Air Transport World

Austrian Airlines Group has phased out its final Boeing 737-800 as part of its restructuring process to eliminate the brand Lauda Air.

United Airlines fleet service, passenger service and storekeeper employees rejected tentative labor agreements reached with airline management in February.

The official opening of Qatar’s new $15 billion Doha Hamad International Airport, which was set to open April 1, was postponed just hours before the first aircraft was due to touch down.

LOT Polish Airlines has taken an Airbus A330 on wet lease from Portuguese lessor Hi Fly as an interim measure during the Boeing 787 grounding.

India’s domestic air traffic has remained stagnant through the first two months of the year despite discounting by airlines.

Small Planet Airlines, an independent charter company, announced a buyout of 99.5% of Small Planet Airlines UAB (Lithuania) and Small Planet Airlines Sp. Z o.o. (Poland) shares from Lithuania-based Avia Solutions Group.

The new EADS board of directors elected Denis Ranque as chairman and reappointed Tom Enders as CEO at its first formal meeting.

Russia and Finland authorities have agreed to designate second carriers on the Moscow-Helsinki route.

Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines have formally joined Lufthansa’s joint venture with Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA).

Pilot Training Network GmbH, a subsidiary of Lufthansa Flight Training GmbH, will train 100 young pilot cadets for Turkish Airlines.

Airline News

The US Supreme Court denied a petition by low-cost carriers asking the court to reject a regulation requiring that taxes be displayed as part of the fare price in advertising.

Boeing operated a 787 test flight Monday, though it was unrelated to the battery issue that has grounded the worldwide Dreamliner fleet.

A new opening date for the much-delayed Berlin Brandenburg Airport is expected to be announced in June.

American Airlines and Orbitz Worldwide reached an agreement to end their legal dispute.

Air China has reported a 2012 net profit of CNY4.95 billion ($788 million), down 33.8% compared to CNY7.5 billion in 2011, according to a filing released by the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Transaero Airlines plans to develop its presence at Moscow Vnukovo Airport, a year after launching operations at the base.

The Boeing Company’s previously announced plan to consolidate flight training and certain operations from Seattle to the Boeing Flight Services training campus in Miami will affect approximately 38 positions.

Air France-KLM has hit the upper target of its convertible bonds private placement, putting it on track to raise €550 million ($714 million) for fleet and debt financing.

Israeli carrier El Al is to receive more than $190 million in financing from the US Export-Import Bank to help support its Boeing 737-900ER acquisition.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) of Australia suspended regional charter operator Barrier Aviation following a “comprehensive investigation of a wide range of critical safety issues relating to aircraft maintenance.”

People

Briefs from the April 1, 2013 issue of ATW's Skypaths

Five years ago, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines signaled the start of a new era for the troubled US airline industry, which was then mired in the aftermath of a string of Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructurings and years of huge financial losses. Delta alone incurred a $10 billion net loss in just one 24-month period (2005-2006).

All Nippon Airways (ANA) said it continues to assume the Boeing 787 will be grounded through the end of May, but it has yet not decided how it will handle 787-designated routes from June 1.