Qantas Group CFO Colin Storrie announced his resignation "for personal and health reasons" effective March 5, the airline announced yesterday. Gareth Evans, currently CFO of the QF airline unit, will fill in for Storrie on an interim basis. The company said it "will consider internal and external candidates" in its search for a permanent successor. Storrie, 41, was appointed CFO and finance director in September 2008.
Japan Airlines announced that it has ended negotiations related to a possible merger of its cargo operations with Nippon Cargo Airlines. JAL and NCA parent Nippon Yusen announced last August that talks about a merger were underway ( ATWOnline, Aug. 24, 2009).
Continental Airlines said last month's snowstorms and their impact on its Newark operation cost it approximately $25 million in lost passenger revenue. At the same time, the resulting cancellations were worth a 1-point increase in RASM. February consolidated unit revenue rose an estimated 7.5%-8.5% from the year-ago month while mainline RASM was up an estimated 5.5%-6.5%. CO flew 6.07 billion consolidated RPMs during the month, up 3.3% year-over-year. Capacity fell 3.8% to 7.81 billion ASMs and load factor surged 5.2 points to 77.7%.
Shanghai Hongqiao-based Juneyao Airlines reported net income of CNY108 million ($15.8 million) in 2009, a more-than-ninefold improvement from the CNY11.5 million profit posted in 2008.
Lufthansa yesterday said it ended a "difficult" 2009 with a net loss of €112 million ($151.9 million), reversed from a restated 2008 profit of €542 million and the company's first full-year deficit since 2003. Revenue fell approximately 10% to €22.3 billion, while operating profit plunged 90% to €130 million from €1.3 billion in 2008.
Singapore Airlines will replace its 777s with A330-300s on flights to Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Kuwait City, Male (all from March 28), Fukuoka, Taipei (each April 28) and Colombo (May 1) as part the carrier's "product enhancement efforts." SIA currently flies the A330 to Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Nagoya Chubu and Osaka Kansai. It has nine of the type, seating 30 in business class and 255 in economy, and will take an additional 10 by year end.
Gol expects domestic demand to increase 12.5%-18% in 2010, more than double the rate of Brazil's expected 5%-6% growth in GDP. The LCC said it anticipates yield this year in the BRL0.195-BRL0.21 (10.79-11.62 cent) range and an operating margin of 10%-13%. It plans to operate 111 aircraft by year end compared to 108 on Dec. 31, 2009, and to transport 31.5-36.5 million passengers. Gol was BRL493 million in the black through the first nine months of 2009. It is scheduled to release its full-year results on March 11.
Gulf Air yesterday launched a combined premium product called Falcon Gold, "offering the very best elements of Gulf Air's first class for the price of a traditional business class fare." Cabin will feature former first class catering, new bedding and overnight amenity kits and beginning at the end of 2011 a new lie-flat seat on flights longer than 4.5 hr. In the interim, passengers traveling on a more expensive, fully flexible FG ticket will have priority access to Gulf's lie-flat first class sleeper seats. Interior refurbishment in the combined cabin will be finished by April.
China Eastern Airlines subsidiary China Cargo Airlines took delivery of its first 777 freighter Sunday as it begins to upgrade its MD11 fleet in order to compete more effectively with Western carriers. The aircraft is scheduled to operate between Shanghai and Luxembourg beginning today. CCA noted that the new 777 will be used mainly on its European network as the city prepares for Expo 2010, which will take place in Shanghai from May to October. CCA plans to introduce three more 777s before August. It currently operates six MD11s, two 747s and three A300 freighters.
SunExpress posted a 4.8% increase in 2009 revenue to €429.6 million ($585.4 million) on a 32.2% surge in passenger numbers to 5.6 million. The Turkish Airlines/Lufthansa joint venture is targeting €500 million in revenue and 7 million passengers this year as it increases its 737-800 fleet from 20 to 25.
