At least a few Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) slot pairs destined for new ownership as part of the American Airlines/US Airways merger may still be up for grabs, and if so, WestJet—shut out of the bid process so far—is interested. Ten slots remain unaccounted for from a set of 104 at DCA and 34 more at New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) that American is being forced to sell as part of its merger. Some of them may already be sold to unannounced winners, but indications are that at least a pair are still available.
Bombardier continues to sign up smaller orders for the Q400 regional turboprop as it works to finalize an agreement to assemble the aircraft in Russia. The latest deal is with Middle East lessor Palma Holding, which has firmed up a letter of intent (LOI) signed in November for four aircraft to be leased to existing Q400 operator Ethiopian Airlines.
Lockheed Martin is in talks with a launch customer for certification and production of a commercial version of the C-130J Hercules military airlifter. The LM-100J is intended to replace aging L-100 commercial Hercules aircraft now in civilian operation.
Following what the airline describes as overly high costs and low yields, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plans to stop flying its Kuala Lumpur-Los Angeles route. The move, effective from April 30, is described as “route rationalization” by the airline’s CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya. He says the route is no longer economically viable, and he pins the blame on over-capacity and competition, plus high operational costs for the Boeing 777 service.
Air France has launched initial studies into how to retrofit its Airbus A380 with its newly unveiled business-class cabin, but the effort is unlikely to be launched this year. The airline decided to introduce the product on its largest aircraft after having initially put it on the 777 fleet, but the timing is unsettled and the latest seats may never be installed on other aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A340, which are to be retired in the medium term.
FedEx plans to finish installing an active fire-suppression system in the “Class E” cargo space on the main decks of its long-haul, over-ocean fleet by August. The patented system, built by Ventura Aerospace, is already installed on FedEx’s 64 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighters and on 14 of its Boeing 777 freighters, with 11 more 777s to complete.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Doha - Dubai, January 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Doha - Dubai, January 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way Departures Share ASKs (000) Share Seats/Dept.
Thai Airways plans to operate its first Boeing 787-8 on its Bangkok-Perth route in July, and the carrier will likely select Tokyo as its second route for the new aircraft.
Malaysia-based AirAsia X’s Thai joint venture recieved its air operator’s certificate (AOC), clearing the way for it to launch operation. It’s another major regulatory milestone AirAsia X’s efforts to set up its first two offshore joint venture affiliates, in Thailand and Indonesia. Thai AirAsia X got its Air Operator’s License in October. It plans to begin service from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport with two Airbus A330s, but has not set a date for its first flights.
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Struggling to replace the declining aftermarket revenue from a shrinking Fokker fleet, Fokker Services (FS) will cut about 20% of its staff as part of a restructuring effort aimed at reversing the unit’s declining revenue trend. After showing no growth in 2012, FS — the aftermarket arm of Fokker Technologies — saw revenue decline 8% in 2013 to €202 million ($299 million), the unit reported Feb. 3. While the company is rolling out non-Fokker support services, the new work isn’t coming quickly enough to keep revenues from sliding.
American Airlines later this month will take delivery a Boeing 737NG factory-equipped with a new Rockwell Collins weather radar that distinguishes between “ride quality” and severe turbulence, a first in the industry. American is the launch customer for the ThreatTrack radar, which Boeing recently certified on the 737NG. All of American’s new 737NGs will be delivered with the upgraded radar.
Jetstar Airways is introducing Boeing 787s on more routes between Australia and Southeast Asia leisure destinations as it begins the process of phasing out its Airbus A330 fleet. The airline has announced plans to operate the 787 on some of its flights between Melbourne and Phuket, Thailand, beginning Feb. 9, which will be its fourth route using that model. The carrier introduced the 787 on routes from Melbourne and Sydney to Bali in December and January, respectively, and on its Sydney-Phuket route on Feb. 3.
Flybe Group will ground 10 aircraft from April onwards and a further four aircraft by the end of the summer as part of its restructuring drive, which looks to be starting to deliver results. Its UK regional airline division saw a 2.3% increase in passenger revenue per seat to £48.46 in the third quarter of its current fiscal year and cost per seat (excluding fuel and restructuring costs) fell 5.2% to £41.58.
Sabreliner Corporation’s business leaned heavily on military contracts that disappeared during sequestration, forcing the company into default on its bank loan and leading to the bank’s sale of the company to an investment firm.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Jeddah-Riyadh, January 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Jeddah-Riyadh, January 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way
Despite posting a third-quarter loss, lower pricing stimulated Ryanair's traffic across all markets resulting in 6% passenger growth to 18.3 million in the quarter, plus 1% higher load factor. After dropping its full-year traffic target forecast in September, the low-cost carrier has now restored its estimate of carrying 81.5 million passengers in its current fiscal year. (See full story page 3)
Lufthansa Monday demanded that the European Commission intervene in Etihad Airway’s plans to pick up a large minority stake in Alitalia, citing the need to prevent indirect subsidies flowing into European airlines. “We are against recurring subsidies and partial renationalization of European airlines, no matter whether it comes from European or non-EU states or state-owned entities,” a Lufthansa official said.
Norway’s aviation accident investigation board (SHT) says mobile phones did not likely play a role in the 1988 crash of a Wideroe Dash-7 on approach to Bronnoysund airport.
