23 Apr 2018

USA Aviation Industry Newsletter 23 April

AEI Announces 4th CRJ200 SF for Aeronaves T.S.M. Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) announced 16 April the company has signed a contract to provide Mexico-based Aeronaves T.S.M. (TSM) with a fourth CRJ200 SF freighter conversion. The CRJ200 (MSN 7300) will commence modification in June of 2018, with re-delivery scheduled for October, 2018. Commercial Jet’s Dothan, Alabama facility will handle the modification touch labor for the conversion. Ultimately, TSM plans on operating many more AEI CRJ200 SF converted freighters. Boeing delivers first new 737-800 converted freighter model GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has taken delivery of the first Boeing 737-800 converted freighter (BCF). The initial aircraft will be operated by Sweden-based West Atlantic Group. Boeing’s Current Market Outlook forecasts that over the next 20 years, customers will need more than 1,100 standard-body converted freighters. “The 737-800BCF brings customers the next generation of freighters,” Boeing global services VP-commercial services Mike Fleming said. “For the first time, operators get one-stop shop support throughout the lifecycle of a standard-body freighter—originally manufactured by Boeing, converted by Boeing and supported by Boeing.” CAVU Aerospace has purchased 20 ex-American Airlines MD80s for dismantle at its facility in Roswell NM (KROW) CAVU Aerospace announced 18 April it has purchased 20 ex-American Airlines MD80 series aircraft for dismantle at the CAVU Aerospace facility in Roswell NM (KROW). “The majority of these components will be immediately sent to FAA approved 145 repair facilities for Repair and/or Overhaul and will be remarketed to their already existing airlines and supporting MRO’s. – said Kenneth Kocialski – Partner. Delta Board of Directors names Michael Huerta as newest member Delta Air Lines’ board of directors announced 18 April Michael Huerta as its newest member, effective immediately. Mr. Huerta recently completed a five-year term as Administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. As head of the FAA, he was responsible for the safety and efficiency of civil aviation in the U.S. “Michael’s deep aviation and broader transportation industry experience will be a great asset to Delta,” said Frank Blake, Delta’s non-executive Chairman of the Board. Expanded Service for Qantas B717 Nacelles: UTC Aerospace Systems Signs 8-Year Nacelle MRO Contract Extension UTC Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. announced 18 April an 8-year contract extension with Qantas Airlines to provide BR715 engine nacelle asset support and repair services for the airline’s fleet of 20 Boeing B717-200 aircraft. The long-term agreement is through Prime Solutions®, which is customized to the airline’s specific support requirements. Qantas Airways has been a Prime Solutions customer since 2000, and this new agreement represents an expansion of the existing support program as the airline has nearly doubled its fleet of B717-200 aircraft to meet increasing passenger demand. With easy access to spares and rotables, and fully customized support, the airline has been able to extend the operational life of its B717-200 fleet. Support will be provided on-site at the customer‘s locations in Perth and Canberra, Australia, and the UTC Aerospace Systems Aerostructures Service Center in Singapore. Finnair extends Alaska Airlines partnership with new codeshares for the U.S. West Coast Finnair announced a new codeshare partnership with Alaska Airlines, which will further strengthen Finnair’s reach on the West Coast of the United States. Commencing from May 20, Finnair’s code will be added to flights operated by Alaska Airlines between San Francisco and the following cities: Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County and Palm Springs. The new codeshares will offer smooth connections for Finnair customers connecting in San Francisco, where Finnair operates from Helsinki with up to three weekly frequencies between May 3 and December 5, 2018. StandardAero Signs New Three-Year Deal to Support Air Georgian CRJ100/200 Fleet with Honeywell 36-150RJ APU MRO Services StandardAero recently signed a new, three-year maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) agreement to provide support for 17 Honeywell 36-150RJ auxiliary power units (APUs) equipping Air Georgian’s fleet of CRJ100/200 aircraft. The services will be provided at StandardAero’s Maryville, Tennessee facility. StandardAero is an authorized MRO facility for some of the industry’s most popular APUs, including the GTCP 36-100/-150, RE220 and APS2300. United Airlines to purchase 20 used A319s, delivering in 2020-21 United Airlines entered into an agreement to purchase 20 used midlife A319s with expected delivery dates scheduled in 2020 and 2021. In the 1Q 2018, United took delivery of six new aircraft, four B787-9s and two B777-300ERs. The carrier's latest aircraft, the first of six B737 MAX 9, to be introduced in domestic flight schedules starting in June. The airline is pursuing additional used aircraft transactions for both widebody and narrowbody aircraft. As such, the mainline fleet is expected to grow in 2019 and 2020, as aircraft come off lease and as new and used enter aircraft enter United's fleet. US Travel Agencies' Airline Ticket Sales Increase U.S.-based travel agencies' airline ticket sales increased by 2.7 percent last month compared to March 2017, Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) announced. The consolidated dollar value of airline tickets sold by American agencies in March 2018 totalled $9.1 billion, with the average U.S. roundtrip ticket price coming in at $495, up $11 from the previous month. Average ticket prices are down approximately one percent year-over-year in March. ARC also announced the total number of passenger trips settled for U.S. travel agencies increased 0.5 percent to 26,646,579 compared to 26,516,456 in March 2017. While U.S. domestic trips decreased 3.1 percent, international passenger trips increased 7.1 percent. Acumen Aviation © 23 April 2018 All Rights Reserved.