Four men who hijacked the Paris-bound Air France flight at Algiers on Dec. 24 snuck onto the aircraft wearing Air Algerie uniforms. Air Algerie handles Air France at Algiers.
British Midland Chairman Michael Bishop, an opponent of state subsidies for airlines, says he is "delighted that Lufthansa is now putting its weight firmly behind the argument for reform." Bishop said the European airline community is now divided into two camps - the traditionalists and the reformers.
LTU International Airways plans to add a fifth weekly flight from Dusseldorf and Munich to Miami to meet demand during the winter season. The German carrier is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 1995. During the year, LTU is scheduled to take delivery if its first A330.
More serious for Boeing was the lack of orders for its 777, while Airbus sold 29 competing A340s, including a Singapore Airlines order for 10 in December. Airbus' big twin, the A330, also did not sell, however. The story was the same among single-aisle twin-engine aircraft, with Airbus selling 120 of its A320 variants and Boeing 70 of its 737 and 757 series.
Korean Air Lines has ordered four modified Cessna Citation Ultras for crew training, the manufacturer said. The contract calls for the first Ultra to be delivered in the second quarter. "The Citation Ultras will provide KAL with a step-up aircraft between their piston-engined and turboprop fleet and their airliners," said Gary Hay, Cessna senior VP- marketing and product support.
Northwest said its yearend fare sale, announced Friday, is superior to the recent promotion by Continental that was matched and, in some cases, expanded by other carriers because it covers Northwest's entire U.S. and Canadian network, as well as some Mexican and Caribbean destinations (DAILY, Dec. 30). Northwest also said it is offering deeper discounts. Examples of the fares are $298 for roundtrip travel between New York and Vail, Colo., $398 for Boston-Tucson and $598 for Kansas City-Honolulu flights.
Air Line Pilots Association may ask FAA to ban the practice of airlines requiring pilots to pay for their own training, which can cost up to $10,000. ALPA President Randy Babbitt said he has discussed the situation with FAA Administrator David Hinson and asked him to look into the practice, which places "an economic barrier in front of qualifications."
Before Nov. 8, it appeared that the aviation industry was facing two big legislative issues in the first session of the 104th Congress: the transportation fuel tax and Airport Improvement Program funding. FAA reform would have survived as an issue, but the positions of the key members of Congress were so different from those of key Clinton administration players that dramatic change seemed unlikely. The air traffic control corporation was dead politically, and there was no reason to believe the administration would warm up to an independent FAA.
Airbus Industrie outdid itself in 1994, surpassing Boeing in aircraft orders for the year, according to a preliminary count.The International Lease Finance Corp.'s order for 30 Airbus aircraft in the waning days of the year pushed Airbus sales to about 120, compared with 111 for Boeing.
January promises to be a busy month for U.S. negotiators. Formal talks between U.S. and Canada are expected to begin soon after New Year's, and there is an outside chance that the U.S. and the nine European countries offered open skies will begin nailing down agreements. Also scheduled are further talks with Ukraine, beginning Jan. 9, and the Philippines, Jan. 23.
Northwest applauded DOT's code-share study findings, while Delta pressed to distinguish its proposed alliance with Virgin Atlantic from the BA/USAir pact, according to initial responses to the report issued Dec. 28. "We are pleased that the DOT report has so strongly endorsed code sharing in general and the Northwest/KLM alliance in particular as a model for such alliances," said Elliot Seiden, Nortwest VP-law and government affairs. The study reported that the Northwest/KLM pact provided "sizable benefits to U.S. passengers and small (but positive) benefits to U.S.
LOT Polish Airlines and Lufthansa will begin code-sharing flights between Berlin and Warsaw on Monday as part of a recently signed cooperative agreement. The six weekly Berlin-Warsaw roundtrips will be operated by LOT using a 737. Thirty seats on each flight, split evenly between business and economy classes, will be allotted for Lufthansa passengers. In November, LOT and Austrian Airlines began joint-venture flying between Krakow and Vienna. Under that agreement, the two carriers will share profits and costs, and coordinate flight schedules.
TAP Air Portugal has received authority from the European Commission to begin taking delivery of four Airbus A340s to replace Lockheed L-1011s. The EC had held up delivery to ensure that Portuguese government guarantees will cover loans from British, French and German banks for the aircraft.
Granted orally an exemption to Taesa to conduct scheduled all-cargo services from co-terminal points Mexico City and Toluca to Detroit...Granted orally an exemption to Delta to operate combination services between Cincinnati and Paris... Granted orally an exemption to Airvias Linhas Aereas to conduct combination charters with its own aircraft and crew between Brazil and U.S. Under an earlier ruling, DOT limited the carrier's authority to wet-lease operations by Arrow Air.
A safety seminar scheduled Jan. 9-10 in Washington will focus on setting goals to improve safety for all airlines operating aircraft seating 10 or more passengers. The seminar, called Zero Accidents-The Challenge, is not voluntary except for those airline executives who are willing to risk the wrath of DOT Secretary Federico Pena and FAA Administrator David Hinson. Pena and Hinson called for the meeting following several fatal accidents in the latter part of 1994.
