Aviation sector could face a shortfall of 77 million tonnes of CO2 when it enters the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, according to a report from RDC Aviation and Point Carbon. At a carbon spot price of €13.25 per tonne (as of Nov. 11), that amounts to a shortfall of €1.02 billion ($1.53 billion).
Air Canada last week began offering a Preferred Seat option to economy passengers, allowing them to reserve "specific exit row and bulkhead seats with extra seat pitch" on all flights. Prices start at C$14 ($13.36) per segment. Aeroflot announced a similar service last week called "Comfort+," which offers seats with increased pitch. Seats are available at airport check-in for RUB700 ($24.30).
Mexicana is pursuing plans to renew its long-haul fleet and is continuing talks with both Airbus and Boeing for six A350s or 787s, Grupo Mexicana CEO Manuel Bora told ATWOnline last week in Mexico City, although he does not expect the carrier to turn a profit this year.
Jazz Air parent Jazz Air Income Fund reported third-quarter net income of C$25.3 million ($24.1 million), down 20.2% from C$31.7 million in the year-ago period, on a 13.2% drop in revenue to C$379.7 million. The Canadian regional said expenses lowered 12% to C$344.9 million.
Air France last week announced a simplification to its European medium-haul product that from April 1 will feature just two classes of service, Premium business class and Voyageur economy. Stressing that its service "will not be that of a low-cost carrier," AF is cutting both fares and costs in the back of the aircraft. Economy passengers will pay to check a second bag and will have seat choice at check-in. For €10 ($14.95), they can reserve a booking and fare for "several days" before confirming, AF said.
ILFC reported a third-quarter profit of $245.8 million, up 9.4% year-over-year, on a 3.7% lift in revenue to $1.35 billion. Nine-month profit climbed 16.6% to $685.7 million. As of Sept. 30 the lessor owned 991 aircraft, with 11 more classified as finance and sales-type leases, while providing fleet management services on another 99. It has 125 new aircraft scheduled for delivery through 2019 including five in the 2009 fourth quarter.
BAA announced Friday the injection of £500 million ($828.4 million) into London Heathrow and Stansted. Money will comprise £200 million of new equity from shareholders and £300 million from BAA Airports Ltd. and FGP Topco Ltd., the holding company owned by the airport operator's three controlling shareholders. "Funding will be used to pay down debt, strengthen the group's medium-term financial ratios and facilitate its access to the capital markets," BAA said.
Chinese government changed its policy regarding fuel surcharges and from Saturday is allowing individual airlines to choose the timing and amount of those surcharges instead of basing them on directives from authorities in Beijing. The government did stipulate that carriers should link surcharges on domestic routes with the domestic fuel price, meaning they can impose surcharges only when domestic fuel prices rise above CNY4,410 ($645) per ton. They can levy fuel surcharges at will on international routes.
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.
