Air Transport World

TAM Airlines’ first Airbus A350 XWB has taken off on its maiden flight from Toulouse International Airport in France.

Air France-KLM has confirmed its low-cost carrier (LCC) Transavia will open a new European base in Munich from March 2016.

Aegean Airlines reported 2015 nine-month net profit of €81.9 million ($92.1 million), up 4.2% from €78.6 million in the year-ago period.

Malaysian low-cost carrier parent group AirAsia Berhad reported a net profit of MYR160.4 million ($35.9 million) for the 2015 third quarter.

Polish maintenance firm Linetech has acquired 100% of Adria Airways Tehnika (AAT) from the Slovenian government.

Finnair completed the sale of 60% of Nordic Regional Airlines (Norra) to human resources specialist StaffPoint Holding and investment company Kilco.

Hawaiian Airlines will operate daily flights between Honolulu and Tokyo Narita Airport starting July 22, 2016.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has granted American Airlines a 60-day extension for its Los Angeles-Tokyo Haneda service, and has taken the unusual step of naming Hawaiian Airlines’ proposed Kona-Haneda route as a back-up if American does not fulfill the terms of the initial award.

Russia’s Aeroflot Group has reported a net profit of RUB1.83 billion ($27.7 million) for the nine-month period to Sept. 30, reversed from a net loss of RUB 3.56 billion in the year-ago period.

European carriers should focus on adopting some of the good practices of the Gulf “Big Three” carriers rather than complaining about them, Brussels Airlines CEO Bernard Gustin said.

Turkish Airlines has converted options on 10 Boeing 737-8 MAX and 20 Airbus A321neo aircraft, spokesperson Ali Genc confirmed to ATW in Istanbul.

The fatal crash of Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501 in December 2014 was precipitated by a fault in the aircraft's rudder warning systems, according to a report just released by the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC).

Worldwide airlines ranked by available reported year-to-date 2015 Passenger Load Factor, high-to-low.

Top 30 Airlines, calculated and ranked by available reported RPK figures, year-to-date 2015

For 112 commercial airlines and airline groups worldwide, year-to-date passenger traffic, RPKs, load factors, and FTKs

Airline Routes-Nov. 30, 2015

Many factors are involved as A&D companies move to support customers in new geographies. Once a contract is won, A&D companies need to determine how best to establish operations and build the infrastructure to support the new business.

Turkish Airlines has made six changes to its processes and procedures following the March 4 excursion by an Airbus A330-300 landing at the Tribhuvan airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, after a flawed non-precision instrument approach in fog and deteriorating visibility.

Ryanair has struck a new five-year pay deal, spanning pilots across its network of 76 bases, and is now working to secure a cabin crew deal.

Arabic graffiti has been found on both EasyJet and Vueling aircraft, prompting security checks at both airlines.

Malaysian low-cost carrier (LCC) Malindo Air plans to start services from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) in December.

Russia’s Tyumen parliament has agreed to budget amendments of RUB4.289 billion ($64.8 million) for a capital contribution to UTair Airline as part of a plan to bail out the struggling carrier.

Russia has banned charter flights between Russia and Turkey, as part of economic sanctions announced Nov. 28 due to increased tensions between the two countries after the downing of a Russian fighter jet over Syria by Turkey.

Bahamas flag carrier Bahamasair has taken delivery of its first ATR 72-600 from an order for two 70-seat ATR 72-600s and three 50-seat ATR 42-600s at the Paris Air Show.

Low-cost, long-haul carrier Norwegian has seen no movement in its stalemate with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) over a license for its proposed transatlantic flights.