Pratt & Whitney signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to offer the PW6000 engine on the Airbus A318 Elite. The A318 Elite is a corporate jet version of the A318 and the latest member of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner family. The PW6000 engine offers a thrust range of 18,000 pounds to 24,000 pounds.
American will let its exemptions for mainline flights from Fort Lauderdale to Caracas and American Eagle's San Juan-Caracas service expire, the airline told the U.S. Dept. of Transportation last week. The carrier also will not renew the U.S.-Pakistan exemption it won for code sharing with Swiss, since Swiss no longer operates the flights [OST-2001-10745, OST-2001-10128, OST-2000-7552].
ExpressJet is aggressively pursuing opportunities to place 69 planes Continental plans to return to its regional partner eight months from now, and sees more potential for the planes in international markets. In December, Continental said it wanted to bid that flying out to other regional carriers after the airline failed to reach a deal with ExpressJet for a reduction in rates.
Korean Air next week plans to start issuing amenity kits for all economy-class passengers as the carrier tries to differentiate itself and boost its inflight product.
FedEx yesterday announced that it has signed a deal to buy the express business of its Chinese partner DTW Group for $400 million. Under the deal, FedEx acquired DTW's 50% stake in a FedEx/DTW joint venture to provide international express services in China. FedEx also will take over DTW's domestic express network in China, which comprises 89 locations.
IATA yesterday lambasted the French government after Transport Minister Dominique Perben approved a 5% annual increase in airport charges at Paris Charles de Gaulle for the next five years.
United parent UAL Corp. yesterday decided to list its new stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market, trading under the ticker symbol "UAUA," beginning in early February.
Kingfisher unveiled plans to launch service on several new routes next week as part of its aggressive expansion plan. Starting Jan. 30, the carrier will start daily flights from Delhi to Kolkata. It also will offer three weekly flights from Kolkata to Ahmedabad and four weekly services on the Kolkata-Jaipur route. On the same day, Kingfisher will start three weekly flights from Ahmedabad to Goa. With the launch of these new routes, Kingfisher will operate 10,000 seats across 15 key Indian destinations.
Wildcat strikes continued at SAS and Alitalia (DAILY, Jan. 24), causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Alitalia yesterday was forced to scrap some 250 services, like the day before, as workers continue to oppose the company's restructuring. Italian press reported the state prosecutor, whose jurisdiction includes Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport, was investigating the stoppage, with a view to possible legal action against strikers for breaching Italian legislation on the preservation of public service during protests.
Thai Airways International last week filed an exemption to operate scheduled direct or third-country passenger and cargo service, as well as charter operations, to the U.S. The carrier is taking advantage of the open-skies agreement concluded between the two countries last year (DAILY, Sept. 20, 2005). The company already possessed permits and exemptions to operate to certain points in the U.S. [OST-2006-23693]. -ARS
Northwest yesterday became the first major U.S. carrier to renew its full-content agreement with Sabre by signing a five-year deal at the same time that both companies decided to drop lawsuits filed against each other in 2004.
AirTran's profits fell 77% in 2005, and the carrier posted a small loss for the fourth quarter, but capacity reductions in 2006, coupled with robust fares, should lead to strong improvements in revenue. The airline's profits in 2005 totaled $2.7 million, compared with $12.5 million in 2004. The fourth-quarter loss was $364,000 versus a $1 million profit for the last three months of 2004.
If airline planners think they've run out of possible growth markets around the world, they clearly haven't checked Uganda, Swaziland and Belarus. While these countries may not be big tourist or business destinations, a new analysis of world markets by The DAILY and partner Eclat Consulting shows there are dozens of nations that have high potential for demand growth but limited air service.
SR Technics reached a deal with the Shanghai Foreign Aviation Service Corporation to form a joint venture -- Shanghai SR Aircraft Technics. In April, the new company plans to offer line maintenance, technical training consulting and other services at Shanghai International Airport.
Spanair parent SAS Group found accounting errors in a recent audit of the last three years' information, but the restatement should not change the airline's overall outlook. SAS's internal and external auditors have evaluated the errors, which imply that certain revenues and expenses have not been accounted correctly. "The SAS Group has not suffered any economical loss/damage as a result of the accounting errors." According to the new accounting rules, these differences must be corrected retro-
Delta plans to relaunch service from New York LaGuardia to Dallas/Fort Worth after more than a year suspension as part of its strategy to boost capacity on key business routes from New York.
British Airways franchise partner BMED last week took delivery of the first of seven Airbus A321s on order, as part of an expansion that will lead to a doubling of its fleet in five years.
Northwest reached a tentative agreement with its ground workers on a contract settlement deal that would cut wages 11.5%, but the union claims it was able to save hundreds of jobs. Officials from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 143 late Friday reported that it finished "the most difficult bargaining in the history of Northwest," but it praised negotiators for convincing management that it was willing to strike to protect jobs as it forced management to "back off many of their demands."
Taipei-based China Airlines sealed a deal to acquire a 25% stake in Chinese cargo carrier Yangtze River Express Airlines (DAILY, Dec. 12) after winning approval from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China. China Airlines, which paid US$68.8 million for the stake, is the largest foreign shareholder in Yangtze. The other partners in Yangtze are Yang Ming Marine (12%), Wan Hai Lines (6%), China Container Express Lines (6%) and Hainan's municipal government (51%).
SAS was forced to cancel nearly all its European services from Copenhagen yesterday because of a wildcat strike by pilots. Late in the afternoon, some 270 flights, both inbound and outbound, were scrapped, a company spokesman said. SAS said the strike was illegal and unacceptable and would cost the company between DKK15 million-DKK20 million (US$2.5 million-US$3.3 million). Union sources said that some 150 Danish pilots went on strike.
Delta's code will appear on Air France flights to Pisa, as runway construction will temporarily close the airport at Florence. The carriers want the U.S. Transportation Dept. to waive the 30-day advance notice requirement for added code sharing because they plan to enact the code share on Feb. 2, when the construction is expected to start [OST-200-6939]. Airport operator Aeroporto di Firenze expects the runway work will be completed before the end of May, in time for the high tourist season. Air France, Alitalia and Lufthansa (DAILY, Jan.
