Tag: issues (Page 1 of 2)

Israel Railways Issues Notice to Proceed for Supply of 36 Alstom Traxx locomotives

November 9, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

9 November 2021 – Israel Railways (ISR) has issued a notice to proceed for the supply of additional 36 Traxx locomotives from Alstom (OTC: ALSMY) as part of its framework agreement in 2015 for the supply of 63 electric Traxx and additional 74 double-deck coaches in 2019.

In September 2015, ISR ordered 62 Traxx 160 km/h P160 AC3 locomotives. The contract also included an option for additional 32 units.

The 36 locomotives will be delivered between April 2023 to October 2024, at a beat rate of two or three locomotives each month and will include unique features and advanced safety features. To date, Alstom concluding the delivery of 27 locomotives to ISR. The delivered locomotives are serving ISR growing electrified network, the locomotives maintained by ISR at the Lod depot with warranty services support by Alstom’s Product Introduction teams.

The locomotives are powered with 6,000 kW traction suited for ISR electric network of 25kV 50 H. The Traxx electric-locomotive hauled ISR Twindexx Vario red double-deck coaches delivered by Alstom. More than 500 of these double-deck cars are successfully in service in Israel since 2002, providing safe, reliable and comfortable journey to all passengers in Israel.

More than 2,300 Traxx locomotives have been sold around the world in the last 20 years. They are authorized to operate in 20 countries around the world and drive a cumulative total annual mileage of 300 million km.

Alstom has been contributing to the development of railway systems in Israel for more than 30 years, and everyday hundreds of thousands of Israelis enjoy its products, services, and green and sustainable mobility solutions. The company operates in 6 sites in Israel: the headquarters in Tel-Aviv, a retrofit site and Fleet Maintenance site in Haifa, a vehicle production site in Dimona and a Signaling project in Tel-Aviv and Be’er-Sheva. Alstom retains over 250 employees in Israel and is involved in 8 advanced infrastructure projects, for which it provides passenger coaches and electric locomotives, signaling and integration systems and maintenance services.

KiwiRail Leases Additional Ferry to Boost Interislander Service

November 6, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

KiwiRail has leased an additional freight ferry to provide capacity and resilience on Cook Strait, KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller announced today. The Valentine is completing technical due diligence in England now, ahead of sailing to New Zealand. It is due to arrive in mid-December and Interislander crews will familiarize themselves with the ship before Valentine begins working the Cook Strait, likely later in December.

Mr Miller said the Interislander fleet is aging and more prone to breakdown. “Old ships tend to have mechanical problems and this has been highlighted with the current mechanical issues on Aratere. While she has now resumed service, we know that disruption is bad for us and our customers.

The Valentine is being leased for an initial 12 months. Valentine has been working in the English Channel and is well-suited to KiwiRail operations.

Mr Miller says the move shows KiwiRail’s determination to support the movement of essential supplies in New Zealand through increased capacity, collaboration, and improving scheduling and resource planning.

Changes Adopted Following KiwiRail Track Damage Report

August 16, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

KiwiRail and Auckland Transport are already making changes to address issues raised by a report into track damage through Rolling Contact Fatigue that led to widespread speed restrictions across the Auckland rail network.

The Auckland RCF Working Group Root Cause Assessment Report, prepared for KiwiRail and Auckland Transport, identified multiple causes, with historic underinvestment in Auckland’s rail track infrastructure identified as one of the key factors. The report also pointed to insufficient rail grinding, poor underlying track condition, the design of the EMU trains and the wheel rail interface. Auckland’s climate is also another likely contributor.

KiwiRail Chief Operating Officer Todd Moyle acknowledged the report’s findings, and said work was already well advanced to implement recommendations made in the report.

Todd Moyle says that 130km of rail was replaced in just seven months and KiwiRail is now working through the second phase to repair the more complex sections of track.

The track remediation work is part of a $1.5 billion programme of work to modernise and improve the Auckland metro rail network. Other projects include the ‘third main’ project to ease congestion and allow for extra services on the busiest part of the network between Westfield and Wiri, the extension of electrification to Pukekohe, and three new stations at Drury and Paerata. When complete, Auckland commuters and freight customers will enjoy a more resilient and reliable network.

