Jet Airways yesterday reported its fourth consecutive full-year profit, although net earnings of INR280 million ($6.8 million) for the fiscal year ended March 31 represented a 94% plunge from the INR4.5 billion earned in the prior year. Still, CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer told ATWOnline that the result was a "remarkable achievement," saying the "whole industry in India is estimated to lose $400-$500 million, whereas we could stay as the only profitable carrier. It's also good to note that we were able to turn our international operations profitable in the fourth quarter."
Aloha Airlines reported a first-quarter net loss of $24.2 million, widened from a deficit of $20.3 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenue was down 10% to $88 million, a spokesperson confirmed to ATWOnline. The privately held airline has been locked in a taxing fare war with Mesa Air Group subsidiary go!, which entered the inter-island market last year.
Low-cost carriers will fly approximately 25% of seats available in the Asia/Pacific region within five years, double their current penetration, thanks to the raft of new orders placed at last week's Paris Air Show, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation estimated. AirAsia, Tiger Airways, and Mandala Airlines each placed significant A320 orders while Lion Air ordered 737s. CAPA said that the region's LCCs will see their combined fleet grow from about 300 aircraft with 45,000 seats to approximately 870 aircraft with 170,000 seats by 2012, representing a nearly fourfold increase.
Tarmac Aerosave is the name of a new company formed by six industrial partners to provide aircraft dismantling. Members are Airbus, SITA France (a subsidiary of SUEZ Environnement for waste management), Snecma Services, Equip'Aero, TASC aviation and Aeroconseil.
In a word, Bombardier has declared that the next 20 years will remain "positive" for the aviation industry, reiterating at the Paris Air Show that it foresees deliveries of 11,200 aircraft valued at $393 billion forecast in the 20/149-seat market.
ATR and Malaysia Airlines signed a contract for 10 ATR 72-500s plus options for 10. The deal is valued at $183 million. The aircraft will be used to expand MAS subsidiary FireFly and to establish hubs in Penang, Subang, Yohoar Bahaurau and Kota Kinabalu. They gradually will replace F50s. Deliveries begin next year. The deal also marks the sale of ATR's 900th aircraft.
Virgin Group head Richard Branson may be moving to take a stake in new long-haul startup AirAsiaX, according to India's Economic Times. The paper quotes both industry officials and Dow Jones and states that Branson may buy the stake from Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranum, who control 60% of the FlyAsianExpress holding company. AirAsiaX plans to launch low-cost flights from Malaysia to India, China and Europe later this year and ordered 10 A330s at last week's Paris Air Show ( ATWOnline, June 20).
Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce concluded an agreement enabling the engine-maker to offer On-Wing Care services at Frankfurt and remote sites with the assistance of LHT's Airline Support Teams AST Engines. Services range from video borescoping and blade changes up to complete module changes or installation of accessory gearboxes. Through the joint initiative, LHT is extending the scope of its Airline Support Teams AST Engines to include the Trent family.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took to the airwaves yesterday to assure citizens that the country's ATC system, which has been beset by extensive delays and cancellations over the past week owing to a controller slowdown, is safe and back to normal operations.
Le Bourget may have emptied out but the Paris Air Show still is going on for Airbus, which yesterday announced yet another major order, this time for 35 A319s for easyJet. The converted options, scheduled for delivery in 2011 and 2012, lifted the LCC's Airbus firm order book to 120 aircraft worth more than $7 billion at list prices. The newly ordered A319s will be powered by CFM-56s. EasyJet holds purchase rights for a further 88 Airbus aircraft. It said the order will support its intention to carry 65 million passengers per year and deploy 229 aircraft by 2012.
Sabena Technics will provide component support for seven A320s operated by LTE International Airways under a five-year agreement. LTE is part of MyAir Group.
