Midwest Air Group flew a consolidated 388.6 million RPMs in July, an 18.5% increase over the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 14.4% to 463.3 million ASMs and load factor rose 2.9 points to 83.9%. Yield grew an estimated 8.6% to 14.1 cents and passenger RASM was up an estimated 12.5% to 11.9 cents.
Copa Airlines said yesterday it will shift its alternate airport from Cartagena Rafael Nunez International to Panama's Howard AFB, which was turned over by the US to the Panamanian government in 1999 and has been certified as an international airport. Copa will begin using Howard in October. It said it will save fuel on flights into Panama and allow higher-capacity 737-800s to be used on several of its longer routes.
American Airlines will operate weekly New York JFK-San Jose del Cabo service from Dec. 16 through April 9 aboard a 757. Separately, AA introduced roundtrip Web-based check-in for return flights that leave within 24 hr. of departure.
FedEx Express and pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn. announced a tentative four-year labor agreement reached with the help of the National Mediation Board, which intervened in October 2005. The parties have been negotiating since 2004 and said the deal "is subject to review and finalization of contract language." Details of the agreement were not released.
Air Canada named Senior Director Daniel Shurz VP-network planning. He succeeds Benjamin Smith, new president and CEO of Air Canada Vacations. Also, Senior Director-Strategic Marketing Charlie McKee was named VP-marketing.
US National Transportation Safety Board investigators and Lexington Blue Grass Airport officials confirmed yesterday that alterations had been made to the taxiway that a Comair CRJ200 used before taking off from the incorrect runway Sunday morning and that the lights on that shorter runway were out of service at the time.
Gol said it received authorization to operate 14 weekly flights to Lima aboard 737-800s. It did not announce a launch date. It already flies to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia and intends to start service to Chile this year. Emirates will operate five-times-weekly Dubai-Tripoli-Tunis service beginning Oct. 29 aboard an A330-200. Mesa Airlines will launch 12-times-weekly Albuquerque-Alamogordo Sept. 24.
Qantas announced yesterday that it will partner with Telstra, Panasonic Avionics Corp. and AeroMobile to develop technology enabling passengers to use their cellphones or PDAs in flight. AeroMobile is a joint venture between ARINC and Telenor. New systems will be tested over three months on a 767 operating domestic routes. "This evaluation is the first step toward building a product which will support our customers' business and communication needs into the future," Qantas Group GM-Customer Product and Services Lesley Grant said. "The service will be simple to use.
Boeing confirmed yesterday that Air Sahara is a previously unidentified customer for 10 737-800s. The order, worth more than $700 million at list prices, was placed in the first quarter of this year. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in mid-2009. "This order reflects our confidence both in the growth of India's aviation market and Air Sahara's modernization and expansion plans," President Alok Sharma said.
Globe Air Cargo was appointed ANA's cargo general sales agent in New York and Boston. ANA operates daily 777 service from Tokyo Narita to New York JFK.
US FAA is seeking to institute a new traffic control mechanism at New York LaGuardia that would eliminate the current slot system and encourage airlines to operate larger aircraft into the crowded airport. The agency's proposed rule, which would take effect on Jan. 1, maintains the current hourly limit of 75 scheduled flights, but instead of airlines using slots to operate those flights FAA would create "operating authorizations" that would be granted "based on historic usage." The authorizations could be taken away if carriers use too many regional jets.
China Eastern Airlines lost CNY1.72 billion ($215.4 million) in the first six months of 2006, it told the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, according to the Associated Press. The result compares to a CNY580.6 million loss in the year-ago period. The carrier did not offer additional details. It reported a loss of CNY 955.1 million in the first quarter ( ATWOnline, April 27), implying a CNY764.9 million deficit in the quarter ended June 30.
Taiwan wants to raise the cap on foreign ownership of domestic airlines to 49% from 33%, according to Civil Aeronautics Administration Deputy DG George C.R. Lee, Dow Jones reported. Lee also said the government plans to allow private and foreign companies to construct and operate new airports. It has not decided whether to privatize existing airports.
Shanghai Airlines on Friday chose GEnx engines to power nine 787s to be delivered beginning in June 2008. Value of the order is estimated at $220 million.
Air New Zealand described its full-year result as "solid" in a "challenging environment," with a net profit decline of 48% to NZ$97 million ($61.7 million) for the year ended June 30 from NZ$180 million in the prior year. Chairman John Palmer said, "We clearly acknowledge this is not the result we would have liked to have achieved at the end of the financial year. But given the extraordinarily challenging business environment the airline is operating in, this is a respectable result."
Ryanair followed through on its threat Friday and submitted a claim for compensation worth just over £3 million ($5.7 million) to the UK Dept. for Transport.
ABX Air, which was Innovative Solutions & Support's first customer for its Flat Panel Display System retrofit on the 767, announced Friday that the two companies will partner in developing and installing a system on a 767-200ER belonging to an unidentified third party. ABX holds a supplemental type certificate for the work, which is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2007. IS&S announced development of an FPDS for the 737-300/-400/-500 at the Farnborough Air Show ( ATWOnline, July 20).
Sterling Airlines will launch six-times-weekly London Gatwick-Aalborg service on Sept. 18 with 737-500s/-700s. Air Baltic will start thrice-weekly Riga-Zurich flights from Oct. 29 aboard 737-500s. It will be the 34th destination it serves directly from Riga.
Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Civil Aviation confirmed that six companies are pursuing licenses to operate as commercial air carriers as part of the drive to liberalize air transport in the kingdom. Two are low-fare startup Sama and business and corporate transport specialist National Air Services. GACA identified the remaining four as travel group Al-Tayar, the Al-Mamlaka company operating as Burj Airlines, Petrogal operating as Al-Watan Airlines and the Saudi Ikhwan trading company. Application evaluation will continue until Sept. 30 with a decision scheduled by year end.
Delta Air Lines said it received US Dept. of Transportation permission to begin selling seats on its daily New York JFK-London Gatwick service scheduled to begin Nov. 15. Delta purchased the route authority from United Airlines last month ( ATWOnline, July 31). Final government approval is expected "within the next few weeks," DL said. It plans to add a second daily flight May 1.
SkyWest Airlines flew 1.47 billion RPMs in July, a 107.5% increase over the year-ago month reflecting the acquisition of Atlantic Southeast Airlines. Capacity climbed 99.4% to 1.79 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 3.2 points to 82.3%. Mesaba Airlines flew 100.5 million RPMs in July, down 43.9% from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 42.1% to 147.1 million ASMs and load factor dipped 2.2 points to 68.3%.
