Opening of the fourth runway at Tokyo Haneda in late 2009 will present ANA with new growth opportunities but also increased challenges, including the arrival of low-fare airlines, President and CEO Mineo Yamamoto said. "We think we will see LCCs in Haneda in 2009," he told journalists in Tokyo last Thursday at an event organized by Star Alliance. Speaking through a translator, he noted that current plans call for the number of operational slots at the airport to increase by 40% vis-a-vis the current level to 407,000 annually.
Boeing received orders for at least 32 aircraft in the last week of May from unidentified buyers, according to the Orders and Deliveries chart on the airframer's website and media reports. New orders comprised 20 777s, nine 737s and three 747s and are valued at $5.8 billion, according to Reuters. Boeing reported 347 net orders in the first five months of 2006: 259 737s, 59 787s, 20 777s, five 747s and four 767s.
Continental Airlines confirmed to ATWOnline that it issued an RFP for up to 24 70-seat turboprop aircraft to be operated by a Regional partner. "We are examining options for replacing part or all of the capacity provided by the 69 aircraft which are being withdrawn from our capacity purchase agreement with ExpressJet," said spokesperson Sarah Anthony. "A number of airlines have been invited to submit proposals.
The auction of Varig's assets ( ATWOnline, May 22) has been moved forward from July 9 to today in what JP Morgan considers "a last-ditch attempt to raise cash to avoid further aircraft confiscation." Separately, a judge presiding over the airline's US bankruptcy reorganization "extended his injunction barring seizure of company aircraft until June 13," according to Merrill Lynch.
US Air Transportation Stabilization Board last week announced the sale of the 3.4 million warrants it received in connection with the issuance of a loan guarantee to Frontier Airlines in 2003. Warrants were sold at auction to seven institutional investors for $6.6 million. ATSB has no current outstanding loan guarantees but does hold warrants in World Airways and has an $86 million direct loan to ATA Airlines.
US Airways Group reached a final transition agreement with the Airline Customer Service Employee Assn., an alliance between the Communication Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Teamsters representing the carrier's 7,700 passenger service and reservations employees. A tentative agreement was announced in December ( ATWOnline, Dec. 8, 2005) outlining the transition of former America West Airlines employees (IBT) to the existing US Airways (CWA) labor contract.
Northwest Airlines lost $295 million in April, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, but was profitable on the operational level, reporting a $53 million operating profit on $1.04 billion in revenues and $987 million in expenses. The bottom line was affected by $309 million in reorganization items related to restructured aircraft lease and debt charges.
Ural Airlines, based at Koltsovo International Airport in Ekaterinburg, signed a letter of intent with Aughras Trading of Ireland for the lease of two A320-211s scheduled for delivery in August and September. They will be the carrier's first Western aircraft. Ural said it would have preferred to purchase the aircraft but could not secure a delivery slot prior to 2009.
American Airlines flew 12.25 billion system RPMs in May, a 3.7% rise over the year-ago month. Capacity increased just 0.3% to 15.16 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 2.6 points to 80.7%. Domestic traffic rose 2.1% to 8.02 billion RPMs against a 1.9% drop in capacity to 9.66 billion ASMs, sending load factor up 3.3 points to 83%. International RPMs climbed 6.9% to 4.22 billion, ASMs rose 4.6% to 5.49 billion and load factor increased 1.6 points to 76.8%. ExpressJet Airlines flew 909.7 million RPMs in May, a 23.1% increase over the year-ago month.
SkyEurope Airlines said Bank of Scotland will provide pre-delivery payments and long-term loan financing on the four new 737-700s scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2007. The airline last year placed an order for 16 firm aircraft and 16 options ( ATWOnline, May 11, 2005) and already has taken delivery of four. Twelve dash 700s, including those four, are to be financed under operating leases from GECAS. The aircraft financed with Bank of Scotland will be SkyEurope's first owned airplanes.
Kuwait Airways reported a loss of KWD23.8 million ($82 million) for the year ended March 31, narrowed more than 40% from a KWD39.9 million loss in the 2004-05 financial year, the state Kuwait News Agency reported.
