Lufthansa Flight Training ordered a 737NG FFS X Non Zero Flight Time simulator from Mechtronix. It will be based in the LFT center at Berlin Schoenefeld and ready for use in summer 2007. Main customer will be Hapagfly. GE Commercial Aviation Training and Siberia Airlines agreed to cooperate in the development of a new training center in Moscow to be built near Domodedovo. It is expected to open in the second quarter of 2007, according to GECAT.
East Line Group, which manages Moscow Domodedovo, plans to invest $180 million in expansion, renovations and upgrades to its passenger terminal this year. Among new security measures, starting from July the airport is introducing the GK-1 Voice Recognition System, which will ask selected passengers a series of questions and determine whether they should be cleared or subjected to additional screening based on the voice characteristics of their answers. Domodedovo also is installing a new Hold Baggage Screening system, SafeDock docking system and building management system.
Panasonic Avionics Corp. is launching a global communications service to provide broadband voice and data services to aircraft with a new antenna system it claims "provides superior bandwidth in a smaller, lighter and lower drag configuration." The company said it will support AeroMobile's aircraft mobile phone service and also can be paired with a direct broadcast television antenna in the same radome system to offer Panasonic DBS TV with live programming.
EasyJet is on the warpath again over Public Service Obligation routes, this time in Italy. The London Luton-based LCC confirmed yesterday that it lodged a formal appeal with the regional administrative court in Rome against the Italian Transport Ministry and Civil Aviation Authority over the right to operate service on the Milan Malpensa-Olbia, Sardinia, route.
Air France and KLM launched a combined Internet check-in facility allowing passengers to check in for AF flights on KLM's website. Effective next month, KLM will accept all e-tickets issued by SkyTeam members.
Norwegian has decided to invade an already-crowded Polish low-cost market and intends to hire Polish flight crew for the operation. The LCC announced yesterday that it will open a base in Warsaw and operate flights to three Spanish cities, France and its Oslo hub. It will base two aircraft at Warsaw, where it will compete with LOT Polish Airlines subsidiary Centralwings, SkyEurope Airlines and Wizz Air, among others.
AirTran Airways will commence twice-daily Boston-Rochester service from July 6 aboard 717s. On April 4 it resumed twice-daily Myrtle Beach-Atlanta service using 717s, increasing to four-times-daily on May 9, and launched service from White Plains to Atlanta (twice-daily, increasing to thrice from June 7), Orlando (daily) and West Palm Beach (daily).
Professional Flight Attendants Assn. is objecting to Northwest Airlines' new Coach Choice scheme, which allows passengers to pay $15 to reserve selected exit row or aisle seats ( ATWOnline, March 15). PFAA, which represents NWA's cabin staff, said the initiative is "ill-conceived" because "it takes away from the primary reason 'qualified' passengers occupy exit row seats," according to National Security & Regulatory Affairs Coordinator Jeanne Elliot. She also said it will add to cabin staff workloads as unqualified passengers must be shifted from exit row seats.
Continental Airlines and Alitalia launched a codeshare agreement, effective immediately, that will see Continental put its code on select Alitalia flights from Rome Fiumicino and Milan and Alitalia place its code on CO flights from Newark to 11 US cities.
Aeroflot's summer schedule will include frequency increases of 30% to CIS countries, 28% to Southeast Asia, 20% to the Americas and 15% to Africa and the Middle East, the airline announced. Flights in Russia and Europe will go up by 14% and 9% respectively. New services will be introduced to Karlovy, Vary and Bratislava. In total it will operate flights to 87 cities in 47 countries. Aeroflot said that it soon will sign a deal with Boeing for the delivery of six MD-11 freighters through 2008.
FL Group announced yesterday the sale of its 16.9% stake in easyJet for approximately €325 million ($395.9 million), earning Icelandair's parent company some €140 million in profit from its initial investment and representing an annual return of 70%, "far surpassing" the 20% target. JPMorgan was the sole bookrunner and JPMorganCazenove was joint lead manager. FL Group said the proceeds will be "channeled into new investments during 2006." It now has liquid assets of about €600 million.
The Irish government on Tuesday decided to sell off of most of Aer Lingus through an IPO nearly a decade after it first announced its intention to privatize the carrier, but said it will retain a stake of "at least 25.1%." "The transaction is taking place in order to give Aer Lingus both the commercial flexibility and the financial muscle to compete and succeed in the global marketplace," Transport Minister Martin Cullen said in a statement.
