Cargolux this week placed a follow-on order for three 747-8 freighters valued at $845 million plus two options, bringing its total firm orders for the type to 13. It is the co-launch customer for the 747-8F along with Nippon Cargo Airlines ( ATWOnline, Nov. 16, 2005). It also has 10 purchase rights. Boeing said it now has a combined 87 firm orders for the 747-8F and the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger version.
Lufthansa is exploring transferring its Moscow airport operation from Sheremeteyvo to Domodedovo. "We are discussing such a move," LH Executive VP-Marketing and Sales Thierry Antinori told ATWOnline, adding that an announcement may come this year. DME is making an effort to woo the carrier and a source close to the airport told this website that the move could happen in time for the summer 2008 schedule. Star Alliance member Austrian Airlines switched to DME last month ( ATWOnline, Feb.
US Dept. of Transportation yesterday tentatively approved Virgin America's plan to "reconfigure its ownership and management structure" and said the carrier could earn its operating certificate if it meets certain conditions, including replacing CEO Fred Reid, who has overseen the certification process since he left Delta Air Lines in April 2004.
Air China and Air Macau parent Air China Ltd. earned a 2006 net profit of CNY3.19 billion ($411.8 million), up 86.71% over the prior year, on a 17.4% lift in operating revenue to CNY44.9 billion.
Accident investigators are looking at whether heavy fog played a role in Saturday's crash of a UTair Tu-134 that killed six passengers at Samara Airport. Reports from the city in southwest Russia and data supplied by the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network said the aircraft landed 400 m. short of the runway and flipped over after the left wing touched the ground. There were 50 passengers and seven crew onboard.
Alpi Eagles of Italy ordered five E-195s, plus five options and six purchase rights, Embraer announced yesterday. The order, which had been listed as "undisclosed" in the manufacturer's order book, will be valued at $584 million if all options and purchase rights are exercised. Based in Venice, Alpi is the launch customer for the high-capacity, 122-seat, single-class E-195, which was announced at Farnborough last July ( ATWOnline, July 24, 2006).
Airbus is facing an uphill battle to retain Malaysia Airlines as an A380 customer. According to Business Times, MAS remains in discussions with the manufacturer on "various options" for its order for six. The newspaper reported that the airline and parent Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd. said in an e-mailed statement that they had "yet to come to any conclusion." It also cited sources stating that a cancellation is likely.
Alitalia flew 2.67 billion RPKs in February, up 4.8% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 0.4% to 3.91 billion ASKs, lifting load factor 2.9 points to 68.3%.
Jazeera Airways yesterday announced the submission of its application for listing on the Kuwait Stock Exchange ( ATWOnline, Oct. 13, 2006). Jazeera Chairman and CEO Marwan Boodai said the KSE has the second-highest capitalization in the Middle East and that the application process is expected to take 6-8 weeks. J9 claims to be the only airline in the region not owned or subsidized by any government.
Etihad Airways will launch thrice-weekly service to Toronto (aboard an A340-500 from June 2) and Brussels (aboard an A330-200 from June 1) from Abu Dhabi. Air Berlin will begin a six-times-weekly Berlin Tegel-Gothenburg service on May 2. Malaysia Airlines and Transaero Airlines have launched a partnership to develop Moscow Domodedovo-Kuala Lumpur service. Initial phase lasts through this month during which Transaero will operate the route with a 767-300 with MAS as a codeshare partner.
Thai Airways, Nok Air, One-Two-Go Airlines and Orient Thai Airlines will resume domestic operations at Bangkok's old Don Muang Airport on March 25. Last Sunday Thai moved 29 truckloads of passenger and ground handling equipment back to Don Muang from the new Suvarnabhumi International, where a few gates at a time are being taken out of service to facilitate airfield pavement repairs ( ATWOnline, Feb. 8). Don Muang was closed to scheduled commercial traffic when Suvarnabhumi opened Sept.
Gulf Air named former British Airways employee and private consultant Jeffrey Solomon as acting VP-technical. Swiss International Air Lines said that MD and Head of Sales and Marketing-Intercontinental Markets Marcel Biedermann will head the carrier's North and South American management operations.
