Air New Zealand's Australia-based aerospace engineering support services company TAE purchased Australian aviation service provider Tenix Aviation. Acquisition follows the November purchase of Masling Industries. Tenix is based in South Australia and Masling is located in New South Wales. TAE is a leading engineering services provider and Australia's leading military gas turbine MRO operation. ANZ GM-Technical Operations Chris Nassenstein said the two purchases are part of the airline's continued diversification into MRO.
Adria Airways expects to report a 2008 operating profit of €1.9 million ($2.7 million), down approximately 34% from 2007, on a 17% climb in passengers to 1.3 million, the STA Slovenian Press Agency reported. Through November, Adria carried 1.2 million passengers, up 16% year-over-year, on a 15% rise in the number of flights.
Brussels Airlines is considering repositioning itself again as a full-fledged network airline and reintroducing a business class on its European network, steering away from the "new generation carrier" concept introduced in March 2007 when it merged the operations of full-service SN Brussels Airlines with low-cost Virgin Express, a company source told ATWOnline.
A J Walter Aviation signed a three-year power-by-the-hour contract with Viking Airlines covering two 737-800s. The carrier plans to acquire two additional -800s next year and by 2011 operate 11 of the type, according to CEO Christian Tadjeran. MNG Technic reached a five-year MRO deal with airBaltic to provide C checks on 737s. Contract also covers the carrier's technical training requirements.
HNA Group subsidiary Grand China Express Airlines is expected to receive a CNY200 million ($29.1 million) injection from the Tianjin municipal government following the signing of an agreement yesterday. GCEA has been suffering from operating losses and struggling to survive since its March 2007 launch owing to the "immaturity of the Chinese regional market," spokesperson Cui Kai told ATWOnline.
Air Berlin named German Federal Ministry for Transport, Construction and Urban Development Secretary of State Matthias von Randow as its new director-global traffic rights & political affairs. Von Randow also was a member of Fraport's supervisory board.
Southwest Airlines reached a sale and leaseback deal with an unnamed lessor for 10 737-700s. Under the agreement's first tranche closed yesterday, SWA sold five -700s for "approximately" $175 million and immediately leased them back for 12 years. It will make monthly payments of around $7.8 million during the first six months of the leases, with the amount scheduled to reset every six months based on the six-month LIBOR rate. In the first quarter of 2009, SWA will sell the five remaining -700s and lease them back for 16 years under "similar terms."
Datalex reached agreement with Aer Lingus to provide its Travel Distribution Platform offering "flexi" fare customer pricing and service options expected to enhance ancillary and merchandising business.
AirBridgeCargo Airlines reported sales of $423 million through the first 11 months of 2008, up 55% year-over-year. Traffic rose 31% to 121,000 tons of cargo.
Libyan authorities rescinded permission allowing Swiss International Air Lines to serve Tripoli. A Swiss spokesperson said the carrier was informed that "technical reasons related to a project for Tripoli airport" was the cause, although widespread speculation has pointed to strained relations between the countries that began when a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was arrested last summer in Geneva.
US FAA's decision to downgrade Israel's aviation safety standard to Category 2 ( ATWOnline, Dec. 22) marked a "black day for Israeli aviation," El Al COO and Acting CEO Lior Yavor said, according to Israeli press reports. "We at El Al expect the Israeli government and the Knesset to take full responsibility for this serious decision, and to immediately and fully share in the costs accruing to Israeli airlines as a result, including the financing of security, which the government promised months ago.
Lufthansa Cargo announced a 10% capacity reduction from Jan. 1 in response to the decline in the global cargo business and a "distinct falloff in demand." It will suspend the wet-lease of two MD-11Fs and one 747-400F from World Airways and transfer those routes to 747-400ERFs operated by Jade Cargo International, in which LH holds a minority stake. LHC will continue operating its 19 MD-11Fs and, from the middle of next year, also will have access to capacity onboard newly delivered 777-200LRFs operated by AeroLogic, its joint venture with DHL Express.
Southwest Airlines said yesterday that it submitted an application to the US Dept. of Transportation for Canadian route authority, which is required in order to implement its codeshare agreement with WestJet ( ATWOnline, July 9). SWA said it hoped to receive approval next quarter and that it had no intention to fly to Canada with its own aircraft "at this time."
Boeing won approval from US FAA for its scheduled maintenance program defining tasks and intervals that operators will use to upkeep the 787 properly. Approval is one of the many requirements needed to certificate the aircraft.
News from Travel Technology Update: There's no way to prettify it: 2008 has been an annus horribilis, probably the worst economic mess since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It was a year dominated by the three Fs: fuel, fees and fear.
Air Tanzania suspended operations following the Dec. 8 suspension of its AOC by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, which said the move was a "precautionary but very necessary action to avoid the possibility of the airline compromising flight safety." It said TC's aircraft were airworthy and that passenger safety never was at risk, and that the carrier has submitted "about half" of the documentation required for recertification.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission yesterday announced that it has "instituted proceedings" in Federal Court against Singapore Airlines Cargo, which it accused of colluding on fuel and security surcharges between 2001 and 2005 on flights to and from Australia. A hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 12. SIA Cargo will "defend allegations. . .that it, and several other airlines, have engaged in cartel conduct," a spokesperson told Reuters.
Royal Jordanian and Airbus/SITA joint venture OnAir signed an agreement to provide inflight Internet and mobile phone services including e-mail, SMS and voice calls on two A319s that will be joining RJ's fleet in February and March. Deal's second phase includes installing Mobile OnAir Service with a GSM/GPRS system on RJ's A320 family aircraft at the end of 2009.
Iberia flew 3.95 billion RPKs in November, a 10.6% decline from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 7.7% to 5.12 billion ASKs and load factor fell 2.5 points to 77.1%. Austrian Airlines Group flew 1.31 billion RPKs in November, down 6.7% year-over-year, against a 5.7% drop in ASKs to 1.81 billion. Load factor was down 0.8 point to 72.8%. Copa Airlines flew 484.2 million RPMs in November, up 15.3% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 17.1% to 627.1 million ASMs and load factor fell 1.2 points to 77.2%.
Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo flight crew voted to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the union announced. They formerly were represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn. IBT said Air Canada's 650 US-based customer service employees voted to ratify a three-year labor agreement that will take effect July 1. In addition, 123 Frontier Airlines aircraft and maintenance cleaners represented by IBT ratified a deal providing wage concessions through Dec. 12, 2012.
Bogus Qantas aircraft engineer was jailed for a maximum 41 months by an Australian court last week, according to press reports. Timothy McCormack not only forged his qualifications and posed as a licensed engineer for nine months but also forged character references presented to the court for his defense. He was caught last summer, but only after having supervised some 30 "substantial and significant" safety checks in Sydney.
Frontier Airlines launched a new fare structure last week called AirFairs featuring three fare levels. Classic Plus is fully refundable or changeable to a seat on a different flight the same day at no charge. It also features priority boarding, two checked bags, free IFE, a snack and beverage and 150% mileage credit. Classic allows for advanced seat assignments, two checked bags, IFE and 125% mileage credit. Itinerary changes will cost $50 and same-day changes $75.
