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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 2266.PDF
• AIR TRANSPORT SAFETY EASA takes on European responsibility Transition of European aeronau tical regulatory responsibility to the new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has gone smoothly, claims the organisa tion's executive director Patrick Goudou, and final preparations are under way to add mainte nance rules to its existing remit on airworthiness and certifica tion, writes David Kaminski-Morrow. EASA began operating on 28 September as the centralised aviation regulatory agency for the European Union, similar to the US Federal Aviation Administration. EASA is a more powerful body than the current Joint Aviation Authorities, which is a forum of member countries' aviation authorities that har monised their national regulations. EASA has the authority to make pan-EU regu lations and impose them. Goudou says: "The start of the transition phase has been very good indeed. EASA began on the planned date [and] our goal is to make the change as non-noticeable as possible." He continues: "My first concern is to recruit qualified, competent people," for which EASA will draw heavily on the experience oftheJAA. Certification has been the first area to be moved from indi vidual member states' control to EASA. "For maintenance the [preparatory] process is at an end but the implementation rules have not yet been pub lished. This will happen in the forthcoming weeks," Goudou says, adding: "I expect opera tions and licensing to be on board in 2004." EASA's initial work will include refinement, says Goudou. There have been minor changes to the JAA standards to improve trans parency and clarification. "These differences are improving safety. In 2004 we have to continue this work and correct - with the help of interested parties - any dis crepancies in the requirements." ACQUISITION MARY KIRBY / WASHINGTON DC & MARIA WAGLAND / LONDON Mesa will ditch low-cost plan if ACA buy is agreed Regional operator keen to assist United and keep Washington Dulles airline as a feeder US regional operator Mesa Air Group says it would shelve Atlantic Coast Airlines' (ACA) plans for a new independent budget carrier if its proposal to acquire the United Express operator goes ahead. Last week Mesa made an unso licited bid to acquire the Washing ton Dulles-based ACA, and the offer is being reviewed by ACA chairman Kerry Skeen and its board. In July, ACA told United Airlines it would end its United Express feeder deal after the US major leaves Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and would reposition itself in the low-fares market - a move that would put ACA in competition with United at Dulles. ACA has already held talks with Airbus and Boeing about the acquisition of narrowbod- ies for the new services. Having signed on as a feeder car rier for United in July, Mesa is keen to assist its partner and maintain ACA as a feeder, and part of the strategy would be to maintain ACA's services for United at Dulles. "We think that [the low-fares model] is the wrong strategy for [ACA] when it can have 7%, 8%, 9% margin that can be guaranteed by a major carrier," says Mesa chairman and chief executive Jonathan Orn- stein. He admits Mesa spoke to Uni ted about its plans to bid for ACA. "[United] would like to maintain ACA as a feeder operation. As far as we can be involved in that decision, it would be helpful," he says. Ornstein argues that a combined ACA and Mesa would be strategi cally beneficial, as it would boast a fleet of nearly 300 aircraft and have a broad reach across major US mar kets. Several Canadian analysts have said if the merger goes ahead, the deliveries of 42 Bombardier CRJs that ACA rescheduled in June could be brought forward. Mesa's United Express deal cov ers the operation of 50-seat and 70-seat jets and Bombardier Dash 8s on United's behalf. Prior to the ACA bid, Mesa had not said if some of the aircraft would replace ACA flights at Dulles. DELIVERY Libyan takes One-Eleven This 33-year-old BAC One-Eleven Series 400 recently underwent over haul at Medavia's facility at Luqa airport in Malta prior to delivery to Libyan Arab Airlines. The aircraft was previously operated on corpo rate charters by South African comp any Ibis Air on the Gambian register. MAINTENANCE ST Aero to shut down DalFort Aerospace facility Singapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aero) is to close and sell its DalFort Aerospace maintenance facility after the Dallas Love Field- based arm failed to be profitable. The aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul company disclosed the "immediate" shutdown in its third-quarter earnings report, which included a S$59.1 million ($34.3 million) pre-tax net profit. This rep resents a 12% improvement over the same period last year, but the company says "underlying eco nomic conditions remain volatile". "DalFort Aerospace will be closed and negotiations are being conduc ted with prospective buyers for the sale of the facilities," says ST Aero. DalFort is one of three ST Aero facilities in the USA. The company has a presence in Mobile, Alabama, and last year added a facility in San Antonio after acquiring the assets of bankrupt Dee Howard Aircraft Main tenance. ST Aero had previously been bullish on expansion in the USA and had also planned to build a fourth US facility in Corpus Christi, Texas. But these plans were quietly dropped several months ago and it has now decided to downsize its US presence to just two facilities. According to ST Aero president Tay Kok Khiang, DalFort's "limited facilities capacity...adversely affects business opportunities at DalFort". He says the operation, which inc ludes six narrowbody maintenance bays, has suffered from a "very low level of activities" over the last three years and is unprofitable. ST Aero's services in the USA will not be affected by the DalFort clo sure. "ST Aero remains committed to the US aviation market and believes in the longer term potential of the US market," Tay says. 8 14-20 OCTOBER 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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