Slowdown in air passenger growth / Desaceleración en el crecimiento de pasajeros aéreos

The number of people travelling on international flights grew at the slowest rate in five years in June, according to a report.

World passenger numbers were up 3.8% in June from a year ago, the International Air Travel Association (IATA) said, as the economic slowdown took hold.

Load factors - which measure how full planes are - fell in June, IATA said.

The association warned the situation would get "a lot worse" amid plunging confidence and high oil prices.

The report said that the volume of freight traffic fell in June, down 0.8%, the first decline since May 2005. Falling confidence from manufacturers was to blame, IATA said.

Loss fears

The organisation, which has been downbeat about the short-term future of the airline industry for some time, said the industry could record losses of $6.1bn (£3bn) this year.

Last week, British Airways became the latest carrier to show the impact of tough conditions on its finances - reporting an 88% fall in quarterly profits.

And Ryanair has warned that it may lose 60m euros this financial year.

IATA represents about 230 airlines operating almost 95% of international air traffic. Domestic flights are not included in its data.

Aerocalifornia no respondió a requerimiento de Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor

"Desde el jueves a ayer lunes desde la Ciudad de México se suspendieron 43 vuelos, y esto ha venido afectando a cerca de mil 500 pasajeros".

Ciudad de México.-- El titular de la Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor, Antonio Morales de la Peña, destacó que Aerocalifornia no respondió al requerimiento de información y comparecencia que se le hizo, para explicar como enfrentaría su cancelación de vuelos.
A las 10 de la mañana de ayer venció el plazo para que la empresa explicará cómo harán frente a sus obligaciones ante los consumidores, por lo que se le hizo otro requerimiento de información.
"Desde el jueves a ayer lunes desde la Ciudad de México se suspendieron 43 vuelos, y esto ha venido afectando a cerca de mil 500 pasajeros", agregó.
Respecto a los recursos con los que cuenta Profeco para obligar a la empresa a que cumplan, detalló que ya iniciaron un procedimiento de infracciones a la ley, "porque ya incumplieron la ley al no prestar un servicio que estaban obligados a los pasajeros que ya tenían un boleto".
Además, enfatizó que en caso de que no respondan, en la Profeco se tiene una figura jurídica novedosa que es la acción del grupo o colectiva, es decir "que nosotros en representación de los pasajeros afectados podemos presentar esta acción de grupo en el poder judicial".
Con ello, dijo, a través de un juicio colectivo y una sentencia se obligue a Aerocalifornia a reportar dinero, a pagar daños y perjuicios, y por lo menos una compensación o bonificación por el perjuicio de 25 por ciento del costo del boleto.
Recordó que esta es la segunda ocasión que Aerocalifornia enfrenta problemas, en 2006 se suspendieron también sus vuelos, y esto ocasionó que nosotros la multáramos por más de cinco millones de pesos.
Asimismo, Morales de la Peña aseveró que han reforzado su presencia en los diferentes aeropuertos donde volaba la empresa, con la instalación de modulos y se lograron acuerdos con diversas aerolíneas para que cobren un precio especial y los afectados puedan trasladarse en vuelos sustitutos.
"Mexicana, Aeroméxico, Alma, Aeromar y Aviacsa han estado apoyando con precios que van desde los mil pesos a mil 500; y a través de estos convenios se han logrado transportar a cerca de 180 pasajeros", añadió.
Sin embargo, señaló que la Profeco trabaja para que se obligue a Aerocalifornia a que en los módulos del aeropuerto les puedan reembolsar el dinero de los boletos a los pasajeros afectados y lo utilicen para pagar otro.
Aunque comentó que todavía no pierden la esperanza de que Aerocalifornia pague su adeudo y puedan volver a volar, a fin de que no sean tanto los afectados.
Notimex

Aeroméxico operará en Aeropuerto Intercontinental de Querétaro

En el estado actualmente operan las empresas Aeromar, Alma de México, Avolar, Continental y Delta, con vuelos directos al Distrito Federal, Guadalajara, Monterrey y Cancún, así como a Houston y Atlanta, en Estados Unidos.

