UK-based RDC Aviation published a comprehensive guide to the percentage share of airline CO2 emissions for EU countries for June 2009. The UK is out in front, accounting for 25%, followed by Germany with 18% and France 13%, Spain 12% and Italy 8%. Not surprisingly, London Heathrow is the major airport for CO2 emissions--almost double that of the next airport, Frankfurt. However, Lufthansa just pips out British Airways and Air France as the largest airline emitter.
Amadeus introduced a "holistic" solution for corporate travel agencies that aims to provide a complete "start-to-finish" system. Called Amadeus One, the Web-based, multisource solution includes profile integration, mid-office functions, agency administration tools and new productivity tools. Mary Keagul, senior vice president of product development for Amadeus North America, provided an early look at some of Amadeus One's features. Corporate policy can be configured using the system's rules engine, she said.
Airlines are turning to cockpit retrofits to enable older aircraft to take advantage of new PBN capabilities. Southwest Airlines is undertaking the largest such project.
Navtech expanded its contract with Delta Air Lines for its Preferential Bidding System crew rostering tool to include more than 4,500 pilots from Northwest Airlines.
Kingfisher Airlines reported a INR2.43 billion ($50 million) loss in its fiscal first quarter ended June 30, widened from a INR1.58 billion deficit in the year-ago period, according to Dow Jones. Revenue dropped 6% year-over-year to INR13.14 billion and the board reportedly approved a INR5 billion equity raising through a rights issue, follow-on offer or placement of deposit receipts. EBITDA was positive at INR2.54 billion compared to a INR3.24 billion loss in the quarter ended June 30, 2008. The airline suffered a INR16.09 billion loss in the fiscal year ended March 31.
The global economic downturn, swine flu and unfavorable fuel hedges were enough to drag Singapore Airlines to its first quarterly deficit since 2003, a S$307.1 million ($212.6 million) loss that compared to a S$358.6 million profit in the fiscal first quarter of 2008-09.
Lufthansa yesterday said it reached "material agreement" with EU regulators on its proposed takeover of Austrian Airlines Group, but airline officials declined to reveal details as they announced LH's 88.4% year-over-year second-quarter profit drop to €40 million ($56.5 million).
Southwest Airlines, which launched service at Denver a little more than three years ago, announced yesterday that it has submitted a nonbinding proposal to bid for bankrupt Frontier Airlines, which now is scheduled to be sold at auction next month.
Citing sharp declines in volume and unit revenue for both passenger and cargo transport, Air France KLM yesterday announced a €431 million consolidated net loss in its fiscal first quarter ended June 30, a marked deterioration from the €132 million profit earned in the year-ago period.
Ryanair will reduce Dublin winter capacity by 22% year-over-year, or by four aircraft to 14 based aircraft. It did not specify which routes would be affected, but weekly flights will drop below 1,000 from the approximately 1,200 operated to/from DUB in winter 2008-09. Last month it said it would lower the number of aircraft at DUB to 16. It said the newest cuts are the result of "high and rising costs at Dublin Airport, combined with an insanely stupid €10 ($14.12) tourist tax" imposed by the Irish government.
Alitalia released select financial and operating data for the period from Jan. 13, when it re-launched under new ownership as a merged company with Air One, to June 30 ( ATWOnline, March 4). It posted an operating loss of €273 million ($385.5 million), comprising a €210 million first-quarter loss and a €63 million second-quarter deficit.
Russian State Civil Aviation Administration said domestic airlines carried 18.8 million passengers through the first six months of 2009, down 18% year-over-year, Reuters reported. June passenger numbers fell 13.4% to 4.6 million. Frontier Airlines flew 804.4 million RPMs in June, down 13.1% year-over-year. Capacity fell 14.9% to 903.8 million ASMs, lifting load factor 1.8 points to 89%. Allegiant Air flew 468.8 million system RPMs in June, up 25.6% year-over-year. Capacity rose 29% to 527.3 million ASMs and load factor dropped 2.4 points to 88.9%.
