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IATA
Airport World online
(Montreal Economic Institute/ November 2006) HOW TO MAKE THE CANADIAN AIRLINE INDUSTRY MORE COMPETITIVE : The airline industry has gone through plenty of turbulence over the last few years. Following a period of crisis caused by an economic slowdown in the United States …
They lost out on ICAO, but this is something of a consolation prize
Qatar Airways to Host 70th IATA AGM
Air Transport Leaders to Converge in Doha in June 2014
(IATA Press Release) The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Qatar Airways will host the 70th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit. The event will draw the top leadership of the air transport industry to Doha in the State of Qatar from 1–3 June 2014.
30 May
Singapore Airlines to order $17 billion aircraft from Airbus, Boeing
(Reuters) – Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIAL.SI) agreed to spend $17 billion to buy 30 Airbus and 30 Boeing Co. aircraft, underscoring the airline’s bet on a pick-up in the struggling premium class market.
The significant orders announced on Thursday make Singapore Airlines (SIA) the long-awaited launch customer for a proposed stretched version of the 787 Dreamliner, boosting Boeing’s plans to offer a 320-seat aircraft designed in large part for crowded intra-Asian routes.
The move comes as SIA attempts a big strategy overhaul, pushing into the budget airlines segment and expanding its regional network.
22 March
Fast lane for Saudi air travelers?
(Israeli Homeland Security) Israeli security experts say that the u.s decision to allow Saudis to enter the country using a “fast lane” raises many questions. According to Fox news the Department of Homeland Security program intended to give “trusted traveler” status to low-risk airline passengers soon will be extended to Saudi travelers, opening the program to criticism for accommodating the country that produced 15 of the 19 hijackers behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. … Only an exclusive handful of countries enjoy inclusion in the Global Entry program — Canada, Mexico, South Korea and the Netherlands. According to the IPT, some officials are questioning why Saudi Arabia gets to reap the benefits of the program, when key U.S. allies like Germany and France are not enrolled; Israel has reached a deal with the U.S., but that partnership has not yet been implemented.
17 January
How Bad Are the Dreamliner’s Problems?
(The Atlantic) … repeated battery fires in the 787, and the subsequent grounding of the fleet by the FAA and other airlines and authorities around the world, are obviously terrible news for Boeing. But so far the defect appears to be specific and correctable — a problem with the lithium-ion batteries Boeing has chosen for the plane — rather than some mysterious, unbounded threat that could undo the 787 project as a whole. …
In addition to the carbon-fiber issue, the other “fundamental” question about the Dreamliner has been whether Boeing erred in outsourcing so much of the plane’s manufacturing and design. Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times went into this in depth in a celebrated article two years ago; I also address it in China Airborne. Even Boeing officials now concede that the company farmed out too much of the crucial work of making the plane. Thus it exposed itself to unexpected delays, problems in matching up parts and systems produced by different suppliers, design decisions that were out of its immediate control, and other challenges
Global regulators ground Dreamliners
(Financial Times) Boeing risks losing public confidence in 787 after spate of incidents raised questions about jet’s safety and reliability of electrical power system
2012
28 December
Hobbits take to the air in Air New Zealand safety video — Air New Zealand has set out to take passengers on a flight of fantasy in its latest in-flight safety video, enlisting hobbits, orcs and elves to urge passengers to fasten their seatbelts. Great branding!
Virgin Atlantic celebrates ‘gifted’ employees in glamorous new advert
To celebrate the launch of flights within the UK, Virgin Atlantic has released a new advert celebrating its employees that ‘fly in the face of ordinary’. Terrific send-up of adventure movie trailers!
24 December
Grant Bishop: Canada’s unfriendly skies: Why our airlines need competition
(Globe & Mail) We need more competition to discipline our airlines and their unions. Canadians should reflect on their experiences on our airlines whenever we hear our politicians argue that we need to protect our “national champions”. The shakedown that Canadian travellers face today is too high a price for maple leaves on tailfins.
