CommercialUS Flights Cancelled As Storm Brings Fresh SnowA winter storm swept across the US Northeast on Monday, forcing flight cancellations, snarling traffic and proving weather-forecasting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil right. Travellers leaving the New York City area after Sunday night's Super Bowl championship football game faced traffic jams at the region's airports and risky driving on slippery roads. The storm could drop 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of snow on an area stretching from eastern Kentucky to eastern New York state, the National Weather Service said. Among the hardest hit by flight delays and cancellations on Monday was Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, the closest to the stadium where the Denver Broncos were beaten by the Seattle Seahawks.
LinkAlitalia Agrees New Loans To Keep FlyingAlitalia completed loan agreements with banks for a total of EUR€165 million (USD$233 million) that will keep it flying while it searches for a new partner, two sources close to the matter said on Monday. The loans, below the EUR€200 million initially sought, are part of a government-arranged emergency package put together last year to give the troubled airline enough cash while it restructures and completes talks with Etihad Airways on a possible investment. "Alitalia has asked for EUR€200 million and we have come down to EUR€165 million, a sufficient sum to plug the gap until Etihad makes a decision," one of the sources said.
LinkLufthansa Calls On EU To Block Etihad, Alitalia Tie-upLufthansa has called on European regulators to block plans by Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways to invest in ailing Italian carrier Alitalia, saying it would amount to unfair competition. Etihad, which has bought stakes in airlines across the world including Air Berlin, Aer Lingus and Virgin Australia, said on Sunday it was in the final stages of a process that could see it invest in Alitalia. Lufthansa has fiercely lobbied against state-owned Gulf carriers such as Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, and their fast-paced expansion in Europe, and has said in the past they benefit from unfair state aid. The German airline said on Monday that Europe would do better to keep its airline industry mostly privatized.
LinkAvianca temporarily grounds Fokker 50 fleetAvianca has temporarily grounded its fleet of Fokker 50 turboprops, following an engine malfunction in Cali. The Bogota-based carrier says that it grounded the fleet as a preventative measure after making “all the proper inspections and going through all the safety procedures” with the aircraft, in a statement. Avianca operates nine Fokker 50s. The malfunction occurred before take-off on a flight from Cali to Tumaco on 28 January. The Fokker 50 uses two Pratt & Whitney PW127B engines.
LinkQatar-branded test A350 breaks coverAirbus has unveiled the joint Qatar Airways branding on its fourth A350-900 test aircraft, MSN4, which is shortly to enter the flight program. The colour scheme features the logo of Qatar Airways, the first customer for the type, on the forward fuselage, winglets and Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.
LinkSilkAir takes delivery of first Boeing 737SilkAir has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-800, marking the start of its transition to an all Boeing fleet. The new aircraft, bearing registration 9V-MGA, will be put into passenger service on 20 February, and will be deployed on routes to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket and Medan.
LinkRyanair Reports Q3 Loss On Lower FaresRyanair on Monday reported a third quarter loss, but strong forward bookings and an easing of intense price competition among European airlines. Ryanair lost EUR€35 million (USD$47.2 million) after tax in the three months to December 31, its worst performance in its seasonally weak third quarter since 2008. But the loss was in line with the warning last year and it reaffirmed the airline's forecast for a profit of between EUR€500 million and EUR€520 million for the full year ending in March. "Market pricing remains soft but is no longer declining," chief executive Michael O'Leary said. Average fares will fall 8 percent in the first three months of 2014 rather than the 10 percent previously predicted, he said.
LinkPalma Holding places firm Q400 NextGen orderAircraft lessor Palma Holding Limited has signed a firm agreement to purchase four Q400 NextGen turboprops from Bombardier. The agreement, which Bombardier says could be worth approximately $282 million, also gives Dubai-based Palma the option to acquire an additional four aircraft of the type. Palma signed a letter of intent to acquire the aircraft in November 2013 and intends to lease the four initial turboprops to Ethiopian Airlines under a joint venture with Ibdar Bank, says Bombardier. Ethiopian already operates 13 Q400 NextGen aircraft.
