Continental Airlines 757 en route from Houston Intercontinental to Puerto Vallarta was diverted to McAllen, Tex., Saturday after the pilot became ill and died. The copilot landed the aircraft safely. The pilot reportedly collapsed at the controls and was pronounced dead a short time later at a local medical facility. CO did not release a cause of death but The Houston Chronicle, citing the McAllen Fire Dept., said he suffered a heart attack. A replacement flight crew was dispatched from Houston to resume the flight, which landed at PVR several hours late.
WestJet named Vito Culmone executive VP-finance and CFO, replacing interim CFOs Janice Paget and Derek Payne, who took over when Sandy Campbell retired last July. Culmone, VP-commercial finance for beer giant Molson Canada, will join the Calgary-based LCC March 1. Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste appointed Chairman Fernando Chico Pardo as interim CEO effective immediately, filling the hole left when Kjeld Binger resigned last month ( ATWOnline, Dec. 25).
Aviation Partners Boeing announced yesterday that Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern Airlines have ordered Blended Winglets for aircraft purchased as part of last year's combined order for 150 737-700s/-800s. Shanghai is taking 13 aircraft and China Eastern 20 through 2010 ( ATWOnline, Sept. 15, 2006). APB said the orders will bring to 190 the number of winglet-equipped 737NGs in China. "We are realistically targeting to install winglets on every eligible aircraft in China," CEO John Reimers said.
British Airways asked the publicly funded UK-based Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to help avert a three-day strike by cabin staff called for next week. "A strike would be completely unnecessary and unjustified. I am convinced we can settle the issues at the center of this dispute through sensible discussion and negotiation," BA CEO Willie Walsh said.
AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines, yesterday announced a public offering of 13 million newly issued shares of common stock. The company said it expects to grant underwriters Credit Suisse, UBS and Merrill Lynch a 30-day option to purchase up to 1.95 million additional shares to cover any overallotments. AMR will use the proceeds "for general corporate purposes."
Brazilian officials investigating the Sept. 29 midair collision between a Gol 737-800 and an ExcelAire Legacy 600 that led to the deaths of all 154 aboard the 737 said Sunday that air traffic controllers were at least partly at fault in the accident. The two ExcelAire pilots, who were detained in Brazil for more than a month after the crash, were charged last month with endangering aircraft safety and face the prospect of a criminal trial ( ATWOnline, Dec. 11, 2006).
Alitalia called an ordinary shareholders meeting to appoint a new board on Feb. 22. The second call for the shareholder meeting is for Feb. 28. The embattled airline was forced to cancel a board meeting scheduled for last Friday after two members, including Air France KLM Group Chairman and CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta, resigned. The departures reduced the number of board members to two, below the three-member quorum needed to hold the meeting ( ATWOnline, Jan. 18, 2006).
Delta Air Lines watched from the sidelines as four US legacy rivals vied over the past few months for the right to operate a new daily route to China. United Airlines and its bid to fly from Washington Dulles to Beijing won out earlier this month ( ATWOnline, Jan. 10), but Delta yesterday signaled its intention to compete hard for the US Dept. of Transportation's 2008 award, presenting a proposal to operate a daily Atlanta-Shanghai service beginning next March.
Finnish Ministry of Defense published a report last week proposing that Finnair acquire A330 MRTT widebodies that the state could lease for troop transports and possible evacuations in crisis situations. Finnair said it sets business fundamentals as the primary justification for all of its projects. "We are currently working on a modernization of our long-haul fleet and we must consider very carefully how we will implement the huge investment that lies ahead.
Swissport International President and CEO Joseph In Albon will leave the company "to take on a new professional challenge." Santiago Olivares will assume the duties of acting CEO with immediate effect. Air Transport Assn. named Edward Barron VP-government affairs and legislative counsel.
UPS denied a French newspaper report that it plans to cancel its order for 10 A380Fs this week. The cargo carrier is the last customer for the freighter version of the aircraft. Rival FedEx cancelled its order for 10 A380Fs in November and placed an order for 15 777Fs with 15 options instead, saying that market demands were too pressing to wait for Airbus to work through production issues ( ATWOnline, Nov. 8, 2006).
