TOMORROWS TRANSPORTATION NEWS TODAY!

Tag: Bill

European Union implements new customs procedures

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has notified customers  that the European Union (E.U.) has implemented its new customs pre-arrival security and safety program, supported by an extensive advanced cargo information system known as “Import Control System 2 (ICS 2)”. This regulation will replace the current regulation ICS 1.

From June 2024, all goods moved by Maritime transportation which are destined for, or transiting the E.U., Switzerland, Norway, and Northern Ireland will be subject to new entry regulations – ICS2. Economic Operators (EOs) or Shippers will have to declare safety and 2 security data to ICS2, through the Entry Summary Declaration (ENS).

Paving the transition for ONE Customers At ONE, we are in the process of upgrading our systems to capture and process mandatory information, such as the 6-digit HS code, place of receipt and House Bill of Lading data ensuring we can support all our customers with their ENS submissions. Additionally, we are providing extensive training to our Magentians across all regions to equip them with the necessary information to support you, our customer during this transition. Watch out for further updates and announcements on our progress in 2024.

For more information on the upcoming ICS2, click on the link below.

https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs-4/customs-security/import-control-system-2-ics2-0_en

Copy Translate

Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn’s Message on Empire Builder Train Derailment in Montana

We are in mourning today for the people who lost their lives due to the derailment of the Empire Builder train Saturday, near Joplin, Montana, on the BNSF Railway, as well as the many others who were injured. We have no words that can adequately express our sorrow for those who lost a loved one or who were hurt in this horrible event. They are in our thoughts and prayers.

We are fully cooperating with the investigation, working closely with National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Railroad Administration, local law enforcement and response agencies. We share the sense of urgency to understand why the accident happened; however, until the investigation is complete, we will not comment further on the accident itself. The NTSB will identify the cause or causes of this accident, and Amtrak commits to taking appropriate actions to prevent a similar accident in the future.

Amtrak’s immediate and sustained focus is on doing everything we can to help our passengers and crew, especially the families of those who were injured or died, at this painful and difficult time. Our Incident Response Team has been initiated. We have sent emergency personnel and Amtrak leadership to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs. Individuals with questions about their family and friends aboard this train should call 800-523-9101. We have also established a Family Assistance Center in Great Falls, Montana, and we will have family assistance liaisons at that site to reach out to those injured and their families to make sure they get what they need. We have dispatched nurse case managers to support those hospitalized. As soon as Amtrak has permission, we will access the accident site to retrieve the personal effects of our passengers and crew.

We want to extend our deep gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Joplin and greater Liberty County communities and other Montana counties and their selfless first responders, hospital staff and law enforcement for their immediate and ongoing help to support of all those aboard the Empire Builder for responding with such urgency, compassion and patience.

ATR Releases 2019 Results

ATR performed well in 2019. We received 79 orders and delivered 68 aircraft for a book-to-bill of more than one. The turnover for the year was $1.6 billion and was boosted by a strong performance from our Services.

In 2020, the aviation industry is facing an unprecedented challenge that will last well beyond the current year. It is too early to understand the full impact on our backlog, however we have not had any cancellations to date.

Currently, 40% of ATR aircraft around the world continue to fly, playing a vital role in humanitarian missions and the transportation of essential goods to the remotest areas.

Naturally, during this time, ATR continues to support airlines 24/7.

Cargo is becoming increasingly important and we have developed a solution allowing airlines operating ATR aircraft to quickly and temporarily convert to a light freighter configuration, allowing them to unlock potential operations.

During this crisis, ATR is not standing still. While our major concern is always the safety and health of our employees and subcontractors, our manufacturing sites have never closed, and we have implemented a very strict health protocol that has allowed us to continue critical activities. We remain committed to the delivery of our new programmes, the ATR 72-600F freighter and the ATR 42-600 STOL. The first deliveries of our new cargo variant will happen this year.

ATR believes that regional aviation will resume its activities faster than international air traffic, because it will have a huge role to play in the recovery of the global economy, connecting communities around the world with necessary supplies.

Boeing Net Orders Slump to Lowest in Decades

(Reuters) – Boeing Co <BA> reported its worst annual net orders in decades on Tuesday, along with its lowest numbers for plane deliveries in 11 years, as the grounding of its 737 MAX jet saw it fall far behind main competitor Airbus <EADSY>.