Querétaro.- En septiembre próximo comenzará a operar la empresa Aeroméxico en el Aeropuerto Intercontinental de Querétaro, con vuelos a la ciudad de Monterrey, confirmó el secretario de Desarrollo Sustentable, Renato López Otamendi.
En declaraciones a los medios de comunicación, el funcionario estatal detalló que los vuelos a la capital neoleonesa serán de gran importancia para Querétaro, dado que en Monterrey hay enlaces a varias ciudades de Estados Unidos y de Europa.
Por ello, añadió López Otamendi, en un futuro se espera que crezca el número de opciones de rutas directas de Querétaro a la Unión Americana y Europa.
En el Aeropuerto Intercontinental de Querétaro actualmente operan las empresas Aeromar, Alma de México, Avolar, Continental y Delta, con vuelos directos al Distrito Federal, Guadalajara, Monterrey y Cancún, así como a Houston y Atlanta, en Estados Unidos.
Notimex

Afecta crisis de turbosina seguridad en aerolíneas de bajo costo: ASSA

La secretaria general de la Asociación Sindical de Sobrecargos de Aviación de México, Lizette Clavel Sánchez, advirtió que "muchas de las aerolíneas de bajo costo están demostrando que no pueden mantener esta condición de brindar un transporte seguro a sus pasajeros.

Ciudad de México.- Las aerolíneas de bajo costo empiezan a tener problemas para garantizar la seguridad a sus usuarios ante el incremento en insumos como la turbosina, advirtió la secretaria general de la Asociación Sindical de Sobrecargos de Aviación de México (ASSA), Lizette Clavel Sánchez.
"Muchas de las aerolíneas de bajo costo están demostrando que no pueden mantener esta condición de brindar un transporte seguro a sus pasajeros. Hay modelos de aerolíneas de bajo costo que pudieran garantizarlo, pero no me atrevería a decir que son más de cinco de las que operan en el país, de un total de 10 de bajo costo", dijo.
Ese tipo de aerolíneas iniciaron operaciones en el país hace tres años con tarifas reducidas, a cambio de sacrificar comodidades, alimentos y bebidas en vuelos cortos y con aeropuertos secundarios.
En entrevista con Notimex, Clavel Sánchez expuso que la relación precio con calidad está muy vinculada, al igual que la relación precio-seguridad.
Sin embargo, el presidente de la Cámara Nacional de Aerotransportes (Canaero), Javier Christlieb Morales, dijo que los altos precios de los combustibles afectan "a grandes y pequeñas empresas por igual".
Explicó que las aerolíneas tradicionales tienen una estructura pesada y con altos costos operativos, aunque en los últimos dos años han tratado de reestructurarse, "haciendo grandes esfuerzos por reducir sus costos".
En cuanto a las empresas de bajo costo, como Interjet, Volaris y Click, mencionó que mantienen una estrategia de tarifas bajas, pero sus ingresos no son suficientes para el pago de los costos operativos.
El directivo dijo desconocer a qué capacidad trabajan las aerolíneas, porque "tendría que conocer el número de aviones que las empresas están dejando en tierra y el número de vuelos sin operar, pero en definitiva si es más alto el costo de tener una nave volando, las empresas la van a dejar en la pista, en la plataforma".
Lo cierto, insistió, es que el encarecimiento de la turbosina ha detenido el crecimiento de las aerolíneas, que "tienen proyectos de aviones adicionales que están tratando de demorar en lo que esta situación se soluciona".
Argumentó que el "entorno de bajo costo" se ha perdido, pues "uno de los elementos más importantes que es la turbosina no representa un bajo costo".
Christlieb Morales explicó que los costos aeroportuarios también afectan a la industria, al representar de 8.0 a 15 por ciento del ingreso de una empresa.
Destacó que la aviación es "pilar de buena parte de la actividad económica nacional", al incidir en sectores como turismo, negocios, carga y paquetería, además de generar 25 mil empleos directos.
Sobre la duración de la crisis del combustible, la secretaria general de la ASSA, Lizette Clavel, estimó que no hay especialistas capaces de predecir su duración, aunque en los últimos días se ha observado una baja en los precios del petróleo, "lo que podría prever si no una recuperación, al menos una estabilidad en los precios".
Dijo que si se rechaza dar subsidios a la industria, con el argumento de que sólo beneficiaría al 5.0 por ciento de la población que es la que utiliza avión, "entonces tendríamos que asumir que se trata de un gobierno que sólo responde al 95 por ciento restante de la población; es una visión limitada de lo que significa la aviación"
El presidente de la Canaero coincidió con la dirigente sindical, al señalar que "si bien es cierto que 5.0 por ciento de la población utiliza el avión, debemos decir que son 20 millones de viajes a nivel nacional".
Notimex

