JetBlue Airways promoted VP-Network Planning Martin St. George to senior VP-marketing and commercial strategy and Director-Network Planning Scott Laurence to VP-network planning.
Zest Airways MA60 sustained significant damage after undershooting the runway and hitting a concrete barrier when landing at Caticlan Sunday. Flight was en route from Manila with 22 passengers and three crew. Minor injuries were reported. Aircraft first flew last year. Manila-based Zest operates four additional MA60s, three Dash 7s and two A320-200s.
Cebu Pacific Air transported 683,204 passengers in December, a one-month record for the airline. It said it will add frequencies on flights from Manila to 11 domestic destinations by March "despite the weak economic forecast for the country," increasing the number of weekly domestic flights 16.6% to 1,252. It expects to take delivery of one A320 family aircraft and two ATR 72-500s by March. Frequencies to Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur and Macau also will increase during March.
SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines flew 1.35 billion RPMs in December, a 3.3% drop from the year-ago month. Capacity declined 9.1% to 1.72 billion ASMs and load factor rose 4.6 points to 78.2%. Hawaiian Airlines flew 652.8 million RPMs in December, down 0.4% year-over-year. Capacity rose 2.8% to 821.4 million ASMs and load factor dropped 2.6 points to 79.5%. Norwegian said December yield fell 29% year-over-year to NOK0.64 ($0.09). It flew 515 million RPKs, up 20%, against a 25% increase in ASKs to 697 million. Load factor fell 3 points to 74%.
Brussels Airlines said 40% of passengers departing from Brussels opted for self check-in last year, a 30% increase year-over-year. Of those passengers, 55% checked in online and 45% used an airport kiosk.
SkyEurope Airlines received a one-month extension to Feb. 15 on a €15 million ($19.8 million) loan granted in December 2007 and a €10 million loan from last September from York Global Finance.
SR Technics reached a deal with easyJet to provide 157 intermediate layover checks on the carrier's A319 fleet. Work will take place in Zurich via a dual HMV line allowing for two simultaneous checks. Each check will take 14 days and all are scheduled between mid-March 2009 and summer 2015. Heroux-Devtek yesterday said Fokker Services awarded its Landing Gear Division a contract to manufacture replacement landing gear components for F100s. Valued at $15-$24 million, the contract calls for aftermarket kits including piston and cylinder components.
American Airlines plans to recall 24 furloughed pilots in February, a spokesperson told the Associated Press. It will mark the first time in eight months that AA has added pilots.
All 150 passengers and five crew evacuated successfully from a US Airways A320 that executed an emergency water landing in the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan following an apparent bird strike yesterday afternoon in what appears to be the first controlled ditching of a US commercial aircraft in more than 50 years.
ST Aerospace subsidiary STA Engines will provide GE Aviation with on-wing support for GEnx-1Bs and -2Bs under a 20-year deal announced yesterday. STA will employ GE material and repair processes from its facilities in Singapore and the US, and GE will offer technical support including training manuals and equipment.
Air Canada announced a tentative three-year labor deal covering approximately 5,000 customer service and sales employees represented by the Canadian Auto Workers. AC President and CEO Montie Brewer said that all of AC's labor agreements are up for renewal this year.
Indian government appears to be softening its stance on foreign direct investment in the country's airlines as they contend with large losses and overcapacity. Civil Aviation Minister Prafel Patel told reporters this week that "there is a more reasonable case now than there was 3-4 years ago" to allow foreign carriers to acquire up to 25% of an Indian carrier. Kingfisher Airlines has been a strong proponent of investment liberalization ( ATWOnline, Nov. 18, 2008). "There is no clarity on the issue.
Spairliners, the Air France and Lufthansa Technik A380 component joint venture, won a 10-year deal with Qantas to provide component support on QF's A380s, its first with a third party. Contract calls for the repair and replacement of some 750 components stocked in Spairliners' Hamburg depot and covers all 20 A380s ordered by QF. Spairliners is expected to provide component support for a total of 47 A380s.
UK CAA yesterday reiterated its "strong support" for the Competition Commission's provisional decision requiring airports operator BAA to sell off London Gatwick and Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow International ( ATWOnline, Dec. 18, 2008).
Lufthansa Group flew 11.27 billion RPKs in December, down 0.1% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 1.3% to 14.86 billion ASKs, lowering load factor 1.1 points to 75.8%. SAS Group airlines flew 2.22 billion RPKs in December, down 12.5% year-over-year. Capacity fell 10.2% to 3.42 billion ASKs and load factor dropped 1.7 points to 64.8%. SAS Scandinavian Airlines flew 1.64 billion RPKs, down 9.4%, against a 5% fall in ASKs to 2.48 billion. Load factor declined 3.2 points to 66.1%.
United Airlines yesterday said it will offer Aircell's Gogo inflight Internet service onboard premium service transcontinental flights between New York JFK and California in the second half of this year. Technology will be available for a flat fee of $12.95 on 13 757s flying between JFK and Los Angeles and San Francisco.
SAS Group took a major step toward achieving its goal of SEK4 billion in cost reductions following the finalization of labor agreements with its trade unions that it said will save SEK1.5 billion ($182.4 million).
Southwest Airlines announced the closure of the second tranche of a transaction with an unidentified lessor involving the sale and leaseback of 10 737-700s ( ATWOnline, Dec. 24, 2008), under which it sold the remaining five for approximately $175 million and immediately leased them back for 16 years each.
Domestic airfares in Australia have plummeted 30% in a year to the lowest point in 17 years, according to data released by the government's Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. While the lowest fares fell dramatically, domestic business class fares eased just 1% but are expected to decline more significantly in the coming months as the economy continues to slow and business confidence sinks to its lowest level since surveys were launched in 1998.
New Alitalia faced problems common for its predecessor on its first day of operations yesterday as workers staged protests at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Linate, causing some flight cancellations and delays. "I don't have any illusions," Alitalia CEO Rocco Sabelli told La Stampa, noting that the carrier had drawn up an emergency plan for the protests. "There are problems to be resolved, and there will be plenty more to resolve."
Lufthansa said it does not expect to complete original plans to increase its shareholding in bmi to 80% this month, Dow Jones reported. LH has not officially submitted a request to the EU for antitrust approval. It currently holds 30%-minus-one-share in bmi but plans to purchase an additional 50%-plus-one-share stake from bmi founder and Chairman Michael Bishop following the latter's decision last fall to exercise his sell option ( ATWOnline, Oct. 30).
