Industry News

Signature Flight Support Corp. adds Fresno Yosemite International Airport (KFAT) to its network, offering convenient access to California’s Central Valley. Signature announces it has entered into an agreement with McDonald Aviation, LLC to manage its facility at KFAT. McDonald Aviation, LLC acquired the nearly new facility earlier this year and has completed an extensive refurbishment of the entire property, which has been used solely for their aircraft until now. The facility will be fully branded and operated as Signature.

The fixed base operation will offer its customers all the benefits of Signature’s portfolio of services including Signature Status and access to its global network of FBOs. The executive terminal is 6,100 sq. ft. and features a passenger lounge, crew lounge, two sleep rooms, executive conference room, and Signature’s standard refreshment area.

House, Senate pass another (#16) short-term extension

The U.S. House and Senate passed another short-term extension of FAA’s operating authority, pushing consideration of a longer-term reauthorization bill into a lame-duck session of Congress, at the earliest. The new extension will last through Dec. 31. Congress was due to go into recess for the November elections, and House leaders believe the long-term FAA bill can be addressed again during a lame-duck session after the election.

Southwest Airlines to acquire AirTran Holdings

Southwest Airlines Co. announces plans to acquire smaller rival AirTran Holdings Inc., in a $1.4 billion cash-and-stock deal that reflects intensifying consolidation in the industry. The friendly takeover would give Dallas-based Southwest a major presence at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int’l Airport, the busiest in the world and AirTran’s main hub. It would also extend Southwest’s service outside the U.S. for the first time, with the addition of AirTran routes to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Global framework for aviation emissions; safety

IATA urges the governments of the world to reach an agreement on a global framework to manage international aviation’s emissions at the 37th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal. The aviation industry is united behind three targets: (1) a 1.5 percent average annual improvement in fuel efficiency to 2020, (2) capping net emissions from 2020 with carbon-neutral growth, and (3) cutting emission in half by 2050 compared to 2005.

• IATA, together with ICAO, the U.S. DOT, and the Commission of the European Union (EC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the framework and path forward to launch the Global Safety Information Exchange. The four organizations will start their cooperation by selecting the safety information each group currently collects, which would be the most relevant to the goal of improving safety by risk reduction. IATA will make the largest contribution of airline data by providing de-identified information from the IATA Operational Safety Audit program.

Calender

OCTOBER
17-19 11th Annual AAAE Airport Customer Service/Volunteer Ambassador Conference; Denver, CO; www.aaae.org
18-20 2010 ACI-NA/ACC/FAA Airport Planning Redefined Course & NEPA Workshop; Long Beach, CA; www.aci-na.org
18-20 Cargo Facts Aircraft Symposium; Miami, FL; http://royalmedia.com
18-21 2010 ACI-NA/ACC/FAA Airport Planning Redefined Course & NEPA Workshop; Long Beach, CA; www.faa.gov
19-21 NBAA 63rd Annual Meeting & Convention; Atlanta, GA; www.nbaa.org
22-24 1st Latin American ARFF Seminar; Cartagena, Columbia
24-26 15th Annual International Aviation Forecast Summit; New Orleans, LA; www.aviationforecastsummit.com
25-27 AAAE Airport Wildlife Trainer’s Course; Minneapolis, MN; www.aaae.org
25-27 16th Annual Central Europe/North America Airport Issues Conference; Prague, Czech Republic; www.aaae.org
31-2 AAAE Airport and the Rental Car Industry Workshop; San Jose, CA; www.aaae.org
30-1 Doha Aviation Summit; Doha, Qatar; www.dohaaviationsummit.com

NOVEMBER
2-3 AAAE Parking and Landside Management Workshop; San Jose, CA; www.aaae.org
3-5 AVSEC World 2010; Frankfurt, Germany; www.iata.org
8-11 ACI-NA Airport Concessions Conference; Phoenix, AZ; www.aci-na.org
9-11 Airport Pavement Workshop; Boston, MA; www.faa.gov
15-17 Airports Going Green Conference; Chicago, IL; www.aaae.org