DHL yesterday launched next-day express delivery from New York JFK to nine European destinations, available Monday to Thursday. The service includes pickup by DHL couriers of parcels from businesses in New York and transfer of the shipments by helicopter to JFK to bypass ground traffic. Service is available to Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Madrid, Paris and Zurich.
CAAC granted a public air transport enterprise operating license to HNA Group for its Grand China Air entity, bringing the Hainan Airlines parent one step closer to launching its new carrier, which will combine Hainan along with Xinhua Airlines, Changan Airlines and Shanxi Airlines and be the country's fourth-largest commercial carrier.
Boeing confirmed it has raised list prices across its line of aircraft products, boosting the value of its aircraft by an average of 5.5%. "We look at our prices annually," a spokesperson told ATWOnline. "Cost of materials and cost of labor are the primary things we look at." The 787-8, which previously was listed at $148-$157.5 million, now is at $157-$167 million. The highest listed price for a 737 variant, the -900ER, is now $85 million compared to $80.5 million previously. Boeing's most expensive offering is the 747-8, which is listed at $285.5-$300 million.
Jeppesen finalized an agreement with Asiana Airlines to provide electronic flight bag applications and data for three new 777s that will feature the Boeing Class 3 EFB. Jeppesen also will provide its e-Link system so that charts and data can be accessed electronically by ground-based personnel, such as dispatch and operations.
Northwest Airlines, which emerged from Chapter 11 protection at the end of last month ( ATWOnline, June 1), admitted yesterday that "crew shortages" are leading to numerous flight cancellations. It declined to say how many flights have been grounded or to confirm reports that several hundred flights have been cancelled over the past four days.
A PMTair An-24 crashed in "mountainous terrain" near Sihanoukville, Cambodia, yesterday en route on the popular tourist route from Siem Reap to the port city on the Gulf of Thailand, Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network confirmed. "Reportedly the wreckage was located by helicopters, without any sign of survivors," ASN said. There were 16 passengers and six crew onboard the aircraft, one of two An-24s operated by the Cambodian carrier. It also flies a 737-200, an MD-80, two An-12s and one ATR-72.
Aeroports de Paris today will inaugurate its new Satellite S3 at Paris Charles de Gaulle. S3 is an add-on to Terminals 2E and 2F and will have a yearly passenger capacity of 8.5 million. The satellite is designed to accommodate six A380s simultaneously.
Component Control's Quantum Control enterprise resource planning software was selected by Embraer as its global maintenance, repair and overhaul management solution.
ANA and Tokyo-based Overseas Courier Service announced they jointly will develop a new international express delivery service called BEAM that will focus primarily on Asian deliveries. BEAM initially will offer overnight express delivery from Osaka and Tokyo to Shanghai by using ANA cargo flights on the Tokyo Haneda-Osaka-Shanghai route and later will expand to other Chinese cities.
AirTran Airways will relocate its entire operation at Orlando International to Landside B and Airside 4 effective June 27, doubling its customer handling capacity at the ticket counter. It will have 23 self-serve kiosks and four staffed positions at check-in rather than the 10 kiosks and six staff at the old Landside A and Airside 2 location. It will have eight gates in Terminal B and this summer plans to launch service from MCO to Memphis, Kansas City, San Diego, St. Louis and Portland, Maine.
Alaska Air Group last week confirmed its concerns about the second quarter ( ATWOnline, May 24), revealing in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that May mainline passenger unit revenue fell 2.3% year-over-year on a 1.8% decline in yield. April passenger RASM had dropped 2.8% from the year-ago month. In addition, the company said advance bookings for June indicate a 1-1.5-point year-over-year drop in load factor.
GCAT Flight Academy announced that it has agreed to acquire Oxford Aviation Training from BBA Aviation for $63 million on a debt- and cash-free basis. GCAT was created through the $275 million merger of General Electric Commercial Aviation Training and SAS Flight Academy in February ( ATWOnline, May 23). The Oxford transaction is expected to be complete within two weeks. Oxford is the largest ab initio airline pilot training school in Europe.
