Spirit Airlines reported a second-quarter profit of $17.6 million, a more-than-fivefold increase over the $3.1 million earned in the same period a year ago, according to the Miami Herald. Revenue was up 4.6% to $206 million.
Air Caraibes signed an MOU with Airbus for three A350-1000s, becoming the European launch customer for the largest version of the A350 XWB. The French carrier said it would configure the aircraft to seat 440 passengers in three classes and operate them on flights from Paris to Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guyana.
myTECHNIC received DGCA/EASA certification for heavy maintenance at its 46,000-sq.-m. facility at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen. Certification covers C and D checks as well as major modifications on MD-80s, A300s and 737s registered in Turkey and the EU. It also allows for CF6-series overhaul.
Mindpearl was selected by American Airlines as its preferred supplier to deliver multilingual contact center services for Japan, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. Languages will include Japanese, Mandarin and English. Services will be provided from Mindpearl's Brisbane facilities and will include general sales and ticketing inquiries along with frequent-flier inquiries and redemptions.
Southwest Airlines pilots at Baltimore/Washington International yesterday began particparting in the US Transportation Security Administration's SecureScreen trial, which is using biometric screening technology developed by Priva Technologies to positively identify flightdeck crewmembers. The trial will run for 60 days at BWI and include more than 200 SWA pilots. It aims to identify pilots more accurately than current screening methods and allow them to move through security checkpoints more quickly.
CAI, the Italian investment consortium offering to invest €1 billion ($1.4 billion) in an Alitalia restart, yesterday gave the airline's nine labor unions until 3:50 p.m. today in Rome to accept concessions. It claimed it would withdraw its offer if the unions don't meet the deadline. Italian media have reported that at least five of the nine unions have not agreed to the concessions, without which CAI says it won't be possible to turn around the troubled carrier.
Jat Airways is nearing bankruptcy, President Sasa Vlaisavljevic told Serbia's Press newspaper. The Serbian government has been attempting to sell a 51% stake in the troubled carrier since late June ( ATWOnline, June 30) to raise money to revitalize it. But no buyers have come forward and Vlaisavljevic said Jat can afford to operate only nine if its 15 aircraft. It already has reduced onboard food service to lower costs and has laid off employees based outside Serbia.
Boeing remains bullish on the scientific progress of biofuel development, with Director-Environmental Performance Billy Glover saying this week that the manufacturer is confident commercially viable biofuel will be available to partially power aircraft by 2013. Speaking in Seattle at an Air New Zealand environmental briefing, Glover reiterated his previous statements that the pace of breakthroughs has been "remarkable" in recent years, telling ATWOnline, "We are making amazing progress and I continue to be surprised."
Olympic Airlines will be shut down and restarted as Pantheon Airways early next year pending European Commission approval of a Greek government plan to rescue the loss-making carrier. Under the plan, Pantheon would be privatized, likely including foreign investment. It would continue operating Olympic's domestic network but would cut back international routes and be about 65% of Olympic's size. Several thousand jobs would be eliminated. Greek Minister of Transport Kostas Chatzidakis said OA is one of Europe's worst performing companies and cannot continue in its current form.
VEM Maintenance & Engineering, a TAP Portugal subsidiary, reached a deal with Air Transat for heavy maintenance on four A310s. C checks are scheduled from September to November at VEM's hangar in Rio de Janeiro.
Montenegro Airlines placed an order with Embraer for one E-195 with purchase rights for two more. The deal is valued at $39.5 million, which could increase to $118.5 million if both purchase rights are exercised.
Qantas will take delivery of its first A380 Friday in Toulouse. QF's configuration will have the lowest passenger count of any A380 operator with just 450 seats including 332 economy seats.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi yesterday pushed Alitalia's labor unions to accept concessions proposed by Italian investment group CAI, which is willing to spend €1 billion ($1.4 billion) to rescue and re-launch the troubled airline ( ATWOnline, Sept. 15).
Enigma announced that FedEx selected the Enigma 3C Platform "to streamline maintenance and service operations for its entire fleet of aircraft." In a phased rollout, FedEx already is using the solution for custom job card generation and distribution for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. In the second phase, Enigma "will help manage OEM maintenance revisions and publish service information for the entire FedEx fleet" of more than 800 aircraft.
Air China and China Southern Airlines both endured double-digit year-over-year traffic declines in August, and while some of the drop can be attributed to heightened security related to the Beijing Olympics, slowing domestic economic growth likely portends a poor full-year 2008 traffic and financial performance for Chinese carriers, industry players and analysts told ATWOnline.
AAR was selected by United Airlines to remarket and provide technical advisory services on the carrier's soon-to-be-retired fleet of 94 737 Classics. AAR said it will help place the aircraft with airlines around the world, focusing on operators outside the US.
AP Labs announced that it will enter the market for inflight entertainment hardware through AP Avionix, a new company that had its formal launch at last week's World Airline Entertainment Assn. Annual Conference and Exhibition in Long Beach. AP Avionix will offer equipment such as servers, wireless RF-based systems, wireless access points, power solutions and airborne wireless broadband systems.
Emirates and Sabre Holdings reached a 10-year distribution agreement to grant Sabre-connected travel agencies and corporations access to Emirates' full content fares through Sabre's GDS.
Air France and Aeroports de Paris last week inaugurated Terminal 2G at Paris Charles de Gaulle, the carrier's first dedicated terminal at its main hub. T2G is CDG's first "regional" terminal and is the result of "an exemplary cooperation between Aeroports de Paris and Air France," ADP Chairman and CEO Pierre Graff said, admitting that the relationship between the two parties has not always been amicable in the past.
Aviation Partners Boeing said it expects its 767 winglet program to be a runaway success and this week announced agreements to fit blended winglets on 767-300ERs operated by Air New Zealand and Hawaiian Airlines.
Airbus agreed to sell its UK-based wing component and assemblies manufacturing unit at Filton to GKN for £136 million ($243.9 million) under a deal announced yesterday that aims to advance the Power8 restructuring initiative and transfer operations, assets and certain activities to GKN. The agreement follows a deal reached last month by Airbus to sell its Laupheim plant to Diehl and Thales ( ATWOnline, Aug. 4).
Houston Intercontinental and Hobby reopened yesterday following two-day closures owing to Hurricane Ike. Continental Airlines said it "resumed a comprehensive flight schedule" at its IAH hub and Southwest Airlines said it was restarting operations at HOU.
Alitalia, on the verge of collapse, continued to operate flights yesterday as Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi intervened in an attempt to revive negotiations between potential investors and the airline's unions over a rescue plan that would require significant concessions by workers ( ATWOnline, Sept. 15).
Cathay Pacific Airways is moving toward a more comprehensive revamp of its network and fleet than previously disclosed, according to a memo sent to employees last week by CEO Tony Tyler, who warned that the airline likely won't "emerge unscathed" from the industry downturn.
Pratt & Whitney reached a 10-year fleet management program agreement with Singapore Airlines Cargo valued at $500 million covering 13 747-400Fs powered by PW4000s.
