Emirates airline posted a net profit of Dhs 752 million (US$205 million), for the first six months of its current financial year ending 30th September 2009. This represents a 165 percent improvement compared to Dhs 284 million (US$77 million) net profits for the same period in 2008.
Dubai airline, Emirates, has announced plans for a major attack on business in the Asia Pacific area with additional capacity to Bangkok, Sydney, Manila and Jakarta.
United Airlines will launch its first flights to Africa next spring when it begins serving Accra and Lagos daily from Washington Dulles. It also announced extension of its daily IAD-Kuwait City 777 service to Bahrain and a new Chicago O'Hare-Brussels flight. The daily IAD-Accra-Lagos flight will commence May 2 and be operated by a 767. The KWI-BAH leg will begin April 2, while the ORD-BRU 767 service will launch on March 28. UA currently serves BRU from IAD.
Japan Airlines announced closure of the following international routes: Osaka Kansai-Hangzhou, Tokyo Narita-Hangzhou, NRT-Qingdao (both passenger and freighter service), NRT-Xiamen (all on Dec. 7), KIX-Busan, KIX-Hanoi (both Jan. 12), KIX-Singapore-Kuala Lumpur (Jan. 17) and NRT-Vancouver-Mexico City (Jan. 18). It will close its offices in Hangzhou, Qingdao, Xiamen and Mexico City. It will cut one of four daily NRT-Taipei and one of two daily NRT-London Heathrow frequencies from Dec. 7 while increasing NRT-YVR service to daily from five-times-weekly effective Jan. 18.
V Australia, the international arm of Virgin Blue, is understood to be close to announcing an order for 777-200LRs for new nonstop Sydney-New York JFK and Perth-London Heathrow service beginning in 2011. CEO Brett Godfrey is in the final stages of negotiations with Boeing for an order of up to 70 aircraft that will include six 300-seat 777-200LRs, 737-800s and 737-900ERs for fleet replacement and expansion ( ATWOnline, Sept. 22).
AirTran Airways stepped up the competition at Milwaukee yesterday, announcing a new marketing partnership with SkyWest Airlines under which the regional will operate five 50-seat CRJ200s under its own brand and livery to six destinations out of General Mitchell International starting Dec. 4.
Bmibaby will reduce its 737 fleet by five aircraft to 12 next year as part of a restructuring plan "that will see it focus its activities and efforts on routes where there are clear indications and prospects for future growth and development."
US FAA denied an application from the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority to institute a nighttime curfew on air traffic at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. The authority had sought permanently to ban operations from 10 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. local time except for law enforcement, medical flights, emergencies, etc. Passenger airlines currently observe a voluntary curfew during those times, according to the Los Angeles Times. In an Oct.
Wizz Air announced the launch of a Web check-in service starting with flights from Budapest and extending to the rest of the network by next spring. EasyJet will launch 25 new routes this winter: Manchester to Marrakech (Oct. 29), Copenhagen and Munich (both Nov.6); Basel-Dusseldorf (Nov. 2); Liverpool to Fuerteventura (Nov. 2) and Lanzarote (Nov. 3); Lyon to Nantes (Nov. 2) and Brussels (Dec. 17); Rome Fiumicino to Lamezia, Amsterdam, Lisbon (all Nov. 2) and Dusseldorf (Feb. 1); Madrid-AMS (Nov. 2); London Gatwick to Porto (Nov. 2), Agadir (Nov.
Sensis announced that Houston Intercontinental became the 21st airport to operate its Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X runway incursion detection and alerting system. Miami International became the 20rh on Monday.
