Bombardier completed what it called "a civil aviation first," the first flight of a civil aircraft "equipped entirely with an all-electric braking system." The system is being developed for the CSeries. The 7-hr. test, which included five landings and a series of high-speed braked ground runs, was carried out Tuesday in Wichita. Demonstrator aircraft was equipped with Meggitt's electric braking system known as the EBrake and Messier-Dowty landing gear with electric brake wiring harnesses. The technology couples brake-by-wire control with electric brake actuation.
LAN Airlines reported third-quarter net income of $80.4 million, up 2% from $78.8 million in the year-ago period, and said it is optimistic about 2009 despite economic uncertainty. The Santiago de Chile-based carrier plans to raise passenger capacity 10% and cargo capacity 8% next year. "We continue to see opportunities for expansion in the region," CFO Alejandro de la Fuente told analysts yesterday. "We believe that our financial strength and diverse business strategy will give us the flexibility to adjust to changing market conditions. .
Compagnia Aerea Italiana, the consortium attempting to purchase and revive Alitalia, agreed to inject €1.1 billion ($1.37 billion) into the holding company established to purchase the airline, according to a statement cited by widespread press reports. CAI reportedly must present its binding bid Friday, although it continues to negotiate contract terms with unions and said it required approval from both labor and European authorities before making its offer.
China Eastern Airlines suffered a CNY2.33 billion net loss in the third quarter, reversed from a CNY976.5 million profit in the year-ago period, on a 13.7% decrease in operating revenue to CNY10.81 billion.
British Airways put on hold plans to add a fifth 757 to the fleet of its OpenSkies subsidiary next year, according to an internal BA memo cited by The Daily Telegraph. OpenSkies' "revenues are below target through a combination of lower volumes and yields, and as a priority we must take actions to ensure we keep within our cash reserves," the memo said.
Lufthansa will become bmi's main shareholder with an 80% stake following the decision by bmi Chairman Michael Bishop to exercise his put option requiring LH to purchase his 50%-plus-one-share of the carrier he helped to found more than 30 years ago.
Denmark's Sterling Airlines, owned by Iceland's Northern Travel Holding, cancelled all flights and filed for bankruptcy yesterday, blaming decreasing demand, rapidly rising fuel prices and the Iceland financial crisis for its collapse.
Coventry-based Atlantic Airlines and Sweden's West Air Europe are merging to form an all-cargo regional carrier called West Atlantic. The company expects an annual turnover of €125 million ($156.1 million) and will operate 41 BAE ATP freighters, a single ATR 72, six Electras and two CRJ200s configured for cargo. It will be headquartered in Gothenburg.
Pakistan International Airlines posted a PKR20.4 billion ($249.2 million) loss in the third quarter, widened from a PKR3.15 billion deficit in the year-ago quarter, according to a stock exchange filing cited by Bloomberg News. Revenue rose 32.6% year-over-year to PKR22.8 billion but fuel costs doubled to PKR14 billion and it took an additional PKR14 billion charge related to currency conversion. Nine-month loss increased to PKR38.4 billion from PKR10.9 billion in year-ago period.
TAP Portugal flew 2.05 billion RPKs in September, up 6.6% year-over-year, against a 12.1% surge in capacity to 2.8 billion ASKs. Load factor dropped 3.8 points to 73.3%. Alitalia flew 2.58 billion RPKs in September, down 25% from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 17.6% to 3.66 billion ASKs and load factor was down 7 points to 70.5%. Olympic Airlines flew 686 million RPKs in September, a 7.4% decrease from the year-ago month. Capacity was down 13.8% to 845.9 million ASKs and load factor rose 5.6 points to 81.1%.
Boeing and the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reached a four-year tentative labor agreement Monday night that, if ratified, will mark the end of a costly strike by some 27,000 workers that has idled aircraft assembly lines since Sept. 6.