Southwest Airlines flew 5.83 billion RPMs in March, an 11.4% increase over the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 8.7% to 7.72 billion ASMs and load factor rose 1.8 points to 75.5%. Continental Airlines' consolidated RPMs grew 11.2% in March to 7.69 billion as capacity rose 10.1% over March 2005 to 9.47 billion ASMs. Load factor inched up 0.7 point to 81.2%. Domestic traffic increased 4.9% to 3.75 billion RPMs against a 3.3% hike in ASMs to 4.49 billion, lifting load factor 1.2 points to 83.4%.
Lufthansa Systems plans to increase its share of revenue from customers outside Lufthansa Group from 40% to 60% by 2010, LHS CEO Wolfgang Gohde said as he announced operating results of €63 million ($76.8 million) on turnover of €634.7 million for 2005. Business with clients outside Lufthansa Group grew 15% to €256.8 million.
Boeing booked orders for 86 new aircraft in the March 1-March 30 period, according to information on its website. These comprised 34 737s, including 30 from GE Commercial Aviation Services, and 52 787s. Qantas firmed 45 787 commitments announced last year, Kenya Airways took six and an unidentified customer took one. In March 2005, Boeing booked orders for 11 jets, all 737s.
US Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment Tuesday that would stall a Dept. of Transportation proposal intended to encourage foreign investment in US airlines through the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, according to press reports. This would give Congress more time to examine the issue. The DOT proposal allows foreign investors to wield more influence in airline management, although it does not raise the 25% ownership cap.
SITA announced that Sky Airline of Chile and Hong Kong Express Airways will implement its Horizon portfolio including Airfare Price and SITA Reservations. SITA also announced that Moscow Domodedovo will be the 33rd airport to implement its BagManager global baggage reconciliation system.
Organizers of the UK's biennial Farnborough International Air Show have high expectations for the 45th edition, set to take place July 17-23. "2006 will be a remarkable show," Farnborough International MD Trevor Sidebottom said in Washington Tuesday. "Everything is going well for us. The industry is at a high." Airbus has committed to bring and fly the A380, while Boeing will have a 777 in the static display. A total of 100 aircraft are expected to be on hand.
Swiss prosecutors filed charges last Friday against 19 Swissair managers and its former board in connection with the carrier's financial collapse 4.5 years ago. According to Reuters, among the accused former board members are former Credit Suisse boss Lukas Muehlemann and Thomas Schmidheiny, majority shareholder of cement maker Holcim. The board is accused of having attempted a dubious balance sheet restructuring in the face of massive debts.
Air Seychelles signed a letter of intent with ILFC to replace its two 767s with 787s for delivery from 2010. Air Canada is accelerating introduction of the 777-300ER with a lease of one aircraft from ILFC to be delivered in May 2007. AC will take delivery of eight 777-300ERs next year. The airline announced its order for up to 36 777s and 60 787s in last May, but delays caused by a dispute with pilots cost it some 777 delivery positions.
Ryanair announced it will base two additional 737-800s at its Liverpool John Lennon base and launch 11 new routes in October, bringing the total number of destinations served to 32 and the number of aircraft to eight. From Oct. 3, it will fly to Aberdeen, Inverness (each seven-times-weekly), Alghero, Ancona, Kaunas, Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw, Santander, Santiago (each thrice-weekly) and Tampere (four-times-weekly).
Delta Air Lines announced it has begun bringing the 48 Song 757s back into the mainline fleet in anticipation of this fall's launch of a "new two-class, domestic long-haul product" combining "the best of the Song and Delta brands, products and experiences," according to Delta VP-Consumer Marketing and Song President Joanne Smith. The carrier will reconfigure the interiors from one class to two and exteriors of the aircraft during a conversion process expected to last through November. Smith said all Song markets will continue to be served by Delta after the transition.
United Airlines launched daily San Francisco-Seoul service on April 2. US Airways will increase its weekday Boston-Buffalo service to seven-times-daily from three and its Sunday service from two flights to five from June 19. Saturday service remains once-daily. Services are operated by Chautauqua Airlines aboard Embraer 145s.
