Delta Air Lines got the US airline industry's second-quarter financial reporting season off to an optimistic start yesterday, posting net income of $467 million, reversed from a $257 million loss in the year-ago period.
China Eastern Air Holding Co. posted a net profit of CNY2.21 billion ($326.7 million) in the first half, more than tripling its profit of CNY600 million reported in the prior-year period.
Royal Jordanian transported 268,000 passengers in June, a 13% increase on the year-ago month. Load factor reached 70% while number of flights lifted 10% to 3,465. RJ expects to reach a record number of passengers in July, estimating the figure to surpass 330,000. JetBlue Airways flew 2.47 billion RPMs in June, up 10.9% year-over-year, while capacity rose 5.8% to 2.93 billion ASMs. Load factor was up 3.9 points to 84.2%.
Continental Airlines completed upgrading 11 777s and 14 757-200s used on long-haul international routes with its BusinessFirst flat-bed seats manufactured by BE Aerospace. The seats also will be installed on "many" of its 767-400s beginning in 2011, on two 777s to be delivered at the end of the month and on 787s yet to be delivered.
Lufthansa said Friday that closing much of Europe's airspace for six days in April "caused unprecedented chaos" and "utter pandemonium" that must be avoided in the future, stating that airspace closure decisions need to be based on "reliable measuring data and internationally coordinated threshold levels."
Air China plans to renew its fleet by introducing more widebody aircraft, a move it said will improve its overall operational efficiency. The Beijing-based carrier said in a statement that it is holding talks with Boeing and Airbus for new aircraft orders. It is interested in both the 787 and the A350. MD-International Affairs and Cooperation Lou Yongfeng told ATW last month that the carrier's international ambitions currently are curtailed by a shortage of long-haul aircraft.
Asiana Airlines posted income before taxes of KWR14.7 billion ($12.1 million) for the second quarter, down 75.5% from a KRW60 billion pre-tax profit in the year-ago period owing mainly to a KRW74.3 billion net loss on foreign currency exchange.
Strong domestic market demand helped propel Chinese airlines to an aggregate net profit of CNY10 billion ($1.48 billion) in the first half of 2010, up 2.6% over income of CNY3.85 billion in the prior-year period. According to CAAC, China’s airlines transported a total of 126 million passengers for the first six months, up 17.6% over the same period in 2009, while cargo traffic climbed 38.6% to 2.6 million tonnes. Domestic carriers took delivery of 90 aircraft in the same timeframe.
Qantas Group announced yesterday that it brought forward deliveries of eight of its 50 787s on order to mid-2012, a move it said would allow it to speed the retirement of its 767s, give its low-cost carrier Jetstar a competitive edge and bolster its own domestic fleet.
Lufthansa believes that the 747-8, which will enter service late next year, will have almost the same fuel burn per passenger as the A380 on LH’s typical missions while the CSeries will outperform both.
Copa Airlines flew 533.8 million RPMs in June, up 10.6% year-over-year, against a 9% lift in capacity to 728.9 million ASMs. Load factor lifted 1.1 points to 73.2%. Affiliate Aero Republica flew 99.8 million RPMs, up 10.3% while capacity grew 3.9% to 138.5 million ASMs. Load factor improved 4.1 points to 72%. EasyJet transported 4.5 million passengers in June, up 9.4% from the year-ago month. Load factor rose 0.9 point to 87.2%.
AerCap Holdings said it purchased 19 aircraft and two engines in the second quarter of 2010. It also delivered 18 aircraft and 11 engines under lease agreements, signed new lease agreements for five aircraft, sold five aircraft and five engines and disassembled nine aircraft and eight engines. New lease agreements were with Wizz Air (three new A320s), MNG Airlines (one A300) and Air Company Yakutia (one 737). As of June 30, AerCap’s portfolio comprised 329 aircraft and 90 engines either owned, on order, under contract or letter of intent, or managed.
Air France and Flybe yesterday concluded an extensive commercial agreement under which Air France will market and add its AF code to 45 Flybe routes between the UK and France and 17 UK domestic routes through Birmingham, Manchester and Southampton. In turn, Flybe will market and add its code to five AF routes between France and the UK as well as to seven new domestic French routes and 11 international routes.
Air Berlin transported 3.02 million passengers in June, up 3.4% from the year-ago month, while load factor fell 3.7 points to 75.1%. Allegiant Air flew 479.9 million RPMs in June, up 7.8% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 6.2% to 516.7 million ASMs and load factor increased 1.4 points to 92.9%.
Air France KLM and Martinair agreed to pay €87 million ($110 million) to settle civil antitrust claims in the US related to price-fixing in the air cargo business on flights to/from the US between 2000 and 2006.
