Tag Archives: Airbus A300

FedEx Express and its pilots agree to a new contract

FedEx Express (Memphis) and its pilots, represented by ALPA, have finalized a new contract.

ALPA issued this statement:

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The pilots of FedEx Express, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l. (ALPA), have approved a new contract agreement with FedEx management. The new agreement provides across-the-board increases to hourly pay rates and new-hire compensation, a significant signing bonus, retirement plan enhancements, work-rule improvements, and other positive modifications.

Copyright Photo: Ken Petersen/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A300B4-622R (F) N686FE (msn 804) departs from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).

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FedEx pilots’ union leadership approves the the tentative agreement

The FedEx Master Executive Council (MEC), the governing body of the FedEx Express (Memphis) unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), voted to approve the tentative contract agreement reached on August 19 with FedEx management.

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The agreement now goes before more than 4,000 FedEx pilots eligible to vote in balloting that is scheduled to begin September 28, 2015, and close on October 20, 2015.

The new agreement provides across-the-board increases to hourly pay rates and new-hire compensation, a significant signing bonus that addresses the time elapsed since the agreement was amendable, retirement plan enhancements, and work-rule improvements. If ratified, the contract will go into effect November 2015 and would become amendable in 2021.

Copyright Photo: Ken Petersen/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A300B4-622R (F) N728FD (msn 581) climbs away from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).

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Finnair and IAG to jointly operate an Airbus A300-600 freighter between London and Helsinki

Finnair (Helsinki) has issued this statement:

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Finnair Cargo, a fully owned subsidiary of Finnair, has expanded its network after signing an innovative freighter sharing deal with IAG Cargo.

The route will be operated by an Airbus A300-600 cargo freighter, which will fly between London and Helsinki. London becomes Finnair’s third cargo hub in Europe in addition to Helsinki and Brussels.

The creation of the new cargo bridge, which will connect the two carrier’s networks, is an important strategic move for Finnair Cargo. It will enable the opening of tens of new destinations in North America in addition to its current routes.

The freighter, which has a 43 ton capacity, will fly twice a week and provides Finnair with the ability to easily route cargo through London.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com.

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JetBlue Airways to fly New York – Havana charter flights

JetBlue Airways (New York) has announced it will operate weekly New York (JFK) – Havana, Cuba charter flights for tour organizer Cuba Travel Services starting on July 3. JetBlue also operates to Cuba from both Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and Tampa. The airline issued this full statement:

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joined with JetBlue Airways, and its charter partner, Cuba Travel Services, yesterday (May 5) to announce a new flight from New York to Havana, Cuba. The milestone makes JetBlue the first major carrier to announce a new flight to Cuba from New York since travel restrictions were recently eased.

The expanded charter service comes on the heels of Governor Cuomo’s trade mission to Cuba, where the Governor, joined by JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes and other New York business leaders, led a dialogue to connect New York businesses to new opportunities in Cuba.

Cuba Travel Services is offering the flight, operated by JetBlue, on Fridays from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Havana’s José Martí International Airport (HAV) beginning July 3, 2015. Travelers should make arrangements directly with Cuba Travel Services.

Cuba Travel Services, a leading authorized carrier service provider, believes expanding its flight network will provide licensed travelers more travel options for a lower cost. The additional service offers customers additional options to travel to Cuba from New York without connection delays or extra domestic travel expenses to connect in Florida.

The New York metropolitan area has the second largest Cuban-American population in the United States after Florida.

JetBlue serves all charter flights to Cuba on its 150-seat Airbus A320.

With the addition to the New York-Havana flight, JetBlue will operate five weekly round trips to Cuba, including flights from Tampa (TPA) and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood (FLL) with various charter partners. Cuba will one day play an important role in JetBlue’s overall Caribbean network, a region where JetBlue is the largest airline. The airline began flying to Cuba for charter companies in 2011.

Schedule between New York and Havana on Fridays as of July 3, 2015:

JFK – HAV HAV – JFK 12:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

About Cuba Travel Services

Cuba Travel Services Inc. arranges daily, nonstop public charter flights between the United States and Cuba and is licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as an authorized Carrier Service Provider specializing in travel to Cuba. They offer full service travel arrangements to individuals, groups, families, educators, students, professionals and organizations, under Specific or General Licenses issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Copyright Photo: Fred Freketic/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 N624JB (msn 2520) touches down at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York last winter.

