Sun Country Airlines has been acquired by a group of investors who said they plan to expand the airline and develop markets for both business and leisure travelers. The acquisition of the St. Paul, Minn.-based carrier by Petters Group and Whitebox Advisors was concluded Oct. 31.
Alaska Airlines named Bob Bernicchi MD-maintenance engineering. He has been director of MD-80 and 737-200 fleet engineering since joining the airline in 2005. He previously spent 21 years at United Airlines, where he served as chief engineer of narrowbody aircraft.
ON HIS VERY FIRST TRIP to Brazil, Flybe CEO Jim French picked up a little something that he couldn't wait to get home and use: The first 118-seat Embraer 195, newest and largest member of the 170/190 family. It is, by his account, the ideal aircraft for the British low-fare carrier, which has evolved away from its Regional airline roots yet still maintains a close kinship in many respects, including operating the world's largest fleet of Q400 turboprops and connecting many of the UK's smallest cities. "The great thing about [the 195 is] it will blend entirely with our Q400 fleet
WestJet executives and employees gathered in the airline's hangar here earlier this year for a "farewell party" to commemorate the retirement of the low-cost carrier's last 737-200, an aircraft type that was once its workhorse but has given way to a new, more fuel efficient fleet of 63 737NGs. The January bash to toast an airplane whose time had passed was, in a sense, also a way to say goodbye to WestJet's founding era.
AirCell appointed Thomas E. Weigman senior VP-wireless services. Air France Industries named Pierre Bosse senior VP-Components & Logistics Services business unit and Patrice Mathonniere to succeed Bosse as GM-narrowbody overhaul. ACI-Europe tapped Olivier Jankovec as DG. ACI-NA elected Frederick Piccolo chairman, Roy Williams first vice chairman, Randall Walker second vice chairman and John D. Clark secretary-treasurer.
IF THERE IS A SINGLE EXAMPLE that reinforces the belief that the 787 is a game-changer for Boeing, it can be found in Nagoya, where in the space of a few minutes you can observe the wing box construction for the 787 and the earlier 777. While it may be just a short journey from one facility to the other, it feels as if you have stepped into a time machine. The 777 production hall looks like a relic from the last century; the 787 facility could double as the set for the next James Cameron-directed space adventure, "Avatar." Gone are the ear-shattering rivet
THE PAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN A major ordeal for Russia's commercial airlines. Beginning in 2000 and continuing through 2004, operators enjoyed significant traffic growth, with passenger numbers increasing at an average rate of 10% annually. But in 2005 that growth slowed dramatically, to just 3.9% from 14.9% the year before. The root cause of the slowdown was the rapid rise in fuel prices, up 60% from June to December 2004, which worsened the economics of Soviet-built aircraft just as carriers faced increased maintenance costs to operate them. In response, airlines
Shanghai Airlines became an Airbus customer for the first time with an order for five A321s. The aircraft are part of China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Group's order for 150 A320 family aircraft placed last year. Although the airline operates a nearly all-Boeing fleet (it said it flies 13 757-200s, six 767-300s, six 737-700s and 16 737-800s), President Zhou Chi said the A321 "meet[s] our strategic development plan," which includes "entering into the new phase of expanding internationally and comprehensively."
Iberia will report a third-quarter profit of €75.5 million ($96.1 million), down 79.7% from the €372.5 million earned in the year-ago quarter, when it releases its results in two weeks, according to figures presented this week at the carrier's Investor and Analyst Day in Madrid. The year-ago period's profit was buoyed by a €635.1 million gain resulting from IB's sale of its stake in Amadeus. Operating revenues rose 6.7% to €1.42 billion and operating profit increased 8.6% to €87.7 million in the quarter.
United Airlines parent UAL Corp. reported second-quarter net income of $190 million, reversed from a $1.77 billion net loss in the year-ago quarter and its second straight profitable quarter following a lengthy bankruptcy restructuring. Chairman, President and CEO Glenn Tilton said cost controls, revenue optimization and a focus on core strengths were behind the results, which "underscore our progress" and show that the company is "building momentum." Added CFO Jake Brace: "We are generating cash and we are making progress reducing our costs to lessen inflationary pressures."
Regional Airline Assn. President Deborah McElroy said yesterday that she is leaving her post to accept a senior management position with Airports Council International-North America. McElroy, who has worked for RAA for 20 years, will become ACI-NA's senior VP-government affairs and will be responsible for managing lobbying efforts and policy development. She will assume the new position in mid-December.
Caribbean Star Airlines took delivery of a Q300, the fourth new aircraft added this year as part of its fleet expansion program. In addition to the four Q300s, the carrier operates seven Dash 8s to 12 Caribbean destinations. Separately, it reinstated plans for service between Trinidad and Curacao.
