Aeronautical Research Society: Emirates Airline denies codeshare plans with Canada's WestJet Airlines

WAM DUBAI: An Emirates Airline spokesperson has denied the carrier has plans to sign code sharing agreements with Canada's WestJet Airlines.

"As we continue to expand our global reach, we routinely look at partnerships with other airlines in order to offer customers the most convenient and seamless service possible, however we have no immediate codeshare plans with WestJet at this stage," an Emirates spokesperson said in an emailed press release.

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United Wants Joint Venture With Air Canada

Speaking Wednesday at the Hudson Securities airline conference, United CEO Jeff Smisek said United is "looking at a trans-border joint venture" with Air Canada. Additionally, he said, "We're keenly interested ... to form a joint venture in Latin America as well; we will pursue that."

Smisek did not name any potential Latin partners, but the Brazilian carrier TAM is a member of the Star Alliance and last month, both Avianca-Taca, which combines Columbian and El Salvadoran airlines, and Copa, based in Panama, agreed to join Star.

"We think there's a tremendous opportunity for us in JVs," Smisek said. "We compete across the world with everybody, and JVs are a powerful competitive tool for us."

United has a transatlantic joint venture with anti-trust immunity with Air Canada, Continental and Lufthansa. This year, regulators approved its request for a transpacific joint venture with ANA.

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WestJet signs interline pact with British Airways

OTTAWA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - WestJet Airlines Ltd (WJA.TO), Canada's second-biggest airline, confirmed on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement that will allow passengers traveling on British Airways (BAY.L) to connect to WestJet's network.

The so-called inbound interline agreement would advance WestJet efforts to expand beyond its low-budget roots, as it seeks new sources of revenue and profit, while trying to attract lucrative business passengers.

The agreement will allow passengers and their luggage to easily connect from a British Airways flight to WestJet planes in Canada on one itinerary.

"Yes we do have a deal with BA, but seats won't go on sale until early new year. Will have more details then," WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer said in an email.

The deal is not deemed to be material, Palmer said.

PI Financial Corp analyst Chris Murray said WestJet told him that it had agreed not to disclose the deal earlier to give British Airways time to organize marketing and issue a press release.

WestJet told Reuters that interline deals are not typically material and the Calgary-based company would not issue a press release unless there was a significant element to the tie-up.

"For example, we announced AA (American Airlines) because it was our first American partner," Palmer wrote.

Murray said the deal is a positive and could boost the Calgary-based company's stock.

"British Airways has always remained the most significant possible partner for WestJet in our opinion, given the travel patterns of Canadians and the relative size the British market represents for travel to Canada," Murray wrote.

"At the company's recent investor day in June 2010 it provided details showing British Airways as the single largest potential partner it could have of any other single carrier."

There was no discussion of any WestJet-BA alliance or partnership plans, Murray wrote.

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Posted by: Capt. Sushil Kumar

PHILIPPINES AVIATION NEWS

Air Force rehearses flyby for AFP anniv

MANILA, Philippines—If you see military planes flying overhead, don't be alarmed, be proud.

The Philippine Air Force on Thursday laughed off fears of an aerial invasion after it was deluged by inquiries about sightings of fighter and trainer planes in Metro Manila skies.

PAF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Ernesto Okol said it was just a dress rehearsal of sorts for Air Force planes for their "flyby," or ceremonial flight, as part of a military parade during the Armed Forces of the Philippines anniversary later this month.

"When we see those planes, we should be proud rather than scared," Okol said told the Inquirer in telephone interview. "I wish when the public sees these aircraft, they will just say 'I'm proud. That's our Air Force'."

It is, Okol said, an accomplishment already that the woefully under-equipped and under-funded Air Force possesses these aircraft to begin with.

Between 24 and 30 planes and choppers of various types will be joining the flyby, from S-211s to OV-10s Broncos to Huey rescue helicopters and a pair of brand-new SF-260s recently acquired by the PAF.

Rehearsals for the parade started this week and will continue just before the Air Force Day on December 21, the anniversary of the AFP, Okol said.

"There's nothing unusual about this. Maybe people just aren't used to seeing these aircraft flying about," he said.

He said the PAF had gotten several calls from worried people and members of the press since the flyby practices began.

Okol said the PAF had coordinated with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and had secured air space clearance from the ground controllers for the rehearsal flights.

"All pilots have been informed of minimum altitude requirements," as well as standard protocols of keeping apart by least 500 feet, and staying aboveground at least 1,000 feet from the highest point, Okol said.

He said the flyby was "not a military exercise," but a display of PAF aircraft as well as the skills of Air Force pilots, who would be flying in sync during the parade.

"It's going to be a showcase of what the Philippine Air Force is all about," Okol said.

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Pressure mounts on Cusi to quit CAAP

ALFONSO Cusi, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), is the source of problems besetting the agency because he is not a team player, Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Cusi has opposed the appointment of seven new officials in compliance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) requirements to have more technical people manning the aviation agency.

The CAAP Board last Nov. 2 passed a resolution approving the appointments of Ramon Gutierrez as deputy director general for administration; Napoleon Garcia, deputy director general for operations; Wilfredo Borja, assistant director general (Air Traffic Services); Andrew Basallote, assistant director general (Air Navigation Service); Edgardo Costes, assistant director general (Aerodrome Development and Management Service); Wilson Mirabona, assistant director general (Aerodrome Development and Management Service); and Andres Laurilla, assistant director general (Civil Aviation Training Center).

Lacierda said the appointment of new officials is one of the measures intended to ensure that the Philippines gets out of the Category 2 classification.

He said Cusi also politicized the deferred arrival late last month of the ICAO audit committee that would review the compliance of Philippine airports to international aviation standards.

Lacierda said ICAO, in its letter, said its reviewers will not be able to go to Manila because of "operational reasons" but "he (Cusi) politicized it and made it appear like they have no confidence in the Philippine government."

"Al Cusi was very much against the appointment of these people. So that’s why we are rectifying the situation. And he is not helping any," he said.

He said Cusi is a minority in the CAAP board but he could not be ousted because he has a fixed term until March 2013.

Cusi was appointed by former President Gloria Arroyo last March.

"We would like to urge him that for the sake of the national government, for the sake of the Filipino people, for the sake of our airports to really move out of Category 2, that he cooperate with the vast majority of the Board of Directors to ensure that we are taken out of Category 2," Lacierda said.

The CAAP was created by R.A. 9497 on March 23, 2008 in answer to a January 2008 downgrade from Category 1 to Category 2 by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) based on its International Aviation Safety Audit (IASA) in November 2007.

FAA said "the Philippines was no longer overseeing the safety of its airlines in accordance with international standards and practices."

Cusi denied he is not a team player even as he insisted that the administration violated the law in appointing seven new CAAP directors.

He said the CAAP guidelines for the selection of officials provides that holdover permanent employees should first be considered, followed by holdover temporary employees, then holdover casuals followed by holdover contractual employees and lastly, non-CAAP employee applicants.

He said the seven career positions are career "plantilla" positions being occupied by CAAP holdover employees in an OIC capacity, because they are still undergoing selection process as defined by the law.

Cusi said he tried to explain in writing to the CAAP board prior to the arrival of the ICAO Validation Mission that it is not safe to shake the organization during times of audit.

"The present unclear political announcements of a change in senior management could create, in ICAO’s opinion, an indeterminable future of professional processes within CAAP," he said. – Regina Bengco