Turkish Airlines said that changes made by the Turkish government will allow citizens from 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to be granted visas at Istanbul Ataturk if they also have valid Schengen, UK or US visas in their passports and possess a round-trip THY ticket.
Air India on Sunday said that nearly 90% of its domestic flights have been disrupted as the pilot strike wears on, forcing the carrier to “substantially curtail” its domestic flights through May 6.
China Eastern Airlines reported first-quarter net income of CNY1.01 billion ($155.8 million), up 31.5% over a CNY770 million net profit posted in the year-ago period.
The agreement on cooperation in the regulation of civil aviation safety between the EU and the US became effective May 1. The deal was concluded in March.
Southwest Airlines on Monday completed its acquisition of AirTran Airways, a move that combines the world's largest LCC with the third largest LCC in North America and further accelerates the US industry's consolidation.
China Eastern Airlines reported first-quarter net income of CNY1.01 billion ($155.8 million), up 31.5% over a CNY770 million net profit posted in the year-ago period.
French Air Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA) on Sunday confirmed the investigation team searching for wreckage of the Air France Flight 447 located and identified the memory module of the flight data recorder at 10 a.m. UTC.
Air China will launch twice-weekly Beijing-Munich-Athens Airbus A330 service from May 15. Syrian Arab Airlines will operate weekly Airbus A320 Abu Dhabi-Aleppo flights from June 1. TAAG Angola Airlines will start twice-weekly Luanda-Porto service from July 1.
Alitalia took delivery of a new A330-200 in a three-class configuration. The aircraft will be deployed on long-haul flights from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa to New York JFK, Miami, Rio de Janeiro and Beijing.
US Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that US airlines employed 1% more workers in February compared to the same month last year. BTS said three network airlines (American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines) decreased employment. Delta Air Lines reported 4.2 % more workers in February 2011 than in February 2010. Continental Airlines, which now includes employees who formerly worked for Continental Micronesia, reported a 1.1% increase, according to the report.
Transaero Airlines last week strongly denied a Kommersant Daily report that it had approached the Russian government about buying state-owned Orenburg Airlines. Privately-held Transaero, however, conceded that it is assessing the "idea of participating in other carriers' equity" but insisted its interest "lies outside Russia." Transaero General Director Olga Pleshakova said he has "never considered Orenburg Airlines as [Transaero's] competitor due to completely different business models."
Republic Airways Holdings has again amended its capacity purchase agreement with Delta Air Lines to include the addition of six ex-Frontier Airlines Embraer E-170s. The announcement represents a further step toward completing plans to remove all E-170s from Frontier operations.
Kazakhstan's Air Astana is in talks with Boeing to order up to six new 767-300ERs for a 2013-2014 delivery, President Peter Foster told ATW in Almaty. Foster said the aircraft could serve as an interim solution as it awaits the 787, the first of which it now does not expect to receive until 2019 owing to the program's multiple delays ( ATW Daily News, Jan. 19).
Allegiant Travel Company, parent of the airline, reported earnings of $17.2 million for the first quarter, down 24.1% compared to income of $22.6 million in the year-ago period in large part owing to a 38% rise in fuel costs.
African Airlines Assn. reiterated its strong criticism of the EU's "continued unilateral practice of blacklisting of mainly African states and airlines with no visible benefits in enhancing safety on the continent" and called on African governments, the African Union and the African Civil Aviation Commission to not "allow this state of affairs to continue as the continent's air transport industry is being progressively destroyed."
US FAA on Friday made more air traffic control management changes as part of its ongoing review of the country's ATC system in the aftermath of several embarrassing incidents in which controllers were found to be sleeping on the job.
The European Commission on Friday issued an eleventh-hour statement advising EU member states "to defer for a limited period" the relaxation of restrictions on the carriage of liquids in hand-luggage.
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Scandinavian Airlines and Star Alliance partner All Nippon Airways reached a codeshare agreement under which SAS will place its code on ANA Tokyo Narita service to Sapporo, Osaka Itami and Fukuoka, effective May 23. ANA will place its code on SAS NRT-Copenhagen service, and will “at a later stage” put its code on SK flights from London Heathrow to CPH, Oslo and Stockholm Arlanda; Frankfurt to CPH, OSL and ARN; and from Munich to CPH and OSL.
The European Commission provided misleading information to passengers regarding airline liability with regard to delayed baggage during the volcanic ash crisis, European Ombudsman P. Nikiforos Diamandourous determined, in response to a complaint by the Europe Regions Airline Assn.
US airlines complained this week that the federal government overtaxes it while at the same time neglecting necessary aviation infrastructure improvements. US Air Transport Assn. President and CEO Nick Calio told the US Chamber of Commerce's Aviation Summit on Wednesday that airlines lobbying the federal government need to develop "a realistic flight plan, if you will, that holds us to a measurable timeline of accomplishments on taxes, regulation and better labor-management relations, among other things."
