Skyservice Airlines, a Canadian charter carrier that also offers MRO and other support services, announced it will sell a "majority" of its charter business to private equity firm Gibralt Capital Corp. of Vancouver. No financial details were disclosed. "Our plan is to leverage our profitable base of operations, not only in the charter business but also in aviation services and maintenance," Skyservice Chairman and CEO Russ Payson said. The airline said senior management will continue in their roles and "no changes to. .
Sensis announced that Continental Airlines will subscribe to the Sensis Aerobahn Service for Newark "to enable more efficient management of air traffic flows, particularly during periods of abnormal delay." CO already uses Aerobahn at Houston Intercontinental. At EWR it will use Aerobahn TaxiView, OpsView and QuickView.
US FAA ordered Bombardier to correct potential flap failures on some 684 CRJ100s/200s operated in the US by Air Wisconsin, Atlantic Southeast Airlines and SkyWest Airlines. "The Bombardier CL-600-2B19 airplanes have had a history of flap failures at various positions for several years," the agency said. "Flap failure may result in a significant increase in required landing distances and higher fuel consumption than planned during a diversion." Thus far, no fatal accidents have been attributed to flap failures.
Lufthansa Technik and Hamburg International Airlines signed Total Component Support and Total Engine Support contracts covering the carrier's soon-to-be-delivered 10 A319s. Deals are 10 years and worth approximately €50 million ($68.2 million). HIA will take delivery of its first new A319 in January.
Republic Airways will replace 16 70-seat E-170s operated on behalf of Delta Air Lines with 76-seat E-175s in the second half of 2008 and early 2009 under terms of a newly amended service agreement, the Associated Press reported yesterday. Also, Republic will add 10 70-seat 170s to its agreement with United Airlines. In addition to DL and UA, it operates under service agreements with American Airlines, Continental Airlines, US Airways and Frontier Airlines. Separately, parent Republic Airways Holdings announced a year-long stock buyback program worth up to $100 million.
Aeroflot, Snecma Services and Russian MRO provider BAP3-400 signed an MOU to look into creation of a joint venture for CFM56 MRO in Russia next year, SU announced. SU plans to be operating 56 A320 family aircraft by 2010 and said that "intensive growth" of CFM56 use in Russia "is happening not only in Aeroflot but also in other air companies." Separately, SU said it issued "more than" 100,000 e-tickets in the six months since it started transitioning to the platform ( ATWOnline, March 23).
Alteon Training said it will open a training center at Shanghai Pudong by year end that eventually will house China's first 787 full flight simulator and a 757/767 FFS for center partner Shanghai Airlines and "other regional operators." The 787 simulator will be ready in the first half of next year.
Alitalia will end up in foreign hands, Unicredito Italiano CEO Alessandro Profumo predicted in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore, in which he blamed Italian protectionism. "We've defended Alitalia so well that it will disappear as an Italian company since thanks to protection, more protection, and yet more protection, the company is no longer able to stand on its own feet," he said.
Australia and South Korea announced an expanded air services agreement under which Korean carriers initially will be allowed to operate up to 8,500 seats each way each week to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, up from the previous limit of 7,500. Capacity to other Australian airports is unrestricted, and Australian airlines will be able to operate the same number of seats to Korea. The deal provides for a further 1,000-seat increase when the 8,500 limit is reached. All restrictions on cargo services were removed.
IATA yesterday announced a "last call" for paper tickets, placing its "final order" for approximately 16.5 million paper tickets to supply 60,000 accredited travel agents in 162 markets until May 31, 2008. The following day, 100% of tickets issued through the IATA Billing and Settlement Plan will be electronic. IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said that e-tickets now account for 84% of the global total, three years and two months since the organization issued its 100% directive. It expects the switch to e-ticketing to save the industry $3 billion per year.
Hf. Eimskipafelag Islands, formerly Avion Group, reached agreement for the disposal of its remaining 49% holding in Avion Aircraft Trading to Artic Partners. Artic, which is controlled by AAT Chairman Hafthor Hafsteinsson, AAT board member Arngrimur Johannsson and other AAT managers, acquired an initial 51% last October. Eimskip said sales proceeds amounted to $28 million and the profit on disposal before tax is estimated to be $24 million.
