EgyptAir on Thursday told ATW it is preparing for the release of a “limited modification” to its summer schedule and that the revised schedule “will feature a gradual growth in volume of operations over the summer season reaching normal volume towards the end of the season.”
ANA Group on Thursday outlined its "corporate strategy" going forward, projecting operating income of ¥130 billion ($1.57 billion) for its fiscal year ending April 1, 2013, up 18% over a forecast of ¥110 million for the year just preceding and nearly doubling the forecasted ¥70 billion operating profit for the current fiscal year which ends March 31. ANA said net income will rise from ¥6 billion for FY2010 to ¥53 billion two years later. Total operating revenue is projected to rise 14% from ¥1.38 trillion to ¥1.57 trillion between the periods.
Though the Japanese government has moved toward aviation market liberalization over the past year, evidenced most prominently by the new US/Japan "open skies" air services accord, Tokyo will need to go further if Japan's airports are to remain competitive in attracting international air cargo traffic, several observers of the Japanese air transport market said.
Air New Zealand posted a 75% year-over-year improvement in net profit to NZ$98 million ($55.9 million) for the six months ended Dec. 31, 2010, on a 9% increase in revenue to NZ$2.23 billion.
Southwest Airlines on Thursday took two steps toward completing its planned acquisition of Orlando-based AirTran Airways, receiving approval from US FAA on a plan to merge the two carriers' under a Single Operating Certificate and reaching agreement with the Southwest Airline Pilots Assn. on "a procedural framework" for eventually integrating the two pilot workgroups. SWA said the SWAPA board "unanimously agreed" to the accord.
Driven by record after-tax earnings of MYR1.07 billion at AirAsia Berhad (Malaysia), the AirAsia Group posted a stunning MYR1.52 billion ($500.1 million) net profit in 2010, well more than double MYR359.5 million in net income earned in 2009.
Yes, that's currently the question facing the two primary producers of single-aisle aircraft, Airbus and Boeing, and one of them has provided an answer thus far. It's hardly a new idea, however, as a brief review of the history of re-engining of commercial jet aircraft shows.
British Airways launched five-times-weekly London Heathrow-Tokyo Haneda service. KLM will resume scheduled services between Amsterdam and Buenos Aires Ezeiza Oct. 31, operating thrice-weekly with a Boeing 777-200ER. Alaska Airlines will increase its Boeing 737-800 service to Maui from Oakland (four-times-weekly) and San Jose (thrice-weekly) June 5 to daily. It will discontinue its San Jose-Austin service May 6.
Regional Express Holdings of Australia reported a 5.4% decline in pre-tax profit for the fiscal first half ended Dec. 31, 2010 to A$12.2 million ($12.2 million) from A$12.9 million in the year-ago period. Revenue increased 2.9% to A$121.2 million and expenses lifted 3.9% to A$109 million. The largest increase at 4.9% was fuel, which cost A$16 million for the period. Passenger numbers dipped 1.4% to 632,777 while ASKs increased 4% to 389 million, with load factor easing 1.9 points to 61.2%.
IATA said Wednesday that 2010 had the lowest ever accident rate for Western-built jet aircraft, although the total number of accidents involving Western and Eastern-built transports as well as the number of fatal accidents and fatalities rose compared to 2009.
FedEx Corp. said that its FedEx Express business unit completed the previously-announced acquisition of the logistics, distribution and express businesses of AFL and its affiliate Unifreight India ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 4, 2010). Purchase price was not disclosed.
The European Commission said it opened a formal investigation "under EU state aid rules" into the restructuring plan of Czech Airlines to examine whether it "is suitable to restore the company's long-term viability and whether the proposed reduction in activities will be sufficient to offset the distortive effect of the aid it received."
Royal Jordanian reported consolidated net income of JOD9.6 million ($13.4 million) for 2010, down 66% compared to income of JOD28.6 million in 2009. RJ Board Chair Nasser Lozi said that a 35% increase in the airline's fuel bill was a major contributor to the profit decline. Operating revenues climbed 14% to JOD685 million.
Republic Airways Holdings, parent of Frontier Airlines, Lynx Aviation, Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America, posted a 2010 net loss of $13.8 million, reversed from a $39.7 million profit in 2009. Chairman, President and CEO Bryan Bedfordtold industry analysts and media that, "Without a doubt, 2010 was a year of transformation for Republic Airways, and the entire Republic family." He noted that weather over the past few months has made for a difficult operating environment.
Vueling Airlines posted net profit of €46 million ($62.7 million) for 2010, a 66% increase on the €27.8 million it earned in 2009 following its merger with Clickair.
Virgin Blue Holdings reported a net profit of A$23.8 million for the fiscal first half ended Dec. 31, 2010, down 62% from A$62.5 million in the year-ago period as a series of one-time events ravaged the bottom line.
GOL's 2010 net income of BRL214.2 million ($128.6 million) was down 76% from a 2009 profit of BRL890.8 million, a dip attributable in part to higher fuel costs, interest expenses and tax payments, the airline said Wednesday.
All Nippon Airways filed an application Wednesday with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism for antitrust immunity to launch a joint venture with Lufthansa on routes between Japan and Europe.
All Nippon Airways filed an application Wednesday with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism for antitrust immunity to launch a joint venture with Lufthansa on routes between Japan and Europe.
Virgin America will launch service to Chicago O’Hare from Los Angeles (twice-daily) and San Francisco (thrice-daily) May 25. The carrier first announced its intent to serve ORD in 2008, but was delayed due to gate availability, it said. Spirit Airlines resumed seasonal thrice-weekly Ft. Lauderdale-Punta Cana service. WestJet will operate weekly seasonal Moncton-Orlando service until May 5.
Lufthansa, which this year had planned to launch the world’s first scheduled commercial passenger flights partially powered by biofuel, said it will delay its six-month trial owing to a delay in certification for the new fuel. The trial with an IAE V2500-powered Airbus A321 was supposed to begin in April ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 30, 2010).
A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-800 en route from Ft. Lauderdale to Minneapolis made an emergency landing Sunday following the contained failure of one its CFM56-7B engines during initial climb. There were no injuries among the 125 passengers and crew and no damage to the aircraft reported, though Broward County (Fla.) police said they found "small pieces" from the engine near FLL. DL said the damaged engine would be examined to determine the cause of the failure.
Air New Zealand will run a special Boeing 747 flight on Wednesday from Auckland to Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand, which was devastated by an earthquake Tuesday. The airline is charging just NZ$50 ($35) a seat and said that fare also applies to any service to and from Christchurch from any point in New Zealand to enable support staff and relatives to get in and people to be evacuated.