Boeing’s gross orders plunged 77% to 246 in 2019, while net orders after cancellations or conversions were just 54 airplanes compared with 893 the previous year.

After an accounting adjustment representing jets ordered in previous years but are now unlikely to be delivered, Boeing said its net total for orders this year sank to a negative 87 airplanes.

As a result, Boeing’s book-to-bill ratio, which measures orders against deliveries, came in at a negative 0.23 in 2019.

Boeing said unidentified customers canceled orders for three 787-9’s in December and another customer canceled an order for a 787-8.

Ten months after the MAX was grounded in March following two fatal crashes, Boeing still has a backlog of more than 5,400 orders for its long- and short-distance commercial jets.

By comparison, Airbus said earlier this month it racked up a net 768 orders last year after cancellations and delivered a record 863 planes.

Boeing said on Tuesday deliveries fell by 53% to 380 planes over the whole of last year, as the MAX’s grounding made it impossible for it to deliver the planes to customers, forcing it to halt production last month and lose the top spot to its European rival for the first time in eight years.

Planemakers receive most of their revenue when aircraft are delivered – minus accumulated progress payments – making final delivery crucial for their finances.

Analysts estimate that Boeing has been losing around $1 billion a month because of the grounding and it reported an almost $3 billion negative free cash flow in the third quarter. Fourth-quarter figures are due on Jan. 29.

Boeing parted ways with Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg last month as it became increasingly clear that he was making little headway in resolving the crisis.

The company is still working to fix the MAX and there is little clarity on when Boeing is likely to get the green light from regulators to bring the airplane back into service, making analysts and investors jittery about the company’s prospects in 2020.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher in Paris, and Ankit Ajmera and Rachit Vats in Bengaluru; Editing by Patrick Graham, Shounak Dasgupta and Amy Caren Daniel)

Unpainted Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are seen parked at Renton Municipal Airport in Renton

United Airlines to Record $90 Million Charge Related to Hong Kong Routes

(Reuters) – United Airlines Holdings Inc <UAL> said on Tuesday it expects a non-cash impairment charge of $90 million in the fourth quarter related to its Hong Kong routes, following anti-government protests in the city.

The Hong Kong protests escalated in June over a now-withdrawn extradition bill, but have since developed into a broader movement.

“Due to a decrease in demand for the Hong Kong market and the resulting decrease in unit revenue, the company determined that the value of its Hong Kong routes had been fully impaired,” the U.S. carrier said.

Several airlines including India’s SpiceJet Ltd <SPJT>, Malaysia’s AirAsia Group Bhd <AIABF>, South Korea’s JejuAir Co Ltd <089590> reduced the number of flights to the city in the fourth quarter as the protests grew increasingly violent, disrupting daily life.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

Cathay Pacific Shares Fall Nearly 4% After Chairman Resigns

Slosar attends a news conference in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Shares in Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd fell nearly 4% in early trade on Thursday following the resignation of its chairman after the market closed on the previous day.

The departure of John Slosar was announced less than three weeks after mounting Chinese regulatory scrutiny led to the shock exit of its chief executive, Rupert Hogg.

Cathay shares had closed 7.2% higher on Wednesday as the Hong Kong market was lifted by reports of the withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill, which was officially announced after the market closed.

Long-serving Swire Pacific Ltd executive Patrick Healy was appointed as Cathay’s new chairman on Wednesday following the resignation of Slosar, who had served in the role since 2014.

“As John would have retired soon anyway it’s not really a huge setback as a business,” an analyst said of Slosar’s departure. “However it’s always awful to see when politics dictate like this.”

The analyst, who was not authorised to speak publicly about personnel changes, said he believed if the political situation in Hong Kong stabilised, the situation at Cathay should as well.

Daiwa Capital Markets analyst Kelvin Lau said the extradition bill’s withdrawal was positive for Cathay, even though protests were not expected to end immediately.

“We expect this to be a turning point where the situation would at least not worsen,” he said in a note to clients, adding that recent personnel changes at the airline should satisfy the requirements of the Chinese regulator and were likely to instill confidence among customers.

China’s aviation regulator last month said crew who engaged in the anti-government protests in Hong Kong posed a threat to safety and should be suspended from staffing flights to the mainland and over its airspace.

