Airlines & Lessors

Lufthansa Cargo, which expected to take delivery of its first Boeing 777F in Frankfurt Nov. 1, will be delaying delivery until some minor rework repairs are made.

Japan Airlines (JAL), which placed its first-ever order with Airbus Oct. 7 for 31 A350 XWBs with options for a further 25 aircraft, explained to ATW the reasons behind that decision.

United Airlines’ fleet service work groups, represented by the International Association of Machinists (IAM), have ratified new joint labor agreements.

Source: ATW Research

JetBlue Airways has placed a new order for 20 A321neos and 15 A321ceos and is also converting existing orders for eight A320ceo and 10 A320neo aircraft to eight A321ceos and 10 A321neos.

Qatar Airways on Tuesday became the 13th member of oneworld and the first major Gulf carrier to join a global alliance.

US Airways, American Airlines and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) have agreed to meet with a mediator in an effort to settle DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the carriers’ proposed merger.

JetBlue Airways has reported third-quarter net income of $71 million, up 57.8% over a net profit of $45 million in the prior-year period and its 14th profitable quarter in a row.

Qatar Airways’ CEO said Tuesday he is not interested in the newest version of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the -10, but was coy on the question of whether he might acquire the soon-to-be launched Boeing 777X.

SriLankan Airlines is on schedule to join oneworld as a full member in April next year.

Mexican ultra low-cost carrier Volaris reported a third-quarter net income of MXP254 million ($19.7 million), up 10.3% compared to MXP230 in the year-ago period.

Fledgling Norwegian carrier Flynonstop has ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy, just six months after its launch.

Air Seychelles will renew its domestic fleet with three 19-seat Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft for delivery in mid-2015.

Air Armenia has launched Yerevan-Moscow flights and has been appointed by the local authorities on several destinations between Russia and Armenia following the bankruptcy of Armavia Airlines.

Air Serbia, the former Yugoslav national carrier known as JAT, launched its first service as a rebranded entity Oct. 27, with a flight from Belgrade to Abu Dhabi.

Russia’s Transaero and Pegasus Airlines, which have been designated by Russian authorities for flights between Istanbul and Moscow, are launching flights in October.

Gulf Air will be the first mainline carrier to use the new Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central (DWC) when it opens for passenger services in October.

Briefs from the October 28, 2013 issue of ATW's Skypaths

United Parcel Service (UPS) credited its successful adaptation to changing shipping preferences for is third-quarter net profit of $1.1 billion, which more than doubled net income of $479 million in the prior-year period.

Finnair has reported a third-quarter net profit of €23.5 million ($32.4 million), down 54.7% from €51.9 million in the same period last year.

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has announced a series of measures to improve passenger service following CEO Michael O’Leary’s recent pledge to tone down company regulations that were unduly irritating travelers.

Jazeera Airways has recorded reduced earnings in the third quarter following renewed unrest in the Middle East.

Russia’s Transaero Airlines will launch scheduled flights from Moscow to Montego Bay and Havana in the upcoming IATA winter schedule.

US airlines reported only two domestic flights with tarmac delays exceeding three hours in August; no international flights were reported experiencing with a tarmac delay exceeding four hours, according to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) Air Travel Consumer Report and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle has reported a third-quarter, pre-tax profit of NOK604 million, down from NOK873 million ($102.3 million) year-over-year.