Airlines & Lessors

Africa is certainly a continent of contrast.

Civil wars spread in the MENA region, periodically rendering the airspace of those nations unusable by airlines, while the running story in the air transport world was the increasingly acrimonious accusations by US and European carriers against the Gulf’s largest carriers.

European airlines continued to battle their demons in 2014-15, but the greatest shock of the year was the loss of a Germanwings Airbus A320 March 24, in which 150 people died, including the German co-pilot who appears to have deliberately crashed the aircraft in the French Alps.

Chinese carriers are embracing “spring” again after five years of “winter.”

Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region are seeing a definite financial improvement this year over 2014, but it’s still tough going despite the region’s continued traffic growth.

Latin American airlines continue to plan for what they believe will be a lucrative future even as the carriers endure struggles in the present.

For 109 commercial airlines worldwide, year-to-date passenger traffic, RPKs, load factors, and FTKs

Even in his most optimistic moments, American Airlines Group chairman and CEO Doug Parker likely didn’t expect the merged American/US Airways would be by far the most profitable airline in the world in its first full year of operation.

Reaction to Wednesday’s long-awaited announcement of the preferred option for a new runway at London Heathrow Airport in South East England was swift, with predictably mixed views.

Virgin Atlantic is to cut 500 jobs as it works to improve its financial position.

The global alliances slowed their growth in terms of new members the past year, focusing instead on delivering value to their member airlines and, to some extent, finding common purpose despite increasingly different views on the Gulf carriers.

Whichever way you look at it, consolidation has paid off for the US majors.

There was a distinctly mellow feel to the Paris Air Show as Airbus and Boeing’s record backlogs inevitably started to pinch the sales.

From the July 2015 issue of ATW

Russia’s Ministry of Transport has announced proposed changes to the Air Code that would allow local airlines to overbook flights.

Aircraft procurement firm China Aviation Supplies Holding Co. (CAS) has signed a “general terms agreement” (GTA) for 45 Airbus A330 family aircraft and an MOU covering 30 A330 options.

Air Canada leisure affiliate rouge has “proven its case” by lowering costs for the Canadian flag carrier, CEO Calin Rovinescu told ATW last week on the sidelines of the Star Alliance meeting in Warsaw.

United Airlines has invested $30 million for a stake in renewable fuels producer Fulcrum BioEnergy in a deal that could see the carrier buy 90 million gallons a year of jet fuel made from municipal waste.

Lufthansa’s flight attendant union UFO has agreed to postpone any further strike action until mid-July after receiving concessions on pay and pensions from the German carrier.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has approved an air operator’s certificate for Ningxia Cargo Airlines, which is to become the first local carrier in Ningxia Autonomous Region.

Emirates Airline has issued a 192-page report rebutting subsidy allegations lodged against it by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, calling the US carriers’ argument “a mess of legal distortions and factual errors.”

The Italian government is seeking a buyer for Blue Panorama by the end of the summer season at the latest.

Airbus has handed over the first Airbus A350-900 XWB to its second customer, Vietnam Airlines.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is focusing on more destinations and frequencies rather than larger aircraft for domestic operations, president and CEO Osamu Shinobe told ATW on the sidelines of the Star Alliance chief executive board meeting in Warsaw last week.