6 December
The best news for IATA employees since the departure of Giovanni
Comment: can IATA move on following departure of its head of human capital?
(The Loadstar) IATA members and staff could finally see change sweep through the inscrutable organisation following the resignation of one of the old guard, Guido Gianasso, the head of ‘human capital’ and training.
Mr Gianasso, who worked closely with former chief executive Giovanni Bisignani, has been heavily criticised for creating a culture of fear in the airline association – an image not improved when he attempted to unmask and sue an employee who had savaged him anonymously on the whistle-blowing website, Glassdoor.com.
Reportedly responsible for sacking huge numbers of staff during his career, he is moving on to seek new opportunities in Asia.
The move marks the end of the ‘Italian era’ and ‘reign of terror’ at IATA, and will leave members hoping that the winds of change, promised when ex-Cathay boss Tony Tyler took over as CEO in mid-2011, will finally allow the association to modernise – and deliver value. … Under Mr Bisignani, the chief executive approval rating from staff was a stunning 0%. This has now risen to 57%, but change has not come fast enough, say staff. See also Il a supprimé 1000 emplois et craint pour sa « réputation »
27 October
Why Canadian airports are so expensive and inefficient
(Financial Post) Government taxes and fees have long carried the blame for the noncompetitive nature of Canadian airports and for the bleed of nearly 5 million passengers a year in search of cheaper flights south of the border.
But not everyone agrees taxes and fees are the primary source of what ails the air travel industry in Canada. Howard Eng, chief executive of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, which oversees the country’s busiest airport, Pearson International, is one of them.
Mr. Eng argues that while reducing various government fees — such as airport rents, security charges, and fuel excise taxes, will certainly help — the federal government would be better served focusing on a national strategy to increase the number of passengers flying to the country. This would include the elimination of red tape for passengers transferring onto other destinations, streamlining the customs process, and making the country a focal point for travel in emerging markets like India and China.
27 August
FEATURE-Congo’s new airlines brave riskiest African skies
* African infrastructure has not kept pace with growth
* Two new airlines set out to prove Congo market viable
* One of world’s worst safety records
* Booming mining sector offers business potential
By Jonny Hogg
KINSHASA, Aug 27 (Reuters) – Its tarmac littered with dozens of dilapidated planes, the airport in Congo’s capital Kinshasa makes clear the dire state of aviation even by Africa’s generally low standards.
The planes have been abandoned either as mechanical failures or by companies that went bust in a sector where a lack of proper infrastructure means pilots sometimes navigate with the help of Google Maps and sat-nav devices like those found in cars.
“Crazy things happen here. We have to stop those crazy things happening,” says Frenchman Jean-Marc Pajot, who with his new FlyCongo airline is setting out to prove there is a market for those determined to make it work.
15 August
Inside The Airline Industry
(aeronautx.net) There is no doubt that the airline industry has suffered from the economic woes of the country. That almost goes without saying; the more important question to begin examining is what will be the long-term impact of the recession of air travel? There are several factors at play that are going beyond just the cost of a barrel of crude oil and disposable income levels of travelers. There are some actual cultural changes that may wind up breaking the industry or, forcing it to reimagine the future of airline travel.
Who survived?
Over the past decade, many old school commercial airlines have disappeared. The rising price of crude oil and the fall in demand for air travel led to many traditional regional routes being cancelled. This means that many smaller airports have ceased accommodating commercial airlines and more travelers are now splitting their trips between air and auto. “Puddle jumping” has become a thing of the past for most business travelers as the cost of short flights is now equal to or exceeds bicoastal travel. For commercial airlines, it was simply no longer cost-effective to maintain these routes as on top of all of the economic pressures, the air fleets are all aging.
3 August
Why Nigeria’s aviation industry needs urgent rescue
The Guardian, Nigeria) The more one wants to refrain from discussing the issue, the more tempting it has become to write about the allegations, denial of threat to one of Nigeria’s respected aviation professionals.
