Business Buzz
¦ The new American Airlines ground service equipment repair building at JFK Airport, designed by Graf & Lewent Architects, received the Queens Chamber of Commerce 2009 Building Award in the New Construction – Industrial category at the Chamber’s annual awards gala in December 2009.
¦ Malabar International announced that it has received a 2009 Boeing Performance Excellence Award. The Boeing Company issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance. Malabar maintained a minimum Silver composite performance rating for each month of the 12-month performance period from Oct. 1, 2008, to Sept. 30, 2009.
¦ Air T Inc. reported consolidated net earnings of $1,247,000 ($0.51 per diluted share) for fiscal 2010’s third quarter ended Dec. 31, 2009, compared to consolidated net earnings of $974,000 ($0.40 per diluted share) for the third quarter of fiscal 2009. The company also reported year-to-date earnings for the nine months of $3,212,000 ($1.32 per diluted share) compared to $3,636,000 ($1.50 per diluted share) for the similar fiscal 2009 period. Consolidated revenues for fiscal 2010’s third quarter were $22,321,000, a decrease of 5 percent compared to the similar 2009 fiscal quarter. Consolidated revenues for the first nine months of the 2010 fiscal year were $61,411,000 or 12 percent lower than the prior year comparable period. At Dec.31, 2009, the backlog at Global Ground Support, the company’s ground support equipment business, was $5.7 million, compared to $12.2 million at Dec. 31, 2008.
¦ The International Air Transport Association announced that in 2009 intra-Asia-Pacific travel had eclipsed the number of travelers in North America as the world’s largest aviation market. Asia-Pacific’s travelers numbered 647 million compared the 638 million who traveled within North America (including domestic markets). By 2013 an additional 217 million travelers are expected to take to the skies within Asia–Pacific. The global aviation industry is expected to reduce losses from $11 billion in 2009 to $5.6 billion in 2010. The loss reduction is being led by Asia-Pacific’s carriers who are expected to see their losses shrink from $3.4 billion in 2009 to $700 million in 2010.
¦ The nation’s largest airlines had an on-time performance rate in 2009 that was their best since 2003, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released by the U.S. Department of Transportation. In addition, the report showed that the carriers’ rate of mishandled baggage last year was the lowest recorded since 2004. According to information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 79.5 percent in 2009, an improvement over 2008’s rate of 76.0 and the best annual record since the 82.0 percent on-time rate of 2003. In addition, the carriers recorded a mishandled baggage rate of 3.91 per 1,000 passengers in 2009, an improvement over 2008’s 5.26 and the best mark for a calendar year since the rate of 3.84 recorded in 2002.
¦ Fraport AG registered more passengers in January 2010 at Frankfurt Airport than in the comparable month last year. FRA welcomed approximately 3.7 million passengers in the first month of 2010, a 3.5 percent increase year-on-year. Airfreight tonnage increased at noticeably higher rates in the reporting month. Some 157,637 metric tons of airfreight at FRA represent a 32.2-percent gain. Aircraft movements at Frankfurt Airport slipped by 0.5 percent to 35,278 takeoffs and landings, mainly due to adverse weather conditions. The overall positive traffic development in January 2010 was also reported at the group level. The Fraport Group’s five majority-owned airports served a total of five million passengers in January 2010, 6.6 percent more than in January 2009.
¦ American Airlines Cargo division announced it opened its newly relocated cargo terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport. The facility will offer streamlined handling capability, including a 3,000-square-foot cooler for perishables and expanded areas for courier cargo, mail processing and a designated holding area for live animals.
Partnerships/Acquisitions/Contracts
¦ TCR announced the creation of its new affiliate in Dublin: Trailer Construction & Repairing Ireland Lim. in December 2009. After eight years using TCR GSE services to cover specific handling contracts, Sky Handling Partner decided to outsource its full GSE fleet — motorized and non-motorized — to TCR Ireland at Dublin Airport (DUB). TCR provides rental of all motorized and non-motorized GSE. Maintenance and repair activities will be performed by taking over Sky Handling Partner’s existing workshop at DUB airport.
¦ ASIG® announced that Singapore Cargo has renewed its agreement with ASIG to provide ground handling services for their eight weekly flights at Los Angeles International Airport.
¦ easyJet announced that it has selected WorkBridge as the supplier for their resource planning software for all their ground handling operations. As a market leader in the field of operational planning, WorkBridge and their software platform will provide planning support, allowing easyJet on a worldwide basis to optimize the management and allocation of people, equipment and resources, to enhance workload performance, and to analyse capacity requirements as they change across their bases.