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Tunisair files to serve Montreal

Tunisair (Tunis) is planning to add twice-weekly service between Tunis and Montreal (Trudeau) per Airline Route. The airline has filed the request with no date given for the start of services, pending approvals. The new route will be operated with Airbus A300s.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A300B4-605R TS-IPA (msn 558)

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Transcarga to start regularly scheduled cargo flights to Miami and Houston

Transcarga International Airways – La Linea de Venezuela (2nd) (Caracas) is starting regularly scheduled cargo flights this month to Miami and Houston (Bush Intercontinental). Per their website, the company has been authorized to operate 20 flights a month to Miami from Venezuela and 10 flights a month to Houston. In February the cargo airline is expected to request more frequencies. The company has added three Airbus A300B4-203 (F) freighters (YV560T, msn 261, YV562T, msn 274 and YV563T, msn 220).

The current Transcarga International Airways, C.A. was formed on October 21, 1998 with 100% Venezuelan capital. Transcarga received its AOC in 2001 with cargo operations commencing in November 2001. In 2002 the airline obtained 402 authority from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to operate wet lease flights to and from the USA. The carrier has operated cargo charter flights to Miami in the past.

The original Transcarga – Transportes Aereos de Carga (1st) (ex LEBCA) (subsidiary of VIASA) operated from 1968 to 1979 with Douglas DC-7C and DC-8 freighters.

Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com.  Airbus A300B4-203 (F) YV560T (msn 261) is pictured at Miami on a route proving flight.

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FedEx Corporation reports net income of $616 million, up 23% from last year’s $500 million

FedEx Corporation (FedEx Express) (Memphis) reported earnings of $2.14 per diluted share for its fiscal second quarter ended November 30, up 36% from last year’s $1.57 per share. The corporation reported net income of $616 million, up 23% from last year’s $500 million. However the corporation missed several analyst profit estimates despite declining fuel costs.

The company issued this statement:

“FedEx posted strong results and a higher operating margin in the second quarter, with continued growth in volumes and base yields in each of our transportation segments”

“FedEx posted strong results and a higher operating margin in the second quarter, with continued growth in volumes and base yields in each of our transportation segments,” said Frederick W. Smith, FedEx Corporation chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We are in the final stages of this year’s peak shipping season, and I’d like to thank the more than 300,000 dedicated team members around the world for once again delivering outstanding service to our customers during the holidays.”

Second Quarter Results

FedEx Corp. reported the following consolidated results for the second quarter:

• Revenue of $11.9 billion, up 5% from $11.4 billion the previous year

• Operating income of $1.01 billion, up 22% from $827 million last year

• Operating margin of 8.5%, up from 7.3% a year ago

• Net income of $616 million, up 23% from last year’s $500 million

Operating income and margin increased primarily due to higher volumes and base yields in all three transportation segments. Results in the second quarter also included benefits from the company’s profit improvement programs, lower pension expense and a slightly positive net impact from fuel. These benefits were partially offset by higher aircraft maintenance expense due to the timing of aircraft maintenance events.

Share repurchases benefited second quarter earnings by $0.16 per diluted share.

Outlook

The company reaffirms its fiscal 2015 earnings forecast of $8.50 to $9.00 per diluted share. The outlook assumes continued moderate economic growth and a modest net benefit from fuel. The capital spending forecast for fiscal 2015 remains $4.2 billion.

Fuel Surcharges

FedEx regularly reviews its fuel surcharge tables and will update certain tables at FedEx Express, FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight effective February 2, 2015. Details on these changes will be available on fedex.com by December 23, 2014.

FedEx Express Segment

For the second quarter, the FedEx Express segment reported:

• Revenue of $7.02 billion, up 3% from last year’s $6.84 billion

• Operating income of $484 million, up 36% from $357 million a year ago

• Operating margin of 6.9%, up from 5.2% the previous year

Revenue increased due to higher U.S. domestic package volume and international export package base revenue, partially offset by lower fuel surcharges and exchange rates. U.S. domestic package volume grew by 7%, including a 10% increase in U.S. overnight box. U.S. domestic revenue per package declined 2% due to decreased fuel surcharges and lower weight.

FedEx International Economy® volume grew 5%, while FedEx International Priority® volume increased 1%. International export revenue per package was flat, as higher rates were offset by unfavorable currency exchange and lower fuel surcharges.