Sabre and launch customer Midwest Airlines announced a new tool that will allow carriers to differentiate and sell premium seats in coach/economy class through Sabre's Distribution Merchandising Suite. The new feature, which will be available on standard travel agency desktops, on the airline's website and at airport kiosks, will be introduced in conjunction with Midwest's Signature seating on its MD-80s this fall ( ATWOnline, May 30).
US Government Accountability Office issued a report on very light jets indicating that there is little consensus on their impact on the National Airspace System or on US FAA's costs and Trust Fund revenues but that "most experts" said VLJs "will likely have little impact on safety due to FAA's certification procedures for aircraft, pilots and maintenance." GAO said FAA "has policies and procedures in place" to accommodate VLJs "because the aircraft will operate similarly to other aircraft and will enter the NAS incrementally," although there was no consensus among experts interviewed
Singapore Airlines' auction for a "majority" of the seats on the first A380 flight started yesterday on eBay and will close Sept. 10. The first flight is a two-leg event stretching over two days ( ATWOnline, Aug. 17). The aircraft will leave from Singapore Changi Terminal 2 at 0800 on Oct. 25 and arrive in Sydney at 1725 local time. It will leave Australia the following day at approximately 1600 and land at SIN at 2200.
News from Travel Technology Update: American Airlines took Google to court over the sale of its keywords to other companies for use in Google searches. In its complaint, filed in U.S.
Turkish Airlines yesterday reached a pay agreement with the Hava-Is union, which represents thousands of aviation workers and had voted to strike following an earlier collapse in negotiations, the government told reporters in Ankara. Separately, THY will launch thrice-weekly services from Istanbul Ataturk to Johannesburg and Cape Town on Sept. 17 aboard A340-300s.
AirTran Airways announced a tentative labor agreement with the National Pilots Assn., which represents 1,450 active pilots. The NPA board endorsed the agreement and sent it to membership for a vote, the results of which will be announced Sept. 21.
Hawaiian Airlines flew 728.5 million RPMs in July, up 16.8% on the year-ago month. Capacity rose 19.2% to 833.3 million ASMs, dropping load factor 1.9 points to 87.4%.
United Airlines said the first flight by an aircraft equipped with its new premium cabin upgrade will be 767 service from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt on Oct. 29. UA said it will be the first US airline to offer 180-deg. lie-flat business class beds on long-haul flights ( ATWOnline, July 25). The aircraft will operate between IAD, FRA and Zurich and will be the first of 97 planes outfitted with the new product. The first 747 will begin flying in mid-December and the first 777 in early February, UA said.
US FAA last weekend issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive requiring "repetitive detailed inspections" of the main slat track downstop assembly on 737NGs in the wake of last week's fire and explosion on a China Airlines 737-800 in Okinawa ( ATWOnline, Aug. 24).
AeroSpace and Defense Industries Assn. of Europe, US Aerospace Industries Assn. and US Air Transport Assn. announced a collaboration agreement to align international technical publication data in the aerospace/defense and commercial aviation industries. "The main objective. . .is to promote common, interoperable, international technical publication data in the aerospace manufacturing, commercial and defense aviation industries," the associations said in a joint statement.
Early indications are that CAAC's decision to bar most new domestic entrants from the market until 2010 will have the desired effect, as LCCs and airlines still seeking approval are struggling to move forward in the wake of the regulator's action. Haitong Securities aviation analyst Ma Yin noted that a dozen companies that had expected to enter the market now likely will fail to secure CAAC approval because of the policy announced two weeks ago ( ATWOnline, Aug. 16).
Kang Pacific Airlines will become the United Arab Emirates' fifth airline. Established by Indian aviation tycoon Paul Kang, the new carrier will be based in Fujairah and plans to start operations in October, Gulf News reported. The LCC will fly to the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the UK and India. The paper said Kang will invest $10 million of his own money in the airline, which will start with two leased DC-10s and one 747.
ILFC announced the following lease contracts: Bangkok Airways for one new A319-100 for six years with delivery in January 2009; Zoom Airlines for one used 757-200ER for four years and eight months with delivery in February 2008; Air Austral for two new 777-300ERs for eight years each with delivery in February and March 2009; Kenya Airways for one new 737-800 for eight years with delivery in October 2008; Eos Airlines for one used 757-200ER for five years with delivery in April 2009; Aerolineas Argentinas for one used A340-300 for six years with delivery this October; Iberia for one used
