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Bombardier Announces Third Quarter Profit
Bombardier Aerospace reported third quarter earnings before interest and taxes of USD$74 million, down from USD$86 million in 2013. Aerospace revenue was USD$2.6 billion out of a total of USD$4.9 billion. The company delivered 71 aircraft in the quarter, compared with 45 in the same period last year. The aerospace division received 76 orders during the quarter, up from 26 in the same period a year earlier, boosted by Macquarie AirFinance's firm order for 40 CSeries jets.
LinkAirlines
Delta expands Basic Economy Fare to additional markets
Delta Air Lines is offering its Basic Economy Fare in additional markets. Delta spokesman Paul Skrbec said the airfare is popular with customers who want the lowest price.
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Lufthansa Cuts Profit Guidance For Second Time
Lufthansa has lowered its profit guidance for 2015 for the second time this year due to a stuttering global economy and increased competition. The airline reported higher than expected third-quarter results but said it expected its 2015 operating profit to be only "significantly above" the EUR€1 billion (USD$1.3 billion) seen for 2014, compared with a previous forecast of EUR€2 billion. Chief executive Carsten Spohr said he would stand firm in a row with pilots over early retirement benefits and low-cost expansion, even after eight walkouts by staff this year wiped EUR€160 million off operating profit.
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Ryanair In Second Round Of Bidders For Cyprus Airways
Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary said the airline is in the second round of bidders to take over Cyprus Airways. O'Leary said his company would meet auditor KPMG on Friday in Cyprus, but did not know how the process of selling the loss-making airline, which is more than 90 percent-owned by the Cypriot government, would proceed. "We're down to the second round of bidders. I don't even know who (else) is in the second round," O'Leary said after a news conference in Rome.
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Southwest Airlines celebrates 5 years at Wis. airport
Southwest Airlines launched service at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wis., five years ago. "When you look back five years ago, we started with 12 trips a day to six destinations," said Jack Smith, senior vice president of operations for the carrier. "This winter, we'll be going to 20 destinations with 48 trips a day."
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Southwest to debut nonstop service from San Antonio to Mexico City
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines will begin nonstop service from San Antonio to Mexico City on Sunday, taking over the route previously operated by Southwest subsidiary AirTran Airways. Southwest Airlines will operate a slightly larger 737-700 aircraft than AirTran did, with an additional six seats for a capacity of 143 passengers.
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United to install tablet holders in first-class
A United Airlines spokeswoman said the carrier is redesigning first-class seats with tablet holders on some domestic flights. Earlier this year, the carrier began the process of outfitting aircraft with the ability to stream on-demand video content to personal devices.
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U.S. carriers pursue different strategies on the 787
United on Monday flew a Boeing 787-9 on the new aircraft's longest route -- Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia -- underscoring the carrier's substantial lead among U.S. carriers in utilizing the next generation of widebody aircraft. This week, Boeing is painting American's first 787 in Everett, Wash., with delivery expected before the end of the year. Delta said on its third-quarter earnings call that it expects to make a decision on a widebody aircraft order during the current quarter.
LinkAirports
Spain Postpones Aena IPO
The Spanish government has postponed the IPO of airport operator Aena until the first months of 2015, two people with knowledge of the matter said. State-owned Aena, which operates 46 airports in Spain as well as having interests in airports in Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Angola and the UK, had been aiming for a share market debut on November 12. But renewed doubts over the strength of Europe's economic recovery and a flagging market appetite for new listings have blighted the prospects for a successful sale. "The operation is postponed until a technical flaw that was identified can be resolved," the source said on condition of anonymity. The "flaw" relates to a tender not being organized to pick an auditor to sign off the comfort letter needed for the prospectus.
LinkMilitary
Mexican navy orders two more Airbus Military C295 transports
The Mexican navy has ordered two more Airbus Military C295s to add to its four-strong fleet of the medium transports. Announced on 29 October, the new aircraft will add to the navy’s fleet of Airbus Military transport aircraft, which includes six CN235s and two C212s in addition to the C295s. The navy will operate the new aircraft “on a diverse range of transport missions” for military, civil and humanitarian missions, according to a statement from Airbus Defence and Space.
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Peru to acquire five Super Seasprites through Canadian program
The Peruvian navy is to acquire five Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters through the Canadian government. Four will be upgraded with an integrated mission system and one is lined up for overhaul. General Dynamics Canada announced on 27 October that it had been awarded the work in a multimillion-dollar contract facilitated by the Canadian Commercial Corporation, the country’s intergovernmental contracting organisation.
