In The News...
FedEx Express has launched a next-business-day service for Priority shipments that originate
from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore for
Frankfurt, Cologne and Paris…As union action
hits the loss-making British Royal Mail, the
U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has taken another
sustainability step with the results of a first
greenhouse gas (GHG) study. USPS emissions,
including its multimode contractors, total 5. 3
million tons - one twentieth of one percent of
America’s total GHG emissions. According to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this is the
equivalent of one million cars driving an average
of 12,000 miles each year. The USPS wants
to reduce energy 30 percent by 2015; reduce
petroleum use 20 percent by 2015 and reduce
GHG emissions 20 percent by 2020…Boeing,
Honeywell and the government of Mexico
have formed a partnership to study the potential
for large-scale production of sustainable aviation
biofuels from halophytic plants which are a
source of biomass energy. First results are due in
2010…American Airlines Cargo has celebrated 65 years of service. The Dallas-based carrier
conducted the air cargo industry’s first scheduled
airfreight service on Oct. 15,
1944. The 19-hour flight moved
6,000 pounds of bulk cargo from
New York’s LaGuardia Field to
Burbank, Calif…UPS customers
can offset CO2 emissions from
shipments transported within the
U.S. under a new program. Some
one million U.S. customers that
use UPS Internet Shipping with
their account number can now
use the service. The program is set
to expand in 2010. Atlanta-based
UPS will match the offset purchases, “effectively doubling the
offsets purchased in 2009-2010,
up to $1 million”…EADS, parent
of Airbus, named Sean O’Keefe as Chief Executive Officer of EADS North America, effective Nov.
1. He will become a member of the EADS NV
Executive Committee in January. Ralph D. Crosby,
Jr., current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of EADS North America, will retain his position
as chairman of the EADS North America board
and oversee the company’s role in the Northrop
Grumman KC- 45 Tanker offer, the company said.
Crosby also will remain on the EADS NV Executive Committee during the leadership transition.
O’Keefe has extensive management and
policy experience. He formerly served as
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Secretary
of the Navy, Comptroller and Chief
Financial Officer of the Department of
Defense and Deputy Assistant to the
President. Since March 2008, he has
served as a corporate officer of
General Electric Co. and Vice President of
General Electric Aviation’s Washington
operations...Synergy Group and
Grupo Taca Holdings, respectively
the majority owners of Colombia-based
Avianca and Costa Rica-based TACA,
are to merge the airlines into a new
holding company. Avianca and TACA produce
nearly $3 billion in annual revenues, serve more
than 100 destinations, including 75 cities in
Latin America, operate a fleet of 129 aircraft
and employ approximately 12,000 people…
Purolator USA’s Itasca, Ill.-based processing
facility has been approved by the Transportation
Security Administration to participate in TSA’s
Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP) that
mandates 100 percent cargo screening on U.S.
passenger carriers by August 2010…The Air
Transport Association of America (ATA)
has joined IATA, Airports Council International,
Civil Air Navigation Services Organization and
International Coordinating Council of Aerospace
Industries Associations in proposing a global
sectoral approach to aviation and climate change
that includes three targets: Improving fuel (and
CO2) efficiency by an average of 1. 5 percent
annually to 2020; making the growth of the industry’s emissions carbon neutral from 2020; and
achieving a goal for a 50 percent net reduction in
carbon emissions by 2050, compared to 2005…
Southwest Airlines reports third quarter
2009 net income of $23 million. CEO Gary Kelly
said, “I am extremely proud of our Southwest
Employees. To produce a profit, excluding special
items, in this environment is a remarkable accomplishment. Sixty days ago, even a modest
profit seemed unattainable.” Cargo revenue
dropped 19. 4 percent to $87 million for the nine
months ending Sept. 30 compared to 2008…
Continental Airlines Cargo has launched a
new airport-to-airport, secured product called
COsecure for shipments with a declared value
exceeding $25,000 per air waybill including
negotiable instruments, furs, gems, gold, artwork
or watches. COsecure Service Center e-mail:
highvaluedesk@coair.com... FreightScan will
debut its new FS100P automated dimensioning
system for cargo scanning at Air Cargo Americas
2009. The FS100P is for use by small cargo and
package operations that need to capture dimensions and images of cargo in a smaller scan area
in one second…Thai International has signed
an agreement with US ACMI airline Southern
Air to use the company’s two Boeing 777-200
freighters for services between Bangkok and
Europe. The aircraft are due for delivery in “early
2010.” Thai says the agreement will make it the
first operator in the region to offer 777F capacity
to its customers. Southern Air operates 17 B747
freighter aircraft…Boeing has delivered a 12th
777-300ER to Cathay Pacific in oneworld livery.
The airline is leasing the aircraft from Singapore-based BOC Aviation... Air India will begin
a daily combined New York/Washington DC
service linking Delhi and Kolkata on Dec. 1 with
a B777LR. The airline reported losses of $875
million for its last fiscal year ending in March
2009. AC W
