Lufthansa Group airlines flew 15.84 billion RPKs in October, a 17.3% increase from the year-ago month owing to the addition of Austrian Airlines and bmi. Capacity was up 14.9% to 19.68 billion ASKs and load factor rose 1.7 points to 80.5%. LH Passenger Airlines flew 11.07 billion RPKs, up 0.7%, against a 1.9% cut in capacity to 13.8 billion ASKs. Load factor climbed 2.1 points to 80.2%. Iberia flew 4.17 billion RPKs in October, down 5.1% from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 6.6% to 5.17 billion ASKs and load factor rose 1.3 points to 80.6%.
An Egyptian company offering aviation services ranging from business aircraft charter, flight services and airline support activities is making its debut at the 2009 Dubai Airshow
Dubai-based Execujet Middle East is using the Dubai Airshow to celebrate its tenth anniversary in the region - and signal that the business aviation industry in the region is showing positive signs of recovery
AeroDAC, the aerospace design and certification company, signed a business alliance agreement today with Saudi Arabia's Arabian Jets to deliver aviation design certification, training and consultancy services across the MENA region.
The Governor of the American state of Georgia, Sonny Perdue is to lead a 37-member delegation to the Dubai Airshow to seek opportunities to grow Georgia's aerospace sector, one of the state's strategic industries.
Travelport announced a new long-term, full-content GDS agreement with British Airways that will make all the carrier's fares and inventory available on both Galileo and Worldspan until April 2013. The companies said they will "work together in the coming months" to provide travel agents the ability to offer a la carte extras through the GDS.
Indian airlines carried 4 million passengers in October, up 26.7% from the year-ago month. Passenger traffic through the year's first 10 months rose 3.3% year-over-year to 36 million. Market share was divided as follows: Jet Airways and JetLite 27.7%, Kingfisher Airlines 20.7%, Air India 18.6%, IndiGo 13.6%, SpiceJet 12.4%. Finnair flew 1.72 billion RPKs in October, a 12.3% decline from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 12.9% to 2.18 billion ASKs and load factor was up 0.5 point to 78.7%.
Continental Airlines will issue $644.4 million in equipment notes to finance eight Boeing aircraft already in operation and 11 planes scheduled for delivery in January-June 2010, it said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Finnair said negotiations with Finnair Catering employees represented by the Finnish Aviation Union have failed to produce the required €5 million ($7.5 million) in savings and that 60 employees now will be made redundant in a "first stage." Afterward, "a reorganization of operations will be considered to achieve additional savings, and a review of structural solutions will be initiated," the airline said. Catering employs some 650 people. The carrier said it also is exploring solutions with its Northport ground handling subsidiary and Finnair Cargo Operations.
S7 Airlines this week dismissed rumors that surface regularly in the Russian media that it will be absorbed by Aeroflot and confirmed that it is on track to join oneworld in November 2010. "I'm sure Aeroflot would like to acquire us and our network, but we are not for sale," Credit Risk and Alliance Manager Ilya Alexandrovskiy stressed to ATWOnline at the Mexicana oneworld joining event in Mexico City. S7, which was technically bankrupt in February but since has restructured its debt, is "operational in excellent shape," Alexandrovskiy added.
Indian government will offer financial aid to Air India if the airline is able to realize INR20 billion ($429.8 million) in cost cuts and revenue increases by March, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told reporters yesterday. "We are talking of an equity infusion. We are broadly looking at an equity infusion linked to monthly performance parameters. We are only looking at it until March," Patel said, according to reports. "This is not the total equity infusion which is being looked at for Air India.
United Airlines pilot Erwin Washington was arrested Tuesday at London Heathrow and charged with "being aviation staff performing aviation function whilst exceeding the proscribed alcohol limit," according to a Scotland Yard statement. Washington was scheduled for UA Flight 949, a 767 with 124 passengers and 11 crew, to Chicago O'Hare.
US major passenger airlines posted a cumulative third-quarter net loss of $578 million, narrowed from a $2.52 billion loss in the year-ago period, ATWOnline calculated. The nine carriers' combined revenue dropped 18% to $28.25 billion while expenses decreased 23.1% to $27.8 billion, producing an operating profit of $450 million, reversed from an operating loss of $1.97 billion for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2008. The quarter's top performer among the majors was Alaska Airlines parent Alaska Air Group with net income of $88 million.
