Industry News Jun11

Sept. 5, 2014

Briefings ...

ACI-NA — Airports Council Int’l - North America names Katherine B. Preston as its director of environmental affairs. Preston recently worked as policy analyst in Boeing’s Arlington, VA office.

• ACI-NA raises concerns in comments submitted to FAA on the proposed rule to enhance the safety of Part 139 airports. Of particular concern to ACI-NA were provisions related to training and the surface movement plan.

AMERICAN AIRLINES — launches service from Chicago O’Hare to Helsinki, from May 1 through Oct. 29, using Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

ARSA — Aeronautical Repair Station Association applauds a new bilateral aviation safety agreement (BASA) between the U.S. and the European Union (EU) on May 1, and expected to enhance efficiencies, reduce regulatory duplication, and lower compliance costs, all while ensuring safety.

ASHEVILLE (NC) REGIONAL AIRPORT — is awarded the GA Project of the Year by the SE Chapter of AAAE for its creative use of a regional partnership to conduct a major fill project that created 15 usable acres of aeronautical use land on the airport campus.

ASIG — of Orlando reports that its Denver Int’l Airport jet fuel facility operation is the recipient of the 2011 Sustainability Champion Award, given by the CO Department of Public Health and other groups. ASIG operates the facility on behalf of a 17-member airline consortium.

• ASIG also renews ground handling agreements with Virgin Atlantic Airways atJFK and Newark/EWR.

CA Senate Bill 619 — moves to the California Senate floor and would provide relief to some flight training facilities from rules issued by the CA Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. The bill would exempt any flight school that does not require upfront payment of “tuition” or fees and that does not require students to enter into a contract of indebtedness as a condition for training. It is supported by AOPA, NATA.

CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO. — positions its newest Mobile Service Unit at Preferred Jet Center LLC near Atlanta at Cobb County Airport-McCollum Field.

• Cessna names former General Electric executive Scott Ernest president/CEO, replacing the retiring Jack Pelton.

CONNECTLAX — a joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) and STV, is awarded a contract by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to provide environmental and preliminary design services for an extension of the Metro Green Line light rail to Los Angeles Int’l Airport (LAX).

CONWAY (AR) — breaks ground on a $25 million airport, to replace the city’s existing airport in the center of town.

CROWNAIR AVIATION — and Coast Flight Training and Management Inc.of San Diego announce an alliance as Cirrus Platinum Partners for Authorized Service and Training, respectively.

• Crownair also celebrates 60 years as a Southern California aviation service provider.

DELOITTE — releases a study, “Transforming the Air Transportation System – A Business Case for Program Acceleration”, which estimates the net present value of deploying the air traffic upgrade globally as scheduled by 2025 for the FAA’s NextGen, the EU’s SESAR, and other global programs is $897 billion through 2035.  

DELTA AIR LINES — seeks federal approval to expand at New York’s LaGuardia Airport with slots from US Airways, revising a 2009 plan rejected by regulators. If approved, Delta would take over 132 pairs of LaGuardia flight slots held by US Airways, which would get 42 pairs at Washington’s Reagan airport.

DENVER INT’L AIRPORT — reports it will not move forward with building a signature bridge over Peña Boulevard for a FasTracks commuter train, intended to serve as a visual and symbolic gateway for travelers. Airport estimated the cost for the signature bridge at $22 million.

DFW INT’L AIRPORT — welcomes Spirit Airlines twice-daily flights from Fort Lauderdale on Airbus A319 aircraft.

DES MOINES INT’L AIRPORT — announces United Airlines will fly non-stop from DSM to Newark, using 50-seat EJR-145s.

EBACE 2011 — European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition ends its three-day show, attracting 12,751 attendees from 108 countries and a record 511 exhibitors.

EULEN AMERICA — of Miami is awarded contracts by Delta Air Lines to manage cabin cleaning services at Reagan National and Newark Liberty airports, as well as passenger services, encompassing skycap, bag handlers, passenger assistance, security, wheelchair aides, within Delta’s DCA terminal.

FAA — Federal Aviation Administration proposes an overhaul of air carrier crew training. Under a supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM), flight crews would have to demonstrate, not just learn, critical skills in “real-world” training scenarios. Proposal would require ground and flight training to teach pilots how to recognize and recover from stalls and require remedial training for pilots with performance deficiencies such as failing a proficiency test or check, or unsatisfactory performance during flight training or a simulator course.

• FAA releases a new heliport design guide, AC-150/5390-2C, for industry comment, providing recommendations for heliport design, including heliports serving helicopters with single and tandem rotors.

FRONTIER AIRLINES — renews nonstop seasonal service between Branson, MO and Milwaukee, beginning July 1.

GLOBAL AVIATION HOLDINGS, INC. — starts aircraft operations out of Tampa Int’l Airport. Global Aviation operates two wholly-owned subsidiary airlines and one airline services company — World Airways, Inc., North American Airlines, Inc, and Global Shared Services, Inc. — and is the largest commercial provider of air transport for the U.S. military.

HARTSFIELD-JACKSON ATLANTA INT’L AIRPORT — releases results of the Atlanta Metropolitan Aviation Capacity Study, Phase II, which concludes that at this time there appears to be no airport or site that could feasibly serve as a second commercial service airport for metropolitan Atlanta. The $1 million study was initiated by FAA.

