The impact for European airlines and airports owing to the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant should be limited to global GDP, FX rates, fuel prices and a possible shift of capacity away from Japan, according to a research report by Citi Investment Research & Analysis.
Air Berlin CEO Joachim Hunold told ATW on the sidelines of ITB Berlin last week that the carrier is busy completing the necessary requirements to join oneworld by April 2012.
Lufthansa's supervisory board on Wednesday approved orders for 35 new aircraft comprising 25 Airbus A320neos, five A321neos and five Boeing 777 freighters.
Air New Zealand warned it will lose money in the second half of the financial year because of high fuel prices and the impact of earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. It expects full-year earnings to fall below NZ$100 million ($75 million). Japan Airlines is calling on its JAL Mileage Bank members to donate miles to raise funds for relief work in Japan. The airline told members that for every 7,500 miles donated, ¥7,500 ($91.60) will be contributed to help victims of last Friday’s devastating earthquake and support recovery and restoration process.
BAE Systems and California-based engine lessor Willis Lease Finance Corp. signed an agreement under which BAE Systems’ Regional Aircraft Asset Management unit will provide aircraft acquisition, remarketing and lease management services to Willis Lease. Willis is looking to expand beyond the engine leasing business into the market for used aircraft. The company in September signaled its shift into the airframe market when it signed an MOU with SuperJet International for the purchase of six Sukhoi SuperJet-100s with options for another four (ATW Daily News, Sept. 3, 2011).
Air New Zealand began daily ASPIRE (Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions) flights between Auckland and San Francisco last month, moving the program beyond the demonstration stage. It launched ASPIRE—a JV between US FAA and its counterparts and airlines in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore to reduce fuel burn--with the first demonstration flight in the fall of 2008.
Cathay Pacific Airways Head of Environmental Affairs Mark Watson warns that an emerging patchwork of regional environmental schemes to tax carbon and aviation will cause major market distortions and a nightmare of paperwork. Speaking with ATW’s Eco-Aviation Today, Watson said a number of countries such as Australia are moving to tax aviation carbon and warned that in the absence of a global scheme there could be “a plethora of competing schemes with significant overlap.”
Air service to Tokyo Narita and Haneda airports was largely operating normally Monday, though governments worldwide continued to advise against travel to Japan as the nation attempts to manage unstable nuclear reactors in the aftermath of last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Long-time Pinnacle Airlines Corp. President and CEO Philip Trenary announced his resignation Monday, effective March 24, to “pursue other interests,” the company said in a statement.
American Airlines and United Airlines on Monday agreed to drop their lawsuit against the City of Chicago after reaching agreement with Mayor Richard Daley to allow a portion of the planned second phase of Chicago O'Hare expansion to move forward.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Assn., the union representing 800 Air India pilots who were Indian Airlines pilots prior to the 2007 merger, said its members will go on strike starting Wednesday.
Aegean Airlines posted a net loss of €23.3 million ($32.4 million) for 2010, reversed from a €23 million net profit in 2009, confirming earlier predictions that the Greek airline would suffer a loss “of over $22 million” for the year.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Assn., the union representing 800 Air India pilots who were Indian Airlines pilots prior to the 2007 merger, said its members will go on strike starting Wednesday.
Swiss International Air Lines improved its fuel consumption by 3.9% year-over-year in 2010, and by a total of 17% since its founding in 2002. It ended 2010 with fuel consumption of 3.73 liters per 100 passenger km., versus 3.88 liters in 2009. “Maintaining a responsible attitude toward the environment has been a cornerstone of our corporate culture for several years now,” LX CEO Harry Hohmeister remarked.
Pinnacle Airlines said it reached a tentative accord with flight attendants to amend its collective bargaining agreement. If ratified, the contract would provide a five-year extension to the agreement that became amendable on Jan. 31, it said. Pinnacle’s 797 flight attendants are represented by the United Steelworkers AFL-CIO.
Etihad Airways reduced its order for 35 787s by four aircraft and instead exercised options on three 777s to safeguard its expansion, the airline said last week following a report in The Seattle Times.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the airline is expecting to receive its first Boeing 787 in January or February 2012. "Over two years' delay," he noted. "But the 787 will be a good aircraft for us."
Etihad Airways appointed Kevin Knight as the airline’s chief strategy and planning officer. Knight will be responsible for a range of key business areas, including pricing, capacity and revenue management, route and network planning and aircraft acquisitions. He also will lead Etihad Crystal Cargo. Mongolian Airlines appointed Aviarepsto serve as the carrier's general sales agent in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain.
US Airways said its employees will receive profit sharing checks for the first time since 2007 totaling more than $47 million. Employees have already received more than $25 million in operational incentive bonuses and employee recognition awards over the past year. US Airways' Chairman and CEO Doug Parker said, "Our team ran a safe, reliable airline in 2010, completing more scheduled flights and delivering baggage more reliably than our network peers. Our customers have noticed the turnaround and our financial results reflect these positive results."
AWAS announced that Terra Firma, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and other co-investors committed to invest an additional $529 million in the Dublin-based operating lessor by April and a another $200 million "to finance further value enhancing opportunities." The initial investment of $529 million is being made by Terra Firma ($246 million), CPPIB ($266 million) and other co-investors ($17 million), following which Terra Firma’s interest in AWAS will be 60%, CPPIB’s 25% and other co-investors’ 15%.
Air Astana and Amadeus have apparently settled their disagreement that led to the Kazakhstan airline filing suit against the GDS in a Madrid court ( ATW Daily New, Feb. 15). On Thursday Amadeus announced that the two had reached a long-term content agreement that "guarantees agents access to the full range of Air Astana's content through Amadeus with no commission reduction." The new contract will be in place through 2014.
Air Canada said it has been notified by Boeing that its first five 787 deliveries, originally slated for 2012 and then pushed back to the second half of 2013, "are now targeted for delivery" during the 2013 fourth quarter and the 2014 first half. "This represents an average delay of between five and seven months from the previous schedule," AC stated, adding that Boeing is still evaluating the schedule for the carrier's remaining 32 787 deliveries.
