SkyTeam Chairman and former KLM chief Leo van Wijk told The Wall Street Journal that Air France KLM intends to inject €3 billion ($4.4 billlion) into Alitalia and to acquire 100% of the ailing flag carrier. "If we get a deal with the Italian government, then we will make a general offer for Alitalia and if it works out, we will delist it," van Wijk told the paper.
Russian authorities extended Lufthansa Cargo's overflight rights through March. They were scheduled to expire at the end of this month, according to press reports. Russia temporarily suspended LHC's rights in a dispute over the location of its hub. The carrier bases in Astana, but Russia prefers that it hub out of Krasnoyarsk ( ATWOnline, Nov. 5, 2007).
News from Travel Technology Update: Even people with creative jobs occasionally wonder what they might accomplish if work didn't get in the way. SITA, the airline-owned information technology company, is unleashing the power of "What if?" with SITA Lab, a new research and development facility based in Geneva, Switzerland, that is liberated from day-to-day product development. The company said the goal of the SITA Lab is "to drive innovation for the air transport industry working both independently and in partnership with others."
Boeing has begun final assembly of the fourth 787 and second flight test aircraft. Ships two and three are static and fatigue test aircraft. According to VP-787 Final Assembly and Change Incorporation Steve Westby, there is "significantly less traveled work on this [fourth] airplane." He added in a statement: "The degree of completeness of sections at the partners is significantly better than Airplane 1. Condition of assembly is much better and we will see continued improvements on the condition of each assembly shipped.
AviIT reached agreement with Etihad Airways to support all ACARS services across the carrier's fleet. Contract includes implementation of AviIT's Archimedes and Airboard system, flight operations log transmission services and integration of ACARS data with engineering fault diagnostic, crew planning and fuel planning systems. ACARS technology provides two-way messaging between aircraft and ground stations via VHF, HF or satellite.
Bisignani critical of 'failed' US-Europe liberalization effort, challenges Asia to take lead Airbus, Boeing expected to announce more than $20 billion in orders in Singapore Newer Asian airport hubs may not serve region's needs Additional stories
Mesa Air Group's go! subsidiary announced the launch of a Hawaiian-language website. Go! operates approximately 60 daily flights on inter-island routes aboard CRJ200s and as a codeshare partner of Mokulele Airlines.
FAA Air Traffic Organization CEO Hank Krakowski told the US House of Representatives aviation subcommittee last week that the agency is making progress on reducing runway incursions, insisting that "serious" near misses on the ground are down significantly.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways reached an approximately $200 million settlement last week on a class action suit filed on behalf of some 8 million US and UK passengers who purchased long-haul tickets from Aug. 11, 2004, through March 23, 2006, when the carriers were found to have colluded on fuel surcharges
GKN Aerospace said CAAC extended its MOC covering MRO of various engine fan blades and components for Airbus and Boeing aircraft until Dec. 31, 2009. MOC validates maintenance operation compliance with CAAR part 145.
Boeing named Matthew Ganz president of its Phantom Works research and development unit. Ganz was president, CEO and GM of HRL Laboratories, which is owned by Boeing and General Motors. He succeeds the retiring Bob Krieger.
Turkish Airlines flew 2.31 billion RPKs in January, a 7% rise from the year-ago month. Capacity was up 3.6% to 3.43 billion ASKs, lifting load factor 2.2 points to 67.5%. JetBlue Airways flew 2.08 billion RPMs in January, up 7.2% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 8% to 2.75 billion ASMs and load factor slipped 0.5 point to 75.6%. Aer Lingus flew 1.07 billion RPKs in January, a 16.4% increase over the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 25.9% to 1.67 billion ASKs, lowering load factor 5.2 points to 64%.
A turbulent year for Brazilian commercial aviation and the acquisition of floundering flag carrier Varig hit hard at Gol's bottom line as the LCC's Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes parent reported an 82% plunge in full-year profit to BRL102.5 million ($58.6 million) from the BRL569.1 million earned in 2006, plus an operating loss.
Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will spend S$500 million upgrading Changi's 27-year old Terminal 1. Work will start in May and be completed by 2011. Upgrade will reflect features of the newly opened Terminal 3 ( ATWOnline, Jan. 10).
Rolls-Royce announced that Singapore Airlines ordered Trent 900s for nine additional A380s along with an accompanying TotalCare services agreement. SIA already had ordered the powerplant for its original 10 aircraft, two of which have entered service. Financial terms were not disclosed.
SkyEurope Airlines conceded that it will not be profitable this financial year, which ends Sept. 30. Management told a shareholders meeting in Vienna last week that the LCC is working on maintaining its financial viability ( ATWOnline, Feb. 6). CFO Nick Manoudakis said it will continue to work on cutting costs and has asked pilots to reduce aircraft speed to save fuel. SkyEurope also is open to investment from other carriers, he said.
AirTran Airways CEO Robert Fornaro said last week that mergers are a good idea for struggling airlines that may need to reduce capacity but not for AirTran, which has been profitable consistently for nearly a decade and should benefit from consolidation. Speaking at an Aero Club luncheon in Washington, Fornaro said, "The industry needs to evolve and the quicker the better. .
US and Australia announced an open skies agreement Friday in Washington at the conclusion of three days of negotiations. Australia becomes the US's 90th open skies partner. The deal was not signed formally and no schedule was announced. The number of airlines from either country that can serve the other once the agreement becomes effective will be unlimited, as will the number of flights permitted. Restrictions on pricing, codesharing and charters also were removed. Limitations on cargo services were removed in 1999, the US Dept.
Skybus Airlines will raise its checked bag fees on Feb. 19 from $5 for each of the first two bags to $10 if pre-checked online or $12 at the airport. In addition, the cost for priority seating will rise to $12.50 from $10. "It's a way to help offset the rising cost of fuel without raising fares. It's an increase on things that are optional," a Skybus spokesperson told The Columbus Dispatch.
Cathay Pacific Airways raised its stake in Air China from 17.5% to more than 18% through the Feb. 6 purchase of 15 million H shares, according to a statement released by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last week. CA Board Secretary Huang Bin noted that Cathay may have want to avoid any dilution of its cross-shareholding in CA, as the latter plans to circulate 400 million additional A shares to raise funds for the acquisition of 54 aircraft ( ATWOnline, Nov. 5, 2007).
Alitalia reported significantly improved financial results for 2007 yesterday but stressed that its survival continues to be "increasingly linked" to its ability to raise approximately €750 million by mid-year.
