TAP Portugal reported its "best year ever" in 2007 with a net profit of €32.8 million ($51.2 million) that represented a more-than-fourfold increase over the €7.3 million earned in 2006 as operating profit more than doubled to €79.3 million from €30.3 million a year earlier.
United Airlines grounded all 52 of its 777s after disclosing to US FAA that a review of its maintenance records revealed that required checks on cargo fire suppression systems were "not performed." UA cancelled an estimated 38 flights yesterday as it conducted the inspections. It said one of five bottles in the 777's cargo fire suppression systems had been overlooked during routine maintenance checks.
AMF, the French stock market regulator, said its 18-month investigation into alleged insider trading at Airbus and parent EADS related to A380 program delays produced enough evidence to "initiate proceedings" against an undisclosed number of unidentified executives.
OnAir and Air France launched a trial of inflight voice calls featuring mobile communications including voice, SMS and e-mail. System employs Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband satellite connectivity for voice and data transmission.
Thompson Solutions was contracted by Delta Air Lines to develop its Cozy Suite economy class seat featuring contoured shoulder rests and extra knee space for 767ER and 777 aircraft. Installation is slated for 2010 following regulatory agency approval.
Ryanair will add five new 737-800s at its Girona base by 2012, when it expects to carry 8 million passengers aboard 14 aircraft operating on 75 routes. It started serving the Catalan airport in 2002.
Delta Air Lines will terminate an agreement as of May 3 with Mesa Air Group subsidiary Freedom Airlines, which operates 34 ERJ-145s on behalf of Delta Connection, for failing to meet an agreed-upon completion rate.
SAS Group has sold six Q400s to Philippine Airlines, a spokesperson confirmed to ATWOnline, and has sold and delivered one to Swedish aviation company Nordflyg, which will use the aircraft on cargo services. However, SAS said its sale of four Q400s to Austrian Airlines Group has not been completed despite an announcement to the contrary from AAG. It said there has been considerable interest from around the world in its grounded turboprops.
AerCap Holdings subsidiary AeroTurbine reached a 10-year deal with British Airways for the purchase, sale and lease of components including wheels and brakes for 737, 757, 767, 777 and 747-400 aircraft. Contract calls for a 6-10-year leaseback in line with BA's fleet renewal plans as well as strategic worldwide wheel and brake positioning to support daily flight operations and maintenance.
Lufthansa Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber said the economic and industry downturn predicted by many, including IATA ( ATWOnline, April 2), likely will not have a significant effect on the German company. "Lufthansa started very well this year," he told ATWOnline this week in Istanbul. "We have invested carefully for the future." He said LH's flexibility will enable it to weather any crisis.
Unable to reach an accord with Alitalia's trade unions following a two-day extension to the negotiations, Air France-KLM yesterday ended its effort to acquire the ailing flag carrier, leaving AZ's future once again up in the air.
Amadeus Activities & Entertainment destination services platform was selected by Iberia. It will be integrated on IB's website and contain more than 7,000 bookable destination products at more than 400 destinations worldwide. It automatically displays content according to the destination and dates of the customer's booked flight segment.
Chinese government named Kong Dong as state-owned Air China's new chairman yesterday. He has been acting chairman since predecessor Li Jiaxiang was appointed CAAC minister in December. Separately, CA launched thrice-weekly Beijing-Pyongyang this week aboard a 737.
Virgin Atlantic Airways reaffirmed its well-known interest in acquiring bmi and reportedly is seeking support from Lufthansa, which holds 30%-minus-one-share in bmi and an option to acquire Chairman Michael Bishop's 50%-plus-one-share stake by the end of June 2009, for the tie-up. "We are very interested in a merger with bmi," VS External Affairs and Route Development Director Barry Humphreys told Sueddeutsche Zeitung, noting LH could hold a stake in the new merged entity.
China Southern Airlines will sell and lease back five A321-200s in order to reduce its high debt ratio, it said in a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The aircraft are part of an order for 50 Airbus narrowbodies placed in summer 2006 ( ATWOnline, July 10, 2006). CZ said it will transfer ownership of three aircraft to China Aircraft Leasing Co. and two to Shenzhen Financial Leasing Co. Last year it struck a similar deal with the two lessors, selling two -200s to CALC and one to SFLC.
Aviation Partners Boeing will provide Norwegian with 42 blended winglet systems for its new fleet of 737-800s under a deal announced Tuesday. Delivery is scheduled from June 2009 to May 2014. Norwegian also intends to lease additional 737-800s equipped with blended winglets ( ATWOnline, Jan. 31).
Etihad Airways carried 1.4 million passengers in the first quarter, up 40% year-over-year, leaving the carrier "confident" it will reach 6 million by year end. Load factor was 75%, up 7 points, and yield grew 25% to an undisclosed figure. Its summer flying program will increase 47% to 728 weekly flights. Continental Airlines' March consolidated and mainline RASM each rose an estimated 5.5%-6.5% year-over-year. CO flew 8.29 billion consolidated RPMs last month, up 4.3%, against a 4.6% increase in capacity to 10.07 billion ASMs. Load factor slipped 0.3 point to 82.3%.
GE Aviation won US FAA GEnx-1B engine authority for the 787 following a two-year ground and flight-test program involving eight engines and two flight-test programs. The GEnx-1B, now FAR 33 certified, ran 4,800 cycles and more than 3,600 hr.
Air France KLM extended the deadline to reach agreement with Alitalia's unions to today, AZ announced, noting that all parties including Fintecna and AZ Servizi agreed on the continuance. AF KLM initially set March 31 as the date by which the so-called effectiveness conditions of its binding offer for the failing carrier had to be fulfilled ( ATWOnline, April 1). It reportedly has agreed to further concessions in order to win trade union approval for the takeover.
British Airways yesterday cancelled another 50 flights, or about 13% of its scheduled program, from the new Terminal 5 at London Heathrow and expects to do the same today ( ATWOnline, April 1). It expects to reduce the number of cancellations to 32 on Thursday and 34 on Friday. They affect domestic and European services whereas long-haul services have been operating as planned, BA said on its website. Its services from T1 and T4 are unaffected.
IATA warned that the airline industry must consolidate if it is to survive as the organization once again lowered its 2008 industry profit projection yesterday. In early December IATA projected an aggregate industry profit of $5 billion ( ATWOnline, Dec. 13, 2007) but yesterday issued another downgrade to $4.5 billion, a figure based on global economic growth slowing to 2.6% and an average annualized price of $86 per barrel of Brent Crude.
A US House of Representatives hearing this week on FAA safety oversight "is the first step in an extensive inquiry into" the agency that also includes a "law enforcement investigation," according to a senior lawmaker who alleged that "complacency has set in at the highest levels of FAA management."
Goodrich reached agreement with Airbus to perform MRO services on various components at its Alabama Service Center in Foley. Facility expects to service flight control surfaces, pneumatic ducting and access doors.
Chinese government officially approved the launch of the jumbo aircraft manufacturing company that reportedly will begin operating as early as this month. It did not start up last month as originally planned ( ATWOnline, March 6). Local news reports revealed that it will be called China Commercial Aircrafts Co. and that the first board meeting was held last month in Beijing.
