IATA said last week that June international passenger traffic fell 7.2% year-over-year, an improvement on May's 9.3% decline. But it noted that a capacity cut of 4.3% "did not keep pace with the fall in demand, leaving average fares and yields under significant pressure.
European Commission confirmed Friday that it will approve Lufthansa's takeover of Austrian Airlines Group ( ATWOnline, July 31). It did not offer details on its agreement with LH on concessions to alleviate antitrust concerns.
IBS Software Services signed a five-year contract with startup Japanese domestic carrier Fuji Dream Airlines to supply its iFly Res technology to manage the carrier's inventory and reservation system.
SkyEurope Airlines, the financially troubled LCC based in Bratislava, said it has secured a new investor, FOCUS Equity B.V., which it said plans to invest €16.5million ($23.2 million). The carrier also said it will lease two 737-300s from Air Slovakia.
WWF-UK last month launched its "One in Five Challenge" to persuade businesses and governments to reduce their business travel by 20% by 2014. Officially launched on July 20 with five founder members including heavyweight companies such as Capgemini UK, Marks & Spencer and Vodafone UK, the program is highlighting that 25% of businesses in the UK now are measuring their carbon footprint.
The Aug. 31 deadline for operators into the EU to submit their monitoring plans under the Emissions Trading System has been thrown into confusion by the UK's announcement that it does not have "a firm and agreed list" of operators to be regulated by each member state.
Qantas criticized the Australian government's emissions trading scheme, warning that the costs of operating the intricate system will be borne by consumers. In a speech delivered in Perth, QF Chairman Leigh Clifford said the government's ETS has "theoretical benefits and has the merit of being market-based." He cautioned, however, that "the intricate valuing, trading and system management" it requires will come at a cost.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, an airline-led industry working group, added several new carriers to its membership. Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, TUIfly and Virgin Blue have joined current airline members Air France, Air New Zealand, ANA, Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, SAS and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Boeing and Honeywell's UOP are associate members.
It's probable that John Leahy, Airbus's dapper chief salesman, never before had appeared at a press event during a major air show not wearing a tie. But after late-into-the-night negotiations with AirAsia X CEO Tony Fernandes produced an unexpected order for 10 A350-900s at the Paris Air Show (June 15-21), there were Leahy and Airbus CEO Tom Enders removing their neckwear just before beginning a press conference with Fernandes at Le Bourget to announce the deal.
Air Canada suspended activity related to the implementation of a new reservations system under development with ITA Software. The carrier recorded a second-quarter impairment charge of C$67 million (US$61.9 million) related to the development of the system, dubbed Polaris.
MY MIND CLICKS ON AND OFF . . . I try letting one eyelid close at a time when I prop the other open with my will. But the effort's too much. Sleep is winning. My whole body argues dully that nothing, nothing life can attain is quite so desirable as sleep. My mind is losing resolution and control." --Charles Lindbergh
"The devil is in the detail, and the detail is a dog's breakfast." That is how one senior airline executive describes the EU Emissions Trading System, with layer upon layer of confusion dealing with various regulators. "Just one of the problems is that one of our domestic subsidiary regional airlines has been listed by one EU country, which we do not fly to, because it took delivery of an aircraft that transited that country," the executive claimed. "This is just one example of the task in front of airlines."
New report from UK-based Policy Exchange claims that wide-scale deployment of sustainable biojet fuels would result in emission reductions worth £37.4 billion ($62.4 billion) in the UK between 2020 and 2050, as well as making a significant contribution to meeting the UK's 2050 emission reduction target.
The House of Representatives already has passed a reauthorization bill and a proposed Senate bill is working its way through that chamber. But the Senate version is starkly different from the House version, so even if it is passed a House/Senate conference committee will be formed to attempt to reconcile the disparate pieces of legislation into one bill that can be cleared by both houses.
UK-based RDC Aviation published a comprehensive guide to the percentage share of airline CO2 emissions for EU countries for June 2009. The UK is out in front, accounting for 25%, followed by Germany with 18% and France 13%, Spain 12% and Italy 8%. Not surprisingly, London Heathrow is the major airport for CO2 emissions--almost double that of the next airport, Frankfurt. However, Lufthansa just pips out British Airways and Air France as the largest airline emitter.
Amadeus introduced a "holistic" solution for corporate travel agencies that aims to provide a complete "start-to-finish" system. Called Amadeus One, the Web-based, multisource solution includes profile integration, mid-office functions, agency administration tools and new productivity tools. Mary Keagul, senior vice president of product development for Amadeus North America, provided an early look at some of Amadeus One's features. Corporate policy can be configured using the system's rules engine, she said.
Airlines are turning to cockpit retrofits to enable older aircraft to take advantage of new PBN capabilities. Southwest Airlines is undertaking the largest such project.
Navtech expanded its contract with Delta Air Lines for its Preferential Bidding System crew rostering tool to include more than 4,500 pilots from Northwest Airlines.