LinkA350 and 787 set to face offThe rival latest-generation widebodies from Airbus and Boeing will go head to head at an air show for the first time at the Singapore air show, which kicks off on 11 February. Southeast Asia is a key battleground for the contest between the A350 and the 787, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for one-third of all sales of the two twinjets. It will be the first full appearance at an air show by the A350-900. The aircraft’s last public appearance was a fly-past towards the end of the 2013 Paris air show, a week after making its maiden flight. While the A350 – bearing registration MSN 003 – will take part in the flying display, it is not certain whether it will be joined by the 787. Boeing will only confirm that the Qatar Airways-liveried Dreamliner will be on the static display, although the US manufacturer did memorably return to air show flying at Farnborough 2012 after a 30-year hiatus with a Qatar 787.
LinkLion Air 737 in hard landing at SurabayaIndonesia’s Lion Air has confirmed that one of its Boeing 737-900ERs was involved in a hard landing incident at Surabaya’s Juanda International airport on the morning of 1 February. The aircraft, registered as PK-LFH, was operating a flight from Balikpapan to Surabaya, and experienced a hard landing at around 10:20 local time, a Lion Air said. The hard landing caused some of the aircraft’s tyres to burst, but there was no damage to the landing gear. Inspections of the airframe are continuing, and the aircraft reamins on the ground in Surabaya.
LinkSouthwest to offer non-stops to 15 new markets from Love FieldSouthwest Airlines today announced plans to start new non-stop service from Dallas Love Field to 15 cities, including Atlanta, Chicago-Midway, Denver, New York-LaGuardia and Washington Reagan National, among others, after the Wright Amendment expires on Oct. 13. During a recent announcement, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings praised the remodeled airport, which includes 20 new gates
LinkHawaiian Airlines to debut premium economy seats in AugustHawaiian Airlines is launching premium economy seating on its international and domestic flights for customers on Aug. 1. The "Extra Comfort" cabin will be installed on the carrier's Airbus A330s. Other amenities for "Extra Comfort" include priority boarding and premium meals.
LinkTSA's PreCheck speeds travelers through airportsThe check-in process the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) calls "PreCheck" offers passengers the opportunity to move through security processing faster. Passengers can be selected to participate in several ways or opt to pay a fee to apply to participate in the service, if approved. TSA aims for half of its passengers to fly via PreCheck by the end of the year. "We're not going to sacrifice security," said Mark Howell, a spokesman for the TSA. "We're just trying to get away from one-size-fits-all screening and go to a risk-based screening."
LinkMajor U.S. carriers continue pilot hiringA storm is brewing in the cockpit of U.S. airlines: a pilot shortage. Thousands of pilots are nearing the mandatory retirement age of 65, just as it is becoming harder to be a commercial airline pilot. New federal pilot-rest rules and tougher qualification standards requiring new pilots to have 1,500 hours of flight experience - up from 250 - have come at the same time that throngs of senior pilots will be retiring. The new mandates were implemented in the last six months, in response to the Colgan Air crash near Buffalo on Feb. 12, 2009, that killed all 49 aboard the plane and one man on the ground.
LinkTSA to open PreCheck center in PhoenixTransportation Security Agency PreCheck, a speedier security check process for air travelers, is opening within the next 90 days at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport as part of its expanded rollout. Passengers who opt to pay a fee, undergo a background check and have their fingerprints taken can apply.
LinkTSA approves carry on of select duty-free itemsPassengers who buy duty-free liquids in the airport will now be able to carry them aboard their flights, following a Transportation Security Agency rule change made possible due to “technological advances,” according to the agency. The TSA says that the permissible alcohol and perfume items must be carried in a secure, tamper-proof bag that remains sealed to qualify.
LinkCourt ruling allows fuel cells in checked bags The U.S. Appeals Court for Washington, D.C., has temporarily overturned a ban on transporting fuel cells that are used to power portable electronic devices on airplanes that had been imposed by the Department of Transportation. The decision, in favor of butane fuel cell manufacturer Lilliputian Systems, found that the transportation department’s regulation did not explain why fuel cell cartridges were inherently more dangerous that other flammable material that is often carried on airplanes. “Lilliputian contends that the prohibition on flammable-gas fuel cell cartridges in checked airline baggage is arbitrary and capricious because the [Pipeline and Hazardous Materials] Safety Administration failed to provide any explanation of its risk assessment methodology, thereby “making it impossible ... to counter the ... unstated rationale,” the court said in its ruling.
LinkSFO to upgrade runwaysSome runways at San Francisco International Airport will undergo planned construction from May through September, as part of an upgrade required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
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- but Aeroflot flies to Pyonyang? Sure?
