Turkish Airlines said it signed an agreement Monday to purchase a 49% stake in Bosnian flag carrier B&H Airlines ( ATWOnline, Oct. 13). The Bosnian government will continue to hold 51%. Under a first stage, THY will invest €5 million ($7 million) on the lease of two additional aircraft (one 737 and one Airbus type) for B&H, with an additional €5 million injection to follow, Reuters reported.
World's first commercial aviation test flight powered by a sustainable second-generation biofuel is ready for liftoff. On Dec. 30, an Air New Zealand 747-400 will take off from Auckland for a 2-hr. flight with one Rolls-Royce RB211 powered by a jatropha blend ( ATWOnline, Dec. 11). The pilot in command, ANZ 747 Fleet Manager Keith Pattie, and his crew will operate the flight predominantly over the wider Hauraki Gulf area.
TAM flew 1.95 billion domestic RPKs in November, a 3.4% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 13.4% to 2.96 billion ASKs and load factor fell 6.4 points to 65.8%. International traffic jumped 36.3% to 1.32 billion RPKs against a 32.4% rise in ASKs to 1.88 billion, sending load factor up 2 points to 70%. LAN Airlines flew 2.32 billion system RPKs in November, up 9.9% year-over-year. Capacity climbed 12.4% to 3.03 billion ASKs and load factor was down 1.7 points to 76.4%.
Accident investigators are looking into what caused the pilots of a Continental Airlines 737-500 to abort takeoff on Saturday evening in Denver, where the aircraft veered from the runway into a ravine in an accident that destroyed the plane and injured 38.
Air New Zealand's Australia-based aerospace engineering support services company TAE purchased Australian aviation service provider Tenix Aviation. Acquisition follows the November purchase of Masling Industries. Tenix is based in South Australia and Masling is located in New South Wales. TAE is a leading engineering services provider and Australia's leading military gas turbine MRO operation. ANZ GM-Technical Operations Chris Nassenstein said the two purchases are part of the airline's continued diversification into MRO.
Pratt & Whitney received US FAR 33 certification approving the airworthiness of its PW4000 Advantage70 engine upgrade, projected to deliver a 2% thrust increase while decreasing fuel consumption by 1%. Slated to enter service on PW4000-100s in mid-2009, Advantage70 is expected to boost durability and reduce maintenance costs. New engines will fly initially on the A330-200 and A330-300.
AirAsia dismissed rumors that it is discussing a potential merger with Qantas low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways, although the speculation remains an interesting development for the Australian carrier, whose discussions with British Airways collapsed last week ( ATWOnline, Dec. 19). First reported in Malaysia's The Star, the rumor was called "pie in the sky" by AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani. "It's the first time I have heard about it.
Cargo B Airlines took delivery of its first new 747-400F on dry lease from Nippon Cargo Airlines. The Brussels-based carrier, which commenced operations in October 2007, will use the aircraft initially on thrice-weekly flights serving Sao Paulo Guarulhos, Quito and Bogota. It is seeking a second -400F to replace its two 747-200Fs.
Adria Airways expects to report a 2008 operating profit of €1.9 million ($2.7 million), down approximately 34% from 2007, on a 17% climb in passengers to 1.3 million, the STA Slovenian Press Agency reported. Through November, Adria carried 1.2 million passengers, up 16% year-over-year, on a 15% rise in the number of flights.
Austrian Airlines CEO Alfred Oetsch told ATWOnline that the carrier is expecting a "single-digit" drop in passengers next year and that further adjustments in capacity and costs are possible if demand continues to fall, including moving some workers to part-time status, but he ruled out layoffs. However, he said the company is facing declining traffic "in all classes" ( ATWOnline, Dec.
Brussels Airlines is considering repositioning itself again as a full-fledged network airline and reintroducing a business class on its European network, steering away from the "new generation carrier" concept introduced in March 2007 when it merged the operations of full-service SN Brussels Airlines with low-cost Virgin Express, a company source told ATWOnline.
