Airbus continues to discuss an A350 XWB powerplant with GE, Executive VP-Head of A350 Program Didier Evrard said last week at a briefing in Toulouse. Currently, the only engine available on the long-range aircraft is Rolls-Royce's Trent XWB. The A350 has garnered 362 orders from 22 customers and is scheduled to enter service (the -900) in 2013. Evrard said he had "no forecast" for the discussions and that the manufacturer is "waiting" for GE to design and offer an engine that meets Airbus's requirements.
Safran Group last week celebrated the opening of its new CFM56 maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Queretaro, Mexico. Snecma America Engine Services is dedicated to CFM56-5A, -5B and -7B engines powering the A320 and 737NG families. It is owned jointly by Snecma Services (51%) and Turborreactores SA (ITR) with a 49% stake.
Airbus is targeting the end of 2010 for certification for its enhanced service goal package for A320 family aircraft. Originally certified to operate for 48,000 cycles/60,000 flight hr., the family has an initial enhanced target of 60,000 cycles/120,000 hr. and a second target of "as much as is economically feasible," Airbus said. A retrofit will be made available, Executive VP-Alain Flourens said at the manufacturer's Technical Press Briefing in Toulouse.
Teledyne Controls received an order from Philippine Airlines for AirFASE, a flight data monitoring solution jointly developed by Teledyne Controls and Airbus. PAL is the 100th customer for the solution.
Calidris said it reached a deal with Austrian Airlines to provide its Revenue Integrity solution to identify and eliminate false and duplicate bookings. Calidris added that Cathay Pacific and its Dragonair subsidiary also chose the solution
Airbus CEO Tom Enders and Executive VP Mario Heinen, head of the A380 program, insisted that delivery delays announced this week resulted from the "snowball effect" of previous A380 production holdups and are not a harbinger of further difficulties.
Austrian Airlines Group's talks with potential investor Mohamed bin Iassa Al Jaber have collapsed, with Al Jaber saying he no longer has any interest in investing in AAG. CEO Alfred Oetsch told Austrian Radio this week that he doesn't expect further negotiations with Al Jaber but insisted the carrier will go ahead with a Middle East expansion. In a deal announced in March, Al Jaber said he would take a 20% stake in AAG at €7.10 ($10.97) per share, substantially higher than current market value.
Thai Airways blamed higher fuel costs and foreign exchange losses for a 48% decrease in first-quarter net profit to $68.2 million despite an 11.2% rise in revenue to $1.69 billion. Fuel costs leapt 39.6% $432 million while exchange losses cost the airline $20 million compared to a $45.5 million gain in the prior period. Almost 50% of Thai's debt is in euros, which appreciated 14% against the baht in the quarter, Bloomberg reported.
Singapore Airlines launched its new all-business-class service to Newark this week. Its five A340-500s are in the process of being reconfigured with the previous executive economy section removed. Total fit-out is for 100 of SIA's new business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. It is the only carrier offering an all-business-class configuration across the Pacific. The upgrade will be completed by September for all nonstops from Singapore to Newark and Los Angeles.
Delta Air Lines pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn. said yesterday they have ratified the new labor agreement reached with management on the eve of DL's merger agreement announcement with Northwest Airlines ( ATWOnline, April 16). Owing to the accord, DL pilots are backing the tie-up, putting them at odds with NWA pilots, who have voiced opposition.
British Airways said speculation that it will defer the launch of OpenSkies, its new transatlantic subsidiary, to later this year or cancel the project "is not true."
Vueling Airlines posted a pre-tax loss of €32.4 million ($50.1 million) for the first quarter, a 47.1% increase over a €22 million pre-tax loss in the year-ago period. Total revenues grew 48.2% to €88.6 million on a 32.1% rise in passengers carried to 1.4 million. Total operating costs climbed 44% to €120.8 million. Operating loss jumped 32.6% to €32.2 million from a €24.3 million year-ago loss.
