EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou said yesterday that he wouldn't consider selling his stock in the airline until the share price increases further. "I still think the stock has more potential," Haji-Ioannou said. He and his family own a controlling share in the airline.
When the final count is in, Airbus's and Boeing's 2005 order books will be almost identical, claims EADS Co-CEO and former Airbus chief Noel Forgeard. Like its U.S. rival, Airbus had a record year, Forgeard says, and there will be little difference when it reveals its order numbers next year and compares them with the 1,002 net orders Boeing booked. A recent Credit Suisse First Boston report notes, though, that Boeing has the financial edge because it far outsold Airbus in the high-margin sector, while Airbus leads in the single-aisle realm.
The government of Costa Rica is working with management at Santamaria and Daniel Oduber airports to prepare for the high tourist season -- December through April -- by upgrading facilities to help handle the increased traffic.
Airlines as of Sunday canceled 30% to 40% of flights at Maiquetia Simon Bolivar Airport, following last week's collapse of a bridge that closed down the only viable overland connection between Caracas and Venezuela's largest airport and seaports. The collapse of Viaduct 1 closed down a section of the four-lane expressway between Caracas and Maiquetia. President Hugo Chavez said it would take 15 months and investments of some $140 million to build an alternate viaduct.
United's yesterday received ratings from Standard & Poor's and Moody's, which management said were higher than those of many of its competitors due to its three-year restructuring.
JetBlue reports a dismal 63.6% on-time arrival performance for December, which will likely drop its full-year 2005 average to about 70% or below. The carrier has an annual on-time goal of 83%. Plagued by weather disruptions, airport congestion and the launch of the Embraer 190, it is considering changing block times to reflect expected delays. Separately, JetBlue plans to launch a second daily flight between JFK and New Orleans on Jan. 12, continuing to be the only carrier offering nonstop service between the two points, the airline said.
Virgin Atlantic last week signed a 15-year lease deal to move the airline's U.S. headquarters from Norwalk to a smaller space in Stamford, Conn., becoming the first tenant in a newly renovated building.
FAA recorded an abnormally low number of flight delays this weekend, and there were no ground delay programs imposed at any airport. Total delays nationwide were only 875 for Friday through Sunday, and Saturday's 93 delays were the lowest daily total recorded in years, FAA said. En route traffic was down about 5%, and the top 45 airports saw traffic down by 7%.
Aerocondor Airlines, which created a profitable niche flying tourists in Cessna and Beech aircraft over the Nazca Plains south of Lima, has set its sights on international flying to Buenos Aires and Cordova, Argentina, and Miami pending government approval. The airline last year carried 125,000 tourists, mainly from Europe, the U.S. and China, and says traffic has increased steadily at 20% a year.
Midwest Airlines plans to add one weekend flight on its Milwaukee-Orlando route for about two months to meet demand during the peak spring travel period. The carrier will offer one additional roundtrip every Saturday from March 4 through April 29. With the added service, Midwest will offer 22 nonstop roundtrip flights each week on the route, which is more than any other airline on the route. Midwest offers both traditional signature service, as well as its higher capacity saver service between the two cities. -SL
Peru's state-owned and -operated airline TANS continues the roller coaster ride it has been on since one of its jetliners crashed last August near Pucallpa (DAILY, Aug. 25, 2005), and one airline official warned that liquidation after the carrier was grounded recently.
Lufthansa said yesterday it has no interest in acquiring a minority stake in state-owned Garuda Indonesia. The German airline said no negotiations were in progress with the Indonesian government. The Jakarta Post reported that three large carriers -- Lufthansa, KLM and Thai Airways International -- had expressed an interest in investing in Garuda. The Indonesian government wants to sell a 49% stake in the airline to a strategic investor who would help settle Garuda's large debt burden and finance fleet expansion.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey yesterday named David Bowen, an experienced information technology executive from the health care industry, as the agency's new chief information officer. Bowen replaces Daniel Mehan, who retired from FAA in September. Mehan will join Blakey's senior management team as principal adviser on IT issues "and will direct the agency's overall strategic IT planning and [FAA's] $2 billion budget to support critical administrative, business and operational needs."
Argentina's Southern Winds, still on the sales block after negotiations with two major local investors failed (DAILY, Nov. 11), may have found a buyer.
MSN Airlines could lose its recently won exemptions to operate to the U.S. (DAILY, Dec. 22), as the Guyana civil aviation authority (GCAA) submitted a letter to the U.S. Transportation Dept. revealing that it terminated licenses awarded to the carrier.
Crude oil prices are likely to rise in 2007 to $62 per barrel, according to estimates from the Raymond James energy team. For 2006, prices should settle around $58 per barrel.
U.K. commercial flights increased 5.7% to a 2.3 million flights in 2005, the highest annual rise since 1999, National Air Traffic Services said last week. Domestic traffic grew 5.1% last year, but the growth rate slowed significantly toward the end of the year. The peak growth of 9.5% came in May, and by December, the year-over-year increase in domestic traffic fell to 0.4%.
Mesaba's unsecured creditors plan to ask the bankruptcy court tomorrow for access to documents outlining how funds are transferred from the carrier to its parent, MAIR Holdings, a Mesaba ALPA spokesman says, noting MAIR garners 95% of its revenue from Mesaba and has about $125 million in cash and equivalents.
More Peruvian airports will be privatized this year, said Peru's investment regulator Proinversion, which will award concession packages for 11 regional airports in the first half of this year. The airports are located at Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Amazonas, Loreto, Ucayali, Huaraz, Cajamarca, San Martin and Ica. Concessions are for 25 years and should be auctioned off by March after preliminary bidding procedures are completed.
Air Canada plans to become the first international airline to offer U.S. cruise line customers the first portside check-in service since Sept. 11, 2001.
