European Commission announced yesterday that it has opened an "in-depth investigation" into the planned acquisition of Martinair by Air France KLM because the takeover "might substantially reduce competition." KLM currently owns 50% of Martinair shares and intends to acquire the other 50% from Maersk ( ATWOnline, Aug. 21). The EC cited the potential negative impact of a merger on competition "as regards at least passenger transport between Amsterdam and. .
Magellan Group, an aftermarket supplier of aircraft products and services, announced that ACG Investment Capital Partners, a joint venture between Aviation Capital Group and FB Transportation Capital LLC, made an investment in Magellan. Terms were not disclosed.
Air Canada said yesterday that it will begin offering passengers inflight Internet service in spring 2009 via Aircell's Gogo mobile broadband service. AC plans to roll out the Gogo system on select flights to the US next year, initially installing the system on its A319s operating on transborder routes. VP-Marketing Charles McKee said the carrier ultimately plans "systemwide" deployment. AC becomes Aircell's first non-US customer for inflight Internet service. Passengers will be able to access Gogo with a standard Wi-Fi-equipped laptop or personal electronic device.
Turkish Airlines plans to realize a further $100 million in cost savings thanks to what CEO Temel Kotil called "intensive cooperation" with IATA. "We plan to get these savings with more fleet efficiency," he told ATWOnline. More direct routes and reduced use of APUs on the ground will be key to reaching the target, he said, adding, "In addition to that, we have a very young fleet which saves us a lot of fuel as well."
AWAS announced the acquisition of two A330-200s from ILFC. Aircraft were part of a six-aircraft buy and are operated by Malaysia Airlines and Vietnam Airlines. It also leased one 737-400 to Indonesia's Sriwijaya Air.
China Eastern Airlines rejected widespread reports that it plans to merge with Shanghai Airlines, saying it has received no such directive from the Chinese government and that there have been no negotiations, CEA Board Secretary Luo Zhuping told ATWOnline.
Airbus yesterday presented details of its Power8 Plus restructuring program to labor unions representing its employees, telling workers that the cuts envisioned in the original Power8 restructuring program no longer are sufficient.
Alaska Airlines said its entire fleet will be equipped by the end of this month with Honeywell's Runway Awareness and Advisory System, which provides audible alerts in cockpits when aircraft approach and enter taxiways and runways. RAAS aims to prevent pilots from using the wrong runway. Alaska said it began installing the system on its 737s in July.
Air France KLM will launch a nonbinding bid for the Austrian government's share in Austrian Airlines, Deputy CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told ATWOnline yesterday. Speaking during a ceremony marking the opening of AF's new 2G Terminal at Paris Charles de Gaulle, Gourgeon also reiterated that the group is interested in taking a minority stake, "which could be anywhere between zero and 49%," in a possible restart of Alitalia. "We have to be present in all consolidation discussions in Europe," he said.
LAN Airlines will introduce a premium economy product within South America on Sept.15. It will feature a middle seat in each row that converts into a table. It will be available on flights from Santiago to Buenos Aires, Guayaquil, Quito, Lima, Sao Paulo Guarulhos and Montevideo and from Lima to Quito, Bogota, Medellin and GRU.
Emirates has replaced its A380 with a 777-300ER until Sept. 12, citing training and engineering issues. EK had planned to use the A380 for training in between its Dubai-New York JFK services but engineering work has taken more time than expected. At the same time, its plan to operate daily A380 flights to JFK beginning Oct. 1 has slipped several weeks because of a delay in the delivery of its second aircraft. Sources in Hamburg told ATWOnline that aircraft will not be delivered until the third week of October due to delays in interior outfitting.
Grupo Ferrovial, parent of BAA, said it will sell 100% of its shares in Belfast City Airport to ABN Global Infrastructure Fund for £132.5 million ($234 million). It expects the deal to close by the end of this month.
China Airlines yesterday operated the first "mid-autumn" charter flight between Taipei and Shanghai. According to CAAC, eight airlines have been chosen to operate 16 roundtrip flights across the Taiwan Strait to Sept. 21. Mainland carriers China Eastern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Shanghai Airlines will have access to Taipei and CI, EVA Air, Mandarin Airlines, Uni Air and TransAsia Airways will have access to Shanghai and Xiamen. Mainland carriers are reporting brisk sales with an average load factor of 74% as of Sept. 3. CEA said 90% of it seats had been sold as of Sept.
Cebu Pacific Air will start operating international flights out of Diosdado Macapagal (Clark) from Nov. 8. It will base an A319 at the airport and operate daily to Hong Kong and Singapore, four-times-weekly to Macau and three-times-weekly to Bangkok.
JetBlue Airways said yesterday that it will auction more than 300 roundtrip flights and six "getaway vacation packages" on eBay through Sept. 14. It said opening bids will be "a nickel or a dime" excluding taxes and fees.
Amadeus and transavia.com yesterday reached a distribution deal to make the airline's inventory available on Amadeus's system using its Ticketless Access solution. Technology will allow travel agencies to make transavia.com bookings within preferred GDS environments.
With no new talks scheduled between Boeing and the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the manufacturer's production lines remained silent yesterday and suppliers and airlines began to assess the potential damage of a protracted strike.
Rockwell Collins said easyJet debuted its dPAVES inflight entertainment system on an A321. System features 10-in. retractable LCD displays and Airshow 4200 Moving Map server integration.
Afriqiyah Airways took delivery of its first of three 124-seat, CFM56-5B-powered A319s, Airbus announced. It also has 11 A320s (with two delivered), three A330-200s and six A350s on order.
Shandong Airlines posted a net profit of CNY58.6 million ($8.6 million) in the first six months of 2008, a reversal from a CNY90 million deficit in the year-ago semester. Operating revenue rose 22.6% year-over-year to CNY2.25 billion against a 13.8% increase in expenses to CNY1.99 billion. The Jinan-based carrier credited "effective cost-savings" and "rationalization of the fleet structure" as the main contributors to the improved result. Passenger boardings jumped 27.2% to 3.1 million while cargo traffic climbed 38% to 37,800 tonnes.
Palma, Mallorca-based Futura International Airways suspended flights yesterday for 24 hr. as it sought bankruptcy protection, the Spanish Infrastructure Ministry confirmed, but the carrier intended to restart operations today. The ministry said it asked Futura to present information on its financial situation, a plan for reorganization and guarantees on the security of its flight operations by Friday in order to determine whether it could retain its operating license.
Cathay Pacific Airways yesterday held a groundbreaking ceremony for its cargo terminal at Hong Kong International. It is investing HK$4.8 billion ($614.8 million) in the facility, which is slated to be completed by the second half of 2011. The terminal will have an annual capacity of 2.6 million tonnes and, while owned and operated by Cathay, will be a common-use facility open to all airlines.
New Alitalia will be organized by Nov. 1, according to Italian Minister of Productive Activities Claudio Scajola, who told media that the country "need[s] an airline which can be competitive as soon as possible," according to Bloomberg News. It will not be an easy road, however, as at least five unions yesterday rejected the layoffs and new contracts necessary to the government's rescue plan.
