Author: Metropolitan Airport News

Delta Air Lines and WestJet have agreed to deepen their existing partnership by entering into a comprehensive transborder joint venture that will increase travel choices between the U.S. and Canada. The airlines have entered into a preliminary memorandum of understanding regarding their intention to deepen their existing partnership to form a commercial joint venture arrangement, which will offer customers access to an extensive transborder route network, world-class airline products, enhanced frequent flyer benefits, shared airport facilities and amenities, and a more seamless travel experience. Highlights of the planned joint venture arrangement, subject to board approvals, execution of definitive agreements and applicable…

Port Authority Board of Commissioners approves lease deal with Aero JFK II LLC for new, State-of-the-Art 346,000 square-foot cargo facility. $132-million investment represents key first step of comprehensive vision plan for JFK – follows Airport Advisory Panel recommendation to enhance JFK’s position in International Air Cargo Market. JFK Cargo Industry supports 50,000 total jobs, $8.6 Billion in sales, and almost $3 Billion in wages. Project includes $70 Million investment in new cargo facility plus $62.2 Million upgrade to two taxiways to allow larger cargo planes to access north side warehouses. Projects support goal of 30% MWBE participation. Governor Andrew M.…

Qantas today announced it will operate the world’s first bio-fuel flight between the United States and Australia. The Los Angeles to Melbourne flight will take place early next year, in collaboration with World Fuel Services and Altair Fuels,  and will see Qantas’ new Dreamliner being powered by Brassica Carinata (carinata), a non-food, industrial type of mustard seed. Carinata produces high quality oil, ideal for aviation biofuel, bio-jet for aircraft and bio-diesel for airport vehicles. The news of the flight follows Qantas’ siging of a landmark partnership with Agrisoma Biosciences (Agrisoma), the Canadian based agricultural-technology – company who developed the carinata…

Southwest Airlines Co. announced the expansion of Repurpose with Purpose, an initiative that up-cycles, down-cycles, and recycles hundreds of thousands of pounds of discarded material into useful products with the help of partner organizations. Southwest Airlines has collaborated with diverse groups throughout the United States and Mexico to repurpose leather aircraft seat covers and cushions, blankets, life jackets, aircraft engines, and billboards. By providing as many materials as possible to these groups, Southwest reduces the amount of waste it sends to landfills while also generating social and economic opportunities for communities. The Repurpose with Purpose program began in 2013, following the Evolve retrofit program, which replaced Southwest’s leather aircraft…

As they work to permanently restore their network, this experimental technology is providing data, voice, and text services to customers. This is the first time an LTE cell site on a drone has been successfully deployed to connect residents after a disaster. The Flying COW is providing wireless connectivity to customers in an up to 40-square mile-area. It flies 200 feet above the ground and can extend coverage farther than other temporary cell sites. Ideal for providing coverage in remote areas. LTE-connected drones hold a lot of potential for FirstNet-subscribers. Exploring the capabilities of this technology in wake of Hurricane…

In recognition of its ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has received accreditation from Airports Council International (ACI) for the agency’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions at all five of its airports. The Port Authority achieved Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) for John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia, Stewart International and Teterboro airports. With the accreditation, the Port Authority joins an elite group of airports in the United States and internationally that have earned the carbon management certification standard from the prestigious global organization. Developed by ACI in 2009, ACA is the only globally…

Delta Air Lines and Korean Air took a significant step in the creation of their trans-Pacific joint venture with approval of the joint venture by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The DOT approval reflects the consumer benefits that will be created by the new joint venture. The two carriers will deepen their relationship, offering customers in the U.S. and Asia an enhanced and expanded flight network as well as more compelling travel options. The airlines have also applied for approval for the joint venture from the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. “We thank the DOT for approving this…

Alaska Airlines announced today that it will end a daily flight between Los Angeles and Havana, Cuba. The last flight is planned for Jan. 22, 2018. The airline will redeploy aircraft used to serve Havana to markets with higher demand. “Travel is about making connections, and we were honored to have played a role in helping people make personal connections by traveling between the U.S. and Cuba,” said Andrew Harrison, chief commercial officer for Alaska Airlines. “We continually evaluate every route we fly to ensure we have the right number of seats to match the number of people who want to go there.” About 80 percent of Alaska’s flyers to Havana visited…

Boeing forecasts that airlines in the Middle East will need 3,350 new airplanes over the next 20 years, valued at an estimated $730 billion. Boeing presented its 2017 Current Market Outlook (CMO) for the region during the Dubai Airshow. “Traffic growth in the Middle East is expected to grow at 5.6 percent annually during the next 20 years,” said Randy Tinseth, vice president of Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The fact that 85 percent of the world’s population lives within an eight-hour flight of the Arabian Gulf, coupled with robust business models and investment in infrastructure, allows carriers in the Middle East to channel traffic through their hubs and…

SolAero Technologies Corp. is pleased to announce successful completion of ground testing of the integrated solar wings on Bye Aerospace’s medium-altitude, long-endurance solar-electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called “StratoAirNet.” SolAero successfully integrated lightweight, flexible solar modules incorporating their state-of-the-art, high efficiency solar cell technology onto the wing structure, manufactured by Bye, while minimizing add-on mass and preserving the critical laminar flow surface of the wing. StratoAirNet is a lightweight, carbon composite construction, aerodynamically efficient aircraft. The solar-electric UAV has a payload capacity of up to 70 lbs., enabling substantial capability with multiple sensors at altitudes of up to 35,000 feet. The…