Commercial AviationAir Canada Close To Buying Up To 60 AircraftAir Canada appears close to deciding whether to buy up to 60 new narrow-body jets from Airbus or Boeing, a decision that could settle which of the plane makers wins their annual order race, industry sources said. The Canadian flag carrier has said it is looking to renew its fleet of single-aisle aircraft, which includes more than 50 Airbus A320 and A321s, as well as 45 Embraer 190s. Chief executive Calin Rovinescu had previously said he hoped a decision will be made by the end of the year, noting the decision would involve more than 100 aircraft.
LinkSupreme Court Justice Denies Stay In Airline MergerA US Supreme Court justice on Saturday night denied a last-ditch effort by a group of consumers and travel agents to stop the merger of American Airlines and US Airways. The application was denied by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the court's public information office said. In their appeal to the Supreme Court, plaintiffs led by California resident Carolyn Fjord warned that "irreparable injury" could be caused to the domestic airline industry if the deal goes ahead as planned. They fear the merger will drive air travel prices up and service down and make planes more crowded.
LinkWinter Storm Pushes Up US East CoastA winter storm that left hundreds of thousands of people without power in the Southeastern United States was pushing up the East Coast on Sunday, with snow and ice threatening to snarl road travel and force another round of airline cancellations. The massive storm system dropped between 3 and 6 inches (7.6 and 25 cm) of snow on West Virginia early Sunday before blanketing the Washington metro area with its first accumulation of the season. The storm was moving up the East Coast, with snow, sleet, and freezing rain expected from Baltimore to north of Boston, according to the National Weather Service. The system was expected to reach Philadelphia and New York City by Sunday afternoon and linger over the area through Monday morning's rush hour commute.
LinkItalian Businessman To Invest In AlitaliaItalian businessman Antonio Percassi said he will subscribe to Alitalia's capital increase for EUR€15 million through his Odissea holding company. In a statement Percassi, whose businesses include managing retail brands in Italy and developing commercial property, gave no more details on the move. He is also chairman of Italian football club Atalanta.
LinkS.Korea Expands Air Zone To Overlap China'sSouth Korea has extended its air defense identification zone to partially overlap with a similar zone declared by China two weeks ago that has sharply raised regional tensions. Beijing's unilateral declaration of an air defense identification zone in an area that includes islands at the heart of a territorial dispute with Japan has triggered protests from Japan, South Korea and the United States. Announcing the expansion of its own zone to include two territorial islands to the south and a submerged rock also claimed by China, South Korea's Defense Ministry said the move would not infringe on neighboring countries' sovereignty. "We believe this will not significantly impact our relationships with China and with Japan as we try to work for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia," defense ministry head of policy Jang Hyuk told a briefing.
LinkTatarstan crash spurs training centre probeRussia’s federal Investigative Committee is putting pressure on the country’s aviation regulator Rosaviatsia over its licensing of flight training centres. The Investigative Committee says it has “doubts over the legitimacy” of some training centres, and has conducted searches at Rosaviatsia for documents relating to the centres’ activities. It says the centres have since been "liquidated". Its action continues the fall-out from the fatal Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737-500 crash at Kazan. While the inquiry is yet to reach conclusions about the 17 November accident, the Investigative Committee is focusing on the pilot training received by the aircraft’s captain.
LinkUnited names Greg Hart as chief operating officerUnited Continental Holdings announced that Greg Hart has been promoted to chief operations officer and executive vice president. Hart previously served the carrier as senior vice president of technical operations. He will succeed Pete McDonald, who is retiring after a 45-year career at United. "We will miss Pete, and congratulate him on his retirement," said Jeff Smisek, chairman, president and CEO of United. "His leadership and tremendous knowledge of our business have been great assets to United. Our team and our Board of Directors are confident that Greg will successfully lead our operations groups as we focus on improving our operational quality and efficiency while running an on-time airline with great customer service."
LinkParker sets ambitious goals for merged carrierDoug Parker, who will take over as the CEO of the merged US Airways-American Airlines, said he wants to surpass $1 billion in revenue and savings at the merged airline. "I'm hoping it's a number we can exceed," Parker said. "It’s not easy. It’s not a given by any means."
LinkAirbus, Boeing report orders so far this yearAirbus and Boeing have both exceeded 1,200 orders so far this year. Airbus has booked 1,373 orders since January, while Boeing has secured 1,212 orders in the same time period. Meanwhile, Boeing delivered 580 aircraft this year, compared to Airbus' delivery of 562 planes.
LinkBelgian carrier accepts first delivery of Boeing 787 Boeing Co. said it's delivered its first 787 to Belgian airline Jetairfly. Jetairfly, part of the TUI Travel PLC tourism group, has headquarters in Ostend, Belgium and its flight operations center in Zaventem, Belgium. The airline said its Boeing 787 will fly short- and medium-haul routes in early December and long-haul routes between Christmas and the New Year.
LinkEurope could delay emissions-trading scheme for foreign flightsThe European Union could delay the inclusion of foreign flights into its emissions-trading scheme until as late as 2020, according to an adviser to the EU. "It could well be that, in the end, we rather go toward an extension of stop-the-clock until 2016 or even maybe 2020. It's probably still in the right direction," said Pierre Dechamps, an adviser for energy and climate change.
LinkMo. Senate approves annual Boeing tax incentives of $150MThe Missouri State Senate passed legislation with a generous tax incentive package for Boeing to locate its 777X production in the state. The bill, which heads to the state House for approval, would give $150 million each year to Boeing in tax incentives. "It's a proposal that allows us to compete for quite literally thousands of direct jobs and tens of thousands of indirect jobs" when including suppliers, said Republican state Sen. Eric Schmitt, the bill's sponsor.
LinkJetBlue adopts Apple's Passbook featureJetBlue recently added Apple's Passbook for mobile boarding passes for travelers with iPhones. JetBlue was one of the first airlines to use the SITA Mobile Boarding Pass API to implement the pass. JetBlue mobile boarding pass will appear in travelers' iPhone lock-screens when they arrive at the airport.
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