The Southwest Airlines Pilots Assn. representing the LCC's pilots was scheduled to meet Wednesday with airline management to discuss the prospect that the carrier may convert some of its future 737-700 deliveries to -800s ( ATW Daily News, Aug. 17).
Air China announced Wednesday that it has changed its order for 15 787-800s to 15 -900s valued at $3.19 billion at list prices, according to a CZ filing with Hong Kong regulators cited by multiple media outlets. The original order was placed in 2005 ( ATW Daily News, Aug. 9, 2005). Boeing last week delayed the 787 program for the seventh time ( ATW Daily News, Sept. 1).
CAAC ordered China Express Air to suspend operations Wednesday after the right wing of one of its CRJ200's scraped the runway on landing at Guiyang Airport in southwest China Saturday. No one was injured in the incident.
Delta Air Lines regional subsidiary Comair said Wednesday it will retire 49 50-seat CRJs by the end of 2012 and also "realign our staffing over the next two years to support the new, smaller size of the airline."
Air New Zealand is adding more than 9,500 seats per week across its regional network and main jet routes, significantly increasing capacity on its domestic operations. Key increases will include: Tauranga to Christchurch, up 120%; Invercargill to Wellington, up 63%; New Plymouth to Christchurch, up 20%; Palmerston North to Christchurch, up 11.3%; and Napier to Auckland, up 4.5%. According to ANZ Group GM Australasia Bruce Parton, the additional capacity is being introduced as signs emerge of the anticipated recovery in demand for domestic travel within New Zealand.
Ryanair said it will close its Belfast City base at the end of the current summer schedule on Oct. 31, citing the airport's confirmation that a public inquiry into a planned runway extension will be further delayed. The runway extension was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2008. Runway 04/22 is just 1,829 m. long.
Hainan Airlines reported net income of CNY557 million ($82 million) for the six months ended June 30, more than tripling a CNY175 million profit posted in the year-ago period, on a 42.3% lift in operating revenue to CNY9.6 billion. Operating expenses increased 35.2% to CNY7.4 billion.
Japan Airlines on Tuesday unveiled a more radical restructuring plan than expected, calling for the retirement or layoff of more than 16,000 staff by March 31, 2011, as well as the disposal of 103 aircraft and the scrapping of 49 loss-making routes.
A combined United Airlines and Continental Airlines would have earned $223 million more in the six months ended June 30 than they achieved operating independently, according to a pro forma statement of operations included in a recent proxy statement by the carriers. United earned $191 million for the period, while Continental netted $87 million. But had the merger occurred on Jan. 1, 2009, they would have reported income of $501 million for the 2010 half-year, according to the filing.
CSA Czech Airlines released its 2010-11 winter flight schedule, signaling a change in its network philosophy to focus on offering passengers an East-West air bridge rather than operating to the highest number of destinations throughout Europe. The airline said the new network will take shape gradually, reaching a final form in 2012.Significantly, from Oct. 31 Brno, Munich, Cologne/Bonn, London Heathrow and Manchester will all be dropped from CSA's network.
EgyptAir said its corporate jet aircraft charter subsidiary Smart Aviation Co. has formed a commercial airline unit that will be launched with two Q400 NextGen aircraft ordered Monday. Bombardier said the order's value is $62 million based on list prices but could rise to $158 million if EgyptAir exercises three Q400 options also placed Monday.
China Eastern Airlines reported net income of CNY1.76 billion ($259.3 million) for the six months ended June 30, up 78.7% over a CNY985 million profit in the year-ago period.
Mexicana Airlines suspended operations over the weekend, citing its "delicate financial situation." The carrier had been operating under creditor protection in both Mexico and the US since Aug. 3, and a Mexican business consortium called Tenedora K earlier this month acquired 95% of MX's holding company, Nuevo Grupo Aeronautico, in an attempt to rescue it ( ATW Daily News, Aug. 24).
Virgin Blue last week reported a net profit of A$21.3 million ($18.9 million) for its fiscal year ended June 30, a major reversal from a A$160 million loss in FY2008-09 that marked the Australian carrier's worst-ever fiscal-year result.
Iberia Friday reported second-quarter net income of €31 million ($39.4 million), reversed from a loss of €73 million in the year-ago quarter, a turnaround the airline attributed to the recovery of international markets, cost control and increased productivity.
Dreamliner launch customer ANA said in a brief statement Friday that the latest delay to the 787 program "is regrettable," while a Boeing official said the delay "is much less important than the thoroughness of the process that gets us" to first delivery.
Malev Head of the Executive Board Laszlo Urban resigned after just one month in the position. CSA Czech Airlines named Jiri Marek as its new sales director effective Sept. 1. Turkish Airlines appointed Sukru Nenem strategic planning and investments manager. US National Transportation Safety Board named Alfonso Montano an Administrative Law Judge.
Air Berlin CEO Joachim Hunold told ATW the carrier has rebounded "slower than expected" from April's volcanic ash-related airspace closures in Europe, which cost it "about €40 million" ($50.6 million) in lost revenue and forced the cancellation of "3,625 flights, resulting in a loss of 600,000 seats affecting 400,000 passengers," he said. Hunold noted that the carrier is considering joining with other airlines for a possible legal action but would not give details.
Air China said it earned net income of CNY4.61 billion ($677 million) in the first half of 2010 owing to "the recovering global economy…[and] accelerated economic growth in China…[and] reasonable control of operating costs."
Air New Zealand credited "innovation and performance improvement" for a near-quadrupling of its net income to NZ$82 million ($57.4 million) for its fiscal year ended June 30 compared to a NZ$21 million profit in the prior year.
