Airlines & Lessors

JetBlue Airways has established a Northern California-based venture capital unit—JetBlue Technology Ventures—to invest in, incubate and partner with early stage technology startups in travel and hospitality.

Virgin Australia reported an A$62.5 million ($43.8 million) net profit for the six months through Dec. 31, 2015, representing a turnaround from an A$47.8 million loss a year earlier.

Indian full-service carrier Vistara has replaced its previous chairman, Prasad Menon, with consumer goods executive Bhaskar Bhat.

Low-cost carrier (LCC) Norwegian edged back into the black in 2015, recording a full-year profit of NOK246.2 million ($28.7 million), reversed from a loss of NOK 1.07 billion in 2014.

Finland flag carrier Finnair has reported a full-year net income of €89.7 million ($100.7 million) for 2015, reversed from a €82.5 million loss in the year-ago period.

The latest US Airline Fuel Cost and Consumption figures - for December 2015 and comparative prior months and years - organized by domestic, international and system totals.

As recently as eight years ago, only one airline flew between Los Angeles and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Qatar—but this summer, three carriers will fly four daily flights.

Passenger Experience-Feb. 10, 2016

Dubai-based low-cost carrier (LCC) flydubai posted AED100.7 million ($27.4 million) net income for 2015, down 59.7% from its AED250 million net result in 2014.

Indian low-cost carrier (LCC) IndiGo is adding 10 new services to its network in February, boosting its daily roster to 700 flights.

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair announced it will open two new German bases at Nuremberg and Hamburg, beginning Nov. 1.

Current U.S. Gulf Coast Kerosene-Type Jet Fuel Spot Price, showing the latest and comparative figures for the current week.

Turkish Airlines took delivery of its 300th aircraft, an Airbus A330-300, at Istanbul Atatürk International Airport on Feb. 5.

193 firearms were discovered at US airports in January 2016, up 11.6% year-over-year, as detailed in Total TSA Gun Catches for January 2016 (loaded or unloaded firearms discovered at TSA checkpoints at airports across the US).

Spirit Airlines’ 2015 net profit of $317.2 million was up 40.7% over net income of $225.5 million in 2014, but the ultra low-cost carrier’s (ULCC) new CEO acknowledges that operational performance needs to improve.

Aircraft & Engine News-Feb. 9, 2016

The easyGroup private investment company, owned by easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, is once again at odds with the airline’s management team.

Dublin-based ASL Aviation Group has signed a conditional agreement to buy two cargo airlines owned by TNT Express, which is itself being acquired by FedEx.

Russia’s Aeroflot received RUB1.49 billion ($20.5 million) in government subsidies in 2015, according to the carrier’s financial results published in accordance with Russian Accounting Standards.

Low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair will close two bases in Italy and stop services to another Italian destination completely over an increase in the country’s municipal tax.

Airberlin, which is undergoing an extensive restructuring process, has said about 80 managers will accept salary cuts up to 10% this year.

Airberlin announced it has appointed Thilo Schäfer as managing director of Leisure Cargo on March 1.

China’s Hainan Airlines is gearing up to launch a second Canadian flight to Calgary, the home base of interline partner WestJet Airlines.

Just two months after Portugal agreed to a private consortium taking a majority stake in national carrier TAP, the country’s government has scaled back the acquiring consortium’s share to 45%.

Malaysian low-cost carrier (LCC) Malindo Air has launched a daily service from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which is configured in 12 business and 150 economy class seats.