Ryanair carried 2.6 million passengers in March, up 20.1% over the year-ago period. Load factor climbed 2 points to 80%. For the rolling 12 months ended March 31, the airline carried 27.6 million and load factor was 84%.
United Airlines' motion to extend until May 31 the interim 11.5% pay reduction for all of its customer-contact employees, represented by the International Assn. of Machinists, was approved by the US Bankruptcy Court yesterday, the company announced. The interim reductions, which originally were approved in January, were scheduled to run through April 11. The court's decision also suspended May 1 pay increases contemplated in the IAM collective bargaining agreement.
Standard Aero earned Transport Canada approval to repair and overhaul all models of CF34-8 engines, which power CRJ700/900s and Embraer 170s. The company said the authorization is recognized by FAA and other regulatory authorities.
EasyJet will add another aircraft to its Bristol base for a total of eight and introduce three new routes from the airport to Inverness, Murcia and Pisa. The daily flights will begin July 7. In the last 12 months easyJet has launched nine new routes from Bristol, making it the LCC's largest UK base outside London.
Singapore and Bahrain have inked an open skies agreement. The pact was signed in Singapore yesterday by Bahrain Minister of Transportation Shaik Ali Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Singapore Minister for Transport Yeo Cheow Tong.
Air Canada parent ACE Aviation Holdings late Wednesday said it successfully completed concurrent equity and convertible debt offerings ( ATWOnline , April 4), raising C$720 million ($595 million), C$120 million more than originally sought. The equity offering comprised 11.4 million Class A Variable Voting Shares and Class B Voting Shares priced at C$37 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $420 million. ACE raised a further C$300 million through the sale of 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2035.
Menzies Aviation was awarded a new three-year cargo handling contract in Sydney from Asiana Airlines. The carrier currently operates daily 777-200 service to the Australian capital from Seoul.
CSA Czech Airlines finalized an agreement to purchase six CFM56-5B6/P-powered A319s and six CFM56-5B4/P-powered A320s with deliveries scheduled from March 2006 to September 2008. The order was announced last October and the two parties agreed on the final text of the agreement late last month ( ATWOnline , March 30). "The purchase of aircraft is another step to fulfill the CSA strategy for the 2004-2014 period," Chairman and President Jaroslav Tvrdik said.
Crane Aerospace & Electronics was selected by Honeywell to supply power control modules and batteries for the 787 flight control electronics Honeywell is developing for the new aircraft.
United Airlines yesterday announced that it will close its Seattle call center on June 4 in a move that will eliminate 400 jobs. According to the carrier, the Seattle facility is one of its most costly and has a long-term lease, but bankruptcy gives the company an opportunity to reject the lease without penalty. United also cited record high fuel prices, increasing competition and low yields as reasons behind the closure.
Kitty Hawk Aircargo took delivery of a CFM56-powered 737-300 Special Freighter leased from GECAS. The aircraft was converted from passenger configuration by IAI's Bedek Aviation Div. under an agreement with GECAS. Kitty Hawk has a contract to lease seven 737-300SFs from GECAS that will be delivered throughout 2005.
Goodrich's campaign to grow through acquisition has produced a company of sufficient mass that in the current business climate, "there is lots of business to supply us with good organic growth," President, Chairman and CEO Marshall Larsen told this website.
European Commission has sought EU Council approval to start negotiations on a cooperation agreement with Argentina on the development of a Civil Global Navigation Satellite system. "This proposal for a new international cooperation agreement clearly underlines the success of Galileo [Europe's satellite navigation program] and demonstrates again the widespread interest in the project," said EC VP in charge of transport Jacques Barrot.
Thai Airways International has taken delivery of the first of four A340-500s, which feature a striking new livery. The delivery also marks the start of a major widebody fleet expansion that includes six A340-600s, six 777-200ERs and six A380-800s entering service up to 2009. The A340-500s will operate new nonstops between Bangkok and Los Angeles and New York, while the A340-600s will fly to Europe. Airline President Kanok Abhiradee said the A340-500 "will open up new markets for Thai.
SR Technics will provide component and line maintenance support to Swedish discount airline FlyMe under a five-year component management contract covering four 737-400s. The agreement includes guaranteed component availability and AOG support.
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. was awarded a subcontract by CAE to provide two EP-1000CT/ESCP-2000 visual systems, including options for its new LaserWide projector, that will be installed on A330/A340 full-flight simulators being manufactured by CAE for Airbus.
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft reached agreements with two Lufthansa Regionals, Eurowings and Air Dolomiti, under which 11 BAe 146-300s will be added to the carriers' fleets. In addition, BAE inked sale and leaseback extensions on three aircraft with Lufthansa CityLine, another Lufthansa Regional. Eurowings signed a deal to lease a further six BAe 146-300s that will be added to its current fleet of eight BAe 146s. The six aircraft, which the airline will use to replace some of its 48-seat ATR 42-500 turboprops, will be delivered from mid-April to the beginning of September.
Northwest Airlines flew 6.85 billion RPMs in March, up 8.6% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 4.7% to 8.1 billion ASMs and load factor jumped 3 points to 84.6%. For the three months ended March 31, RPMs were ahead 8.8% to 18.17 billion, ASMs increased 4.3% to 22.77 billion and load factor gained 3.3 points to 79.8%.
Lufthansa Cargo generated €33.5 million ($42.9 million) in operating profits during 2004, reversing a loss of €16 million in 2003, but showed red ink on the bottom line, posting a net loss of €39.5 million, which it attributed partly to one-time charges and a 38.4% hike in fuel costs. Comparisons with 2003 are complicated owing to the fact that in 2004 LHC consolidated accounts for all of its logistics business units within Lufthansa Group.
The European Regions Airline Assn. lodged a complaint with the European Commission Ombudsman charging the EC with releasing inaccurate and misleading information to airline passengers and the media regarding the new passenger rights legislation that took effect last month. ERA contends that posters, leaflets, videos, media and website materials issued by the Commission provide erroneous information regarding compensation for those whose flights are delayed or cancelled and that the information is harmful to airlines.
ACSS , an L-3 Communications and Thales company, earned type certification for T2CAS, its combined traffic and terrain collision avoidance system, on all Airbus aircraft: A300-600s, A310s, A318s, A319s, A320s, A321s, A330s and A340s.
American Airlines flew 12.07 billion RPMs in March, up 9.1% over the year-ago period. Capacity climbed 2.1% to 15.04 billion ASMs and load factor gained 5.1 points to 80.2%. For the three months ended March 31, RPMs increased 6.7% to 32.25 billion, ASMs rose 0.6% to 42.75 billion and load factor jumped 4.4 points to 75.4%.
Emirates has begun construction of a Dhs1.3 billion ($353.9 million) engineering center on a 136-acre site on the north side of Dubai International Airport. The airline will use the facility to perform maintenance on its fleet, which is expected to double from the current 74 aircraft over the next seven years, and for third-party maintenance.
