The carrier will also connect Chengdu to Colombo, Sri Lanka and has decided to increase its service between Beijing and Los Angeles to three flights daily, from the current two.
The airport’s owners, Heathrow Holdings, have developed a 10-point noise-reduction plan and hopes to cut down airport and aircraft noise by this summer.
Airbus slightly increased its aircraft output in 2014 as orders remained at a very high level. The manufacturer delivered 629 aircraft last year, three more than in 2013. It recorded net orders for 1,456 aircraft compared to 1,503 a year earlier.
Hong Kong-based lessor China Aircraft Leasing Company (CALC) has finalized an order from its previously announced commitment for 74 Airbus A320neos, 16 A320ceos and 10 A321ceos. The deal—first announced as a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in November—will take CALC’s total Airbus backlog to 140 A320-family aircraft. This is CALC’s first order for the A320neo. In 2012, CEO Mike Poon outlined plans to grow CALC’s fleet by 60-100 aircraft by 2015.
American and Allied Pilots Association (APA) leadership reached an agreement during marathon negotiating sessions which began in late December and ran into the new year.
The Athens-based airline will launch daily nonstop flights with Airbus A320s between Larnaca International Airport (LCA) and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport on March 29.
The plan—launched following the excursion of an American Airlines MD-82 at Little Rock, Arkansas in 1999—that spotlighted the risks of non-standard RSAs, has seen some $3 billion in airport-improvement program (AIP) funding.
Safety upgrades for how the ground handles distress reports from airliners flying in remote regions will be on the agenda for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) high-level safety conference next month in Montreal.
Singapore low-cost carrier (LCC) Scoot expects to take delivery of the first of its Boeing 787-9 orders in the second half of January, which will trigger the start of a rapid fleet-replacement program. After the formal handover in Seattle, the carrier is targeting Feb. 2 for the 787-9’s first arrival in Singapore, an airline spokeswoman says. The carrier plans to receive two additional 787s, and in turn phase out two of its Boeing 777-200ERs, by the end of March.
Southwest Airlines maintains the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) should reallocate one of United Airlines’ designations for service between Houston and San Jose del Cabo and Mexico City, arguing its service is more in the public interest than the regional jet flights operated by SkyWest on United’s behalf.
Analysts eyeing long-term ramifications of low oil prices on airline-fleet strategies see several potentially significant scenarios lining up, but most don’t expect any trend-altering shifts for another 6-12 months.
International Airlines Group (IAG) has once again been rebuffed by Aer Lingus, despite increasing its offer from €2.30 ($2.72) to €2.40 per share. “IAG notes recent press speculation and confirms it submitted a revised proposal to make an offer for Aer Lingus on Dec. 29, 2014, which has been rejected by the board of Aer Lingus,” IAG said in a stock market disclosure on Friday. It confirmed that it had made a second cash offer €2.40 per Aer Lingus share, “subject to certain pre-conditions”.
Traffic figures at International Airlines Group (IAG) and Air France-KLM diverged further in 2014, as IAG posted a strong 15% increase in passenger numbers while the Franco-Dutch group ended the year with just 0.2% growth. IAG carried about the same number of passengers as Air France-KLM in the 12 months ended Dec. 31. British Airways (BA), Iberia/Iberia Express and Vueling transported jointly 77.3 million passengers while Air France-KLM’s airlines carried 77.4 million passengers.
Philippine low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is due to argue its case next week regarding its application to start flights to Italy, while the airline is also waiting to hear what penalties may be imposed for a rash of delays over the Christmas period.
