Southwest Airlines announced Friday that it plans to begin a fleetwide rollout of Wi-Fi Internet connectivity in conjunction with Row 44 in the 2010 first quarter. The LCC said it "has received fantastic customer feedback" from passengers who have used the Row 44 satellite-enabled service on four 737s on which it has been tested since February. "We have concluded our testing for inflight Wi-Fi and are very happy with both the technical performance of the system and the response of customers who have used it," Senior VP-Marketing and Revenue Management Dave Ridley said.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told The Australian that Boeing informed him that the 787's first flight will take place by year end, the newspaper reported Friday. Boeing declined to comment, saying a revised flight test program schedule will be issued by the end of September.
AirBaltic CEO Bertold Flick confirmed to ATWOnline Friday that the Latvian government is providing financial assistance to the carrier, but he declined to comment on media reports that the airline is on the verge of bankruptcy. "It is true we [are getting] a capital increase from the government," he said.
GECAS delivered one new A320-200 to Wizz Air. The aircraft, acquired through a purchase and leaseback transaction with the airline, is part of an existing order agreement. Separately, Wizz Air will launch twice-weekly Gdansk-Bergen service Dec. 18.
Japan Airlines and Nippon Cargo Airlines parent Nippon Yusen said Friday that the carriers are in talks to merge JAL's cargo operations with NCA, according to widespread press reports. The two cargo operations reportedly could operate as a merged entity as early as April 1, 2010.
Air Canada released a "touch application" for Apple iPhones/iPods that will allow passengers with the devices "to retrieve electronic boarding passes, track flight information in real time, receive notification of itinerary changes and obtain other [flight] details." Executive VP and Chief Commercial Officer Ben Smith said the application is "only the first iteration. .
Air Berlin placed a €125 million ($177 million) convertible bond with institutional investors outside the US, Canada, Australia and Japan. Part of the inflowing capital will be used to repurchase existing bonds (€90 million nominal value), while the remaining €70 million will be used to refinance future aircraft purchases and improve liquidity. Based on figures reported for the 2009 first quarter, the carrier's equity will improve by €172 million to €504 million. Net indebtedness will decrease by €182 million.
Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly said the LCC is "seriously considering" operating international flights as soon as 2011 and also remains interested in acquiring troubled assets from rival carriers following its failed bid to purchase Frontier Airlines.
Hamilton Sundstrand was selected by Irkut Corp. to supply multiple systems for the MC-21, the 150/230-seat commercial aircraft family the Russian company is developing ( ATWOnline, July 3). HS will provide the advanced Electric Power Generating System, secondary electrical power distribution, auxiliary power unit, wing anti-ice and bleed air conditioning for the Nitrogen Generation System.
ANA is set to introduce from Sept.16 a complimentary helicopter transport from Tokyo Narita to central Tokyo for first-class passengers returning to the Japanese capital from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Frankfurt. Mori Building City Air Services signed an agreement with the airline and will provide the service at least through March 31, 2010. On arrival at NRT, first-class passengers will be taken by limo on a 15-min. drive to the nearby Narita (Sakura) Heliport. From there it is a 15-min.
US National Transportation Safety Board named Christopher Hart vice chairman. He was sworn in as a member on Aug. 12 to a term that ends Dec. 31, 2012. He also served as a member in the 1990s. Most recently he was FAA deputy director for air traffic safety oversight. He is an aerospace engineer, attorney and licensed pilot with commercial, multiengine and instrument ratings.
Hamburg International Airlines plans to open new bases in the UK and Austria, expanding beyond its eight bases in Germany. "With our future fleet of between 13 and 15 aircraft, we cannot grow anymore just in the German market," MD Norbert Grella told ATWOnline. "We have to look outside [the country]." He described the independent carrier "as a hybrid airline" that operates not only scheduled services but tour operations. It offers flights on unconventional routes, including between Germany and Iraq. Its fleet comprises eight A319s and one 737-700.
SuperJet International signed an LOI with Armavia Airlines for after-sales support of the carrier's fleet of Sukhoi Superjet 100s. The Armenian carrier, which has firm orders for two of the type plus two options, intends to finalize a five-year "SuperCare" agreement by the end of November. SuperJet also signed an MOU with Budapest-based Aeroplex for MRO services to support SSJ 100s.
Air France KLM withdrew from the tender process for privatization of CSA Czech Airlines, stating that in the current economic environment it believes "CSA might focus on developing and implementing a standalone recovery plan aimed at restoring its profitability."
El Al Israel Airlines reported a net loss of $19.7 million for the second quarter, widened from a deficit of $12.8 million in the year-ago period, as revenues plunged 28.4% to $399.4 million paced by a 54% decline in cargo revenues.
Rosavia, the Moscow-based airline comprising the remnants of10 regional carriers including former members of the AiRUnion alliance, is soliciting proposals from Airbus, Boeing and Irkut for 50 narrowbody aircraft plus 15 options with deliveries targeted to begin next year.
Qantas reported a A$123 million ($101.3 million) net profit for its fiscal year ended June 30, down 87.3% from A$970 million earned in the prior year, and announced a three-year, A$1.5 billion cost-cutting program called "Q Future." CEO Alan Joyce said yesterday that the key driver of the reduced result was weaker domestic and international demand, particularly for premium travel, which led to a 4.3% yield decline and capacity cuts of 1.9% across the group.
Austrian Airlines flew 1.71 billion RPKs in July, an 11.6% decrease year-over-year. Capacity was down 11.7% to 2.14 billion ASKs, leaving load factor level at 79.8%. Aer Lingus flew 1.72 billion RPKs in July, up 0.2% year-over-year, against a 1.5% increase in capacity to 2.09 billion ASKs. Load factor fell 1 point to 82.3%.
SITA announced that it became "the first platform provider" to achieve certification demonstrating that its Common Use Passenger Processing System "is fully compliant with the pre-released version of the IATA CUPPS Technical Specification." SITA's CUPPS pilot started in January at Orlando International.
Hainan Airlines earned a net profit in the 2009 first half, according to Chairman Chen Feng, who declined to reveal the exact figure. The carrier is scheduled to release a detailed financial report for the year's first six months at the end of August. HNA posted net income of CNY311 million ($45.4 million) in the first half of 2008.
CSA Czech Airlines detailed its workforce reduction plans, saying that 860 of its 4,600 employees will be let go and the cuts will affect all areas of the company. The carrier will lay off about 140 pilots (about 25%) and 240 flight attendants, the Mlada fronta DNES newspaper reported. The least affected group will be administrative employees, of whom 15% are to be dismissed.
Turkish Airlines firmed up its order for seven 289-seat A330-300s. It signed an MOU at the Paris Air Show ( ATWOnline, June 22). Delivery is scheduled to begin in September 2010. THY currently operates seven A330s.
Avianca said it plans to sell up to COP500 billion ($246.5 million) in bonds on the Colombian BVC on Aug. 25 in order to finance the acquisition of new aircraft and pay down debt. Two years ago the carrier placed an order for 33 A320 family aircraft and five A330-200s plus options for 27 and five respectively ( ATWOnline, May 31, 2007). It said in yesterday's statement that its commitment with Airbus now numbers 34 aircraft and it has 12 787s on order. Delivery of the Airbus aircraft already has begun.
An estimated 100 Midwest Airlines employees will lose their jobs following its acquisition by Republic Airways Holdings, a Republic spokesperson confirmed yesterday to ATWOnline.
