GKN Aerospace selected Brotje Automation of Germany to provide automated assembly equipment for A350 wing structures. The assembly line will begin operating in 2010.
BEA updates AF447 crash investigation; no cause revealed Boeing bullish on biofuels, encouraged by flight tests MIG Aviation orders eight Q400s designated for Pantheon Airways Engine Alliance secures Etihad, Air Austral orders for GP7200s Air France Industries enters into two Middle East JVs Thales launches after-sales unit, inks OnurAir as first customer Additional stories
Air Canada launched daily Calgary-Portland, Ore., service. AeroMexico will launch six-times-weekly Mexico City-New Orleans service on July 7. Insel Air of the Netherlands Antilles will operate weekly Miami-Bonaire service beginning July 4 aboard an MD-80.
United Airlines parent UAL Corp. said consolidated passenger RASM in the second quarter is estimated to fall 17.9%-18.9% year-over-year to 10.05-10.17 cents, with mainline PRASM dropping 20.1%-21.1% to 9.14-9.25 cents. Operating consolidated unit cost excluding profit sharing and noncash net mark-to-market impacts is expected to fall 19.6%-19.9% to 11.44-11.48 cents, the company said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Consolidated ASMs will be down 9% year-over-year and RPMs will fall 9.5%-10.5% to 29.16-29.49 billion.
Japan Airlines said the strikes scheduled to start yesterday by four JAL International unions were cancelled ( ATWOnline, June 16) and that all flights were expected to operate normally.
Shenzhen Airlines is taking advantage of the upturn in Chinese domestic demand and is ramping up its expansion, announcing an agreement yesterday with the Harbin municipal government to establish a branch company in the northeastern city.
Lao Airlines will take delivery of the first of two 70-seat ATR 72-500s in the "coming weeks" and the second "later this year," ATR said. Lao currently operates two ATR 72-200s. Lao CEO Somphone Douangdara called the aircraft "the right choice to respond to the demand of regional transportation in Laos and in Southeast Asia." The state-owned carrier flies to 10 Laotian cities as well as Cambodia, China, Thailand and Vietnam.
SITA announced a three-year deal with Aeroflot to implement its airport management system at Moscow Sheremetyevo. System already is in use in Terminals 1 and 2 and will be implemented in T3 when it opens later this year. Deal includes the provision of SITA's AirportResource Manager and AirportHandling Manager.
Aeroflot said its "prompt steps to balance income and expenditures" during the first quarter, along with favorable exchange rates, helped it post a RUB713.1 million ($22.7 million) net profit. It flew 5.39 billion RPKs in the quarter, down 3.8% year-over-year, on a 10.9% drop in passenger numbers. It said its April and May performance "revealed an upward drift in carriage."
News from Travel Technology Update: Virgin Blue, the Australian low-cost carrier, will migrate to Navitaire's New Skies platform later this year. Virgin Blue has been using Navitaire's Open Skies system since its launch.
A "collapse in demand" contributed to a MYR694.8 million ($196.8 million) first-quarter loss for Malaysia Airlines compared to a MYR120.5 million profit in the first three months of 2008. An operating loss of MYR137.9 million, reversed from a MYR132.9 million profit in the year-ago period, was the revitalized company's first since the 2006 third quarter and resulted from a "triple squeeze--overcapacity, extreme fuel volatility and a global slump which hit passenger and cargo demand," MAS said.
Air Corporation Employees Union, Air India's largest union, will go on "indefinite strike" beginning July 1 if the airline carries through with its plan to delay employee wages ( ATWOnline, June 16), General Secretary J.B. Kadian told the Indo-Asian News Service. "This has never happened in Air India. We are not going to accept this at any cost," Kadian said.
