ARINC said its Asia Pacific Division opened sales and service offices in Mumbai and New Delhi, bringing its representation in the region to 11 countries.
British Airways said that a series of concessions proposed by flight attendants represented by Unite "was welcome, [but] not enough," and a spokesperson told Dow Jones that negotiations will continue ( ATWOnline, April 13).
Turkish Airlines flew 7.5 billion RPKs in the first quarter, up 8.8% year-over-year, against a 14.9% rise in capacity to 11.4 billion ASKs. Load factor fell 3.7 points to 66.1% while passenger numbers rose 8.4% to 4.9 million. Gol flew 1.78 billion RPKs in March, down 16.1% from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 12.8% to 3.25 billion ASKs and load factor slipped 2.2 points to 54.95. Copa Airlines flew 485.6 million RPMs in March, a 9.9% increase year-over-year, against a 15.7% rise in capacity to 627.2 million ASMs. Load factor dropped 4.1 points to 77.4%.
Southern Air, a Connecticut-based cargo carrier operating 17 747-200 freighters and specializing in long-haul heavy lift services, was ordered by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration to withdraw a lawsuit it filed against nine former employees and pay them more than $7.9 million in wages, damages and legal fees. OSHA concluded that a defamation suit filed by Southern against the former flight crew members, whom the agency said "raised air carrier safety concerns" with the airline, OSHA and FAA, violated whistleblower protections in US law governing FAA and airlines.
KD avia is set to receive a RUB4 billion ($119 million) capital injection from the Russian government, Kaliningrad Region Governor Georgy Boos told Prime-Tass. Kaliningrad holds 9.5% of the carrier. The amount matches that which KD Director-Business Development Mikhail Baskov revealed to ATWOnline four months ago ( ATWOnline, Dec. 15, 2008). KD is more than RUB10 billion in debt, according to the news agency.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau has classified the Emirates A340-500 tail strike incident at Melbourne on March 20 as "significant" and an "accident," while other sources cited pilot error in the incident. The aircraft was on its way to Dubai with 225 passengers. While neither ATSB nor Emirates commented further, sources at MEL told ATWOnline that it appeared there was an input error to either the Less Paper Cockpit computer, which calculates takeoff speed, or the flight management computer, which calculates thrust settings. The EK crew used Runway 16, which is 3,657 m.
United Airlines' 16,000 flight attendants represented by the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA will seek "to substantially increase our pay" during negotiations launched last week on a new contract, according to the union, while UA management will seek to eliminate "uncompetitive" restrictions on scheduling and cooperation with other airlines that it claims exist in the current contract amenable Jan. 7, 2010.
JetBlue Airways named United Airlines MD-Revenue Management Operations Dennis Corrigan VP-revenue management. He succeeds Richard Zeni, who now is JetBlue's VP-change management-passenger service system.
AerCap Holdings said it purchased eight new A320s, two used 767s, three CFM-56 engines and one PW4060 during the quarter and delivered 13 planes and eight engines under lease agreements. CEO Klaus Heinemann said that despite "one of the worst economic environments for the aviation industry, most airlines have shown a remarkable resilience to these conditions." Eight of nine aircraft repossessed last year are now with new operators. "Towards the end of the first quarter, we noticed a significant renewal of airline interest in contracting new capacity for 2010 and beyond.
TIMCO Aviation Services announced a deal to provide daily operational coverage and overnight line maintenance for United Airlines in San Jose, Calif. In addition, its Aerosystems division was chosen by LAN Airlines to replace the lavatories on its 767s.
The relationship between Qantas and Malaysia Airlines appears to have fizzled following the expiration of a December 2007 MOU designed to establish the framework for a joint maintenance organization in Kuala Lumpur.
As airlines around the world shrink capacity in response to the global economic downturn, the need for maintenance is reduced, but Lufthansa Technik said it is well-positioned to manage the decline and hopes to do so without cutting its workforce.
AirTran Airways pilots voted Friday to end their independence and join the Air Line Pilots Assn. The carrier's nearly 1,700 pilots have been represented for 12 years by the independent National Pilots Assn., but 87% voted to merge with ALPA. NPA Interim President Linden Hillman said, "We had a choice to cling to the past, keep complaining about our failures and refuse to accept reality or make a bold decision for our future.
Portugalia Airlines pilots have scheduled one-day strikes for Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, parent TAP Portugal said. The stoppages, which are "over pay and conditions," would "result in severe delays and/or flight cancellations. . .between London Gatwick and Porto," TAP said. Attempts will be made to accommodate customers on TAP flights from London Heathrow if the strikes occur. "TAP senior management is doing all possible to avoid work stoppages by negotiating with the appropriate authorities.
US FAA and CAAC last week signed an MOU "to share best environmental practices at airports in the two countries," according to FAA. The agreement was reached at the US-China Aviation Symposium in Beijing. FAA Acting Assistant Administrator-International Aviation Di Reimold said, "I believe that the United States and China, which represent the two largest aviation systems in the world, have an obligation to the global community to lead the way in aviation cooperation. .
Embraer delivered an E-170 to Australia's Airnorth, which will operate the 76-seat, single-class aircraft under lease with Jescape. The Darwin-based carrier plans to fly up to four E-170s by 2010.
Jat Airways and MAT Macedonian Airlines signed a cooperation agreement last week designed to "find the best possible business solution" for the two carriers, including technical and commercial cooperation and potential "changes in the ownership structure" of MAT. No further details were provided, although several press reports indicated that Jat has been discussing acquisition of a stake in MAT since March and Jat Acting DG Sasa Vlaisavljevic told Serbian media last week that the carrier hopes to turn €10 million ($13.2 million) in debt owed by MAT into shares in the company.
Lufthansa Group airlines flew 11.75 billion RPKs in March, down 5% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 0.6% to 15.65 billion ASKs, lowering load factor 4.4 points to 75%. Aer Lingus flew 1.23 billion RPKs in March, down 13.1% year-over-year, against a 13.5% fall in capacity to 1.63 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 0.3 point to 75.6%. Finnair said its first-quarter unit revenue fell more than 13% year-over-year. In March it flew 1.85 billion RPKs, down 8%, against a 3.7% fall in capacity to 2.54 billion ASKs. Load factor dropped 3.4 points to 72.9%.
Air New Zealand is doubling the number of premium economy seats on its 777-200ER fleet, with the first of eight aircraft reentering service this week after being refitted by the carrier's Technical Operations division in Auckland. Work on the 777s will be completed in mid-June, with the number of premium economy seats doubling to 36. The change will result in an additional 72,000 Pacific Premium Economy seats on its long-haul network annually.
Continental Airlines announced the contribution of an additional $50 million to its defined benefit pension plans, bringing year-to-date contributions to $100 million. CO expects to contribute $150 million this year.
British Airways and cabin staff represented by Unite sparred over the carrier's proposed cost-cutting measures last week, with the union proposing Friday a "major package of negotiated efficiencies, temporary cost savings and deferred payments worth millions over the next two years."
Canada and Japan announced an expanded air services agreement that will grant Canadian airlines unlimited access to cities outside Tokyo and offers access to Haneda "under certain conditions," Transport Canada said.
Asiana Airlines, Cargolux Airlines International and Nippon Cargo Airlines yesterday became the latest carriers to reach an agreement with the US Dept. of Justice to plead guilty to conspiring to fix air cargo prices and will pay criminal fines totaling $214 million. Asiana, which agreed to pay a $50 million fine, also will plead guilty to "carrying out [an] air passenger price-fixing conspiracy," according to DOJ. Cargolux will pay a $119 million fine and NCA will pay a $45 million penalty.
