NAV Canada will replace 100 DME units across the country at a cost of some C$15 million ($13.4 million). Contract for the purchase of the DMEs together with associated spares and services was awarded to UK-based Fernau Avionics.
Istanbul Ataturk Airport's cargo facilities were mostly destroyed by Wednesday's fire and it remains unclear when and how regular airfreight operations can resume at the airport. The area destroyed by the fire included warehouse space for storing and sorting international air cargo and was used by nearly all major carriers operating cargo services at IST. Estimated total damage from the blaze, which claimed no lives, is as high as $50 million, including $10 million in lost cargo. IST is Europe's 13th busiest cargo airport, according to Airports Council International.
United Airlines announced that subject to approval by the Kuwait government, it plans to launch thrice-weekly nonstop service between Washington and Kuwait City in late 2006. The service, its first to the Middle East region, will be operated with 777s. SriLankan Airlines will start service to the Indian resort town of Goa with twice-weekly flights from Colombo beginning in October.
East Star Airlines, a Chinese startup based in Wuhan, operated its first revenue flight Monday from Wuhan to Shenzhen aboard a leased A319. East Star is slated to take delivery of 10 leased A320 family aircraft and also has firm orders for 10 purchased A320s to be delivered in 2009-10 ( ATWOnline, Nov. 29, 2005).. Its initial network will comprise Wuhan, Shenzhen, Haikou and Guangzhou.
Istanbul Ataturk International Airport was closed temporarily yesterday afternoon after a large fire broke out in a cargo facility around 3:15 p.m. local time. The fire did not reach or damage the passenger terminal, which is located about 1,000 m. away, and authorities said it had been contained some hours later. All aircraft were moved away from the area successfully, according to Airport Director Irfan Balta, who said the fire caused "great financial damage." Parts of the cargo building collapsed, the Associated Press reported.
Continental Airlines yesterday launched daily Newark-Copenhagen service aboard 757-200s. It plans to operate the route five-times-weekly during winter months and resume daily service in spring 2007. FlyBE launched a thrice-weekly Southampton-Angers service. It will commence thrice-weekly flights from SOU to Cherbourg today and to Avignon Thursday.
BAA may be opposed to a takeover by Spain's Ferrovial Group but the European Commission will not stand in the way. The EC yesterday approved Ferrovial's potential acquisition of the UK airports operator, saying "the proposed transaction would not significantly impede effective competition." Ferrovial made an unsolicited £8.75 billion ($16.41 billion) takeover bid for BAA, which controls London Heathrow and six other UK airports and has management contracts at airports in other countries.
Flyglobespan will add seven Boeing aircraft, nearly doubling its current fleet of one 767 and nine 737s, with an eye toward expanding its long-haul services, according to press reports. The Edinburgh-based LCC will lease two more 767s, two 757s and three 737s. "We would like to be recognized as Scotland's national airline.
Ferrovial Group's £8.75 billion ($15.62 billion) takeover proposal for BAA plc received a chilly reception from BAA shareholders, with a total of 3.8 million shares representing just 0.3% of issued share capital being tendered as of May 18, the first day of the 810-pence-per-share offer ( ATWOnline, April 24). Ferrovial said it is extending the deadline to tender shares by one week to June 19.
China Airlines will launch services from Taipei to Osaka (five-times-weekly aboard A330-300s) and Sapporo (six-times-weekly aboard 737-800s) on July 1 and a twice-weekly Kaohsiung-Nagoya flight on July 2 aboard a dash 800.
Bahrain International Airport's planned expansion was approved last week by Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. BAH will raise capacity to 15 million passengers and increase to 73 the number of aircraft hangars and bridges. New passenger departure and arrival premises, VIP halls, duty free markets and restaurants are planned, along with an increase in air cargo and baggage capacity.
The US government's final rule on air cargo security was issued this week after three years of debate and revision, marking the first major change to the regulations since 1999. "Working with the industry, we have set a solid foundation for a major segment of the transportation network," US Transportation Security Administration Assistant Secretary Kip Hawley said. "In addition, TSA is working with our partners on a series of separate operational measures that raise security in air cargo."
