The GE90-110-powered 777-200LR set a world record for a twinjet last week when it took off from SeaTac for stall tests at 783,000 lb., eclipsing the record of 774,600 lb. (351,300 kg.) set by the 777-300ER as part of its certification program on May 28, 2003.
America West Airlines launched two daily nonstop flights from Oklahoma City to Phoenix and one daily nonstop flight from Oklahoma City to Las Vegas. America West Express, operated by Mesa Airlines, is providing the services using 86-seat CRJ900s and 50-seat CRJ200s.
Shepherd Systems announced that ANA, Virgin Atlantic and Qatar Airways have renewed contracts for its Market Intelligence online product suite and Galaxy processing services. Travel & Transport also renewed its agreement for Shepherd's AgentFlash service.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday it has noted "significant differences between the circumstances" in which an Air Transat A310 lost most of its composite rudder during the cruise phase of flight and the rudder separation that led to the crash of an American Airlines A300 in November 2001 that killed 265 people in the air and on the ground.
Delta Air Lines, which posted an industry-leading first-quarter net loss of $1.08 billion ( ATWOnline, April 22), yesterday said that under current rules it estimates that its pension plan funding for 2005-08 will total roughly $4.1 billion.
Bmibaby plans to add three 737-300s to increase its fleet from 16 to 19 aircraft. It will take delivery of the new long-term-leased 737s this fall. Over the coming months it will be working with the airports it serves to identify where the new aircraft will be based and which routes they will be flying. "The additional aircraft will mean that by 2006 more than 4.5 million passengers will be flying with bmibaby, consolidating the airline as the second-largest low-cost carrier based in the UK," MD David Bryon commented.
Wizz Air will launch operations from Poznan, its fourth city in Poland, beginning Sept. 18, offering four weekly flights to London Luton using A320s. Wizz Air has carried more than 1.1 million passengers since launching in May 2004, more than 700,000 of whom have traveled on its Polish routes.
United Airlines flew 9.05 billion RPMs in April, down 3.8% compared to the year-ago period. Capacity declined 4% to 11.3 billion ASMs and load factor gained 0.2 point to 80.1%. For the four months ended April 30, RPMs increased 0.4% to 35.58 billion, ASMs decreased 2.5% to 45.24 billion and load factor rose 2.2 points to 78.6%.
Northwest Airlines flew 6.34 billion RPMs in April, up 8.2% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 6.9% to 7.81 billion ASMs and load factor gained 1 point to 81.2%. For the four months ended April 30, RPMs rose 8.6% to 24.5 billion, ASMs increased 4.9% to 30.57 billion and load factor jumped 2.8 points to 80.2%.
Australia will resume highly sensitive bilateral talks with Singapore in two weeks with the aim of negotiating an open skies agreement by mid-year. Singapore Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said the governments of both countries will attempt to resolve the issue of Singapore Airlines' securing access to the Australia-US route during the negotiations. Qantas has been lobbying strongly against the move to grant SIA fifth freedom rights, arguing that it does not enjoy reciprocal benefits on routes through Singapore.
FLYi, parent of Independence Air, posted a preliminary net loss of $105 million in the first quarter ended March 31, a figure that exceeded its total revenues for the period and compared to net income of $3.6 million in the year-ago quarter.
Air China placed an order for 11 shipsets of Aviation Partners Boeing Blended Winglets for its 737-700s. Installation will begin in August and be completed by July 2006. According to APB, discussions are underway to retrofit the remainder of the airline's 737NGs with the winglets as well.
Boosted by a gain in non-DHL revenue, ABX Air posted an 18.4% increase in net income to $7.1 million in the quarter ended March 31 from net income of $6 million in the year-ago period. Net earnings for the 2005 quarter included $5.1 million from the company's two commercial agreements with DHL Express (USA) and $2 million from non-DHL business. "We are extremely pleased to report another strong quarter," President and CEO Joe Hete said. "In addition to supporting DHL, we were able to sharply increase our revenues and earnings from our non-DHL business."
In a blow to Airbus, Northwest Airlines yesterday said it has ordered 18 787s with options and purchase rights for up to 50 more. NWA operates 15 A330-200s and dash 300s and has 17 more on order, so was an obvious candidate for the proposed A350. Instead, the carrier, which has not ordered a Boeing widebody since the 747-400, chose the Dreamliner. It did not disclose which version but said its 787s will be fitted with 36 World Business Class and 185 coach seats and will have a nonstop range of 8,500 nm, which implies the 787-8. Engine selection was not announced.