(Reporting by Donny Kwok and Jamie Freed, writing by Jamie Freed, editing by Richard Pullin)

Wizz Air Looks to Connect the Dots with Long-Range A321’s

LE BOURGET, France, June 19 (Reuters) – Wizz Air will use 20 new extended-range, narrow body Airbus jets primarily to connect existing destinations in its disparate network rather than to fly to new places, the budget airline’s Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi said on Wednesday.

Indigo Partners, the private equity firm of veteran low-cost airline investor Bill Franke, agreed on Wednesday to acquire 50 of the new long-range version of Airbus’ A321neo jet, 20 of which will go to Wizz.

Wizz, which operates a fleet of 113 Airbus A320 and Airbus A321, would not need to change its operating model to accommodate the new A321XLR jets, Varadi said, as it would be able to fly essentially the same planes a little longer.

“Our network spans from the Canary Islands to Astana in Kazakhstan, from Reyjavik in Iceland to Dubai,” Varadi told Reuters after the announcement at the Paris Airshow.

“The XLR gives use the opportunity to connect more dots in our existing network. This is what we’re looking at.”

Airbus opened the Paris Airshow with the launch of the A321XLR, but the announcement was overshadowed on Tuesday when Boeing said British Airways-owner IAG intended to order 200 of its grounded 737 MAX jets.

Hungary-based Wizz, which is focussed on central and eastern Europe, said it had used existing option positions to secure the deal for the A321XLRs, bringing the airline’s total of outstanding firm orders for Airbus aircraft to 276 jets.

Varadi said that in the longer term, it was possible the jet would help open routes to new destinations, but it was not a priority.

“We have always been excited about planting new flags in new territories,” Varadi said. “But the vast majority of the XLR capacity will come in existing markets.”

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Mark Potter)

Thomas Cook Sets May 7 Deadline for Airline Interest

LONDON (Reuters) – Thomas Cook has set a deadline of May 7 for expressions of interest in its airline business, with Indigo Partners and Lufthansa among the likely bidders, sources said.

The heavily-indebted British travel group put its profitable airline business up for sale in February after profit warnings in 2018 left it needing to raise cash.

Thomas Cook’s airlines business consists of Germany’s Condor, as well as British, Scandinavian and Spanish operations.

A sale of the business, in whole or in part, would enable the world’s oldest tour operator to invest more in its own hotels and improve its online sales.

A source familiar with the discussions said that Indigo and Germany’s Lufthansa appeared most interested in the business.

British Airways owner IAG should not be ruled out and easyJet has engaged in talks but is seen as less interested, the source added.

It is not clear whether Ireland’s Ryanair would bid.

Another source said that private equity groups KKR and Apollo might also look at taking over the whole of Thomas Cook.

The airlines business would provide access to valuable European slots linking Britain to Spain, Greece and Turkey.

Thomas Cook, Indigo, IAG and easyJet declined to comment, while Lufthansa and Ryanair were not immediately available.

Lufthansa executives have said repeatedly that the German airline wants to “play an active role” in consolidation.

Indigo, the private equity firm managed by Bill Franke, the veteran U.S. low-cost airline investor, has previously made investments in several airlines including Hungary’s Wizz.

Thomas Cook has been revamping different parts of its business this year, closing high street stores and reviewing its money division as it focuses on holidays.

The company was hit badly in 2018 when a hot European summer deterred customers from booking holidays through the year.

One banking source said the airline would fetch less than 1 billion euros (£859 million). Thomas Cook has a current market value of just over £400 million.

Sources said that competition issues could influence which parts of the business different suitors go for.

Sky News has said China’s Fosun International, a Thomas Cook shareholder, was interested in its tour business.

(Reporting by Kate Holton and Clara Denina in London; additional reporting by Alistair Smout and Georgina Prodhan in London and Arno Schuetze in Frankfurt; Editing by Alexander Smith)

FILE PHOTO: A Thomas Cook Airbus A321-200 airplane takes off at the airport in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, July 28, 2018. REUTERS/Paul Hanna/File Photo

Passengers Stranded After Iceland’s WOW Air Collapses

FILE PHOTO: Bikes by bike rental service of Icelandic airline WOW air are seen in Reykjavik
FILE PHOTO: Bikes by a bike rental service of Icelandic airline WOW air are seen in Reykjavik, Iceland, August 5, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/File Photo

(Reuters) – Iceland’s WOW air became the latest budget airline casualty on Thursday, halting operations and cancelling all future flights after efforts to raise more funds failed.