Captain Dele Ore stunned stakeholders in the aviation industry with an allegation of threat to his life by the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah-Ogiewonyi in a telephone chat last week Friday.
This article is not to apportion blames, but one that could help to bring sanity to a sector that is in dire need of rescue.
26 July
Indian aviation in crisis: IATA
(Times of India) IATA is sounding the alarm bells for Indian aviation. IATA director general Tony Tyler said on Wednesday that “India’s aviation is in a multi-faceted crisis,” severely impacted by high costs and exorbitant taxes.
He also lamented the fact that in such a situation, the government had allowed the Delhi airport to hike charges by 346%. Indian carriers’ collective losses-cum-debt was Rs 1.32 lakh crore as of March 31, 2012.
“The financial situation of Kingfisher is dire and Air India is on government life support,” Tyler said, adding that the global aviation is concerned over the situation in India. He warned that though the country may be considering allowing foreign airlines to pick up stake in Indian carriers, “if critical domestic problems are not addressed, foreign investors will not be lining up to put their cash in Indian airlines… Under current circumstances, investors cannot see how they could ever see a return.”
5 July
Air France Flight 447: Pilot error, faulty equipment caused 2009 crash, investigators say
(AP via Toronto Star) A combination of faulty sensors and mistakes by inadequately trained pilots caused an Air France jet to plunge into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009, killing all 228 people aboard in the airline’s deadliest ever crash, French investigators said Thursday.
Investigators are urging better instruction for pilots on flying manually at high altitudes and stricter plane certification rules as a result of a three-year investigation into what happened to Flight 447.
Airbus, manufacturer of the A330 plane, said in a statement that it is working to improve speed sensors known as pitot tubes and making other efforts to avoid future such accidents. Air France stressed the equipment troubles and insisted the pilots “acted in line with the information provided by the cockpit instruments and systems. …. The reading of the various data did not enable them to apply the appropriate action.”
But the Bureau for Investigations and Analysis’ findings raised broader concerns about training for pilots worldwide flying high-tech planes when confronted with a high-altitude crisis.
12 June
China ready to impound EU planes in CO2 dispute
(Reuters) – China will take swift counter-measures that could include impounding European aircraft if the EU punishes Chinese airlines for not complying with its scheme to curb carbon emissions, the China Air Transport Association said on Tuesday.
10 June
High oil prices and Eurozone crisis, key topics at World Air Transport Summit
BEIJING: High oil prices and the unresolved European debt crisis hitting the financial bottomline of the global aviation industry would be the major focus of debate at the World Air Transport Summit beginning here tomorrow.
The mega event, being organised by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on its 68th IATA Annual General Meeting, has brought together some 650 leaders of the global aviation industry, including airlines, aircraft makers and other service providers, for two days of intense discussions on the industry’s most important issues.
23 April
Hussein Dabbas Appointed IATA RVP for MENA
Amman – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed Hussein Dabbas as Regional Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), based in Amman, Jordan with effect from 1 June 2012.
Dabbas has served as President and CEO of Royal Jordanian Airlines since 2009. That was the culmination of a career at the carrier that spanned over three decades during which Dabbas held various positions in the airline’s commercial departments. Dabbas takes over from Dr. Majdi Sabri who will retire from IATA after the leading the association in the MENA region since 2001.
10 February
Video: Canada’s changing airline industry landscape
BNN talks to Robert Deluce, CEO, Porter Airlines, about the changing Canadian airline industry landscape.
18 January
WestJet Regional Airline May Be Reality As Early As 2013
WestJet is considering launching a new short-haul regional airline — a move observers says would intensify competition with its chief rival, Air Canada and benefit travellers.
Few details were available on the proposed regional operation, other than that the Calgary-based company is thinking about launching it as early as 2013 using a fleet of approximately 40 smaller, turboprop aircraft.
“It’s going to represent or extra competition in many communities across the country where Air Canada’s the only game in town,” Robert Kokonis, president of AirTrav Inc., said Monday.