Flydubai (FZ) has signed an eight-year sale/leaseback agreement with Pembroke Group to secure $172 million in financing for two Boeing 737-800NGs, which are scheduled to enter the fleet in June and July.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has taken delivery of its first Airbus A380. MAS, which is the eighth A380 operator, has ordered six 494-seat A380s with a premium three-class layout.
Brazilian carriers Azul and TRIP on Monday announced plans to merge, a move that would create an airline with about a 15% market share in Brazil, behind only dominant players TAM and GOL.
Air China (CA) plans to launch a new airline with the Inner Mongolian government to expand its domestic market share, according to CA chairman Wang Changshun.
Virgin Atlantic (VS) will launch AeroMobile connectivity onboard its Airbus A330 aircraft flying from London to New York, and on its Boeing 747 aircraft currently under refurbishment.
Russia’s Transaero Airlines (UN) and Kazakhstan-based Air Astana (KC) have agreed to add one more frequency for each carrier on Moscow-Almaty (ALA) and Moscow-Astana (TSE) routes, due to growing demand.
Malyasia’s fast-growing low-cost carrier AirAsia (AK) is considering ordering more Airbus A320s until its A320neo aircraft arrive, CEO Tony Fernandes told ATW on the sidelines of Airbus Innovation Days in Toulouse, where he took delivery of the carrier’s 100th A320.
Air France (AF) has reiterated its Transform 2015 plans to increase productivity by 20% and expects to sign new agreements with ground personnel, flight deck and cabin crew unions at the end of June.
Vienna-based Austrian Airlines (OS) will combine its ground operations and hub management as it continues its $220 million restructuring program announced in January.
An Etihad Airways Airbus A330-200 has performed the first Required Navigation Performance – Authorization Required (RNP-AR) approach to Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH), marking the beginning of full RNP-AR implementation throughout AUH’s airspace.
Grandstar Cargo International Airlines (GD), the joint venture launched by Sinotrans Air Transportation Development Co. and Korean Air (KE), is expected to be liquidated due to continuous operating losses.
Lufthansa German Airlines Board has created an HR and infrastructure services division, and has named Peter Gerber to lead the group from June 1. He has been responsible for finance and HR on the executive board of Lufthansa Cargo AG since 2009. Hawaiian Airlines hired Ron Anderson-Lehman as SVP and chief information officer. He is former SVP and chief information officer of Continental Airlines.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines has been given the go-ahead by the Swedish Tax Agency to change its financial year from the current calendar year to the period Nov. 1 to Oct. 31, starting this year.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) reported a first-quarter after-tax loss of MYR171 million ($54.3 million), slightly improved from a MYR242 million loss for the same period last year.
Lufthansa (LH) on May 22 launched its first scheduled flight with all-new onboard products that include first-, business-, and economy-class seats as well as FlyNet, the first onboard broadband Internet access using a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or smartphone in every travel class.
Last November’s bankruptcy filing by American Airlines (AA) parent AMR Corp. has largely put the planned divestiture of regional affiliate American Eagle on hold, but Eagle president and CEO Dan Garton believes AMR will return to the issue quickly after it emerges from the Chapter 11 process.
Flybe Nordic, the joint venture between UK regional carrier Flybe (BE) and Finnair (AY), will take on about one-third of the Finnish flag-carrier’s European services to cut costs and improve its financial position.
The economic environment has not been kind to Europe over the last couple of years, and in 2011 Lufthansa Systems took steps to realign the company not only for significant cost reductions but for an equal amount of revenue growth as well. It reorganized into profit centers that are defined by the customer base. The commercial division has focused on tools that help airlines boost their own revenues, Stefan Auerbach, senior vices president of airline solutions, said.
The Qantas Group (QF) announced it will split the carrier’s international and domestic operations into two distinct businesses as part of its five-year transformation plan launched in August 2011.
Southwest Airlines (SWA) has reached a tentative agreement with Delta Air Lines (DL) and Boeing Capital Corp. to sublease all 88 AirTran (FL) Boeing 717 aircraft to DL, transitioning three aircraft per month over a three-year period beginning in the second half of 2013.
Sweden’s Skyways Express (JZ) and subsidiary City Airline (CF) have stopped all flights and will file for bankruptcy, according to a statement on their website. CF was acquired by JZ last November.
