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).
Snecma Services Brussels entered into a three-year time-and-materials engine MRO agreement with KD Avia based in Kaliningrad covering the CFM56-3s powering the airline's seven 737 Classics. Under the agreement, Snecma also will ensure the availability of a replacement engine.
JetWorks Leasing entered into a comprehensive Aircraft Portfolio Management contract with TAIL Finance covering four MD-88s, six 757-200s and nine 767-300s, all of which currently are on lease.
Spanair yesterday confirmed that Chairman Gonzalo Pascual resigned in order to launch a full bid for the airline, which is owned by SAS, according to press reports from Madrid. Pascual is chairman of Grupo Marsans, the largest tourism conglomerate in Spain, and co-founder of Spanair. The airline also said that Gerardo Diaz Ferran, Pascual's business partner and a main shareholder in Marsans, resigned as CEO of Spanair and D.
United Airlines flew 9.18 billion system RPMs in September, down 0.8% from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 1.7% to 11.44 billion ASMs and load factor was up 0.7 point to 80.2%. Delta Air Lines flew 9.79 billion system RPMs in September, up 7.8% from the year-ago month, against a 3.6% rise in capacity to 12.61 billion ASMs. Load factor rose 3 points to 77.6%. Northwest Airlines flew 6.24 billion consolidated RPMs in September, a 1.1% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity declined 1.7% to 7.45 billion ASMs and load factor rose 2.3 points to 83.7%.
Alitalia scheduled a board meeting for Oct. 8 during which it will discuss a report from Citi Group "regarding a survey of potential investors who are in a position to acquire control of the company."
EU transport ministers gave the European Commission a mandate to start negotiations with Canada on a comprehensive air transport agreement "aimed at establishing an open aviation area between the EU and Canada, opening market restrictions and achieving a high level of regulatory convergence." Currently, 17 of the 27 EU member states have bilateral aviation agreements with Canada but none "are in conformity with Community law," the ministers noted.
Calidris announced that British Airways has gone live with its Business Change Management solution, enabling BA to create an Order Data Store combining customer information "from across the complete booking-to-fulfillment lifecycle in a single unified data layer." Calidris said the first application attacked the problem of duplicate bookings.
SAS said it will initiate discussions with Bombardier regarding compensation of approximately SEK500 million ($76.7 million) for the costs and lost income incurred due to the three-week grounding of its Q400s, according to German news agency DPA.
Aer Lingus asked the European Commission to consider ordering Ryanair to reduce its stake, both EI and the EC confirmed yesterday. According to MarketWatch, EI accused the EC of failing to act within the EU merger regulations by allowing Ryanair to keep its sizable stake in Aer Lingus despite its failed merger attempt. DG Competition spokesperson Jonathan Todd said EU competition authorities received the notice about failure to act two weeks ago and would respond by Oct. 17.
DayJet Corp. yesterday formally launched what it described as the world's first "per-seat, on-demand" jet service within Florida using PW600-powered Eclipse 500 very light jets. DayJet, which said it has more than 1,500 members, initially is offering same-day travel among Boca Raton, Gainesville, Lakeland, Pensacola and Tallahassee with VLJs accommodating two pilots and three passengers. Airline service between those cities typically involves a connection ( ATWOnline, June 15, 2006).
EADS said yesterday it "is most surprised" by reports that French stock market regulator AMF has given prosecutors a "preliminary note" alleging insider trading in 2006 by numerous EADS and Airbus executives related to A380 program delays.
SAS Group will sell its 55% holding in Spanish ground handling services company Newco Airport Services to Teinver, which now will hold 100% of Spain's second-largest handling concern. SAS said the transaction value and positive effect on net debt and cash for the company is SEK400 million ($61.4 million).
Aer Lingus, saying it is in "a regrettable position where we have no option," imposed an immediate pay freeze on all staff, citing labor unions' rejection of its "Program for Continuous Improvement" cost-saving initiative. Until it can implement the program, EI said it is forced to withhold a series of promised raises. CEO Dermot Mannion said, "Aer Lingus cannot continue to wait indefinitely to achieve essential savings. It is within this context that the decision to suspend increases has been taken." He said the carrier is open to talks with unions "at the earliest possible date."
Vueling Airlines, as expected ( ATWOnline, Oct. 2), cut its profit forecast yesterday and said it would not meet its 2007 financial targets. It is the LCC's second profit warning in three months. In a statement to the Spanish stock exchange regulator, the Barcelona-based carrier said EBITDAR could fall to a loss of up to €10 million compared with a previous profit forecast of €23-€42 million.
Goodrich Corp. announced yesterday that it is selling its heavy maintenance base, Goodrich Aviation Technical Services in Everett, Wash., to Australia's Macquarie Bank. Subject to regulatory clearance, the sale is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Price was not disclosed. ATS employs more than 1,200 at the 950,000-sq.-ft. facility offering heavy airframe checks, component repair and overhaul, engineering and modifications and cargo conversions. Prior to its 1988 acquisition by Goodrich, it operated as Tramco.
China Airlines added chairman to the title of President Chao Kuo-shuai, replacing Philip Wei, who resigned in the wake of the August engine fire and explosion on a CI 737-800 in Okinawa ( ATWOnline, Aug. 24), according to press reports from Taipei.
