Turkish airports operator TAV Havalimanlari Holding, which operates a combined 10 airports in Turkey, Georgia, Macedonia and Tunisia including Istanbul Ataturk, enjoyed an increase in 2009 EBITDA of some 20% to €160-€170 million ($221.7-$235.6 million) on a 3% lift in revenue to €630-€640 million, CEO Sani Sener told Bloomberg News. "Our profitability. . .has grown bigger than sales because of measures we took to cut our spending, especially in energy. We started producing our own energy," he said. Passenger traffic at the 10 airports rose 2% last year, driven by a 5% increase at IST.
At a time when carriers all over the world are searching urgently for new business models in reaction to the downturn, ATW's Airline of the Year for 2010 has identified and is implementing a multifaceted commercial strategy that is paying dividends today while positioning it for greater success when the recovery arrives. Under CEO Rob Fyfe, it has established itself as a global leader in financial, operational, customer service and environmental performance.
As the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight was being celebrated in late 2003, it was becoming increasingly clear that aviation's ability to grow and prosper in its second century would depend heavily on mitigating its environmental impact. In particular, the air transport industry was coming under intense scrutiny over its reliance on fossil-based jet fuel, which was seen widely as contributing to global warming. Paradoxically, few foresaw the possibility of developing greener alternative fuels in the near term.
ANA suffered a ¥9.8 billion ($108.7 million) loss in its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31, a 22.2% improvement from the ¥12.6 billion lost in the year-ago period, and maintained its full-fiscal-year forecast of a ¥28 billion deficit.
Japan Airlines could make an announcement regarding a potential partnership with either American Airlines or Delta Air Lines, and its alliance future, as early as Tuesday, ATWOnline understands. New CEO Kazuo Inamori has met with top executives from both AA and DL. Last Friday, Mainichi Shimbun reported that JAL has chosen Delta and SkyTeam. A Nikkei report cited by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation said the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan, which is overseeing JAL's restructuring, would make the final decision after Inamori's input.
Flybe on Friday released select financial figures from its fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, during which it posted a £6.1 million ($9.9 million) operating profit that compared to a £30.8 million surplus in 2007-08. Revenue rose 6.8% year-over-year to £572.4 million on a 4.3% increase in passenger numbers to 7.3 million. Pre-tax profit of £100,000 plunged from the £30.4 million reported the prior year. Excluding special charges, the 2008-09 figure rose to £12.8 million. Flybe currently operates 54 Q400s and 14 E-195s.
The Competition Commission of South Africa said it has launched an investigation into collusion on fares and pricing strategies for flights during this summer's World Cup. It named British Airways and its Comair subsidiary, South African Airways, Airlink, SA Express, 1Time and Mango as subjects of the inquiry.
Austrian Airlines is asking provincial governments for financial support to help prop up its loss-making domestic network. It operates up to 23 weekday flights between Vienna and Graz, Linz, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck and Salzburg. Although the flights provide valuable feed, OS said it no longer can absorb the losses. It also is evaluating the possibility of offering the services under Public Service Obligation agreements. "There are currently 255 PSO air routes established in Europe, so this would be nothing unusual," COO and executive board member Peter Malanik told ATWOnline.
Virgin Blue CEO Brett Godfrey watered down speculation raised in Australia that the airline may join SkyTeam. In a US Dept. of Transportation filing related to the proposed transpacific codeshare between Blue subsidiary V Australia and Delta Air Lines ( ATWOnline, Dec. 15, 2009), there is mention that "it is possible that Australian-origin passengers might benefit if V Australia were to join SkyTeam." Through a spokesperson, Godfrey told ATWOnline, "I've never been in favor of joining alliances.
EgyptAir is considering the reorganization of its Cairo International flight schedule into multiple banks from the present two starting with the 2010-11 winter schedule, EgyptAir Airlines Chairman and CEO Alaa Ashour told ATWOnline in Cairo, as it attempts to increase transfer traffic.
