Pratt & Whitney and Aviall Services will work together to distribute JT9D spare parts under an agreement announced last week. Contract calls for Aviall to supply Pratt OEM spares to JT9D operators, which number more than 1,200 globally. Produced from 1969 through 1990, the JT9D powers 747s, 767s, A300s, A310s and DC-10s.
Singapore Technologies Aerospace said its ST Aviation Training Academy subsidiary Aviation Training Academy Australia acquired the Bruce Hartwig Flying School for a cash consideration of A$120,000 ($103,655) ( ATWOnline, Sept. 5, 2007).
Polynesian Blue, the joint venture between Virgin Blue and the Samoan government, reported a pre-tax profit of NZ$9.2 million ($6.5 million) in the fiscal year ended June 30, up 71% from the NZ$5.4 million earned the prior year, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation reported. On Sept. 12 DJ will add a 12th weekly Auckland-Apia frequency and on Dec. 1 it will launch weekly Brisbane-Apia service.
Spanish Public Works Minister Magdalena Alvarez revealed Friday that Spanair considered transferring passengers aboard the MD-82 that crashed Aug. 20 to another aircraft after its first takeoff was aborted before ultimately deciding to clear it for a second takeoff.
Turkish Airlines appears to be developing the financial muscle required to be a leader in European consolidation as it reported a first-half profit of $208 million, a figure it said represented a 219% increase from the year-ago semester.
Rising revenue and demand were little match for soaring fuel prices and the reduced value of the Malaysian ringgit as AirAsia posted a second-quarter profit of MYR9.4 million ($2.8 million) that represented a 95% plunge from the MYR185.1 million earned in the year-ago period. Still, CEO Tony Fernandes called it a "commendable performance" and said that the company will continue to "grow the business and expand the route network."
Lufthansa is in "constructive negotiations" with SN Airholding, parent of Brussels Airlines, about an equity investment worth 45% of the Belgian company with an option to take it over fully later. The confirmation follows speculation of a tie-up last spring after Chairman Etienne Davignon acknowledged that SN was negotiating an alliance membership and stated without naming LH that "a possible financial participation of a new shareholder could only be considered under the condition that the sustainable future, the identity and the autonomy of Brussels Airlines are guaranteed."
GE Aviation won a six-year OnPoint solution contract from Virgin Blue covering MRO services on CFM56-7Bs operated by Blue and its Pacific Blue subsidiary. Contract is valued at $300 million.
Air Berlin's second-quarter net profit rose 38.3% to €8.3 million ($12.2 million) compared to €6 million in the year-ago period if the 2007 results of LTU, AB's acquisition of which was approved in last year's third quarter, are included.
Ottawa-based Zoom Airlines suspended operations yesterday and both its Canadian and UK airline subsidiaries will file for bankruptcy protection, the low-fare leisure carrier announced. Founders Hugh Boyle and John Boyle said in a statement that the airline was profitable last year but that it could not overcome soaring fuel prices. Zoom operated a fleet of five 757s and 767s on transatlantic routes. The BBC reported that Zoom aircraft were detained at Glasgow International and Calgary over the past two days for nonpayment of air traffic control charges.
EgyptAir is the customer for two 777-300ERs previously listed as unidentified on Boeing's orders and deliveries website, the manufacturer announced yesterday. The aircraft are worth $529 million at list prices and will feature MS's new business class layout, which includes 49 lie-flat seats with 78-in. pitch. Delivery dates were not announced, but the airline is scheduled to take the first of six -300ERs on lease from GECAS in January 2010 ( ATWOnline, Dec. 3, 2007).
Air France KLM, which bid unsuccessfully for Alitalia in the spring, is willing to take a stake in an ongoing reorganization effort. "If it can be confirmed that the new company will be profitable, Air France KLM is ready to take out a minority stake in the new company's capital alongside the investors identified by the Intesa Sanpaolo bank," the group said in a statement yesterday.
Thomas Cook, Lufthansa and TUI subsidiary TUI Travel are in "early discussions" regarding a merger of their subsidiary carriers Condor Airlines, Germanwings and TUIFly Deutschland, Thomas Cook announced yesterday. "No commercial terms have been agreed. There is no certainty that any transaction will result and a further announcement will be made if and when appropriate," the company said. LH owns 24.9 % of Condor, with the remainder held by Thomas Cook.