Japan Airlines was anticipating a one-day strike by approximately 2,000 "cockpit crew and other staff" today but promised all flights will operate normally and that there will be no cancellations. JAL said three unions--JAL Cockpit Crew Union, JAL Labor Union and JAL Domestic Labor Union--voted yesterday to strike. JAL Cabin Crew Union declined to join in the work action.
A380 development aircraft MSN7, with nearly 500 passengers onboard and operated with assistance from Lufthansa, made a smooth landing at New York JFK shortly after noon yesterday, becoming the first of the aircraft type to land at a US airport (see story below). A second development A380 carrying no passengers arrived shortly thereafter at Los Angeles International Airport. "We're testing actual factors in a real airline environment. This shows the A380 works," Airbus CCO John Leahy said.
Lufthansa Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber said last week in Washington that the tentative open skies accord reached by the US and EU is "just a first step" and that the industry must strive for more freedom both in the transatlantic market and globally. EU-US open skies "should be a blueprint" for the global industry and a long-term accord should significantly expand the business flexibility of carriers, he said.
Vietnam Airlines unveiled a redesigned and upgraded website enabling it to launch e-ticketing this quarter. Domestic fares are available online with the rest of the schedule slated for release next month. Separately, VN started four-times-weekly Hanoi-Luang Prabang service aboard 65-seat ATR 72s. It is the carrier's second destination in Laos.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Anthony Shorris blasted airlines for poor treatment of passengers at New York JFK and other New York airports during recent winter storms. Noting "uniquely powerful ice storms" that hit New York over the weekend and earlier this winter, he told media gathered at the airport yesterday for the A380 proving flight landing that bad decisions were made and resulted in too many passengers stranded on delayed aircraft. He did not single out specific carriers.
The A380 landed in the US for the first time yesterday, at New York JFK's Terminal 1, following a quiet flight from Frankfurt that took 45 min. less than the 7 hr. 45 min. scheduled flight time.
US airlines' capacity is expected to grow 2.8% and traffic 3.4% in 2007, FAA forecasts. Mainline domestic capacity is expected to increase 2.1% in 2007 and 3.6% in 2008. Latin American Air Transport Assn.'s 33 member airlines flew 11.15 billion RPKs in January, down 7.6% from the year-ago month, a decline the organization attributed to cutbacks at Varig. Capacity fell 4.9% to 15.89 billion ASKs and load factor dropped 2.1 points to 70.2%.
AirAsia's planned low-cost, long-haul AirAsia X service, originally scheduled to start in July with flights to the UK ( ATWOnline, Jan. 10), likely will be delayed until next year owing to lack of aircraft, according to press reports. "We are looking at the cost structure, the right aircraft," CEO Raja Azmi Mohamad told Malaysian media, the BBC reported.
Futura International Airways, a charter carrier based in Palma de Mallorca, will become the first European operator of the 737-900ER when it takes delivery of two next year, Commercial Director Juan Munoz de Baena told ATWOnline. It also will take two 737-800s in 2009 and another in 2010. Futura currently operates 13 -800s, three 737-300s and 13 737-400s. Despite the fleet expansion, it is challenged by the seasonality of the European charter business dominated by the summer high season.
Qatar Airways won Australian government approval for daily service to Melbourne, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport Mark Vaile told reporters last week. QR also can introduce a second daily service to an additional Australian city next year. In response, Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon said his airline "will have no option but to achieve further cost savings if it is to remain competitive" now that more carriers are gaining access to the country.
Air Arabia's AED2.57 billion ($698.9 million) IPO was scheduled to launch yesterday as 55% of the airline's share capital equal to 2.57 billion shares was put up for sale. The shares will be listed on the Dubai Financial Market upon completion of the 10-day IPO, which the carrier said is the largest in United Arab Emirates history.
ANA's North American customer relations and service office near Los Angeles was raided last Thursday by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Associated Press reported. The FBI declined to comment on the nature of the warrant, but ANA said there was "no suspicion of terrorism and the ANA flights are operating normally," AP said.