Operating results improved due primarily to U.S. domestic and international export package revenue growth, cost management related to profit improvement programs, lower pension expense and a slight net benefit from fuel. These improvements were partially offset by the timing of higher aircraft maintenance expense. The year over year increase in aircraft maintenance expense is expected to subside beginning in the fourth fiscal quarter.

FedEx Ground Segment

For the second quarter, the FedEx Ground segment reported:

• Revenue of $3.06 billion, up 8% from last year’s $2.85 billion

• Operating income of $465 million, up 6% from $439 million a year ago

• Operating margin of 15.2%, down from 15.4% the previous year

FedEx Ground average daily volume grew 5% in the second quarter, driven by growth in both business-to-business and FedEx Home Delivery services. Revenue per package increased 3% due to rate increases and higher residential surcharges. FedEx SmartPost average daily volume decreased 4% due to the reduction in volume of a major customer. FedEx SmartPost revenue per package increased 7% due to rate increases and improved customer mix, partially offset by higher postage rates.

Operating income increased due to higher revenue per package and volume, partially offset by higher network expansion costs, as the company continues to heavily invest in the FedEx Ground and FedEx SmartPost businesses.

FedEx Freight Segment

For the second quarter, the FedEx Freight segment reported:

• Revenue of $1.59 billion, up 11% from last year’s $1.43 billion

• Operating income of $112 million, up 35% from $83 million a year ago

• Operating margin of 7.1%, up from 5.8% the previous year

Less-than-truckload (LTL) average daily shipments increased 8%, including a 10% increase in demand for Priority service. LTL revenue per shipment grew 3% due to higher weight per shipment, higher rates and increased fuel surcharges.

Operating results improved due to increased LTL revenue per shipment and higher average daily LTL shipments.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Monday, December 15, was the busiest day for FedEx in its history according to the company. Cutting through the early morning mist at Charlotte is Airbus A300B4-622R (F) N719FD (msn 388) bound for the Memphis cargo hub.

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UPS’ pilots issue this statement regarding its unresolved contract and the upcoming holiday rush

UPS Airlines’ (United Parcel Service) (Atlanta and Louisville) pilots, represented by the Independent Pilots Association, have issued this statement:

“Will United Parcel Service deliver this Christmas? That’s the question that manufactures, shippers, retailers and consumers have been asking. While we can’t speak to all aspects of UPS’s operations we can say that despite UPS not finalizing our contract we remain committed to delivering this Christmas season,” said Independent Pilots Association spokesperson Brian Gaudet.

Gaudet went on to say, “UPS has done a lot to avoid a repeat of last year’s holiday delivery troubles: it developed and funded a $175 million Peak Plan; finalized its labor contract with the Teamsters; increased its seasonal hires by seventy-three percent. But UPS didn’t do everything it needed to; UPS neglected its air operations by not finalizing the contract with its pilots. We are now in our fourth-year of contract talks with UPS. In spite of this drawn out negotiation, the IPA remains committed to delivering this holiday season. But we encourage UPS, for the benefit of its customers, to close out this critical unfinished business.”

To help make this point the IPA has taken out full-page ads in the Asian, European and Eastern U.S. editions of the October 24 issue of the Wall Street Journal (below).

The Independent Pilots Association represents the professional pilots flying for United Parcel Service.

Top Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A300F4-622R N164UP (msn 853) completes its final approach to the runway at Toronto (Pearson).

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Ad appearing in the Wall Street Journal:

UPS IPA ad in the WSJ (LR)

 

The Beluga fleet celebrates 20 years of flying

Airbus (Toulouse) is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its transport aircraft named the Beluga. The company issued this recognition:

With its maiden flight on September 13, 1994, the popular Beluga cargo aircraft, affectionately named after the white whale because of its remarkable shape, is celebrating this week twenty years of transporting Airbus component parts between Airbus’ European manufacturing sites.

Since 1995, the fleet of five Beluga aircraft (below) replaced the ageing Super Guppy transporters in order to supply the Airbus final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg. Today, more than sixty flights are performed each week between eleven sites, carrying crucial parts for all of the Airbus programs, including the A380*.

The Beluga fleet is operated by Airbus Transport International (ATI), an Airbus subsidiary airline, and each Beluga crew is composed of a pilot, a co-pilot and a flight engineer.

