TAM Airlines 777-300ER. Courtesy, Boeing Brazil’s TAM Airlines will revamp its Boeing 777 aircraft by installing an all-new cabin configuration with the delivery of its fifth 777-300ER next year ( ATW Daily News, Aug. 30, 2007).
American Airlines (AA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) have reached a tentative agreement in principle for the dispatcher workgroup. Details about the tentative agreement will be shared with the TWU-represented dispatchers and operational coordinators in the coming days. “AA has been in negotiations with the TWU dispatch group since May 2006. Both parties worked collaboratively to reach a tentative agreement that addresses the interests of our TWU-represented dispatchers and the company,” AA said.
Bombardier’s CSeries family is still on Qatar Airways' (QR) radar, according to CEO Akbar Al Baker. Addressing media at the Dubai Airshow, Al Baker said the CSeries was “still of great interest” to the airline but that it had finite resources to work through a variety of projects. “We will get to the CSeries,” Al Baker said.
Emirates (EK) president Tim Clark confirmed to ATW that its order for up to 70 Boeing777-300ERs was an insurance against late deliveries of the Airbus A350 ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 15). “We do not want to be caught out with a capacity shortfall,” he said.
Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris (Y4) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Airbus for 44 A320 aircraft, comprising 30 A320neos and 14 A320 family aircraft.
Qatar Airways (QR) ordered 50 Airbus A320neos and five A380s, worth a reported $6.5 billion at the Dubai Airshow—alongside a Boeing order for two 777 freighters worth $560 million—but the Airbus order was only secured after some high drama.
Boeing has forecast the Middle East region will need 2,520 aircraft worth $450 billion by 2030, as the region’s carriers continue to surpass global air traffic and capacity growth rates.
Airbus predicted that by 2030 carriers in the Middle East will require 1,921 new passenger and freighter aircraft—above 100 seats—worth $347.4 billion.
Qantas (QF) pilot Captain Richard de Crespigny, who nursed the airline’s crippled A380 back to Singapore last November ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 3, 2010), has broken ranks with his colleagues by calling for an end to "legacy practices" and declaring the airline's future lies in Asia, according to a report in The Australian.
Low-cost carrier Jetstar on Wednesday became the first airline to hand out iPads to its passengers for inflight entertainment. The iPads were launched on selected Jetstar flights last week and will be rolled out across the Australian domestic, transtasman and short-haul international services from Australia and New Zealand, in the coming weeks.
The Chinese government reduced domestic jet fuel prices to CNY7,279 ($1,148) per ton, down 2.98% from CNY7,503 in September, owing to the decline of international fuel prices.
Air Berlin (AB) believes the carrier will be profitable again in 2012, having battled through this year’s crises in Europe and the introduction of Germany’s new aviation taxes.
Brazil's GOL incurred a third-quarter net loss of BRL516.5 million ($293.2 million), reversed from a BRL110 million net profit earned in the year-ago period, but emphasized the deficit is mostly related to non-cash charges.
Allegiant Travel Co. has inked a purchase agreement with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) for up to 13 MD-80 aircraft and 12 JT8D-219 spare engines in 2012 and 2013.
Aeroflot (SU) plans to modernize the fleet of its subsidiaries with Airbus A320s and Russian regional aircraft Sukhoi Superjet 100s (SSJ100s), SU CEO Vitaly Savelyev said.
WestJet (WS) reported a C$39.3 million ($38.8 million) third-quarter net profit, down 10.4% from net income of C$43.8 million in the prior-year period.
Air France KLM Group reported a net profit of €14 million ($19.2 million) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down 95.2% from net income of €290 million in the year-ago quarter, due mainly to foreign exchange losses and a decline in the fair value of hedging instruments.
Taipei-based EVA Airways Corp. (BR) is “in aggressive talks” to join either oneworld or Star alliance by 2013, senior VP-Europe Tim Yang confirmed to ATW in Vienna.
