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Financing Rules Making Lessors Wary Of New Orders

2012-10-22T12:04:00.002-04:00

By Andrew Compart .

The CEOs of two leasing companies say rate volatility and new rules for export credit agency (ECA) financing are making it less appealing for lessors to order new aircraft. “We don’t believe in ordering new aircraft for future delivery from the manufacturers. We think that this is an old model” that is inappropriate for a publicly traded company, Fly Leasing CEO Colm Barrington said in a presentation last week to the Dahlman Rose Global Transportation Conference ...

Congressional Stalemate Could Disrupt Multi-Year Contracts

2012-10-19T12:01:00.001-04:00

By Jen DiMascio .

Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology .

Just as the Pentagon has asked for authority to put five programs on contracts that will run for up to four years, budget turmoil on Capitol Hill threatens to throw a wrench into the Pentagon's plan to save money and add stability to the industrial base on those and other long-term contracts ...

Mars Will Take More Than Just Curiosity

2012-10-18T11:59:00.002-04:00

By Mark Carreau .

Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology .

Early Aug. 6, NASA's Curiosity rover—the centerpiece of a $2.5 billion flagship mission—raced across the Martian sky, undergoing a half-dozen rapid-fire changes in configuration before an untried “Sky Crane” landing system paused just above the terrain to lower the one-metric-ton robot geologist to the surface ...

Embraer Sees Demand For Used Regional Jets

2012-10-17T11:55:00.003-04:00

By Andrew Compart .

Source: Aviation Daily .

Embraer’s ECC Leasing subsidiary, which is actively promoting the parent company’s used regional jets in markets not usually associated with 50-seat jets, has expanded its reach into Russia. The leasing company says it sees opportunities in South America; with oil, gas and mining companies operating in Africa; as a replacement and upgauge for operators of Beechcraft 1900 turboprops; and even as a new niche for smaller U.S. turboprop operators who want to take advantage of markets dropped by larger regional carriers ...

IAG In Talks With Airlines To Replace Qantas Partnership

2012-10-16T11:52:00.002-04:00

By Jens Flottau .

Source: Aviation Daily .

British Airways (BA) parent International Airlines Group (IAG) says it is “talking to a number of airlines about alternative options for us” after long-time partner Qantas ended its joint business agreement with BA after 17 years in favor of a new deal with Emirates Airline ...

Qantas, Emirates Look Beyond Code-Sharing

2012-10-15T11:50:00.002-04:00

By Adrian Schofield adrian_schofield@aviationweek.com .

Source: AWIN First .

Qantas expects that its new alliance with Emirates will help bring its ailing international unit back to profitability, as the carriers plan to broaden an initial code share deal into a revenue-sharing partnership on some routes. The two airlines intend to start code-sharing in April, at which time Qantas will move its stopover point for its London flights from Singapore to Dubai. This will also allow Qantas to connect to 33 European destinations on the Emirates network via Dubai. The airlines will link their frequent flyer programs ...

Small Technology Companies Propel Innovation

2012-10-12T11:47:00.001-04:00

By Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. .

Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology .

From new forms of massively parallel computing to the next generation of mini-satellites, countless innovations critical to future aerospace and defense systems will emerge not from the multibillion-dollar prime contractors, but from small technology companies worldwide ...

Latest Shefex Shot Keeps Germany In Hot Pursuit

2012-10-11T11:41:00.003-04:00

By Michael Dumiak .

Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology .

German researchers are pleased so far with the results of their summer space launch of a rocket-boosted hypersonic demonstrator, which reached 11 times the speed of sound, even though it is now clear they will not be able to recover the vehicle payload from its resting place at the bottom of the Greenland Sea ...

BAA August Traffic Dented By 'Olympics Effect'

2012-10-10T11:38:00.002-04:00

British airport operator BAA reported a 2 percent fall in August passenger traffic on last year as Britons stayed home to watch the Olympics and tourists deferred travel until after the Games ...

Turkey Airport Tender Expected Sept 28

2012-10-09T11:35:00.001-04:00

Turkey is expected to announce a tender to build Istanbul's third airport on September 28, sources with knowledge of the process said, marking the next stage in the multi-billion lira project designed to add vital capacity in the fast-growing region ...

LATAM Airlines Passenger Traffic Up 9.1 Percent

2012-10-08T11:33:00.002-04:00

Newly created LATAM Airlines said on Monday its August passenger traffic rose 9.1 percent compared with the same period last year ...

Philippines Plans To Develop Two New Airports

2012-10-05T00:00:00.003-04:00

The Philippines government is considering developing new airports in two of the country's increasingly popular tourist areas, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer ...