HIGH FLYING FOODS — launches two innovative Peet’s Coffee & Teas in San Francisco Int’l’s Terminal Two, featuring environmentally conscious food and beverages to local airports.

HMSHOST — and the Shula Family open Shula’s Bar&Grill at Miami Int’l Airport.

ICELANDAIR — launches seasonal service from Dulles Int’l with four flights a week.

JETBLUE AIRWAYS — begins daily nonstop service between Jacksonville Int’l Airport and Luis Muñoz Marín Int’l Airport in San Juan.

LANDMARK AVIATION — makes a $75,000 donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego through its “Landmark Cares” corporate social responsibility initiative.

• Landmark renovates FBO facilities at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int’l Airport and Greensboro, NC.

LAWA — Los Angeles World Airports adds Explosives Detection Personnel Screening Canines at Los Angeles Int’l Airport (LAX).

LUFTHANSA — becomes the first airline to offer scheduled Airbus A380 service to Miami with daily flights to Frankfurt.

MASSPORT — Massachusetts Port Authority named its top lawyer to lead the agency on an interim basis while it searches for a permanent CEO to replace the retired Thomas Kinton, Jr.

MEMPHIS INT’L AIRPORT — will raise landing fees and terminal rents starting July 1 to offset revenue losses from Delta Air Line’s rollback of its Memphis hub, raising landing fees less than a penny per 1,000 pounds and increasing terminal rents by 21 percent.

METROPOLITAN NASHVILLE AIRPORT AUTHORITY — will build eight new T-hangars at John C. Tune Airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in Tennessee.

MIAMI INT’L AIRPORT — South Terminal welcomes foreign passengers with a classical music concert featuring the Miami Symphony Orchestra for two hours on May 14.

MID-CONTINENT INSTRUMENTS — reports its instrument shop in Van Nuys (CA) has earned FAA Full Class 1, 2, 3 Radio and Class 3 Accessory repair certification from FAA.

NATA — National Air Transportation Assn. releases its new fact book, General Aviation in the United States, featuring facts, statistics, and more; www.nata.aero/factbook.

ORLANDO INT’L AIRPORT — welcomes the first-ever Build-A-Bear Workshop airport location.

PA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD — opens a helicopter flight training facility at Capital City Airport (CXY) in New Cumberland. CXY is the nation’s sole training facility for the Army’s new UH-72 Lakota helicopter.

PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INT’L AIRPORT — awards the first of two Terminal 4 concessions contracts to Host International, which is estimated to produce at least $45 million a year in gross sales.

PORTLAND (ME) INT’L JETPORT — begins constructing its $75 million terminal expansion and gets FAA support from the Voluntary Airport Low Emission program with a $2.5 million VALE grant for geothermal heating and cooling that will save more than 50,000 gallons of oil every year — or a savings of more than $200,000 per year and more than $8 million over the system’s life.

PORT OF OAKLAND — and Coulomb Technologies expand “new generation” electric vehicle (EV) charging services at Oakland Int’l Airport with eight ChargePoint® networked charging stations as part of the ChargePoint America program.

PROFESSIONAL AIRCRAFT ACCESSORIES — a Greenwich AeroGroup Company, makes a 20,000-sq. ft. expansion to its facility at Titusville, FL.

QATAR AIRWAYS — switches its operations at JFK Int’l Airport from Terminal 4 to Terminal 8.

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT — begins resurfacing runway 1/19, which will necessitate nightly closures of the runway through 2011.

SOLAIRUS AVIATION — opens a new office at Centennial Airport in Denver, while adding two Oakland-based large cabin aircraft, a Bombardier Global Express and a Challenger 604, for Part 135 charter operations.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INT’L AIRPORT — in Ft. Myers is presented the 2011 Commercial Airport Project of the Year Award for Excellence in Wildlife Management by the SE Chapter of AAAE.

STATE OF ILLINOIS — begins a study of airports in Illinois to find out their economic benefits to local economies, which will include more than 100 airports across Illinois.

ST. LOUIS, MS — Despite extensive damage from the EF-4 tornado that hit Lambert-St. Louis Int’l Airport, work on Phase II of a $70 million interior renovation known as the Airport Experience Program continues.

SUNSTATE AVIATION FLIGHT SCHOOL — at Kissimmee (FL) Gateway Airport receives FAA Part 141 certification.

TAMPA INT’L AIRPORT — and JetBlue Airways announce daily nonstop service between Tampa and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

TETERBORO AIRPORT — is getting a $27.1 million Engineered Material Arrestor System (EMAS) to be installed at the southwestern end of Runway 6/24.

UNIVERSAL WEATHER AND AVIATION, INC. — of Houston acquires Air Chef Holdings, LLC, including Air Culinaire, Air Culinaire Int’l, and CaterLink Worldwide.

U.S. DOT — reports that domestic airlines’ overall work force rose 1.7 percent in March from a year earlier, with total full-time and part-time employment at 571,873. Airline with the biggest increase was American Eagle, with 6.8 percent more employees, followed by Delta, with a 5.2 percent increase.

VISION AIRLINES — begins nonstop flights from Tunica, MS to Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, FL using a 32-seat Dornier 328 turboprop.

VOLARIS — will start nonstop service July 15 between San Diego Int’l and Guadalajara and Mexico City.