Mexicana de Aviacion last week signed a new labor agreement with its ground workers that it said will yield $20 million in annual savings and improve customer service. The accord, which amends rules that had been in place for 15 years, will run through 2009 and give workers inflation-indexed raises plus 1% this year and each of the next two years.
Vueling Airlines said it plans to open its first base outside Spain this year "in order to actively pursue its expansion plans," and is considering Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Amsterdam. It will announce the location of its first international base toward the end of this month. It carried 3.5 million passengers in 2006, up 75% from 2005, as it increased frequencies on existing routes and launched 17 new services. The Barcelona-based carrier operated 28,382 flights last year, 70% more than in 2005.
Republic Airways Holdings said it is looking to grow its pilot workforce from 1,675 to approximately 2,600 by the end of 2008 and is accepting applications for pilots to fly for Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America. Chautauqua will add 24 CRJ200s by the end of this year to support its new Continental Express operation ( ATWOnline, July 24, 2006).
Alteon Training opened its Singapore Training Center on Jan. 18. The $60 million facility represents the Boeing subsidiary's largest investment in Singapore to date and will have the capability to train 6,000 pilot crews annually, including maintenance and cabin crew personnel. It houses seven full flight simulator bays. Four FFSs--777, F100, A320 and 737-300--are installed, with a 737-800 to be added by mid-year and a 787 in the first quarter of 2008.
Jet Airways reported net earnings of INR400 million ($9 million) for the third fiscal quarter ended Dec. 31, 2006, a 34% decline from year-ago profits of INR610 million. The carrier said its third quarter "is traditionally the peak quarter in the company's fiscal year" but that overcapacity on the subcontinent once again was a drag on its bottom line.
Iberia Maintenance began servicing CF34 engines last month under a contract signed with General Electric. The first engine serviced belonged to IB affiliate Air Nostrum, but the company is licensed to perform third-party maintenance.
Air New Zealand played down suggestions that the challenges facing the airline are over even as receding fuel prices are prompting a share price rally. In the past five months, ANZ's shares have climbed from NZ$1.20 ($0.82) to just above NZ$2, with some analysts suggesting it will triple its profit over the next four years. But CEO Rob Fyfe warned the carrier is far from where it needs to be. "The improving profit picture is deceiving. We have a long, long way to go before we will be performing as a normal business," he told ATWOnline.
Virgin America unveiled "sweeping changes" designed to counter the US Dept. of Transportation's tentative rejection last month of its application for an operating certificate ( ATWOnline, Jan. 3).
AirAsturias will cease operations Jan. 26, just two months after it launched its first flight ( ATWOnline, Aug. 23, 2006). The Oviedo-based carrier started with a leased A320 and currently flies to Madrid, Lisbon, Rome Fiumicino and Paris Charles de Gaulle. It had intended to expand to Brussels and Amsterdam. Reportedly, it is seeking to relaunch with long-haul A340 service to South America via Madrid.
Despite a fourth-quarter net loss of $26 million, Continental Airlines reported 2006 net income of $343 million, a strong turnaround from a 2005 loss of $68 million, as full-year revenue jumped 17.1% to $13.13 billion.
Vienna Airport operator Flughafen Wien announced yesterday that it plans to acquire a 25.15% stake in Flughafen Friedrichshafen. The companies recently signed a letter of intent and will request the approval of their responsible corporate bodies in the coming weeks. Friedrichshafen Airport is located at the crossroads between Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
AirTran Holdings, which has launched a tender offer to acquire control of Midwest Air Group, said yesterday that the latter's plan for growth is "not well suited for low-cost competition" and relies too heavily on the use of older aircraft such as 50-seat CRJs and MD-80s. Last week Midwest unveiled its plan to boost revenue and increase capacity in an effort to bolster shareholder value and fend off AirTran's takeover effort.