US FAA said it has begun transitioning NOTAMs to a digital system, which it said "should reduce human error, allow more timely and accurate distribution of information, standardize content, policy and procedures and balance diverse customer needs." Digital distribution tests to six ATC facilities will begin in January.
TAP Maintenance and Engineering Brazil delivered one A330 to Air Transat following a C check, its first on the aircraft type since receiving TCCA, FAA and EASA certification for MRO on A330s/A340s.
US Senate approved an Airline Flight Crew Family and Medical Leave Act, which modifies language from the original Family and Medical Leave Act that defined a "fulltime" schedule as a traditional 40-hr. work week, ignoring the nontraditional schedules of flight attendants and flight crews and often rendering them ineligible for coverage. The House already approved the measure, which now requires President Barack Obama's signature to become law. "We are happy to announce to our over 50,000 members that no flight attendant will be left behind when it comes to FMLA coverage anymore," Assn.
Hawaiian Airlines said dispatchers represented by the Transport Workers Union ratified a new four-year labor agreement providing "increased pay and benefits as well as profit sharing" to the employees and "operational improvements" to HA.
ANA yesterday unveiled a series of long-haul service enhancements dubbed Inspiration of Japan that will be available beginning next February on 777-300ERs flying from Tokyo Narita to North America and Europe. First class will feature 1-2-1 seating with privacy partitions, 23-in. LCD screens, new decor and bedding, "refined" a la carte menus and touchscreen ordering starting in April. ANA's first class lounge at NRT will be upgraded in February and passengers will have access to a single check-in point (personal, luggage and security) by fall. Cabin upgrades will be available from Feb.
Malaysia Airlines will announce at a press conference today that it has transitioned to the SITA Reservations platform, part of a 10-year, $130 million contract under which SITA will install/manage a variety of MAS IT systems. The changeover to the SITA reservation system took 13 hr. on Nov. 1 and involved the transfer of almost 1.5 million PNRs. MAS CEO Azmil Zahruddin said, "Upgrading to a new reservations platform is the equivalent of a heart transplant for an airline.
Air Canada and Jazz flew 3.85 billion RPMs in October, a 1.3% decrease from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 0.5% to 4.84 billion ASMs and load factor dipped 0.6 point to 79.6%. JetBlue Airways flew 2.02 billion RPMs in October, up 7.2% year-over-year, while capacity rose 7.1% to 2.5 billion ASMs. Load factor was up 0.1 point to 80.8%. Hawaiian Airlines flew 680.7 million RPMs in October, a 5.7% increase year-over-year, and capacity rose 2.6% to 797.7 million ASMs. Load factor climbed 2.4 points to 85.3%.
Air France KLM flew 17.68 billion RPKs in October, down 4.1% from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 5.6% to 21.41 billion ASKs and load factor increased 1.3 points to 82.5%. British Airways flew 9.41 billion RPKs in October, down 1.9% year-over-year, against a 6.4% cut in capacity to 11.79 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 3.7 points to 80.7%. EasyJet transported 4.2 million passengers in October, a 6.6% increase year-over-year, while load factor rose 3 points to 86.8%.
CAE signed contracts for a combined four full-flight simulators and related training devices with Malaysia Airlines, Kenya Airways, Korean Air and Mount Cook Airlines worth a combined C$55 million ($51.1 million). MAS ordered one CAE 7000 Series 737-800 Level D FFS and a Simfinity Integrated Procedures Trainer. Simulator is expected to be operational by the end of 2010. MAS has 35 -800s on order, plus 20 options, with delivery beginning next year. KQ ordered a 5000 Series 737NG FFS, which will be delivered in mid-2010 to a new training center in Nairobi.
Embraer was certified by EASA as a Part 147 Maintenance and Training Organization for the E-170 and E-190 families. First training customer is KLM cityhopper.
AerCap last week said it signed a series of agreements with China Development Bank covering funding for $86 million of pre-delivery payments and a $272 million "long-term funding facility" covering four new A330s with deliveries scheduled in 2010-11. Aircraft are part of AerCap's order for 30 A330s placed in 2006-07 with deliveries scheduled through 2012.
