Passenger Transportation Services

Bipartisan senators, including the National Transportation Safety Board's chairperson, criticized the provisions in the annual defense bill released this week that dealt with military helicopter safety. Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the NTSB, said that the proposal would "make" the skies less safe. She called it an "unacceptable risk" to the flying public as well as to crews on commercial and military aircraft and residents in the area. This is a major, significant safety setback." The Washington aviation safety has been questioned after the collision on January 29, between an American Airlines regional plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which...

The Senate Commerce Committee's top Democrat said that the Federal Aviation Administration chief failed to divest a?his holdings in Republic Airways, in violation of an ethics agreement. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell from Washington stated that FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford who was previously CEO of Republic Airways had agreed to sell his holdings in 90 days after confirmation. Bedford, at the time of confirmation, reported owning stock in Republic Airways worth between $6 and $30 million. It appears you have retained significant equity in the conflicting asset for months after the deadline set to divest fully from Republic. This is a...

Guillaume Faury, the CEO of Airbus, conceded that Boeing was likely to win the annual order competition against Airbus?on? Wednesday, saying that it is possible Boeing could win for the very first time in 6 years, thanks to settlements in U.S. Tariff disputes. Faury, speaking to France Inter, said that Airbus is ahead of its U.S. competitor in terms of deliveries and outstanding orders. Boeing, buoyed by the strong demand for its long-haul 787 jet, posted 908 net orders on Wednesday after cancellations from January to November. Airbus, on the other hand, only had 700. Faury, a French radio host,...

U.S. Transportation Department threatened on Tuesday to withhold funding for Chicago 'trains and buses' and demanded increased police protection citing an attack and burning of a woman, 26 years old, last month. In letters sent to Illinois Governor JB Prattker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, the?Federal Transit Agency warned that if they did not develop a plan for reducing assaults against transit workers and passengers as well as addressing unsafe conditions, federal funding could be lost. Similar letters were sent by the department to 'New York' and 'Boston, expressing concerns over transit issues. Chicago is also heavily Democratic, as are...

USDOT said Tuesday that it will waive $16.7 Million in fines issued to American Airlines under then-President Joe Biden, in 2024. The fines were issued as part of an agreement over the airline's treatment towards?disabled customers. This included failing to provide them with adequate assistance and mishandling their wheelchairs. USDOT stated that it will require American Airlines to spend $16.8million to benefit passengers with disabilities. This includes requiring American to buy 119 wheelchair lifts in three high-volume airports, as well as mobile phones and software upgrades to allow American to track wheelchairs and record them point-by-point as they move throughout...

The U.S. Transportation Department announced Tuesday that airlines who delayed or cancelled U.S. flights due to a government emergency directive to update software on 'Airbus A320 aircraft last'month were not required by law to provide hotel accommodations, meals, or other benefits to affected passengers. Major airlines have agreed to offer such benefits if a cancellation or a significant delay occurs due to circumstances that are within their control. USDOT stated that the Airbus A320 problem -- which was a Federal Aviation Administration requirement for immediate action -- did not trigger this requirement. After a JetBlue A320 was involved in an...

IATA, the global airlines trade group, said that despite supply chain problems that have led to a slower delivery of aircraft and delays in introducing more fuel-efficient planes next year, the airline sector will post record profits. Airbus, the plane manufacturer, has lowered its 2025 plane delivery target due to a quality problem with certain metal fuselage panels of its A320 aircraft. In recent years, the world's two largest jet manufacturers Airbus and Boeing both faced delivery delays for their airline customers. Airlines say that they can't reduce fuel costs by flying more passengers if they don't have newer planes...

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that the global airline industry will likely?miss? its targets for using green jet fuel in the next few years. It blamed fuel producers and regulators. SAF, which is primarily made from used or waste cooking oil, has the potential to reduce emissions by a significant amount compared with traditional jet fuel. It is still two to five time more expensive than traditional?fuel. IATA estimates that 2.4 million metric tonnes of SAF will be available by 2026, which is just 0.8% of the total fuel consumption. In 2021, the aviation industry committed to achieve...

