Hahn Air announced an insurance agreement with Generali Versicherung under which passengers in possession of a Hahn e-ticket will get a full refund in the event of the operator's bankruptcy. The transaction will processed by the travel agency through which the passenger purchased the ticket.
EASA reported that 2009 had the fewest fatal aviation accidents on record for its 31 member states, comprising the 27 EU nations plus Iceland, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein. The May loss of an Air France A330 in the South Atlantic was the only fatal accident involving a commercial aircraft.
Boeing said it is assessing the "market viability" of the 787-3 after ANA converted its order for 28 of the shorter-range Dreamliner variants to the standard 787-8, leaving no -3s in the manufacturer's backlog.
Oman Air transported 2.3 million passengers in 2009, up 17% from the prior year, boosting revenue 67%. It increased its fleet by eight aircraft to 21 and its network by five destinations to 32. It plans to add two more A330s in 2010.
United Airlines will lay off 140 employees this month, including 50 at Chicago O'Hare, the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers told the Chicago Tribune. An additional 100 customer service and ramp workers will be demoted to part-time status. A UA spokesperson told the paper the moves are a "result of our overall reduction in capacity." Mainline ASMs fell 9.7% in 2009.
Last year was "the safest year ever" for airline operations in terms of the rate of fatal accidents, Ascend reported, though it noted that the severity of several accidents resulted in the number of passengers and crew killed increasing "significantly" from 2008.
American Airlines next week will announce that its offer in conjunction with TPG Capital to invest $1.1 billion in troubled Japan Airlines has been raised to $1.4 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. AA reportedly met with JAL officials yesterday and informed them of the improved offer. Neither airline confirmed the report. AA and Delta Air Lines are jockeying to participate in JAL's restructuring, which could take the form of a court-monitored bankruptcy proceeding ( ATWOnline, Jan. 7).
Ryanair yesterday said it plans to return about €1 billion ($1.44 billion) in surplus cash to shareholders following last month's collapse of a deal to purchase up to 200 aircraft from Boeing, while also denying speculation that it plans to take another run at Aer Lingus and announcing an agreement with Italian authorities regarding passenger identification.
AirBaltic yesterday said it expects to report a full-year pre-tax profit of LVL14 million ($28.3 million), making it "the only profitable airline in Europe that is majority-owned by the state." In 2008 the Latvian carrier posted a pre-tax loss of LVL30.4 million. "Due to the strong development of transfer traffic, it was possible to maintain the level of passenger revenue. The profit has been greatly enhanced by the sale of different services--hotels, insurance, car rentals, etc.," President and CEO Bertolt Flick said.
China Southern Airlines reportedly plans to purchase the 65% stake in neighboring Shenzhen Airlines formerly held by Li Zeyuan, who was arrested in November, in effort to strengthen its position in southern China. According to local press reports, CZ already has spoken with authorities in Beijing regarding the potential stake purchase. CZ GM Tan Wangeng refused to comment, however, calling the situation "too sensitive."
Wizz Air said it transported 7.8 million passengers in 2009, up 33% from 2008, as it opened its 11th base (Prague), increased its A320 fleet to 27 aircraft from 20 and launched 40 new routes. It said it will be "opening new operating bases, launching new routes, adding more capacity and carrying over 10 million passengers" in 2010.
Air France added the deputy CEO title to CFO Philippe Calavia, Chief Marketing Officer Bruno Matheu and COO Alain Bassil. Calavia will take over responsibility for all IT activity, Matheu will add the Commercial France and I&N Division to his department and Bassil will succeed Gilbert Rovetto as head of Air France. Rovetto is leaving the executive committee to serve as an adviser to CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon.
Blue Wings is facing financial difficulty again less than a year after having its operating license suspended by German authorities ( ATWOnline, May 6, 2009). A spokesperson for the Dusseldorf-based airline told n-tv that employees still have not received their December checks and that Russian investors have not followed through on certain commitments.
Boeing delivered 481 commercial aircraft in 2009, in line with its guidance and up from 375 in 2008 (a total impacted by a two-month machinists strike) and 441 in 2007. Orders plummeted, however, "as air travel and freight declined and carriers worldwide experienced severe economic challenges," the company said. It recorded 263 gross orders last year and 142 net compared to a net of 662 in 2008 and the record 1,413 in 2007. Deliveries in 2009 comprised 372 737s, eight 747s, 13 767s and 88 777s. Gross orders comprised 197 737s, five 747s, seven 767s, 30 777s and 24 787s.
Aer Lingus and United Airlines said the first flight operated under the transatlantic marketing and codeshare arrangement announced one year ago will be an EI A330 service between Madrid and Washington Dulles on March 28. "It is anticipated that additional routes may be made available for sale during 2010 to commence operation in summer 2011," EI said yesterday ( ATWOnline, Jan. 23, 2009).
Sukhoi Superjet 100's first delivery now is expected in mid-2010, a company executive told ATWOnline, confirming reports that the setback from the year-end 2009 timetable resulted from problems related to the SaM146 engines developed and produced by Powerjet, a joint venture between Snecma and NPO Saturn ( ATWOnline, Nov. 13, 2009). The source cited the "likely, but badly communicated, delays that traditionally accompany a new aircraft type. Look at the 787.
The White House yesterday released the review of US security and intelligence systems that President Barack Obama ordered after the failed terrorist attack onboard a transatlantic flight two weeks ago and conceded that the government possessed "sufficient information. . .to have potentially disrupted" the plot before it occurred.
Mesa Air Group, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday ( ATWOnline, Jan. 6), was informed by NASDAQ that the company will be delisted on Jan. 14. Mesa said it will not appeal the stock exchange's decision.
US Airways said December consolidated unit revenue fell approximately 2% year-over-year while total RASM was down 1%. President Scott Kirby said the airline was "pleased our revenue performance continued to show improvement with positive trends in both booked yields and corporate revenue." The company flew 4.65 billion consolidated RPMs in December, a 3.6% fall from the year-ago month, against a 2.5% cut in capacity to 5.9 billion ASMs. Load factor dropped 0.9 point to 78.7%.
Carpatair is adding three F70s to its fleet. The first 72-seat aircraft came in last month and the remaining two are scheduled to arrive in February and March. The Romanian regional did not say where it acquired the aircraft or whether they were purchased or leased. In March and April the Timisoara-based carrier plans to launch routes operated exclusively with the F70. It also flies F100s and Saab 2000s.
BioJet Corp. and Great Plains Oil & Exploration yesterday announced an agreement to produce renewable jet fuel through joint development of integrated camelina cultivation and associated refinery projects in the US, Europe, South America and Asia. The companies said that within five years, camelina production from currently planned projects will yield some 200 million gal. per year of renewable jet fuel along with other products. Great Plains said it is the largest camelina producer in the world.
Thai Airways Executive Chairman Wallop Bhukkanasut resigned Tuesday after several weeks of accusations and negative coverage regarding his avoidance of some $5,600 in excess baggage charges on a November flight from Tokyo Narita to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi.
Qantas low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways and Kuala Lumpur-based AirAsia yesterday unveiled an alliance that will bring together the Asia/Pacific region's leading LCCs, allowing two carriers with combined annual turnover exceeding $3 billion to reduce costs, pool expertise and maintain lower fares.
Aer Lingus and Aer Arann are negotiating franchise arrangements on routes between Ireland and the UK, EI confirmed yesterday. It said a "further announcement will be made as appropriate."