US FAA's decision to downgrade Israel's aviation safety standard to Category 2 ( ATWOnline, Dec. 22) marked a "black day for Israeli aviation," El Al COO and Acting CEO Lior Yavor said, according to Israeli press reports. "We at El Al expect the Israeli government and the Knesset to take full responsibility for this serious decision, and to immediately and fully share in the costs accruing to Israeli airlines as a result, including the financing of security, which the government promised months ago.
Lufthansa Cargo announced a 10% capacity reduction from Jan. 1 in response to the decline in the global cargo business and a "distinct falloff in demand." It will suspend the wet-lease of two MD-11Fs and one 747-400F from World Airways and transfer those routes to 747-400ERFs operated by Jade Cargo International, in which LH holds a minority stake. LHC will continue operating its 19 MD-11Fs and, from the middle of next year, also will have access to capacity onboard newly delivered 777-200LRFs operated by AeroLogic, its joint venture with DHL Express.
US Dept. of Transportation said it will "work with carriers" to implement voluntary reductions in scheduled operations at New York LaGuardia to 71 per hr. from the current 75 during next year's summer schedule. "We want to use every tool at our disposal to help passengers stuck with this grueling congestion," Secretary Mary Peters said. DOT's plan to conduct slot auctions was put on hold by a US Court of Appeals ruling two weeks ago ( ATWOnline, Dec. 10).
Southwest Airlines said yesterday that it submitted an application to the US Dept. of Transportation for Canadian route authority, which is required in order to implement its codeshare agreement with WestJet ( ATWOnline, July 9). SWA said it hoped to receive approval next quarter and that it had no intention to fly to Canada with its own aircraft "at this time."
Boeing won approval from US FAA for its scheduled maintenance program defining tasks and intervals that operators will use to upkeep the 787 properly. Approval is one of the many requirements needed to certificate the aircraft.
Virgin Atlantic Airways is not interested in acquiring bmi regional or bmibaby and is negotiating with Lufthansa solely about the acquisition of bmi's mainline operation at London Heathrow, Virgin CFO Julie Southern confirmed to ATWOnline.
Aer Lingus will resume its Shannon-London Heathrow service with twice-daily flights beginning March 29. It closed the route in January ( ATWOnline, Aug. 8, 2007) but said recent cost-saving measures agreed to by EI staff at SNN, Cork and Dublin ( ATWOnline, Dec. 11), along with a "new deal" on charges with the Shannon Airport Authority and a fall in fuel prices, have prompted it to restart service.
News from Travel Technology Update: There's no way to prettify it: 2008 has been an annus horribilis, probably the worst economic mess since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It was a year dominated by the three Fs: fuel, fees and fear.
Air Tanzania suspended operations following the Dec. 8 suspension of its AOC by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, which said the move was a "precautionary but very necessary action to avoid the possibility of the airline compromising flight safety." It said TC's aircraft were airworthy and that passenger safety never was at risk, and that the carrier has submitted "about half" of the documentation required for recertification.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission yesterday announced that it has "instituted proceedings" in Federal Court against Singapore Airlines Cargo, which it accused of colluding on fuel and security surcharges between 2001 and 2005 on flights to and from Australia. A hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 12. SIA Cargo will "defend allegations. . .that it, and several other airlines, have engaged in cartel conduct," a spokesperson told Reuters.
Boeing yesterday announced a deal with Southwest Airlines to serve as lead integrator for the carrier's 737-300/-700 flight deck upgrade to incorporate performance-based navigation capabilities. Contract includes design, installation and integration of hardware and software from multiple suppliers as well as flight testing and certification. Integration program calls for 737-300 modification with avionics supplied by GE Aviation, Honeywell and Rockwell Collins. GE Aviation said it won a $40 million deal with Southwest to provide its SDS-6000 large area display suite.
