"Man must rise above the Earth-to the top of the atmosphere and beyond-for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives"
-Socrates
Hawker Beechcraft Bankruptcy Plan Could Eliminate Business Jets
A document from Hawker Beechcraft's bankruptcy filing reveals three "strategic options" for the aircraft manufacturer. All three options eliminate the Premier jet program, two options eliminate the Hawker 4000 business jet and one option eliminates all business-jet production. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in May....Read More
NASA, FAA Enter Into Landmark Commercial Space Agreement
The FAA and NASA have signed a historic agreement to coordinate standards for commercial space travel of government and non-government astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station (ISS)...Read More
Delta CEO Pledges To Drive Down Prices Of Jet Fuel
Richard Anderson, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, says the carrier plans to push down prices of jet fuel when it begins selling it. Delta recently purchased an oil refinery in Trainer, Pa. "It's our intention to begin to participate in the pricing function and put a lot of downward pressure on the cost of refining a barrel of jet fuel," Anderson said...Read More
AMR CEO Asks Bondholders To Consider Stand-Alone Plan, Sources Say
Tom Horton, the CEO of AMR Corp., has asked a bondholder group to consider a stand-alone plan for American Airlines before a merger plan proposed by US Airways, sources say. The bondholders hold $700 million of debt for AMR Corp., which filed for bankruptcy in November. "We are completely confident in the strength of our plan for success," American Airlines said in a statement.........Read More
Boeing Says First Delivery For 737 MAX Will Occur in 2017
Boeing will apply the lessons that it learned from its 787 and 747-8 upgrades to its 737 MAX upgrades. An optimistic schedule led to delays in the 787 and 747-8 programs, this feature says. Boeing received orders for 451 737 MAX aircraft through May. Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, has said that the first MAX could be delivered in 2017....Read More
Airbus Factory In China Will Deliver 100th A320 in 2012 The Airbus factory in Tianjin, China, will deliver its 100th A320 this year. "Our target is to deliver four aircraft per month and a total of 47 aircraft in 2013," said Laurence Barron, president of Airbus China. The plant opened in 2008; Airbus' contract with its joint venture partner expires in 2016....Read More Airline Industry Should Focus On Biofuels, Air France Exec Says
The airline industry "needs to push for the development, research and eventual production of biofuels for airlines' use," believes Pierre Albano, Air France's vice president of environment, "which requires partnerships between public and private enterprises," this feature says. "We [also] need to convince policymakers to develop policies and a framework for biofuel use [by airlines]," he said......Read More
U.S. Airlines Employed More Workers in April, DOT Says
U.S. airlines employed 1.83% more employees in April on a year-over-year basis, Department of Transportation data show. The airlines employed 583,278 full-time equivalent employees in April, an increase from 572,797 employees in April 2011. However, airline employment in April decreased slightly from March figures.........Read More
Senator Attempts To Introduce Pilot's Bill Of Rights
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., sought the Senate's consent Thursday to consider his Pilot's Bill of Rights. "[I]t doesn't matter much to people that are listening to me right now, because you're not pilots," Inhofe said. "But it means a lot to the 400,000 members of the [Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association], who are watching us right now, and to the 175,000 general aviation....Read More US Airways CEO: Carrier Has Support For American Airlines Merger US Airways held its annual shareholder meeting on Thursday in New York, and executives said a possible merger with American Airlines has strong support in financial markets. Doug Parker, the CEO of US Airways, said both carriers would benefit from a merger. "It's better for creditors of AMR and for shareholders of US Airways," he said. AMR Corp., parent company of American Airlines, declined to comment on Parker's remarks, but a spokesman said AMR was committed to finding the best result for its creditors, employees and other stakeholders...........Read More
On-Time Arrivals By Major Airlines Set Record
The industry's 15 largest carriers achieved an 84.5% rate in on-time arrivals during the first four months of 2012, setting the highest-ever record since monitoring began in 1995. "Thanks to operational improvements and fewer weather disruptions, our members are again delivering strong on-time performance and already this year set two all-time records for baggage handling," said Nicholas Calio, president of Airlines for America...Read More
Biofuels Extend Life Of Aircraft Engines, Air Force Says
Biofuels could have benefits beyond the environment, says Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Terry Yonkers. "Our tests show that these fuels burn cleaner and cooler," Yonkers said. The lower burn temperatures can extend the life of aircraft engines....Read More