EU includes aviation in CO2 curbs

The European Parliament has backed a law to include aviation in Europe's CO2 Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for cutting greenhouse gases.

MEPs voted 640 to 30 for aviation to be included in the scheme from 2012. It includes both EU and non-EU airlines.

Under the UN's Kyoto Protocol, the EU is required to cut its CO2 emissions by 8% from 1990 levels by 2012.

Airlines will have to cut emissions by 3% in the first year, compared to 2005, and by 5% from 2013 onwards.

The measures will now be ratified by the 27 EU member states, which agreed the deal in June.

Industries included in the ETS have to buy and sell permits that allow them to emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Airlines will have to pay for permits covering 15% of their pollution quotas, the remainder being issued free.

Aviation currently only accounts for about 3% of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions, but the sector has seen an 87% increase in CO2 since 1990.

The new legislation says the revenues generated from the auctioning of emissions permits should be used to fund: measures to combat climate change, research on clean aircraft, anti-deforestation measures in developing countries and low-emission transport. Within that framework, the member states will decide how to allocate the revenues.

US opposition

US officials and US-based airlines have criticised the extension of the ETS to aviation, arguing that the EU has no right to force airlines using its airspace to abide by the ETS rules. They say the EU must wait for a global agreement to be reached.

Peter Liese, a German MEP who helped negotiate the aviation package, said that "of course, a global agreement is our final goal, but the inclusion of third country flights starting and landing in Europe is a major step for the global fight against climate change".

"Other industries like steel would very much like to be in such a situation," he added.

The ETS began operating in 2005. It applies to major energy and industrial concerns which collectively account for about 40% of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions.

The aviation deal backed by the MEPs excludes: light planes with a take-off weight under 5.7 tons, UN-approved humanitarian flights, firefighting or other emergency flights, flights by police, customs or military forces, research flights and flights by small, low-emission airlines.

The deal was criticised by the German carrier Lufthansa on Tuesday. A spokesman quoted by Reuters news agency said the ETS was "ecologically counter-productive and economically harmful".

The aviation scheme will include official flights by EU heads of state and ministers.

The European Commission reckons that the scheme could increase return air ticket prices by 4.6 to 39.6 euros (£3.6 to £31) by 2020, depending on the journey length.

American Airlines grounds flights / American Airlines cancela vuelos

American Airlines cancelled about 850 flights on Wednesday after it grounded its MD-80 aircraft to conduct extra safety inspections on wiring.
The cancellations - more than a third of its schedule - came after almost 500 flights were scrapped on Tuesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) raised concerns about the wiring inspections two weeks ago.
The FAA has been clamping down on safety inspections and several airlines have been forced to ground planes.
Southwest, Delta and United have also grounded some of their fleets to carry out inspections.
Missed inspections
The FAA said that it had checked several American MD-80s and decided that the work carried out two weeks ago did not meet its standards.
The airline runs about 2,300 flights a day, more than one third of which use MD-80s, mainly on mid-range flights.
The FAA has been tightening up its inspections since admitting that it was too lax with Southwest Airlines last year.
The House of Representatives' Transportation Committee discovered that fuselage cracks on Southwest planes had gone undetected due to missed inspections.
The Senate is holding its latest set of hearings on airline maintenance and inspection on Thursday.

Air tanker deal provokes US row

Boeing's loss of a $40bn contract to build a new in-flight refuelling aircraft for the US military has drawn angry protests in Congress.

Lawmakers from Washington state and Kansas, which have big Boeing plants, voiced "outrage" that it had gone to a consortium including Europe's Airbus.

The planes will be assembled in Alabama but constructed largely in Europe.

Boeing has said it is awaiting an explanation from the military before deciding whether or not to appeal.

