Skytech-AIC announced the lease of two Maersk-owned Bombardier CRJ700s to South African Express. One has been delivered and the second is expected to enter service in February. Aeronautical Engineers was selected by an undisclosed customer to provide one Boeing 737-300SF 9 Pallet Configuration Passenger-to-Freighter Conversion. Aircraft is undergoing modification at AEI's Miami facility.
Qatar Airways reached a codeshare agreement with GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes under which QR will add its code to GOL's Sao Paulo Guarulhos flights to 47 Brazilian destinations. QR operates a daily 777-200LR Doha-Sao Paulo service. The airlines have filed a joint application with Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency and Brazilian Antitrust Agency. A date for the implementation has yet to be determined.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. announced Monday that 97% of cargo carrier Evergreen International Airlines crewmembers would support a lawful strike if a satisfactory collective agreement is not reached with management. ALPA, which represents EIA's 228 flight crew, said in a statement that 86% of eligible pilots voted in the poll. Crewmembers have been in negotiations since 2005 ( ATW Daily News, Aug. 18, 2010).
Swiss International Air Lines can use Russian airspace again for its flights to the Far East following the lifting of a ban that was implemented in May 2010. Russian aviation authorities imposed the ban after the Swiss Ministry of Finance fined Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg for allegedly violating stock market regulations. Vekselberg was legally cleared last September.
Financially troubled state-owned Adria Airwayshas been granted an additional credit of up to €4 million ($5.16 million) from Slovenian banks based on the carrier’s restructuring plan ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 2, 2010), Slovenia media outlets reported.
Embraer on Monday finalized the sale of 10 E-190s to China's CDB Leasing Co., which signed an MOU for the order in December 2009. The jets will be operated by China Southern Airlines and will be used to develop new markets, Embraer said. The first delivery is expected in the second half of 2011.
Iranian officials investigating Sunday's crash of an Iran Air Boeing 727 near Orumiyeh said they have recovered the aircraft's flight data recorder and are attempting to determine why the aircraft went down about 5 mi. from its destination airport, killing 77 of 104 passengers and crew aboard.
US Dept. of Transportation's Aviation Enforcement Office on Monday issued guidance to airlines regarding displaying codeshare partners in online ticket advertising, warning that in 60 days it will begin taking action against carriers that fail to clearly reveal which airline is operating a given flight.
The Virgin Blue Group and Perth-based Skywest Airlines signed a 10-year strategic alliance to service regional Australia. In the deal, Skywest will operate up to 18 new Virgin Blue-branded turboprops to a number of existing and new destinations around Australia.
Saudi Arabian Airlines on Monday signed an agreement to join SkyTeam in 2012, when the Jeddah-based carrier will become the alliance's first Middle East member.
The Virgin Blue Group and Perth-based Skywest Airlines signed a 10-year strategic alliance to service regional Australia. In the deal, Skywest will operate up to 18 new Virgin Blue-branded turboprops to a number of existing and new destinations around Australia. The type selected will be announced shortly.
British Airways flew 8.08 billion RPKs in December, down 8.3% compared to December 2009. Capacity fell 7.7% to 10.58 billion ASKs while load factor dipped 0.4 points to 76.4%. For the fiscal nine months April-December, BA saw a 5.5% decline in RPKs to 81.9 billion, a 4% drop in capacity to 104.2 billion ASKs and a 1.2 point decrease in load factor to 78.6%.
A J Walter Aviation on Friday announced an expansion of its commercial jet engine management business, adding in-house commercial aircraft engine management to its portfolio. It currently offers the supply, exchange, repair and lease of commercial aircraft spare parts.
US Dept. of Transportation fined Mesaba Aviation a civil penalty of $125,000 for violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities. DOT said complaints from passengers filed during 2007 and 2008 revealed "a number of violations" suggesting that the airline did not provide adequate enplaning and deplaning assistance nor the required written responses to complaints from passengers within the mandatory 30-day period.
IATA reported that international scheduled passenger traffic rose 8.2% year-over-year in November while air cargo traffic lifted 5.4% compared to November 2009.
New York-based Bernstein Research believes the airline industry is firmly in the recovery period on a global basis, citing four key positive indicators—“increasing traffic, rising load factors, higher yield and positive operating profits.”
UPS Airlines President Robert Lekites on Friday announced his retirement, ending a 13-year tenure during which he oversaw the rapid international expansion of the delivery giant's airline unit, particularly to China.
[Corrected version] Row 44 announced Friday it has received US Federal Communications Commission approval to operate and charge for in-flight broadband connectivity service aboard commercial aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean, making it the only Ku-based connectivity provider allowed to operate and charge for the service on transatlantic flights.
Prompted by the Oct. 26 incident involving an American Airlines 757 that experienced a decompression event after a hole opened in the fuselage on the upper crown just above the left door, US FAA on Monday plans to issue a new airworthiness directive requiring "repetitive inspections" of 757s to look for fuselage skin cracking and make repairs if needed.
Delta Air Lines flew 15.04 billion system RPMs in December, up 2.4% from the year-ago month, on a 3.9% increase in capacity to 18.78 billion ASMs. Load factor slipped 0.6 points to 79.6%. Full-year traffic grew 2.2% to 193.17 billion RPMs on a 1% lift in capacity to 232.68 billion ASMs. System load factor rose 1 point to 83%.
ST Aerospace was selected by Guggenheim Aviation Partners to perform a passenger-to-combi conversion on a 757-200 for TNT Airways. It is ST Aerospace's first 757-200 combi conversion performed for a commercial customer. The aircraft is expected to be inducted by the end of February, and is targeted for redelivery by the end of 2011.
