Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International, which suspended takeoffs Tuesday after antigovernment protesters stormed the airport ( ATWOnline, Nov. 26), was closed completely yesterday as the political crisis deepened and governments throughout the world warned citizens against traveling there. The protesters, calling themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy, claimed they had taken control of BKK and that airlines would have to seek their direct authorization to land.
Air New Zealand last week announced that up to 200 long-haul cabin staff, recruitment, airline operations and technical operations planning and management employees will be laid off. "We have been working hard on a series of initiatives to minimize the need for redundancies," CEO Rob Fyfe said, mentioning pilot leave without pay, introducing part-time hours for cabin crew, leaving empty positions unfilled and freezing executive salaries, among others.
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International suspended all takeoffs yesterday after protesters seeking to force the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat stormed the airport. The passenger terminal was overtaken by the protesters amid an increasingly unstable situation throughout the capital. Protesters also blocked roads leading to the airport. "For the safety for passengers, we have to stop flights out of the airport temporarily until the situation returns to normal," Airport Manager Serirat Prasutanon said. Incoming flights still were operating, according to some reports.
United Airlines expects to record $232 million in cash fuel hedging losses and $138 million in noncash mark-to-market hedging losses in the fourth quarter based on Nov. 20 closing forward curve prices, it said yesterday in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
TAM flew 1.96 billion RPKs in October, up 7.3% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 15.8% to 3.02 billion ASKs and load factor fell 5.2 points to 64.7%. International RPKs grew 35.2% to 1.41 billion against a 26.3% lift in ASKs to 1.82 billion, sending load factor up 5.1 points to 77.8%. Gol flew 1.79 billion RPKs in October, down 17.5% year-over-year. Capacity was level at 3.14 billion ASKs and load factor dropped 12 points to 56.8%.
Qantas warned that its full-year pre-tax profit may fall 64% from its previous guidance of A$1.4 billion ($888.1 million) to A$500 million for the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, nearly halving the $A970 million earned in the 12 months ended last June 30.
Virgin America launched Aircell's Gogo inflight Internet on Nov. 22 via an air-to-ground video during a YouTube Live user event in San Francisco. A segment of the show was streamed to audiences on the ground and online from an altitude of 10,688 m. VS is on course to become the first US airline to offer fleetwide inflight Internet. Target is set for the second quarter of 2009.
SAS Group said a Norwegian court has ruled in favor of the NKF union representing Scandinavian Airlines Norge cabin staff, restating pension payouts to 70% from 66% retroactive to Dec. 1, 2004. SAS said it will take a one-time SEK130 million ($15.9 million) charge and a SEK30 million annual charge.
AirAsia X launched ticket sales yesterday for a five-times-weekly Kuala Lumpur- London Stansted service scheduled to begin in March ( ATWOnline, Oct. 14). Lead-in fares are ¤99 ($148.23). Route will be operated with a 286-seat A340 featuring 30 premium seats.
ExpressJet Holdings' board authorized an additional $10 million for the company's previously announced securities repurchase program. It said purchases of stock and/or notes will be "made from time to time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions."
Mobiqa reached a deal with Qatar Airways to provide its mobi-pass delivery system allowing passengers to receive boarding passes via mobile phones. Technology incorporates travel details on a barcode sent to mobile devices as an MMS, e-mail or WAP Push/Link message.
Ryanair will close its two routes from Blackpool (daily to Dublin and thrice-weekly to Girona) on Jan. 4 following the airport's decision to impose a £10 ($14.97) "Airport Development Fee" on all passengers from Jan. 5. Blackpool is the fourth airport from which the LCC has withdrawn or threatened to withdraw all services, following Valencia ( ATWOnline, Oct. 27), Fuerteventura ( ATWOnline, Nov. 20) and Maastricht ( ATWOnline, Nov.
Etihad Airways said it secured $210 million in financing covering the purchase of two new A340-600s. A 12-year, $102 million facility provided by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. Europe will cover one aircraft while a 12-year, $110 million facility from Al Hilal Bank in Abu Dhabi will cover the other. EY took delivery of one -600 last month and will take the second in December.
Air France KLM remains interested in acquiring 20%-25% in the new Alitalia as well as the Austrian government's 41.6% stake in Austrian Airlines Group, Chairman and CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta confirmed.
Despite the Chinese government's attempt to ease the burden on airlines by reducing landing fees 20% in March, 29 Chinese carriers had failed to pay about CNY4 billion ($585.1 million) combined to airports as of Sept. 30, according to the China Civil Airports Assn.
US FAA initiated the rollout of the NextGen satellite-based air traffic control system with the commissioning of the installation of 11 ADS-B ground stations in Florida. It hopes to have 794 nationwide ADS-B ground stations by 2013. "The next generation of air travel has arrived," Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell said. "ADS-B is the backbone of the future of air traffic control." The next "key milestones" for installations--Juneau, Louisville, the Gulf of Mexico and Philadelphia--are scheduled for completion by the end of 2010, Sturgell said.
Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. is pressing ahead with the type certification schedule for its Superjet 100 ahead of launching serial production next year. On Nov. 5, a specially chartered An-124-10 flight operated by Volga-Dnepr Airlines transported fuselage, wings and empennage to the Siberian Chaplygin aviation research center in Novosibirsk for assembly of a second prototype for full-scale static tests.
Argentine court appointed an administrator to take over day-to-day oversight of Aerolineas Argentinas's operations as the Argentine government and Spain's Grupo Marsans, the airline's current owner, argue over terms of the carrier's nationalization ( ATWOnline, Sept. 5). Marsans has agreed to sell its holding to the Argentine government but claims the government has violated terms of the deal by not finding a third party to perform a valuation.
Wataniya Airways, an all-premium Kuwaiti startup ( ATWOnline, Nov. 6), will launch operations in February with a twice-daily Kuwait City-Dubai A320 service. Ticketing operations began yesterday. The airline also announced that parent company Kuwait National Airways will be listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange on Dec. 15. It will operate out of KWI's private Royal Terminal under the KW code and said it has hired 15 pilots and 59 cabin crew.
Qantas yesterday launched thrice-weekly Sydney-Buenos Aires flights aboard a three-class 747-400. Air Canada will launch daily Montreal-Geneva flights June 1 aboard a 767-300ER. Swiss International Air Lines will codeshare. Aer Arann will commence thrice-daily London City-Isle of Man flights on Jan. 19 aboard a 72-seat ATR 72-500.
Pinnacle Airlines flew 425.3 million RPMs in October, up 5.6% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 7% to 543.1 million ASMs, dropping load factor 1.1 points to 78.3%. Mesa Air Group flew 476 million RPMs in October, down 12% year-over-year, against a 16.6% fall in ASMs to 604.6 million. Load factor rose 4.1 points to 78.7%.
S7 Airlines CEO Vladislav Filev said the carrier has "received a verbal offer from an investment company which is acting in the interests of an undisclosed client" and has hired an unnamed bank to assess the offer, Reuters reported. No further details were available. Aeroflot has expressed interest in acquiring the state's 25.5% stake in S7 ( ATWOnline, Nov. 14). Separately, S7 resumed weekly Novosibirsk-Bishkek service aboard an A320.
ILFC Chairman and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy confirmed last week at the ALTA Airline Leaders Form in Cancun that American International Group "is in the process of selling ILFC to a group of investors, including management."
