Lloyd Aereo Boliviano President Ernesto Asbun has decided to transfer to the workers 50% of his equity shares at no cost to them, and documentation was being prepared by the two parties to set up the legal framework for the transfer either to a "joint corporation or a cooperative," said acting CEO Carlos di Marchi this week.
US Airways won one of two remaining exemptions for the Phoenix-Cancun market. Sister carrier America West holds the other. US Air will use the authority to boost capacity in the market in September, as both carriers will fly and code share on the route (DAILY, April 28). US Air will fly the route with Airbus A319s, while America West will use Boeing 757s [OST-2006-24613].
The Thai government plans to waive landing fees at Phuket and Hatyai airports for international flights for one year as part of its effort to revive tourism in the south. Airports of Thailand (AOT), the government agency that manages the two international facilities expects to introduce the incentive on July 1. According to AOT President Chotisak Asapaviriya, airlines operating at PIA are currently charged only 50% of the existing rates.
Former NetJets president Bill Boisture is joining the Carlyle Group. The longtime business aviation executive has signed on as a senior adviser to the private equity giant's Aerospace & Defense team and will help identify attractive investments in the sector, Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle said yesterday. Boisture, an ex-Air Force fighter pilot, spent two years as the top executive at Columbus, Ohio-based Net- Jets, the world's largest fractional aircraft service provider, before resigning in January and forming his own consulting firm.
The number of passengers traveling through Miami International Airport (MIA) in April jumped 11% from the same period in 2005, according to statistics released by the Miami-Dade Aviation Dept.
Low-fare airline AirAsia will farm out some of the 96 domestic routes that it will inherit Aug. 1 from Malaysia Airlines to a new airline that is being set up.
AirBaltic plans to launch flights between Riga and the Russian city of Kaliningrad four times a week July 2. The airline is offering the flight in cooperation with Russian domestic carrier Pulkovo Airlines. AirBaltic plans to fly Fokker 50 planes on the flights scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Frankfurt airport operator Fraport said yesterday it might cut landing and handling charges this year. "We can't rule out that we might have to make concessions in the current negotiations over demands for a reduction in the charges," Fraport CEO Wilhelm Bender said at the company's annual meeting. The airport has fallen to the No. 3 position among European hubs behind London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, because it lacks capacity. A new runway is expected to be opened by 2009.
Rockwell Collins has closed on its purchase of Evans & Sutherland's military and commercial simulation business. The $71.5 million cash and debt acquisition includes simulation facilities in Salt Lake City, Orlando, and the U.K. that employ about 200 people. Rockwell Collins says the Evans & Sutherland operations will broaden its simulation capabilities and enable it to offer hardware and software to create highly realistic visual images for simulation, training, engineering and other applications.
Star Alliance partners TAP Portugal and Thai Airways yesterday inked a code-share deal on some flights between the two countries. The code share is set to start June 15, and both Thai and TAP will market each other's flights connecting Lisbon and Bangkok via select European points. "Eight years after having discontinued our own operations to Bangkok, it is with great pleasure that we at TAP reinstate Bangkok as a destination in Asia, in cooperation with Thai," said José Guedes Dias, TAP VP-international relations and alliances. -SL
Qantas' low-fare domestic subsidiary Jetstar could meet its target of launching international flights later this year after Australia's competition watchdog gave temporary approval for Qantas and Orangestar Investments -- now the parent of Jetstar Asia and Valuair -- to coordinate flights . Qantas asked permission from Australia's Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to coordinate with Orangestar on network and scheduling, sales and marketing, pricing and other activities.
Locating Mesa Air's Go operation in Honolulu International Airport's Commuter Terminal would cause safety problems, inconvenience passengers and incur substantial costs despite assurances from Hawaii's DOT to the contrary, claimed attorneys for Pacific Wings May 24 in a rebuttal of claims made by HDOT in response to a request for information from FAA.
Amman's Queen Alia Airport plans to use common use self-service check-in units and industry standard, bar-coded boarding passes, under a new agreement between IATA, Royal Jordanian and the Jordanian Civil Aviation Authority.
A bankruptcy court judge was expected yesterday afternoon to rubber-stamp Delta's new pilot concession deal, after the airline gained approval from both its pilots union and a group of retired pilots who had previously opposed the concession agreement.
GOL secured a loan from Brazil's National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES) for BRL$75.7 million (US$34 million). The interest rate of the six-year loan is 2.65%. GOL plans to use the funds for construction of its new maintenance center at Confins International Airport.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) took delivery of its first ATR 42-500 aircraft, the first seven planes the airline has on order. The airline's delivery schedule calls for two more planes arriving at PIA in November and December, and four additional planes in May 2007. PIA specially designed the 50-seat planes with ten "Economic Plus" seats.
Air France said it will invest "over EUR1 billion" in the gradual entry of seven Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on routes between Paris Orly and France's overseas departments in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean.
Frontier CEO Jeff Potter says the airline is "keeping its fingers crossed" about winning regulatory approval to launch flights from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The airline flies to seven cities in Mexico.
Jet Airways starting today will launch what it claims is India's first domestic kiosk check-in facility. Kiosk check-in enables domestic passengers carrying only hand baggage to proceed directly for security check. "Kiosk Check-in facility will open immense opportunities and benefits for Jet Airways' frequent flyers," said Gaurang Shetty, VP-marketing.
Air Canada Technical Services (ACTS) Executive VP Airframe Maintenance Mark Swearingin left the MRO to pursue other interests. VP Components and Engine Maintenance Ron Elvidge is taking on Sweringin's responsibilities on an interim basis. Jim Andrews joins ACTS June 12 as Director of its Engine Maintenance Center (EMC). Andrews was previously with Rolls-Royce Canada.
Thai Airways on Friday signed a reciprocal ground handling deal with Cathay Pacific Airways for work in Bangkok and Hong Kong. As part of the three-year agreement, Thai will be provide ground-handling services to Cathay Pacific at Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport and Cathay Pacific Airways will provide services to Thai at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok Airport. The two will provide ground customer services and support equipment service. The two carriers also will give each cargo handling and storage services, as well as catering for each other's flights.