Boeing Reports Fourth-Quarter Results

January 27, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Fourth Quarter 2020

Financial results significantly impacted by COVID-19, 737 MAX grounding, and commercial widebody programs
777X program recorded $6.5 billion pre-tax charge; first delivery expected in late 2023
737 MAX began receiving regulatory approval to resume operations and restarted deliveries
Revenue of $15.3 billion, GAAP loss per share of ($14.65) and core (non-GAAP)* loss per share of ($15.25)

Full-Year 2020

Revenue of $58.2 billion, GAAP loss per share of ($20.88) and core (non-GAAP)* loss per share of ($23.25)
Operating cash flow of ($18.4) billion; cash and marketable securities of $25.6 billion
Total backlog of $363 billion, including more than 4,000 commercial airplanes
Strengthening safety processes, improving performance, managing liquidity and transforming for the future

Table 1. Summary Financial Results	Fourth Quarter		Full Year
(Dollars in Millions, except per share data)	2020	2019	Change	2020	2019	Change

Revenues	$15,304	$17,911	(15)%	$58,158	$76,559	(24)%

GAAP
Loss From Operations	($8,049)	($2,204)	NM	($12,767)	($1,975)	NM
Operating Margin	(52.6)%	(12.3)%	NM	(22.0)%	(2.6)%	NM
Net Loss	($8,439)	($1,010)	NM	($11,941)	($636)	NM
Loss Per Share	($14.65)	($1.79)	NM	($20.88)	($1.12)	NM
Operating Cash Flow	($4,009)	($2,220)	NM	($18,410)	($2,446)	NM
Non-GAAP*
Core Operating Loss	($8,377)	($2,526)	NM	($14,150)	($3,390)	NM
Core Operating Margin	(54.7)%	(14.1)%	NM	(24.3)%	(4.4)%	NM
Core Loss Per Share	($15.25)	($2.33)	NM	($23.25)	($3.47)	NM

*Non-GAAP measure; complete definitions of Boeing’s non-GAAP measures are on page 6, “Non-GAAP Measures Disclosures.”

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] reported fourth-quarter revenue of $15.3 billion, reflecting lower commercial deliveries and services volume primarily due to COVID-19 as well as 787 production issues, partially offset by a lower 737 MAX customer considerations charge in the quarter compared to the same period last year (Table 1). GAAP loss per share of ($14.65) and core loss per share (non-GAAP)* of ($15.25) reflected a $6.5 billion pre-tax charge on the 777X program and a tax valuation allowance, partially offset by a lower 737 MAX customer considerations charge. Boeing recorded operating cash flow of ($4.0) billion.

“2020 was a year of profound societal and global disruption which significantly constrained our industry. The deep impact of the pandemic on commercial air travel, coupled with the 737 MAX grounding, challenged our results. I am proud of the resilience and dedication our global team demonstrated in this environment as we strengthened our safety processes, adapted to our market and supported our customers, suppliers, communities and each other,” said Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun. “Our balanced portfolio of diverse defense, space and services programs continues to provide important stability as we lay the foundation for our recovery. While the impact of COVID-19 presents continued challenges for commercial aerospace into 2021, we remain confident in our future, squarely-focused on safety, quality and transparency as we rebuild trust and transform our business.”

The return to service of the 737 MAX in the U.S. and several other markets was an important step, and Boeing continues to follow the lead of global regulators and support its customers. Since the FAA’s approval to return to operations, Boeing has delivered over 40 737 MAX aircraft and five airlines have safely returned their fleets to service as of January 25, 2021, safely flying more than 2,700 revenue flights and approximately 5,500 flight hours.

Boeing now anticipates that the first 777X delivery will occur in late 2023. This schedule, and the associated financial impact, reflect a number of factors, including an updated assessment of global certification requirements, the company’s latest assessment of COVID-19 impacts on market demand, and discussions with its customers with respect to aircraft delivery timing.

