NewsFAA grants single operating certificate to Alaska and Virgin AmericaThe US Federal Aviation Administration has granted a single operating certificate to Alaska Airlines and Virgin America, a development that brings Alaska Air Group another step closer to fully merging the subsidiaries. With the news, Alaska made good on chief executive Brad Tilden's prediction, made in September 2017, that the company would receive a single certificate on 11 January.
LinkDelta expects Korean Air tie-up approval by JuneDelta Air Lines expects South Korean regulatory approval of its proposed joint venture with Korean Air in the first half of this year, says chief executive Ed Bastian. The SkyTeam Alliance carriers plan to begin implementing the partnership, which will allow them to more closely coordinate transpacific flying, as soon as they receive the approval, he says during a quarterly earnings presentation today. However, he does not provide a target launch date.
LinkDelta operating profit declines 12% to $6.11bn in 2017Delta Air Lines reported a 12% decline in full-year 2017 operating profit to $6.11 billion, as costs grew faster than revenue. Revenue rose 4% to $41.3 billion in the year, and expenses were up 7% to $35.1 billion.
LinkTianjin Airlines to introduce A350; grow long-haul networkTianjin Airlines will induct Airbus A350s into its fleet in 2018, with plans to launch services to popular long-haul destinations such as Los Angeles and Madrid. The airline will also further build on traffic at Xian and Zhengzhou, making them international transit hubs from where it will launch more international and intercontinental routes/
LinkNew Delhi opens door for foreign investment in Air IndiaThe Indian government has approved several amendments to the country's Foreign Direct Investment policy, including one that allows foreign airlines to control up to a 49% stake in state-owned Air India. The cabinet decision was announced on 10 January. New Delhi says its intention is "to liberalise and simplify the FDI policy so as to improve ease of doing business in the country."
LinkAutonomous subs to make 90-day search for MH370Undersea mapping firm Ocean Infinity will use autonomous underwater vehicles to search for the lost Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. In a statement, the company says that its ship Ocean Constructor will deploy eight autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that can operate at depths up to 6000m.
LinkAirbus powers up its other assets in RomaniaIts helicopters division is not the only Airbus unit to have set up shop in Romania. In 2011, Premium Aerotec, the group’s wholly owned but autonomous aerostructures subsidiary, opened its first factory outside Germany next to the Airbus Helicopters facility in Brasov. The plant has since almost doubled in size to 26,000m2 (280,000ft2) and has just expanded its workforce from around 850 to 1,000.
LinkCanada appeals to WTO ahead of US CSeries rulingTwo weeks before US trade officials are set to rule on a case against Bombardier, the Canadian government has filed a complaint against the USA with the World Trade Organisation. The complaint, dated 10 January, raises issues with US processes related to imposing and collecting countervailing and anti-dumping import duties – the same taxes the US Department of Commerce has slapped on Bombardier's CSeries.
LinkNIKI CEO steps down; IAG deal may be in jeopardyAustria-based airberlin subsidiary NIKI CEO Oliver Lackmann confirmed he will step down by the end of February as the deal with International Airlines Group (IAG) hits a snag. “It is logical that with a new ownership (of NIKI) it will also lead to a new management,” Lackmann told ATW. Lackmann, a former Airbus A320/330 captain with airberlin, became CEO in April 2016.
LinkDelta targets revenue gains to overcome expected fuel cost jump in 2018Delta Air Lines believes it can overcome a 30% year-over-year (YOY) increase in fuel prices by growing revenue and controlling non-fuel costs in 2018, executives said.
LinkLaHood to lead New York JFK storm issues investigationFormer US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will lead an independent investigation of the disruptions at New York JFK following a winter storm last week, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced. JFK experienced a surge in rescheduled arrivals, gate delays and ground-equipment breakdowns in the wake of a Jan. 4 winter storm that deposited 8 in. of snow there.
LinkRyanair eyes French basesIrish LCC Ryanair is taking steps toward basing aircraft in France, and plans to hold talks with Paris and regional airports in the coming weeks.
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LOT undercarriage collapse closes Warsaw Chopin AirportA LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 nose undercarriage failure led to the closure of Warsaw’s main airport on the evening of Jan. 10. The aircraft was inbound from Krakow with 59 passengers and four crew when the incident unfolded. On lowering the undercarriage as they approached Warsaw Chopin Airport, the pilots received an indication that the aircraft’s nose undercarriage leg might not be locked down.
LinkAegean Airlines hits new passenger record in 2017Greece’s Aegean Airlines Group carried 13.2 million passengers in 2017, up 6% on 2016’s figure and a new record. The group, which consists of Aegean Airlines and subsidiary Olympic Air, said the new record had been achieved through better utilization of its network, as the number of flights over the year had remained stable.
Link Air Canada gives passengers flexible options ahead of winter weatherAir Canada issued a travel alert and waived change fees due to freezing rain in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. The alert is for Jan. 11-14.
LinkAirlines cultivate the next generation of airplane techniciansAirlines looking to establish a steady pipeline of airplane technicians are working to spark students' interest with school partnerships and other initiatives. JetBlue Airways has established a successful apprenticeship program.
LinkRegional carrier Horizon Air names former Alaska Airlines exec CEOGary Beck, Alaska Airlines' former vice president of flight operations, has accepted the role of CEO at Horizon Air. Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden called Beck "a seasoned leader with a tremendous amount of fire in his belly," following the announcement.
LinkJetBlue marks 100 days of Puerto Rico hurricane reliefJetBlue Airways' 100x35JetBlue hurricane relief initiative has been in place for 100 days. The initiative was launched after Hurricane Maria's devastation of Puerto Rico.
LinkBritish Army poised to retire last LynxBritish Army operations with the AgustaWestland Lynx are poised to come to an end, with the Joint Helicopter Command to host a farewell event for the utility type on 16 January. Based at the Royal Air Force's Odiham site in Hampshire, the Army Air Corps 657 Sqn is the last UK unit to employ the Lynx. The type was first fielded in its AH1 standard in August 1978, and subsequently involved in operations by the service in nations including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq and Sierra Leone.
LinkFrance awards Airbus deal to develop naval drone technologyAirbus Helicopters and its partner Naval Group have been contracted by France's DGA defence procurement agency to develop technologies for a projected rotary unmanned air vehicle (RUAV) to operate from warships. The agreement covers “de-risking studies” before a demonstrator RUAV will be built and tested aboard French navy vessels, the manufacturer says. The contract is designed to “identify, deploy and test the technologies necessary for the integration of a tactical drone-system capacity within a heavily-armed vessel”.
LinkDassault details Rafale order backlogDassault ended last year with a firm order backlog for 101 Rafales, after delivering nine of the type during 2017. In a financial overview released on 8 January, the airframer says it shipped eight Rafales to Egypt and a single example to the French air force last year, in line with its planning expectations. Additionally, it returned one Rafale M for service with the French navy, after upgrading it to the latest F3 operating standard.
Link Milan court quashes convictions in Indian AW101 caseA Milan court has overturned the bribery convictions of two former senior Finmeccanica executives in relation to the sale of VVIP helicopters to India. Giuseppe Orsi, the former president of what was then Finmeccanica – since rebranded as Leonardo – and Bruno Spagnolini, who headed the company's AgustaWestland unit, were convicted in 2014 for false accounting following the €556 million ($664 million) acquisition of 12 AW101 helicopters by New Delhi.
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