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South Korean F-16 imbroglio could influence other upgrade deals
Price haggling around the upgrade of South Korea’s Lockheed Martin F-16 C/D fleet could have implications for other F-16 upgrade opportunities. Numerous media reports have emerged stating that the US and South Korean governments are at loggerheads over the upgrade program, which will see 134 aircraft receive new avionics and an active electronic scanned array (AESA) radar produce by Raytheon. According a report by South Korean official news agency Yonhap, quoting a spokesman at South Korea’s Defense Programme Administration (DAPA), the US government wants an additional W500 billion ($473 billion) and prime contractor BAE Systems W300 billion.
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USMC F-35s might miss July operational deadline
The US Marine Corps still plans on having 10 war-ready Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II jets by 1 July, 2015, but the loss of 45 flight testing days may mean that long-emphasised date will slip by days or weeks. In the context of a programme that has had a “tragic past” and has missed developmental milestones by years, overshooting the Marine Corps initial operating capability (IOC) deadline by days or weeks is still considered a success, Lt Gen Christopher Bogdan tells reporters. “From an overall program perspective”, Bogdan says “missing a date by days and weeks compared to the tragic past this program has had where we’ve missed things by years, I’d say we’re getting better.” “July 1, 2015 is a tough date to hit,” he says. “There’s no way in the world we’re missing that by months. It’s not going to happen.”
LinkCorporate
King Air crash kills at least four at Wichita airport
A Beechcraft King Air 200 crashed onto the top of a FlightSafety International building on 30 October near the Mid-Continent International airport in Wichita, Kansas, killing at least four, injuring several others and leaving some missing, airport officials confirmed. The King Air with at least one occupant crashed into the FlightSafety building at 9:45am, the airport says. Two people were initially confirmed dead inside the heavily damaged building, as walls and ceilings collapsed after being struck by the 5,770kg (12,500lb) aircraft. Another five injured people were taken to the hospital.
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Learjet 85 certification stays on hold
Bombardier is continuing to keep the fate of the Learjet 85 program in limbo as the company focuses on other development priorities. Despite accumulating more than 100 flight hours since March by the only flying prototype, Bombardier has no scheduled entry into service date or the composite-skinned midsize business jet. Since development delayed beyond its year-end 2013 target, Bombardier has put the Learjet 85 last in a queue of priorities that include the CSeries and Global 7000/8000 jets.
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Aviation Quote
This is the most important aviation development since Lindbergh's flight. In one fell swoop, we have shrunken the earth.
— Juan Trippe, founder of Pan Am on the introduction of jet aircraft.
On This Date
--- In 1933... France’s air minister Pierre Cot formally inaugurates the country’s national airline, Air France.
---In 1947…The Avro Tudor 4 enters service with British South American Airways.
---In 1956... The US Navy R4D-5 Skytrain Que Sera Sera, commanded by Rear Admiral George Dufek, becomes the 1st airplane to make a landing at the South Pole.
---In 1959… Colonel G. Mosolov sets a new airspeed record of 2,387 km/h (1,483 mph) in the Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-66.
---In 1960… BEA retires the DC-3, its last piston-engined airliner serving out of London-Heathrow, from scheduled passenger service.
---In 1977…a Pan Am Boeing 747SP circumnavigates the world over the two poles.
---In 1990… the Australian airline industry is deregulated. Airlines are allowed to select their own routes and set their own fares.
---In 1994…American Eagle Airlines Flight 4184 crashed in Roselawn, Indiana after a flaw in the ATR-72's deicing system lead to a buildup of ice on the plane's wings.
---In 1996…Air Tahiti Nui formed.
---In 1999…EgyptAir Flight 990, a Boeing 767 on its way Cairo, Egypt, was deliberately crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, Massachusetts by the co-pilot as a way of committing suicide. All 217 passengers and crew members on board were killed.
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Out In The Field
While on a training deployment the Captain and the 1st Sgt were in the field. As they hit the rack for the night, the following exchange took place.
1st Sgt: "Sir, look up into the sky and tell me what you see?"
Capt: "I see millions of stars."
1st Sgt: "And what does that tell you, sir?"
Capt: "From an astronomy perspective, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Theologically, it tells me that God is great and that we are small and insignificant.
Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?"
1st Sgt: "Well sir, it tells me that somebody stole our tent!!"
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