ANA Group's profit of ¥33.2 billion ($282.7 million) for the first half of the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 represented a 68.8% increase over the ¥19.7 billion earned in the year-ago period and the highest half-year profit in the carrier's 54-year history. The year-over-year increase was due in part to an extraordinary loss in the previous fiscal year resulting from a change in accounting methods, but also is "evidence of the recovering Japanese economy and the increasing demand for air travel within that, particularly business travel," according to the airline.
Heavy bankruptcy-related charges pushed Northwest Airlines Corp. into the red for the third quarter as it reported a net loss of $1.18 billion compared to a loss of $475 million in the year-ago period. Excluding reorganization and unusual items that totaled $1.43 billion on a pre-tax basis, NWA earned $252 million in the current period, compared to a loss of $234 million in the 2005 third quarter, if $159 million in pre-tax reorganization items are excluded. The company noted that it lost $13 million in September on an operating basis.
Gol ended a third quarter touched by tragedy BRL190 million ($88.6 million) in the black, a 37.5% increase over a profit of BRL138.2 million in the year-ago quarter. The carrier took delivery of four aircraft during the quarter--including the first 737-800 designed specifically for operation on shorter runways ( ATWOnline, July 28)--added three destinations and 78 frequencies and opened its new MRO center at Confins International Airport in Belo Horizonte.
Air Canada last week introduced a new pricing system, available on its website, that offers "a la carte options" that allow passengers to pay for specific services or to save money by choosing not to use certain services. The carrier is offering four fare types (Tango, Tango Plus, Latitude and Executive) and gives passengers the option to add or subtract items based on individual preferences.
Gol exercised 20 737-800 options, bringing its firm orders for the type to 87, the Brazilian LCC announced yesterday. It also added 20 options, bringing the total back to 34. It took delivery of the first aircraft under the order on July 30. By year end it will operate 14 737-300s, 30 dash 700s and 21 dash 800s. At year end 2012 it will have 10 dash 700s and 91 dash 800s in its fleet.
Jat Airways will cooperate with Emirates on service to New York JFK beginning Nov. 23. Jat will fly passengers to Hamburg thrice-weekly from Belgrade. They will board a bus there that will transport them directly to Emirates' gate. EK will employ Serbian-speaking flight attendants on the Hamburg-JFK route. Jat also will introduce weekly service to Basel as part of its winter timetable.
TAP Portugal hopes to conclude today, or by the end of this week at the latest, the purchase of PGA Portugalia Airlines that has been six years in the making, CEO Fernando Pinto told the European Aviation Club in Brussels. TAP intends to buy nearly all the shares in the Regional airline. Presently, Grupo Espirito Santo owns 84.34% of PGA, which employs 745. Pinto did not disclose the purchase price but told ATWOnline it is "well below the $150 million I read in the press." He added that TAP is buying the carrier without its debt.
Mesaba Aviation, which narrowly averted a strike last week ( ATWOnline, Oct. 25), reached tentative labor agreements with its pilot and flight attendant unions. Negotiations continue with mechanics represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn. "All along we have believed that consensual agreements are in the best interest of all involved in the company, its employees, and our passengers," Mesaba President and CEO John Spanjers said.
Qantas gave Airbus a lift with an order for an additional eight A380s, taking its firm commitments to 20 of the aircraft. It also ordered four more A330-200s to be delivered between December 2007 and September 2008 to help with the shortfall in capacity resulting from the A380 delay. In addition, it committed to five more 737-800s, which will take its fleet of that type to 38.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines said last week that it intends to sell its 75% holding in its Rezidor SAS Hospitality Group hotels unit via an IPO set to occur by year end. No new Rezidor shares will be issued via the IPO. Carlson Hotels Worldwide, which currently owns 25%, will increase its stake to 35% through the purchase of shares from SAS. In anticipation of the spinoff, the company's name is being changed to Rezidor Hotel Group. SAS said in June that it would float the unit. Rezidor operates 272 hotels.
Boeing is facing intense pressure to offer two versions of its 747-8 Intercontinental to satisfy Emirates, which is considering a commitment of up to 30 aircraft. Last month this website revealed that the manufacturer increased the length of the 747-8I to that of the freighter ( ATWOnline, Sept. 26) to satisfy demands for greater capacity from airlines such as Korean Air, China Airlines and British Airways. Originally the passenger variant had a 3.6-m.
US National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a team of investigators to Nigeria to assist in determining the cause of Sunday's ADC Airlines 737-200 crash in Abuja that reportedly killed 98 of 106 on board and one farmer on the ground. Abuja's Daily Trust reported yesterday that the aircraft's pilots were told not to take off because of poor weather but insisted on doing so.
