Air China signed an agreement with the Dalian government to launch Dalian Airlines, replacing Hainan Airlines, which had reached agreement with the local government last year to launch the airline.
Continental Airlines and one of its mechanics were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for their part in the crash of an Air France Concorde on July 25, 2000 in which 113 people died, a French court ruled Monday.
Air Serv adopted SITA's PRM Data Access service to rationalize special service requests from passengers with reduced mobility at London Heathrow. Air Serv is the dedicated ground services provider that manages assistance for such passengers departing from or arriving at LHR. It receives around 3,000 messages daily, coming from more than 90 airlines, each containing multiple requests for special assistance.
Bmi is urging the UK Civil Aviation Authorityto investigate BAA's plans to introduce higher charges for domestic passengers flying out of London Heathrow and warned that it is preparing legal action to block the increases. The carrier, which is the second-largest slot holder at LHR, believes BAA's conduct is "unreasonably discriminating" against domestic operations from the airport.
Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan said the carrier will report positive EBITAR for 2010, “marking an important milestone in the commercial development of the airline.” Speaking at a financial road show event in London to more than 170 bank representatives, Hogan laid out Etihad’s business strategy for the future, as well as its commercial performance since it was established seven years ago.
Alaska Airlines announced on Friday it has nearly deployed Gogo Wi-Fi statewide in Alaska with recent availability on flights from southeast Alaska to Anchorage and Fairbanks. Since May it has installed the service from Aircell on more than 70% of its Boeing 737s and aims for complete fleet-wide installation in early 2011.
Emirates President Tim Clark told ATW he believes the Boeing 787 will be an outstanding aircraft but its current problems are slowing development of a 777-300ER upgrade sought by a number of airlines to meet the challenge of the Airbus A350-1000. Clark, who has been a driving force behind an upgraded 777-300ER, told ATW that Boeing was “rightly devoting all its resources to getting the 787 into service.”
Bombardier reported net income of $143 million for its third fiscal quarter ended Oct. 31, down 14.8% from a $168 million profit in the year-ago period, citing a “difficult” environment in its Aerospace unit with “leading indicators sending mixed signals as to the timing of a full recovery,” according to Bombardier President and CEO Pierre Beaudoin.
In a step that highlights Asia's rapidly growing role in commercial aviation, IATA's Board of Governors on Friday announced it will recommend that Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Tony Tyler succeed Giovanni Bisignani as leader of the organization when Bisignani retires following the 2011 AGM next June.
In a step that highlights Asia's rapidly growing role in commercial aviation, IATA's Board of Governors on Friday announced it will recommend that Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Tony Tyler succeed Giovanni Bisignani as leader of the organization when Bisignani retires following the 2011 AGM next June.
As ATW previously reported, the Supervisory Board of Austrian Airlines confirmed it appointed Lufthansa Executive Board Member and Executive VP-Marketing and Sales Thierry Antinori as chairman of the airline’s Executive Board at its meeting Wednesday ( ATW Daily News, Dec. 1). He will take up his post April 1, 2011.
BOC Aviation announced it signed an agreement for the lease of one new A320-200 aircraft to LAN Airlines. The aircraft, powered by IAE 2527E-A5 SelectOne engines, is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2011. This deal marks the second time that BOC has worked with Chile’s flag carrier.
The Czech government plans to merge 92% of state-owned CSA Czech Airlines and Prague Airport into one entity. According to several Czech press reports, the ministry of finance said last week that the consolidation, to be named Cesky Aeroholding AS, will bring stability to the companies. CSA has been managed by Prague Airport since last year. The state-owned airport handles about 11.6 million passengers. Last year, CSA transported approximately 5.6 million passengers and had an operating loss of €150 million ($195.8 million).
Blue 1 cabin staff reached an agreement ending a work action that began Nov. 30, but Finnair said a solution has not yet been reached with its striking flight attendants ( ATW Daily News, Dec. 1). Both carriers' cabin crew are represented by the Finnish Cabin Crew Union.
Condor Airlines, a German leisure carrier, will renew its short- and medium-haul fleet by 30 Airbus A320 family aircraft, the dpa news agency reported. The new A320 fleet should replace 25 aircraft with an average age of 11 years, including 13 757-300s and 12 A320s older versions. The new aircraft are scheduled to be delivered between 2012 and 2017.
Turkish Technic announced it has signed maintenance services agreements for one base maintenance C check on B737NG (VQ-BEO) and one base maintenance A check on B737NG (VQ-BOY) with Yakutia Airlines. Maintenance activities will be carried at Turkish Technic’s facilities in Istanbul, Turkey; during December 2010.
Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon Air announced Wednesday its pilots, represented by International Brotherhood of Teamsters, ratified a new five-year contract ( ATW Daily News, Sept. 20). Nearly 77% of Horizon's pilots voted, and more than 59% of those voted in favor of the agreement.
Lufthansa this week outlined its vision to reporters in Frankfurt on "a new way to handle irregularity" in travel for its passengers, particularly regarding delays and managing flight transfers. "Our vision is [a] mobile companion" for the passenger, an LH spokesperson said. In the future, the airline hopes to introduce an indoor navigation application for airports that customers will be able to access on mobile phones. "With the mobilization of the world, this is really important," LH said.
Southwest Airlines' pilots ratified a tentative agreement to amend their collective bargaining accord to allow the carrier to add the Boeing 737-800 to its fleet. "With this positive vote, the pilots' current contract will also be extended by one year, becoming amendable August 2012, and will include the potential for wage rate increases based on the company's financial performance," the Dallas-based LCC said in a statement. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Assn. represents more than 5,600 SWA pilots.
AirBridgeCargo Airlines told ATW it “hopes” that Boeing will not announce further delays to its 747-8 Freighter program and that it is in discussion with the manufacturer on compensation for the first set of delays. The Russian cargo carrier placed orders for five firm 747-8Fs in 2007 with purchase rights for a further five ( ATW Daily News, March 13, 2007).
Ryanair announced Wednesday it will open three new bases in the Canary Islands next year as part of the LCC’s Spain expansion plan, bringing the number of bases in the country to 11.
The Finnish Cabin Crew Union, which represents Finnair's and Blue1's cabin service personnel, began its open-ended strike Tuesday at 1 p.m. local time after it failed to reach a deal over shifts and other employment issues ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 18). SLSY Chairwoman Thelma Akers said the union would be on strike for "as long as it takes."
Lufthansa Cargo, which is forecasting a 5% annual gain in its airfreight traffic from 2012 to 2015, said it will add the equivalent of six MD-11 widebodies by 2015, according to LHC Executive Board Member-Product and Sales Andreas Otto. He said the growth is driven by Asian demand.
