Delta Air Lines named Comair President Don Bornhorst senior VP-Delta Connection, putting him in charge of the daily operations of nine partner carriers. He replaces Wayne Aaron, who will return to his role as VP-strategic planning and business development, DL said. Former Song head John Selvaggio will take over for Bornhorst at Comair.
Tiger Airways opened its new terminal at Melbourne Tullamarine in addition to initiating a fare war, with transcontinental routes such as MEL-Perth going on sale for A$39.95 ($35.90) and flights from MEL to Gold Coast running A$19.95. CEO Tony Davis told media in Melbourne that 15,000 seats will be available at those fare levels. Tiger will launch domestic services next month in Australia with five A320s ( ATWOnline, July 18).
CAE is introducing a new subscription-based service called CAE True Airport designed to "keep its customers' visual databases current with constantly changing airport environments."
British Airways flew 9.76 billion RPKs in September, down 0.7% from the year-ago month, against a 0.3% increase in ASKs to 12.46 billion that lowered load factor 0.8 point to 78.3%. Southwest Airlines flew 5.64 billion RPMs in September, an 8.6% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 7.8% to 8.34 billion ASMs and load factor lifted 0.5 point to 67.7%. Finnair flew 1.73 billion RPKs in September, up 16.8% from the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 18.6% to 2.31 billion ASKs, dropping load factor 1.1 points to 75%.
SR Technics opened a new 1,400-sq.-m. component overhaul workshop facility near Madrid Barajas. The shop initially will focus on wheels and brakes. Capacity will grow quickly to 500 wheels a month, SRT said. It opened its first Spain-based component overhaul facility at Palma de Mallorca in 1996.
Chinese carriers are beginning to follow the internationally common practice of recruiting privately trained pilots in an effort to make up for a pilot shortfall that CAAC Vice Minister Gao Hongfeng said last month will reach 2,000 over the next two years.
World Airways, a subsidiary of Global Aero Logistics, signed a one-year contract with Etihad Crystal Cargo to provide MD-11 freighter service to and from Frankfurt Hahn, Shanghai and Mumbai. Frequency of service was not announced. World was acquired by GAL last quarter ( ATWOnline, Aug. 8).
Hawaiian Airlines flew 667.7 million RPMs in September, up 21.7% on the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 15.1% to 760 million ASMs and load factor increased 4.8 points to 87.9%.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in his first public comments on allegations of insider trading at EADS and Airbus, said yesterday that government investigators will examine the issue thoroughly and that any executives found to have acted inappropriately should be "punished."
News from Travel Technology Update: The founder of Hotwire is back with a new venture: an application that will create a sort of "super PNR" for consumers, dramatically simplifying the management of a trip. "The simple description is that we replace the old-fashioned manila folder," Gregg Brockway, chief executive officer of TripIt, said. "Consumers are increasingly booking with suppliers, and they end up with 20 pages of printouts," he said. "We've made it easy to bring it all together in one place. We are going to drag the itinerary into the 21st century."
Shanghai Technologies Aerospace Co. broke ground on a new hangar complex at Shanghai Pudong. The S$56 million facility will be capable of handling three narrowbody and two widebody aircraft including the A380. STARCO is a joint venture of Singapore Technologies Aerospace and China Eastern Airlines. It already operates a facility at Shanghai Hongqiao with two hangars capable of handling one narrowbody and three widebodies.
Turkish Technic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Turkish Airlines established in May 2006, is preparing to launch an aggressive marketing campaign in mid-2008 to promote its new 200,000-sq.-m. MRO center at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen. The facility, scheduled to begin operating in 2009, will accommodate six widebody and nine narrowbody aircraft and required an investment of around $200 million, GM Ismail Demir told ATWOnline in Istanbul.
SkyEurope Airlines will sell two 737-700s scheduled for delivery this month and next for a profit of $10 million that it will use to boost its sagging financial base during the winter season, Austrian media is reporting. The company reportedly also will sell its aircraft handling unit at Budapest ( ATWOnline, Sept. 6), where it will close its base this month, for an additional €3.5 million ($4.9 million).
DR Congo President Joseph Kabila fired Transport Minister Remy Henri Kuseyo Gatanga Friday in the aftermath of last week's An-26 crash that killed at least 37 people and possibly as many as 51, both aboard the aircraft and on the ground in a heavily populated area of Kinshasa, where the aircraft plowed through a number of homes and burst into flames shortly after takeoff ( ATWOnline, Oct. 5).
Oasis Hong Kong Airlines secured a $30 million investment from funds managed by Value Partners Ltd. and affiliates, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation said. Oasis currently operates three 747-400s with a fourth set to arrive this year and a fifth in early 2008. CAPA said Oasis plans to operate 14 -400s on eight routes by 2011.
Both houses of France's parliament will hold hearings this week on allegations of widespread insider trading at EADS and Airbus as lawmakers seek answers in a brewing controversy that has led to sensational headlines in European newspapers and threatens to ensnare many of Airbus's top executives.
US Airways Group airlines flew 4.86 billion RPMs in September, up 2% from the year-ago month. Capacity fell 5% to 6.26 billion ASMs and load factor was up 5.4 points to 77.6%. Frontier Airlines flew 776.6 million RPMs in September, a 26% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 9.4% to 996.9 million ASMs and load factor increased 10.3 points to 77.9%. Mainline yield fell 5.7% year-over-year to 9.79 cents while RASM rose 8.7% to 7.63 cents.
Gate Gourmet will enter the market for third-party ground handling services with the acquisition of a UK-based group operating under the Fernley and International Aviation Services brands. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
An Africa One An-26 freighter crashed yesterday in a heavily populated area of Kinshasa shortly after takeoff, killing as many as 25 people onboard and killing or injuring an unknown number on the ground. The aircraft was en route from the DR Congolese capital to Tshikapa but reportedly was airborne only briefly before crashing into multiple houses and catching fire.
VGS Aircraft Holding (Ireland) acquired two 757-200s from GECAS. Aircraft are leased to Thomas Cook until April 2013. VGS is owned jointly by Volito Aviation and an affiliate of the Goldman Sachs Group.
Aviareps, the airline and tourism marketing organization, is expanding its profile in the US to support its growing activity there. According to founder and CEO Michael Gaebler, revenue from US operations doubled last year compared to 2005 as total sales rose 24% to €73 million ($103.6 million).