American Airlines Prevails In Effort To Stop Union Election
A judge has issued an order temporarily stopping a union election drive for passenger service agents at American Airlines. The National Mediation Board had allowed the election, scheduled to start June 21, but the carrier says the board used outdated criteria to determine whether the election had enough worker support. AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, filed for bankruptcy last year....Read More
NetJets Announces $9.6 Billion In Bombardier, Cessna Private Jet Orders Fractional ownership provider NetJets has placed orders that could end up totalling $9.6 billion with Bombardier and Cessna for up to 425 new private jets. If all options are exercised, the deal could ultimately comprise up to 275 Bombardier Challenger aircraft, and up to 150 Cessna Citation Latitudes, says NetJets in a statement. It added that this is the largest single private jet deal in history.....Read More
JetBlue Looks To Widebody Operations from 2015 As JetBlue Airways focuses on bringing Airbus A321 narrowbodies into its fleet in the near term, it is also in the early stages of studying the acquisition of larger-gauge aircraft to serve longer-haul markets, chief executive Dave Barger tells Airline Business Daily at the IATA annual meeting in Beijing....Read More
USAF Raptors Train With Eurofighters At Red Flag-Alaksa The US Air Force's Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors are participating in their first Red Flag-Alaska war-games with German Eurofighter Typhoon fighters and other foreign aircraf.....Read More Northrop Grumman Unveils U.S. Navy's Firsrt MQ-4C BAMS Unmanned The first U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS) was unveiled in a ceremony Thursday at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, CA, manufacturing facility...Read More Delta Says It Won't Sell Jet Fuel on Open Market
Delta Air Lines Inc, which took the bold step of bidding for a refinery to keep a handle on fuel costs, said on Monday it would not be selling jet fuel on the open market once the deal closes....Read More
Pilots Union Weighs Latest Offer From American Airlines
American Airlines and its pilots failed to agree in talks on furloughs and other concessions sought by the carrier as it seeks to reorganize in bankruptcy.......Read More
Jet-Engine Manufacturers See Demand Idle
Jet-engine manufacturers are seeing demand dwindle as airlines aim to save cash rather than purchase new engines. Executives at GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney have acknowledged weakness in the market. GE Aviation holds about 50% market share, while Pratt & Whitney and Rolls Royce each hold about 25% of market share...Read More
FAA Acknowledges Likelihood Of Pilot Shortage
A Federal Aviation Administration official acknowledges that there likely will be a pilot shortage in the U.S. soon. "This is an interesting dilemma for the aviation community," said John Duncan of the FAA....Read More
London Air Services Orders Five Learjet 75s
A firm order for five Learjet 75 aircraft has been placed by London Air Services (LAS), according to a news release from Bombardier....Read More
American Airlines, Mechanics Union Fail To Reach Agreement
FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines and the union for its mechanics ended two days of negotiations without a deal on labor cost-cutting, making it likely that the decision will be left to the judge handling American's bankruptcy case.....Read More
Higher Fuel Costs Lead To Lower Prices On Boeing 747-400s
Boeing 747-400s are available at bargain prices, thanks to the higher cost of fuel. Ten-year-old models of the most popular wide-body plane sell for $36 million, Ascend Worldwide says. "There's not a lot of demand for the 747," said Paul Sheridan...Read More
U.S. Questions Russia Sale Of Attack Helicopters To Syria
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Russia's sale of attack helicopters to Syria will help escalate the conflict in Syria. A United Nations official described the conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims....Read More
3 American Airlines Unions Support Merger With US Airways The three largest unions at American Airlines support a merger with US Airways. AMR Corp., the parent company of American, filed for bankruptcy in November. "We believe we have an idea here that can create a stronger airline, take care of all of the employees and also take care of the creditors...Read More U.S. Air Transport Industry Supports 6.6M Jobs, Study Says The U.S. air transport industry in 2010 represented 3.7 percent of the nation's GDP-or 4.9 percent when considering so-called spillover benefits-and supported 6.6 million jobs...Read More Part 135 Flying Increases For First Time In 19 Months Business aircraft flying activity last month in the U.S. increased again year-over-year, with traffic rising 1.6 percent, according to TraqPak data released yesterday by aviation services company Argus. Notably, Part 135 charter flying moved into positive territory...Read More |
