IATA — International Air Transport Assn. reports global traffic demand was 4.7 percent below the same month in 2010 while passenger traffic showed a 3.6 percent rise over previous year levels. North American carriers saw international passenger traffic decline by 1.9 percent while capacity was almost at the same levels.
FAA — announces that general aviation or on-demand charter aircraft owners or operators seeking to keep their aircraft’s registration number from being displayed over public data systems during flight no longer need to submit a Certified Security Concern to the FAA.Agency withdraws its June 3, 2011 policy (76 Fed. Reg. 32,258-32,265) of requiring aircraft owners or operators to submit a Certified Security Concern in order to have their aircraft tail number blocked from view on the FAA’s Aircraft Situation Display to Industry (ASDI) or National Airspace System Status Information (NASSI).
• FAA —awards $7.7 million in contracts to eight companies to help advance alternative, environmentally-friendly, sustainable sources for commercial jet fuel. The contracts stem from work FAA is doing through the agency’s Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuel Initiative (CAAFI) and the agency’s Continuous Lower Emissions, Energy and Noise (CLEEN) program.
• FAA proposes $180,000 Civil Penalty Against Evergreen International Airlines, Inc, of McMinnville, OR for allegedly operating aircraft on seven flights in 2009 when the pilots on those flights had not been trained in accordance with the airline’s approved training program.
GE AVIATION — signs new engine orders and service agreements valued at $13.8 billion at the Dubai Air Show, including plans to build a $120 million engine overhaul facility for Emirates in Dubai. The orders include a $6 billion engine and service contract to power Emirates’ 50 new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with the GE90-115B engines. The company also signed a $1 billion agreement with Cargolux to power its new fleet of Boeing 747-8 freighters with GE’s latest engine technology, the GEnx-B2 engine.
NAPLES MUNICIPAL AIRPORT — celebrates the grand opening of the Museum of Military Memorabilia. Photos, medals, flight jackets, uniforms, newspaper clippings, aircraft models and as many as 500 of the museum’s 10,000 artifacts are exhibited in the 900-square-foot space in the airport’s commercial service terminal. City of Naples Airport Authority provides space for the museum at no charge.
CENTURION AIR CARGO — celebrates its new global headquarters and 800,00-sq. ft. cargo center at Miami Int’l Airport. Expansion will add 200 jobs and $123 million of capital investment to the local economy.
ACC — Airport Consultants Council selects Catherine ‘Kate’ M. Lang, FAA Deputy Associate Administrator for Airports, as recipient of the 2011 ACC Aviation Award of Excellence, acknowledging her skillful advocacy for a safe and efficient aviation system during some of the most challenging economic dynamics in history.
ATA — Air Transport Assn. is changing its name from Air Transport Association of America to Airlines For America.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY (PA) AIRPORT AUTHORITY — is accepting Statements of Qualifications from firms interested in providing consulting services related to developing the PIT Connector Regional Air Service Plan, on behalf of the Pennsylvania Air Service Committee (PASC) of the PA Bureau of Aviation.
ALLEGIANT AIR — inaugurates nonstop service between Knoxville, TN and Las Vegas, and between Asheville, N.C. and Orlando Sanford Int’l Airport. It also enters into a purchase agreement with Scandinavian Airlines System, Denmark-Norway-Sweden (“SAS”) to purchase up to 13 MD80 aircraft and 12 JT8D-219 spare engines in 2012 and 2013.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO. — launches a safety initiative to educate 100- and 200-series single-engine piston aircraft owners around the world about new supplemental aircraft inspection procedures that will be added to Cessna service manuals. The supplemental inspections cover Cessna single-engine piston aircraft produced between 1946 and 1986 when Cessna suspended production of piston aircraft. The inspections will be incorporated into the service manuals for the 200-series aircraft in early December and the change for the 100-series aircraft will be made in April 2012.
CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION — welcomes new service between Mexico City and Chicago Midway Int’l Airport from Mexico-based, low-cost carrier Volaris Airlines. Volaris will also add two additional destinations to Mexico, Zacatecas and Morelia, starting November 10 and 11, respectively.
CITY OF KANSAS CITY — Aviation Department announces that St. Louis-based Missouri Partnership, the state’s non-profit business attraction and marketing organization, has opened a Kansas City office, in the Ambassador Building at KCI.
DUNCAN AVIATION — develops new, roll-around Hawker landing gear, adding them to its line of Hawker services. The gear will allow aircraft to be moved through all phases of maintenance at the same time the aircraft’s landing gear is being overhauled at a Duncan Aviation facility.
FONTAINEBLEAU AVIATION — opens a fixed-base operation at Opa-locka Executive Airport in Miami, with more than 100,000 sq. ft. of space that can accommodate aircraft as large as a Boeing 737. It also has 19,000 sq. ft. of executive and maintenance offices.
FORECAST INTERNATIONAL — issues a new study, “The Market for Business Jet Aircraft,” in which the Connecticut-based market research firm predicts that 10,907 business jets will be produced between 2011 and 2020. The value of this production is estimated at $230.3 billion. Production is forecast to total 728 units in 2012, signaling the start of a gradual, though potentially long-lasting, market recovery.
FRESNO YOSEMITE INT’L AIRPORT — approves over $35 million for runway reconstruction and ramp construction work.
FRONTIER AIRLINES — announces seasonal nonstop seasonal flights between Kansas City and Tampa, as well as seasonal service between Tampa and Omaha, Milwaukee, and Des Moines.
