Singapore Airlines flew 8.05 billion RPKs in December, a 7.8% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 2.9% to 9.59 billion ASKs and load factor climbed 3.8 points to 84%. SAS Group carriers flew 2.58 billion consolidated RPKs in December, a 2.2% decline from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 0.5% to 3.9 billion ASKs and load factor dropped 1.2 points to 66.1%. SAS Scandinavian Airlines flew 1.77 billion RPKs, down 8.9%, against a 9.1% decline in capacity to 2.52 billion ASKs, lifting load factor 0.1 point to 70.3%.
American Airlines, Continental Airlines and United Airlines filed a lawsuit last week in US District Court against the city of Los Angeles in an attempt to fight a retroactive increase in Los Angeles International Airport "terminal maintenance fees" that the carriers say will cost a combined $15 million, the Associated Press reported. The fee hikes reportedly are designed to cover increased security costs. Earlier this month, the Air Transport Assn.
SunExpress will launch service from London Stansted to Antalya (twice-weekly on Feb. 8) and Izmir (March). Continental Airlines will launch daily Newark-Jackson, Miss., service Sept. 5 aboard ExpressJet E-145s.
Boeing said yesterday that GE Commercial Aviation Services booked a 39-aircraft order in 2006 valued at $5.34 billion comprising seven 777-300ERs, eight 777Fs and 24 737-800s. The aircraft, previously listed in Boeing's 2006 order ledger as belonging to an unidentified customer, will begin delivering next year and continue through 2010. The order boosts GECAS's 2006 order book with Boeing to 69.
MAIR Holdings, parent of Mesaba Airlines, late yesterday finalized its agreement with Northwest Airlines reached earlier this month ( ATWOnline, Jan. 8) under which Mesaba will exit bankruptcy as an NWA subsidiary and MAIR will purchase all of its stock currently owned by NWA for approximately $35 million.
Continental Airlines 757 en route from Houston Intercontinental to Puerto Vallarta was diverted to McAllen, Tex., Saturday after the pilot became ill and died. The copilot landed the aircraft safely. The pilot reportedly collapsed at the controls and was pronounced dead a short time later at a local medical facility. CO did not release a cause of death but The Houston Chronicle, citing the McAllen Fire Dept., said he suffered a heart attack. A replacement flight crew was dispatched from Houston to resume the flight, which landed at PVR several hours late.
WestJet named Vito Culmone executive VP-finance and CFO, replacing interim CFOs Janice Paget and Derek Payne, who took over when Sandy Campbell retired last July. Culmone, VP-commercial finance for beer giant Molson Canada, will join the Calgary-based LCC March 1. Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste appointed Chairman Fernando Chico Pardo as interim CEO effective immediately, filling the hole left when Kjeld Binger resigned last month ( ATWOnline, Dec. 25).
Aircastle signed a $1.6 billion purchase agreement with "certain subsidiaries" of Guggenheim Aviation Investment Fund to acquire 26 passenger aircraft and 12 freighters. The passenger aircraft were unidentified, while the freighter purchase comprises four new 747-400ERFs, seven 747-400 conversions and one MD-11SF. The aircraft will be purchased in a series of closings scheduled from this month to February 2009, with 28 scheduled to close this year. "This is a transformational investment for Aircastle," CEO Ron Wainshal said.
Aviation Partners Boeing announced yesterday that Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern Airlines have ordered Blended Winglets for aircraft purchased as part of last year's combined order for 150 737-700s/-800s. Shanghai is taking 13 aircraft and China Eastern 20 through 2010 ( ATWOnline, Sept. 15, 2006). APB said the orders will bring to 190 the number of winglet-equipped 737NGs in China. "We are realistically targeting to install winglets on every eligible aircraft in China," CEO John Reimers said.
The Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq is spending $300 million to upgrade Erbil International Airport in an effort to make the city that sits just 60 mi. from the Turkish and Iranian borders an important transportation hub. "We are in the center of the Middle East and want to play a strategic role in civil aviation," KRG President Massoud Barzani told ATWOnline in Erbil.
British Airways asked the publicly funded UK-based Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to help avert a three-day strike by cabin staff called for next week. "A strike would be completely unnecessary and unjustified. I am convinced we can settle the issues at the center of this dispute through sensible discussion and negotiation," BA CEO Willie Walsh said.
AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines, yesterday announced a public offering of 13 million newly issued shares of common stock. The company said it expects to grant underwriters Credit Suisse, UBS and Merrill Lynch a 30-day option to purchase up to 1.95 million additional shares to cover any overallotments. AMR will use the proceeds "for general corporate purposes."
Brazilian officials investigating the Sept. 29 midair collision between a Gol 737-800 and an ExcelAire Legacy 600 that led to the deaths of all 154 aboard the 737 said Sunday that air traffic controllers were at least partly at fault in the accident. The two ExcelAire pilots, who were detained in Brazil for more than a month after the crash, were charged last month with endangering aircraft safety and face the prospect of a criminal trial ( ATWOnline, Dec. 11, 2006).
Alitalia called an ordinary shareholders meeting to appoint a new board on Feb. 22. The second call for the shareholder meeting is for Feb. 28. The embattled airline was forced to cancel a board meeting scheduled for last Friday after two members, including Air France KLM Group Chairman and CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta, resigned. The departures reduced the number of board members to two, below the three-member quorum needed to hold the meeting ( ATWOnline, Jan. 18, 2006).
Sabena Technics acquired EADS Barfield, extending its MRO offering across North and South America. Barfield counts 250 employees at its Miami, Phoenix and Louisville facilities with a total turnover of €50 million ($64.7 million). Following several recent acquisitions, the maintenance activities of TAT Group now generate a turnover of €450 million and employ some 3,300 people worldwide. Its brand portfolio includes Sabena Technics, Sogerma Services, Sogerma Tunisie and Barfield.
Delta Air Lines watched from the sidelines as four US legacy rivals vied over the past few months for the right to operate a new daily route to China. United Airlines and its bid to fly from Washington Dulles to Beijing won out earlier this month ( ATWOnline, Jan. 10), but Delta yesterday signaled its intention to compete hard for the US Dept. of Transportation's 2008 award, presenting a proposal to operate a daily Atlanta-Shanghai service beginning next March.
Finnish Ministry of Defense published a report last week proposing that Finnair acquire A330 MRTT widebodies that the state could lease for troop transports and possible evacuations in crisis situations. Finnair said it sets business fundamentals as the primary justification for all of its projects. "We are currently working on a modernization of our long-haul fleet and we must consider very carefully how we will implement the huge investment that lies ahead.
Swissport International President and CEO Joseph In Albon will leave the company "to take on a new professional challenge." Santiago Olivares will assume the duties of acting CEO with immediate effect. Air Transport Assn. named Edward Barron VP-government affairs and legislative counsel.
UPS denied a French newspaper report that it plans to cancel its order for 10 A380Fs this week. The cargo carrier is the last customer for the freighter version of the aircraft. Rival FedEx cancelled its order for 10 A380Fs in November and placed an order for 15 777Fs with 15 options instead, saying that market demands were too pressing to wait for Airbus to work through production issues ( ATWOnline, Nov. 8, 2006).
Mexicana de Aviacion last week signed a new labor agreement with its ground workers that it said will yield $20 million in annual savings and improve customer service. The accord, which amends rules that had been in place for 15 years, will run through 2009 and give workers inflation-indexed raises plus 1% this year and each of the next two years.
Delta Air Lines will operate thrice-daily Atlanta-Hilton Head service March 17-Sept. 4 aboard an Atlantic Southeast Airlines ATR 72. DL also will add seats to its ATL-Myrtle Beach service with the introduction of an MD-88 on the route.
Vueling Airlines said it plans to open its first base outside Spain this year "in order to actively pursue its expansion plans," and is considering Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Amsterdam. It will announce the location of its first international base toward the end of this month. It carried 3.5 million passengers in 2006, up 75% from 2005, as it increased frequencies on existing routes and launched 17 new services. The Barcelona-based carrier operated 28,382 flights last year, 70% more than in 2005.
Republic Airways Holdings said it is looking to grow its pilot workforce from 1,675 to approximately 2,600 by the end of 2008 and is accepting applications for pilots to fly for Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America. Chautauqua will add 24 CRJ200s by the end of this year to support its new Continental Express operation ( ATWOnline, July 24, 2006).
Alteon Training opened its Singapore Training Center on Jan. 18. The $60 million facility represents the Boeing subsidiary's largest investment in Singapore to date and will have the capability to train 6,000 pilot crews annually, including maintenance and cabin crew personnel. It houses seven full flight simulator bays. Four FFSs--777, F100, A320 and 737-300--are installed, with a 737-800 to be added by mid-year and a 787 in the first quarter of 2008.
