AirAsia will transfer its MRO from Singapore to the new Sepang Aircraft Engineering, which plans to launch in Malaysia in October, CEO Tony Fernandes told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. The airline expects to save 15%-20% off its maintenance bill. SAE CEO Budriz Putra said the new MRO company, which has a two-hangar facility, hopes to lure other regional low-fare carriers, including ones from India, the Bernama national news agency reported.
GCAT Flight Academy is the name of the training organization created by the merger of GE Commercial Aviation Training and SAS Flight Academy. STAR Capital Partners acquired SAS Flight Academy outright and purchased 80% of GECAT in a deal it valued at more than $275 million ( ATWOnline, Feb. 13). It said the combination created the largest flight training organization in Europe and the third-largest in the world.
China Eastern Airlines announced yesterday that trading in its H shares was suspended pending the release of a "price sensitive" announcement. It has been negotiating the sale of a stake to Singapore Airlines ( ATWOnline, May 22).
LAN Airlines flew 1.8 billion RPKs in April, up 29.5% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 26.1% to 2.53 billion ASKs and load factor increased 1.9 points to 71.1%.
Foreign ownership regulations will be the primary focus of the next round of US-EU open skies talks, but the US is not likely to consider giving cabotage rights to EU carriers, the Americans' lead negotiator said yesterday.
Air India will be the name of the new state-owned airline resulting from the merger of the old Air India and Indian Airlines ( ATWOnline, April 2), Minister of Civil Aviation Praful Patel announced yesterday, adding that the new company will have its registered office in New Delhi, its corporate office in Mumbai and headquarters for domestic operations and most strategic business units in Delhi.
Qantas released a statement saying that its board "endorsed the leadership of Geoff Dixon as [CEO] and his senior management team" and asked him to stay in that position until "at least" July 2009. Chairman Margaret Jackson announced her intention to retire later this year after 15 years on the board and seven as chairman ( ATWOnline, May 18). "I greatly value what Qantas has achieved over the past seven years, culminating in the largest takeover offer for an airline in aviation history.
Intra-Asian air transport liberalization was dealt a blow with confirmation that the governments of Singapore and Malaysia do not intend to open access on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route ahead of the ASEAN capital city liberalization deadline of year end 2008. The move is seen as protection for Malaysia Airlines as it continues its restructuring, although it is to post its third consecutive quarterly profit later this month, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation ( ATWOnline, Feb.
Alitalia canceled about half its flights scheduled for today owing to two separate 8-hr. strikes called by trade unions representing Italian air traffic controllers and AZ flight attendants. In a statement, the carrier said the 394 cancellations will involve national and international flights in almost equal proportion. Separately, AZ adopted Amadeus's Fares and Pricing Engine and the Amadeus Ticket Changer. It will use the solutions on a standalone basis to process all fares and pricing requests.
TUIfly will increase capacity for the upcoming winter schedule by 12% year-over-year, operating 240 weekly flights from 17 German airports to 48 destinations in 15 countries. Grenoble will be a new destination. TUIfly is expecting to transport 13.5 million passengers this year. American Airlines flew 11.55 billion RPMs in April, down 3.3% from the year-ago month, as domestic traffic fell 3.7% and international RPMs were down 2.5%. Capacity declined 3.7% to 14.06 billion ASMs on a 4.3% domestic drop and a 2.7% fall in international capacity.
AJ Walter Aviation announced a partnership with Singapore-based Relaer Asia in engine leasing. Relaer will "assist AJW in the sourcing of engine assets, support negotiations with customers, manage the lease agreements and all of the logistic concerning the maintenance storage and supply of the assets."
China Eastern Airlines' negotiations with Singapore Airlines concerning the sale of a strategic stake in the mainland carrier are progressing well thanks to the support of the Chinese government, CEA President Li Fenghua revealed, although there is no fixed timetable to seal the deal. Li confirmed that SIA, or another investor, will hold no more than 25% of CEA in accordance with CAAC regulations on foreign ownership in China's airlines. He refused to give further details ( ATWOnline, May 11).
World Airways signed a one-year, $22.5 million deal to continue operating Toronto-Frankfurt MD-11 freighter flights for Air Canada, extending an agreement set to expire July 1.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines will be privatized, according to a government announcement cited by press reports. The move could happen as early as next month. The airline, which employs 4,800 people, is planning significant layoffs and projecting a BDT6.91 billion ($97.2 million) loss in the fiscal year ending June 30, according to Reuters.
Peace Air of Canada announced that it ceased operations last Friday. The regional carrier, in its fifth decade, served destinations in Alberta and British Columbia.
US Senate Commerce and Transportation Committee last week approved the FAA reauthorization bill proposed earlier in May by Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) ( ATWOnline, May 7).
MNG Technic signed an agreement with Turkmenistan Airlines to provide base maintenance services and hangar space for the carrier's 757, 737-300 and 717 fleets.
News from Travel Technology Update: There is little agreement among airlines on either side of the Atlantic on whether the European Commission's CRS Code of Conduct should be amended or abolished altogether. The airlines, along with GDS companies and organizations representing travel agencies and consumers, weighed in on the issue following a call for public consultation by the EC, which was closed on April 27.
AJ Walter Aviation received a five-year power-by-the-hour contract from Travel Service, the largest private airline company in the Czech Republic, covering its fleet of 737NGs. Nordam Group and Spirit AeroSystems reached agreement with Cathay Pacific Airways to provide overhaul services and spares support for Trent 800 thrust reversers.
Thales' TopSeries IFE system was selected by Japan Airlines for installation on the carrier's 787s, the first of which is slated to enter service next year.
SITA said it is working with Airports Authority of India to deploy an additional 17 VHF ground stations at the nation's airports, enabling Indian airlines and AAI to exchange real-time data with aircraft and allowing "increased safety and efficiency of operations." This will bring SITA's Aircom network in India to 23 stations.
US Dept. of Transportation granted final approval Friday for Virgin America to begin operations, ending a prolonged process in which the airline was forced to revise its certification application to ease concerns it would be under the influence of minority owner Virgin Group, a non-US citizen that has a 25% stake in the airline.
After several years of improved performance, British Airways Friday reported its first quarterly loss in two years as well as a 34.9% decline in consolidated net profit to £304 million ($600.8 million) for its fiscal year ended March 31, and admitted it has set aside £350 million to settle fines and claims relating to alleged price-fixing on long-haul passenger and cargo fuel surcharges.
SITA and China Southern Airlines reached an agreement under which the carrier will employ the IT service provider's integration platform to enhance its e-ticketing and global distribution capabilities. CZ CIO Hu Chenjie said SITA's solution can optimize the airline's IT capability and help it grow into one of the top carriers in Asia, noting the significance of SITA's worldwide GDS reach. CZ will link SITA's solution with the Chinese GDS monopoly run by Travelsky and other Chinese airlines.