Airbus announced yesterday in Toulouse a partnership with JetBlue Airways, IAE, Honeywell Aerospace and Honeywell's UOP subsidiary "to pursue development of a sustainable second-generation biofuel for use in commercial aircraft." The new venture will endeavor to develop renewal energy technology to convert vegetable- and algae-based oils into jet fuel. UOP already has developed "process technology to convert natural oils and greases to military jet fuel" as a drop-in replacement as part of a project funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the technology also wi
Alitalia reported a first-quarter pre-tax loss of €214.8 million ($333.1 million), 41% higher than the €152 million pre-tax loss in the year-ago period, citing higher fuel costs and lower traffic revenue as the main culprits. Total consolidated revenue slipped 0.4% to €1.06 billion, with passenger revenue dropping 4.8% to €784.9 million from €824.8 million a year earlier. Operating costs were down 3.9% owing to lower capacity but operating loss still widened 42.1% to €160.9 million from €113.3 million last year.
The A380 delivery delays announced this week by Airbus belie the more fundamental turnaround at the aircraft manufacturer and parent EADS, which yesterday credited its "remarkable order intake" for its return to the black.
Air One will launch its first service to the US with five-times-weekly Milan Malpensa-Boston flights aboard A330-200s from June 14. It will start six-times-weekly MXP-Chicago O'Hare service aboard A330-200s from June 21.
Dragonair will add two A320-200s to its fleet via leases with CIT Aerospace. The aircraft, to be powered by IAE V2527-A5s, will be delivered in 2009 and 2010.
Lufthansa would support a merger between Star Alliance partners United Airlines and US Airways, LH Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber said in Washington yesterday on the 11th anniversary of the founding of the alliance. "[United Chairman and CEO] Glenn Tilton is absolutely right. Consolidation is the way forward," he said, adding that "anything that helps [a member of Star] helps us."
Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng said yesterday that the company is "open to all reasonable offers" for its 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic Airways. Reiterating comments he has made before, he told reporters, "It's not a secret that we regard it as an underperforming investment" ( ATWOnline, Dec. 13, 2007). But yesterday's remarks were the clearest indication yet that SIA is ready to move forward with a divestment of the stake it has held since 1999.
Mesa Air Group will do a phased shutdown of its Air Midwest subsidiary from May 23 to June 30. The Wichita-based regional, which has been in business for 43 years, operates a fleet of 20 B1900s serving 27 cities. Mesa said record high fuel prices, insufficient demand and a difficult operating environment factored into the decision to end service. Even with Essential Air Service subsidies provided by the US Dept. of Transportation, AM has been unable to achieve "sustained profitability" for several years, MAG said in a statement.
Continental Airlines Executive VP and CFO Jeff Misner will retire effective Aug. 31 to be replaced by Senior VP-Network Strategy Zane Rowe. Misner has served as CO's CFO since 2001. He joined the company in 1995 as VP-treasury operations. Rowe, 37, has been with CO since 1993 and has held his current post since September 2006. Sabena Technics appointed Willy Buysse MD of its Brussels site.
Airbus confirmed yesterday that "the plan to sell the plants which are not being carved out remains in place" despite the recent failure of negotiations with MT Aerospace regarding three German facilities ( ATWOnline, March 28). Plant divestures have been cited as a key component of the company's Power8 restructuring plan. "Airbus expects to conclude the divestments in Filton and in Laupheim in the next few weeks," it claimed. Filton will produce the A350's fixed trailing edge assembly and Laupheim the crew rest areas.
Iberia Group said it its first-quarter results were "dulled" by sharp hikes in the price of fuel, resulting in a net loss of €441,000 ($684,000), reversed from a profit of €12.3 million in the year-ago period.
Singapore Airlines parent SIA Group reported a net profit of S$2.05 billion ($1.5 billion) for its fiscal year ended March 31, down 3.8% from S$2.13 billion earned in the prior year, but said the income falloff was attributable to one-time gains in FY07 and boasted that it was able to grow full-year revenue at twice the rate of costs despite high fuel prices.
