Austrian LCC Niki will add its ninth aircraft, a 212-seat A321, on May 9 and has an additional nine A320 family aircraft on order for delivery by 2014 ( ATWOnline, Jan. 14). "The average age of the fleet is now between 1.5 and two years," founder and majority owner Niki Lauda told ATWOnline.
European Commission issued a revision of its list of banned airlines, the seventh update since establishment of the blacklist in March 2006. Newcomers are Ukraine Cargo Airways (the third Ukrainian airline after Volare Airlines and Ukrainian Mediterranean Airlines) and Hewa Bora Airways of DR Congo. HBA previously was allowed to operate a single aircraft under a special arrangement that has ended. Garuda Indonesia also remains on the list ( ATWOnline, July 6, 2007).
KLM UK Engineering announced the launch of its line maintenance facility at London City. Shop services KLM and CityJet aircraft and is expected to handle additional volume this year.
Ramco said El Al selected its Maintenance & Engineering & MRO Suite featuring legacy system transformation, best-of-breed business process improvement and compliance and conformance for Regional Regulatory Aviation Administration reporting and control requirements.
The outgoing Italian government met with unions yesterday and said afterward that it hopes to bring Air France-KLM back to the negotiating table. Meantime, leaders of the center-right coalition favored to triumph in this weekend's elections have toned down their opposition to a merger and appear willing to negotiate.
AirTran Airways forecast first-quarter passenger RASM to increase 6%-6.5% from the 9.2 cents it reported in the first three months of 2007, while CASM excluding fuel will rise 0.5%-1% year-over-year from 6.24 cents.
Chicago's attempt to privatize Midway Airport took another step forward with a preliminary application to become the sole large hub in FAA's pilot five-airport privatization program. The agency promised to "undertake a preliminary review. . .within 30 days." Six organizations, including a Spanish group that leases Chicago's Skyway toll bridge and another headed by Vancouver International Airport's operator, have been qualified as bidders.
Mexicana yesterday accepted a formal invitation to join the oneworld alliance, giving the group 11 members and a second Latin American foothold; LAN Airlines joined in 2000.
JetBlue Airways founder and Chairman David Neeleman will not stand for reelection at the May 15 annual shareholders meeting and will leave the company in order to focus on his new Sao Paulo-based carrier ( ATWOnline, March 28). Neeleman launched JetBlue in 1998 and ceded his position as CEO following the airline's operational troubles in February 2007 ( ATWOnline, May 11, 2007).
US Dept. of Transportation tentatively approved transatlantic antitrust immunity for six SkyTeam members--Air France, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Northwest Airlines, Alitalia and CSA Czech Airlines--nearly four years after Delta and Northwest first petitioned DOT to allow the alliance. After an initial denial, they reapplied last June with a substantially revised agreement ( ATWOnline, June 29, 2007).
Silverjet yesterday said it is involved in takeover talks with unidentified parties, according to widespread press reports. In a statement cited by Bloomberg News, the all-business-class carrier said it "is currently in discussions which may or may not lead to an offer."
Virgin Nigeria said it was granted US Dept. of Transportation approval to operate transatlantic commercial flights to and from Lagos, pending a signed aviation services agreement between the countries, although the aircraft must be wet-leased from a "duly authorized and properly supervised US or foreign carrier." CEO Conrad Clifford said VK will unveil its schedule "in a few months time." It filed its application in December 2005 and was opposed by some US airlines who claimed it was not a Nigerian-controlled carrier.
SunExpress, the joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, said it will be expanding its fleet to up to 25 aircraft. It will take delivery of at least eight Boeing aircraft by 2010, including two more 737-800s during the summer. It currently operates 11 -800s and four 757-200s. It opened its third base at Istanbul Sabhia Gokcen on April 9 and started flights to Antalya, Izmir, Berlin Schoenefeld, Hanover and Cologne.
Philippine Airlines said it will acquire six 76-seat Q400s and nine 50-seat Q300s that will be delivered in the next 4-6 months. Aircraft are valued at $150 million, PAL said, and will be used to "boost trade, tourism and local economies in rural island communities." It did not indicate the source of the aircraft.
Pratt & Whitney yesterday announced the launch of the second phase of ground testing for its Geared Turbofan demonstrator engine. Tests analyzing engine performance, acoustic characteristics and the nacelle system are underway at Pratt's facility in West Palm Beach. "We have analyzed the data from the first phase of ground testing and we are delighted by the performance of the Geared Turbofan engine," VP-Next Generation Product Family Bob Saia said.
Air New Zealand and Qantas yesterday confirmed they would be seeking financial compensation from Boeing as a result of the newly announced delays to the 787 program. Other customers preferred to remain quiet following the manufacturer's Wednesday revelation that the 787's first flight would be delayed an additional six months to the 2008 fourth quarter ( ATWOnline, April 10). Meanwhile, both ANZ and QF said they expected the announcement.
Brussels Airlines said its 2007 net profit nearly doubled to €23.1 million from €13.9 million the previous year, but warned that "high fuel prices, rising inflation, decreasing consumer confidence and increasing competition will have a negative influence on results in the current financial year." Revenue grew 2% to €921 million. It did not disclose its operating result. Number of revenue seats on both SN and codeshare operations increased 1.8% to 5.8 million.
American Airlines' schedule continued to be impacted heavily by FAA-mandated MD-80 inspections yesterday as the carrier cancelled another 922 flights--approximately 40% of its schedule--while attempting to fly out of the accompanying public relations storm.
Kuwait Airways said it plans to lease up to eight aircraft after receiving "verbal approval" from the government to lease six new aircraft from October until the end of 2009 and negotiate the lease of an additional two for the upcoming summer season, the Arab Air Carriers Organization announced. The airline is considering new routes to Canada, Australia, Japan and South Africa.
As widely expected, Boeing delayed its 787 program by an additional six months, the third setback since the July 2007 rollout. First flight now is expected in the fourth quarter instead of the current quarter, with only 25 deliveries scheduled for 2009.
UPS lowered its first-quarter earnings forecast to $0.86-$0.87 per diluted share from $0.94-$0.98. "The US economy has continued to weaken, causing a reduction in domestic package volume and a shift away from premium products. Significantly increased fuel costs in the quarter also contributed to the lower-than-expected results," the company said. It will release first-quarter earnings on April 23.
Jet Airways is considering launching service to Milan Malpensa and Paris Charles de Gaulle this year, Chairman Naresh Goyal confirmed yesterday to ATWOnline. He hopes to commence the routes in the next winter timetable. "Much will depend on the deliveries of our widebodies," he said in Brussels. Service to MXP would be operated in cooperation with Alitalia despite its shaky financial situation. "Alitalia is still flying," Goyal said, noting the ailing flag carrier still has the best network in and out of Italy. "AZ abandoned its routes into India.
North American Airlines and World Airways parent Global Aero Logistics named Executive VP and Chief Commercial and Planning Officer Robert Binns as CEO and Executive VP and Chief Airline Officer Charles McDonald as president. Chairman John Denison had been filling both roles on an interim basis. VP-Market Planning for Global Jeff Sanborn was promoted to chief marketing officer.
American Airlines cancelled more than 1,000 flights yesterday--nearly half its schedule--as it continued to inspect wire bundles in the wheel wells of its MD-80 fleet. It cancelled about 460 flights Tuesday for the same reason ( ATWOnline, April 9) and expects another 900 cancellations today. "We continue to inspect every airplane to ensure we are in total agreement with the specifications of the [FAA] directive. We will get back to a full schedule as quickly as possible," Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey said.
