Asiana Airlines plans to continue upgrading its fleet with new Airbus A350 deliveries in 2018, following the carrier’s dramatic financial improvement for 2017.
Sichuan Airlines has ordered 10 Airbus A350-900s, the Chengdu-based airline said Feb. 9; the aircraft will help facilitate a rapid international expansion plan.
Vietnam Airlines has postponed plans to add Berlin, Amsterdam or Rome to its network, as the market situations have changed and Middle East carriers and Turkish Airlines have become the toughest competitors, SVP-commercial Trinh Ngoc Thanh told ATW recently in Hanoi.
French leisure airline Aigle Azur plans to present a new strategic plan next month, as it shifts attention beyond traditional short- and medium-haul routes toward long-haul operations.
Korean Air reported a KRW479 billion ($440 million) net profit for the fourth quarter of 2017, reversed from a net loss of KRW672 billion in the year-ago period.
Lufthansa Group chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr said the company will focus this year on further developing its premium carriers—Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and Austrian Airlines—but he expects strong competition in Germany after airberlin’s insolvency last year.
Fort Lauderdale-based ultra-LCC Spirit Airlines reported a $420.6 million net profit for 2017, a 58.8% increase over a $264.9 million net income in 2016. Spirit cited a one-time, non-cash $199.3 million tax credit courtesy of the late 2017 US tax reform legislation, as part of the reason for the increase.
Swoop, the standalone ultra-LCC subsidiary of Canada’s WestJet scheduled to launch in June, could eventually have a fleet of as many as 40 aircraft, WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky said.
African Star Alliance member Ethiopian Airlines and its regional airline equity partner, Togo-based ASKY Airlines, have formed a strategic partnership with the Guinean government to establish startup carrier Guinea Airlines by June.
Russia’s federal air transport agency Rosaviatsia has placed a limit on leisure carrier Azur Air’s air operator’s certificate (AOC) through March 20, according to a Feb. 2 statement by the agency.
Irish LCC Ryanair anticipates that its decision to recognize trade unions may result in some “localized disruption,” but said it is prepared to face any such problems.
Air Austral and Air Madagascar are aligning their fleets, jointly developing their Saint Denis de la Reunion and Antananarivo hubs, and boosting their long-haul and domestic networks as part of a major plan to be the leading player in the Indian Ocean.
[UPDATED STORY] Lufthansa Group replaced top management at Brussels Airlines Feb. 5, as the group revamps the airline after taking it over in late 2016.
United Parcel Service (UPS) anticipates continued growth in the global express cargo market in 2018 and believes investment in its air services will pay off handsomely.
Utah-based SkyWest Inc., parent of regional carriers SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines, turned around its profitability picture in 2017, posting a $428.9 million net profit, reversed from a $161.6 million net loss in 2016.
Ireland-based ASL Aviation Holdings has reorganized its Swiss operating unit ASL Airlines Switzerland and handed back the latter’s air operator’s certificate (AOC) to Swiss regulatory authorities.
Worldwide passenger traffic grew 7.6% in 2017, outpacing the 10-year average annual growth rate of 5.5%, as passengers responded to an overall improvement in the global economy and lower airfares, according to IATA’s Air Passenger Market Analysis for December 2017.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co., parent of LCC Allegiant Air, reported $194.9 million net income for 2017, an 11.2% drop from its $219.6 million net profit in 2016.
Central and Eastern European LCC Wizz Air reported a third-quarter net profit of €14 million ($16.8 million), down 57% on the year-ago period, despite strong ticket and ancillary revenues as well as passenger growth.
Strong demand for manufacturing exports stoked the air freight sector to its best performance in seven years, as global cargo traffic grew 9% year-over-year (YOY) in 2017, according to IATA’s December Air Freight Market Analysis, released Jan. 31.
