Qantas Group named Jetstar Airways GM Bruce Buchanan to take over the CEO role on Oct. 1, replacing Alan Joyce, who will take over the reins at Qantas Group in November ( ATWOnline, July 29).
Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA said that 1,550 United Airlines flight attendants accepted voluntary furloughs in increments of six, nine, 12, 18 and 21 months beginning Oct. 31, eliminating the need for involuntary furloughs ( ATWOnline, Aug. 29).
US FAA yesterday announced that Croatia has been designated Category 2 and "does not comply with international safety standards" set by ICAO. FAA assessed Croatia's civil aviation authority in January. It said the Croatian government is "working diligently to correct all areas of concern," without elaborating.
Gol and VRG parent Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes said yesterday that Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency has approved its request to integrate Gol and VRG into a single airline company ( ATWOnline, Aug. 1). "The reorganization aims at improving operational structure," Gol said.
Boeing and Honeywell subsidiary UOP have brought together a group of airlines and environmental organizations that will work to accelerate the development and commercialization of new sustainable aviation fuels.
Hainan Airlines Chairman Zhu Yimin was promoted to VP of parent HNA Group and will be succeeded by HNA Hotel Co. executive Li Xiaoming, who also will be chairman of Grand China Air, an insider told ATWOnline yesterday. HNA Group Chairman Chen Feng relinquished the Grand China role but will remain head of the parent company.
American Airlines flew 12.16 system RPMs in August, down 2.9% from the year-ago month. Capacity slipped 1.1% to 14.57 billion ASMs and load factor fell 1.5 points to 83.5%. American Eagle flew 704.2 million RPMs, down 13.6%, against a 4.5% fall in capacity to 1.01 billion ASMs. Load factor dropped 7.3 points to 69.7%. Northwest Airlines flew 7.27 billion consolidated RPMs in August, up 1.9% from the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 3.1% to 8.4 billion ASMs and load factor dropped 1 point to 86.6%.
Air New Zealand Chairman John Palmer warned shareholders at this week's annual general meeting that more network restructuring may be required as market volatility can change "on a dime." To deal with that environment, ANZ now reviews its route structure every two weeks rather than the customary six months.
US House of Representatives Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee approved language that would withhold funding for the Dept. of Homeland Security's US-Visit Exit program, which would employ a system using airline-collected biometrics to determine when foreigners leave US airports, the Air Transport Assn. said. The measure still must be approved by the Senate. ATA has argued that DHS rather than airlines should collect the data.
Air France KLM and AF Chairman and CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta will relinquish the latter title at both the parent company and airline on Jan. 1, when Deputy CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon will take over. "I felt it necessary to propose an internal solution that would guarantee continuity of governance in view of the difficult economic climate facing us," Spinetta said.
Lufthansa Technik is expanding capacity in European countries with lower labor costs and plans to perform its first D check on an A321 at its new Sofia facility in November. LHT Sofia will open formally on Oct. 28, employ 258 and feature a two-bay, 6,000-sq.-m. hangar. LHT has invested €20 million in the facility along with partner Bulgarian Aviation Group. Sofia will join LHT sites in Germany, Ireland, Hungary and Malta in performing single-aisle MRO. Meanhile, LHT Malta is planning to open its new 27,000-sq.-m.
US Senate and House of Representatives late Tuesday both passed the FAA Extension Act of 2008, which will fund FAA operations and programs through March 31. The agency, which saw its authorization expire on Sept. 30, 2007, has been funded over the past 12 months via a series of temporary extensions ( ATWOnline, May 7), the latest of which is set to expire Sept. 30.
Clickair is launching a new Internet portal designed for companies and travel agents as it expects a 42% increase in revenue from this sector in 2009. Clickair Professional provides users with access to exclusive benefits, including discounts on certain routes, triple loyalty program points for companies, special promotions for travel agents and a unique tariff enabling cancellations and modifications to be made to reservations without charge, according to CEO Alex Cruz.
Croatia Airlines announced a partnership with Privredna banka Zagreb and PBZ Card that will allow passengers to pay for tickets at nearly 400 Privredna ATMs. Customers who make a reservation over the telephone or at an OU branch office will have the option of receiving a code allowing them to pay later at an ATM using American Express, MasterCard, Maestro, Visa or Visa Electron.
Iberia Maintenance announced deals with GE Aviation, SR Technics and Gestair. It signed an MOU with GE to become the preferred regional fulfillment center for CFM56-5A MRO in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. IB will enter into an OnPoint solution agreement with GE for material and services. Under the agreement with SRT, Iberia will repair and overhaul SRT components from various aircraft fleets in Madrid while SRT provides MRO on CFM56-5Cs powering IB's A340-300s. It is the first deal between the companies.
The Italian government yesterday met with CAI executives for the third time in two days, raising speculation that the investor group might revive its bid for Alitalia. Civil aviation authority ENAC warned this week that it might revoke or suspend AZ's operating license if the carrier's administrator, Augusto Fantozzi, does not present a credible rescue plan by today ( ATWOnline, Sept. 23).
Flybe Aviation Services reached an agreement with Embraer to become an authorized service center for ERJ-145s and E-Jets. Five-year contract calls for Flybe, which operates the 145, E-195 and Q400 and is one of Europe's largest low-cost regional operators, to provide MRO from its Exeter base. It will have access to Embraer's structure-specific repair solutions and database and will be able to handle airframe and warranty issues for Embraer customers.
IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said yesterday that India's airlines could collectively lose as much as $1.5 billion in 2008 and called on the nation to take "urgent action. . .to help Indian carriers weather the perfect storm of high costs and falling demand."
Austrian Airlines last week inaugurated the third training center at its Vienna Aviation Campus. Designed by ARGE BWM Architects and Partners, the center will enable OS to train staff at a single location.
Jet Republic, a new private aviation company headquartered in Lisbon, announced yesterday that it placed a firm order for 25 new Bombardier Learjet 60 XR aircraft (with options on 85 more) that it intends to fly to more than 1,000 European airports from next summer on. The order, placed in June, is valued at $1.5 billion and will see 25 aircraft delivered over the first 22 months and the remainder delivered one every three weeks thereafter.
Two pilots who fell asleep while flying for Mesa Air Group's Hawaiian subsidiary go! were suspended by US FAA in addition to being fired by the airline, the Associated Press reported. Capt. Scott Oltman had his license suspended for 60 days and copilot Dillon Shepley was suspended for 45 for "careless and reckless operation" of an aircraft, an FAA spokesperson said. The suspensions were completed Sept. 9. No action was taken against go!, which provided the required 15-hr. rest between flights. The highly publicized incident occurred on a Feb. 13 flight from Honolulu to Hilo.
Airports Council International's North American and European arms called for negotiators in the US, EU and Canada to move forward on a fully liberalized transatlantic regime, including relaxing remaining restrictions on airline ownership and control. "Additional flexibility would provide greater opportunities for airlines in Europe, the US and Canada to obtain access to capital to the ultimate benefit of consumers.
Air France KLM flew 19.89 billion RPKs in August, up 2.8% from the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 4.7% to 23.77 billion ASKs, reducing load factor 1.6 points to 83.7%. Delta Air Lines flew 11.84 billion system RPMs in August, down 0.5% year-over-year. Capacity dropped 1.6% to 13.89 billion ASMs and load factor rose 0.9 point to 85.2%. Air Canada and Jazz flew 5.18 billion RPMs in August, down 1.5% year-over-year. Capacity fell 2.2% to 6.14 billion ASMs and load factor rose 0.6 point to 84.4%.
