Japan Airlines Group released its latest corporate plan covering the April 1, 2008-March 31, 2009, period and said the expansion of Tokyo's downtown Haneda Airport, downsizing of the fleet and the introduction of more premium products are pivotal. It plans to operate flights between Haneda and Beijing Nanyuan during this summer's Olympics as well as to increase the number of international "charter" flights from the airport. JAL currently operates flights from Haneda to downtown airports in Seoul (Gimpo) and Shanghai (Hongqiao).
Malev Hungarian Airlines will shift its entire Moscow operation to Domodedovo from Sheremetyevo from March 30. Malev will adjust its timetable to fit with partner AiRUnion's schedule ( ATWOnline, Dec. 10, 2007).
British Airways enjoyed a 27.1% year-over-year profit increase to £136 million ($270.4 million) in the fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31 and has big plans on the horizon with the imminent opening of London Heathrow's Terminal 5, the launch of its transatlantic OpenSkies subsidiary and Friday's unveiling of an all-business-class service between London City and the New York area.
Lufthansa will launch thrice-weekly Frankfurt-Malabo on April 1 aboard an A330-300. Flight will continue to Abuja. Malabo is LH's 15th African destination. LH partner Swiss International Air Lines will discontinue its Malabo service and increase frequencies to Douala and Yaounde. Separately, Swiss signed several ACMI contracts for its upcoming summer schedule. LH regional partner Contact Air will operate flights from Zurich to Warsaw, Venice and Stuttgart using F100s, while Helvetic Airways will fly F100s for LX to Budapest, Manchester, Birmingham and Brussels.
Airservices Australia Australia's isolation, peculiar geography and demographywidely dispersed population centers along the coast separated by the vast outbackhave contributed to a culture of confident self-reliance and innovation. Nowhere is this more evident than in the field of aviation, where the country is a net exporter of leadership and expertise. Part and parcel of this tradition is Airservices Australia, the government-owned corporation that provides air traffic management services.
THAT WELL COULD HAVE BEEN THE headline for the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore as it opened its S$1.75 billion ($1.20 billion) Terminal 3 at Changi Airport on Jan. 9. Impressive is hardly the word. "Stunning" better describes T3's spectacular roof that allows filtered light to enter the terminal, its magnificent gardens and a bright yet soothing color scheme.
Qantas will increase Melbourne-Hong Kong service to 10-times-weekly from daily from April 1 aboard an A330-300. Twice-weekly Melbourne-Shanghai begins March 11. It will increase weekly Sydney-Canberra frequencies by 15 to 157 in March and Melbourne-Canberra by 11 in March and an additional four in June to 89. New frequencies will be operated by 737-400s. JetBlue Airways will start daily Fort Lauderdale-Aguadilla Feb. 15 aboard A320s. It launched daily flights to Fort Myers from Buffalo and White Plains scheduled to operate until April 30 aboard E-190s.
ASIG won a seven-year deal to provide full ground handling services to the 16 airlines operating at New York JFK's Terminal 1, where more than 10,000 flights and 4 million passengers are expected each year. Services include ramp handling, tower coordination, bag room staffing, lavatory and water service, cargo and mail handling and aircraft deicing. Operations are scheduled to begin Feb. 1.
Lufthansa will launch weekly Frankfurt-Luanda on April 1 aboard an A340-300. WestJet will start seasonal services from Hamilton to Nassau (weekly), Fort Lauderdale (twice-weekly) and Orlando International (twice-weekly) on Feb. 15 and to Tampa on Feb. 18. Iberia increased daily Madrid-Bogota A340 service to 10-times-weekly. Air New Zealand will launch twice-weekly Auckland-Beijing on July 18 with a 777-200ER.
Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes said its Varig subsidiary will adjust its network in an "aim at improving efficiency and the quality of services." Domestic flights will be reconfigured with business travelers in mind and making use of a policy reinstating connections at Sao Paulo Congonhas. Varig Marketing Director Murilo Barbosa said the airline intends to replace its 737-300 fleet with 737-700s/-800s by year end.
