Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines announced reciprocal lounge access and baggage check-through. The carriers said a codeshare agreement covering "large parts" of their networks "is also envisaged," in addition to the pooling of LH, SN and Swiss International Air Lines loyalty programs ( ATWOnline, Jan. 27).
Rolls-Royce delivered 987 commercial aviation engines last year, up 16% year-over-year and the highest total since 2001. Civil aerospace revenue rose 11% to £4.5 billion ($6.43 billion) and the value of Rolls' order book climbed 21% to £43.5 billion. The division reported an underlying profit before financing of £566 million, up 0.4% from the prior year. The group's full-year net loss was £1.35 billion, reversed from a profit of £600 million in 2007. Financing costs and foreign exchange losses were the principal culprits.
BA CityFlyer BAe 146 skidded on landing late Friday at London City following collapse of the nose gear. Flight from Amsterdam was carrying 67 passengers and five crew and "one passenger sustained a minor injury" and was hospitalized, according to a British Airways statement cited by the BBC. Passengers were evacuated via emergency slides.
Alaska Airlines flew 1.35 billion RPMs in January, down 4.7% year-over-year. Capacity fell 8.4% to 1.88 billion ASMs and load factor rose 2.9 points to 71.7%. Republic Airways Holdings airlines flew 691.9 million RPMs in January, down 2.6% year-over-year, against a 1.7% climb in capacity to 1.1 billion ASMs. Load factor dropped 2.8 points to 62.8%. Allegiant Air flew 320.6 million system RPMs in January, up 5.4% year-over-year. Capacity fell 2.6% to 373.6 million ASMs and load factor rose 6.5 points to 85.8%.
Swissport joined Greece's Marfin Investment Group in submitting a binding bid for pieces of Olympic Airlines ( ATWOnline, Feb. 11). Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis said Marfin bid €45.7 million ($58.8 million) for OA's flying operation and €16.7 million for its maintenance unit while Swissport offered €44.8 million for OA's grand handling operation.
Stating that results for the fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31 reflect "the increasing severity of the economic downturn," Air France KLM reported a €505 million ($649.4 million) net loss compared to a €139 million profit in the year-ago period. The substantial deficit was created in part by major nonoperating losses, including a €288 million writedown on the fair value of its fuel hedges and a €103 million loss on currency fluctuations.
Oxford Aviation Academy reached a five-year deal with Jet2.com covering full flight simulator provision and ab initio training. Agreement calls for OAA to relocate a 737 FFS to its Manchester Training Center at Woodford where operations are scheduled to begin in August. Jet2.com agreed to source future cadet pilots from Oxford's training program.
Air Canada reported a 2008 net loss of C$1.03 billion ($827.6 million), reversed from a profit of C$429 million in 2007, citing "unprecedented volatility on fuel prices, significant fluctuations in foreign exchange and a worsening global economy."
AerData agreed to acquire Aircraft Management Solutions, a developer and supplier of an aviation lease and asset management application called ALCA Software. Transaction hinges on execution of a purchase agreement and closing.
WestJet and Canadian tourism company Transat AT, which operates Air Transat, announced the May 10 termination of a transport agreement originally scheduled to expire next year. Deal allowed Transat Tours Canada to charter WestJet aircraft. The parties said they "may enter into an ad-hoc charter agreement" in the future. Transat will replace WestJet with CanJet Airlines, with which it signed a five-year deal to April 30, 2014, with two one-year options. CanJet operates 737-800s.
The US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether icing played a role in last Thursday night's Colgan Air/Continental Connection crash outside Buffalo. NTSB Member Steven Chealander, who is leading the investigation, said the Q400's cockpit voice recorder indicated that "the crew discussed significant ice buildup, ice on the windshield and on the leading edge of the wing."
Vueling Airlines board approved the merger with Clickair Friday ( ATWOnline, Jan. 12). The latter will increase its share capital to 5 million shares and will exchange each one for three Vueling shares, according to a regulatory filing cited by Dow Jones. Vueling and Clickair will hold an equal number of shares in the new company that will keep the Vueling name. Clickair's board, controlled by Iberia, still must approve the deal.
Frontier Airlines Holdings reported a $1.1 million net profit in the December quarter, reversed from a $32.5 million deficit in the year-ago period. The company is operating under bankruptcy protection and released limited financial figures last week. Three-month operating profit was $5.6 million compared to a $25.6 million loss in the three months ended Dec. 31, 2007, its third fiscal quarter. It reported an $8.7 million mark-to-market loss on its fuel hedges and $2.7 million in reorganization gains. Mainline unit revenue rose 10.2%.
Airports Council International-North America President Greg Principato last week announced adoption of "ambitious airport environmental goals" to be achieved by members over the next 10 years. Among the goals agreed to by the ACI-NA board are that every member airport "will strive to have an environmental policy statement by 2010" and an Environmental Management System in place by 2014 at large airports, 2016 at medium airports and 2019 at small airports.
Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will distribute S$200 million ($132.5 million) this year "to help airlines and airport partners tide over the current economic downturn," comprising S$50 million in rental rebates, a S$20 million fund for concessionaires at Changi and a S$130 million Air Hub Development Fund "extended to airlines and airport partners."
South African Airways appointed GM-Operations Chris Smyth acting CEO while CEO Khaya Ngqula is on leave ( ATWOnline, Feb. 13). Turkish Airlines named Finance Director Mustafa Aydin as B&H Airlines CFO and Sarajevo Manager Okan Uluocak as B&H executive VP ( ATWOnline, Jan. 15).
Virgin Atlantic Airways confirmed that it has commenced consultation with staff and union representatives about the possibility of cutting 600 jobs from its workforce numbering approximately 8,500, saying it is seeking to avoid layoffs but cannot rule them out.
SR Technics yesterday said it plans to close its operation at Dublin Airport in light of recent contract losses from major load customers, current business projections and high costs. "We are announcing this deeply regrettable and difficult step only after an exhaustive evaluation of all strategic options for our groupwide operations," SRT CEO Bernd Kessler said.
South African Airways CEO Khaya Ngqula was placed on leave this week after the carrier's board commissioned an independent investigation of alleged improprieties, particularly concerning a catering contract that was awarded to a consortium co-owned by a business associate of the CEO's wife. Servair, a consortium co-owned by Vusi Sithole, recently was chosen in what SAA characterized as "a competitive bidding process" to cater inflight meals on domestic flights. According to multiple South African news reports, Sithole has close ties to Ngqula and his wife, Mbali Gasi.
Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair flew 7.89 billion RPKs in January, up 1.2% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 4.7% to 9.91 billion ASKs, dropping load factor 2.8 points to 79.5%. LAN Airlines flew 2.67 billion system RPKs in January, up 10.8% year-over-year. Capacity climbed 14.2% to 3.43 billion ASKs, dropping load factor 2.3 points to 77.9%. SkyEurope Airlines transported 173,692 passengers in January, down 23.5% year-over-year. Load factor rose 4.1 points to 62.5%.
US National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the birds ingested in the CFM56-5B/P engines of the US Airways A320 that successfully ditched in the Hudson River on Jan. 15 were Canada geese ( ATWOnline, Jan. 22). Identification was made by the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Laboratory.
Delta Air Lines is forming a subsidiary called Regional Handling Services that will combine the 4,000-plus customer service workers at regional subsidiaries Comair, Mesaba Airlines and Compass Airlines into one company based in Minneapolis. The unit will be operational later this year and is aimed at ensuring "a consistent airport experience for customers around the country" flying on Delta mainline and regional flights, DL said. RHS will oversee ticket counters, gates and baggage handling for the three regionals.