WOW, which focussed on low-cost travel across the Atlantic, advised stranded travellers to seek flights with other airlines. It flew a total of 3.5 million passengers last year.

“This is probably the hardest thing I have ever done but the reality is that we have run out of time and have unfortunately not been able to secure the funding of the company,” WOW CEO and founder Skuli Mogensen wrote in a letter to the company’s 1,000 employees.

“I will never be able to forgive myself for not taking action sooner,” he added.

WOW had earlier postponed flights on Thursday as it entered what it had hoped were the final stages of an equity raising with a group of investors.

“My flight from Boston has been cancelled. Having a hard time getting through to anyone on the phone. Can you help me at all?” Twitter user Marc Solari wrote.

WOW replied with an apology and offer of further assistance.

WOW is the latest budget airline to collapse as the European airline sector grapples with over-capacity and high fuel costs. Recent failures include Britain’s Flybmi, Nordic budget airline Primera Air and Cypriot counterpart Cobalt.

“RESCUE FARES”

Other airlines including, Icelandair, Easyjet and Norwegian stepped in offering discounted ‘rescue fares’ to stranded passengers, according to the Icelandic Transport Authority

WOW has been pursuing different avenues to raise money over the past few months.

It ended talks with rival Icelandair last Sunday while veteran low-cost airline investor Bill Franke also had cancelled a proposed investment through private equity fund Indigo Partners.

Icelandair shares traded up 13 percent percent at 1215 GMT after the failure of a competitor.

Founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Mogensen, WOW used smaller single-aisle planes to fly between Iceland and many destinations in the United States and Europe.

Its website had advertised flights from London to cities such as New York and Boston for as little as 150 pounds, although the journey went via the Icelandic capital Reykjavik.

Norwegian Air has a little over half of the market share in the fast-growing, low-cost, long-haul transatlantic market, while WOW controlled a quarter in 2018.

There are fears of a knock-on effect on Iceland’s important tourism industry.

Around 30 percent of tourists visiting Iceland last year flew with WOW and the collapse could trigger a 16 percent drop in tourists this year, research from Icelandic bank Arion showed.

( By Stine Jacobsen and Tommy Lund; editing by Darren Schuettler/Keith Weir)

Barcelona, Spain – December 06, 2018: WOW Air Airbus A321 approaching to El Prat Airport in Barcelona, Spain.

Two Bodies Recovered After Amazon Cargo Plane Crash

(Reuters) – Two bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane that nosedived into a bay outside Houston on Saturday, and a search was ongoing for a third victim, authorities said.

All three people aboard the Boeing 767 cargo jetliner operated by Atlas Air Worldwide died in the crash as it approached Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Atlas and Boeing Co said in statements on Sunday.

Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne told a news conference on Sunday that two bodies had been recovered and the search continued for the third person as well as the plane’s black boxes.

The sheriff’s office released a video showing fragments of the aircraft and cargo littering mudflats after the tide went out in the bay, exposing more of the crash site.

U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt said the agency obtained about five seconds of security video from a local jail that showed the crash.

“The aircraft is in the video as it’s descending in a steep descent, a steep nose down attitude,” Sumwault told the press briefing, adding that there was no distress call.

Asked by a reporter if the incident was “anything more than a plane crash,” Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Perrye Turner said, “that’s what we have right now.”

The plane crashed at the north end of Trinity Bay near the small city of Anahuac, about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of the airport around 12.40 p.m. (1340 EST) after taking off from Miami.

“This is a sad time for all of us,” Bill Flynn, Atlas Air’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Our team continues to work closely with the NTSB, the FAA and local authorities on the ground in Houston.”

Atlas Air Worldwide has been operating Boeing 767 freighters on behalf of Amazon following a 2016 deal.

Boeing said in a statement that it had sent a team to provide technical assistance to the NTSB as it conducted its investigation.

(Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Daniel Wallis & Simon Cameron-Moore)