Alaska Airlines flew 1.5 billion RPMs in May, a 7.9% increase over the year-ago month. Capacity rose 6.9% to 1.93 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 0.7 point to 77.5%.
European Union Friday advanced its aim to liberalize international air transport broadly, reaching terms with Singapore and opening for signature an agreement to create a single European air market by 2010. The "horizontal" agreement with Singapore, which removes nationality restrictions contained in bilateral accords between that country and individual EU member states, is the first the EU has signed with an Asian economy.
Lufthansa Flight Training placed its second CAE-built A320 simulator at its training center at Berlin Schoenefeld. The Level D device is equipped with an EP-1000CT visual system from Evans & Sutherland and will be used mainly by Air Berlin. It is the first simulator installed in LFT's new simulator building. Total investment in the simulator and expansion of the facility amounts to more than €18 million ($22.9 million). LFT now operates 32 full-flight simulators, seven of them at its Berlin base.
United Services, United Airlines' maintenance and engineering division, signed a contract with France's Eagle Aviation to provide overhaul and ring-case modifications on PW4060 engines that power three former UA 747-400s that the charter and wet-lease operator is acquiring from a third party. United Services also recently signed a contract with Azteca Airlines for services that include the overhaul of a 737 landing gear set.
Delta Air Lines announced it will recall 60-70 furloughed pilots this summer "to improve revenue and better meet customers' domestic and international travel needs." The carrier has been expanding its route network dramatically in the past few months; it added 50 new international routes in the past year and last week launched 23 new North American services in one day ( ATWOnline, June 9). The pilots will begin training later this month and return to line flying toward the end of the summer.
Northwest Airlines equipment service and stock clerk employees, represented by the International Assn. of Machinists, ratified their new labor contract Friday, with 62% of those voting approving the five-year deal reached last month ( ATWOnline, May 24). The group had rejected an earlier deal. "It was a choice between bad and worse," IAM District 143 President Bobby DePace said, referring to the possibility that the US Bankruptcy Court might impose terms if a second agreement was rejected.
The much-anticipated change in shareholder structure among Cathay Pacific Airways, Dragonair and Air China announced Friday by owners Swire Pacific, CNAC and CITIC Pacific is set to create the most powerful airline group in Asia.
ANAC Advanced Coatings is the new name of Akzo Nobel Aerospace Coatings, which decided to bring its complete product range and a number of brands and businesses under one name and logo.
Sabre said 80% of all tickets issued worldwide through the Sabre GDS are now electronic and 122 airlines offer e-ticketing for Sabre Connected travel agencies. Meanwhile, 57 carriers are using the SabreSonic Ticket Interline Electronic Ticketing Hub to facilitate e-ticketing with partners.
Air Canada Jazz launched daily Toronto-Salt Lake City service Friday aboard a 75-seat CRJ705. Lauda Air will start a weekly Vienna-Reykjavik service from June 13. Cimber Air launched a Copenhagen-Norrkoping service aboard a 50-seat CRJ200. It will operate four-times-daily on weekdays and twice-daily on weekends.
Dba purchased the remaining 40% stake in LTU German Airlines held by Rewe Group through the Intro Verwaultungs investment concern belonging to Hans Rudolf Woehrl, dba's largest shareholder. Intro now owns 100% of LTU, having acquired a 60% share of the struggling charter carrier in a deal announced in February ( ATWOnline, Feb. 20). Woehrl will face difficulties attempting to implement a €45 million ($57.3 million) cost-cutting program at LTU.
Ethiopian Airlines will wet-lease one A330-200 from June 17 and one MD-11 from July 1 to handle expected growth. It cancelled plans to lease two 747-400s because the aircraft would not deliver on time ( ATWOnline, May 2). "The lease is for six months, then we want to have two 777-200s or more 767-300ERs. It depends what is available on the market," CEO Girma Wake told ATWOnline at last week's IATA AGM in Paris.
Boeing has sold the first passenger version of the 747-8, according to information posted on its website late last week. The order has not been announced formally. It was recorded on May 30 and placed by an unidentified customer, which may or may not be an airline. Boeing also received orders for two 747-400Fs from an unidentified customer on May 31. The 747-8 was launched last November on the strength of firm orders for 18 747-8Fs from Cargolux and Nippon Cargo Airlines.
Airbus and the National Development & Reform Commission of China announced the selection of the Tianjin Binhai New Coastal District as the site for a potential A320 final assembly line should Airbus decide to move forward with the project.
Boeing maintained a better than 3:1 sales lead over Airbus through the month of May, based on information obtained from both companies' websites. Airbus received orders for six aircraft in the month--two A318s, three A319s and one A330-200--bringing year-to-date sales to 105. The A330 and two of the A319s were sold to private customers. Data from Boeing's website, meanwhile, is complete through June 7, but the manufacturer is not yet revealing its sales total through May 31. However, in the Jan.
US Dept. of Transportation approved Mesa Air Group's use of the name go! for its Hawaii inter-island startup over the objection of mainland-based GoJet Airlines. The new carrier, which will operate from the commuter terminal at Honolulu International, is scheduled to launch service today offering one-way fares from $19. GoJet, a subsidiary of Trans States Holdings that operates a fleet of CRJ700s as a United Express carrier, argued that Mesa's new name "would cause public confusion." Mesa responded that go!
SAS Scandinavian Airlines said passengers on four flights this month between New York and Stockholm will have the opportunity to test new Sony Ericsson mobile phones using VOIP technology rather than a mobile/cellular network. The aircraft are equipped with Connexion by Boeing, which makes it possible for passengers traveling with laptops accessing the Connexion service to use VOIP phones without risking interference with aircraft systems or avionics.
Ferrovial Group moved closer to completing its takeover of BAA yesterday as rival Goldman Sachs pulled out after the Spanish firm purchased an additional 12.9% of the UK airports operator's shares. Goldman had been considering increasing its rival bid for BAA but announced yesterday that it no longer was interested after Ferrovial upped its stake to 28.7%.
Aerolineas Mesoamericanas of Mexico signed leases for six previously owned CRJ200s with deliveries to begin this month. ALMA is a startup Regional based in Guadalajara and will be the first Mexican carrier to operate Bombardier aircraft commercially.
Varig received just one bid at yesterday's bankruptcy auction, a BRL1.01 billion ($446.4 million) offer during the second round from a consortium of employees, well below the minimum bid for just the domestic routes, which was $700 million ( ATWOnline, May 22). The bankruptcy court judge said he would take a day to decide whether to approve the sale anyway. A $75 million deposit would be required, the Associated Press reported. The judge also may liquidate the carrier. There will not be another auction.
BAE Systems confirmed that it served upon EADS a formal notice of exercise of its put option regarding BAE's sale of its 20% stake in Airbus back to the French-German company. BAE Systems had announced May 2 it would use the put option if it could not reach agreement on the value of the stake.
US Congress will permit the Dept. of Transportation to move forward with its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that is intended to ease how the department interprets foreign control of US airlines. On Wednesday, both the Senate and House agreed to drop language from a supplemental appropriations bill that would have delayed the rule through the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year to permit Congress to study the issue.
JetBlue Airways will launch a six-times-daily New York JFK-Washington Dulles service beginning Aug. 17 at regular fares of $50-$145. Flights will be operated with 100-seat Embraer 190s. Hapag Lloyd Express will launch its first African service, a twice-weekly Cologne-Nador (Morocco) flight, beginning June 23.
