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
The decade-long effort by US network airlines to reorganize and restructure to become more competitive in the face of the low-cost onslaught is bearing fruit, according to the latest “Airline Economic Analysis” produced by the Oliver Wyman consultancy. Although the legacy carriers’ aggregate financial performance since the end of 2000 certainly contains far more red ink than black, OW determined that “the CASM gap between value carriers and network carriers is the smallest we have seen over a seven-year period.”
Two competing visions for international aviation were laid out recently, one an eloquent plea for a new era of international capacity regulation and the rebuttal a blunt and unapologetic call to maintain the path toward open skies and liberalization.
GOL operated 3.15 billion RPKs in January, up 5.9% year-over-year, on a 5.6% increase in capacity to 4.16 billion ASKs. Load factor grew 0.2 points to 75.6%. Swiss International Air Lines flew 2.46 billion RPKs in January, an 11.5% leap from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 12.5% to 3.24 billion ASKs as load factor fell 0.7 points to 75.8%.
Safran group companies Labinal and Aircelle signed agreements with Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing and Airbus respectively. Labinal’s framework agreement with COMAC subsidiary SAMC will establish an aircraft wiring joint venture company, while Aircelle was selected by Airbus to supply the complete integrated nacelle package for the A320neo family.
SAS announced Friday that CFO Mats Lonnqvist, who joined the carrier in December 2008, is leaving. He will be succeeded March by Goran Jansson, who also will take on the position of deputy president of SAS. Lonnqvist will continue until April 1 "to ensure efficient handover of assignments and responsibilities,” the carrier said.
The Virgin Blue Group on Thursday launched its inaugural V Australia flight to Abu Dhabi, becoming the first Australian airline to operate to the Middle East in more than 20 years. Qantas has used the Middle East only as a refueling stop prior to the introduction of the Boeing 747-400 and no Australian airlines have ever used that region as a hub to Europe and Africa.
AerCap Holdings earned $207.6 million in 2010, up 25.7% over income of $165.2 million in 2009. The Amsterdam-based operating lessor's net income, excluding the impact of mark-to-market interest rate caps and share-based compensation, was $223.9 million, an increase of 49.1% compared to $150.2 million in 2009.
SkyWest Inc., parent of SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines (which now includes ExpressJet), last week reported 2010 net income of $96.4 million, up 15.2% over the $83.7 million profit earned in 2009. Full-year revenue lifted 6.1% to $2.77 billion while expenses rose 6.7% to $2.56 billion, producing operating income of $201.8 million, down 4.9% from an operating profit of $212.2 million in 2009.
Shanghai-based Spring Airlines, China's most profitable LCC, said it will launch a new four-times-weekly charter Airbus A320 Shanghai-Takamatsu service, part of a planned expansion in the Japanese market over the next few years.
Malaysia Airlines on Friday reported 2010 net income of MYR237.3 million ($77.6 million), down 54.6% from a MYR522.9 million profit in 2009 that benefited from a MYR1.16 billion derivative gain.
Wings Air, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s Lion Air, firmed up options for 15 ATR 72-500s. Wings signed a contract with ATR at the 2009 Dubai Air Show for 15 72-500s plus 15 options; it now has 30 of the type on firm order with 10 already in operation.
International Airlines Group, formed by the merger of British Airways and Iberia last month, reported a pro-forma net profit of €90 million ($124 million) in the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2010, reversed from a €130 million deficit in the year-ago period, as revenue and yields strongly increased on limited capacity growth.
Airbus on Thursday announced it has rolled out the first Korean Air Airbus A380 bearing the airline's livery. The paint work was done in Hamburg. The aircraft is one of 10 ordered by the carrier, which will become the sixth A380 operator when it takes delivery of its first in the second quarter ( ATW Daily News, Jan. 19).
