United Airlines yesterday said it will accept applications for approximately 100 new pilot positions expected to be filled this year--the first such additions since 2001. "We're investing in our business, and our expansion in international markets enables us to add to our team," VP-Flight Operations Hank Krakowski said. New hires will begin training at UA's Denver training center as early as October and are scheduled to be flying by year end, the airline said.
Virgin Blue announced the A$61 million ($53.1 million) purchase of a "campus-style" development in Brisbane to serve as its new national headquarters. The development is scheduled to be completed next March.
Astar Air Cargo Chairman. President and CEO John Dasburg yesterday said that ABX Air has not yet responded to Astar's "indication of interest" in acquiring its fellow DHL subservice carrier for $450 million in cash and set a deadline of the close of business July 18 for a response.
Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank signed a $180 million sale and leaseback facility that will finance the acquisition of two A330-200s, the Arab Air Carriers Organization reported. The facility is structured as a lease with repayment spread over 12 years and a terminal balloon payment of 30% upon final maturity. Ethiopian Airlines leased two 235-seat 767-300ERs from Deutsche Structured Finance. Lease agreement is for six years effective May 31. The aircraft joined the fleet on June 1 and July 7.
Alaska Airlines flew 1.72 billion RPMs in June, a 4.9% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity was up 5.2% to 2.12 billion ASMs and load factor down 0.2 point to 81.3%. SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines flew a combined 1.63 billion RPMs in June, up 14.5% on the year-ago month, against a 15.9% climb in ASMs to 1.99 billion. Load factor slipped 1 point to 81.7%.
Air France KLM confirmed yesterday that it is looking at Iberia as a possible merger target as it revealed its aspiration to participate in Europe's continuing airline consolidation.
Pakistan International Airlines reported a PKR3.95 billion ($65.4 million) loss in the first quarter, widened from a PKR3.08 billion loss in the first three months of 2006. Revenue climbed 5% to PKR17.68 billion against a 6.5% increase in costs to PKR20.18 billion.
SITA signed an agreement with the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation to automate passenger and baggage processing for foreign airlines' departing passengers at Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Medina airports. SITA valued the five-year program, including installation of departure control, passenger check-in and baggage management systems, at $16.8 million.
Skyways Aviation, working on behalf of Sky Wings Airlines of Greece, placed an MD-82 on ACMI lease with Air Moldova. Aircraft was delivered May 15 and is operating on a five-month contract.
Calling it "the largest investment in the company's history," LAN Airlines last week announced that the board of directors decided to purchase 26 787s and acquire an additional six on lease. The commitment, which also includes 10 options, will require an investment of $3.2 billion and would make the carrier Latin America's largest Dreamliner operator. LAN said it will take delivery between 2011 and 2016 and that the options will be available in 2017 and 2018. Type and engine were not announced.
Air Madagascar is expecting a year-over-year passenger increase of least 10% in 2007, CEO Ulrich Link told ATWOnline. "About one-third of our total of 600,000 passengers comes from international routes," Link said, adding that the carrier achieves load factors of up to 95% on some international services. For example, he said it enjoyed a "perfect" start on its new weekly Antananarivo-Marseille service. MD is looking to expand on that success with increased strategic cooperations and is contemplating joining SkyTeam as an affiliate.
British Airways flew 10.08 billion RPKs in June, down 1.4% from the year-ago month, as capacity rose 0.4% to 12.51 billion ASKs and load factor slipped 1.4 points to 80.5%. Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect flew a combined 447.4 million RPMs in June, up 18.4% from the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 15.4% to 518.3 million ASMs and load factor was up 2.2 points to 86.3%. Yield fell an estimated 5.4% year-over-year to 14.2 cents and unit revenues dropped an estimated 2.9% to 12.2 cents.
Ryanair has been told by Italian authorities that it must transfer its Rome operation to Fiumicino from Ciampino, Transport Minister Alessandro Bianchi told Thomson Financial. Regional authorities reportedly decided to reduce daily operations at CIA to 100 flights from 138 effective with the next winter schedule. Biancho told TF that CIA's annual passenger throughput has risen to 5 million from 800,000 in the past five years and that neighboring airports at Latina, Viterbo and Frosinone are being studied as possible alternatives.
