Aegean Airlines has signed a definitive agreement with the Marfin Investment Group for the acquisition of Olympic Air, which now will operate as a subsidiary of Aegean Airlines. The European Commission (EC) approved the purchase on Oct. 9, due to Olympic’s poor financial position. The two Greek airlines originally had agreed on a merger in 2010, but this was blocked by the EC on competition grounds. The transfer of 100% of Olympic Air’s shares was completed on Oct. 23, Aegean says.
Initial test results of the Passport turbofan and its unusual one-piece blisked fan are on track and augur well for next year’s fast-paced development and certification phase, says General Electric (GE). The 16,500-pounds-thrust engine is expected to complete certification in 2015 and enter service on Bombardier’s new Global 7000 and 8000 ultra-long-range corporate jets in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Extra costs associated with the late delivery of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft and the technical issues with one of them have “significantly” affected Norwegian Air Shuttle’s results for the third quarter, the airline says. Net profit for the three months to Sept. 30 fell 31%, to NOK435.9 million ($73.9 million) from NOK628 million in the prior-year period.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of October 23, 2013, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
A disappointed United Airlines management team says a poorly calibrated revenue management system, sub-optimal use of the fleet and pressure on Pacific yields, particularly in China, depressed the carrier’s third-quarter financial performance, and that efforts already have started to increase revenue and control costs.
Ryanair, reacting quickly to last week’s decision by the Irish government to abolish its air travel tax, has announced it will open eight new routes from Shannon Airport in April, which it says will increase its annual passenger traffic to 750,000 from 450,000. The new routes to France, Germany, Poland, Portugal and Spain are in addition to the 10 routes the low-cost carrier serves from the airport.
Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Gary Kelly is confident the “very good revenue momentum” that produced a record third-quarter profit will continue into 2014, a year that should not see any capacity growth for the carrier.
The FAA’s temporary shutdown combined with sequestration is increasing pressure on the agency to do “more with less,” and should jump-start serious conversations about how to establish stable funding for the agency, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said yesterday. The agency is “gearing back up” following the 16-day shutdown, and “it will take time to assess the backlog of work that developed,” Huerta noted during an Aero Club of Washington event.
This month’s partial FAA shutdown halted the certification progress of Allegiant Air’s recently acquired Airbus A320 fleet at a critical time, forcing the carrier to push back introduction of its newest Airbus models from November to December, and possibly longer. “Late in the second week of the shutdown, we executed a backup plan, which now assumes no A320 aircraft in service during the entire month of November,” Andrew, Levy, president of parent company Allegiant Air Travel, said Oct. 23 during a third-quarter earnings call.
StandardAero is continuing to “pursue [its] own strategies” after talks collapsed over a possible merger with BBA, says new CEO Russell Ford, but it is open to other partnerships.
The owners of London’s Heathrow Airport are set to introduce new procedures which could help the facility recover more quickly from incidents and disruptions. A series of experiments known as the Operational Freedoms trials—which ran in two phases, from November 2011 to February 2012 and then from July 2012 to February 2013—have helped to demonstrate and prove measures giving the airport a better understanding of how to speed up recovery of flight operations in the event of a major disruptive incident.
Jet Aviation is introducing an Airbus ACJ318 to its managed fleet in the U.S. The U.S.-registered aircraft will be operated by Jet Aviation Flight Services’ West Coast team and based at Van Nuys, Calif. When the ACJ is added to Jet Aviation Flight Services’ FAR Part 135 aircraft operator’s certificate (AOC) later this year, or in early 2014, it will become the first ACJ318 in the U.S. and the only VVIP ACJ available in the country for charter.
Click here to view the pdf A4A Monthly Cargo Yield, September 2013 A4A Monthly Cargo Yield, September 2013 Domestic International System September 2013 74.5 35.1 41.8
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) and Beechcraft are combining forces to forge a total tip-to-tail airframe and propulsion support package for the potential fleet of up to 100-plus King Air 350i aircraft ordered by start-up charter and business aircraft services company Wheels Up.
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Solyom Hungarian Airways has been shuttered before commencing revenue service, and the airline’s only aircraft, a leased Boeing 737-500, has been parked after funding from potential investors from the Middle East failed to materialize. The airline also encountered problems with obtaining the necessary operating licenses from Hungary’s National Transport Authority.
US Airways expects to increase capacity 3-4% in 2014, roughly the same rate as this year, but without any change to its fleet count. The growth plan maintains US Airways’ previous capacity strategy by upgauging older aircraft with larger Airbus A321s and A330s and, according to statements made yesterday by Chairman and CEO Doug Parker during the airline’s third-quarter earnings call, will continue to focus on increasing the airline’s presence in profitable markets.
A welcome improvement in Hawaiian Airlines’ U.S. mainland markets is helping to offset challenges on its new international routes, where unfavorable currency exchange rates are dampening results.
Eirtech Aviation’s time-saving fix for a global Boeing 737 mandate is winning the Shannon, Ireland-based maintenance provider a who’s who of 737 operators as clients, led by two of North America’s most visible Boeing narrowbody airline customers.