With the production start of the A350 XWB in 2012 and the production ramp-up on other Airbus programmes, the Beluga activities again will substantially increase over the next five years.

In order to accompany this challenge, Airbus launched in 2011 the Fly 10 000 project. Flight crew numbers and flight hours have grown and loading procedures have been further optimized, with the opening of new integrated loading facilities in Hamburg and Bremen in Germany and Saint-Nazaire in France. Broughton, UK and Getafe, Spain will follow soon. Fly 10,000 should allow the Beluga fleet to double its activities by 2017 (from 5,000 to 10,000 flight hours).

“The Beluga is an essential element of Airbus’ integrated logistics and production ‎system. It is thanks to its reliability and engagement of the Beluga teams that we can fulfil our constant pursuit of efficiency”, said Günter Butschek, Airbus Chief Operating Officer.

The Beluga is based on the twin-engine A300-600R, appreciated for its reliability and its cost-effectiveness. It is powered by General Electric CF6-80C2 engines. With its impressive dimensions (56 m long, 17 m high, a fuselage diameter of 7.71 m and a main-deck cargo volume of 1,400m3), the Beluga is the champion of its category (compared with the Antonov AN-124 or even the C-17). The Beluga can carry a maximum payload of 47 metric tonnes non-stop over a range of 1,660 km/900 nm.

*only the Vertical Tailplane and tailcone, all other A380 components being transported through the “multimodal transport system (sea, river, road).

Top Copyright Photo: Guillaume Besnard/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus Transport International A300B4-608ST Beluga F-GSTB (msn 751) gracefully (for a whale) departs from the Toulouse base.

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Bottom Copyright Photo: Airbus. The Beluga fleet joins a rare group photo at Toulouse.

Airbus Beluga fleet (Grd) TLS (P. Pigeyre-Airbus)(LRW)

 

The NTSB blames the crew for the crash of UPS flight 1354 at Birmingham, Alabama

UPS A300-600F N155UP Crash Birmingham (NTSB)(LRW)

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that UPS flight 1354 crashed because the crew continued an unstabilized approach into Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition, the crew failed to monitor the altitude and inadvertently descended below the minimum descent altitude when the runway was not yet in sight.

The board also found that the flight crew’s failure to properly configure the on-board flight management computer, the first officer’s failure to make required call-outs, the captain’s decision to change the approach strategy without communicating his change to the first officer, and flight crew fatigue all contributed to the accident.

The airplane, an Airbus A300-600, crashed in a field short of runway 18 in Birmingham on August 14, 2013, at 4:47 a.m. The captain and first officer, the only people aboard, both lost their lives, and the airplane was destroyed by the impact and a post-crash fire. The flight originated from UPS’s hub in Louisville, Kentucky.

“An unstabilized approach is a less safe approach,” said NTSB Acting Chairman Christopher A. Hart. “When an approach is unstable, there is no shame in playing it safe by going around and trying again.”

The NTSB determined that because the first officer did not properly program the flight management computer, the autopilot was not able to capture and fly the desired flight path onto runway 18. When the flight path was not captured, the captain, without informing the first officer, changed the autopilot mode and descended at a rate that violated UPS’s stabilized approach criteria once the airplane descended below 1,000 feet above the airport elevation.

As a result of this accident investigation, the NTSB made recommendations to the FAA, UPS, the Independent Pilots Association and Airbus. The recommendations address safety issues identified in the investigation, including ensuring that operations and training materials include clear language requiring abandoning an unstable approach; the need for recurrent dispatcher training that includes both dispatchers and flight crews; the need for all relevant weather information to be provided to pilots in dispatch and enroute reports; opportunities for improvement in fatigue awareness and management among pilots and operators; the need for increased awareness among pilots and operators of the limitations of terrain awareness and warning systems — and for procedures to assure safety given these limitations.

A synopsis of the NTSB report is available at: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/2013/birmingham_al/birmingham_al.html

Top Copyright Photo: NTSB.

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Bottom Copyright Photo: Ken Petersen/AirlinersGallery.com. N155UP is pictured on the cargo ramp at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport before the tragic accident. Airbus A300F4-622R N155UP (msn 841) crashed on August 14, 2013 while on approach from the north to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, Birmingham, Alabama. The crew was operating cargo flight 5X 1354 from the Louisville hub to Birmingham. The two crew members were tragically killed in the crash.