EasyJet Chairman Michael Rake said at the company's annual general meeting last week that a cost-reduction program designed to save £190 million ($296.6 million) per year is expected to deliver net savings after inflation of £1 per seat by the conclusion of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2012. He also said that the board agreed to increase seat capacity by 7.5% per year over the next five years, which it expects to boost its share of the European short-haul market from the current 7% to 10%.
Mapjet, a Vienna-based startup, said it will begin selling tickets on March 15 for flights to Stockholm Arlanda, Amsterdam, Sulaymaniyah and Baghdad. Service to Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich also is planned. Flights should begin on March 28 aboard three leased E-195s.
US and EU negotiators concluded discussions in Madrid last week without significant progress on a second-stage open skies agreement, sources on both sides told Dow Jones. "It is clear it is going to take some time to get a deal," an EU spokesperson said, although sources said some progress was made. The deadline is November.
FAA announced a proposed $1.2 million civil penalty against GE Caledonian, a Glasgow Prestwick-based repair station, for "improper maintenance procedures" involving 101 engines between January 2005 and May 2008. The agency said during that time GEC "used a procedure to remove the thrust pins from the forward engine mounts of 101 CF6 engines that was different than the one required by the manufacturer's maintenance manuals.
US FAA's oversight of American Airlines' maintenance program "lacked the rigor needed" to uncover "weaknesses" that created safety concerns, the Dept. of Transportation's Inspector General said in a report issued last week that was highly critical of both FAA and AA.
British Airways flight attendants represented by Unite are expected today to announce their intention to strike in the wake of last week's UK High Court ruling permitting BA to enforce changes to their labor contract.
Following on from its International Air Transport Association (IATA) Gold Award, Abu Dhabi In-flight Catering Company (ADIFC), along with its management partners LSG Sky Chefs, has announced its 2009 on-time performance results, with 44,783 flights catered and zero associated delays recorded.
ST Aerospace reported a S$194.6 million ($138.5 million) profit in 2009, down 17.1% from the S$234.7 million earned in 2008. Revenue declined 3% to S$1.88 billion.
ExpressJet Holdings and United Airlines signed an agreement under which the regional will operate 32 ERJ-145s for United Express. The original deal announced last fall was amended to include an additional 10 145s from ExpressJet's corporate aviation fleet ( ATWOnline, Nov. 17, 2009). It ended last month with 10 aircraft in operation for UA and will add six this month, six next month and 10 in May.
Lufthansa said the four-day pilots strike scheduled for next week will cost it approximately €100 million ($136.9 million) and that the company's attorneys are examining whether the Vereinigung Cockpit action is legal ( ATWOnline, Feb. 18). Its plan to weather the strike includes help from subsidiaries Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines. For example, OS will operate larger aircraft on flights from Vienna to Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich.
The Indian government yesterday announced final approval of an INR8 billion ($173.7 million) equity infusion into Air India parent National Aviation Co. of India, with the release of the funds "calibrated to the achievement of milestones laid down by the [cabinet]" including a 28% fleet reduction.
IATA reported that the accident rate in 2009 for Western-built jet aircraft was "the second-lowest in aviation history" at 0.71 hull losses per million flights, "equal to one accident for every 1.4 million flights."
FAA yesterday proposed a $2.9 million civil penalty against American Eagle Airlines for operating more than 1,000 flights using four CRJ700s "on which improper repairs were performed on landing gear doors," the second significant fine for an alleged safety violation proposed against AMR Corp.'s regional subsidiary this month.
Bombardier Aerospace opened a commercial aircraft service center in Macon, Ga., and signed a 10-year agreement with Atlantic Southeast Airlines to be the exclusive heavy MRO provider for the regional's 108 CRJ200s, 38 CRJ700s and 10 CRJ900s. The 8,529-sq.-m. facility formerly was operated by ASA and has been under Bombardier management since Jan. 18. It offers heavy maintenance and C checks on the CRJ family and can accommodate up to six simultaneously. Bombardier also operates service centers in Bridgeport, W. Va., and Tucson.
Lufthansa pilots represented by Vereinigung Cockpit voted overwhelmingly yesterday to strike at midnight next Monday through 11:59 p.m. Feb. 25, a four-day stoppage that the airline called "totally inappropriate."
AirBaltic took over facilities and equipment at Riga International formerly belonging to Oxford Aviation Academy and is establishing airBaltic Training, which President and CEO Bertolt Flick said "is crucial to meet the growing needs of airBaltic and to generate additional revenue by providing flight crew training services to other airlines." The airline operates 10 737-500s, eight 737-300s, two 757-200s and 11 F50s and plans to open at least nine new routes from Riga in 2010 ( ATW's Airports Today, February 2
IATA reported that the number of premium passengers on international flights grew 1.7% year-over-year in December 2009, the first year-over-year rise in premium travel since May 2008.
Lufthansa Systems announced the release of its Integrated Commercial Platform, which it said combines and integrates products from the NetLine and ProfitLine suites. LHS said the ICP is "completely modular."
News from Travel Technology Update: Amadeus has formalized a change in the way it draws up airline contracts, replacing the Participating Carrier Agreement with a Global Distribution Agreement, covering core GDS services, and an Optional Services Agreement.
Lufthansa Cargo will cut more than 400 jobs and has extended reduced work hours for ground staff imposed in March 2009 through Feb. 28, 2011. "We suffered steep losses in revenue and tonnage last year, the worst in the history of Lufthansa Cargo," a spokesperson told Bloomberg News.
Rossiya transported 2.9 million passengers in 2009, down 15.3% from the prior year, owing largely to the spinoff of its Moscow branch and its concentration on operations in St. Petersburg. It flew 6.09 billion RPKs last year. Rossiya is scheduled to be merged into Aeroflot, along with five other smaller airlines, this year ( ATWOnline, Feb. 4). United Airlines said January consolidated passenger RASM increased an estimated 9.5%-11.5% year-over-year.
British Airways announced that in conjunction with Washington-based Solena Group it will establish a "sustainable jet-fuel plant" to convert "waste biomass" to "low-carbon fuel to power part of its fleet from 2014." It said the plant would be a first in Europe. It did not set a date for when the plant will be operational. "The new fuel will be derived from waste biomass and manufactured in a state-of-the-art facility that can convert a variety of waste materials, destined for landfill, into aviation fuel," it said.
