15 Jan 2018

USA Aviation Industry Newsletter 15 January

Kenya Airways to launch first US services in October 2018 Kenya Airways will launch daily Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta-New York JFK services on 28 October becoming the first airline to offer a nonstop flight between East Africa and the US operated by a Boeing 787-8 to with a total capacity of 234 passengers. Kenya Airways Group MD and CEO Sebastian Mikosz said the new service “fits within our strategy to attract corporate and high-end tourism traffic from the world to Kenya and Africa.” NASA and DLR investigate the impact of aviation on the climate - joint flight tests on alternative fuel emissions In January 2018, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are set to conduct joint research flights in Germany for the first time. The focus will be on alternative fuel emissions and the characterization of ice crystals in condensation trails (contrails), using biofuel as an example. For the international research mission, the DLR A320 ATRA will fly using various fuel blends, while NASA’s fully instrumented DC-8 'flying laboratory' will follow at a safe distance, measuring soot particles, gas emissions and ice crystals in ATRA's exhaust gas stream. Numerous DLR measuring instruments have been installed on board the NASA aircraft for this purpose. Newsweek names United Airlines Top Global Carrier in 2017 Green Rankings United Airlines ranked number one among global carriers in Newsweek's 2017 Global 500 Green Rankings, one of the most recognized environmental performance assessments of the world's largest publicly traded companies. United placed 59th among 500 U.S. brands and 100th among 500 global brands, further strengthening the company's position as a leading sustainable airline. Turkish Cargo launches flights to Miami Turkish Cargo has launched its flights to the U.S.’ city of Miami, Turkish flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY). The operations, which is offering wide body cargo aircraft Boeing 777-200F, will begin today."Turkish Cargo will be connecting Miami to more than 300 destinations in 120 countries with its Istanbul-Madrid-Miami departing flights and Miami-Houston-İstanbul return flights." US Airlines Post Improved On-Time Performance US airlines had a good month in November for on-time performance and cancellations, with the on-time arrival rate the highest since the downturn following the global financial crisis in 2009. The Department of Transportation reported the overall on-time arrival rate of 88.3 percent was up from November 2016’s 86.5 percent and came close to the highest rate ever reported, November 2009’s 88.6 percent. Flight cancellations were equal lowest on record, with just 0.3 percent of flights cancelled during the month, matching September and November 2016, and down from the 0.7 percent rate reported for October 2017. US BTS reports airfare averages since 1995  US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) stated airfares increased 20% from 1995 to 2002 before falling 23% between 2002 and 2016. Average airfares were $316 in 1995 and increased to $379 in 2002 before falling to $310 in 2009. U.S. Business Aircraft Flying Ends 2017 with a Gain Business aviation flight activity last month in the U.S. fell short of forecast (5.6 percent growth), but still managed to post a 2 percent year-over-year increase, according to TraqPak data released today by Argus International. Analysts at the business aviation services company are calling for a 3.3 percent gain in flying this month. By operational category, Part 135 flying came out on top, rising 4.6 percent from a year ago, while fractional activity wasn’t far behind, with a 4 percent increase. But Part 91 flying once again slipped into negative territory, falling 0.5 percent year-over-year, with gains in midsize and large-cabin jets more than offset by losses in turboprops and light jets. Acumen Aviation © 15 January All Rights Reserved.