Iberia flew 4.02 billion RPKs in May, an 11.4% drop from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 9.6% to 5.15 billion ASKs, lowering load factor 1.6 points to 78%. SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines flew 1.47 billion RPMs in May, down 1.2% year-over-year. Capacity fell 2.8% to 1.83 billion ASMs and load factor rose 1.2 points to 80.1%. Hawaiian Airlines flew 682.6 million RPMs in May, down 2% year-over-year. Capacity rose 0.9% to 819.5 million ASMs and load factor dropped 2.4 points to 83.3%.
EgyptAir yesterday completed its move to the new Terminal 3 at Cairo International, joining six other Star Alliance carriers as part of the group's "move under one roof" initiative. "T3 brings high connectivity for us and our partners," Chairman Tawfik Assy told ATWOnline at last week's IATA annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur. "Our membership in Star Alliance changed our image and we are getting a lot of positive response.
Citing the "slow recovery in air transport demand," Japan Airlines yesterday said it would "strive to improve profitability by adjusting capacity" and announced a reduction in its international schedule effective July 1. The company reported a ¥63.1 billion ($640.9 million) net loss in the fiscal year ended March 31 and said it expects a similar result this term ( ATWOnline, May 13).
US Airways is offering voluntary furloughs to 400 flight attendants. VP-Inflight Services Hector Adler said in a message to employees last week that the airline has "waited as long as we could to address our overstaffing situation hoping that attrition and other voluntary leave options would offset the need for today's action," according to the Associated Press. US is asking 300 cabin staff based in Phoenix or Las Vegas to take voluntary leave from Aug. 5 to Nov. 30, 2009, or Nov. 30, 2010, according to Assn.
American Airlines promoted MD-Airline Profitability and Financial Analysis Kenji Hashimoto to VP-strategic alliances and MD-International Planning Don Casey to VP-revenue management. Republic Airways Holdings promoted Finance Director Joe Allman to VP and controller.
Gulfstream International Airlines yesterday released its response to US FAA's proposed $1.3 million civil penalty for improper scheduling and the installation of an unapproved component on its 1900Ds, admitting several schedule and recordkeeping errors but challenging the fine and citing "differences in interpretation" and its 20-plus years of accident-free operations in its defense.
Alaska Air Group board last week authorized a stock repurchase program worth up to $50 million. The company repurchased "nearly" $112 million of its common stock in 2007 and 2008.
International Aero Engines announced a V2500 order from Air China covering 22 A320s/A321s for delivery beginning in April 2010. Deal is worth some $700 million including the SelectOne build standard and a long-term aftermarket agreement. CA already operates the V2500 on 12 A319s. IAE also announced the delivery of Shenzhen Airlines' first V2500-powered aircraft in Toulouse, the first of 28 A320s ordered last summer.
Jet Airways said it will expand its Jet Airways Konnect all-economy service from today owing to "strong customer demand." It increased the domestic program by 30 daily flights over the weekend and will operate more than 100 as of today. The Konnect fleet comprises seven 737-800s and 10 ATR 72-500s ( ATWOnline, May 8).
Qantas will take delivery of its fourth A380 at the end of next month and will increase its Sydney-Singapore-London Heathrow service to five-times-weekly from thrice-weekly and its Sydney-Los Angeles flights to four-times-weekly from thrice-weekly beginning Aug. 6. By November, when it will have six A380s, QF will operate SYD-LAX and SYD-LHR daily while Melbourne-LAX gets a third weekly flight. Total weekly A380 flights will number 34. QF also announced and expanded codeshare deals with American Airlines and its first arrangement with Iberia.
Embraer announced the sale of an 84-seat E-175 to Japanese startup Fuji Dream Airlines for delivery next year. The Shizuoka-based carrier took delivery of its two ordered E-170s and expects to launch revenue service next month. FDA parent Suzuyo Group's original order was for two firm 170s plus one option, but the manufacturer said that deal was amended to allow for the purchase of the 175.
Rolls-Royce announced a $1.5 billion order from Gulf Air for Trent 700EP engines that will power 20 A330s. Deliveries are set to start in 2012. Deal includes a TotalCare services agreement and an extension to the TotalCare deal on Trent 700s already in service on 10 A330s. Rolls also signed a five-year extension to the TotalCare services agreement covering Condor Airlines' fleet of 13 RB211-535E4-powered 757s. Initial 10-year deal was set to expire this year; extension is worth some $150 million.
China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines have agreed on several major issues regarding their pending merger and expect to reveal further details within three weeks, CEA Chairman Liu Shaoyong said. Discussions began last Thursday when the airlines agreed to maintain the SAL brand and that no employees would be cut. Liu noted at a shareholders conference over the weekend that "the specific merger plan will have to be approved by the boards of CEA and SAL and the relevant government organs first before it can be made public."
Boeing said the second of six 787s to be used in the flight test program has moved to the flight line to begin fuel testing. ZA002, which already is painted in ANA livery, will focus on systems performance ( ATWOnline, May 18).
Pratt & Whitney and Korean Air signed a contract worth approximately $300 million for PW4170 Advantage 70 engines for six new A330s, plus two spares. Pratt also announced a 10-year Engine Management Program agreement with Japan Airlines covering 75 PW4000 and V2500 engines and a three-year parts repair agreement valued at more than $75 million covering JT9Ds and PW4000s. It also announced EcoPower engine wash agreements with JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and ArkeFly.
Air India, which lost an estimated $800 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, will delay around $70 million in salary payments to its 31,500 employees for two weeks until July 15, several officials confirmed in news reports from India. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said the government is considering a bailout "very actively" and that the carrier's health is the state's "responsibility," according to the Press Trust of India.
European Commission's SESAR Joint Undertaking Friday signed contracts totaling €1.9 billion ($2.7 billion) related to the development of a future "Single Sky" air traffic management system in the EU. The Joint Undertaking is a public-private research and development venture overseen by Eurocontrol ( ATWOnline, Dec. 10, 2008).
Travelport GDS said it introduced "a travel industry merchandising first and technology leap forward for Air Canada" with the full market launch of Travelport Agencia, a travel booking solution that delivers access to the complete portfolio of Air Canada's ala carte product "in a seamless manner" to users of Travelport's Apollo GDS.
Sensis Corp.'s runway status lights were installed last week at Los Angeles International, which became the third US airport to add the safety technology. RWSL is a system of red lights embedded in runways that are triggered automatically by ASDE-X, warning pilots that it is unsafe to cross or enter a runway. Los Angeles World Airports paid $7 million for the system, which US FAA installed and will maintain.
Continental Airlines Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner said the carrier will enter Star Alliance "hours or days" after it exits SkyTeam on Oct. 24. "The difference for us between SkyTeam and Star is that we and Delta have a lot of overlap. . .whereas within Star there's a lot of open area," he said at last week's Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Transportation Conference.
Jetstar A330-200 en route from Osaka Kansai to Gold Coast was forced to divert to Guam last Thursday after smoke was detected, followed by flames flaring from the rearmost cockpit window on the aircraft's right side in the area where the window heater is located. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau launched an investigation. The A330, carrying 203 passengers and crew, left Osaka just before 11 p.m. local time Wednesday. The fire occurred about 3 hr. 50 min. into the flight.
