Northwest Airlines reported a third-quarter net loss of $317 million, reversed from a $244 million profit in the year-ago period, citing a $410 million noncash charge related to fuel hedging as the reason.
US Dept. of Homeland Security released the Secure Flight Final Rule, "which shifts pre-departure [terrorist] watch list matching responsibilities from individual aircraft operators to TSA."
SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines parent SkyWest Inc. said it expects third-quarter net income "to be lower than previously anticipated" and fall between $24.2 million and $26.5 million. It posted a $42.9 million profit in the third quarter of 2007. SkyWest said the lowered forecast was the result of the elimination of nine aircraft from ASA's agreement with Midwest Airlines and a larger-than-expected reduction in block hr. scheduled by partners of both subsidiaries.
Gulf Air secured a $25 million unsecured loan from BMI Bank, which it said will be "infused into the working capital of the company" and used for financing "various development plans."
SpiceJet named former Flight Options COO and Chief Strategy Officer Sanjay Aggarwal as CEO, effective immediately. Flight Options is a private aviation provider based in Cleveland. Aggarwal previously was manager-financial planning at US Airways. SpiceJet operates 15 737NGs to 16 Indian destinations USA3000 Airlines named IndiGo COO Steven Harfst as its new president and CEO, succeeding the retiring Angus Kinnear. Before joining IndiGo, Harfst was North American Airlines COO. USA3000 operates 11 A320s to 13 destinations.
Delta Air Lines will launch weekly Atlanta-Cape Verde (Sal Island)-Monrovia in June aboard a 757. US Airways will launch daily seasonal service from Philadelphia to Birmingham, UK, (on May 12) and Oslo Gardermoen (May 21) aboard a 757.
United Technologies Corp. announced that Hamilton Sundstrand President David Hess will succeed Stephen Finger as president of Pratt & Whitney on Jan. 1 when Finger retires. Alain Bellemare, currently president of Pratt & Whitney Canada, will succeed Hess at Hamilton Sundstrand. Hess and Bellemare will report to UTC President & CEO Louis Chenevert. Hess, 53, joined UTC in 1979 and has been with Hamilton Sundstrand since 1995. He has held his current position for three years.
Goodrich inked a deal with US Airways to refurbish half its CFM56-5B thrust reversers and provide initial exchange units to facilitate a maintenance program. Contract will run through 2012 under the Goodrich Aerostructures Prime Solutions program. Work will take place in Foley, Ala.
United Airlines parent UAL Corp. reported a third-quarter net loss of $779 million, reversed from a net profit of $334 million in the year-ago period, blaming the bulk of the result on a $519 million noncash net loss on fuel hedge contracts caused by the recent drop in oil prices.
United Airlines parent UAL Corp. promoted Senior VP-Marketing Dennis Cary to senior VP and chief marketing and customer officer. In addition, it named Chief Customer Officer Graham Atkinson as president of UA's Mileage Plus loyalty program.
The Russian government is moving ahead with forging a state-owned airline alliance to replace defunct AiRUnion, with the first board meeting of the new nine-carrier grouping scheduled for Nov. 11. The company will be 51% owned by Russian Technology Corp., a source close to the negotiations confirmed to ATWOnline, with Russia Airlines (or some derivative thereof) reportedly the preferred name. RIA Novosti reported that the Moscow city government will hold the remaining 49% ( ATWOnline, Oct. 2).
Aeroports de Paris, which operates the main Paris-area airports, and Schiphol Group, operator of Amsterdam Schiphol, yesterday agreed to enter into an alliance that will include each acquiring an 8% stake in the other, establishment of a "dual hub" philosophy for Paris CDG and AMS that is expected to produce annual airside synergies/savings totaling €89 million ($119.4 million) and "joint ventures" to acquire and develop airports around the world.
Smiths Detection yesterday reached a $6 million deal with the US Transportation Security Administration to provide Ionscan 500DT trace explosives detectors for use at airport checkpoints. Desktop device facilitates screening for air cargo facilities and other critical infrastructure. In August TSA placed the detectors on its Qualified Products List. SD currently has trace detection and x-ray technology installed at about 80% of airports worldwide.
