Alitalia launched daily flights from Milan Linate to Paris Orly, Bucharest and Warsaw and thrice-weekly Milan Malpensa-St. Petersburg service as it opened its summer schedule. AZ will serve 25 domestic and 49 international destinations with 2,549 weekly flights this summer. Iberia launched daily Madrid-Sofia service. Bulgaria Air is codesharing. Air Astana launched twice-weekly Almaty-Baku flights aboard an A320. LAN Peru will launch twice-weekly Lima-Cartagena service on April 29 aboard an A319.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau has classified the Emirates A340-500 tail strike incident at Melbourne on March 20 as "significant" and an "accident," while other sources cited pilot error in the incident. The aircraft was on its way to Dubai with 225 passengers. While neither ATSB nor Emirates commented further, sources at MEL told ATWOnline that it appeared there was an input error to either the Less Paper Cockpit computer, which calculates takeoff speed, or the flight management computer, which calculates thrust settings. The EK crew used Runway 16, which is 3,657 m.
United Airlines' 16,000 flight attendants represented by the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA will seek "to substantially increase our pay" during negotiations launched last week on a new contract, according to the union, while UA management will seek to eliminate "uncompetitive" restrictions on scheduling and cooperation with other airlines that it claims exist in the current contract amenable Jan. 7, 2010.
American Airlines yesterday took delivery of two 160-seat 737-800s, its first new -800s since December 2001 and the first of 76 that are scheduled to arrive through the first quarter of 2011.
JetBlue Airways named United Airlines MD-Revenue Management Operations Dennis Corrigan VP-revenue management. He succeeds Richard Zeni, who now is JetBlue's VP-change management-passenger service system.
AerCap Holdings said it purchased eight new A320s, two used 767s, three CFM-56 engines and one PW4060 during the quarter and delivered 13 planes and eight engines under lease agreements. CEO Klaus Heinemann said that despite "one of the worst economic environments for the aviation industry, most airlines have shown a remarkable resilience to these conditions." Eight of nine aircraft repossessed last year are now with new operators. "Towards the end of the first quarter, we noticed a significant renewal of airline interest in contracting new capacity for 2010 and beyond.
TIMCO Aviation Services announced a deal to provide daily operational coverage and overnight line maintenance for United Airlines in San Jose, Calif. In addition, its Aerosystems division was chosen by LAN Airlines to replace the lavatories on its 767s.
The relationship between Qantas and Malaysia Airlines appears to have fizzled following the expiration of a December 2007 MOU designed to establish the framework for a joint maintenance organization in Kuala Lumpur.
Turkish Airlines plans to increase its share capital to TRY875 million ($557 million) from TRY175 million, according to a filing with the Istanbul Stock Exchange cited by Reuters. It also will pay its first dividend (TRY99 million) since its 1990 IPO. THY reported an $874 million profit in 2008, up nearly fourfold from the prior year ( ATWOnline, April 9).
Qantas yesterday announced its intention to ground and sell 10 aircraft, eliminate 1,750 more jobs (including 500 management positions) and defer at least 16 orders as it battles the economic downturn, which it warned will result in a pre-tax profit for the fiscal year ending June 30 of A$100-A$200 million ($72.5-$144.9 million) rather than the A$500 million forecast in November.
El Al is negotiating with the Montenegrin government for the purchase of 30% of Montenegro Airlines, which operates one E-195 and five F100s and needs cash for fleet renewal. El Al President Haim Romano told reporters in Podgorica that talks will continue, while YM Chairman Zoran Djurisic said discussions also were taking place with Adria Airways and that the sale is expected to be finalized before year end, Reuters reported.
Qantas and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said they will consult with and assist Dutch crash investigators after a QF 737-800 last week suffered a radio altimeter malfunction similar to the one that is suspected of causing the loss of a Turkish Airlines -800 on approach to Amsterdam on Feb. 25.
