Amadeus and SAS Group reached a five-year, full-content distribution agreement covering all inventory from Scandinavian Airlines, Wideroe, Blue1 and Estonian Air. Travelport reached a direct-connect content agreement with Norwegian.
Lufthansa Systems reached three-year deals with Bulgaria Air and Hemus Air to provide its Lido Airport/Obstacle data. It also renewed its contract with Avianca for the use of its ProfitLine/Price pricing solution for another two years.
Boeing joined the forward and aft fuselage sections of the first 747-8 freighter with the wing and center section in Everett. The horizontal stabilizer also was installed, with the tail cone and vertical fin expected to be added today. Nine customers have placed orders for 78 aircraft.
Air France KLM Group rebuffed French media reports claiming the company will report a higher operating loss in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010, than the €129 million ($1.15 billion) deficit suffered in 2008-09 ( ATWOnline, May 20) and that it will run low on cash in 2010 amid declining demand and higher fuel prices.
Rex Regional Express sold its 1.8% stake in Brisbane-based Virgin Blue. The regional confirmed yesterday to The Australian that its Singaporean investors have "completely exited" from their investment in Blue. The move comes amid continuing speculation that Virgin is courting a strategic investor, and the airline declined to comment on fresh claims that it is pursuing a Middle Eastern carrier. Rumors have surrounded Blue for the past three months, with various analysts and investment houses linking it to a variety of Middle East airlines and Air New Zealand.
European flight crews are criticizing the EU for failing to tackle the issue of pilot fatigue, pointing out that the US has taken the lead on this perennial issue following the February crash a Colgan Air Q400 that killed 50. The European Cockpit Assn., which represents more than 38,200 pilots and flight engineers, said the EU has "shied away" from acting on the results of scientific studies that show current rules on pilot fatigue are insufficient and require improvement.
Air Seychelles took delivery of its fifth 767, a GE-powered, 220-seat -300ER on lease from ILFC. Executive Chairman David Savy said the aircraft "will primarily be a backup aircraft to our fleet, and also will assist during heavy maintenance checks of other aircraft so as to avoid costly leases. In the eventuality of opening up new routes, it will be able to assist and also add capacity when needed in peak times."
Cargoitalia received its AOC from Italian civil aviation authority ENAC allowing for the start of operations with its recently delivered MD-11F. The carrier, which relaunched under the new ownership of ALIS (66.7%) and Intesa SanPaolo (33.3%), will take delivery of a second MD-11F in the coming weeks and a third before year end. It has orders for eight A330-200Fs that will enter service beginning in 2012.
US National Transportation Safety Board Member Kathryn O'Leary Higgins has resigned effective Aug. 3. She joined the five-member board in January 2006.
US airline passenger revenue plunged 26% year-over-year in June, the eighth consecutive month of decline, while the 20.7% drop in yield was the "sharpest" this decade, the Air Transport Assn. said yesterday. The findings were based on data collected from 28 mainline and regional carriers. Passenger numbers fell 6.5% year-over-year. ATA also said May cargo traffic was down 20%, fueled by a 26% drop in the Pacific. June data was not available.
Air Canada said it received approval from retirees, managers and administrative, technical and support employees for a 21-month moratorium on pension fund contributions and fixed payments for the 2011-13 period similar to the deals ratified last week by its five Canadian unions ( ATWOnline, July 17).
Gol flew 2.07 billion RPKs in June, a 7.1% decline year-over-year. Capacity fell 4.9% to 3.25 billion ASKs and load factor dropped 1.6 points to 63.8%. Austrian Airlines flew 1.44 billion RPKs in June, down 17.9% year-over-year. Capacity dropped 15.9% to 1.97 billion ASKs and load factor slipped 1.8 points to 73%. Hawaiian Airlines flew 701.6 million RPMs in June, up 7.4% year-over-year, against a 3% rise in capacity to 825.3 million ASMs. Load factor rose 3.5 points to 85%.
Netherlands Competition Authority rejected a complaint by easyJet that the difference in tariffs at Amsterdam Schiphol between origin/destination and transfer passengers is discriminatory and puts the LCC at a competitive disadvantage.
Shanghai-based Juneyao Airlines is targeting CNY50 million ($7.3 million) in net earnings this year, a result that would dwarf the CNY11.5 million profit reported in 2008, according to Chairman Wang Junjin.
JetAmerica canceled its plan to operate ultra-low-fare service based largely out of Newark, Toledo and Melbourne, Fla. It originally intended to begin flying last week but postponed launch until mid-August owing to slot concerns ( ATWOnline, July 7). On Friday, CEO Jon Weikle said, "Finalizing the slots required to support our charter program at Newark has taken longer than expected and we have decided to suspend our operations in order to refocus on different markets.
US FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt moved to ease tension with the agency's 15,000 air traffic controllers yesterday at a time when the agency and the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. are in arbitrated talks over a new labor contract ( ATWOnline, May 1).
Bombardier said Friday that Transport Canada, US FAA and EASA granted final approval to adjust the line maintenance intervals for CRJ700/705/900 NextGen and Q400 aircraft from 400 flight hr. to 600 flight hr. "Previous schedules required CRJ700/705/900 and Q400 aircraft to undergo line maintenance checks every 2.2 months on average," the company said. "Under the new revisions, the intervals are extended to 3.3 months." It said that as a result, operators will experience reduced direct maintenance costs over the life of the aircraft.
Travelport GDS signed an agreement with Afghan carrier Safi Airways to provide travel agents worldwide access to fares and routes from the carrier as well as the ability to e-ticket bookings. It said Safi will be the first Afghan carrier to participate in the GDS channel.
British Airways said Friday that it plans to raise £600 million ($985 million) in cash "to ensure it has strong liquidity" to enable it to manage through "the current difficult trading conditions." CEO Willie Walsh, who has said several times recently that the airline is in a "fight for survival" ( ATWOnline, July 15), told reporters that the increased liquidity "puts to bed any suggestion that BA is in any sort of risk short term."
Lufthansa last week shared with the European Commission a revised offer for its proposed takeover of Austrian Airlines Group, but it was unclear whether the German carrier had made enough concessions to satisfy EU antitrust regulators.
