Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe plans to step down by the end of 2012, it was widely reported by New Zealand media Monday. The New Zealand Herald quoted a statement from Fyfe saying that his decision was made partly to create the space for the airline’s talented and capable executives to realize their full potential. Fyfe, who has been ANZ CEO since 2005, is credited with introducing many of the changes that transformed the airline.
Germania Fluggesellschaft has named Andreas Wobig as CEO, replacing Axel Trampnau, who left the company for personal reasons. Wobig has served as CTO for Germania since early 2011. Turkish Technic has signed an agreement with 328 Design GmbH to work together on “design projects.” The 328 group has over 200 supplementary TC’s on various aircraft types, including the Airbus A320.
Kenya Airways (KQ) carried 956,742 passengers in its third fiscal quarter ended Dec. 31, a 15.4% increase on the year-ago period. RPKs rose 9.9% on a systemwide 6.4% lift in ASKs as a result of increased frequencies to several destinations and the launch of Jeddah operations ( ATW Daily News, July 22, 2011). Load factor gained 2.2 points to 72%. The amount of cargo carried was up 6.2% to 16,131 tonnes, on a 6.5% capacity increase.
Transaero Airlines (UN) carried 8.453 million passengers in 2011, up 27.2% compared to 2010, the carrier said in a statement. RPKs increased to 33,180 million, up 26.2% over 2010. The Moscow-based carrier opened 22 routes from Sheremetyevo (SVO) and Domodedovo (DME) airports and Pulkovo (LED) in St. Petersburg. It launched 23 flights from regional airports in Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and Ufa. Domestic boardings rose 30% and international boardings increased 26.8%.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) pilot unions have threatened a 24-hr. strike Wednesday but the airline said it is continuing negotiations to try stave off the planned industrial action and disruption to passenger services.
Ryanair (FR) reported a net profit of €14.9 million ($19.7 million) in the third quarter ended Dec. 31, 2011, a complete turnaround from a €10.3 million deficit in the year-ago period.
Hainan Airlines (HU) has reduced the price of its additional share offerings from CNY6.42 per share in the Shanghai Stock Exchange to CNY4.84 per share to raise CNY8 billion ($1.28 billion) to pay off a bank loan of CNY6.08 billion and increase its cash flow.
Lufthansa Cargo (LHC) is considering replacing its fleet of 18 Boeing MD-11Fs and will decide by 2014 which aircraft to go with, LHC chairman and CEO Karl-Ulrich Garnadt told ATW in Seoul, South Korea.
Financially troubled Austrian regional Air Alps has ceased operations. The carrier operated three Dornier 328-100s, on mainly codeshare flights for Alitalia from Rome Fiumicino-Parma and Bolzano as well as Milan Malpensa–Salerno. Welcome Air, a small regional carrier based in Innsbruck and owned by Swiss Lions Air Group AG, owns 76% of Air Alps ( ATW Daily News, Sept. 30, 2009).
The new chairman of the Assn. of European Airlines (AEA) has warned that tensions arising from the controversial EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) tax will be extremely damaging for European air travel. Bernard Gustin, AEA chair and co-chief executive of Brussels Airlines, said that Europe was bracing itself for a “turbulent 2012” and it was therefore “more critical than ever to have a competitive and thriving European airline industry.”
AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has taken delivery of the first of five Boeing 747-8 freighters, making the carrier the first customer of the type in Russia.
Republic Airways Holdings (RAH) has named airline executive David Siegel as CEO, president and interim COO of subsidiary Frontier Airlines (F9) to lead its restructuring program.
Etihad Airways (EY) will acquire a 40% stake in Air Seychelles (HM) for $20 million as part of a strategic partnership alliance initiative between the two airlines.
The ATW Joseph S. Murphy Industry Service award is bestowed on those who have demonstrated exceptional service in the airline industry while also bringing credit to the industry as a whole through outstanding public service.
Since its inception, Transaero Airlines has tenaciously dedicated itself to raising safety and service standards in its domestic Russian market. This privately owned airline has continuously achieved above-market growth rates while posting healthy profits since 2002 and establishing itself as Russia’s second largest carrier in terms of passenger numbers.
Any airline that builds a world-renown brand in a few short years is worthy of recognition. An airline that builds such a brand in a challenging and highly competitive environment where it must contend with larger and better-known neighbors deserves special recognition. Despite its young age, Etihad Airways has emerged as the personification of what it means to put the customer first.
The ATW Decade of Excellence Award is new this year and recognizes an individual who has made a long-term and significant commitment that has had a profound influence on the air transportation industry.
Great success stories in the airline industry are rare, even in good times. ATW’s 2012 Regional Airline of the Year is one of those and much more. The region in this case is wide and daunting, spanning the length and breadth of Australia and its hostile interior known with fondness to Aussies as the Outback.
This year, ATW has created the new Value Airline of the Year award to recognize outstanding achievements by those carriers whose business strategy provides exceptional value for the customer and the shareholder.
The journey Air New Zealand has taken over the past decade has been extraordinary. For many legacy and flagship carriers, adapting to the tumultuous global economic and market changes of the past 10 years has been a huge and difficult challenge.
Iberia (IB) and unions representing flight attendants reached an accord, averting a strike to protest the possible impact on their jobs due to Iberia Express. The 4,000 cabin crew had planned to walk out Feb. 3, 6, 10 and 13. However, the airline’s pilots are still moving ahead with their industrial action Friday and Monday ( ATW Daily News, Jan. 25).
Alaska Air Group (AAG), parent of Alaska Airlines (AS) and Horizon Air, reported 2011 net income of $244.5 million, up 2.6% from $225.1 million year-over-year, in its second consecutive year of record earnings. AAG Chairman and CEO Bill Ayer told investors and reporters that the improvement was the result of company initiatives, including “schedule optimization and network expansion, high load factors, lower non-fuel unit costs and operational performance.”
