Bombardier Aerospace confirmed that GoJet Airlines, a St. Louis-based regional operating as United Express, is the customer for six CRJ700 NextGen aircraft plus 10 options ordered in March 2008. The manufacturer said the firm aircraft are worth approximately $207 million at list prices.
A INR187 million charge "to settle a long pending dispute with an erstwhile investor" dragged India's SpiceJet to a INR180 million ($3.6 million) loss in the third fiscal quarter ended Dec. 31 (year-ago result not provided), but the carrier remains focused on an international future. Excluding the charge, the New Delhi-based LCC posted an INR8 million profit. Operating revenue rose 16% year-over-year to INR4.72 billion on a 24% increase in average fare. Unit revenue climbed 11% to INR2.42 and passenger numbers were down 12%.
Vueling Airlines, which will join with Barcelona rival Clickair to create a "new" Vueling, reported an €8.5 million ($10.8 million) net profit last year, a welcome reversal from the €78.5 million lost in 2007, as it implemented a restructuring plan. Full-year revenue increased 21% year-over-year to €438.9 million as costs rose 8.1% to €469.7 million. Operating loss narrowed 57% from €71.7 million to €30.8 million in 2007.
Iberia will operate twice-weekly seasonal Madrid-Zagreb service from July 4 to Sept. 20 and thrice-weekly MAD-Dubrovnik flights from June 16 to Sept. 29 aboard A320s. Finnair will operate five-times-weekly seasonal Helsinki-Bergen service beginning May 22. Ryanair will launch daily London Gatwick-Marseille service March 30. Virgin Blue will launch daily service from Townsville to Canberra, Gold Coast, Rockhampton and Cairns, as well as a Canberra-Hobart flight, on April 6 aboard E-170s/-190s.
United Airlines parent UAL Corp. named General Motors VP-Global Strategy and Operations Tony Cervone as senior VP-corporate communications and chief communications officer.
Air New Zealand is concerned that France's Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses released its 53-page interim report on the November A320 crash to the media before it was provided to the airline, in addition to the fact that ANZ has not been given access to either the CVR or the FDR. BEA said the A320's pilots, who worked for XL Airways, were conducting a low-speed test on approach to Perpignan when they lost control and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, killing seven ( ATWOnline, Feb. 25).
South Africa's Comair, which operates as a British Airways franchisee and as LCC kulula.com, reported a ZAR31.8 million ($3.2 million) profit in the fiscal half-year ended Dec. 31, down 46.6% from the ZAR59.5 million earned in the year-ago semester. The company said high oil prices in the fiscal first quarter were the main driver of the profit decrease. It currently operates 10 737-400s, nine 737-300s and six 737-200s across its two brands.
Cyprus Airways released a statement saying that its 2008 financial results "are expected to be improved compared to the comparatives for 2007," in which it posted a €1.2 million ($1.5 million) profit that was its first in several years. The board is scheduled to meet Feb. 27 to approve the 2008 accounts. Through the first six months of last year the airline was €7.2 million in the red compared to an €11.6 million deficit through the first half of 2007. Its six-month operating loss was €7.8 million, narrowed from €9.8 million the prior year.
AirTran Airways launched a buy-on-board food service called Sky Bites on 60 flights, with plans to expand it to the entire network starting next month. Individual items will cost $1-$4 and packages will be $4-$6. It is partnering with Kraft Foodservice on the program. Separately, it launched a daily Atlanta-Cancun service yesterday.
CAE reached deals with West Air Sweden, MyAir and Kuwait Airways to provide e-Learning training services. West Air will receive online recurrent training for pilots operating its CRJ200s, MyAir will employ CAE CRJ700 training courseware as part of its initial type rating under a three-year deal and KU pilots will gain access to CAE General Operating Subjects courseware including Cold Weather Operations, Dangerous Goods, ETOPS and TCAS II.