As airlines around the world shrink capacity in response to the global economic downturn, the need for maintenance is reduced, but Lufthansa Technik said it is well-positioned to manage the decline and hopes to do so without cutting its workforce.
AirTran Airways pilots voted Friday to end their independence and join the Air Line Pilots Assn. The carrier's nearly 1,700 pilots have been represented for 12 years by the independent National Pilots Assn., but 87% voted to merge with ALPA. NPA Interim President Linden Hillman said, "We had a choice to cling to the past, keep complaining about our failures and refuse to accept reality or make a bold decision for our future.
Portugalia Airlines pilots have scheduled one-day strikes for Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, parent TAP Portugal said. The stoppages, which are "over pay and conditions," would "result in severe delays and/or flight cancellations. . .between London Gatwick and Porto," TAP said. Attempts will be made to accommodate customers on TAP flights from London Heathrow if the strikes occur. "TAP senior management is doing all possible to avoid work stoppages by negotiating with the appropriate authorities.
US FAA and CAAC last week signed an MOU "to share best environmental practices at airports in the two countries," according to FAA. The agreement was reached at the US-China Aviation Symposium in Beijing. FAA Acting Assistant Administrator-International Aviation Di Reimold said, "I believe that the United States and China, which represent the two largest aviation systems in the world, have an obligation to the global community to lead the way in aviation cooperation. .
Embraer delivered an E-170 to Australia's Airnorth, which will operate the 76-seat, single-class aircraft under lease with Jescape. The Darwin-based carrier plans to fly up to four E-170s by 2010.
Jat Airways and MAT Macedonian Airlines signed a cooperation agreement last week designed to "find the best possible business solution" for the two carriers, including technical and commercial cooperation and potential "changes in the ownership structure" of MAT. No further details were provided, although several press reports indicated that Jat has been discussing acquisition of a stake in MAT since March and Jat Acting DG Sasa Vlaisavljevic told Serbian media last week that the carrier hopes to turn €10 million ($13.2 million) in debt owed by MAT into shares in the company.
Lufthansa Group airlines flew 11.75 billion RPKs in March, down 5% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 0.6% to 15.65 billion ASKs, lowering load factor 4.4 points to 75%. Aer Lingus flew 1.23 billion RPKs in March, down 13.1% year-over-year, against a 13.5% fall in capacity to 1.63 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 0.3 point to 75.6%. Finnair said its first-quarter unit revenue fell more than 13% year-over-year. In March it flew 1.85 billion RPKs, down 8%, against a 3.7% fall in capacity to 2.54 billion ASKs. Load factor dropped 3.4 points to 72.9%.
Vitaly Savelyev took over as Aeroflot DG and CEO Friday, succeeding Valery Okulov ( ATWOnline, April 6). The airline said Savelyev and management will be working on a five-year business plan designed "to ensure Aeroflot's continuous competitiveness and growth," including unidentified cost-efficiency programs. SU recently said it was targeting $161 million in cost savings this year and more than $400 million by the end of 2010.
Air New Zealand is doubling the number of premium economy seats on its 777-200ER fleet, with the first of eight aircraft reentering service this week after being refitted by the carrier's Technical Operations division in Auckland. Work on the 777s will be completed in mid-June, with the number of premium economy seats doubling to 36. The change will result in an additional 72,000 Pacific Premium Economy seats on its long-haul network annually.
Emirates will launch thrice-weekly Dubai-Luanda service aboard A330-200s on Aug. 2. The Angolan capital will be EK's 17th African destination. AirAsia launched service from Singapore to Jakarta (twice-daily), Bali, Bandung and Yogyakarta (each daily). AeroMexico launched twice-weekly Mexico City-Montreal service aboard a 737-700. LAN Peru will launch twice-weekly Lima-Cartagena service on April 29 aboard an A319.
Continental Airlines announced the contribution of an additional $50 million to its defined benefit pension plans, bringing year-to-date contributions to $100 million. CO expects to contribute $150 million this year.
