Malaysia Airlines firmed a December MOU for 15 A330-300s and added two A330-200 freighters to the order, Airbus announced yesterday ( ATWOnline, Dec. 23, 2009). Passenger aircraft deliveries will begin in the first half of next year while the first freighter will join the MASkargo fleet later in 2011. MAS's A330s will seat 283 passengers across two classes. The freighters will be able to carry nearly 70 tonnes up to 3,200 nm., according to the manufacturer.
British Airways and Iberia failed to sign a definitive merger agreement by yesterday's self-imposed target date. A BA spokesperson told Dow Jones the delay "is due to technical issues that need to be resolved and we anticipate that the agreement will be signed in due course." The spokesperson added that those issues are not related to BA's pension fund deficit.
The ICAO High-Level Safety Conference in Montreal was the site of a "milestone agreement" among ICAO, FAA, the EC and IATA that the airline trade group called "the first step to creating a global information exchange to improve aviation safety."
TAM returned to profit in 2009, reporting a BRL435.7 million ($241.9 million) surplus under IFRS that compared to a BRL1.43 billion loss in 2008 fueled by nonoperating items.
Pratt & Whitney continues aggressively to push the PW1000G geared turbofan as a solution for re-engining the A320 and/or 737, but President David Hess acknowledged that talks with International Aero Engines partner Rolls-Royce about developing a variant of the GTF as a successor to the V2500 have been "tough" with no agreement in sight.
American Airlines and JetBlue Airways yesterday announced a slot swap agreement at New York area and Washington National airports as well as a limited interlining deal at JFK and Boston Logan, which will bolster both carriers' competitive positions in the face of Delta Air Lines' growing strength in New York.
Top 20 Airlines World Airline Traffic Jet Fuel Prices World Airport Traffic IATA Fuel Prices Exchange Rates 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
Ryanair yesterday opened its 37th base at Oslo Rygge, from which it will operate three aircraft to 27 destinations. It intends to serve 1.7 million passengers per year at the airport.
American Airlines and Cape Air announced a codeshare deal under which AA will place its code on Cape flights from Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Quincy and Marion, Ill., to St. Louis, allowing Cape Air passengers to connect to an AA flight on a single ticket.
Ameco Beijing signed a five-year contract with United Airlines covering heavy airframe MRO on UA's 747s and 777s including C checks, and cabin upgrades. Work on 777s begins in June and 747 MRO will start in October. The parties' five-year 777 heavy maintenance deal expired last year. UA currently operates 52 777s and 24 747s. Ameco Beijing is a joint venture between UA Star Alliance partners Air China and Lufthansa.
Jackson Square Aviation is the name of a new lessor launched by a management team previously with Pegasus Aviation and Sky Holding. Parent JSA International Holdings has received a $500 million equity commitment from Oaktree Capital Management. JSA President and CEO Richard Wiley said the firm is "well positioned" to finance more than $2 billion worth of Airbus and Boeing aircraft annually, with an emphasis on sale/leaseback arrangements. San Francisco-based JSA already has deals in place with Avianca and Air Berlin
Gol launched a new fare structure featuring four categories--Comfort, Flexible, Scheduled and Promotional--with varying features and prices. Comfort is available on Varig-branded flights to Bogota, Caracas and Aruba and includes more comfortable seating, a mileage bonus, check-in and boarding priority and lounge access. Flexible allows for flight changes and offers boarding priority, lounge access and a mileage bonus, Scheduled "offers the best prices for those booking in advance" and Promotional is for those "seeking to take advantage of offers and obtain the lowest prices," Gol said.
SAS Group expects a first-quarter loss before taxes and nonrecurring items of approximately SEK1 billion ($137.7 million). It reported an SEK889 million loss on a similar basis in the first quarter of 2009. The company said its pre-tax loss through the first two months of 2010 was SEK960 million, widened from SEK420 million in the year-ago period. It lost SEK719 million on currency fluctuations year-over-year. Revenue dropped 15.3% to SEK5.89 billion as yield was down 12.2% when adjusted for foreign exchange fluctuations.
Bombardier signed an MOU with CDB Leasing of China, a unit of China Development Bank, allowing it offer pre-delivery payment financing, delivery financing and leasing solutions to CSeries, Q400 and CRJ customers. CLC has up to $3.85 billion in capital available, according to Bombardier. "The financial resources of CLC put Bombardier in a stronger competitive position to recommend financing and leasing solutions for potential customers in China and elsewhere," Bombardier Commercial Aircraft President Gary Scott stated.
European Commission's 13th update of its list of airlines banned from operating within EU borders includes all carriers from the Philippines and Sudan as well as Iran Air. Philippine Airlines currently operates to five North American destinations but neither it nor its affiliates fly to Europe, while Iran Air does serve the continent.
Emirates will begin operating one of its two daily Dubai-Manchester flights with a 517-seat A380 on Sept. 1, replacing the 777 that normally operates the route. "We have invested close to £10 million in upgrading the airfield and terminal. . .to accommodate the aircraft," MAN MD Andrew Cornish said. Emirates operates eight A380s to London Heathrow, Toronto Pearson, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Jeddah, Bangkok, Incheon, Sydney and Auckland.
Air China plans to deepen its cooperation with Shenzhen Airlines, in which it plans to acquire a majority stake, through the April 8 launch of a shuttle service between Beijing and Shenzhen. CA's CNY682.1 million bid to increase its share in Shenzhen to 51% still awaits government approval
US National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating a near midair collision Saturday involving a United Airlines 777-200 departing San Francisco and a private aircraft that came within 300 ft. of each other. According to NTSB, the incident occurred at about 11:15 a.m. local time. UA Flight 889 carrying 268 passengers and crew was cleared to take off from Runway 28L and climb to an initial altitude of 3,000 ft. The first officer, who was flying the aircraft, reported that as the jet was at about 1,100 ft. the tower controller reported traffic at his 1 o'clock position.
Aer Lingus released its full 2009 financial results yesterday, three weeks after a preliminary announcement, and reported a €130.1 million ($175.2 million) loss that represented an 18.4% deterioration from the €109.9 million deficit suffered in 2008.
IATA reported that February international passenger traffic (RPKs) for member airlines surged 9.5% compared to February 2009 on just a 1.9% rise in ASKs, pushing load factor up 5.6 points year-over-year to 75.5%.
Boeing's proposed 787-10 stretch may be back on the radar as the 787 and 747-8 programs are retiring risk, according to a new report from New York-based Bernstein Research. The report, released yesterday, also highlights concerns that the 787 may be falling behind on its flight test hr., although Boeing remains within the margin to enable the first three aircraft to be delivered to ANA by year end.