The airline industry parked 1,167 aircraft last year "making 2008 the worst year for cutbacks since 2001," according to Ascend. The total number of stored jets is approaching 2,300, representing more than 11% of the global air transport fleet of 20,293, and the number should rise significantly this year as "at least 400 more aircraft are scheduled to be cut during 2009," Ascend's Chris Seymour said.
Dragon Aviation Leasing took delivery of the first of 13 A320s on order. The aircraft, leased to Air France, is the Beijing-based lessor's first directly purchased Airbus type. Dragon is a joint venture of China Aviation Supplies Holding Co., AerCap and Calyon Airfinance.
Canada and Costa Rica signed an expanded air services agreement allowing carriers to operate their own aircraft or codeshare flights between any city-pairs.
European Union and Pakistan signed an aviation agreement that removes nationality restrictions contained in previous bilateral air services agreements between 18 EU member states and Pakistan and thus brings them in line with EU law.
Maximus Air Cargo of Abu Dhabi reported 2008 sales revenue of $110.8 million, up 134% from the $47.3 million posted in 2007. It expects to reach $130 million this year "as we continue to secure additional short- and medium-term aircraft wet-lease contracts," President and CEO Fathi Hilal Buhazza said. It flew 347,785 FTKs last year, up 156% year-over-year. Its eight-freighter fleet comprises An-124-100s, A300-600RFs, Il-76TDs and two Lockheed L382Gs.
AVIC last week completed the merger of its aircraft manufacturing subsidiaries and launched a new company in Xi'an that will be "mainly responsible for big [military] transport aircraft production and spare parts production for Chinese big commercial aircraft," AVIC President Lin Zuoming said ( ATWOnline, Sept. 29, 2008). The venture has registered capital of CNY12 billion ($1.75 billion), with AVIC the only shareholder. Other investors will be added next year.
A J Walter Aviation was awarded a seven-year power-by-the-hour contract to provide rotable component support for Czech Airlines' fleet of 33 Airbus aircraft from March 1. Agreement initially covers two A321s, eight A320s and seven A319s. The remaining 16 aircraft will join the program over the next seven years.
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, parent of Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo, reported 2008 net income of $63.7 million, down 51.9% from a $132.4 million profit in 2007, citing "a challenging year for global trade and airfreight," high first-half fuel prices and the "global recession" in the second half of the year.
A huge fourth-quarter loss related to the collapse of Iceland's banking and financial sector last fall dragged Icelandair Group to a ISK7.47 billion ($65.9 million) full-year deficit, reversed from a ISL257 million profit in 2007. Revenue soared 77.7% year-over-year to ISK112.74 billion owing largely to a more-than-threefold increase in aircraft and crew leasing revenue. Operating loss of ISK5.69 billion compared to a ISK2.34 billion profit in the prior year. Fuel costs nearly tripled.
Air Berlin said its executive directors and "top managers" will forego 50% of their bonus entitlements for 2008, or a combined €2 million ($2.6 million). AB will announce its full-year results on March 30 and said it expects to report an operating profit. It also announced the launch of flights from Berlin Tegel to Krakow (four-times-weekly beginning April 29) and Oslo Gardermoen (five-times-weekly on April 24).
Wizz Air opened its Timisoara base, its 10th overall, from which it is serving Rome Fiumicino, London Luton, Dortmund, Bergamo, Barcelona, Paris Beauvais, Valencia and Treviso. It also announced plans to base a second A320 in Prague from July, increasing frequencies on four current routes and launching flights to Naples, Madrid and Malmo. Air Arabia will launch thrice-weekly Sharjah-Athens service on April 21 aboard an A320. It is the LCC's first route to the EU.
Bmi said it will stop operating its four daily services between London Heathrow and Leeds Bradford and thrice-daily LHR-Durham Tees Valley flights on March 28, citing a combination of falling demand, increased costs imposed by BAA and the UK government's decision to increase the Air Passenger Duty. "The fact is that due in the main to BAA's inflation-busting increases and changes to its pricing structures have placed a considerable disadvantage on short-haul flights," bmi MD Peter Spencer said. Ryanair also has cited the APD as the reason for recent cutbacks in its UK service.