By David Shepardson ARLINGTON (Virginia), Dec. 8 - On Monday, the Trump administration stated that it wanted airlines and airports offering healthier food options and exercise equipment, as well as?family-friendly amenities like playspaces, and nursing facilities. Sean Duffy, Transportation Secretary, said at a Reagan Washington National Airport press conference that he called the majority of U.S. airlines CEOs to ask them how they could improve travel experiences. Duffy last week urged airlines not to serve salty pretzels or cookies with high calorie counts on board and to offer healthier options. Duffy responded on Monday that he couldn't do much to...

Spirit Aviation has agreed to transfer two airport gates for $30 million to American Airlines after a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge for the Southern District of New York granted the company's Monday request. Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second-time in August as it struggled to deal with its dwindling reserves of cash and increasing losses. The company has rejected over 80 leases and left 14 airports. Spirit Airlines has decided to optimize its network and no longer need all four preferential gate at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. It will keep two gates, while American Airlines gets two gates. According to...

According to the annual defense policy legislation, which was unveiled on Sunday night, U.S. Military helicopters that are conducting training missions will need to send out alerts to commercial aircraft near Reagan Washington National Airport in order to avoid collisions. A Black Hawk Army helicopter that was on a training flight and not using the ADS-B safety system collided in January with an American Airlines regional plane near an airport outside Washington. 67 people were killed. The 3,000 page legislation would also require that the Pentagon disclose to Congress how many near misses military aircraft had with commercial planes in...

Transat AT, a Canada-listed tour operator, announced on Sunday that Air Transat, Canada, will suspend its flights from December 8 to 9 after receiving a 72-hour notice of strike by ALPA, the union which represents the 700 pilots at the company. Air Transat's pilots may begin their strike as early at 3:00 am. Air Line Pilots Association said that the strike would begin at 3:00 AM ET on December 10. The Canadian leisure carrier deemed the strike announcement "premature", given the progress made at the bargaining tables. It said that it had offered compromises including a salary increase of 59%...

The 'International -Air Transport Association' said that the global airline industry will likely?miss their targets for using green jet fuel in the next few years. They blamed fuel producers and regulators. Sustainable aviation fuel, made from used or waste cooking oil and waste cooking oil, is a fuel that can reduce emissions significantly when compared to traditional jet fuel. It is still two to five time more expensive than conventional jet fuel. IATA anticipates that 2.4 million metric tonnes of SAF will be available by 2026. This represents just 0.8% the total fuel consumption. The wider aviation sector committed to...

CMA CGM, the shipping group, is looking to raise approximately?325 millions euros ($378.3million) through a three-year bond that it can re-pay with its shares in Air France-KLM. CMA CGM can also repay the bond with cash or a combination of cash and Air France KLM shares. CMA CGM now holds 8.8% of Air France KLM's capital. It became a shareholder when it formed an air freight partnership in 2022. The cargo partnership was scrapped by the companies in early 2024, and CMA CGM’s share of that partnership expired in February. Ramon Fernandez, CMA CGM Chief Financial Officer, said that the...

Airbus said that it delivered 72 planes to bring the total number of planes this year up to 657. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury cited the figure as a sign of a poor November following an industrial glitch. The world's biggest planemaker will have to deliver a record-breaking 133 planes to reach a revised 790 goal for 2025. The November tally is down from 78 the month before and 84 last November, according to a report released this week. The company's lower delivery data comes after a difficult week, in which it announced that there was a quality problem with some...

Tigerair, Taiwan's low-cost carrier, announced on Wednesday that it had approved the purchase and lease of eleven new A321neo planes from Airbus for T$40billion ($1.28billion) in order to expand its network. Tigerair, which is majority owned by Taiwan Airlines, also has an option to purchase four additional A321neos, according to a statement posted on the airline's website. It added that the 11 A321neo aircraft being leased are expected to arrive by 2031. The four aircraft purchased after 2031 will be deployed in full by 2035. Tigerair flies to Japan, one of the most popular destinations for Taiwanese tourists and businessmen....