The new aircraft, named the KC-45A by the US Air Force, is based on the Airbus A330 and will be manufactured in partnership with US defence firm Northrop Grumman.

Its job will be to refuel the vast array of US warplanes and the contract is worth in the region of $40bn over 15 years.

It is a huge blow for Boeing, the BBC's Vincent Dowd reports from Washington.

America has around two-thirds of all such aircraft in use anywhere, and a senior figure in the company said recently if it lost this contract it could be out of the refuelling market totally for years.

'Outsourcing'

Gen Arthur J Lichte, commander of the US Air Force's Air Mobility Command, said the winning design had many advantages over Boeing's tanker.

"More passengers, more cargo, more fuel to offload, more patients that we can carry, more availability, more flexibility and more dependability," he said.

In Everett, Washington state, a few dozen Boeing workers protested outside a Machinists Union hall holding up signs saying "American workers equal best tankers" and "Our military deserves the best".

Congressional lawmakers from the state's Seattle area issued a joint statement condemning the "outsourcing" of the contract.

"We are outraged that this decision taps European Airbus and its foreign workers to provide a tanker to our American military," they said.

Todd Tiahrt, a Republican congressman from Wichita, Kansas, called for "an American tanker built by an American company with American workers".

"I hope the Air Force reverses its decision," he added.

But the news was a boon for Alabama Republican congressman Jo Bonner.

"We are so very excited about having the opportunity to help the Air Force acquire the most modern and capable refuelling tanker - a tanker assembled in America by Americans," he said.

The deal will also safeguard thousands of British aviation jobs, the BBC's Andy Moore says. Wings will be made at factories in Bristol and in North Wales.

Breaking through

For Airbus's parent company, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), it is a long-desired and potentially crucial breakthrough into the US market, our correspondent says.

Replacing America's ageing KC-135 refuelling planes - which date back to the 1950s - has proved controversial, he notes.

In 2002, the Air Force negotiated a $23bn deal with Boeing for 100 tankers to be based on the Boeing 767.

But that deal was declared invalid after allegations of fraud.

Two Boeing executives went to jail and eventually Boeing's chief executive resigned.

Political pressure on the Air Force over the deal was led by Sen John McCain, the front-runner to win the Republican nomination for the presidential elections this year.

Our correspondent adds that two further contracts are expected later as the US Air Force replaces the rest of its ageing fleet of refuelling craft.

Will biofuels power tomorrow's planes? / Propulsarán los biocombustibles los aviones del mañana?

By Stephen Dowling
BBC News

On Sunday, a Virgin Airlines Boeing 747 took off from London's Heathrow Airport en route to Amsterdam. This short flight may prove to be a giant leap forward for the aviation industry.

The aircraft did not carry passengers - but it was the first commercial aircraft to fly partly under the power of biofuels.

One of the aircraft's four engines ran on fuel comprising a 20% biofuel mix of coconut and babassu oil and 80% of the normal Jet A aviation fuel.

Biofuels - principally ethanol and diesel made from plants - are one of the few viable options for replacing the liquid fuels derived from petroleum used in transport, the source of about one quarter of the human race's greenhouse gas emissions.

Existing engines

The airline industry is being increasingly criticised for its perceived part in global warming, as more and more people take advantage of cheap tickets on aircraft powered by kerosene. Environmentalists claim it is a major carbon producer, fuelling rising world temperatures.

Airlines and aircraft designers have been feeling the heat. Plane-makers Boeing and aircraft engine manufacturers General Electric have been working with Virgin to cut down their flights' carbon footprints.

What is exciting the aviation industry is the fact the aircraft is completely unchanged, using the same engines as any scheduled, passenger-carrying flight. Only the fuel is different.

The flight follows a journey made by an Airbus A380 earlier this month using another alternative fuel - a synthetic mix of gas-to-liquid - in one of its four engines.

It flew from Filton in the UK to Toulouse in France, a journey of some 900km (560 miles), and was in partnership with Rolls-Royce and Shell.

Air New Zealand is also working with Boeing and Rolls-Royce to mount a test flight powered partly by biofuels later this year.

