SAS Group airlines flew 2.39 billion RPKs in August, a 7% increase over the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 4.2% to 3.07 billion ASKs, lifting load factor 2 points to 78.2%. Scandinavian Airlines flew 2.19 billion RPKs, a 6.5% increase, against a 3.4% rise in capacity to 2.76 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 2.3 points to 79.3%.
The US Airline Pilots Assn. representing 5,200 US Airways pilots staged a protest yesterday at Philadelphia International to highlight the fact that their negotiations with airline management over a new, unified labor accord remain unresolved. In particular, the seniority lists of US and the former America West Airlines still aren't integrated five years after the carriers merged. USAPA President Mike Cleary said, "From the pilots' perspective, the carrier is operating as two separate airlines."
Virgin Atlantic Airways and the British Air Line Pilots' Assn. representing the carrier's cockpit crewmembers reached an agreement resolving their dispute concerning time off for pilots, averting the possibility of strike action.
Air France KLM operated 19.09 billion RPKs in August, a 1.2% decrease from the year-ago month. Capacity was down 0.9% to 22.61 billion ASKs and load factor fell 0.3 points to 84.5%. British Airways flew 10.55 billion RPKs in August, down 2.9% year-over-year. Capacity was cut 2.6% to 12.51 billion ASKs as load factor fell 0.3 points to 84.4%.
SAS Group announced it sold its remaining 19.9% stake in regional Skyways Holding to Largus Holding, which already owns the remaining 80.1% and is fully owned by the Salen family. The company noted that the transaction created a capital loss for SAS Group of approximately SEK40 million ($5.5 million) and is part of a number of divestments performed in line with its Core SAS strategy. SAS and Skyways said they intend to continue "close commercial cooperation." Skyways operates a fleet of 17 aircraft including 13 Fokker 50s.
Air France said it presently has "no concrete plans" to set up a new low-cost domestic carrier in a bid to win back market share in France, as reported in Les Echos last week. Dubbed "Air France Express," the newspaper reported the LCC could start service as early as next year from a series of bases across southern France, including Marseilles, Nice and Toulouse. According to the report, pilots would be based in the regions and operate up to 25% more hours.
International Airlines Group, which will become the holding company of the combined British Airways/Iberia if shareholders agree to the merger in coming months, has defined a list of 12 potential airlines to merge with or buy, BA CEO Willie Walsh said Sunday at a press conference in Mumbai.
Delta Air Lines operated 18.94 billion system RPMs in August, up 1% year-over-year, on a 1.2% rise in capacity to 21.91 billion ASMs. Load factor was flat at 86.5%. Alaska Airlines flew 1.96 billion mainline RPMs in August, up 10% year-over-year, on a 7.1% increase in capacity to 2.26 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 86.5%, up 2.2 points.
Lufthansa Technik Philippines, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, said it intends to expand its activities to attract more business, particularly from LCCs. "We will be offering new products such as overhaul layovers and cabin refurbishments designed specifically for low-cost airlines," President and CEO Bernhard Krueger-Sprengel said.
The Air Lines Pilots Assn. representing Continental Airlines pilots said Friday that it has been informed that CO will be “recalling all of its pilots from furlough.”
Singapore Airlines named SilkAir Chairman Goh Choon Phong its new CEO, effective Jan. 1 following the year-end retirement of CEO Chew Choon Seng, who has held the post since June 2003.
United Airlines and Continental Airlines have agreed on a path to obtain a single operating certificate from FAA that will see the merged carriers retain the "legacy Continental operating certificate and the legacy United repair station certificate," according to UA VP-Corporate Safety, Security, Quality & Environment Michael Quiello.
Emirates successfully completed migration to SITA's Airfare Insight platform, SITA announced. EK implemented the software tool across its global network of sales offices. Air Berlin extended its agreement with Lufthansa Flight Training to train its pilots exclusively on LFT flight simulators through 2015. Training involves the use of simulators for A320, A330, 737NG and Q400 aircraft. Most of the required simulator training takes place at AB's Berlin base.
Kingfisher Airlines said its board this week approved share sales aimed at raising more than $350 million. The carrier said it will "immediately" attempt to raise $250 million by selling global depository receipts. The rest will be raised via an equity offering in India. "The financials of Kingfisher Airlines are expected to be significantly strengthened by these initiatives," the company said.
Troubled Malev received a HUF5.7 billion ($25.5 million) loan from the Hungarian government Thursday, according to multiple news reports. Hungary's National Development Ministry, which officially extended the loan, told Reuters that "Malev's situation would have become almost unsustainable" without the financial help.
The European Commission Wednesday amended its list of airlines banned from the EU for safety reasons to include Ghana's Meridian Airways. It also placed restrictions on another Ghanaian carrier, Airlift International, banning it from operating three of its aircraft to EU airspace.
SuperJet International and US lessor Willis Lease Finance Corporation signed an MOU for the purchase of six Sukhoi SuperJet 100s plus four options. The deal has an estimated value of up to $300 million, Superjet International said.
Boeing forecast Thursday that North American airlines will take delivery of about 7,200 new aircraft valued at $700 billion over the next 20 years. Around 75% of new deliveries will be narrowbodies, it said.
Lufthansa said it reached an agreement with subsidiary Germanwings to cooperate more closely, in particular to offer benefits for the airlines' frequent flyers. LH's Miles & More members will be able to not only exchange miles but also collect award miles on all GWI flights. Since December 2009, Miles & More members have been able to redeem their miles for flights across the entire GWI network.
Management teams at Air Berlin and LTU reached a framework agreement with the Vereinigung Cockpit pilot union concerning working conditions for cockpit crew, ending the threat of strike in a collective bargaining process that has been ongoing since the beginning of the year ( ATW Daily News, Aug. 17).
