Iberia said online sales revenue rose 12% in 2008 to €500 million ($730.2 million) and that around 12,500 passengers per day now download and print their own boarding passes.
TACA placed a firm order for 12 A320s and three A319s, Airbus announced yesterday. No engine choice or delivery date were announced for the aircraft, which will be configured in a two-class layout. TACA currently operates nine A319s, 23 A320s and four A321s.
US Airways posted 2007 net income of $427 million, up 40.6% over $304 million earned in 2006, but endured a fourth-quarter loss of $79 million and warned that 2008 could be a difficult year owing to rising fuel costs and a weakening US economy.
US Senate Commerce and Transportation Committee, which has been criticized for not moving quickly on FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell's nomination to serve a five-year term as agency head ( ATWOnline, Jan. 23), scheduled a confirmation hearing for Feb. 7.
UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch issued an update yesterday on its effort to trace the cause of the British Airways 777-200ER accident at London Heathrow last week, confirming that neither Trent 800 "responded to throttle lever inputs during the final approach" although they did continue to run.
Focus Aviation said it is the seller of the 747-400 recently purchased by El Al. The aircraft is on lease to Singapore Airlines and is due to be returned in the 2008 fourth quarter for subsequent handover to El Al. Sale was on behalf of Rabobank International and is Focus's 27th of a 747.
CAE won orders for two full-flight simulators, a suite of CAE Simfinity training devices and update contracts valued at C$46 million ($44.7 million) from Qantas, Hainan Airlines, Airbus, Atlas Air, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Blue. Qantas ordered a CAE 5000 Series 737NG simulator and a CAE Simfinity 737NG IPT. Hainan purchased a CAE 7000 Series E-190 simulator and a set of CAE Simfinity training devices. Hainan also will receive a CAE Simfinity IPT and VSIMs. Airbus requested the CAE Tropos-6000 visual system for an A350 engineering development simulator.
ANA is starting preparations for what will be one of the most significant structural changes in Tokyo's air travel flow: The additional runway at Haneda and that airport's resumption of international service.
ATW Industry Forecast Webinar yesterday examined airlines' financial prospects in an increasingly uncertain global economic environment, reviewing last year's performance and looking ahead to 2008, during which worldwide profits are expected to drop more than 10% to $5 billion as carriers contend with declining global GDP, rising fuel costs and the possibility of a US recession.
The more things change at Southwest Airlines, the more they stay the same. Facing record fuel prices, sagging demand and leaner competition, the carrier slowed its once-inexorable growth and worked on revenue initiatives like its Business Select product that might conflict with its populist image.
Ryanair is increasing checked baggage and airport check-in fees with immediate effect for all new bookings as part of what it claims is "its continued drive to encourage passengers to travel without checked-in bags and avail of Ryanair's free-of-charge online check-in." Fee per checked bag increases to £6 ($11.69) from £5 and the check-in fee rises to £3 from £2.
Shanghai Airlines formed a logistics enterprises alliance last weekend to meet increasing competition in the cargo market. The group comprises SAL and five other logistics companies: China United Airlines, SAL Cargo International, SAL International Cargo Services, Shanghai Crane Transportation and Dahang International Transportation. Shanghai Airlines has a controlling stake. SAL Board Secretary Xu Junmin said the alliance is designed to achieve synergies that would be impossible if each firm was operating separately.
Kaman Aerospace said its Aerostructures Division signed a seven-year follow-on contract with Boeing for wing fixed trailing edge assemblies on 777 and 767 aircraft. Contract covers components for 777 and 767 configurations at Boeing annual production rates. Work will take place at Kaman's Jacksonville facility.
Royal Jordanian and CIT Aerospace International signed 12-year lease contracts for two 787s, with delivery in September 2012 and January 2013. Aircraft will operate to North America and East Asia. The airline plans to operate 12 787s, four of which will be purchased directly from Boeing for delivery in 2013 and 2014 ( ATWOnline, Nov. 13, 2007). It will take two 787s from ILFC in 2010-11 and said it plans to sign a contract with LCAL for an additional three of the type. It did not account for the 12th aircraft.
Delta Air Lines, the focus of rampant merger speculation, posted net income of $1.61 billion for 2007, reversed from a loss of $6.2 billion in 2006, with both figures skewed by the carrier's bankruptcy restructuring.
Iberia Maintenance reached a five-year deal with Italian carriers Eurofly and Meridiana for maintenance of 20 CFM-56-5B engines powering eight A320s and two A319s. Work will be conducted at Iberia Maintenance facilities in Madrid.
Thales will provide a package of avionics and cockpit systems for the A350 XWB including the Integrated Modular Avionics Suite, Interactive Control and Display system and Air Data and inertial reference unit. Contract is expected to generate up to €2 billion ($2.9 billion) in revenue over the first 20 years of in-service life, Thales said. Aircraft are slated to enter service in 2013.
While attempting to hold off Air China's drive to replace Singapore Airlines as a strategic partner and purchase its own sizeable stake, China Eastern Airlines found a domestic ally in China Southern Airlines, with whom it signed a cooperation agreement yesterday in Shanghai.
Jetstar Airways will base an additional A320 at Cairns and launch twice-daily Sydney-Cairns service aboard an A320 and 11-times-weekly Melbourne-Cairns flights aboard an A321 on March 18. Thrice-weekly Brisbane-Cairns will become four-times-weekly on June 1. It will take over daily Cairns-Darwin-Singapore service currently operated by Jetstar Asia and launch a Cairns-Darwin daily on Feb. 1. Skybus Airlines launched a second daily Columbus-Greensboro service and flights from Greensboro to Portsmouth (twice-daily), St.
Air Austral will become a new player in the Europe-Australia market. The Reunion-based carrier will launch Paris Charles de Gaulle-Saint Denis-Sydney service in addition to flights to Noumea and New Caledonia in its 2009 summer schedule. It will lease two 777-300ERs from ILFC for eight years with delivery in February and March 2009. It currently operates three 777-200ERs and three 737 Classics.
ATR announced record sales of 113 aircraft in 2007 resulting in turnover of $1.1 billion, up 56% from the prior year. It delivered 44 aircraft last year compared to 24 in 2006. "The commercial record of 2007 represents a real milestone in ATR history," CEO Stephane Mayer said. "We are also proud of having almost doubled our deliveries in one year and of having delivered the first turboprop aircraft with inflight entertainment and light emitting diode in the passenger cabin." Since 2005, turboprops have enjoyed a resurgence, with ATR booking orders for a total of 226 new aircraft.
Airstream International Group arranged the sale of a former Jet Magic and Citelynx ERJ-135ER to bmi on behalf of LCY Flight Ltd. Airstream said it was the 28th RJ it has sold in the past 24 months.
Finncomm Airlines firmed options on five ATR 72-500s. Aircraft will be configured with 68 seats and will be equipped with PW127M engines, EFB and the Elegance Cabin. Deliveries are scheduled for 2009-11. The Finnish carrier ordered eight ATR 42-500s plus options for eight additional aircraft in 2005. In 2006 it converted four firm 42-500s into the larger 72-500 and exercised three 72-500 options. Following this week's deal, valued at more than $90 million, it becomes the largest operator of ATR 500 series aircraft in Europe with four 42-500s and 12 72-500s.
Iberia's largest shareholder, Caja Madrid, said British Airways will have to bring something "significant" to the carrier or it might leave oneworld and look to join another alliance, Reuters reported. "Iberia does not need to change partners. It does not need capital," Caja Madrid Chairman Miguel Blesa said. "Iberia needs a good alliance--a stable alliance with a big operator.