GA GROUPS — plan to meet with FAA to air concerns about changes in the issuance of digital charts, including possible new fees. FAA plans to discuss contract requirements for access to the charts during the meeting. Beginning April 5, FAA will provide downloads of digital charts only to those who have agreements with the Aero-Nav Services branch. The charts will be available for viewing for free on its website.
GAMA — General Aviation Manufacturers Assn. announces that its board votes to expand the association’s membership to include rotorcraft manufacturers and to accept Bell Helicopter as the first GAMA member from this sector of general aviation products.
GREENWICH AEROGROUP — establishes Greenwich AeroGroup Financial Services, a division structured to provide finance and leasing options for a variety of general aviation aircraft and rotorcraft.
GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG INT’L AIRPORT — reports that a joint venture of Skanska USA and Moss & Associates was recently awarded an $80 million contract to expand and renovate the Greenville-Spartanburg Int’l Airport terminal in South Carolina.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT — CEO Bill Boisture informs employees that the firm has decided “to slow the pace of completion of the Hawker 200 certification program” until the economy improves and the light-jet market segment improves. The announcement follows communiqués to vendors last month telling them to cease deliveries of parts for the Hawker 200. Originally launched in 2008 as the Premier II, the six passenger, composite aircraft was rebranded a year ago as the Hawker 200.
TRANSAIR CENTER — opens a fixed base operation at Honolulu Int’l Airport, with a new passenger terminal and VIP lounge slated for completion in 2012.
JETBLUE AIRWAYS — will launch twice daily nonstop flights from Kingson, Jamaica to Fort Lauderdale beginning April 30.
JETNET LLC — reports that for the first ten months of 2011 results for the pre-owned business jet, business turboprop, and helicopter markets continue to show improvement. For sale inventories have declined, and full sale transactions have recorded double-digit growth for both business jets and turboprops of10.3 percent and 10.2 percent, respectively. Both turbine and piston helicopter full sale transactions have declined by double-digit percentages.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY — reports that helicopter flight training is getting a boost through a partnership with Universal Helicopters. The incoming fleet consists of two Robinson R22 Beta IIs and one Robinson R44 Raven II.
KISSIMMEE GATEWAY AIRPORT (ISM) — announces its airport business, SunState Aviation, has added the first of three Cessna 162 Skycatchers to its fleet. The new aircraft give students an option to begin training for a sport pilot license or a private pilot license at lower cost.
• Kissimmee Gateway Airport also announces Orlando Gateway Sport Pilot Training Center has acquired two Tecnam Bravo Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), which allows the program to offer more in-depth education and experience to those seeking a sport pilot license.
LAMBERT-ST. LOUIS INT’L AIRPORT — is recognized by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as Airport of the Year for 2011, an honor shared with Orange County John Wayne Airport.
LS TRAVEL RETAIL — enters into an agreement to develop and operate several retail concessions at Edmonton Int’l Airport. As part of the award, LS Travel Retail will operate approximately 10,000 square feet of concessions space with nine concepts ranging from news and gift shops, bookstores, electronics, apparel, and fashion accessories delivered through a blend of national and international brands.
MIAMI-DADE AVIATION DEPT. — announces it will be featured in an exciting new Travel Channel “docu-series” by local production company 2C Media debuting next Spring. Each of the initial six episodes will provide a day-in-the-life look at a cast of MIA employees who manage the challenges and successes of serving some 100,000 passengers per day at the No. 2 U.S. airport for international passengers and No. 1 for international cargo.
NBAA — National Business Aviation Assn. produces a new guide to support Light Business Airplane (LBA) operators and provide comprehensive information about reimbursement of flight expenses. The 15-page NBAA “Reimbursement of Flight Expenses for Owner-Pilots Handbook” is intended to help NBAA members understand the accommodations and limitations that the Federal Aviation Regulations allow for both private and commercial owner-pilots.
NTSB — swears in Robert L. Sumwalt for his second five-year term as a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board.
PROFESSIONAL AIRCRAFT ACCESSORIES — of Brevard County, FL prepares to break grounw on a 20,000 sq.ft. expansion to accommodate growth of the company’s landing gear service area, accessory shop, instrument and avionics lab as well as an expanded machine shop and paint shop.
ROSS AVIATION GROUP — of Denver is buying two Spokane aviation service companies and will combine them into a single operation. The company is acquiring XN Air and Spokane Airways; both are located at Spokane Int’l Airport and are fixed-base operators providing services such as fueling, maintenance, training, cargo handling, and charter flights. Once the Spokane deals conclude, the Spokane operation will carry the name XN Air.
SPIRIT AIRLINES — will begin offering service from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to Las Vegas, DFW, and Fort Lauderdale, as well as 30 other cities throughout the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America during the first quarter of 2012. Two daily non-stop flights between Phoenix-Mesa and Las Vegas begin on February 9, 2012, and daily non-stop service between Phoenix-Mesa and DFW with continuing service to Fort Lauderdale begins on March 22, 2012.
• Spirit Airlines also announces service to four new markets from DFW with $11 fares. Starting February 9, 2012, Spirit will offer daily non-stop service from DFW to New York LaGuardia and Atlanta. Daily non-stop service from DFW to Orlando and Boston will begin on March 22, 2012
TUCSON INT’L AIRPORT’S — crosswind Runway 3/21 has reopened after being closed since October for resurfacing.
TWC AVIATION — announces that the company’s air charter fleet now includes a Bombardier Challenger 300, located at the Palm Springs Airport (KPSP).