Click the link below to read the full press release!

https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2021-01-27-Boeing-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-Results

Why Shares of Sabre Corporation Were Up Monday

June 1, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh joined travel technology leader Sabre to mark the grand opening of its Boston Innovation Lab, the new headquarters for its research and development team, Sabre Labs. From left to right: Andrew Gasparovic, vice president and chief architect, Sabre Labs; Caroline Wester, director of software engineering, Sabre Labs; Sundar Narasimhan, president of Sabre Labs and product strategy; Sean Menke, president and CEO, Sabre; Larry Kellner, chairman of the board, Sabre.

Shares of Sabre (NASDAQ: SABR) rallied along with airline stocks on Monday on hope that travel patterns might slowly be returning to normal. The airlines were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and with them companies that rely on air travel like Sabre, but investors are seeing signs that the worst might finally be over. Sabre, a former American Airlines Group subsidiary that runs airline ticketing and reservation systems, has lost two-thirds of its value in 2020 on a decline in airline business and regulatory issues that blocked a planned acquisition.

Click the link below to read the full story!

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/06/01/why-shares-of-sabre-are-up-today.aspx

Boeing Terminates Joint Venture Agreement With Embraer

April 27, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced today that it has terminated its Master Transaction Agreement (MTA) with Embraer, under which the two companies sought to establish a new level of strategic partnership. The parties had planned to create a joint venture comprising Embraer’s commercial aviation business and a second joint venture to develop new markets for the C-390 Millennium medium airlift and air mobility aircraft.

Under the MTA, April 24, 2020, was the initial termination date, subject to extension by either party if certain conditions were met. Boeing exercised its rights to terminate after Embraer did not satisfy the necessary conditions.

“Boeing has worked diligently over more than two years to finalize its transaction with Embraer. Over the past several months, we had productive but ultimately unsuccessful negotiations about unsatisfied MTA conditions. We all aimed to resolve those by the initial termination date, but it didn’t happen,” said Marc Allen, president of Embraer Partnership & Group Operations. “It is deeply disappointing. But we have reached a point where continued negotiation within the framework of the MTA is not going to resolve the outstanding issues.”

The planned partnership between Boeing and Embraer had received unconditional approval from all necessary regulatory authorities, with the exception of the European Commission.

Boeing and Embraer will maintain their existing Master Teaming Agreement, originally signed in 2012 and expanded in 2016, to jointly market and support the C-390 Millennium military aircraft.

Austrian Airlines Will Temporarily Suspend Flight Operations

March 19, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Last flight will land on 19 March in Vienna / all further flights are temporarily suspended until 28 March
Lufthansa Group: entire short and long-haul schedule significantly reduced again
As of 17 March: ten percent of the originally planned capacity will still be available on long-haul routes and 20 per cent on short-haul routes
Lufthansa Group airlines fly thousands of cruise passengers and holidaymakers home
Arrangements for further evacuation flights
Lufthansa Cargo flight operations carries out all planned flights despite corona crisis

The Lufthansa Group carrier Austrian Airlines will temporarily suspend scheduled flight operations as of Thursday, 19 March 2020. Austrian Airlines is thus reacting to the entry restrictions imposed by many countries in response to the massive spread of the coronavirus.

For the time being, the last flight with flight number OS 066 will land in Vienna from Chicago at 8:20 a.m. on 19 March. Until then, flight operations are to be reduced in a controlled and structured manner in order to bring all passengers and crews home if possible. Initially Austrian Airlines will cancel all flights until March 28th 2020, and passengers who have booked a flight with Austrian Airlines during this period will be rebooked on other airlines if possible.

In addition, Lufthansa Group airlines will further reduce their short- and long-haul schedule. The cancellations, which will be published as early as tomorrow, March 17th, will lead to a sharp decline in long-haul service especially in the Middle East, Africa and Central and South America. Overall, the Lufthansa Group’s seating capacity on long-haul routes will be reduced by up to 90 per cent. A total of 1,300 weekly connections were originally planned for summer 2020.

Within Europe the flight schedule will also be further reduced. Starting tomorrow, around 20 percent of the originally planned seating capacity will still be offered. Originally, some 11,700 weekly short-haul flights were planned for summer 2020 with Lufthansa Group airlines.

The additional cancellations will be published over the next few days and passengers will be informed accordingly.

