Airlines & Lessors

Southwest Airlines reached a tentative agreement with the union representing its ground operations workers Dec. 29; a vote on the new contract is imminent.

A German court has ruled that Etihad Airways must cease its codeshare on 29 routes operated by partner airline airberlin, Germany’s second-largest carrier.

First delivery of the Airbus A320neo has been postponed until 2016 because of documentation issues. The delay means the neo misses a long-planned delivery target of late 2015.

Total TSA Gun Catches for 2014 (loaded or unloaded firearms, plus stun-guns, discovered at TSA checkpoints across the US).

Total TSA Gun Catches for December 2014 (loaded or unloaded firearms, plus stun-guns, discovered at TSA checkpoints across the US).

Ethiopian Airlines has placed a follow-on order for two Bombardier Q400s, valued at approximately $63 million at list prices.

Germany plans to introduce legislation requiring random testing for drugs and alcohol among the nation’s airline pilots in the aftermath of the Germanwings Airbus A320 crash in March, according to media reports Dec. 27.

A Christmas day Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) flight from Auckland, New Zealand, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia flew an incorrect flight path after the airline submitted the wrong flight plan to New Zealand ATM operations at Auckland Airport.

Articles and opinions from the January 2016 issue of Air Transport World

The world’s airlines are set to post a collective record net profit of $33 billion for 2015 and are forecast to post another record net profit of $36.3 billion in 2016, according to IATA.

For an airline whose primary market is tourism, a military junta and terrorist bombings definitely impact the bottom line. While those events have affected Thai Airways’ financial situation, they are not the main problem.

Airline Routes-Dec. 24, 2015

Global international passenger traffic increased 4.5% year-over-year (YOY) in October, according to IATA’s October Premium Traffic Monitor.

Baggage fees revenues for US airlines in 3Q 2015 rose 6.2% year-over-year, to $1.02 billion, according to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

United Airlines is one step closer to placing an order for new small narrowbody aircraft, after a key union committee voted on Dec. 22 to approve a proposed two-year contract extension.

Discussions between All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Virgin Australia could lead to a new codeshare agreement covering domestic Australian routes.

South Korean low-cost carrier (LCC) Jin Air has begun a new 5X-weekly schedule from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport to Honolulu, Hawaii.

A Kalstar Aviation Embraer E-195 overran the runway at El Tari Airport in Kupang on Dec. 21 and suffered substantial damage, including a landing gear collapse.

Gulf Air’s efforts to restructure are bearing fruit among passengers, the carrier said Dec. 24.

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. has announced another major delay to the service introduction of its Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ).

Aircraft News-Dec. 23, 2015

Silver Airways is hiring advisors at Raymond James to “evaluate a range of strategic alternatives,” including a merger or “ownership transition,” strategic partnerships, or new investments from outside groups.

Rayani Airlines has launched Malaysia’s first sharia-compliant airline using a Boeing 737-400 aircraft.

Spain-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Vueling is to launch three new interline agreements with long-haul carriers Cathay Pacific, Hainan Airlines and Royal Jordanian.