¦ Swissport International and its local partner Losch announced it commenced their new joint operation at Munich Airport on March 1. The partners have won German-wings, Spanair, Air Berlin, Air Dolomiti and Czech Airlines as their first customers; and Continental Airlines will be entrusting its handling to Swissport/Losch from March 28 onwards. Negotiations are also nearing completion with a number of additional carriers.
¦ Singapore Airport Terminal Services announced that its third-quarter profit grew 42 percent to $53.4 million. In the third quarter of FY2009-10, group revenue grew 79 percent (+$191.9 million) to $434.3 million due to the consolidation of Singapore Food Industries (SFI) which amounted to $199.6 million. This was partially offset by a 3-percent (-$6.1 million) drop in aviation revenue to $228.4 million. Compared to the second quarter of FY2009-10, SFI’s contribution to group revenue was 46 percent (+$62.8 million) higher. This included better sales reported by Daniels Group in the UK. Aviation revenue also improved 5 percent (+$9.9 million), reflecting the trend in the aviation industry.
¦ ASIG® announced that it has been selected by Allegiant Air to provide ground handling, cabin cleaning and passenger handling services at Orlando International Airport (MCO), a new market for the airline. Last year, Allegiant also tapped ASIG to be their ground service provider when they launched new operations at Los Angeles International Airport.
¦ TCR announced that Menzies Inc. has requested TCR to support them at George Bush International Airport, by developing similar services as the ones TCR is providing them in Europe. Operations for Menzies started Dec. 28, 2009, and include: rental and fleet management of all motorized and non-motorized GSE. Maintenance and repair activities will be performed by taking over Menzies existing workshop at IAH airport.
¦ Wallenborn Transports S.A. announced it will provide a full distribution package out of the six hubs which AirBridgeCargo airlines serves in Europe operating Boeing 747 400 full freighters connecting Europe with China. Twenty-eight flights are operated per week, connecting China with Europe. Its strategically placed hub operation means full coverage and optimization over the network it is developing in Europe. Wallenborn operates scheduled services reaching some 100 airports in Europe and has developed a service center concept at the key airports to serve its key accounts in all operational ways.
¦ ASIG® announced that it has commenced ground handling operations for Air Canada’s 80-plus weekly flights at Newark Liberty International Airport. Complete ramp side services, cabin cleaning and aircraft deicing are being provided to Air Canada.
¦ Menzies announced the award of a ground handling contract by Air China in Macau, which commencedf Jan. 15, 2010. Menzies will provide full ground handling services for the carrier, ranging from ramp, passenger, cargo, aircraft maintenance to cleaning services, based on four flights per week for a contract period of two years.
People in the News
¦ Swissport International has appointed Kai Proff as the new branch manager Frankfurt of its German cargo organization. Proff assumed his new function on March 1.
¦ SkyWest Airlines, a subsidiary of SkyWest Inc., reported the promotion of Greg Burton to director of internal culture. In his new position, Burton will be responsible for driving internal culture through employee recognition and engagement leadership development, travel and people programs, plus employee philanthropic opportunities.
¦ ASIG® announced that it has appointed Pat Pearse as managing director for ASIG Europe. Pearse replaces Mark Edwards, who is taking on a new leadership role within ASIG as senior vice president, business development for worldwide operations. As managing director, Pearse will oversee ASIG’s fuel, cabin cleaning, lounge and deicing operations at London Heathrow and nine other airports in the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria.
¦ Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc has announced the appointment of Kayode T. Ojo as its executive director, finance and strategic planning in line with the ongoing program of enhancing its human capital in order to constantly achieve value-driven service delivery.
¦ Global Aviation Services LLC announced that Scott Strong has been appointed to the position of manager of training and compliance. As manager of training and compliance, Strong will work on the development of core training programs, including employee development initiatives. Strong will also be responsible for the company’s comprehensive shop audit and compliance program.
¦ National Air Transportation Association President James K. Coyne announced the recent selection of Robert L. Stallings, III, president of Eastern Aviation Fuels Inc., to the NATA Board of Directors. Stallings’ appointment took effect immediately.
¦ Swissport International has announced two personnel changes within its cargo organization. Wouter Brand assumes overall responsibility for Swissport’s Dutch airfreight handling, while Francisco Gonçalves takes charge of cargo handling in Brazil. Both appointees assumed their duties with immediate effect.
