Qantas signed an LOI with Washington-based Solena Group to investigate the feasibility of a waste-based aviation biofuel production plant in Australia. A Qantas spokesperson told ATW’s Eco-Aviation Today that the aim is to get a business case for a plant within a year, although the airline is some way from establishing cost estimates and investment requirements.
ATW named Emirates Airline as its Airline of the Year for 2011, citing its strong commitment to safety and operational excellence, its trendsetting customer service and its superb financial performance including a 22-year consecutive annual profit streak.
Boeing on Jan. 10 accepted the resignation of board member William Daley, following his appointment as President Barack Obama's chief of staff. Daley joined the board in 2006 and previously serviced as former President Bill Clinton's commerce secretary from Jan. 1997 to July 2000. Separately, the company named former VP-Information Technology Infrastructure Kim Hammonds CIO and VP-IT.
Air Berlin announced it will increase the number of executive board members from three to four as it prepares to join oneworld at the start of 2012 ( ATW Daily News, July 28, 2010). AB’s future executive board will comprise CEO Joachim Hunold, CFO Ulf Huettmeyer and COO-Operations and Human Resources Christoph Debus as well as a yet-to-be appointed CCO. Until the new appointment is made, Hunold will serve as acting CCO-Network and Sales.
US Dept. of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that US airlines carried 62.1 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in October, up 5.6% from the year-ago month. Traffic rose 7.7% to 68.2 billion RPMs on a 6.5% rise in capacity to 82.1 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 83.1%, up 1 point year-over-year. Load factors for domestic and international flights were 83.4% and 82.3%, respectively.
Despite the unprecedented events of 2010 that challenged the airline industry, Austrian LCC Fly Niki President Niki Lauda told ATW in Vienna that the Air Berlin partner will report “positive results" for the year. He noted that although the airline lost nearly €12 million ($15.8 million) owing to the Icelandic volcanic disruption, it will post “six years of profit in a row” when it announces its full-year results.
[Corrected version] Oneworld partners Qantas and American Airlines are to strengthen their longstanding relationship with the first step being the introduction by Qantas of four times weekly Boeing 747-400 service from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth International from May 16. At the same time the airline has decided to scrap its direct Sydney-San Francisco flights from May 14.
Delta Air Lines confirmed it has issued an RFP to "several major aircraft manufacturers" regarding a future order of as many as 200 firm aircraft with deliveries beginning in 2013 to replace aging DC-9s, Boeing 757-200s and Airbus A320s on mainline domestic flying.
Lufthansa Cargo said its FTKs reached a record level of 8.9 billion in 2010 as the transport of cargo and mail increased 18.2% compared to 2009 to 1.79 billion tons. LHC said the highest growth rates in 2010 were registered in traffic to the Americas (+24.9%) and Asia/Pacific (+20.6%). LHC increased its total capacity last year in part by returning all four parked MD-11Fs into service, raising its active fleet of MD-11Fs to 18. Load factor grew 7.3 points year-over-year to 70.9%.
State-controlled Cyprus Airways said its 2010 financial results are expected "to be significantly more loss making" than 2009. CY is expected to report a full-year loss of around €30 million ($38.7 million), widened from a loss of €3.3 million in the prior year, the government said.
AerCap Holdings said it signed 13 new aircraft lease agreements and delivered eight aircraft in the 2010 fourth quarter. Lease agreements inked during the period include three Airbus A319s for Frontier Airlines, two A320s for Brussels Airlines, an A320 for Donbassaerom, an A320 and an A319 for LAN Airlines, an A320 for P.T. Metro Batavia, a Boeing 757-200 for Delta Air Lines, a 737-400 for Vision Airlines, a 737-800 for Orenair and a 737-400 for Nok Air.
Jakarta-based LCC Mandala Airlines suspended all flights Thursday pending a "major restructuring exercise" aimed at attracting new investors, but the financially troubled airline's future viability is unclear with its fleet of five Airbus A320 family aircraft being returned to lessors.
American Airlines took another step in its effort to assert control over how its inventory is distributed, selecting ITA Software's availability engine to manage its fare availability across all its channels.
Air Malta'srestructuring plan is now in its "advanced stages" and will be submitted to the European Commission for approval by the end of January, The Malta Independent reported. The restructuring plan, which is being prepared by Ernst & Young, will entail job cut recommendations.
Cathay Pacific Airways is facing possible industrial action from its flight attendants after a majority of members of the Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants' Union voted in favor of labor measures, including refusing to work overtime. CPFAU represents 5,800 of 14,000 CX cabin crew. Company insiders suggest that many non-members will also follow the union's directives.
Etihad Airways reported a 29.2% rise in revenue in 2010 to $2.95 billion on a 19.5% increase in capacity to 45.1 billion ASKs and 13.1% growth in passengers carried to 7.1 million.
China Southern Airlines said its 2010 net profit is likely to be around CNY5.01 billion ($757.9 million), fourteen times greater than a 2009 net profit of CNY358 million.
American Airlines was granted a temporary restraining order to prevent Sabre from biasing the carrier’s displays in the Sabre GDS. American also filed a lawsuit against Sabre in Texas state court in Tarrant County alleging that Sabre’s recent actions “violates agreements between American and Sabre and harms American, the travel agent community, and the traveling public.” The TRO will be in effect until the court considers American’s request for longer-term relief.
Emirates SkyCargo operated its longest-ever non-stop flight, a 17.5 hour trip from Sydney to New York JFK aboard a Boeing 777F. Previously its longest flight was a 16.8-hour passenger flight between Dubai and Houston Intercontinental. Separately, the carrier named Angelo Mule as its new cargo operations manager for Germany.
An AirAsia Airbus A320 skidded off the runway at Kuching in Malaysia during a heavy rainstorm on Monday. According to Ascend, the aircraft veered to the right and ran off the side of the runway onto soft ground where its nose undercarriage apparently collapsed. There were no serious injuries reported among 124 passengers and crew aboard.
