Air Transport World

Turkish Airlines has committed to order 40 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, 10 737 MAX 9s and 20 737-800s as it continues its growth plans for single-aisle aircraft.

French publishing house Lagardère has sold its entire stake in European aerospace giant EADS.

Gogo and Thales are teaming up to offer a joint service as inflight connectivity and inflight entertainment (IFE) become more closely entwined.

SITA said the world’s airlines improved baggage handling in 2012 as the rate of mishandled bags dropped 1.8% compared to 2011.

Austral Líneas Aéreas, a subsidiary of Aerolíneas Argentina Group, has agreed to purchase two Embraer E-190s.

China Southern Airlines will continue to increase capacity in Australia and New Zealand over the next few years to further explore the market potential of its so-called “Canton route,” despite global economic uncertainties.

Austrian Airlines Group will cut a further 50 jobs as part of its €260 million ($337.8 million) restructuring program to slash 150 administrative positions announced at the end of last year, Austrian CEO Jaan Albrecht told ATW.

News from Travel Technology Update: Amadeus entered the airline passenger loyalty arena with the acquisition of Hitit Loyalty, a division of Istanbul, Turkey-based Hitit Computer Services.

Ryanair has opened bases at Eindhoven, Krakow and Zadar, bringing its total European network to 54 bases.

Turkish Airlines will add three additional full flight simulators at its Flight Training Center in Istanbul Ataturk, which “includes one Airbus A320, one Boeing 777-300ER and one 737NG simulator,” CEO Temel Kotil told ATW recently.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines has signed a letter of intent to wet lease four new ATR 72-600 aircraft for 36 months from Danish carrier Jet Time.

Ultra Electronics Airport Systems was selected to supply a suite of operations and information systems to Tocumen International Airport.

MRO News

Emirates will become a direct competitor to US and European airlines in the transatlantic market by launching daily Milan Malpensa-New York JFK flights from Oct. 1.

Lufthansa head of product management and airport passenger services, Joachim Schneider, is urging cabin suppliers to work more closely to provide greater integration.

Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic Airways formally filed an antitrust immunity application with the US Dept. of Transportation (DOT) for their joint venture (JV).

Airbus is demonstrating a mock-up of its wider A320 economy aisle seats at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg in the hope of attracting a launch customer for the seating variant.

United Parcel Service (UPS) has appealed the European Commission’s rejection of its €5.16 billion ($6.7 billion) bid to acquire TNT Express.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has reported its strongest passenger and cargo results for a first quarter.

Just one month after taking ownership of Stansted Airport, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has announced its first new airline customer.

Virgin Atlantic’s UK domestic operation, Little Red, has begun services between London Heathrow and Edinburgh.

Airbus started construction Monday on an A320 family manufacturing facility in Mobile, Ala., where it plans to begin assembling narrowbodies in 2015 for delivery starting in 2016.

Samoa Air, a scheduled and charter airline connecting the Islands of Samoa, has begun charging passengers fares based on their weight.

Global passenger numbers for February indicate that demand is accelerating on the back of stronger business confidence, particularly in emerging regions, according to IATA.

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