NewsCommercial
Pratt & Whitney names new commercial engines head
Pratt & Whitney has named United Technologies Corp. (UTC) executive Christopher Calio president-commercial engines, effective immediately. East Hartford, Connecticut-based Pratt is a UTC subsidiary. Calio, who fills the position formerly held by Greg Gernhardt, will report directly to Pratt president Bob Leduc.
LinkAirlines
Allegiant Air posts $220 million 2016 net profit
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co., parent of ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant Air, reported a $219.5 million net profit for 2016, down 0.4% from $220.4 million in 2015. Allegiant posted a fourth-quarter 2016 net profit of $41.3 million, down 27.2% from $56.7 million in net income for 4Q 2015. Fourth-quarter revenue totaled $335.9 million, up 8% from 4Q 2015.
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American hopeful about fair review for Qantas joint venture
American Airlines and Qantas are continuing efforts to obtain Department of Transportation approval for a joint venture through modifications of their codeshare agreements. "We are hopeful our new application will get a fair review under the new administration by making a strong case for the even greater consumer, tourism and trade benefits that would come with antitrust immunity," American said in a statement.
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American opens Havana ticket office
American Airlines on Tuesday opened a ticket office in El Centro de Negocios de Miramar in Havana. By mid-February American will have 10 daily flights between the US and Cuba.
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Avianca says to negotiate alliance with United Airlines
Jan 31 Avianca Holdings SA, one of Latin America's biggest airlines, said late on Tuesday it is seeking a commercial alliance with United Continental Holdings Inc, under terms still to be negotiated. The announcement came following several months of speculation about possible partnerships, including with Delta Air Lines Inc and Panama's Copa Airlines.
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Etihad and Lufthansa signal closer co-operation
Etihad Airways and Lufthansa have signed agreements to co-operate in the fields of catering and maintenance as a first step of what the two airlines describe as a growing partnership. The Gulf carrier has contracted Lufthansa unit LSG Sky Chefs to provide catering at 16 airports across Asia, Europe and the Americas. The four-year deal is worth around $100 million, the two airlines said during a joint press briefing webcasted from Abu Dhabi.
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Flydubai reports $8.6 million profit in 2016
Dubai-based low-cost carrier (LCC) flydubai posted a 2016 net income of AED31.6 million ($8.6 million) for 2016, down 69% from net income of AED100.7 million in 2015. Full-year revenue for 2016 was AED5 billion, up 2.4% year-over-year (YOY).
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SAS to obtain Irish AOC and set up ex-Nordic bases
SAS Group is to obtain a new air operator’s certificate in Ireland and establish bases in London and Spain, to cut costs and reinforce its position in the leisure market. These new operations will start in the winter of 2017-18.
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Wizz Air cuts full-year profit forecast
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air has cut its full-year net profit forecast by around 8%, citing weaker-than-expected fares and other negative effects. The airline expects its underlying net profit for the year to reach €225-235 million, some €20 million down on the previous estimate.
LinkAirports
Southwest growing in Phoenix
Southwest is celebrating 35 years at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. The airline's presence at Sky Harbor has grown over the decades to 170 daily flights, and Southwest has announced plans to expand its maintenance facility in Phoenix.
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Amazon to establish Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky air hub
Amazon will establish an air hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in Hebron, Kentucky to support its wet-leased Prime Air freighter aircraft fleet. CVG officials have pegged the investment from Amazon at around $1.5 billion. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal,” CVG CEO Candace McGraw told Cincinnati.com. “It’s truly transformational.”
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Military
Mattis review will validate F-35: USMC aviation chief
The US Marine Corps deputy commandant for aviation is placing his bets on the Lockheed Martin F-35C ahead of a Pentagon review that will compare the Lightning II to Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. During a 1 February roundtable, Lt Gen Jon Davis cautioned reporters he would not get out ahead of the Pentagon’s study but expressed his confidence in the F-35.
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Northrop, BAE withdrawal cuts T-X bidders to two
Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems have decided not to submit a bid for a $16 billion US Air Force contract for 300-350 advanced jet trainers, narrowing a once diverse field to as little as two competitors. The announcement on 1 February comes after Northrop Grumman chief executive Wes Bush warned analysts last week that the company was reassessing the business case for submitting a bid. One analyst speculated that Bush was simply applying pressure on Northrop’s T-X bidding team to keep bidding prices in check, but instead the company decided the benefits of winning the contract outweighed the costs.
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Aviation Quote
Get rid at the outset of the idea that the airplane is only an air-going sort of automobile. It isn't. It may sound like one and smell like one, and it may have been interior decorated to look like one; but the difference is — it goes on wings.
- Wolfgang Langewiesche, first words of 'Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying,' 1944.
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. What is a deceleron?
2.When air traffic control advises pilots of other traffic, many pilots advise the controller that the traffic is not in sight using the colloquial and unofficial phrase "no joy." From where does this expression originate?
3. The Waco CG-4A glider was used during World War II (especially during the Normandy invasion) as a cargo and troop carrier. Why was it referred to as a "flying coffin"?
4. Almost all general aviation piston engines have a wet sump, a built-in oil reservoir, instead of an external or separate oil tank. How can you determine by looking at the oil dipstick of a wet-sump engine the minimum oil quantity with which the engine can be operated safely?
5. True or False, James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle was the first solo pilot to perform a blind takeoff and landing using only cockpit instruments and radio aids.
6. True or False, Two Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses took off from Hilo, Hawaii, on August 6, 1946, without anyone on board. Both landed safely at Muroc Dry Lake, California.
2.When air traffic control advises pilots of other traffic, many pilots advise the controller that the traffic is not in sight using the colloquial and unofficial phrase "no joy." From where does this expression originate?