Cimber Sterling cut its forecast for its fiscal year ending April 30 owing to "increased competition with severely squeezed fares, lower demand and extra costs related to the severe winter weather" and now expects an operating loss of DKK200-DKK220 million ($36.6-$40.2 million). That result excludes DKK10 million in costs related to its initial public offering and compares to the Danish airline's earlier forecast of a DKK60 million operating loss. It lowered its 2009-10 revenue guidance to DKK1.55-DKK1.61 billion from DKK1.68-DKK1.73 billion.
The Hungarian government reacquired control of its flag carrier, Malev Hungarian Airlines, spending HUF25.2 billion ($126.7 million) on a 95% stake that will see the airline return to state control after three years as a privately held company.
Satisfaction with the airport experience "continues to lag behind that of other aspects of the travel industry," J.D. Power and Assoc. reported in its "2010 North America Airport Satisfaction Study", citing a lack of consistency in meeting "expectations of basic needs."
US major passenger airlines spent another year in the red, but losses in 2009 were much lower than in 2008 and 2010 is starting to look like it will be a year of recovery.
Lufthansa Group airlines flew 13.06 billion RPKs in January, a 17.9% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 20.1% to 17.91 billion ASKs, lowering load factor 1.4 points to 72.9%. LH Passenger Airlines flew 9.2 billion RPKs, up 3.1%, against a 4.7% lift in ASKs to 12.52 billion. Load factor slipped 1.1 points to 73.5%. Skywest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines flew a combined 1.37 billion RPMs in January, up 9.9% year-over-year. Capacity rose 8.4% to 1.87 billion ASMs and load factor was up 1 point to 73.3%.
Air Line Pilots Assn. and the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Assn. issued statements last week protesting a proposal from Sen. Jim DeMint (R.-S.C.) that data from cockpit voice and flight data recorders be available to use as evidence when disciplining individual pilots. DeMint is the ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation's subcommittee on aviation operations, safety and security.
British Airways cabin crew represented by Unite last week announced they "unanimously backed the work of their negotiating team attempting to resolve the current dispute" and steered away from setting a date for strike action. Unite members endorsed strike action in a vote that saw 80.7% call for a walkout ( ATWOnline, Feb. 23). The union reportedly has until March 22 before its strike mandate expires under trade union legislation.
South African Airways named SA Express CEO Siza Mzimela as the flag carrier's new CEO. She joined SA Express in 2003. GM-Operations Chris Smyth had filled the position on a temporary basis following the departure of Khaya Ngqula one year ago ( ATWOnline, June 15, 2009). SAA's regional partner reported a ZAR235.4 million ($30.1 million) profit last year.
Ukraine International Airlines posted a UAH7.9 million ($977,400) profit in 2009, down 26.9% from the UAH10.8 million surplus reported in 2008. It was UIA's 10th consecutive year in the black. Revenue climbed 15.8% to UAH2.2 billion but operating income plunged 51.8% to UAH40 million from UAH83 million. President Yuri Miroshnikov said the carrier suffered just a 6% fall in passenger traffic despite a 17% decline in demand in the Ukrainian market. It operates 19 737s.
Cyprus Airways lost €3.3 million ($4.4 million) in 2009, reversed from a €1.7 million profit in 2008, as traffic and yield fell sharply. The carrier attributed the result to the "world economic crisis that adversely affects the airline industry." Revenue dropped 20.1% to €249 million and the operating loss of €5.7 million compared to a €2 million surplus the prior year. CY said it has sufficient liquidity to meet its obligations. It sold three older A320s last year and hopes to find buyers for its remaining four owned A320s.
Turkish Airlines will introduce a new class and service product in between business and economy on its new widebody aircraft, CEO Temel Kotil told ATWOnline last week in Istanbul. The class is unnamed but "will exceed the premium economy standards of most other carriers and will be close to the business class of some other carriers," he said.
Air New Zealand lifted its net profit for the six months to Dec. 31, 2009, to NZ$56 million ($38.6 million), more than double the NZ$24 million reported in the year-ago semester, despite fuel hedge losses and a significant decline in revenue.
Japan Airlines posted a net loss of ¥177.9 billion ($1.99 billion) for the first three quarters of its fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2009, considerably widened from a ¥1.9 billion loss for the prior-year period.