Delta Air Lines intends to reduce its number of regional partners as the merger with Northwest Airlines approaches. "If you add everyone up together now you have nine [regional partners]," Delta Connection Senior VP Don Bornhorst told the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I think the right answer is going to be along the lines of seven or eight. We have too much lift in Delta Connection." He said there no longer is a "seller's market" for regionals.
Ryanair will open bases in Alghero and Cagliari in March, creating eight domestic and 11 international routes to/from Sardinia. AHO and CAG become the LCC's sixth and seventh Italian bases. It will base two new 737s at CAG and launch service to Brussels Charleroi, Genoa, Karlsruhe Baden, Paris Beauvais, Rome Ciampino, Trieste, Brescia (all start March 30), Cuneo, Dusseldorf Weeze, Edinburgh, Marseille, Seville, Treviso (March 31), and Manchester (April 1).
Spirit AeroSystems will supply Continental Airlines with structural parts and components for its Boeing fleet under a multiyear deal announced yesterday. Contract covers 370 737, 757, 767 and 777 aircraft.
Worldwide Flight Services won a contract from Royal Jordanian for cargo handling at London Heathrow and Ireland's regional airports. Contract includes ramp transportation and loading and unloading for A310Fs as well as coastwise trucking in the UK and Ireland. Agreement takes effect next month.
Copa Airlines flew 472.5 million RPMs in September, up 16% year-over-year, against an 11.1% rise in ASMs to 624.1 million. Load factor jumped 3.2 points to 75.7%. Frontier Airlines' September mainline yield rose 8.3% year-over-year to 10.6 cents while RASM climbed 15.1% to 8.78 cents. It flew 711.9 million RPMs during the month, down 8.3%, against a 13.7% fall in capacity to 859.9 million ASMs. Load factor rose 4.9 points to 82.8%.
The Austrian government's effort to privatize Austrian Airlines Group hit a snag as Air France KLM withdrew its interest while Lufthansa and S7 Airlines declined to make formal bids by yesterday's deadline and requested more time. State holding company OIAG had intended to announce the winning bidder on Oct. 27 and had targeted the end of the month to find a buyer for its 42.75% stake ( ATWOnline, Sept. 12), with the Franco-Dutch, German and Russian companies emerging as frontrunners.
Austrian Airlines Group launches four-times-weekly Vienna-Amman flights on May 6 aboard a Premium Service A320 ( ATWOnline, Aug. 11). Wizz Air will launch thrice-weekly Kiev Boryspil-Katowice Jan 3.
SkyEurope Airlines "did not fulfill its payment plan" with Austrian Airlines Group and no longer will have its 737-700s serviced by Austrian Technik, AAG CEO Alfred Oetsch told Vienna's Die Presse. In addition, several SkyEurope aircraft were not refueled at VIE last week owing to unpaid fuel bills. US investor York Global Finance, which holds 29.9% of the LCC, plans to lead a consortium that intends to take a complete or majority stake ( ATWOnline, Oct. 17). It hopes to finalize the deal at a board meeting scheduled for Nov. 10.
Austria's Niki expects to report a profit in 2008, President Niki Lauda told ATWOnline. The carrier posted a $3.5 million profit in 2007. It will take delivery of a second A321 next May and lease an A320 from new partner Air Berlin for six months beginning next April ( ATWOnline, Oct. 17). Two E-190s are expected to arrive at around the same time, lifting Niki's fleet to 13 aircraft.
American Airlines' order for up to 100 787s for delivery between 2012 and 2020, announced last week ( ATWOnline, Oct. 16), begins to answer questions about the program's potential production ramp-up.
Rockwell Collins announced plans to acquire SEOS, a visual display provider for full-flight simulators. Headquartered in West Sussex with 150 employees, the company will assume RC's name and join its Simulation and Training Solutions organization. Deal is expected to be finalized in 30 days. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Moroccan government plans to privatize Royal Air Maroc and its Atlas Blue subsidiary, according to a document cited by Reuters. Some or all of the carriers will be sold directly to investors or through the Casablanca Stock Exchange, the government said. No timetable was announced.
