EMS Technologies said Panasonic Avionics Corp. selected its eXConnect antennas for inflight broadband under a multiyear deal. EMS Technologies' Defense & Space Systems Division will provide the AURA-LE Ku-band antenna, a core system component developed by Panasonic and EMS.
Delta Air Lines reported a third-quarter net loss of $50 million, reversed from net income of $220 million in the year-ago period, a result CEO Richard Anderson referred to as "a modest loss considering costs related to fuel prices.
S7 Airlines, Air Berlin and Niki are expected to announce a strategic cooperation today in Moscow, a source close to the deal told ATWOnline in the Russian capital.
Aeroflot's first-half 2008 profit calculated under IFRS dropped 55% year-over-year to $72.2 million, according to an SU statement cited by press reports from Moscow. Last month it said profit under Russian accounting standards fell 29.7% to RUB2.25 billion ($85.9 million) on a 39.4% rise in revenue. Deputy DG-Finance and Planning Mikhail Poluboyarinov said full-year earnings may plunge nearly 67% to $80-$85 million, according to RIA Novosti. "We forecast that [traffic] will shrink.
SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines flew a combined 1.29 billion RPMs in September, down 10.5% from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 11.1% to 1.69 billion ASMs, raising load factor 0.5 point to 76.5%.
Re-launched negotiations aimed at settling the five-week-old International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers strike at Boeing broke down without any indications of progress.
Abu Dhabi International's second runway is operational following completion of construction in early September. The new AED1 billion ($272.1 million), 4,100-m. runway is located 2 km. north of the first runway. Project includes development of the airstrip, two major taxiways, two cross-field taxiways and two fire stations.
Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways are emphasizing that their newly formed "alliance" is not a merger or a precursor to one but was necessary to "enable a stabilization of the Indian aviation industry in the larger public interest."
US State Dept. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs John Byerly once again warned that the liberalization of present rules on airline ownership and control, as sought by the European Commission as part of second-phase EU-US open skies negotiations, will be a "tough case" although he said the US is not totally against it. "We have an open mind, but it cannot be an easy thing to do," he said in Kuala Lumpur. He called for a proactive approach from Europe and asked it to present its case in compelling terms.
Airbus issued an Operators Information Telex to all operators of its aircraft in the wake of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's investigation into the Qantas A330-300 incident on Oct. 7. The instruction advises crews to shut down the entire Air Data Inertial Reference Unit No. 1 in case of partial failure, which would isolate both IR and ADR to prevent the ADR from continuing to provide erroneous data. The A330 has three ADIRUs.
SITA reached a five-year, $10 million agreement with Kenya Airways to provide its VSAT technology for deploying satellite networks. System will streamline 46 remote sites into a single satellite hop to head offices in Nairobi and the reservations host in Europe.
Bmi announced the promotion of Interim Commercial Director Martyn Bridger to commercial and service director and Interim Marketing Director Katherine Gershon to sales and marketing director.
Turkish Airlines moved forward with its fleet renewal, announcing yesterday its intention to place an order for 25 widebody and 50 single-aisle aircraft plus 10 widebody and 10 narrowbody options.
Virgin America will add a second daily New York JFK-Las Vegas on Dec. 11. TAM will launch daily A330 Sao Paulo Guarulhos-Orlando International Nov. 21.
Airbus yesterday operated its first test flight powered by a PurePower PW1000G engine using an A340-600 in Toulouse. The engine features Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan technology. P&W Commercial Engines President Todd Kallman said, "Demonstrating the Geared Turbofan technology throughout its entire operating envelope using the Airbus A340 flight test aircraft. . .will provide us with valuable installation and operating data." The Airbus/P&W flight test program follows 43 flight hr. on Pratt's 747SP flying testbed.
Ryanair said it "may" decide to close its Valencia base Friday over a dispute with the regional government, which the LCC claimed "has opted to support other airlines who have not provided a fraction of the growth which Ryanair has to the airport" and has failed to reply to its "proposal on how to ensure the continued growth" at VLC. It set Friday as a deadline for that response. No further details were provided.
Goodrich yesterday signed a data license agreement with Boeing for the use of detail engineering design to obtain parts manufacturing authority for replacement landing gear parts. License allows Goodrich to manufacture certified PMA parts under its FAA-approved system and distribute directly to operators.
Air Berlin confirmed that it is discussing a possible merger with TUIfly, whose effort to combine with Condor and Germanwings was scuttled when Condor parent Thomas Cook withdrew last month ( ATWOnline, Sept. 30). "There are talks, but no results," an AB spokesperson told Bloomberg News.
Jazeera Airways has partnered with NBK Capital and DVB Bank to launch a Kuwait-based aircraft lessor called Sahaab Aircraft Leasing, the companies announced yesterday. Sahaab has been capitalized at $375 million and plans to order 40-50 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus next year, according to press reports. Jazeera CEO Marwan Boodai told Reuters that the low-fare airline will be Sahaab's first customer and that "the Gulf offers plenty of growth opportunities. Cash is here."
Malaysia Airlines is postponing its decision on its long-haul fleet renewal owing to current market conditions, CEO and MD Idris Jala told ATWOnline at the World Route Development Forum in Kuala Lumpur. "It is clear that we will delay the process to look at a widebody aircraft order. We are not in a hurry," he said. MAS had anticipated analyzing future widebody requirements in the current quarter to complement its spring commitment for 35 737-800s plus 20 options ( ATWOnline, April 1).
Rockwell Collins will provide Aer Lingus with a suite of avionics including MultiScan weather radar, GLU-920 Multi-Mode Receiver and a range of communication and navigation offerings on six A330s. Deliveries are slated to begin next year.
SkyWorks Leasing entered a comprehensive aircraft management and remarketing agreement with Philip Morris Capital Corp. covering the latter's entire portfolio of 119 aircraft currently on lease to US carriers. Deal includes asset management services such as technical management and supervision, future dispositions, sales and re-leases. Terms were not disclosed.
News from Travel Technology Update: Amadeus plans to introduce Crazy Shopping, an application that will free searches from the tyranny of origin, destination and time frame, in the second quarter of next year. The new search functionality enable users to query airlines in new ways: "I live between Frankfurt and Munich and can fly from either airport. I would like to go to either Thailand or Indonesia. Show me my options." Or, "I have €600. Where can I go?"