Despite the large-scale cancellations, Lufthansa, Eurowings and Austrian Airlines have scheduled more than 20 special flights with over 6,000 guests on short notice to fly cruise passengers and holidaymakers back home. Wide-body aircraft namely, the Boeing 747 & 777 and Airbus A350 are being used to offer as much capacity as possible on these return flights. Since thousands of German, Austrian, Swiss and Belgian citizens are still waiting to return to their home countries, Lufthansa Group airlines have made arrangements for further evacuation flightsand are in close contact with the governments of their home countries concerning this. Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said: “Now it is no longer about economic issues, but about the responsibility that airlines bear as part of the critical infrastructure in their home countries.” Lufthansa will work with airports and air traffic controllers to develop a coordinated concept for maintaining the critical infrastructure.

The new timetable for all Lufthansa Group airlines will initially be valid until 12 April 2020. Lufthansa Group passengers planning a trip in the coming weeks are advised to check the current status of the respective flight on their airline’s website before departure. If rebooking possibilities exist, the passengers concerned will be proactively informed about alternatives, as long as they have provided their contact details online. In addition, currently changed rebooking conditions apply on a goodwill basis. Customers can find more information about this at lufthansa.com.

We are currently receiving an exceptionally high number of customer calls at our Service Centers and at our stations. We are continuously working on increasing capacity to meet this demand. Nevertheless, there are currently long waiting times. Passengers can use the extensive rebooking and self-service options on the airlines’ websites as an alternative to the Service Centers.

Unlike the passenger airlines, Lufthansa Cargo has so far been able to operate all its planned flights except for cancellations to mainland China. The Lufthansa Group subsidiary will continue to do everything in its power to maintain the flight operations of its own cargo fleet and thus support the global supply chains. Especially during the current crisis, logistics and thus also airfreight are of paramount importance.

China’s Bid to Challenge Boeing and Airbus Falters

January 9, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

BEIJING/PARIS (Reuters) – Development of China’s C919 single-aisle plane, already at least five years behind schedule, is going slower than expected, a dozen people familiar with the programme told Reuters, as the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation (COMAC) struggles with a range of technical issues that have severely restricted test flights.

Delays are common in complex aerospace programmes, but the especially slow progress is a potential embarrassment for China, which has invested heavily in its first serious attempt to break the hold of Boeing and Airbus on the global jet market.

The most recent problem came down to a mathematical error, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.

COMAC engineers miscalculated the forces that would be placed on the plane’s twin engines in flight – known in the industry as loads – and sent inaccurate data to the engine manufacturer, CFM International, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. As a result, the engine and its housing may both have to be reinforced, the people said, most likely at COMAC’s expense – though another source denied any modification.That and other technical and structural glitches meant that by early December, after more than two and a half years of flight testing, COMAC had completed less than a fifth of the 4,200 hours in the air that it needs for final approval by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), two people close to the project told Reuters.

Click the link for the full story!

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-bid-challenge-boeing-airbus-024459909.html

FAA Must Boost Oversight to Address Allegiant Air Maintenance Issues

December 17, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

An Allegiant Air MD-83 passenger jet takes off from the Monterey airport

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs to improve its oversight to address maintenance issues at Allegiant Air, the 11th largest U.S. carrier, according to a report seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

The U.S. Transportation Department’s Inspector General, in a 31-page report sent to Capitol Hill on Tuesday but not yet made public, said FAA inspectors since 2011 have not “consistently documented risks associated with 36 Allegiant Air in-flight engine shutdowns for its MD-80 fleet or correctly assessed the root cause of maintenance issues.”

Ultra-low cost Allegiant, a unit of Allegiant Travel Co, said it had not yet see the report and did not have an immediate comment.

The FAA said in a letter attached to the report that it agreed with eight of the nine recommendations made by the inspector general and partially agreed with the remaining one.

Allegiant carried about 14 million passengers last year, serving 122 U.S. cities and Puerto Rico on 450 flight routes.

The inspector general opened the probe in May 2018 after a “series of in-flight engine shutdowns, aborted takeoffs, and unscheduled landings” raised concerns about maintenance practices.