Flight Testing Failures Create Learning Curve

2012-10-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology .

The hypersonics community is accustomed to failure, but that has done nothing to temper the deep disappointment after the X-51A Waverider demonstrator's third flight ended before its supersonic-combustion ramjet engine could be fired. The Aug. 14 test fizzled seconds after it began due to a control fin malfunction. It followed a largely successful first test in May 2010, and is the latest in a string of failures. But there have also been successes, and it is those that continue to keep the hopes for hypersonics alive. The first U.S. Air Force X-51A achieved 143 sec of scramjet-powered flight—11 times the duration set by NASA's X-43A in 2004. The rocket-boosted Army Hypersonic Weapon flew from Hawaii to Kwajalein Atoll in less than 30 min. in November 2011, and in May of this year, under a U.S.-Australian cooperative program, the HIFire 2 scramjet was launched successfully from Hawaii ...

UPS Sees TNT Deal Closing Now 2013

2012-10-03T15:00:00.000-04:00

United Parcel Service said that EU regulators are extending their review of the company's planned takeover of Dutch peer TNT Express because antitrust conditions will not be met by an earlier deadline ...

British PM Moves To Defuse Airports Row

2012-10-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday tried to defuse a row over potential expansion of London's over-stretched Heathrow airport, pledging to seek cross-party support for plans to boost UK airport capacity ...

Dubai Passenger, Freight Traffic Climbs

2012-10-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

Passenger traffic at Dubai Airport climbed 6.0 percent in July from a year earlier, with monthly traffic surpassing 5 million passengers for the first time, the airport said on Wednesday ...

AMR, US Airways Evaluating Potential Merger

2012-09-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

American Airlines parent AMR and US Airways have signed a non-disclosure agreement as they evaluate a potential merger that would create an airline that rivals United in scope ...

AdP Maintains Forecasts After Q1

2012-09-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

Aeroports de Paris maintained its profit outlook despite posting lower-than-expected first-quarter earnings on Friday, as weakness in core activities clouded brisk retail and property earnings ...

UK Cabinet Reshuffle Suggests Heathrow Rethink

2012-09-26T20:00:00.000-04:00

Britain indicated it could rethink its opposition to airport expansion in southeast England on Tuesday when it moved its transport minister, a vocal critic, into another role ...

AMR Can Abandon Pilots' Union Contract

2012-09-25T15:00:00.000-04:00

A judge on Tuesday ruled that AMR, the bankrupt parent of American Airlines, could abrogate its collective bargaining agreement with its union pilots ...

Bombardier Could Offer 160-Seat CSeries

2012-09-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

By Jens Flottau .

Source: Aviation Daily .

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft is considering a high-density version of its largest CSeries, the CS300, to meet growing demand from airlines for an aircraft with 160 seats. The Canadian airframer is hoping to make a decision “in the next few months,” Rob Dewar, VP and general manager for the CSeries program, tells Aviation Week ...

Entrepreneurs Tap Into Airborne ISR Testing Needs

2012-09-21T05:00:00.000-04:00

By Angus Batey .

Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology .

In an era of austerity, it might be counterintuitive to suggest that aviation and defense subsystems and equipment manufacturers could save money by doing more flight testing. But this is the pitch that a small company operating from this quiet, art deco-styled airfield in the heart of Britain has turned into a viable and growing business. At its core is an idea that has the potential to revolutionize aerospace development. “When I was in the military it felt like test and evaluation went: develop, develop, develop, develop, test, fail; redevelop, redevelop, test; is that good enough?” says Chris Norton, cofounder of 2Excel Aviation. “Instead of that, our big idea is to go: develop, test; develop, test; develop, test. So you make fewer mistakes, you don't go down blind alleys, you don't create something that nobody wants.” ...

Glasgow Introduces Automated Boarding Scanners

2012-09-20T20:00:00.000-04:00

Glasgow Airport in Scotland became the third UK airport to introduce automated boarding-pass scanners ...

PAL To Build Largest Airport In Philippines

2012-09-19T15:00:00.000-04:00

Philippine Airlines (PAL) plans to build what could be the largest airport in the Philippines, according to a report in the country's Inquirer newspaper ...

IAG May Take A Stake In American Airlines

2012-09-18T15:00:00.000-04:00

IAG, parent of British Airways and Iberia, said it had signed a non-disclosure agreement with American Airlines with a view to taking a stake in the US carrier, which is itself in talks over a potential merger with US Airways ...