Iberia raised its stake in British Airways to 9.07%, or 104.6 million shares, the UK carrier said yesterday. Increase comes one week after IB had upped its holding to 8.07%.
American Eagle pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn. ratified an "unprecedented" 16-year contract. According to unit chairman Herb Mark, the contract, which becomes amendable at the end of 2012, "increases quality of life wherever possible but includes no concessions."
Aeroflot informed Russia's Ministry of Transport that it wishes to bid for the state's 25.5% stake in rival S7 Airlines. SU CEO Valery Okulov wrote in a letter to Transportation Minister Igor Levitin, "For the consolidation of domestic flights, we are working out the possibility of obtaining the S7 airline," Russian media reported. An S7 spokesperson told reporters that the carrier had received no notification from Aeroflot.
AirTran Airways posted a third-quarter net loss of $107.1 million, reversed from a $10.6 million profit in the year-ago period, due in part to losses of $41.5 million related to its fuel hedging program owing to the recent fall in oil prices.
New alliance created and controlled by the state and Russian Technologies to replace AiRUnion will comprise 10 regional airlines, be registered as a public corporation and eventually be called something other than Russia Airlines (a working name), RT head Sergei Chemezov told journalists, The Moscow Times reported. Moscow Vnukovo will be the carrier's principal base, with the Moscow city government holding the remaining 49% of the new company ( ATWOnline, Oct. 22). It also will have bases in St.
Record revenue helped JetBlue Airways minimize its third-quarter losses as the New York JFK-based LCC reported a $4 million deficit that represented a reversal from the $23 million profit posted in the year-ago quarter but a sound result compared to its domestic competitors.
International Aero Engines announced an order from Grupo TACA for V2500 SelectOne engines to power an additional 15 A320 family aircraft. Contract includes the V2500Select aftermarket agreement and is valued at $400 million at list prices. TACA currently flies 37 V2500-powered aircraft and is awaiting delivery of four more, giving it a 19-aircraft backlog with IAE.
Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation announced yesterday that airlines will have until March 31 to pay their present outstanding fuel bills to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and, in addition, will be able to procure their fuel on credit until that date ( ATWOnline, Oct. 20).
Croatia Airlines ordered four A319s, Airbus announced. New aircraft will be powered by CFM56-5s and seat 132 in two classes. It already operates eight A320s. No delivery date was announced.
Boeing's third-quarter net income plunged 38% to $695 million from $1.11 billion last year, and Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney conceded that the machinists' strike "had a major impact" on earnings.
Austrian Airlines Group's privatization continued to be in doubt yesterday as reports that Lufthansa presented the only offer for state holding company OIAG's 42.75% stake went unconfirmed by both AAG and LH. Austrian has said it will make an announcement Monday. A Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology spokesperson said on Austrian radio that there is one potential bidder, while other reports suggest LH, S7 Airlines and even Air France KLM want more time or further talks before presenting a bid.
IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani warned Middle East and North African carriers that they are not immune to the current industry crisis and urged them to focus on efficiency and expanding commercial freedoms.
Mokulele Airlines was flying again yesterday, one day after shutting down following a US FAA inspection that revealed cabin crews were not properly trained on the use of life preservers and fire extinguishers. "They grounded all the planes and conducted intensive training for all of their staff," an FAA spokesperson told ATWOnline. Mokulele recently signed an agreement with Republic Airways to operate up to four E-170s for inter-island service in Hawaii. It currently operates 56 daily flights to seven Hawaiian destinations.
British Airways yesterday completed the move of flights designated for London Heathrow's Terminal 5 over to the new facility, including services to/from Denver, Boston, Montreal, Calgary and Toronto. More than 80,000 flights and 11 million passengers have used T5 since its March opening ( ATWOnline, July 14).
JetBlue Airways operated its first flights from New York JFK's new Terminal 5 yesterday, with an arrival from Burbank at 5:05 a.m. inaugurating the facility. All JetBlue departures, in addition to all domestic and international arrivals that pre-clear US customs, will operate out of the new facility. The 635,000-sq-.ft. terminal has 26 gates on three concourses, 65 self-serve kiosks, 40 check-in counters and a central security checkpoint with 20 screening lanes. It can accommodate up to 250 daily departures.
Vueling Airlines reported an €18.7 million ($24.8 million) operating loss through the first nine months of 2008, reduced from a €38.4 million negative EBIT in the year-ago period, Reuters reported. Sales rose 32.2% year-over-year to €354.4 million and passenger numbers were up 2.1% to 4.7 million.
Northwest Airlines reported a third-quarter net loss of $317 million, reversed from a $244 million profit in the year-ago period, citing a $410 million noncash charge related to fuel hedging as the reason.
US Dept. of Homeland Security released the Secure Flight Final Rule, "which shifts pre-departure [terrorist] watch list matching responsibilities from individual aircraft operators to TSA."
SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines parent SkyWest Inc. said it expects third-quarter net income "to be lower than previously anticipated" and fall between $24.2 million and $26.5 million. It posted a $42.9 million profit in the third quarter of 2007. SkyWest said the lowered forecast was the result of the elimination of nine aircraft from ASA's agreement with Midwest Airlines and a larger-than-expected reduction in block hr. scheduled by partners of both subsidiaries.
Gulf Air secured a $25 million unsecured loan from BMI Bank, which it said will be "infused into the working capital of the company" and used for financing "various development plans."
SpiceJet named former Flight Options COO and Chief Strategy Officer Sanjay Aggarwal as CEO, effective immediately. Flight Options is a private aviation provider based in Cleveland. Aggarwal previously was manager-financial planning at US Airways. SpiceJet operates 15 737NGs to 16 Indian destinations USA3000 Airlines named IndiGo COO Steven Harfst as its new president and CEO, succeeding the retiring Angus Kinnear. Before joining IndiGo, Harfst was North American Airlines COO. USA3000 operates 11 A320s to 13 destinations.
Delta Air Lines will launch weekly Atlanta-Cape Verde (Sal Island)-Monrovia in June aboard a 757. US Airways will launch daily seasonal service from Philadelphia to Birmingham, UK, (on May 12) and Oslo Gardermoen (May 21) aboard a 757.
Copa Airlines flew 472.5 million RPMs in September, up 16% year-over-year, against an 11.1% rise in ASMs to 624.1 million. Load factor jumped 3.2 points to 75.7%. Frontier Airlines' September mainline yield rose 8.3% year-over-year to 10.6 cents while RASM climbed 15.1% to 8.78 cents. It flew 711.9 million RPMs during the month, down 8.3%, against a 13.7% fall in capacity to 859.9 million ASMs. Load factor rose 4.9 points to 82.8%.
The Austrian government's effort to privatize Austrian Airlines Group hit a snag as Air France KLM withdrew its interest while Lufthansa and S7 Airlines declined to make formal bids by yesterday's deadline and requested more time. State holding company OIAG had intended to announce the winning bidder on Oct. 27 and had targeted the end of the month to find a buyer for its 42.75% stake ( ATWOnline, Sept. 12), with the Franco-Dutch, German and Russian companies emerging as frontrunners.
Austrian Airlines Group launches four-times-weekly Vienna-Amman flights on May 6 aboard a Premium Service A320 ( ATWOnline, Aug. 11). Wizz Air will launch thrice-weekly Kiev Boryspil-Katowice Jan 3.
