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Boeing 737 could edge A320 on 2015 deliveries
Airbus is facing the possibility of its A320 family being pushed into second place on full-year deliveries, for the first time since the 737 became Boeing’s sole single-aisle competitor. Deliveries of 737s had been overtaken by the A320 family in 2002, when Boeing’s single-aisle line also included the 717 and 757. But the cessation of 717 and 757 production left the 737 standing alone against the A320 in 2007. Boeing delivered 330 737s in that year against 367 A320s.
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COMAC Says C919 Won't Fly This Year
Chinese state-owned aircraft maker Comac said its C919 commercial jet would not make its first flight this year. Comac wants the C919, which will be China's only home-grown commercial jet, to rival the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. The jet was originally scheduled to fly by end-2015, but a Shanghai-based Comac spokesman said the first aircraft would now roll off the assembly line at the end of the year. The timing of the first flight will be announced after that, he added.
LinkAirlines
AirAsia Shares Rise After Indonesia Concerns Ease
AirAsia shares recovered from five-year-lows after the Indonesian government eased investors' fears that the Malaysian budget carrier's local affiliate could be grounded for a lack of funds. Days after several Indonesian officials named the airline as one of 13 carriers that must repair stretched balance sheets by July 31 or face closure, the transport ministry softened its tone, saying it would "help and support" the companies instead.
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Alaska Airlines adds seasonal ski route
Alaska Airlines is adding direct flights twice weekly between Los Angeles and Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport. The flights will operate during the ski tourism season.
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China Eastern agrees to take 50 more 737s
China Eastern Airlines has agreed to acquire 50 new Boeing 737s in a deal worth $4.5 billion at catalogue prices. The Shanghai-based carrier disclosed the agreement, which it states is a “purchase”, in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange. It has not clarified which variants of the 737 are involved, although it gives the base price of each as $91 million.
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Poland's Enter Air Suspends IPO
Poland's biggest charter airline, Enter Air, has suspended its initial public offering due to weak market conditions. "The company's decision is caused by sudden and unforeseen changes in the economic situation in Europe that are rooted in, among other things, the crisis linked to Greece's financial situation, which translated into moods of uncertainty on financial markets in Poland and in Europe," Enter Air said in a statement.
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JetBlue brings live streaming of major league baseball to passengers
JetBlue today announced a new partnership with MLBAM, the interactive media and internet company of Major League Baseball, that will give JetBlue customers free in-flight access to MLB.TV – the #1 live streaming sports service – on their laptops and supported smartphones and tablets through the MLB.com At Bat mobile app.
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Fatigue, sickness involved in botched Qantas A330 approach
Qantas Airways has updated its training for visual approaches following an incident in which the crew of an Airbus A330-200 misjudged an approach into Melbourne airport, resulting in warnings from the aircraft's enhanced ground proximity warning system (EPGWS). The incident occurred in daylight hours during the early evening of 8 March 2013, and involved the aircraft registered VH-EBV, says the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). The aircraft was inbound from Sydney with 11 crew and 211 passengers aboard at the time of the incident, which the ATSB categorises as “serious.”
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Danish Unions Vow Action Against Ryanair
Danish unions said they will launch action at airports from which Ryanair flies, effectively stopping services, after the airline refused to sign up to national collective agreements. In the latest salvo in the months-long dispute, which began before Ryanair even started flying from Copenhagen, the unions said they will refuse services at Copenhagen on July 18 and at two airports in Jutland on July 23.
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Southwest Airlines sees uptick in June traffic
Southwest Airlines saw traffic grow 6.9% over last year, while it expanded capacity 6.7%.
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Southwest, flight attendants reach tentative contract agreement
Southwest Airlines and the Transport Workers Union have reached a tentative flight attendant contract. The contract includes annual 3% pay raises and bonuses over the next five years. Union officials say voting on the contract will begin Monday.
LinkAirports
Fla. airport sees uptick in passengers
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport Executive Director Parker McClellan says the airport has seen a spike in travelers as the summer travel season heats up. The airport recently doubled its airline fleet.
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Airlines expand winter service to Jackson Hole
American, Delta and United Airlines have all committed to fly additional non-stop routes to Jackson Hole this winter. The flights will be available from most major hub cities.
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AirGrub app launches at San Francisco airport
Food and beverage ordering app AirGrub launched Wednesday at San Francisco International Airport. The app allows users to select a restaurant within the airport, order food and drinks, and schedule a time for pickup.
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Springfield-Branson National Airport breaks 10-year traffic record
June of 2005 marked the busiest month ever for Springfield-Branson National Airport, until that record was shattered last month. The airport, which has started to see airlines replacing the 50-seat planes that have traditionally served it with larger jets, moved 88,587 passengers in June
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Military
Finland receives final NH90 troop transport helicopter
Finland’s Patria has handed over the last of 20 NH Industries NH90 troop transport helicopters from a 2001 contract to the Finnish army during a ceremony at its Halli production facility. Patria has assembled all but one of Helsinki’s NH90 fleet, with the initial rotorcraft built by NHI majority shareholder Airbus Helicopters at its Marignane plant in France.
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US lawmaker keen to speed up bomber buy
The chairman of the influential US House committee on strategic forces says the air force’s long-range strike bomber fleet should be delivered sooner than the current estimates, which place “initial capability in the 2020s” and full capability in the 2030s. The LRS-B program started in 2012 to buy 80 to 100 new bombers, and the classified program is only just now about to enter the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase.
LinkRegulatory
ACCC approves alliance between American Airlines, Qantas
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has approved a deepening alliance between American Airlines and Qantas on their trans-Pacific service. Commissioner Jill walker made the announcement saying, "This is likely to result in benefits to passengers that wish to use these services."
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Aviation Quote
Every other start-up wants to be another United or Delta or American. We just want to get rich.
— Robert Priddy, ValuJet CEO, 1996.
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