Star Alliance added functionality to its website allowing customers to book and purchase round-the-world tickets. Such transactions previously required the assistance of an airline call center, ticket office or travel agent.
British Airways will remove inflight meals in economy class on flights shorter than 2.5 hr. from next week, although it will continue to serve breakfast on flights departing before 10 a.m. and offer free drinks and snacks. It expects to save £22 million ($36.1 million) annually as a result. It will not sell food onboard and claimed it is "not unusual to make small changes [to inflight catering] to avoid waste and save money where it makes sense and it meets customers' changing tastes." British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Assn.
Japan Airlines' last 747 Classic, a -300, operated its final flight yesterday from Honolulu to Tokyo Narita. Aircraft was in service for 26 years. JAL took delivery of its first 747-100 in 1970 and operated a record 65 747 Classics in 1987-89. The -300 will be replaced by a 777-300ER.
Ameco Aviation College opened its new CNY50 million ($7.3 million), 7,400-sq.-m. extension at Beijing Capital International. Facility contains classrooms and a workshop. AAC now can host some 400 students for type training and 550 for basic/apprentice training at any given time. Ameco Beijing is a joint venture between Air China (60%) and Lufthansa (40%).
LAN Airlines reported second-quarter net income of $4.2 million, down 93% from a $60.5 million profit in the year-ago period, but touted its continued growth even in a recession as traffic rose 13.5%.
Aria Airlines Il-62 that crashed in Mashhad on July 24, killing 16, was attempting to land too fast, Iranian Civil Aviation Organization Director Mohammad Ali Ilkhani told state television. "This plane should have landed at a maximum speed of 165 miles per hr. but it in fact landed at around 200 miles per hr.," he was quoted as saying by Agence France Presse. Deputy Transport Minister Ahmad Majidi told the ISNA news agency that "instead of landing at the beginning of the tarmac, the plane landed in the middle of the runway.
Turkish Airlines flew 17.3 billion RPKs through the first six months of 2009, up 11.2% from the year-ago semester. Capacity rose 19.1% to 25.3 billion ASKs and load factor dropped 4.8 points to 68.2%. Finnair flew 1.55 billion RPKs in June, down 13.4% year-over-year, against a 14.2% cut in capacity to 2.1 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 0.6 point to 74%. Air Berlin said June unit revenue rose 14% to 6.07 euro cents (8.63 cents). Passenger numbers fell 4.9% to 2.6 million on a 2.7% cut in seats to 3.3 million. Load factor slipped 1.8 points to 79.1%.
Air Canada and Jazz Air this week signed an MOU modifying their capacity purchase agreement. AC said the new accord will "provide us with reduced capacity purchase costs that are more consistent with market realities and will allow us to enjoy greater flexibility in our fleet deployment." Highlights of the revised agreement include a reduction in the mark-up rate paid to Jazz on the first 375,000 block hr. of flying from 16.7% to 12.5%; a reduction in AC's commitment to Jazz's minimum fleet from 133 aircraft to 125; an extension of the capacity purchase arrangement to Dec.
Frontier Airlines, operating under bankruptcy protection, reported net income of $12.6 million for the second quarter, reversed from a $57.7 million loss in the year-ago period. It said profit would have been $27.6 million excluding $14.9 million in reorganization expenses. It also reported a $5.1 million mark-to-market gain on fuel hedges. Revenue fell 23.6% to $275.6 million while expenses lowered 39.7% to $242.6 million, producing operating income of $33 million, reversed from a $41.5 million loss in the year-ago period.
Airbus and Boeing yesterday confirmed Ethiopian Airlines' orders for 12 A350-900s and five 777-200LRs respectively. The airline announced the deals Tuesday ( ATWOnline, July 29). The A350s are the first aircraft ET has ordered from Airbus, which has sold 493 of the next-generation widebodies.
