Air India fired six pilots after members of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) went on an indefinite flash strike at midnight April 26, forcing the airline to cancel about 12% of its scheduled flights.
Denver International Airport has scrubbed a planned $22 million signature gateway bridge designed by architect Santiago Calatrava from its capital projects. Aviation Manager Kim Day says the outlay was “just not the best use of our capital.”
The National Mediation Board has authorized a union representation election for United Continental flight attendants, according to the unions that will vie for votes. Balloting instructions will be sent to about 24,600 attendants on May 17, and voting will close on June 29, the Association of Flight Attendants says. About 15,000 United attendants already are represented by the AFA. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers represents about 9,300 at Continental and another 270 at Continental Micronesia.
United Continental Holdings has converted its entire 2012 backlog for 19 Boeing 737s to the airframer’s -900ER variant. “The 737-900ER is the perfect airplane to replace older, less efficient aircraft because it has one of the lowest fuel burns per mile in our narrowbody fleet, and provides a superior passenger experience,” says United VP-Fleet Ron Baur.
The U.S. Transportation Department has granted Aeromexico authority to operate nonstop between Cancun International Airport and Miami International Airport. The carrier intends to inaugurate a “multiple daily” Boeing 737 service on July 4.
Pinnacle Airlines says it is being pushed into a first-quarter loss by $5.8 million in special charges related to the departure of its CEO, the implementation of a new pilot contract and severance costs associated with combining its three subsidiaries. The carrier, which will release financial results May 5, expects to report a per-share loss of 15 to 20 cents. Without the special items, its results would have fallen between a 1-cent loss and 4-cent profit per share, it says.
Copa Holdings will stop using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles to report its financial results in favor of international financial reporting standards, citing a desire to "allow for better comparisons of the company’s financial performance with other publicly traded airlines in the region.” This shift, implemented for the first quarter, requires increases to 2010 net profits and shareholder equity already reported issued using GAAP, although Copa notes these are purely an accounting procedure and do not affect its underlying operation or cash flows.
Hawaiian Airlines managed a narrow first-quarter profit, an improvement from the previous year’s first quarter and better than the airline’s expectations at the start of this year. The net profit for the quarter was $0.9 million, compared with a profit of $0.2 million for the first quarter of 2010. However, much of the improvement was due to mark-to-market gains in Hawaiian’s fuel hedging position. The first quarter saw an operating loss of $4.9 million, versus an operating profit of $5.6 million a year earlier.
Air Canada’s May 1 launch of Bombardier Q400 service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport will also mark a rebranding for the carrier’s feeder operations as it seeks to diversify its regional network.
U.S. airfreight operator Kalitta Air is seeking seven of the 28 all-cargo frequencies on offer in 2011 and 2012. In its filing with the U.S. Transportation Department, Kalitta asks for four of the 14 cargo frequencies being issued on Oct. 1, and three more in 2012’s allocation, which again are operational on Oct. 1.
Airbus’ new engine option (NEO) for the A320 family is not having an impact on Boeing’s customer base for the rival 737 and is not influencing the company’s decision on whether to build a successor or re-engine the existing airframe, says Boeing Chairman, President and CEO James McNerney. The company remains on schedule to deliver 20-40 787s and 747-8s this year after the first 747-8 Freighter is sent to Cargolux mid-year and 787 to All Nippon Airways in August.
Domestic flights of state-run Air India are likely to be disrupted beginning today as a section of pilots began an indefinite strike Tuesday demanding pay parity and better working conditions. The strike was called by the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which comprises about 800 pilots of the former Indian Airlines. According to Rishab Kapoor, general secretary of ICPA, the pilots were to go on strike at midnight local time on Tuesday.
International Lease Finance Corp. finalized its order for 100 Airbus A320NEO aircraft—the first of which it should receive in 2015—in a deal that includes both A320NEO and A321NEOs, giving the lessor flexibility in which model it takes. Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G geared turbofan engine will power at least 60 of the aircraft. Barry Eccleston, president and CEO of Airbus Americas, says the OEM plans to enter the aircraft into service in October 2015 and expects to receive 500 commitments for it before the Paris air show in June.
Delta Air Lines says it will park about 20 of its mainline aircraft over the next 18 months, including some of its international widebody aircraft, as the carrier continues to adjust its capacity plans for regions and routes where it has not been able to raise fares enough to keep pace with rising fuel costs. The airline says it has not yet decided which widebody aircraft will be affected.
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The U.S. Justice Department cleared the way for Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways to merge, closing its investigation into the acquisition without imposing any conditions on the deal. Southwest plans to close on the merger May 2. The department’s antitrust division said April 26 that it determined that the merger “is not likely to substantially lessen competition.”
High fuel costs may have pushed US Airways’ first-quarter losses beyond those recorded in the same period last year, but the carrier still remains confident a strong revenue environment and capacity discipline leave it “well positioned” for future gains.
India’s highest court has ordered private developers of the airports at Delhi and Mumbai to stop levying development fees on passengers. GMR Infrastructure Ltd. and GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd. operate two of India’s busiest airports. An airport development fee of 200 rupees ($4.50) and 1,200 rupees for domestic and international flights, respectively, was being levied on passengers embarking at New Delhi and Mumbai airports by the private developers.
Siberia Airlines, known by the diminutive S7, has introduced a mobile phone device ticketing system for airline seats as well as tickets on Aeroexpress, a train service between Moscow Domodedovo Airport and the city's Paveletsky railroad station.
Japan Airlines Group is trimming its domestic timetable to reflect the demand slowdown following the March 11 earthquake, and the carrier expects bookings to take a significant hit during the upcoming Golden Week holiday period. The domestic schedule adjustment was not a surprise, given that JAL earlier this month extended temporary reductions to its international network through May. In its most recent announcement, JAL says it is reducing frequencies on some domestic routes “as travel demand declined following the Great East Japan Earthquake.”
Thai Airways International will lease two Boeing aircraft from Jet Airways (India) Ltd. this year, says an official at the national carrier. “Thai’s board approved the short-term lease of two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from Jet Airways. The lease agreement will be valid for two years, with the aircraft to be delivered in October and November 2011,” the official says.
First-quarter growth of low-cost carrier traffic powered a 12.4% traffic increase at Aeroport Lyon-Saint Exupery in France to 1.86 million passengers. Budget airlines carried 409,436 passengers in the quarter, an increase of more than 29% from the previous first quarter. LCC traffic represented 22% of the market.
Vision Airlines plans more expansion in Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale in addition to its primary destination at Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Fla., airline CEO David Meers says, apparently undeterred by the major low-cost carrier presence at both airports.