Airbus engineers found more defects in the A320 fuselage panel set as they prepared to inspect hundreds jets. The chief executive of Airbus said that this flaw is affecting deliveries. The presentation made to airlines by revealed that 628 planes, including 168 in service already, need inspections due to recently discovered quality issues on metal panels at some planes' fronts. According to the presentation, this figure includes 245 assembly lines. Industry sources estimate that about 100 of these are scheduled for delivery in 2018. Another 215 are at an earlier stage called Major Component Assembly. The presentation also showed that...

India's aviation regulator announced on Tuesday that it is investigating Air India for operating an Airbus A320 aircraft without a valid certificate of airworthiness, which ensures compliance with safety regulations. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that it also had grounded the aircraft, and de-rostered 'concerned staff. The DGCA didn't specify the type and manufacturer of the aircraft, but a source with direct knowledge said it was a single-aisle Airbus jet. The regulator had previously warned the airline about various issues, including fatigue management and crew training. Air India's spokesperson issued a statement saying that the incident in which...

The Dutch parliament approved on Thursday a plan for a tax increase on private jet travel starting in 2030. The rules will be applicable to aircraft that have 19 seats or less. Passengers on flights up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), will be charged 420 euros (486 dollars). The fee for those travelling between 2,000 km and 5,500km is 1,015 euro, while journeys over that distance are charged 2,100 euros. Private jets will be taxed based on distance in 2027, when all aviation taxes will move to a weight-based system. Between 2027 and 2030 the taxation of private jets will...

British Airways' owner IAG submitted a formal statement of interest to buy a minority stake (up to 5%) in Portugal's flag airline TAP. However, it said that some issues needed to be resolved before the company would consider investing. IAG has become the third airline in Europe to express interest in privatising TAP. It joins Air France-KLM, and Germany's Lufthansa. A spokesperson for IAG confirmed on Friday that the airline had submitted a declaration of interest to the state-owned holding Parpublica "in accordance with the process of the government for the partial privatisation of TAP". The spokesperson said that "However,...

Boeing will not use this week's Dubai Airshow to announce new orders, but rather to outline the certification path for its long-delayed mini-jumbo 777x programme. Boeing announced last month a new delay, and took a $4.9billion charge for its biggest twin-engined aircraft, pushing delivery to 2027, which is seven years later than initially planned. Stephanie Pope, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said that she would not be placing orders in the next 2 to 3 days. Pope said, "It is about being transparent and engaging with our customers. We will highlight the progress...and any concerns or issues they may have."...

Boeing's top executive in jet manufacturing said that the company aims to stabilize aircraft production levels at present before moving on to new industrial milestones, while implementing safety and quality improvements. Boeing Commercial Airplanes' CEO Stephanie Pope said it was still too early to predict when Boeing will increase 737 jet production to 47 per month. The regulators had recently cleared Boeing to achieve 42 per month following the lifting of temporary output limits. Pope told a press conference ahead of the Dubai Airshow that "getting it right at (the correct) pace is more important than speeding up." PRODUCTION MILESTONES...

B&M, a British discount retailer, reported a weak start for the crucial Christmas quarter on Thursday, sending its share price to a new record low. However, its CEO is hopeful that a strong position with festive gifts and decorations can improve their performance. Helen Cowing, an experienced finance executive, was appointed interim finance director a month following the disclosure of an accounting mistake that resulted in a profit warning as well as the departure of their previous finance chief. Five months after taking on the position, CEO Tjeerd Gegen has already laid out a turnaround plan that focuses on reducing...

Air France-KLM announced third-quarter results that were in line with expectations on Thursday. It also confirmed its outlook for 2025, despite some expenses increases and expensive challenges faced by its Dutch subsidiary KLM. As the summer travel season is lucrative and busy, the third quarter of the year is typically the most profitable for European airlines. Travel from Europe to the United States is down under U.S. president Donald Trump. His policies are seen by many as anti-foreigner, anti-trade and anti-foreigner. Analysts polled by LSEG had predicted an operating profit of 1,27 billion euros (1,48 billion dollars) for the airline...