SkyWest Inc., the Utah-based parent of regionals SkyWest Airlines, Atlantic Southeast Airlines and ExpressJet, said Friday it is expecting to report a $13-$15 million net loss for the first quarter.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority extended current price controls at London Heathrow and Gatwick airports by one year following consultation with the airports and its airline users.
The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a four-year, $59.7 billion FAA reauthorization bill by a 223-196 vote, setting the stage for negotiations with the Senate to attempt to craft a final bill that could pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Includes: World Airline Traffic World Airport Traffic IATA Fuel Prices Aircraft Data Aircraft Values Aircraft Deliveries US Major and National Airline Traffic US Ontime Performance U.S. Fuel Cost and Consumption US Mishandled Baggage US Consumer Complaints
In early February, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley complained that the CEOs of United Airlines and American Airlines were brushing him off. A dispute between the carriers and the city over O’Hare International’s costly expansion had just come to a head with AA and UA jointly filing a lawsuit against the city to block $3.4 billion in modernization work from going forward. “We had a meeting scheduled” to discuss the suit and “the airlines canceled it,” the annoyed mayor told reporters, adding that he tried to reschedule but was being ignored.
As this issue went to press, the fate of the damaged nuclear reactors at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant and the risk of widespread nuclear contamination remained unknown. What was known was that the strongest earthquake to hit Japan since records have been kept had devastated towns and cities and unleashed a tsunami that swept thousands to their deaths, carrying off whole villages and leaving in its wake a thick, foul coating of muck where crops once grew and livestock ranged.
Bombardier reported net income of $769 million for its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, up 8.8% over a $707 million net profit in its prior fiscal year. Revenue for the year dropped 8.6% to $17.71 billion.
Turkish Airlines confirmed that it has exercised options for 10 Boeing 737-800s and five 737-900ERs, valued at more than $1.2 billion based on list prices.
Elbe Flugzeuge Werke in Dresden said it will start converting one Airbus A320 passenger aircraft into a freighter this fall. The company expects to convert approximately 50 A320/321s into freighters by 2016. Air Works India Engineering was appointed by Rockwell Collins as an authorized dealer for its products and services.
Air Lease Corp. mandated KfW IPEX-Bank as arranger and sole lender for an eight-year commercial debt financing of a Boeing 777-300ER acquired from Air France in a sale/leaseback deal.
BOC Aviation reached an agreement to lease five A330-200Fs on order from Airbus with Hainan Airlines. The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in 2012 and 2013 and will be operated by Yangtze River Express Airlines, a subsidiary of the HNA Group. HNA Group Chairman Chen Feng said, "The aircraft will meet our capacity demands which have been increasing on the back of the global economic recovery."
International Lease Finance Corp. announced a commitment for a $1.3 billion secured term loan with a group of 15 banks from Europe, Asia and North America. The company said it also has the right to "upsize the transaction" by $200 million in commitments from other lenders.
US FAA said it is proposing a $550,000 civil penalty against Executive Airlines Inc., the Puerto Rico-based carrier that operates under the American Eagle brand, for allegedly operating two ATR 72s without completing required inspections of the aileron control systems. According to FAA, “Executive Airlines operated the two aircraft when they were not in compliance with regulations on at least 35 revenue flights between June 13 and June 19, 2009, because the airline exceeded the mandated number of flight hours for a re-inspection.”
SITA said that more than 29.4 million bags were mishandled in 2010, or 12.07 bags per 1,000 passengers, a 6% increase over the mishandling rate of 11.38 per 1,000 in 2009 when 25 million bags were mishandled. Mishandled bags cost the air transport industry $2.94 billion, said SITA, which defines a mishandled bag as “a delayed, damaged and/or pilfered bag.”It noted that the rise in mishandled bags claims was "significantly less than the 10.4% rise in passenger volumes."
China Eastern Airlines reported a record net profit of nearly CNY5 billion ($761 million) in 2010, based on international accounting standards, a massive increase over CNY168.8 million earned in 2009.
IndiGo selected Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines to power its future fleet of up to 180 A320neo aircraft, "probably Pratt's largest order in the last 50 years," P&W President David Hess remarked to journalists at a state of the business briefing in West Palm Beach, Fla.
