The Austrian government intends to move forward on its own"ecological air travel levy" that will begin March 30, 2011, for all departing flights. It is similar to the tax introduced in Germany last month for air travel from Jan. 1, 2011. Passengers boarding in Austria will be charged €8 for European flights, €20 for medium-haul flights and €35 for long-haul flights. Austrian Airlines Executive Board member Peter Malanik said the new tax could cost OS a "high double-digit million of euros" and affect its restructuring process.
Boeing is introducing a new subscription-based "InFlight Optimization Services" harnessing NASA technology and existing equipment to offer airlines fuel savings and increased environmental efficiency.
CAE said it sold two Airbus A320 full-flight simulators, one to Sichuan Airlines Group and another to an undisclosed customer. CAE valued the sales at more than C$25 million at list prices and said they bring total announced FFS sales during the current fiscal year to 16. Sichuan's FFS will be delivered by the end of 2011.
Bangkok Airways and airberlin and are strengthening their cooperation to allow airberlin passengers the option of a connecting flight from Bangkok to Phenom Penh/Cambodia on Bangkok Airways. Codeshare flights to Koh Samui, Chiang Mai and Phuket will remain in place. AB operates up to 14 weekly flights between Germany and Thailand. AirBaltic launched thrice-weekly service to Kittila from Riga and Tampere, which it will operate with a Bombardier Q400.
Airbus confirmed Japanese LCC Skymark Airlines signed an MOU for the purchase of four Airbus A380s( ATW Daily News, Nov. 10). The aircraft will be operated on “major international long-haul routes from Tokyo.” Engine choice and cabin details “will be revealed at a later stage,” according to an Airbus statement released Thursday.
US FAA finalized a rule designed to protect most of today's commercial aircraft and those designed in the future from structural damage as they age. The new rule, Aging Airplane Program: Widespread Fatigue Damage, was announced Friday.
Copa Holdings, parent of Panama's Copa Airlines and Copa Airlines Colombia (formerly Aero Republica), reported third-quarter net income of $63.9 million, up 48.2% compared to a $43.1 million profit in the prior-year period. Revenue heightened 11.8% to $362 million while expenses increased 4.8% to $291.3 million, producing operating income of $70.7 million, nearly double an operating profit of $45.9 million last year.
Chinese carriers earned a collective profit of CNY4.28 billion ($645 million) in October, a quadrupling of CNY1.05 billion in net income in the year-ago period, according to CAAC. The regulator credited "robust growth of domestic market demand boosted by Chinese fast economic growth, especially the stimulation of the Shanghai World Expo in October."
Rolls-Royce on Friday reiterated that the issue that caused the uncontained failure of a Trent 900 on a Qantas Airbus A380 on Nov. 4 "is specific to the Trent 900" and unrelated to the test-stand failure of a Trent 1000 for the 787 in August.
Turkish Airlines reported 2010 nine-month net income of $169 million, down 44.4% from a $304 million profit in the year-ago period, in an earnings statement released to the Istanbul Stock Exchange Friday.
Boeing said a power panel in 787 flight test aircraft ZA002's aft electronics bay suffered a "failure" during a Nov. 9 flight, leading "to a fire involving an insulation blanket" that caused main cabin smoke necessitating an emergency landing that has brought the Dreamliner flight test program to an indefinite halt.
Airbus parent EADS posted third-quarter net income of €13 million ($17.9 million), reversed from an €87 million net deficit in the year-ago period, as revenue increased 18% to €11.27 billion on the back of rising commercial aircraft sales.
Rolls-Royce on Friday reiterated that the issue that caused the uncontained failure of a Trent 900 on a Qantas Airbus A380 on Nov. 4 "is specific to the Trent 900" and unrelated to the test-stand failure of a Trent 1000 for the 787 in August.
Boeing said a power panel in 787 flight test aircraft ZA002's aft electronics bay suffered a "failure" during a Nov. 9 flight, leading "to a fire involving an insulation blanket" that caused main cabin smoke necessitating an emergency landing that has brought the Dreamliner flight test program to an indefinite halt.
Swissport-Losch inked a six-year contract with Lufthansa to provide ground handling for the carrier's CRJs and Embraer aircraft at Munich beginning Jan 1, 2011.
Nouvelair launched weekly Airbus A320 Tunis-Moscow Domodedovo service. Swiss WorldCargo will begin to market the belly capacity of Edelweiss Air service to Mauritius, Kilimanjaro, Goa, Pristina, Skopje and Puerto Playa during the winter season. US Airways will operate daily Charlotte service to Madrid with a Boeing 767-200 (May 4-Oct. 29) and Dublin aboard a 757-200 (May 6-Sept. 30).
ARC reported that October ticket sales through participating travel agencies climbed 7.9% compared to October 2009 to $6.54 billion, marking the tenth month this year of improving sales. The size of the improvement over the relevant year-ago month continues to shrink, however, from a peak of 29% in March, as the recovery in air travel catches up on itself.
US Dept. of Transportation said Wednesday that tarmac delays continue to decline at US airports since the 3 hr. tarmac delay rule went into effect in April ( ATW Daily News, Oct. 13).
ExpressJet Holdings said its stockholders voted to approve the company's acquisition by SkyWest Inc. and planned merger with SkyWest's Atlanta-based subsidiary, Atlantic Southeast Airlines. It expects the transaction to close on Friday. SkyWest Inc. reached an agreement in August to acquire Houston-based ExpressJet Holdings for $6.75 per share in cash, or approximately $133 million ( ATW Daily News, Aug. 5).
Hainan Airlines is negotiating with the Shanghai municipal government to seek a capital injection for its Shanghai Deer Air subsidiary as it looks to expand its business jet fleet. Shanghai Deer Air was launched at the end of 2009 in its namesake city with a registered capital of nearly CNY1 billion ($150 million). HNA’s subsidiaries HNA Tourism Company, Grand China Logistics and Yangtze River Express Airlines are all stakeholders.
Mexicana Airlines, which ceased operations in August under severe financial distress, said the Mexican firm Capital PC has agreed to invest more than $150 million to allow the carrier to restart operations next month.
US Dept. of Transportation on Wednesday gave final approval for antitrust immunity to oneworld members American Airlines and Japan Airlines and, separately, to Star Alliance members United Airlines, Continental Airlines and All Nippon Airways, to operate their respective transpacific joint ventures.
EASA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive for all Rolls-Royce Trent 900 series engines calling for “repetitive inspections of the Low Pressure Turbine stage 1 blades and case drain, HP/IP structure air buffer cavity and oil service tubes in order to detect any abnormal oil leakage” in the wake of the uncontained failure of a Trent 972 on a Qantas Airbus A380 on Nov. 4 (ATW Daily News, Nov. 11).
US Dept. of Transportation on Wednesday gave final approval for antitrust immunity to oneworld members American Airlines and Japan Airlines and, separately, to Star Alliance members United Airlines, Continental Airlines and All Nippon Airways, to operate their respective transpacific joint ventures.
