Southwest Airlines Pilots' Assn. President Carl Kuwitzky last week told union members that he "cannot support" the carrier's new codeshare agreements with Mexico's Volaris and Canada's WestJet. In a letter obtained by the Dallas Morning News, he said that the alliances have "the potential to severely affect the career of all pilots on our seniority list." Regarding Volaris in particular ( ATWOnline, Nov.
CSA Czech Airlines reported a pre-tax profit through the first nine months of 2008 of $22.1 million, more than double the $9.8 million earned in the year-ago period. Operating profit increased one-third to $39.2 million, the carrier said. "We are in very good financial shape compared to comparable competitors," President Radomir Lasak said. "We expect a positive financial result at the end of the year." Revenue rose 28.3% year-over-year to $1.13 billion on a 4.9% increase in passengers to 4.4 million. CSA said it expects passenger growth "to level off in the future."
Compass Airlines, launched by Northwest Airlines last year and now a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, named NWA VP-Regional Airline Operations Tim Campbell as president. He succeeds John Bendoraitis, who will become president of Comair.
S7 Airlines reported a nine-month profit of RUB157 million ($5.7 million), nearly double the year-ago result, according to RIA Novosti. The carrier earned RUB109.7 million in 2007. Revenue through the first nine months of this year climbed 44% year-over-year to RUB31.93 billion.
ANA, whose fiscal-first-half profit fell 79.1% year-over-year to ¥22 billion ($227.4 million), is taking measures to stabilize itself as Japan officially slides into recession, and is considering launching a low-cost subsidiary.
Qantas outgoing CEO Geoff Dixon told The Sunday Telegraph in Sydney that the airline is fortunate that last year's A$11.1 billion ($7.19 billion) private equity bid by Airline Partners Australia failed ( ATWOnline, May 18, 2007). "I'm very pleased now it didn't happen," Dixon told the newspaper.
Pacific Coastal Airlines Grumman Goose crashed Sunday morning on an island approximately 50 km. north of Vancouver, killing seven of the eight onboard. Flight departed YVR on its way to Powell River, BC. It was PCA's second fatal Goose accident this year, according to press reports. The airline said it has suspended its floatplane operation until it has debriefs with all employees. Eight of its remaining 25 aircraft are amphibians. It also operates Saab 340As, Shorts 360s and Beech 1900Cs.
Kingfisher Airlines has "received several expressions of interest from foreign airlines," Chairman Vijay Mallya said in a statement cited by widespread press reports, and he pressed the government to allow foreign interests to acquire up to 25% of Indian carriers. "I believe aviation should be treated as per international norms and other industry sectors where strategic investors can invest," he said. "This will secure the future of Indian aviation."
Amadeus IT Group appointed Amadeus Global Travel Distribution Executive VP-Commercial David Jones as president and CEO effective Jan. 1, succeeding Jose Antonio Tazon, who will become nonexecutive chairman. Jones joined Amadeus in 1992 and has been at his present position since 2000. In addition, CFO Luis Maroto will add the deputy CEO title and Senior VP-Corporate Strategy Philippe Chereque was named to succeed Jones.
CIT Aerospace signed leases for two A330-200s with Mexicana, the first A330s for the airline. Aircraft are powered by Trent 772Bs and will be used to launch Mexico City-Madrid service. Delivery is scheduled for November and December.
Abu Dhabi Aviation announced the acquisition of a 95% stake in Maximus Air Cargo, which flies eight freighters on charter and ACMI operations for commercial customers and the UAE government. Maximus said nine-month revenue rose 227% year-over-year to $86.4 million.
Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air Group, parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, expanded their marketing services agreement to give AS passengers more access to DL's international flights and DL passengers more access to AS and Horizon's western US network.
CFM International announced that British Airways placed an order for 20 CFM56-3 Advanced Upgrade kits for its 737 Classic fleet. Order is valued at approximately $33 million at list prices and potentially could encompass as many as 44 engines. Delivery begins early next year. Kit features three-dimensional high-pressure compressor aerodynamics and new high-pressure turbine hardware and provides up to a 1.6% improvement in specific fuel consumption, CFM said.
Gol and Varig parent Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes suffered a BRL294.3 million ($131,1 million) loss in the third quarter, reversed from a BRL45.5 million profit in the year-ago period, as special charges eclipsed improvement on the operating level.
Boeing said it will deliver the first 777F to Air France in the 2009 first quarter rather than the current quarter as a result of the recently concluded machinists strike, according to press reports. The manufacturer last week announced a 6-9-month delay to its 747-8 program ( ATWOnline, Nov. 17). The Everett Herald said Boeing has two 777Fs in flight testing and one in production. There are 73 orders for the aircraft. Meanwhile, the company last Friday completed destructive testing on a full-scale composite 787 wing box.
Rosavia is the official name of the new state-owned, Moscow-based airline comprising 10 regional carriers, including the remnants of the AiRUnion alliance. Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said Rosavia "will be a large, serious company with a powerful potential and will rival Aeroflot," Interfax reported ( ATWOnline, Oct. 24).
EasyJet said yesterday that the UK High Court approved its application for judicial review of the regulatory process that allowed BAA to impose what the carrier called "an exorbitant increase" in passenger charges at London Gatwick ( ATWOnline, March 12). UK CAA authorized BAA to raise charges by 21% to £6.79 per passenger this year and by 2% above inflation annually for the subsequent four years.
ABX Air parent Air Transport Services Group yesterday outlined its plan to survive beyond next year's expected termination of its operation as a DHL subservice airline, saying it will become a smaller, diversified company that will wet- and dry-lease aircraft and provide expanded MRO services to third parties at its Wilmington, Ohio, base.
Electromagnetic interference from the powerful VLF transmitters at the Harold E. Holt US Communication Base near Exmouth in Western Australia, along with passengers' portable electronic devices, are the focus of investigators looking into the violent midair upset of a Qantas A330-300 that injured 70 passengers last month ( ATWOnline, Oct.
Skyways Aviation concluded five F50 lease transactions with airBaltic on behalf of Largus Aviation. Largus purchased three aircraft currently operated by BT and extended leases by 4.5 years each. Remaining two are operated by Sweden's Skyways Express and will be released this month and in April. AWAS leased a second 767-300ER to S7 Airlines ( ATWOnline, Oct. 10).
Airbus parent EADS reported a €679 million ($848.4 million) profit in the third quarter, reversed from a €776 million loss in the year-ago period, and said it "faces the impacts of the financial crisis in a position of strength" thanks to a "large and well diversified order book."
EasyGroup Holdings, the company of easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, appears to be heading toward a confrontation with the airline's current board and management as easyGroup increased its shareholding and voting rights in the LCC to 26.9% from 15.6% and requested the prompt appointment of two directors. Haji-Ioannou, who launched the airline in 1995, also reserved his right to appoint himself as chairman in the event the two directors, who are easyGroup employees, are not appointed.
Moog's Aircraft Group was selected by Airbus to supply flight control actuation for the A350 XWB's high-lift system. Its trailing edge actuation system will include the power control unit, inboard and outboard geared rotary actuators, gearboxes and wingtip brakes.
United Airlines Friday completed an ASPIRE (Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions) flight from Sydney to San Francisco and said it saved 1,564 gal. of fuel and 32,656 lb. of carbon dioxide emissions. UA said that 11 fuel-saving initiatives were deployed "from gate to gate." The 777 flight, dubbed "ASPIRE United," followed in the footsteps of a similar flight operated by Air New Zealand in September ( ATWOnline, Sept. 15).
