WestJet will not make an announcement on which international markets it will serve with its four used Boeing 767s until early this summer, but CEO Gregg Saretsky told Aviation Daily the airline is evaluating some unusual markets for a low-cost carrier (LCC), such as Beijing and Shanghai (Aviation Daily, Feb. 19).
While Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is interested in trimming its long-haul fleet, it appears that Turkish Airlines will not be taking any of that carrier’s Airbus A380s for now.
Global air freight volumes grew 4.7% year-over-year (YOY) in 2014, up 3.7 points from 2013, as approximately 71 million metric tons of cargo were shipped by air—an increase of 4 million metric tons from 2013, preliminary data from Airports Council International (ACI) show. Worldwide air passenger traffic was up 5.1% YOY for the year, up 1.2 points from 2013, as ACI’s member-airports calculated approximately 4.5 billion departing and arriving passengers in 2014—an increase of approximately 218 million passengers over 2013.
Qatar Airways’ shareholding in International Airlines Group (IAG) could lead to the joint procurement of aircraft, engines and maintenance, IAG CEO WIllie Walsh has said.
KLM’s Boeing 787-9s will be configured with 294 seats in a three-class layout with 30 full-flat seats in business class, 48 seats in premium economy and 216 economy seats in a 3-3-3 layout, the carrier has revealed.
AAR’s sale of its Telair cargo manufacturing businesses to TransDigm and revelation that its Precision Manufacturing division is for sale signal the company’s intention to focus on its growing aviation-services businesses.
Philippine low-cost carriers (LCCs) are pushing for rights to add more flights to Singapore, after the two countries reached a new air services agreement last month.
Virgin Australia is deploying its Airbus A330s on an international route for the first time, and is also introducing the aircraft on its busiest routes in Australia’s east-coast corridor.
The larger version of Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft, the CS300, reached an altitude of 41,000 ft. and a speed of 255 knots (470 kph) during its first flight.
The airline, a joint venture between India’s Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines Ltd, now has five Airbus A320s in its fleet. It plans to add six aircraft by April, and gradually increase to nine by the end of this year, Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh.
With Wright Amendment restrictions in the rear-view mirror, Southwest Airlines has added daily flights from Dallas Love Field to eight more airports, bringing to 50 the number of destinations Southwest will serve from its home base. Southwest said the eight additional destinations are made possible by a deal between Southwest and United Airlines, under which the former is subleasing two Love Field gates from the latter. The arrangement gives Southwest control of 18 of Love Field’s 20 gates; it directly leases 16 gates.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] . (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Feb. 24-Mar. 1 —Avalon 2015, Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defense Exposition, www.airshow.com.au/airshow2015/index.asp
/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/uploads/2015/02/avd_02_27_2015_fuelw.pdf Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint)* As of February 25, 2015, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev. year NY Jet Barges 189.59 1.48 -118.47 Chicago Jet 196.06 8.2 -110.25 West Coast (LA) Jet 179.93 -3.17 -119.12 Europe: Rotterdam Jet (Barges) 174.24 -9.02 -121.26
In a sign of the increasing maturity of Bombardier’s CSeries airliner, the first test aircraft for the stretched, 135-seat CS300 variant flew for about 5 hours on its first flight from Mirabel, near Montreal, on Feb. 27.
Lessors are reporting more demand for older aircraft but see no evidence that airlines are changing their minds about new-generation models they have lined up for either expansion or replacement.
International Airlines Group (IAG) has demonstrated it is possible to turn a struggling European legacy airline around, as Iberia reported a €50 million ($55.9 million) operating profit for 2014, reversing years of losses, and achieved a 1.5% operating margin.
Mexican ultra-low-cost-carrier (ULCC) Volaris attributes much of its fourth-quarter and full-year success to the growth of ancillary revenues, which now account for 21% of total operating revenues.
