called small aircraft future avionics architecture (SAFAR), Diamond says. The DA42 control system is designed to prevent pilots from accidentally overstressing the aerodynamic or structural characteristics of the aircraft, Diamond says. A computer interprets inputs by the pilot, and signals the control surfaces with the optimal movement.
LinkAustralian Watchdog Gives Qantas-Emirates 5 YearsAustralia's competition watchdog has given preliminary approval to an alliance between struggling national flag carrier Qantas and Dubai's Emirates, but only for five years, not the 10 that had been sought. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission also set some conditions on routes between Australia and New Zealand, saying full approval could allow the pair to reduce or limit growth in capacity in order to raise airfares for those flights.
LinkCanada Introduces Air Ticket Price TransparencyCanada has introduced new rules requiring airlines to advertise the total ticket price -- including all taxes, charges and fees. Print advertising, billboards and online ads will also be required to state the cost of the taxes and fees included in the actual airfare.
LinkCourt Approves American Air Deal With PilotsThe parent company of American Airlines received court approval on Wednesday for a new collective bargaining agreement with its pilots that will allow the bankrupt company to cut costs as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy. AMR also received approval from the US Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan to eliminate lump-sum payments of benefits upon retirement for pilots, which the airline said could trigger a run on the plan soon after the bankruptcy.
LinkBombardier Has Letter Of Intent For C-Series JetsBombardier said on Wednesday an airline based in the Americas has signed a letter of intent to buy 12 C-Series jets, with options for another 18 aircraft. A firm contract would be worth USD$870 million, or up to USD$2.08 billion if all of the options were exercised.
LinkLuxembourg Buys Back Qatar Cargolux StakeLuxembourg said on Wednesday it had taken back a stake in freight carrier Cargolux from Qatar Airways with the intention of selling it on soon. Luxembourg sold the 35 percent stake to Qatar Airways last year, and bought it back for the original sale price of USD$117.5 million. Qatar Airways decided to pull out after failing to agree on a strategy for the airline during meetings in November.
LinkCEO: Turkish Airlines grows network, but limits to 300 destinations Turkish Airlines has added more destinations to its network from Istanbul Ataturk. The new destinations include Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sebha (Libya), Niamey (Niger), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Yaounde and Douala (Cameroon) as well Isfahan (Iran). The carrier now flies to 214 destinations in 94 countries. On the long-haul route sector, Turkish will add several new destinations next year, including Havana and Mexico City. The carrier is considering more long-haul routes, which could include destinations like Bogota or Panama City.
LinkEtihad Airways acquires 70% of Air Berlin’s frequent flyer program Etihad Airways has acquired 70% of Air Berlin’s topbonus frequent flyer program (FFP) for €200 million ($263.7 million), further strengthening their partnership. Last month, Air Berlin announced plans to spin off topbonus, which has 3.1 million members. The FFP will be acquired by a new entity called topbonus Limited, which will be 30% owned by Air Berlin and 70% owned by Etihad.
LinkFastjet strikes deal to buy 1time African low-cost start-up Fastjet has signed a provisional deal to acquire South African low-cost carrier 1time for ZAR1 ($0.12). Johannesburg-based 1time went into liquidation in November. It operated 12 Boeing MD-80s across a network of eight routes and carried 120,000 passengers a month. Fastjet wants to acquire more African AOCs and began talks to buy 1time earlier this month. “Fastjet has entered into an option agreement to buy the entire issued share capital of 1time Airline from its parent company, 1time Holdings Limited, for ZAR1 ($0.12),” Fastjet said in a statement.
LinkCode-share for US Airways, South African Airways is finalizedWith the approval of government officials, US Airways and South African Airways have finalized a code-share agreement. "US Airways' new codeshare agreement with its first codeshare partner in South Africa creates a seamless travel experience for our customers traveling to various destinations on the African continent," said Andrew Nocella, US Airways' senior vice president for marketing and planning, in a statement. South African Airways customers will also be able to fly to U.S. destinations through US Airways hubs.
LinkBoeing, Embraer will create landing safety tools in partnershipThe safety partnership between Boeing and Embraer is an initiative to develop and recommend new landing procedures. Both manufacturers are updating their manuals to include the new procedures and will collaborate on free training videos and a plan to add new technology and systems to the flight deck that will increase landing safety.
LinkDrone privacy legislation introduced in HouseRep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., introduced the Drone Aircraft Privacy and Transparency Act this week to address privacy concerns related to the use of surveillance drones. Among other regulations, the new law would require unmanned aircraft operators to provide information on the type, use and storage of data their drones will collect, and the Federal Aviation Administration would be required to maintain a public website listing the times and locations of drone flights.
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