Ryanair announced Wednesday it will open three new bases in the Canary Islands next year as part of the LCC’s Spain expansion plan, bringing the number of bases in the country to 11.
China's Ministry of Commerce gave the green light for the air cargo joint venture between Air China and Cathay Pacific Airways, which is expected to launch by year end or early next year, according to CA Board Secretary Huang Bin.
US Dept. of Homeland Security stated that all passengers on flights "within or bound for the United States are now being checked against government watch lists" under implementation of the Transportation Security Administration's "Secure Flight" program, which entails the agency prescreening a passenger's full name, birth date and gender prior to issuance of a boarding pass.
Airbus has ended almost 12 months of speculation and applied the blowtorch to Boeing by launching as an option the re-engine of the A320 family (but not the A318) with either the CFM International LEAP-X or Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1100G geared turbofan.
Airbus has ended almost 12 months of speculation and applied the blowtorch to Boeing by launching as an option the re-engine of the A320 family (but not the A318) with either the CFM International LEAP-X or Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1100G geared turbofan.
SITA was awarded a five-year contract from Cochin International to provide automation of its passenger check-in process and passenger bag reconciliation solutions, BagManager and BagMessage. Under terms, SITA will also provide common use self-service kiosks and more than 80 AirportConnect Open workstations.
The Finnish Cabin Crew Union, which represents Finnair's and Blue1's cabin service personnel, began its open-ended strike Tuesday at 1 p.m. local time after it failed to reach a deal over shifts and other employment issues ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 18). SLSY Chairwoman Thelma Akers said the union would be on strike for "as long as it takes."
Lufthansa Cargo, which is forecasting a 5% annual gain in its airfreight traffic from 2012 to 2015, said it will add the equivalent of six MD-11 widebodies by 2015, according to LHC Executive Board Member-Product and Sales Andreas Otto. He said the growth is driven by Asian demand.
Wataniya Airways announced it is drastically reducing its network from Dec. 5, citing adverse market conditions. The Kuwait-based carrier said it will no longer operate flights from its home base to Amman, Bahrain, Damascus and Jeddah and will reduce the frequency of services to Dubai. Three of its seven Airbus A320s will be taken out of service and staff numbers also will be reduced. It also operates to Beirut, Sharm El-Sheikh, Cairo, Vienna and Istanbul Ataturk.
Austrian Airlines is expected to announce Wednesday that Lufthansa Board Member and Executive VP-Marketing and Sales Thierry Antinori will become CEO of Austrian Airlines, a source close to the Lufthansa management confirmed to ATW. OS Executive Board Members Andreas Bierwirth and Peter Malanik, who currently lead OS, will remain with the company.
Privately run Uni-Top Airlinesis expected to gain approval from CAAC for its formal launch although the regulator has tightened its grip on new entrants. The Wuhan-based cargo carrier is scheduled to receive an operating certificate from CAAC soon, the last step before approval to commence operations.
International Aero Engines announced Tuesday that BOC Aviation chose the V2500 to power 25 A320 family aircraft newly ordered from Airbus. The aircraft, due for delivery from 2012, will join BOC Aviation’s current fleet of more than 70 V2500-powered aircraft in service or on order. BOC Aviation MD and CEO Robert Martin said, “We continue to see high demand from our customers and the market for A320 family aircraft powered by V2500 engines which delivers environmentally sound and fuel efficient solutions to our customers.”
Flybe confirmed Tuesday it will proceed with its long-awaited IPO and said its base offer is about £60 million ($93.5 million) in new shares. Flybe said it intends to use the new shares to fund its planned fleet expansion and to further strengthen its cash position “providing strategic flexibility to pursue additional growth opportunities (such as the expansion of codeshare arrangements, strategic arrangements with other European airlines and targeted acquisitions) should such opportunities present themselves.”
Boeing and Copa Airlines announced an order for 22 737-800NGs plus 10 options at a signing ceremony Tuesday at the US Dept. of Commerce in Washington. The order, valued at approximately $1.7 billion at list prices, was previously attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing's orders and deliveries website.
Aerolineas Argentinas signed a formal agreement Tuesday to join SkyTeam, setting the stage for it to become the alliance's first South American member in 2012.
Lufthansa relaunched its FlyNet inflight Internet service after a four-year suspension Tuesday, becoming the first airline to offer passengers broadband Internet access on intercontinental routes.
The Tokyo court handling Japan Airlines' bankruptcy on Tuesday approved the company's restructuring plan calling for the retirement or layoff of more than 16,000 staff by March 31, 2011, the disposal of 103 aircraft and the scrapping of 49 loss-making routes.
Lufthansa relaunched its FlyNet inflight Internet service after a four-year suspension Tuesday, becoming the first airline to offer passengers broadband Internet access on intercontinental routes. Initially, it will be available on select North Atlantic routes, with LH planning to deploy it throughout its intercontinental network by the end of 2011.
Global Aircraft fund announced it acquired two Airbus A320-200s and one Boeing 737-700 from GECAS, bringing its total portfolio to 10 aircraft worth approximately $600 million. The three newly acquired narrowbodies have been leased to Air Berlin, Shenzhen Airlines and Vueling Airlines for between five and six years, it said. Amentum Capital closed a sale/leaseback transaction with easyJet for five Airbus A319s, the largest multiple-aircraft transaction Amentum has closed to date.
United Continental Holdings announced Monday that Continental Airlines has reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 7,000 CO fleet service employees. The IBT is expected to hold a ratification vote in the coming weeks.
The Supervisory Board of Lufthansa Cargo AG announced Friday that Karl Ulrich Garnadt will succeed Carsten Spohr as Lufthansa Cargo Chairman and CEO, effective Jan.1, 2011. Garnadt, who is currently in charge of Hub Management and Passenger Services on the LH German Airlines Board, will serve for three years. He has been a member of the Board of LH German Airlines since Jan. 15, 2007. The board also announced that Karl-Rudolf Rupprecht will succeed Karl-Heinz Kopfle as board member-operations at LH Cargo.
Lufthansa is launching the world’s first scheduled commercial passenger flights using biofuel in the first half of 2011, with an IAE-V2500-powered Airbus A321. In April 2011, LH will begin a six-month trial with an A321 on scheduled commercial flights on the Hamburg-Frankfurt-Hamburg route. Pending certification, one of the aircraft’s engines will use a 50-50 mix of biofuel and traditional kerosene. The primary purpose of the project is to conduct a long-term trial to study the effect of biofuel on engine maintenance and engine life.
Qantas returned two of its six Airbus A380sto service on the Sydney to London route after some engine changes. The airline is limiting take-off thrust to 70,000 lb. instead of the 72,000 lb. for which the engine is certified.
Malaysia Airlines has returned to the black after recording a MYR233 million ($74.2 million) net profit for third quarter ended Sept 30 on the back of a 15% lift in revenue to MYR3.39 billion from both passengers and cargo.
