Emirates will launch a second daily Dubai-Shanghai service on Feb. 1. The flights will be operated with a 267-seat A340-300 six-times-weekly and a 237-seat A330-200 on Tuesdays. The carrier's current service is aboard a 364-seat 777-300ER. Air Canada announced the addition of the following new services from Ottawa: Five-times-weekly to Fredericton from Oct. 28 aboard 37-seat Dash 8s; daily to Moncton from Oct. 28 aboard 50-seat CRJs; daily to St. John's from Oct. 28 aboard 93-seat E-190s; Saturdays to Cancun and Montego Bay from Dec.
British Airways and Korean Air both officially pleaded guilty to price-fixing charges yesterday in a US federal court, which levied a fine of $300 million against each.
Swiss International Air Lines announced that it will increase its stake in Swiss Aviation Training to 100%, buying out the 50% held by GCAT Flight Academy UK. Former Swiss COO Manfred Brennwald will be CEO of SAT. No financial details were provided.
PT Linus Airways, an Indonesian startup, signed a lease with BAE Systems Regional Aircraft for two BAe 146-200s for delivery this summer. BAE said the carrier intends "to fill the air transport gap in the country between the existing legacy carriers and the newly formed low-cost airlines." All flights will originate in Jakarta and destinations will include Medan, Palembang, Pekan Baru, Batam, Semarang and Tanjug Padan.
Malaysia Airlines appointed George Snyder as its senior technical consultant-safety and security. Snyder was closely associated with the operational and safety turnaround at Korean Air in the early part of the decade when he served there as senior VP-corporate safety, security and compliance. Prior to that he was US Airways' VP-safety and regulatory compliance. SAS Group named Norwegian public relations executive Claus Sonberg executive VP-corporate communications and investor relations.
Air China will invest CNY5 billion ($657.9 million) to establish the country's largest flight simulator training base. It will be located in Shunyi District in suburban Beijing. CA reached a deal with district authorities yesterday. The complex will comprise 30 full-motion flight simulators, eight fixed-base simulators, a cabin crew training center, MRO training center, ground-handling service training center and other relevant support facilities that the airline said will help reduce its long-term dependence on foreign training resources.
Singapore Technologies Aerospace said it became the first company in Southeast Asia to receive a Design Organization Approval from EASA, enabling STA to approve and perform engineering design work on EU-registered aircraft.
Alitalia announced yesterday that it received a "telephone communication" from "an unspecified group of entrepreneurs" interested in purchasing the government's 49.9% stake in the Italian carrier. AZ said the group requested a meeting in late August or early September, without elaborating, but said it issued the statement in response to a press release from attorney Antonio Baldassarre, who represents the consortium ( ATWOnline, Aug. 14).
Singapore Airlines announced that it received court approval for a share buyback through a capital reduction that will see it cancel one share for every 15 held, paying shareholders S$18.46 ($12.07) per cancelled share. SIA said it will carry out the cancellation on Sept. 7.
Embraer yesterday signed a contract with BRA Transportes Aereos for 20 118-seat E-195s plus 20 options, finalizing an order announced at the Paris Air Show ( ATWOnline, June 22). The deal includes 20 "rolling options," which if confirmed constitute purchase rights for an additional 15 aircraft, the manufacturer said. Value of the 20 firm aircraft is $730 million at list prices and the deal could reach $2.7 billion if all options and rights are exercised.
Galileo parent Travelport completed its $1.4 billion acquisition of Worldspan yesterday after the deal was given regulatory clearance by the European Commission, which concluded it is "unlikely to result in unilateral price increases by the merged firm."
Ryanair said it suspended all bookings to/from its base at Brussels South Charleroi from Nov. 12 "pending the resolution of a number of issues which remain outstanding" since a wildcat strike by security staff closed the airport June 15-17 ( ATWOnline, June 18).
Father and son Alberto Saba Raffoul and Moises Saba Masri made an official bid for AeroMexico yesterday after receiving permission from the country's National Banking and Securities Commission, announcing an offer valued at about $100 million.
Colgan Air pilots voted to reject a bid to join the Air Line Pilots Assn. Colgan operates a fleet of Saab 340s and Beech 1900s under partnerships with US Airways, United Airlines and Continental Airlines.
Ilyushin Finance Co. reached several leasing and purchase agreements yesterday at the MAKS air show outside Moscow, according to press reports from Russia. It signed leasing agreements for six Tu-204-100s with Red Wings Airlines (15 years worth $250-$350 million, according to conflicting press reports) and for six An-148s with GTK Rossiya. Deliveries to both carriers are scheduled to start next year. The latter airline signed an MOU with IFC for the purchase of an additional six An-148s and one Il-96-300.
American Airlines will launch daily Chicago O'Hare-Buenos Aires service on Dec. 13 aboard a 221-seat 767-300. Ethiopian Airlines will begin daily Addis Ababa-Zanzibar flights on Oct. 28 using 737-700s. Wideroe launched thrice-weekly Kirkenes-Murmansk service this week. TAP Portugal will start a daily Porto-Brussels flight on Sept.15 with an F100. Route will be operated with an ERJ-145 from the winter schedule.
US National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday it has launched an investigation into last week's high-profile runway incursion at Los Angeles International ( ATWOnline, Aug. 20). The board provided further details on the incident, reporting that a landing WestJet 737NG and a Northwest Airlines A320 taking off "almost collided." The 737 "held between. .
Aviapartner signed a three-year "network contract" with Vueling Airlines for the provision of ground handling services at Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino, Venice, Brussels and Amsterdam. Aviapartner valued the contract at around €20 million ($27 million). It already handles Vueling in Milan, Rome, and Venice. Aviapartner Handling will provide ramp handling in Munich for South African Airways' new MUC-Johannesburg route, which commenced operations last month with an A340.
Air New Zealand struck back at Auckland International Airport's proposed landing charge hike ( ATWOnline, July 3) by announcing that it intends to move some domestic flights to Whenuapai Airbase in West Auckland. Plans call for a move within five years, but the current occupier, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, said it plans to stay at the base for eight. Whenuapai has three runways but only one, at 2,031 m., suitable for commercial flights.
Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States will require 1,060 new commercial aircraft worth about $70 billion over the next 20 years, Boeing said yesterday in an update to its annual forecast released two months ago ( ATWOnline, June 14). The manufacturer decided its Current Market Outlook should include a separate regional forecast for Russia/CIS for the first time.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, whose term ends Sept. 13, yesterday was named president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Assn. effective Nov. 12. She will succeed the retiring John Douglass, who has held the positions since September 1998 and will remain at AIA through 2007. AIA is the trade association for the domestic aerospace industry.
China Airlines was ordered by the Taiwanese government to ground temporarily its 11 remaining 737-800s for safety checks following the post-landing fire and explosion that destroyed a -800 Monday morning at Naha Airport in Okinawa.
Compass Airlines, Northwest Airlines' new regional subsidiary that launched service in early May with a CRJ200, yesterday operated its first revenue flight with one of two new 76-seat E-175s from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Omaha. The pair of dual-class aircraft will be used on routes from MSP to Omaha, Dallas/Fort Worth, Missoula and Nashville. It plans to fly 10 175s by year end and 36 by the close of 2008.
Eos Airlines, the all-business-class carrier operating between London Stansted and New York JFK, yesterday announced that it secured an additional $50 million in equity capital "from institutional and private sources," with one investor accounting for $35 million. President and CEO Jack Williams said the investment "enables us to continue growing to a scale that will lead to strong corporate profitability" and ensures the delivery of a fifth and sixth 757-200ER in the next five months. A fourth 48-seat aircraft will enter service in September.