Delta Air Lines petitioned the US Dept. of Transportation for permission to make the following scheduling adjustments "in light of the adverse global market conditions that are continuing to suppress demand for international air travel": Dormancy waivers from Sept. 1, 2009, to Sept. 1, 2010, on seven weekly frequencies from Atlanta to Shanghai and Capetown (via Dakar); a delay in the launch of five-times-weekly seasonal New York JFK-Buenos Aires service from this December to Dec.
Focus Aviation announced the sale of 15 F100s to The Evsen Group on behalf of KLM. Evsen plans to use the aircraft for short-haul operations in the Middle East. GECAS announced the delivery of one new A320-200 to Iberworld Airlines.
IATA said April international premium traffic fell 22% year-over-year, a steeper decline than the 19.2% reported in the first quarter and a number distorted by the shift in this year's Easter holiday to April, which often depresses business traffic. The number of passengers traveling on economy tickets inched up 0.3% year-over-year. "It is too soon to say whether April marked a turning point in the current down cycle of air travel," IATA said. "Unfortunately, fares and yields are falling at an increasing rate so even if traffic volumes are stabilizing, revenues are not."
Continuing its effort to improve airline safety, US FAA said this week that it wants to improve training and make it easier for prospective employers to access complete FAA files for pilot applicants. The renewed focus on safety was sparked by February's fatal crash of a Colgan Air Q400 outside Buffalo. The pilot, Marvin Renslow, did not reveal to Colgan that he had failed check rides prior to his employment at the regional carrier.
US Dept. of Transportation reported that the 10 US carriers collecting the highest amount in baggage fees racked up a total of $566.3 million in the first quarter, more than four times the $122.6 million collected in the year-ago period. American Airlines led with $108.1 million, followed by Delta Air Lines (excluding its Northwest Airlines subsidiary) at $102.8 million and US Airways at $94.2 million.
AirAsia X places surprise order for 10 A350-900s plus five options P&W: Geared turbofan could provide 23% fuel burn gain on A320/737 successor by 2017 McNerney: 787 work scope was 'too much for our partners'; composite 777 considered Airbus focuses on executing deliveries, gets financing assistance from governments Etihad selects GEnx for 35 787-9s, GE90 for 10 777s in deal valued at $2.2 billion ATR reveals Air Nostrum order for 10 ATR 72-600s
Qatar Airways will launch four-times-weekly service from Doha to Amritsar (Oct. 11) and Goa (Oct. 25) aboard A320s. Wizz Air will launch thrice-weekly Kiev Boryspil-Memmingen service on Sept. 22. Dragonair will launch twice-daily Hong Kong-Guangzhou service Sept. 14 aboard A320s/A321s. AirTran Airways launched thrice-weekly service from Orlando International to Asheville and Atlantic City. American Eagle will launch daily Los Angeles-Santa Fe flights on Nov. 19.
SAS Group flew 2.29 billion RPKs in May, down 18.1% from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 16.7% to 3.2 billion ASKs and load factor dropped 1.2 points to 71.5%. SAS Scandinavian Airlines flew 2.11 billion RPKs, down 19%, against a 17.5% fall in ASKs to 2.93 billion. Load factor was down 1.3 points to 72%. Alaska Airlines flew 1.5 billion RPMs in May, a 7.5% drop year-over-year. Capacity fell 6.3% to 1.95 billion ASMs and load factor was down 1 point to 76.8%.
Air Canada announced tentative agreements on its 21-month pension funding moratorium with some 3,200 pilots represented by the Air Canada Pilots Assn. and approximately 6,700 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, giving the airline the consent of all five Canadian unions and allowing it to move forward with its effort to seek new funding ( ATWOnline, June 10).
Qatar places firm order for 24 A320 family aircraft Boeing: Economy has bottomed out, 2010 production cut unlikely Vietnam inks deal for two ATR 72-500s, may order A350s; ATR maintains order levels Malev signs LOI to purchase 30 Superjets Qatar Airways threatens to launch LCC if carriers 'intrude' on market Bombardier lowers 20-149 seat aircraft 20-year market forecast by 3.9%