KLM last week signed an agreement with Wereld Natuur Fonds (the Dutch branch of the World Wildlife Fund) to "achieve CO2-neutral growth in comparison with 2007" by offsetting approximately 4 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the next four years through "emission reduction and compensation."
Republic Airways Holdings increased its commitment to the E-175 by 13 firm aircraft, Embraer announced Friday. The order, worth $403 million at list prices and destined for RAH subsidiary Republic Airlines, comprises eight aircraft previously listed as "unidentified" by the Brazilian manufacturer and five converted options. The airline currently flies 76 E-170s and 11 175s, with a backlog of 32 aircraft. The parent company, which also owns Chautauqua Airlines and Shuttle America, operates 182 Embraer aircraft and is the world's largest E-jet operator.
France's Conseil d'Etat last week ruled that easyJet and Ryanair each must apply French labor laws for staff operating in the country. Both LCCs had appealed against last year's decree that obliged foreign airlines to apply domestic labor laws to aircraft crews based in France. Ryanair argued that the decree contravened European laws on free movement of labor and services, freedom of establishment and the liberalized air transport market.
Eurocontrol appointed David McMillan as its next DG. Currently DG of civil aviation at the UK Dept. for Transport, McMillan will succeed Victor Aguado, whose seven-year term ends Jan. 1.
Shanghai SR Aircraft Technics, the joint venture between SR Technics and Shanghai Foreign Aviation Service Corp., signed a contract to provide line maintenance services for Singapore Airlines 777s and 747s during their transit stops at Shanghai Pudong. Services commenced on July 1. Additionally, it will provide line maintenance services for SIA's 747F cargo operations at the airport.
World Air Holdings, parent of World Airways and North American Airlines, said it expects its first-quarter revenue to be in the range of $220-$225 million, 2%-4% higher than the year-ago quarter and 10%-12% higher than 2006 fourth-quarter revenue of $201.3 million ( ATWOnline, July 6).
Air France and Aeroports de Paris have begun the progressive opening of AF's new boarding facility at Charles de Gaulle, which is scheduled to be fully operational by year end with annual capacity of 8.5 million passengers. Planned for next year is the April reopening of CDG's Terminal 2E and the fall inauguration of a regional terminal. A second boarding facility is slated to be built by 2012. Separately, AF unveiled its new Tokyo Narita lounge, which is 400 sq. m. and has seating capacity for 140 passengers.
Iberia's board yesterday said it would agree to "make the delivery of all the information requested" by the consortium led by US investment group TPG Capital and British Airways available, as long as a "formal and binding offer" resulted.
United Airlines flew 10.73 billion system RPMs in June, a 0.3% decline from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 1.2% to 12.03 billion ASMs and load factor was up 0.8 point to 89.1%. Iberia flew 4.69 billion RPKs in June, up 4.1% from the year-ago month. Capacity climbed just 0.6% to 5.59 billion ASKs, lifting load factor 2.8 points to 83.8%. China Southern Airlines flew 6.19 billion RPKs in June, up 14.5% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 11.3% to 8.66 billion ASKs and load factor increased 2 points to 71.5%.
Royal Brunei Airlines will lease four 787-8s for delivery beginning in late 2009, according to Rolls-Royce, which announced that it reached agreement with the carrier to provide Trent 1000 engines and a long-term TotalCare service accord. Aircraft lessor was not identified.
Macquarie AirFinance leased a new IAE V2500-powered A320 to TAM. Macquarie said it recently completed acquisition of all third-party interests in 25 aircraft owned by five joint venture companies originally established by GATX Corp. In January it acquired third-party interests in another former GATX JV owning four aircraft. The aircraft involved in the recent transaction include 19 737-800s, five A320-200s and one 757.
Vietnam Airlines reported a pre-tax profit of $13.3 million for the first half of 2007, down from approximately $19 million in the year-ago period, AFX News reported from Hanoi. The earnings for the recently completed semester constituted 56.4% of its full-year target, VN said. Revenue rose 11.9% year-over-year to around $580 million while six-month passenger numbers climbed 16.5% to 3.8 million, AFX said.