Skyway Airlines said it terminated discussions with Delta Air Lines to operate Delta Connection's fleet of 328JETs. The decision came shortly after Delta announced it had selected Mesa Air Group to operate up to 30 CRJ200s in the Delta Connection network, which offers it an opportunity to upgrade flying previously done by Atlantic Coast Airlines with 328JETs ( ATWOnline, May 5).
British Airways carried 2.9 million passengers in April, 3.4% fewer than in April 2004. By comparison, Ryanair carried 2.7 million passengers in April. BA's passenger boardings on its UK/European routes decreased 5.1% to 1.9 million. Systemwide, BA flew 8.95 billion RPKs last month, a 0.1% increase on the year-ago period. Passenger capacity rose 1% to 11.98 billion ASKs and load factor was down 0.8 point to 74.7%. The growth in traffic comprised a 13.3% rise in premium and a 2% fall in nonpremium traffic. Cargo as measured in cargo tonne kilometers dipped 0.2%.
Singapore Airlines confirmed reports that delivery of its first A380 will be delayed from the original target of May 2006 ( ATWOnline, May 3). A spokesperson told this website yesterday, "We have been notified by Airbus of a delay and are working with them to minimize it. We are still working toward an entry into commercial service in the second half of 2006." Insiders at the airline said that contrary to reports from German media, the delay is not by mutual agreement.
US Airways yesterday said it will reduce its mainline fleet by a further 10 aircraft this summer. The move will have "a limited impact on flight schedules," the carrier said, and will result primarily in the temporary cancellation of some selected seasonal Caribbean and Florida service. It stressed that it does not expect to eliminate service to any cities and does not anticipate any additional furloughs.
Delta Air Lines flew 10.01 billion RPMs in April, up 7.3% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 4.3% to 13.11 billion ASMs and load factor rose 2.1 points to 76.4%. For the four months ended April 30, RPMs increased 10.6% to 38.19 billion, ASMs jumped 5.5% to 50.99 billion and load factor gained 3.4 points to 74.9%.
Assn. of European Airlines members posted overall scheduled traffic growth in March of 6.7% compared to the year-ago period. The increase in boardings was much lower at 2.2%. Among the long-haul regions, the Europe-Far East market remained buoyant with a growth of 13.9%. This contrasted with an increase of just 1.5% in North Atlantic traffic. In both cases, however, the growth closely matched capacity on offer and load factors remained high, approaching 84% in the case of the North Atlantic.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is expected to announce a fresh order--possibly at the Paris Air Show--for more widebody aircraft for delivery over the next five years. Speaking at the opening of the Arab Travel Market, Etihad Chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan said in a prepared statement that the airline will be operating to more than 30 destinations within a year. He added, "The role of Etihad Airways in promoting the destination regionally and internationally cannot be ignored. Since it started operations, the number of tourists dramatically increased.
Two pilots were killed when a Metroliner carrying mail from Auckland to Blenheim apparently exploded in midair. Airways New Zealand said the Airpost aircraft disappeared from radar as it was flying at about 6,000 m. (19,685 ft.).
Southwest Airlines touched down at Pittsburgh International Airport for the first time yesterday. Initially the carrier will operate four daily flights to both Chicago Midway and Philadelphia and one each to Las Vegas and Orlando.
American Airlines flew 11.31 billion RPMs in April, up 4.5% over the year-ago period. Capacity increased 1.1% to 14.6 billion ASMs and load factor gained 2.5 points to 77.4%. For the four months ended April 30, RPMs climbed 6.1% to 43.55 billion, ASMs rose 0.7% to 57.35 billion and load factor jumped 3.9 points to 75.9%.
Lufthansa yesterday commenced its tender offer to holders of approximately 15% of Swiss International Air Lines stock. Major investors holding 85% of the airline already have agreed to the acquisition. LH offered the small shareholders CHF8.96 ($7.48) per share for their more than 8 million shares for a total cost of about €47 million ($60.8 million). The offer period runs through June 2. The purchase is being carried out via a holding company, AirTrust, which was set up to enable Lufthansa to take over Swiss in stages.