Delta Air Lines will launch twice-daily Atlanta-Lawton/Fort Sill service on March 3 aboard an Atlantic Southeast Airlines CRJ200. On June 5 it will start daily flights from Los Angeles to Lihue and Kona and operate the routes with a mix of 757-200s, 767-300s and 767-400s. Seasonal ATL-Edinburgh service will operate thrice-weekly June 2-30 and daily July 1-Sept. 30 on a 757-200. Twice-weekly New York JFK-Antigua and Barbuda begins June 12.
EgyptAir will undertake an enormous effort in an attempt to join Star Alliance this year, giving the grouping a boost as it attempts to counter the influence of Emirates in that part of the world. "We are trying very hard to be a member by the fourth quarter of 2008," Chairman and CEO Sherif Saad Eldin Galal told ATWOnline in Cairo.
El Al will receive a significant financial boost from the Israeli government to cover rising security expenses in exchange for allowing smaller rivals Arkia Israel Airlines and Israir Airlines access to previously monopolized long-haul routes, according to widespread press reports. The move was in response to increasing pressure from foreign carriers, which have increased the number of seats offered to/from the country by 45% since April 2006, according to Reuters.
Arik Air of Nigeria launched its first regional route, Lagos-Accra, this month. Service will operate twice-daily on a 737-700. The carrier said it "plans to cover the West African subregion before making a foray into the entire African continent" and eventually plans to operate 40 international flights per day. It also announced an expansion of its domestic network to Owerri, to which it will fly from Lagos and Abuja. Arik now serves 12 Nigerian destinations and plans to take delivery this year of six 737-700s, four 737-800s and two Q400s.
Lufthansa Cargo will expand its foothold in China with a joint venture with Hua Yu Air Cargo Terminal Co. at Tianjin Binhai. A new 90,000-sq.-m. air cargo center is expected to become operational this year and will offer the capacity to handle 360,000 tons of cargo annually. LHC will own a 46% stake in HYACT while Taiwanese investor Hwa-Hsia International Holding will hold 49% and Tianjin Airport International Logistics will have the remaining 5%.
Air Canada will launch daily Ottawa-Frankfurt service June 1 aboard a 767-300. Lufthansa will codeshare. AC will place its code on LH's six-times-weekly Toronto-Dusseldorf service scheduled to operate May 1 to October aboard an A340-300 and LH's second daily Calgary-Frankfurt flight launching April 14 aboard an A330-300. AC also will transition its daily Montreal-FRA to a 777-300ER from an A330-300 on April 1. Air Canada Jazz launched a daily Ottawa-Montreal-St. John service aboard a 50-seat Dash 8-300.
Jetstar Airways will base an additional A320 at Cairns and launch twice-daily Sydney-Cairns service aboard an A320 and 11-times-weekly Melbourne-Cairns flights aboard an A321 on March 18. Thrice-weekly Brisbane-Cairns will become four-times-weekly on June 1. It will take over daily Cairns-Darwin-Singapore service currently operated by Jetstar Asia and launch a Cairns-Darwin daily on Feb. 1. Skybus Airlines launched a second daily Columbus-Greensboro service and flights from Greensboro to Portsmouth (twice-daily), St.
ANA is starting preparations for what will be one of the most significant structural changes in Tokyo's air travel flow: The additional runway at Haneda and that airport's resumption of international service.
Integrated Deicing Services, a Pittsburgh-based company offering deicing services at Buffalo, Colorado Springs, Detroit, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh, was purchased by Salvatore Calvino, Kevin Worley and existing owner Larry Hopkins. Calvino will serve as CEO, Worley as president and Hopkins as COO. IDS will work closely with Quantem Aviation Services and aims to expand in domestic and international markets.
Thales was awarded a S$300 million ($209.4 million) contract by Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore for the LORADS III ATC system. First phase is slated for completion in 2010, second phase in 2012.
UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said its initial findings on last Thursday's British Airways 777-200ER crash landing at London Heathrow revealed that the two Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines did not respond to attempts to increase thrust during the aircraft's descent.
Bmi will launch a second daily London Heathrow-Moscow Domodedovo flight on March 30 with an A320. Lufthansa will launch twice-daily Frankfurt-Bergen service on March 30 aboard a Lufthansa CityLine CRJ700. LH will operate a twice-weekly Hamburg-Bergen service during the summer schedule. TACA will launch four-times-weekly San Jose-David service on Feb. 18 onboard a 48-seat ATR 42.