Austrian Airlines Group reported a €16.4 million ($20.5 million) net loss in the third quarter, reversed from a €29.2 million profit in the year-ago period, but said it is "confident" that its delayed privatization "can be finished in a positive way." CEO Alfred Oetsch confirmed that "measures which would have to be implemented in case of a [privatization] failure will not be initiated yet because the chance for a successful privatization is still there and cutbacks could have counterproductive effects." State holding company OIAG was due to announce a buyer for its 42.75% s
S7 Airlines confirmed that Nov. 17 will be the last day it operates any Russian-built aircraft. It said its Oct. 26-March 28 winter schedule includes 69 destinations and will feature the Dec. 23 launch of Moscow Domodedovo-Bangkok service aboard a 767-300ER. It said it will cut flights to "some" Russian cities whose airports have not been cleared to handle foreign-built aircraft. S7 flew 11.65 billion RPKs through the first nine months of 2008, up 11.6% from the year-ago period. Passenger numbers climbed 12.6% to 4.8 million and load factor fell 1.8 points to 80.3%.
Product Development Co. announced that AMECO Beijing successfully deployed Arbortext, PTC's product information delivery software "for the timely and accurate update" of its MRO-related manuals.
Qantas and British Airways both admitted to violating Australian competition laws relating to air cargo fuel surcharges in 2002-06 and reached agreement with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to pay fines of A$20 million ($12.2 million) and A$5 million respectively. "Qantas apologizes unreservedly for the conduct of the employees involved," CEO Geoff Dixon said. BA said it "has a longstanding competition compliance policy and it is highly regrettable that this policy was not adhered to in relation to fuel surcharges on the carriage of cargo."
Qatar Airways is interested in a possible bid for Olympic Airways, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis revealed. "What I can say is that Qatar Airways is on the list of investors who have expressed interest in Olympic," he said in a statement cited by Bloomberg News. Deadline for nonbinding bids is the end of the month and no other potential bidders were named.
Lufthansa Technik yesterday opened a new MRO center at Sofia. The joint venture between LHT (80%) and Bulgarian Aviation Group (20%) will offer maintenance and heavy checks on both Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies. The company invested €20 million in renovation of a 6,000-sq.-m., two-bay hangar and will employ 350. It will look to secure third-party work from European, Middle Eastern and North African carriers.
Air China suffered a net loss of CNY1.9 billion ($276.5 million) in the September quarter owing to weak domestic market demand and fuel hedge writedowns, a big reversal from the CNY2.2 billion profit in the year-ago quarter.
Lufthansa Group had a €149 million ($186.5 million) net profit in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, a steep 74.6% decline from the €586 million achieved in the year-ago period, and said it has lowered its full-year operating profit target to "around" €1.1 billion.
Delta Air Lines named John "Ned" Walker senior VP and chief communications officer. Walker joins DL from Continental Airlines, where he spent 21 years, most recently serving as senior VP-corporate communications.
Austrian state holding company OIAG, which owns 42.75% of the troubled flag carrier, delayed Austrian Airlines Group's privatization until year end in order to attract better offers.
Bmi and Brussels Airlines, which each have Lufthansa as a shareholder, signed a codeshare agreement effective last Sunday that will see bmi add its code to SN flights from Brussels to Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle. SN will add its code to bmi flights from Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford and Nottingham East Midlands. According to bmi Deputy CEO Tim Bye, the agreement is not a result of LH's recent investment in SN ( ATWOnline, Sept. 25). "We were not brought together by a common shareholder," he told ATWOnline.
Arab Air Carriers Org. elected Saudi Arabian Airlines CEO Khalid Abdullah Almolhem as its new president, succeeding current Tunisair President and CEO Nabil Chettaoui.
Russian Finance Ministry is "ready" to issue RUB30 billion ($1.1 billion) in loans to airlines to cover fuel purchases, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov told RIA Novosti. He also revealed that in the next couple of weeks the government will propose six-month deferments of payment of taxes and duties on foreign-made aircraft, engines and training equipment. Meanwhile, KrasAir, a former member of the failed AiRUnion alliance, cancelled all flights to/from its Krasnoyarsk hub and is operating only Moscow Domodedovo-Norilsk service, a spokesperson told Itar-Tass.
Gol and Condor Airlines reached an interline agreement allowing Condor passengers to purchase tickets from Condor destinations Recife and Salvador to Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Maceio, Natal, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
