08 Jul 2019

North America Newsletter 8 July

Air Canada Announces Increased Capacity and Enhanced Services to Atlantic Canada Air Canada announced 3^rd July a host of enhancements to Atlantic Canada services starting this winter. Overall capacity will increase by 8% as some routes will transfer to Air Canada Rouge, and other Air Canada Rouge and mainline services will be extended to year-round. Mark Galardo, Vice President of Network Planning at Air Canada said “"Leisure travellers and business customers alike will benefit from these service enhancements which clearly demonstrate our commitment to these markets as we increase capacity on numerous routes in Atlantic Canada, which we have been serving year-round since 1942, longer than any other carrier”. ANA Becomes the First Japanese Airline to Launch the Boeing 777 Freighter ANA received its first Boeing 777F, nicknamed “BLUE JAY,” on 24 May at Tokyo Haneda International Airport. The specially-designed aircraft has the ability to transport large items ranging from aircraft engines, to semiconductor manufacturing equipment as well as cargo requiring a high degree of care such as lithium batteries and pharmaceuticals. Atlas Air Worldwide Announces Leadership Transition Plan Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc announced 2^nd July that President and Chief Executive Officer William J. (Bill) Flynn will retire from the company effective January 1, 2020, after a successful 13-year tenure, and become Chairman of the Board on that date. The board has appointed John W. Dietrich, current Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, as Mr. Flynn’s successor. Mr. Dietrich will become President and Chief Operating Officer effective immediately, and he will retain the role as President when he assumes the role of Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2020. Additionally, Robert F. Agnew, current Chairman of the Board, will become the Board’s Lead Independent Director, effective January 1, 2020. Boeing takes new technologies out of the lab and onto ecoDemonstrator flying test bed Boeing is launching its latest round of flight-testing to assess new technologies that could address real-world challenges for airplane operators and passengers — from enhancing safety and sustainability to improving the flying experience. The company is debuting a Boeing 777 that will serve as the 2019 flying test bed for 50 projects. Boeing's ecoDemonstrator program first took to the skies in 2012. Five airplanes — a 737-800, 787-8 Dreamliner, 757, Embraer E170 and 777 Freighter — have tested 112 technologies through 2018. Fitch Affirms Hawaiian Airlines at 'BB-'; Outlook Stable Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) for Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. (HA, Hawaiian) and its parent company, Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., at 'BB-'. The Rating Outlook is Stable. The rating affirmation is supported by credit metrics that remain appropriate for the 'BB-' rating despite weakening from a year ago. Hawaiian's operating margins deteriorated over the past year due to higher fuel prices, heavy competition, and modest increases in non-fuel costs. Fitch's primary concerns revolve around increasing competitive capacity to the Hawaiian islands, particularly from Southwest Airlines. Uzbekistan Airways received the fifth aircraft Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner On 2^nd July the fifth Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner of the National Airline of Uzbekistan landed at the “Tashkent” International Airport named after I.Karimov. The new aircraft was also acquired as part of an investment project to upgrade and expand NAC's aircraft fleet with modern aircraft technology to ensure competitiveness and flight safety, and is designed to carry 246 passengers (24 in business class and 222 in economy class). The new aircraft, which received the registration number UK78705, has installed GEnx-1B turbofan jet engines of GE Aviation company, which provide low noise level, minimum CO2 emissions and better fuel efficiency. Acumen Aviation © 8 July 2019 All Rights Reserved.