Troubled Japanese domestic carrier Skymark Airlines is preparing to cut its remaining flights from Tokyo’s Narita Airport, as it looks for ways to reduce costs.
Brussels Airlines has closed its crew base in Monrovia, Liberia on Friday but it is maintaining its flight schedule to West African countries affected by the Ebola epidemic. The carrier, which is 45% owned by Lufthansa, said it decided to move the crew base to Dakar, Ivory Coast in response to concerns of its flight crew to overnight in a hotel in Monrovia. “Our pilots and flight attendants were increasingly uncomfortable with staying in a hotel in Liberia, hence this preventive measure,” a spokeswoman said.
FAA has scaled back its latest revamp of the repair station regulations, eliminating a proposed new ratings system and several other significant changes that drew fire from industry following the draft rule’s release.
SYDNEY—Australian officials are continuing to push for greater air services liberalization in key markets in Asia and Europe, but in many cases are being rebuffed in their efforts to reopen talks. Increased freedom in the Australia-China market is a major objective of the government, Australian Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development Secretary Mike Mrdak said at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit in Sydney. The government’s long-standing policy is to pursue the end objective of full open skies with China, he says.
Copa Airlines repatriated $43 million of the $528 million it has trapped in Venezuela in June, but the carrier plans to reduce its exposure to the bolivar further by reducing capacity to the country by another 10%.
Shrinking yields and traffic that out-paces capacity growth aren’t necessarily positive trends for airlines, but at Air Canada, they are indications that the company’s drive to sustained profitability is progressing.
Etihad Airways has secured another foothold in Europe and signed the long-awaited deal that will see it take a 49% shareholding in Alitalia, acquire the struggling Italian carrier’s London Heathrow slots and purchase a stake of the Alitalia loyalty program. As such, the deal mirrors the format that Etihad applied with other equity partners, such as Jet Airways and Air Berlin.
Singapore-based low-cost carrier Scoot expects to soon receive regulatory approval for a closer partnership with Tigerair, and for a joint-venture airline it is setting up in Thailand with Nok Air. Thai authorities are close to giving the green light for the NokScoot long-haul LCC joint venture, says Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson at the annual CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit in Sydney. The two certificates needed are either in hand or imminent, he says.
/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/uploads/2014/08/avd_08_08_2014_cht2.pdf U.S Airline Employees - May 2014 Top 10 Airlines Ranked by Number of Full-Time Equivalent Employees* Rank Airline Total FTE Employees Carrier Group** Top 10 Airlines May 2013 1 United (UA) 80,500 Network United (UA) 2 Delta (DL) 75,720 Network Delta (DL) 3 American (AA) 59,747 Network American (AA) 4 Southwest (WN) 45,342 Low-Cost Southwest (WN)
/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/uploads/2014/08/avd_08_07_2014_dataww.pdf Data Watch: Domestic Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines Passenger numbers in millions (000,000) 2012 2013 2012-2013 Pct. Change 2014 2013-2014 Pct. Change January 47.1 47.8 1.6 47.9 0.3 February 46.4 45.7 -1.4 45.5 -0.5 March 56.2 56.6 0.6 57.7 2.1 April 53.7 53.2 -0.9 54.8 3.0 May 55.7 56.6 1.5 June 57.9 58.0 0.1 July 59.7 59.3 -0.6