Citing unprecedented fuel costs, slowing economic growth in its main markets and weakness in the US dollar and UK pound, Aer Lingus reported a net loss of €20.6 million ($30.3 million) for the first half of 2008, reversed from a €6.8 million profit in the year-ago semester.
Turkish Airlines confirmed yesterday that it is among the carriers that will bid for Austrian Airlines ( ATWOnline, Aug. 27). A THY spokesperson told ATWOnline, "We are interested, but we won't give more details. We are in talks already." It has notified both Austrian authorities and the Istanbul Stock Exchange of its intentions.
US FAA said it fixed a glitch in its National Airspace Data Interchange Network based near Atlanta that caused more than 600 flight delays Tuesday, including numerous delays as long as 90 min. at several major airports in the eastern US ( ATWOnline, Aug. 27). The system failed for about 6 hr., forcing all flight plans to be filed with FAA's only other NADIN in Salt Lake City. That system overloaded as a result of the extra work and some flight plans had to be entered manually. Operations were back to normal yesterday.
KLM took delivery of its first 737-700. It ordered 13 as part of a €3 billion ($4.4 billion) fleet renewal that commenced in 2002. The 737-700s will replace its -300s and -400s. Three more -700s will be arriving later this year. Separately, KLM will add four weekly frequencies to its daily Amsterdam-Hong Kong 747-400 Combi service from March 29.
Spanish authorities have recovered the engines of the Spanair MD-82 that crashed on takeoff last week and will disassemble them "screw by screw" to try to determine whether a thrust problem contributed to the accident, the head of the crash investigation said yesterday.
Embraer signed a five-year collaborative inventory parts service contract with Chinese regional Kunpeng Airlines to manage the supply and distribution of spare parts. Separately, it has begun training pilots, cabin staff and technicians employed by Brazilian startup Azul Linhas Aereas, which is scheduled to launch operations in January. Azul has 36 E-195s on firm order plus 20 options and 20 purchase rights ( ATWOnline, May 7).
China Eastern Airlines posted a net loss of CNY212.5 million ($31 million) in the 2008 first half, narrowed from a CNY305.6 million deficit in the prior-year period, on a 6.6% lift in operating revenue to CNY20.31 billion. Operating expenses jumped 10.52% to CNY21.94 billion, triggered by a 22.8% surge in fuel expenses to CNY8.57 billion. A currency exchange gain of CNY1.95 billion, more than double that reported in the year-ago semester, helped offset "declining domestic market demand" and high fuel prices that still impacted the result significantly.
Two hijackers who took over a Sun Air 737-200 on Tuesday released the 95 passengers and crew yesterday in Kufra, Libya, and surrendered to authorities without violence, according to widespread press reports. The hijackers reportedly demanded to be flown to Paris.
Southwest Airlines informed US FAA this week that it does not intend to pay a $10.2 million safety penalty by tomorrow's deadline, potentially setting the stage for a US Dept. of Justice lawsuit against the carrier. The LCC is being fined for operating 46 737 Classics for nine days in March 2007 after it had disclosed to FAA that the aircraft were in noncompliance with an airworthiness directive ( ATWOnline, Aug. 19).
ACSS submitted a new software release for its runway incursion product, SafeRoute-SAMM 2.5, for certification by US FAA. The product enables own-ship and other aircraft to be displayed on a moving map of the airport surface using a Class 2 electronic flight bag. According to ACSS, installation of Surface Area Movement Management will allow operators to take advantage of FAA's recently announced cost-share program to help fund installation of runway incursion safety systems on aircraft. ( ATWOnline, July 15).
Australia's Regional Express Holdings reported a net profit of A$24.3 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, up 3% from the prior year. Fourth-quarter profit climbed 31.7% year-over-year to A$8.3 million despite the fact that Rex is entirely unhedged. Executive Chairman Lim Kim Hai said 2008-09 earnings should "remain at relatively the same levels" assuming the price of fuel and the US dollar are static. Rex operates 38 Saab 340s to 23 Australian destinations.
