Lufthansa is considering setting up a task force to evaluate implementing random medical checks of pilots to improve safety in the cockpit, Lufthansa spokesperson Barbara Schaedler told ATW in an email.
Irish budget carrier Ryanair has posted a 15% net profit margin for 2014-15, after generating €867 million ($944.5 million) in net income, up 66% from €523 million in the prior year.
Malaysian Airline Systems’ (MAS) new CEO, Christoph Mueller, has said he will run the new state-owned Malaysian airline “like a startup,” and that there is “very little margin for error” in the cost reduction schedule he has mapped out for the crisis-hit flag carrier.
The coalition of US airlines and labor groups that is campaigning against the three major Gulf carriers has claimed broad support from US lawmakers, local chambers of commerce and local unions.
US Airlines with over 1000 Full-time Equivalent (FTE) employees, ranked by increase in employees, year-over-year. FTE calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.
The Gulf carriers have not put excess capacity into the market, according to a report commissioned by Etihad Airways, the second white paper it has published in the ongoing dispute between the major US and Gulf carriers.
Lithuanian carrier Air Lituanica ceased flying from noon Friday, local time. The small airline, whose website credits it with operating an Embraer E-175, an Embraer E-145 and an ATR 42 said its management had decided to stop operations. The final flights operated from Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, were to Amsterdam, Tallinn and Paris. Afternoon services to Berlin, Prague, Brussels and Stockholm were canceled.
British Airways (BA) is trialing new landing procedures at London Heathrow Airport as it seeks to minimize noise disturbance to residents on the glide path.
Lufthansa Group’s passenger airlines operated more efficiently in 2014, using an average of 3.84 liters of kerosene in 2014, to carry a passenger 100 km, a 1.6% improvement over the previous year (2013: 3.91 l/100pkm).
Turkish Airlines is evaluating a strategic alliance with Air Malta, which may include a partial investment or a complete takeover of Air Malta, according to several Maltese media reports.
Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MLIT) is urging all Korean aircraft operators to replace or mothball all aircraft that are more than two decades old.
Airlines across the Asia Pacific region saw a significant drop in 2014 operating profits despite a slight increase in revenue, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA).
International traffic grew globally 4.6% year-over-year (YOY) in March, matching February’s YOY improvement but indicating a “flattened” growth trend, according to IATA’s March Premium Traffic Monitor.
Changes in scheduled passenger airline full-time equivalent employment by airline group, displayed as percent changes from the previous year; differential changes for each of the last 13 months are shown.
Azul Brazilian Airlines has finalized an order with Embraer for 30 firm orders for the E-195 E2 jet, previously announced at the 2014 Farnborough Airshow where Azul was announced as the launch customer for the type.
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) has signed a new collective bargaining agreement with its pilots, represented by Sweden’s SPF union, averting industrial action.
Southwest Airlines’ growing international network is focused on bringing US-based leisure travelers to vacation destinations in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, but that could change as the network matures, the carrier’s network planning chief said.
American Airlines is focused on ensuring its regional carriers have “safe and reliable” operations and is not interested in the next generation of regional jets, at least for now, American SVP-regional carriers Kenji Hashimoto told ATW’s sister publication Aviation Daily.
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air plans to locate its 22nd base in Debrecen, Hungary, opening with a single Airbus A320 and three new routes on Dec. 16.
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific said talks will continue with its flight attendants union, which is threatening to escalate industrial action over certain contract issues it wants addressed.
Luxembourg-based aviation company LuxairGroup, parent of Luxair, reported a 2014 net profit of €9.7 million ($11.8 million), a more than fivefold increase from €1.9 million in the year-ago period.