Kingfisher Airlines announced the Tuesday launch of Kingfisher Xpress, a door-to-door cargo delivery service that the carrier said will be "India's first and only same-day delivery by air service, with a money-back guarantee." Pickup facilities will be offered in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata with guaranteed same-day delivery to those six destinations plus Bagdogra, Coimbatore, Kochi, Goa, Guwahati, Indore, Raipur, Ranchi, Lucknow, Nagpur, Pune and Srinagar. Next-day delivery will be available to 20 additional cities.
Farelogix formed a partnership with Ann Arbor-based Mobiata to integrate the Farelogix FMS2 merchandising solution into Mobiata's FlightTrack and TripDeck applications for smart phones. The result is a combined solution that enables airlines to deliver offers to customers tailored to their particular circumstances. FMS2 is a rules-based engine that allows an airline to determine how events trigger those offers. Farelogix CEO Jim Davidson said carriers can suggest add-ons and upsells, such as meals, upgrades or day passes to a lounge.
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air parent Alaska Air Group cited "positive network changes" as the driver of a return to profitability in 2009, when it posted a $121.6 million surplus that compared to a $135.9 million loss in 2008.
JetBlue Airways reported a $58 million profit in 2009, reversed from an $85 million net loss the prior year and its best performance since 2003, which CEO Dave Barger said was an indication of "solid financial health and continued stability" at the airline.
Aeroflot confirmed the purchase of Alexander Lebedev's 25.8% stake in the flag carrier. It did not reveal the price, although Lebedev had indicated that SU paid approximately $400 million for the shares ( ATWOnline, Jan. 28).
Aer Lingus reportedly is alliance shopping nearly three years after quitting oneworld ( ATWOnline, May 31, 2006). CEO Christoph Mueller told Bloomberg News that EI "will prepare ourselves for a discussion that the alliances might work on an exclusive basis in the future" and that a decision could come "very soon." He said alliance membership is attractive again because the "Irish market will remain low fare. .
Malev Hungarian Airlines transported 3.3 million passengers in 2009, up 6% from the prior year. It said a new pricing strategy designed to compete with LCCs, group rate guarantees, a fivefold increase in corporate clients, new tourism packages and three new destinations accounted for the increase. CCO Karim Makhlouf said he expects a double-digit gain in first-quarter 2010 passenger numbers.
A year in which US Airways unveiled ambitious plans to reconfigure its airline operation ended with a $205 million net loss that was a significant improvement from the $2.22 billion deficit reported in 2008. A series of special items, including a $375 million unrealized gain on its fuel hedges, contributed to the result. Excluding those items, the group suffered a full-year loss of $499 million compared to a 2008 loss of $808 million calculated on a similar basis.
International Aero Engines announced a V2500 SelectOne order from Jetstar Airways worth up to $1.5 billion comprising engines for 50 A320 family aircraft plus 40 options and purchase rights. Jetstar also signed a $2 billion IAE Aftermarket Services agreement covering the newly ordered engines plus those already operating on 40 current aircraft. Rolls-Royce said its share of the order was valued at up to $1.2 billion and Pratt & Whitney said its share "could exceed" $1 billion, including the aftermarket agreement.
Air India announced a loss of INR14.74 billion ($316.8 million) in its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31, 2009, a 9.7% improvement from the INR16.32 billion deficit reported in the year-ago period.
Jamaica Finance Minister Audley Shaw said the government expects a final decision regarding Caribbean Airlines' potential takeover of Air Jamaica by the end of the month. He said some 70% of JM's staff of 1,200 will be laid off if the deal goes through, The Gleaner reported. "They'll probably need to keep the planes because they will keep the routes," he said. "We are seeking to divest Air Jamaica on the best terms available and to ensure that we have the seat-lift capacity from all those cities for which we have tourism and Jamaican market travelers.
United Airlines parent UAL Corp. posted a 2009 net loss of $651 million, narrowed 87.9% from a $5.4 billion loss in 2008, and said it and the airline industry must continue to pare down costs.
