Airlines & Lessors

Aaron Karp
A Japan Airlines 737-800 en route from Tokyo Haneda landed Wednesday at Sendai Airport around 8 a.m. local time, marking the resumption of commercial services at SDJ for the first time since it was inundated on March 11 by the earthquake-triggered tsunami.
Airports & Networks

Aaron Karp
In what would be its third such effort, Air Canada plans to launch a separate low-cost carrier that could eventually comprise as many as 50 aircraft.

Michele McDonald
American Airlines charged Travelport with violations of federal antitrust laws in a new lawsuit filed against the GDS company and Orbitz in a US federal court in Fort Worth.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Aaron Karp
A Japan Airlines 737-800 en route from Tokyo Haneda landed Wednesday at Sendai Airport around 8 a.m. local time, marking the resumption of commercial services at SDJ for the first time since it was inundated on March 11 by the earthquake-triggered tsunami.
Airports & Networks

Christine Boynton
Etihad Airways has selected Manchester as the location for its newest contact center, to be operational in 2012, joining centers in Abu Dhabi, India and Australia. It is now working with the Manchester Airports Group to find a location on the airport campus. The center is expected to create 160 jobs for the region, Etihad said.

By Linda Blachly
An Air France Airbus A380 carrying 520 people collided with a Bombardier CRJ701ER operated by Comair as a Delta Connection flight Monday night while both aircraft were taxiing at New York JFK.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Lufthansa took delivery of its sixth Airbus A380 on April 4. SkyWork Airlines announced it replaced the 31-seat Dornier 328 aircraft serving its daily London City-Bern service with 70-seat Bombardier Q400s, April 4. It said forward bookings for the route have been “very strong.”
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Cathy Buyck
Iberia's MRO division converted an Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft into a Multi Role Tanker Transport equipped for mid-air refueling. The conversion is part of a contract between Iberia Maintenance and Airbus Military to convert civilian aircraft into MRTTs, and reflects IB's strategy of reorienting its maintenance business toward technologically challenging, high value-added activities, said Iberia EVP-Maintenance and Engineering Jose Luis Ruiz de Castaneda.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Cathy Buyck
British Airways and Iberia will combine their cargo business and network into a single business unit reporting to International Airlines Group although both cargo operations will retain their current brands, the carriers and IAG announced last week. There will be a small cargo management team within IAG, while all other cargo employees will continue to work for their current airline. The combined business will be led by MD Steve Gunning and Deputy MD Ignacio Diez Barturen. They were previously managing directors of BA World Cargo and Iberia Cargo, respectively.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Katie Cantle
China Southern Airlines is accelerating the pace of its international expansion this year in response to mounting competition from China’s expanding high-speed railway network.
Airports & Networks

Aaron Karp
Lufthansa said that "too many problems remain unresolved" regarding implementation of airlines' inclusion in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, leaving open the prospect that the initiative will become a "fiasco" when it goes into effect at the beginning of next year.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Linda Blachly
SAS Group said Monday it will lease five new 737-800NGs from GECAS and signed an MOU to lease a further 12 737-700s from the same company as it phases out its remaining nine MD-80s and 11 737 Classics at its Stockholm and Oslo hubs, where it also operates 67 737NGs.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Linda Blachly
SAS Group announced Monday it will lease five new 737-800NGs from GECAS and signed an MOU to lease a further 12 737-700s from the same company as it phases out its remaining nine MD-80s and 11 737 Classics at its Stockholm and Oslo hubs, where it also operates 67 737NGs.
Aircraft & Propulsion

Edvaldo Pereira Lima
GOL reached a 39.8% domestic market share in February, slightly surpassing previous Brazilian market leader TAM for the first time since GOL launched in January 2001. TAM posted a 39.6% market share in February.

Aaron Karp
Air India Chairman and MD Arvind Jadhav met with a consortium of Indian bankers on Friday to present a turnaround plan aimed at making the struggling carrier "operationally profitable by 2015."

Kurt Hofmann
Austrian Airlines said additional cost-cutting measures will be necessary owing to escalating expenses driven by the Japanese nuclear crisis, unrest in North Africa, rising fuel costs and stiff competition on many of its main routes.

Kurt Hofmann
Kuwait's Jazeera Airways dealt a blow to Airbus last week, canceling 25 of the 40 A320s it ordered in 2007.
Aircraft & Propulsion

Kurt Hofmann
Shenzhen-based Jade Cargo named Lufthansa Cargo VP-Margin Management Frank Naeve its new CEO, replacing Kay Kratky. Jade pointed out that Naeve previously served as LH Cargo GM-Sales-Greater Shanghai, giving him familiarity with the Chinese air cargo market.

Aaron Karp
UPS Airlines aircraft mechanics, represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, voted to ratify a new labor agreement that will run through Nov. 1, 2013.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Katie Cantle
The Chinese government raised domestic jet fuel prices to CNY6,840 ($1,044) per ton, up 7.9% from CNY6,340 per ton in February, in response to escalating oil prices. This is the second price hike this year.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

Aaron Karp
Russia's UTair Aviation signed a contract Thursday to purchase 20 ATR 72-500s, valued at $426 million at list prices.
Aircraft & Propulsion

Aaron Karp
Russia's UTair Aviation signed a contract Thursday to purchase 20 ATR 72-500s, valued at $426 million at list prices.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Linda Blachly
Japan Airlines said it will offer a limited number of administrative and maintenance staff, flight attendants and pilots “special unpaid leave during the months of May and June” as a result of capacity reductions in the aftermath of the devastating natural and nuclear disasters in Japan. Last week, JAL announced a temporary reduction in capacity on international and domestic routes ( ATW Daily News, April 4).

Christine Boynton
Alaska Airlines will this year begin a "major renovation project" for its facilities at Los Angeles International, moving from Terminal 3 to Terminal 6 in late 2011, and integrating its "Airport of the Future" check-in process and "modernized" gate facilities. The new location will open for operations in spring 2012.
Airports & Networks

Aaron Karp
SkyTeam named KLM Executive VP-Cargo Michael Wisbrun managing director, replacing Marie-Joseph Male.