Bmi yesterday launched thrice-weekly London Heathrow-Jeddah service aboard a 767-300ER. The route was abandoned by British Airways early last year. Jeddah is bmi's second destination in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, to which it started flights in September. Encouraged by what it calls "extremely strong demand for the business class product" on the Riyadh route, it boosted the number of business class seats on flights to Saudi Arabia from 24 to 42. Aegean Airlines will launch twice-daily Athens-Samos service May 30 with Avro RJ100s.
City Airline of Sweden signed an agreement with SAS Ground Services for ground handling at airports in Birmingham, Manchester, and Zurich and at City Airline's Gothenburg base.
Mexicana Airlines will return to Dallas/Ft. Worth on July 1 with two daily flights to Mexico City, reestablishing the carrier at DFW after a six-month absence. Mexicana pulled out of the airport in January ( ATWOnline, Jan. 9). DFW said the new service will inject more than $60 million into the North Texas economy.
UPS yesterday unveiled a $1 billion-plus investment in expansion of its air hub at Louisville International Airport, the global headquarters of the company's express package delivery airline operations.
China Southern Airlines launched a thrice-weekly Beijing-Pyongyang service aboard 737s, a four-times-weekly Urumqi-Moscow service (resumption of a route suspended in 2003) and a six-times-weekly Guilin-Macau flight aboard newly delivered 737-800s. It also announced it will increase to daily its four-times-weekly Guangzhou-Beijing-Amsterdam 777 service. Flights will be five-times-weekly from June 24 and daily from Aug. 14.
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson yesterday opened its fifth runway, 10-28, its first new runway since 1984. Delta Air Lines said the 9,000-ft. runway will improve arrival and departure rates by 25%-35%.
CSA Czech Airlines moved its operations at New York JFK to privately operated Terminal 4 from T3. It offers daily service to Prague aboard an A310-300. Alaska Airlines became the first carrier to conduct an RNP landing at Portland (Ore.) International. It said the RNP approach, which it first used on March 8, will save 2 min. and 28 gal. of fuel per arrival.
United Airlines will launch six North American routes Sept. 6: Daily San Francisco-Toronto on an A319, twice-daily Los Angeles-Vancouver on a CRJ700, daily Denver-Grand Rapids on a CRJ700, daily Los Angeles-Oklahoma City on a CRJ700, daily Washington Dulles-Albuquerque on an A319 and daily IAD-Birmingham on a CRJ200. Continental Airlines today will begin daily Newark-Barcelona service aboard a 172-seat 757-200. Route will be served five-times-weekly during the winter.
Lufthansa resumed service to Bahrain Sunday after a 10-year absence, launching thrice-weekly flights from Frankfurt aboard an A330 and six-times-weekly freighter service. Delta Air Lines last night launched daily services from New York JFK to Manchester and Dublin/Shannon aboard all-economy 767-400s. The flights are the sixth and seventh of 11 new transatlantic routes the carrier will launch by next month. Service to Athens starts May 29. DL also announced a daily Atlanta-Sioux Falls flight beginning Aug. 7 operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines using CRJ200s.
Continental Airlines launched daily Newark-Cologne/Bonn service aboard a two-class 757-200 Wednesday. Flights will operate five-times-weekly during the winter.
Ryanair said it filed a complaint to the European Commission claiming Air France received some €1 billion ($1.28 billion) in illegal state aid "over the past number of years."
South African Airways announced the launch of a daily Johannesburg-Washington Dulles service via Dakar beginning July 1 aboard an A340-600, replacing a four-times-weekly flight aboard a 747-400 stopping in Accra. Times have been adjusted to conform more closely with United Airlines' Dulles schedule. SAA will discontinue its daily service to Atlanta the same day and but will continue to operate to New York JFK. Emirates will increase its Dubai-New York JFK service to thrice-daily with the addition of a new flight via Hamburg on Oct. 29.
