Copa Airlines expects to make a decision whether to follow Continental Airlines into Star Alliance fairly soon, CEO Pedro Heilbron told ATWOnline on the sidelines of yesterday's Star Alliance-Continental Airlines joining event at Newark. Copa has a very close partnership with CO, a former investor in the Panamanian airline, so much so that it also left SkyTeam on Oct. 24. Heilbron said Copa has two choices: "To remain independent or join Star." Oneworld is not an option owing to the need to remain in partnership with Continental.
IATA reported that airlines experienced "further weakness in financial and market conditions during the third quarter," but noted that "the rate of deterioration did appear to stabilize." In its latest Airline Business Confidence Index released this week, the organization said an October survey of airline CFOs worldwide revealed that "confidence. . .that conditions will improve during the next 12 months rose markedly" compared to the last survey in July. "The gain. .
SITA won a five-year contract from SriLankan Airlines to implement and maintain a global IP network covering connections in 44 sites across 19 countries.
Jat Airways CEO Srdjan Radovanovic told the Associated Press that the airline will be forced to cut one-third of its staff, or around 550 people, in order to complete its reorganization. It expects to lose around €20 million ($30 million) this year and will have to transport some 1.5 million people in 2010 in order to avoid a loss, he said. Jat's winter schedule, which began Sunday and runs through March 27, will feature 163 weekly flights to 36 destinations in 25 countries. A Belgrade-Gothenburg service is set to launch on Dec. 19.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said both pilots from the Northwest Airlines A320 that "overflew" Minneapolis-St. Paul by 150 mi. on Oct. 21 claimed in interviews with board investigators over the weekend that they "lost track of time" while having an extended discussion regarding "the new monthly crew flight scheduling system" implemented as part of the carrier's merger with Delta Air Lines.
British Airways said it is "extremely disappointed" by the Unite union's decision to ballot 14,000 cabin crew regarding strike action. "We have put together a package of changes, which despite the unprecedented financial circumstances facing the company, not only protects current cabin crew but also offers many new benefits," the airline said, noting that those changes are effective from Nov. 16 ( ATWOnline, Oct. 21).
Assn. of Asia Pacific Airlines' 17 members transported 10.8 million international passengers in September, a figure "effectively matching" the year-ago month for the first time in more than a year, the group said. International RPKs fell 0.9% but capacity was cut 6.1%, boosting load factor 4.1 points to 76.4%. The 6.5% year-over-year decline in FTKs was the smallest this year, AAPA said. Freight capacity was down 11.2% and load factor climbed 3.4 points to 68.7%.
Airbus said EASA certified brake-to-vacate and runway overrun warning and protection systems for the A380. BTV and ROW/ROP were trialed on the aircraft for the first time in May 2008 and will be added to the first A380s delivered to Air France and Lufthansa.
Air France launched its new premium economy product, Premium Voyageur, on Sunday's 777-200ER flight from New York JFK to Paris Charles de Gaulle. Aircraft featured 24 Voyageur seats ( ATWOnline, March 23).
AirTran Airways said mechanics and inspectors represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ratified a new 48-month collective bargaining agreement. Contract covers around 400 employees at seven US airports.
FAA has talked a great deal about transitioning to a satellite-based NextGen ATC system, which would allow carriers to use RNP procedures supported by ADS-B and other technology to operate more direct flight paths, increasing system efficiency and reducing airline fleets' fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions. But the US Congress repeatedly has stalled trying to determine how the $45-$75 billion transition to NextGen will be funded.
Dublin Aerospace was issued EASA Part 145 certification by the Irish Aviation Authority. Its MRO facility is based at Dublin Airport at the former SR Technics (Ireland) site. Hangar can accommodate three narrowbody aircraft. It currently performs heavy MRO on 737NG and A320 family aircraft, as well as 737 landing gear and Honeywell APU overhaul. It expects A320 landing gear capability to come online next year.
Brussels Airlines is "set and ready" to enter the Star Alliance, with the formal accession scheduled for Dec. 9 in Brussels, MD Bernard Gustin told ATWOnline last week. "We performed out last IT tests yesterday in Frankfurt and we expect a green light," he said. "When we were formally invited to join Star Alliance in December in Chicago, I was cautious and expected the integration could take between 12 and 18 months. We did it in less than a year." Lufthansa, a 45% shareholder in the carrier, assisted SN with the integration.
Hamilton Sundstrand signed a 10-year agreement with Air Canada to provide component and repair services on AC's 18 777s under HS's Comprehensive Accessory Repair and Exchange aftermarket program.
Norwegian will equip its new 737-800s with 186 seats rather than the available 189, the carrier revealed last week. The LCC is the European launch customer of the Boeing Sky Interior, which will be standard on its -800s delivered after 2010. It has 48 737NGs on order from Boeing as well as 22 airplanes from leasing companies.
Lufthansa intends to pay €0.50 ($0.75) per share to buy out remaining Austrian Airlines shareholders. The Austrian board and shareholders, likely to meet in mid-December, must approve the deal. "The minority shareholders of Austrian Airlines will receive cash compensation for their shares in conformity with the law after notification of the squeeze-out has been entered in the commercial register. That will probably occur in the first half of 2010," Austrian said. LH currently holds 95.4% of Austrian.
B/E Aerospace and Aviation Partners Boeing signed a three-year contract under which B/E's Consumables Management segment will support the hardware kitting requirements for approximately 250 767 winglet kits.
US National Transportation Safety Board last week launched an investigation into the Oct. 21 incident in which a Northwest Airlines A320 en route from San Diego to Minneapolis-St Paul "overflew" MSP. NTSB said Flight 188 "became a NORDO (no radio communications) flight at 37,000 ft.," adding, "The aircraft flew over the destination airport and continued northeast for approximately 150 mi." The MSP Center controller "reestablished communications with the crew" 78 min.
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, the 747 wet-lease freighter specialist, announced Friday that it has won a contract to operate "outsourced premium-passenger private charter service" between Houston Intercontinental and Luanda using two customized executive-class 747-400s provided by Angola's SonAir. The "Houston Express" charter service will ferry members of the US-Africa Energy Assn. between the US's primary oil center and West Africa on thrice-weekly flights. The service is not open to the public.
JetBlue Airways promoted New York JFK Base Chief Pilot Andres Sandoval to VP-flight operations and named Northwest Airlines Director-System Operations Control and Central Load Control Marc Gross VP-system operations, planning and control.
SunExpress, the Antalya-based joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, said revenue through the first nine months of 2009 rose 5.9% year-over-year to €329 million ($492.1 million) on a 29% lift in passenger numbers to 4.1 million. Load factor grew 1 point to 79.4%. It plans to launch service during the winter schedule from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen to Hamburg, Nurnberg, Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Zurich, Hatay and Mardin. It currently operates 23 737-800 and 757-200 aircraft.
El Al named former Israeli Air Force Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shakedi as its new CEO, succeeding the resigning Haim Romano. Globes reported that the transition is expected to take two months. The airline did not release a statement.