TAP Portugal is searching for solutions to improve services at its overcrowded Lisbon Portela base but said the situation will remain problematic until 2009, when a new terminal extension is scheduled to open. "There is no space for us in Lisbon available [for further expansion], so we have to divert traffic to Porto," VP-External Relations & Alliances Jose Guedes Dias told ATWOnline last week in Tokyo. In so doing, TAP will take advantage of the recently renovated infrastructure at Porto, which could be developed into a minihub.
Ferrovial Group continues to push BAA shareholders to accept its hostile takeover bid and reportedly made a push Friday for a minority stake in the airports operator ahead of today's final bid deadline. Citing sources in Spain, Reuters reported that Ferrovial adviser Citigroup was purchasing BAA shares and hoped to acquire a 15% stake. Today is the deadline for the Spanish firm to make a final offer. Goldman Sachs reportedly is considering a rival bid.
Air Finland, in its third year of operation, said it earned a €1.1 million ($1.4 million) profit and carried 404,000 passengers in 2005, numbers that "exceeded all its targets." Revenues were "slightly over" €51 million. It said it expects to carry more than 500,000 passengers in 2006 and its financial result "is expected to be better than the year before."
Iberia will reduce its operations at Barcelona International drastically, Chairman Fernando Conte told the carrier's AGM earlier this week. He said most of the routes it operates from El Prat are unprofitable. In April, Iberia confirmed plans to participate in an LCC that will operate point-to-point routes ( ATWOnline, April 28), largely to counter increasing competition at BCN from no-frills operators like Vueling and easyJet. Ryanair has a base at nearby Girona-Costa Brava.
Australian airport operators led by Melbourne and Brisbane attacked the government, claiming it is protecting Qantas at the expense of the country's tourist industry. Speaking to The Australian, Melbourne Airport CEO Chris Barlow claimed the government "has been putting money into promoting the 'Where the bloody hell are you?' global TV campaign, which is really successful," while knocking back airlines such as Emirates, which wants to double its services to Australia.
Air Pacific posted a 40% decline in net profit to $14.9 million for the financial year ended March 31 as fuel prices soared. That cost increase was reflected in a 5.7% rise in expenditure to $428.9 million while revenue was up only 2% to $449.4 million. Fuel climbed from 27% to 34% of total expenditure.
Air France this month will start deploying 777-300ERs on its routes from Paris Orly to the French Overseas Departments except French Guiana. Seven dash 300ERs in three-class configuration will gradually replace 747s, and by 2007 Fort-de-France, Pointe-a-Pitre and Saint Denis will have a dedicated fleet of 777s equipped with in-seat digital IFE. In the high season, AF operates up to 14 weekly flights between France and the French Caribbean and nine to Reunion. Some 1.4 million passengers travel on this network annually.
Air Berlin reported a first-quarter net loss of €31 million ($39.9 million), narrowed from a net loss of €39 million in the year-ago quarter, and CEO Joachim Hunold predicted a "positive net profit for the full year 2006." Revenues for a quarter that the carrier described as "seasonally weak" were €224 million, up from €216 million last year.
ASIG, part of BBA Aviation Services Group, is providing ground handling and cabin cleaning services to ATA Airlines at Los Angeles International Airport.
Alitalia said it posted a "good performance" in April that reflected a recovery after last January's strikes, particularly in the leisure segment. Traffic increased 6% on the year-ago month to 3.25 billion RPKs on a 3.3% capacity reduction to 4.3 billion ASKs. Load factor gained 6.6 points to 75.6%. Passenger boardings were up 5.1% to 2.08 million.
US Airways Group yesterday announced that Eastshore Aviation will sell 3.05 million shares of the group's common stock in an underwritten secondary offering. None of the proceeds of the offering, underwritten by Goldman, Sachs & Co., will go to US. Separately, the carrier launched a daily Philadelphia-Portland, Ore., service yesterday aboard an America West Airlines A320 and a daily Phoenix-Kalispell, Mont., flight aboard a Mesa Airlines CRJ200. From July 1 until Aug. 19 the route will be operated by a US A319.
In what ANA President and CEO Mineo Yamamoto described as a "great day for ANA and Star Alliance and the dawn of a new age" for air travel in Japan, 10 of the 11 Star Alliance airlines serving Tokyo Narita begin operating today from co-located facilities in the airport's Terminal 1 South Wing.
