CSA Czech Airlines next month will merge all handling activities under an independent subsidiary called CSA Support. Approximately 800 CSA employees will be transferred to the new operation.
Los Angeles International will receive $150 million from the US government over the next two fiscal years to support the completion of an inline baggage screening program in "several" LAX terminals by the end of 2012, the airport operator announced. Total project cost is $670 million.
US FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said that "any number of options have been explored" to determine how to finance equipage of commercial aircraft with NextGen ATC technology such as ADS-B, including consideration of the government's providing airlines with money for early equipage that would be "subject to repayment."
Malaysia Airlines and SITA Lab announced the launch of MHmobile, a mobile phone and PDA application allowing users to book, pay for, check in and board their flights. It also connects to social networking sites, features geolocation capabilities and offers access to SITA WorldTracer so passengers can check the status of delayed or mishandled baggage.
United Airlines yesterday announced an order for 50 long-haul aircraft evenly split between the A350-900 and 787, along with purchase rights for 50 of each type, claiming that the "breadth in size and capabilities of the different aircraft models ensure the company has the right aircraft for the right market through the fleet replacement cycle." The order was United's first for new aircraft since 1998. Boeing said the deal was not yet finalized and that it has not added the Dreamliners to its Orders and Deliveries'list.
Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal said yesterday at the US-India Aviation Partnership Summit in Washington that consolidation among Indian airlines is inevitable and will be necessary to restore financial sanity to the market.
Japanese Transport Minister Seiji Maehara rejected widespread reports that the government has decided to provide ¥700 billion ($7.74 billion) in credit guarantees to Japan Airlines. "We haven't decided how to fund state guarantees for JAL yet, let alone the size of such potential guarantees," he told reporters yesterday.
Copa Airlines announced an order for an additional two 737-800s scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2010. In July, the carrier placed an order for 13 -800s for delivery in 2012-15, plus eight options for 2015-17 delivery ( ATWOnline, July 17). It did not say how the new delivery positions became available or whether the two new firm orders represented option conversions.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes hopes his AirAsia X subsidiary will serve either New York JFK or Newark next year, he told the Bernama news agency. Malaysia Airlines pulled out of EWR and now flies only to Los Angeles in the US. "We are very keen to enter the US market, which has good business potential," Fernandes said ( ATWOnline, September 2009).
Talks between Ryanair and Boeing regarding an order for up to 200 737s dissolved over the weekend after the manufacturer changed delivery conditions, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said yesterday in Brussels while announcing an expansion of the LCC's base at nearby Charleroi.
ASKY Airlines, a Togolese startup affiliated with Ethiopian Airlines ( ATWOnline, July 8, 2008), plans to launch service to regional destinations on Jan. 15 with two 737-700s on lease from ET and said it intends to serve Europe, the Americas and Asia in the future. Shareholders include ET (20%), Ecobank Group, Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development, West African Development Bank and the Sakhumnotho Group of South Africa.
Airlink E-135 overran the wet runway at George Airport in George, South Africa, and crashed through a fence yesterday morning when landing on a flight from Cape Town. Minor injuries were reported and damage to the aircraft was "substantial," according to Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network. There were 33 people onboard. In September, a Jetstream 41 operated by South African Airways' regional partner crashed on a repositioning flight near Durban ( ATWOnline, Sept. 25).
Aeroflot and Alitalia signed an MOU "to further develop new routes and frequencies between Italy and Russia as well as implement a wide ranging reciprocal codeshare to domestic and beyond destinations," AZ announced. Carriers also will cooperate more closely on network planning, reservations, sales and marketing, passenger service, charter and cargo operations and technology. AZ and SU already codeshare on flights to/from Moscow Sheremetyevo and four Italian destinations.
RwandAir signed a financing deal with the Eastern and Southern African Trade & Development Bank for $13.5 million in loans to cover the acquisition of two CRJ200s. In addition, the carrier said that talks with "large aircraft suppliers are at advanced stages for the acquisition of mid- to long-range aircraft beginning 2010. The airline intends to expand its fleet considerably over the next five years."
Baltic Aviation Academy, a unit of Vilnius-based Avia Solutions Group, said it received its Flight Training Organization License from the Lithuanian CAA and is offering ab initio pilot training from private pilot license and instrument rating courses to commercial pilot license, multiengine pilot license and airline transport pilot license courses. Ab initio classes start in January.
Continental Airlines plans to raise $200 million through a public offering of its convertible senior notes due 2015, with an option for underwriters to purchase up to an additional $30 million to cover overallotments. CO said it will use the proceeds for general corporate purposes.
The UK House of Commons Transport Committee issued a report yesterday endorsing a third runway at London Heathrow "subject to the effective application of tough environmental conditions," while suggesting that Gatwick, rather than Stansted, would be a better choice for a second runway after 2019.
KLM completed installation of its new Economy Comfort premium economy product on 61 long-haul aircraft and officially launched the offering yesterday. Seats offer 35 in. pitch instead of the standard 31 in. An average of 34-40 Comfort seats will be offered, depending on the aircraft type ( ATWOnline, Sept. 17).
Qatar Airways launched its Australian service Monday, a thrice-weekly Doha-Melbourne flight aboard a 777-200LR. Service becomes daily on Jan. 1. QR plans to fly to Sydney next year. Cathay Pacific Airways will launch four-times-weekly Hong Kong-Milan Malpensa flights on March 28 with a 777-300ER. It currently operates six-times-weekly freighter service to MXP. In addition, daily HKG-Toronto service will be increased to 10-times-weekly from March 28 and twice-daily HKG-Los Angeles service will become 17-times-weekly on May 1.
Jat Airways expects to lose €15 million ($22.3 million) this year, lower than the €20- €25 million anticipated previously, but will need €20-€32 million in loans to maintain operations, CEO Srdjan Radovanovic told the Associated Press. He also said that Turkish Airlines has shown "the most serious" interest in investing in the carrier.
The US Environmental Protection Agency yesterday issued a formal finding that greenhouse gasses including carbon dioxide emissions "threaten the public health and welfare of the American people," clearing the way for the agency to regulate a wide range of CO2-emitting industries under provisions of the Clean Air Act.
AirBaltic concluded one-year agreements with the Austrian and Swiss governments for provision of flights for government employees to/from more than 60 destinations. It signed similar deals with the Danish, Finnish and German governments this year.
The Japanese government reportedly is preparing to provide ¥700 billion ($7.74 billion) in credit guarantees to Japan Airlines as part of an "extra budget" that could be finalized this week for the country's fiscal year ending March 31.
APG Global Associates announced that eight additional carriers joined APG IET in November including Turkish Airlines and Philippine Airlines, bringing the number of airline partners to 54. President Jean-Louis Baroux said the company is targeting 100 carriers by the 2010 first quarter. APG GA introduced the APG IET program to airlines in cooperation with its partner Heli Air Monaco (YO/747), which functions as the validating and issuing carrier.
