FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2003
2003 - 0084.PDF
WORKSHOP • Lauda Air has signed a base maintenance contract with FLS Aerospace for all its Boeing 767-300ER heavy maintenance in 2003. FLS will perform four C checks on Lauda's 767s, the first of which is in progress at its Dublin facility. Meanwhile, Martinair has contracted FLS to carry out three C checks on its 767-300ERs, the first of which is in work at Dublin. • Shannon Aerospace is to provide heavy maintenance for Croatia Airlines' Airbus A320/A319 fleet over the next three years. • Air Dolomiti has awarded a five year, €40 million ($42 million) contract to Fiat-Avio for the overhaul, maintenance and repair of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127E/F engines on its ATR 42/72 fleet. The Italian company wants to expand its maintenance, repair and over haul activities by seeking new contracts for CFM International CFM56 engines. AIR TRANSPORT RECRUITMENT BRENDAN SOBIE / WASHINGTON DC Grim future for US pilots with more job cuts ahead Hirinqs by US majors at lowest level for 10 years, and job seekers face large drops in pay Pilot hiring in the USA is projected to remain at the lowest rate in a decade for at least the next year with more highly paid jobs being cut than created, according to a major recruitment agency. Aviation Information Resources (AIR) estimates 7,075 pilots will be hired in 2003, but major carriers will only account for 11% or 800 of these jobs. The seven majors plan ning to hire pilots in 2003 are all on the bottom half of the pay scale, while the top tier majors are instead expected to step up lay-offs. Almost 8,000 pilots are already laid off in the USA. US majors hired a combined 549 pilots last year, an 89% drop compared with 2000 and the lowest figure since 1993. Five sec ond-tier majors - ATA, America West Airlines, Alaska Airlines, FedEx Express and Southwest Airlines - accounted for all the new hires and AIR president Kit Darby expects only DHL Airways and UPS Airlines to join this list in 2003. "The rest have cut back a lot, so I don't expect any more to jump on that bandwagon," he says. Darby expects the large majors to continue to furlough more pilots - albeit at a slow pace - until they return to profitability. Furloughed pilots seeking jobs elsewhere have no choice but to take huge pay cuts because only low-fare carriers, regionals and business jet operators are hiring. Regionals Atlantic Coast Airlines, Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Comair were the top three re cruiters last year and even South west slashed hiring by 58%. Pilots looking to move up in Southwest may have a better outlook in 2008, when the pilot retirement rate is expected almost to double com pared with current rates - assuming efforts to raise the mandatory retire ment age from 60 to 65 fail. CONSTRUCTION Moravian maintenance site delayed Construction of a Ckr620 million ($20.6 million) maintenance complex at the Czech airport of Ostrava-Mosnov in north Moravia has been suspended until March, according to Icelandic company European Central Aviation (ECA), which is co-ordinating the financing of the entire project. Work on the complex, which will carry out maintenance of Boeing aircraft, has been halted because the height of the hangar is to be increased to enable it to accommodate the Airbus A380 ultra-large aircraft. In addition, the investors, one of which is BAE Systems, are concerned that the project will not receive the expected subsidies from the local government Czechlnvest agency. The complex is due to be fin ished by the end of the year. The construction of the plant is one of 19 pre-offset projects started in 1999 by BAE Systems and Saab as part of their bid to sell Gripen fighters to the Czech Republic. China Northern and Xinjiang are now operating using China Southern's CZ flight code and transport vouchers INTEGRATION NICHOLAS IONIDES / SINGAPORE China Southern absorbs carriers China Northern Airlines and Xin jiang Airlines have begun operating all domestic services under the China Southern Airlines name, after the major carrier launched an ambi tious programme to integrate the two into its own operation. China Northern and Xinjiang are now using China Southern's "CZ" flight code for all domestic flights, and the changes will be applied to international flights from 30 March. They have started using China Southern's transport vouchers and their aircraft are to be painted in China Southern colours. China Southern has separately absorbed the frequent-flier pro grammes (FFP) of China Northern and Xinjiang into its operation. The carrier says its Sky Pearl Club FFP now has over 1.7 million members. "This unified flight code usage marks another step forward by the China Southern Air Holding Com pany in the integration of all three carriers into the 'family'," says China Southern. "China Northern Airlines' code CJ and Xinjiang Airlines' code XO have faded into the annals of China's domestic aviation history." Chinese regulatory authorities have been calling for consolidation in the local airline sector for years and in October the state council, the country's cabinet, approved the takeovers from other state bodies of China Northern and Xinjiang by China Southern's 65% owner, China Southern Air Holding. At the same time, the state coun cil approved the merger of Air China with China National Avia tion and China Southwest Airlines, and the takeover by China Eastern Airlines' parent CE Group of China Northwest Airlines and Yunnan Airlines. China Eastern had already taken over Great Wall Airlines. China Southern is expected to take over ownership of the assets of China Northern and Xinjiang from its parent in the coming years. 14 21-27 JANUARY 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