The report said in-flight shutdowns at Allegiant “continued until July 2018 and were only resolved four months later when Allegiant Air retired the last of its MD-80 fleet.” Allegiant now flies an all Airbus fleet.

The report found in-flight engine shutdowns forced 21 Allegiant aircraft to return or divert to other airports between 2014 and 2018, but that regulators did not properly track engine shutdown risks.

A 2015 maintenance provider failure at Allegiant Air demonstrated “severe violations that represent unacceptable safety risks or could result in catastrophic outcomes should also warrant a more stringent oversight approach,” the report said.

The inspector general said the airline’s maintenance provider failed to insert a cotter pin on a critical flight control component that put some 30,000 passengers at risk.

The report said in August 2015, a pilot “almost lost control of this aircraft during takeoff when it unexpectedly tried to lift off prematurely” but was able to abort takeoff and land safely.

After inspectors proposed a 30-day suspension for Allegiant Air’s maintenance provider, FAA regional officials reduced the suspension to a compliance action. FAA inspectors closed out six of eight compliance actions before ensuring Allegiant Air actually took any corrective actions, the report found.

It also found that FAA does not provide inspectors with guidance and comprehensive training to ensure Allegiant Air takes appropriate corrective actions.

The FAA said it had “initiated compliance actions at Allegiant Air that have improved safety for the flying public.”

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Richard Chang and Bill Berkrot)

Airline passengers walk next to an Allegiant Air commercial flight near an air traffic control tower operated by Serco nc. at the Ogden-Hinckley Airport in Ogden

Emirates’ Clark says Rolls-Royce Needs to Sort Itself Out After Engine Delays

November 23, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

DUBAI, Nov 22 (Reuters) – The board of Rolls-Royce must urgently address its engine performance problems, the head of Dubai’s Emirates said, as the world’s largest buyer of wide-body jets weighs up who will power its order of Boeing 787 jets.

Emirates agreed to buy its first 787 Dreamliners in a last-minute, $9 billion deal at the Dubai Airshow on Wednesday, without specifying what engine would power it, while reducing its order for the U.S. planemaker’s delayed 777X model.

The 787’s, which can take either Rolls or rival GE Aviation’s GEnx engines, will be delivered to Emirates in 2023, a year later than a tentative purchase plan outlined two years ago.

That gives Rolls-Royce more time to sort out the durability issues in its Trent 1000 engines before Emirates believes a realistic competition can be held.

“Rolls have had a number of wake up calls and they really need to sort themselves out. I think the alarm clock has gone off a number of times,” Emirates President Tim Clark said at the Dubai Airshow.

“If I were on the board, I would be looking to recognise the issues… and deal with them immediately, meaningfully, forcefully and drive change,” he told reporters.

A spokeswoman for Rolls-Royce said it was proud that Emirates had chosen to order 50 Airbus A350s, powered by Rolls’ Trent XWB, in a deal announced this week.

“We are confident in the reliability and performance of our engines, and in our commitment to meeting the high standards expected by our customers,” the spokeswoman said.

“(Emirates) is one of the largest operators of our Trent engines in the world, and we are committed to maintaining our strong relationship with them.”

The Rolls-powered version of the 787 has been hit by repeated technical problems, leading to share price pressure and drawing criticism from airlines.

The engine maker’s chief executive Warren East said on Nov. 7 that the company would spend more on parts and replacement engines to reduce the time aircraft are grounded while turbine blades are replaced.

Clark said that the situation at Rolls was “salvageable” if board acted quickly and accepted the issues they were having.

“With the reputation that (Rolls) has for quality engineering and its excellence in the past, they must restore that as the gold standard,” he said.

He said his comments should not be read as a criticism of any individuals including East.

Clark has been a vocal critic of engine makers, saying in September he wouldn’t take new planes unless their engines were ready and said he was “a little bit irritated” by delays at Rolls and GE.

GE powers the 777X, which Emirates cut its order of on Wednesday after Boeing pushed back its entry into service, partly due to issues with its engines.

Clark said engine makers should only offer technology that was mature enough to work reliably in the demanding conditions of the Gulf, adding: “Don’t use (airlines) as guinea pigs”.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher, writing by Alistair Smout, Editing by Louise Heavens)

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