Thales signed a five-year repair-by-the-hr. agreement with EVA Air for support and maintenance of a selection of avionics equipment aboard its 11 A330s.
Commercial aviation's carbon footprint in 2009 will fall 7% from the "just under" 670 million tonnes of carbon dioxide produced in 2008, IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The global recession is responsible for a 5% reduction, while strategies employed by airlines resulted in a further 2% cut. "Shortening routes, spreading best practice in fuel management and using more efficient ways to land are among the measures that we are implementing to reduce emissions. Since 2004, our. .
United Airlines yesterday announced an order for 50 long-haul aircraft evenly split between the A350-900 and 787, along with purchase rights for 50 of each type, claiming that the "breadth in size and capabilities of the different aircraft models ensure the company has the right aircraft for the right market through the fleet replacement cycle." The order was United's first for new aircraft since 1998. Boeing said the deal was not yet finalized and that it has not added the Dreamliners to its Orders and Deliveries'list.
Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal said yesterday at the US-India Aviation Partnership Summit in Washington that consolidation among Indian airlines is inevitable and will be necessary to restore financial sanity to the market.
Japanese Transport Minister Seiji Maehara rejected widespread reports that the government has decided to provide ¥700 billion ($7.74 billion) in credit guarantees to Japan Airlines. "We haven't decided how to fund state guarantees for JAL yet, let alone the size of such potential guarantees," he told reporters yesterday.
Copa Airlines announced an order for an additional two 737-800s scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2010. In July, the carrier placed an order for 13 -800s for delivery in 2012-15, plus eight options for 2015-17 delivery ( ATWOnline, July 17). It did not say how the new delivery positions became available or whether the two new firm orders represented option conversions.
ASKY Airlines, a Togolese startup affiliated with Ethiopian Airlines ( ATWOnline, July 8, 2008), plans to launch service to regional destinations on Jan. 15 with two 737-700s on lease from ET and said it intends to serve Europe, the Americas and Asia in the future. Shareholders include ET (20%), Ecobank Group, Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development, West African Development Bank and the Sakhumnotho Group of South Africa.
Aeroflot and Alitalia signed an MOU "to further develop new routes and frequencies between Italy and Russia as well as implement a wide ranging reciprocal codeshare to domestic and beyond destinations," AZ announced. Carriers also will cooperate more closely on network planning, reservations, sales and marketing, passenger service, charter and cargo operations and technology. AZ and SU already codeshare on flights to/from Moscow Sheremetyevo and four Italian destinations.
RwandAir signed a financing deal with the Eastern and Southern African Trade & Development Bank for $13.5 million in loans to cover the acquisition of two CRJ200s. In addition, the carrier said that talks with "large aircraft suppliers are at advanced stages for the acquisition of mid- to long-range aircraft beginning 2010. The airline intends to expand its fleet considerably over the next five years."
Baltic Aviation Academy, a unit of Vilnius-based Avia Solutions Group, said it received its Flight Training Organization License from the Lithuanian CAA and is offering ab initio pilot training from private pilot license and instrument rating courses to commercial pilot license, multiengine pilot license and airline transport pilot license courses. Ab initio classes start in January.
Continental Airlines plans to raise $200 million through a public offering of its convertible senior notes due 2015, with an option for underwriters to purchase up to an additional $30 million to cover overallotments. CO said it will use the proceeds for general corporate purposes.
Jat Airways expects to lose €15 million ($22.3 million) this year, lower than the €20- €25 million anticipated previously, but will need €20-€32 million in loans to maintain operations, CEO Srdjan Radovanovic told the Associated Press. He also said that Turkish Airlines has shown "the most serious" interest in investing in the carrier.
The Japanese government reportedly is preparing to provide ¥700 billion ($7.74 billion) in credit guarantees to Japan Airlines as part of an "extra budget" that could be finalized this week for the country's fiscal year ending March 31.
Delta Air Lines flew 13.57 billion system RPMs in November, a 7.1% decrease from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 8.4% to 17.06 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 1.1 points to 79.6%. American Airlines flew 9.49 billion system RPMs in November, down 0.5% year-over-year. Capacity fell 4.2% to 11.92 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 3 points to 79.6%. American Eagle flew 634.6 million RPMs, up 11.7%, against a 6.8% increase in capacity to 901.2 million ASMs. Load factor was up 3.1 points to 70.4%.
Korean Air became the second airline to order Boeing's 747-8 Intercontinental passenger jet, placing an order for five of the aircraft last week. The new planes are worth some $1.5 billion at list prices, Boeing said, while the airline indicated it expects delivery between April 2013 and May 2015, according to press reports from Korea.
Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras, the year-old Campinas-based LCC, plans to increase passenger traffic 50% next year and "will continue to grow significantly faster than the overall market," CEO David Neeleman told Dow Jones last week. Azul currently operates 14 aircraft to 16 domestic destinations and plans to add seven planes and three new airports in 2010, he said, "but we could still expand much faster than that."
Air China Senior VP Fan Cheng was named Communist Party Secretary at Shenzhen Airlines last week, increasing speculation in China that CA will seek control of Shenzhen following the arrest of controlling shareholder Li Zeyuan ( ATWOnline, Dec. 2). Fan reportedly will oversee day-to-day operations at Shenzhen, in which CA currently holds 25%.
Dublin Airport Authority said Ireland's Commission for Aviation Regulation has determined that the average maximum passenger charge will increase to €9.97 ($15.04) in 2010-15, more than 33% higher than the current period, although the commission's report "contains many variables." DAA said charges "in real terms" have fallen 30% over the past 20 years and that the increase still compares favorably to European "peers" that charge an average of €12.50 per passenger.
ANA last week told ATWOnline that it is "definitely very interested in deepening our relationships with partner airlines" but would not comment on press reports that it plans to seek transpacific antitrust immunity with both United Airlines and Continental Airlines once an expanded air service agreement is signed by the US and Japan, which could happen as early as this week. "At this point, it's premature for us to talk publicly about plans, timetables, etc.," an ANA spokesperson said.
As the domestic cargo market recovers, China Southern Airlines is boosting capacity on routes from Shanghai Pudong and moving toward making the airport its cargo hub. The Guangzhou-based carrier introduced two new 777 freighters last week, adding to the pair of 747-400Fs it already operated from PVG. A new 747 service to Frankfurt launched last week and the 777s are expected to fly to Chicago O'Hare starting this month. CZ also operates a 747F to Amsterdam.
Niki plans to increase capacity by more than 30% next year as it endeavors to fill the void left by SkyEurope Airlines and a restructuring Austrian Airlines. "This is my chance and I'm going to take this opportunity," President Niki Lauda told ATWOnline. On Feb. 1 the LCC will begin daily flights from Vienna to Belgrade, Sofia and Bucharest Otopeni and on March 26 it will launch daily services to Barcelona and Nice and a six-times-weekly flight to Copenhagen. Its fleet will grow from the current 11 aircraft to 17 A320 family jets and E-190s next year.
Southern Air Holdings, parent of Connecticut-based ACMI freight carrier Southern Air, announced the appointment of DHL Express Asia/Pacific CEO Daniel McHugh as CEO effective Jan. 1. He succeeds Southern founder James Neff, who is retiring but will remain a board member. Southern operates 16 747 freighters and plans to introduce its first two 777-200LRFs in the 2010 first quarter. It will operate the aircraft for Thai Airways.