These are the first tentative steps in breaking the aviation industry's reliance on kerosene. But it is likely to be decades before aircraft are able to take to the skies powered entirely by something other than fossil fuels.

One industry analyst told the BBC News website there were several problems to overcome.

Jet A fuel, one of the standard aviation fuels, has a stable energy content and a low freeze point - meaning it is suited to the very low temperatures encountered by high-flying aircraft.

Biofuels cannot be relied upon to operate as reliably in the same temperatures.

Jet A fuel also burns consistently, which means it provides a reliable and safe fuel source for long flights.

Environmental drawbacks

Airlines also want a biofuel which can be burnt in existing engines - rather than having to replace every engine in their fleets.

There are other issues surrounding biofuels. There are concerns widespread planting and use of biofuel crops could threaten natural ecosystems and raise food prices. It could also mean the deforestation of rainforests, which absorb massive amounts of carbon.

Virgin remained tight-lipped about where its biofuel comes from until the day of the flight but said it would be a "truly sustainable type of biofuel that doesn't compete with food and fresh water resources".

Some environmentalists are sceptical. They believe the secret to cutting down aviation's share of the carbon is cutting the amount of flights we take.

Kenneth Richter, Friends of the Earth aviation campaigner, said: "Biofuels are a major distraction in the fight against climate change. There is mounting evidence that the carbon savings from biofuels are negligible.

"If Virgin was really serious about reducing the aviation industry's impact on the environment it would support calls for aircraft emissions to be included in the Climate Change Bill."

Green Party councillor and former chemist Andrew Boswell said: "Richard Branson is making a huge mistake backing biofuels.

"It means a huge amount of fuel we've got to produce."

Mr Boswell, who campaigns for the lobby group Biofuel Watch, said it was unsustainable to try and replace transport's share of fossil fuel consumption with biofuels - there is simply not enough arable land to grow fuel crops and food.

Sunday's flight may herald a new direction in aviation. But any massive change in the way we power our planes is unlikely, analysts say, to be just around the corner.

Airline in first biofuel flight / Aerolínea realiza primer vuelo con biocombustibles

The first flight by a commercial airline to be powered partly by biofuel has taken place.

A Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet has flown between London's Heathrow and Amsterdam using fuel derived from a mixture of Brazilian babassu nuts and coconuts.

Environmentalists have branded the flight a publicity stunt and claim biofuel cultivation is not sustainable.

Earlier this month, Airbus tested another alternative fuel - a synthetic mix of gas-to-liquid.

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson said the flight marked a "vital breakthrough" for the entire airline industry.

"This pioneering flight will enable those of us who are serious about reducing our carbon emissions to go on developing the fuels of the future," he said.

But he said fully commercial biofuel flights were likely to use feedstocks such as algae rather than the mix used on the passenger-less flight.

Virgin's Boeing 747 had one of its four engines connected to an independent biofuel tank that it said could provide 20% of the engine's power.

The three other engines were capable of powering the plane on conventional fuel had there been a problem.

The company said the babassu tree, native to Brazil, and the coconuts did not compete with staple food sources and came from existing mature plantations.

Both products are commonly used in cosmetics and household paper products.

'Gimmick'

One problem with flying planes using biofuel is that it is more likely to freeze at high altitude.

The technology is still being manufactured by companies GE and Boeing, but Virgin believes airlines could routinely be flying on plant power within 10 years.

Kenneth Richter, of Friends of the Earth, said the flight was a "gimmick", distracting from real solutions to climate change.

"If you look at the latest scientific research it clearly shows biofuels do very little to reduce emissions," he said.

"At the same time we are very concerned about the impact of the large-scale increase in biofuel production on the environment and food prices worldwide.

"What we need to do is stop this mad expansion of aviation. At the moment it is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases in the UK, and we need to stop subsidising the industry."

Greenpeace's chief scientist, Dr Doug Parr, labelled the flight a "high-altitude greenwash" and said less air travel was the only answer.

"Instead of looking for a magic green bullet, Virgin should focus on the real solution to this problem and call for a halt to relentless airport expansion."

Airbus ran its test using the world's largest passenger jet, the A380.

The three-hour flight from Filton near Bristol to Toulouse on 1 February was part of an ongoing research programme.