British Airways said yesterday that three 767s used on short-haul routes have been removed from service indefinitely after the UK government informed the carrier Tuesday night that the aircraft were to be examined as part of the investigation into the highly publicized poisoning death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. BA said initial forensic testing confirmed that low traces of a "radioactive substance" were discovered aboard two of the aircraft.
Wizz Air completed a sale/leaseback transaction with GECAS for four new A320s, which will be delivered in the first half of 2008. They will be leased on an 11-year term. Wizz has 32 A320s on order plus 12 options and expects to operate 53 by 2012.
Middle East Airlines is finalizing an agreement to acquire four A330-200s and four A319s. According to the Arab Air Carriers Organization, two aircraft would arrive in 2008 and the other six in 2009. MEA would use the additional aircraft to increase frequencies on popular routes and is considering new destinations in Qatar, Iraq and Russia.
Finnair confirmed four E-190 options yesterday, signing an order for the 100-seat aircraft worth more than €100 million ($131.4 million). The jets will be delivered in 2008-09. The carrier currently operates 10 76-seat E-170s and now has 10 E-190s on order, the first of which will be delivered next month.
Boeing named Commercial Airplanes VP-Business Strategy and Marketing Nicole Piasecki as the new VP-Boeing International and president of Boeing Japan effective in March.
Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, the Mexican airports operator known as OMA, raised $375.8 million this week in an IPO in which Mexico's government divested its remaining 48% stake in the company, completing the privatization that began in 2000 ( ATWOnline, Nov. 16). The funds raised were higher than expected as the government sold its shares for $18 each. Shares will be listed on Nasdaq under OMAB. OMA operates airports in Monterrey, Acapulco, Mazatlan and Zihuatanejo plus nine other regional facilities.
El Al posted a third-quarter profit of $1.8 million, a plunge of 96.6% from a $52.2 million profit in the year-ago quarter, Reuters reported. Revenues declined 7.9% to $447 million.
World Airways extended its leases with ILFC on six MD-11s (three passenger and three freighter) through March 2013-May 2014. Leases originally were set to expire in 2008 and 2009. North American Airlines, a subsidiary of World Airways parent World Air Holdings, extended leases for two 757-200ERs (one with ILFC and one with GECAS) until May 2013 and May 2014. Leases were scheduled to expire in 2007 and 2008.
Delta Air Lines said it has received permission from its unsecured creditors to allow an additional estimated $719 million in unsecured, pre-petition claims for nonqualified pension benefits for retired pilots, lifting the total of allowed claims to $800 million. "As a result of this effort, our retired pilots will recover through the claim process a significant portion of their unpaid nonqualified benefits," CFO Edward Bastian said.
Austrian Airlines Group launched its capital increase earlier this month following a unanimous vote by shareholders at an extraordinary AGM ( ATWOnline, Oct. 4), issuing up to 51.68 million bearer shares with no par value. The subscription and offer period concludes Dec. 1, an OS spokesperson told this website. Maximum offer price is €8.12 ($10.66) per share.
EasyJet is introducing a Speedy Boarding facility that allows up to 20 passengers to book priority boarding and have the greatest choice of seats. Speedy Boarding is sold on a first-come, first-served basis and the fee is based on length of flight and departure airport. Prices vary from £2.50 ($4.84) to £7.50. "This latest innovation...reflects the development in the concept of having a flexible product that can be adapted to the customer needs, but only paying for what you need," CEO Andy Harrison said.
US Airways management will meet this week in New York with Delta Air Lines executives and representatives of its unsecured creditors to detail its $8 billion takeover proposal.
Lufthansa will continue to strengthen its second hub at Munich International Airport and plans to base approximately 120 aircraft there for the summer 2007 schedule. "For 2006, LH expects more than 20 million passengers in Terminal 2 in MUC," Group Representative and Head of Hub Management Munich Karl Ulrich Garnadt told ATWOnline in the Bavarian capital.
Malaysia Airlines' Business Turnaround Plan, which included the ceding of a significant chunk of its domestic network to AirAsia, is working "ahead of schedule," the carrier said yesterday as it reported its first three-month profit in more than a year, a MYR240 million ($65.7 million) windfall that stands in stark contrast to a MYR366 million loss in the third quarter of 2005.
Air Berlin said yesterday that it intends to buy 60 737-800s and revealed that dba, which it agreed to acquire in August ( ATWOnline, Aug. 18), placed an order earlier this year for 15 737-700s.
Thai Airways posted a fiscal year-end profit of THB9 billion ($246.7 million), a 32.7% rise over full-year earnings of THB6.78 billion in the 12 months ended Sept. 30, 2005. Revenues climbed 9.9% year-over-year to THB178.61 billion.
Transavia.com's French equivalent will commence operations next summer with four leased 737-800s following approval by the boards of Air France and Transavia.com ( ATWOnline, Nov. 20). Initial startup capital will be €22 million ($28.8 million) split 60/40 between Air France and the Dutch transavia.com. Lionel Guerin, currently chairman and CEO of French regional airline Airlinair, has been appointed chairman of the management board.
Air New Zealand announced an 11% reduction in transtasman seat capacity beginning in April. Seats to Australia will fall by 15% from Wellington, 28% from Dunedin, 15% from Palmerston North and 7% from Christchurch compared to April-October 2006. "Not even the low airfares generated by significant excess capacity and competition have driven enough customer demand from these four centers to maintain the status quo," GM-Shorthaul Airline Norm Thompson said, citing a 63% load factor out of Wellington as an example. In addition, ANZ will use smaller aircraft on the Auckland-Sydney route.
Air France KLM Group improved its fiscal first-half profit to €618 million ($809 million), up 50.7% from €410 million in the year-ago semester, results Chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta attributed to the "unique competitive position" of the merged airline company.
KLM, as expected, appointed Deputy CEO and COO Peter Hartman to take over from CEO Leo van Wijk, who will step down at the close of the company's AGM on July 5, 2007. Hartman will be acting CEO as of April 1. He was appointed to the KLM board of MDs in 1997, having joined the carrier in 1973 as a controller at Engineering & Maintenance. Van Wijk, 60, will continue to be involved in the management of Air France KLM as vice chairman, KLM said.
Lufthansa is expanding its presence in Malta. First, Lufthansa Technik will set up new MRO capabilities for C and D checks on the A330 and A340 families. Under terms of an MOU signed by the Maltese government and LHT Malta, a joint venture with Air Malta, a hangar will be constructed by Malta Industrial Parks and leased to LHT.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Peter Costello has dampened the bid for Qantas, making it clear over the weekend that the government will decide whether last week's offer from a consortium led by Texas Pacific and Macquarie Bank ( ATWOnline, Nov. 23), which some estimate to be worth $8 billion, is in the national interest.
MAXJet Airways named Chairman William Stockbridge President and CEO replacing Gary Rogliano, who left "to pursue other opportunities," according to the airline. "I will work closely with our team to accelerate MAXJet's expansion," Stockbridge said. He formerly was CEO of Centurion Air Cargo and founder, president and CEO of Gemini Air Cargo. Board member Rick Sharp will take over as chairman.
