Scandinavian Airlines will launch four-times-weekly Stockholm Arlanda-Beijing service in April using A340-300s. It currently serves China from Copenhagen. SAS Group airlines flew 3.54 billion RPKs in August, up 3.6% from the year-ago month. Capacity increased 3.1% to 4.73 billion ASKs and load factor rose 0.4 point to 74.7%. Scandinavian Airlines flew 2.46 billion RPKs, down 0.6%, against a 0.5% drop in ASKs to 3.21 billion, leaving load factor steady at 76.5%.
Aviapartner completed development and implementation of an automated wireless baggage reconciliation system in Brussels that allows baggage loaders to scan luggage labels with wireless hand-held devices. Separately, it signed a deal to provide cargo handling and catering services for Hainan Airlines 767-300ER flights arriving at BRU.
Go!, Mesa Air Group's Hawaiian startup, reached a codeshare agreement with Mokulele Airlines. The carriers signed an MOU to begin new services operating under the go!Express brand. Mokulele, which recently was granted authority from the US Dept. of Transportation to operate scheduled services, will fly a fleet of Cessna Grand Caravans.
Aeroflot CEO Valery Okulov said this week that the carrier will buy long-haul aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus, with plans to purchase 22 from each. A major Aeroflot stakeholder earlier this week signed a preliminary agreement with Boeing for 22 787s ( ATWOnline, Sept. 20).
Northwest Airlines flight attendants, prevented from engaging in work actions by a US federal judge last week ( ATWOnline, Sept. 18), yesterday declared negotiations with management at an "impasse" and asked the National Mediation Board for a release from further mediated talks with the carrier, the first step toward gaining legal authority to strike under US laws governing airline labor relations.
Finnair will launch daily Helsinki-Nuremberg service in April with Embraer 170s. Separately, the carrier said it flew 1.57 billion RPKs in August, an increase of 13.8% over the year-ago month. Capacity was up 10.6% to 2.04 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 2.2 points to 76.6%.
Airports Council International Europe appointed Olivier Jankovec as director general with immediate effect. He succeeds Roy Griffins, who retired in August.
China Cargo Airlines, the China Eastern Airlines/China Ocean Shipping Group joint venture, signed a 10-year, $28 million OnPoint Solutions agreement with GE covering overhaul and maintenance services on CF6-80C2 engines that will power the carrier's two 747-400Fs.
American Airlines yesterday signed a five-year service agreement with the US Postal Service to deliver mail that the airline said potentially is worth $500 million in revenue. It is the largest single contract ever awarded to American Cargo. AA said it re-engineered its mail processes in 2003 and now "is the preferred carrier of the Postal Service and carries more mail than any other passenger airline."
Q Investments, a Fort Worth-based private equity fund, is putting Q Aviation on the block and has retained Deutsche Bank Securities to advise it. The company said it owns 53 Airbus and Boeing aircraft recently appraised at $1.2 billion. According to the Ascend CASE database, 26 are listed under the Q Aviation LP name. They comprise eight A319s, 10 757s, four A320s, two A330s, one 737-400 and one 737-500, all of which are in service. The 737-500 is leased to Bulgarian Airlines and the remaining 25 are leased to Northwest Airlines and US Airways.
Officials from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport said yesterday that American Airlines' proposed DFW-Beijing service would generate $180 million annually for the state economy and plans to submit its own economic impact study to the US Dept. of Transportation in support of AA's application to win the new route authority. The DFW salvo is the latest volley in an all-out campaign by four US carriers competing for a new route to China made available in the most recent air services agreement between China and the US.
Etihad Airways took delivery of an A340-500, its 20th aircraft. It will operate the plane on its new daily Abu Dhabi-New York JFK service from Oct. 26.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which earlier this month announced orders for 10 Q400s as part of a plan to launch its own Regional airline subsidiary ( ATWOnline, Sept. 7), is ending its codeshare agreement with Horizon Air, an Alaska Air Group subsidiary. Horizon has been operating nine CRJ700s as Frontier Jet Express since January 2004. Officials from both carriers are continuing negotiations on a timeline for winding down the partnership.
Boeing yesterday concluded its purchase of aviation parts and aftermarket services provider Aviall for $1.7 billion and the assumption of $448 million in debt. Aviall will report to Boeing Commercial Aviation Services and operate as a wholly owned subsidiary. It employs around 1,000 and maintains customer service centers in North America, Europe and Asia. It is considered the largest independent provider of new aviation parts and related aftermarket services, distributing products for approximately 220 manufacturers.
Skyway Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of Midwest Airlines that operates as Midwest Connect, yesterday named David Reeve president and CEO, giving him responsibility for all aspects of the Regional's business performance. Reeve, already chairman of Skyway's board, originally joined the airline (then Astral Aviation) in 1997 as president and CEO, serving in that capacity until late 1998 when he moved to Midwest Airlines as senior VP-operations. In 1999 he was named Skyway chairman in addition to his Midwest Airlines responsibilities.
Lufthansa's Supervisory Board yesterday gave approval for the airline to order 35 Airbus aircraft valued at more than $3 billion, including five new A330s that will "compensate for the delayed entry into service of the A380," the German carrier said in a statement.
All Nippon Airways, which launched the 787 program with an order for 50, has chosen the industry's first commercial electric braking system, Goodrich announced yesterday. "We anticipated demand for an alternative to traditional, hydraulically actuated braking and began the pursuit of electronically actuated braking more than a decade ago," Goodrich Airframe Systems Segment President Jack Carmola said.
Embraer 175 received US FAA type certification, paving the way for deliveries and service in the US. It previously was certified by aviation authorities in Brazil, Canada and Europe. The first US customer, Republic Airways, has firm orders for 30 of the 86-seat 175s, which will be operated on behalf of US Airways. Twenty will replace existing 50-seat aircraft currently operated for US Airways while the remaining 10 will replace other retiring aircraft or be used for growth in 2008.
Russia's National Reserve Corp., a major stakeholder in Aeroflot, signed a preliminary agreement for 22 787s, according to Russian daily Kommersant, which reported that the airline has transferred rights on the 787s to the shareholder because Russian authorities have not yet approved the deal for Aeroflot.
Royal Jordanian transported 223,000 passengers in August, up 15% over the year-ago month and the highest total for any one month in its history. Its fleet of 24 aircraft averaged 67 flights per day. President and CEO Samer Majali said RJ will achieve "satisfying" full-year results despite rising fuel prices.
Air Mauritius suffered a 59% decline in net profit in its 2005-06 fiscal year to €7.3 million ($9.3 million), according to its annual report cited by Reuters. Rising fuel costs, the government's decision to liberalize the country's airspace in order to attract more tourism and a decline in visitors from France were the key culprits in the slowdown, the carrier said, adding the impact will continue into the current fiscal year.
Ryanair yesterday announced the establishment of what will be its 17th base with the placement of two 737-800s in the German city of Bremen from April 2007 with a third dash 800 to be added the following September.
All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines Group announced changes to near-term corporate plans to place a higher emphasis on their China networks, with JAL stating that changes including "route suspensions, flight frequency adjustments and a review of aircraft scheduling" will result in a ¥13.5 billion ($112.5 million) income improvement in the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2007. In its revised plan for 2006-07, ANA said it will nearly double its flights from Tokyo to Xiamen and Qingdao to a daily service using 767-300ERs and commence daily flights to Tianjing from Nagoya Cen
