Recent high-profile incidents in which passengers were not allowed to get off parked aircraft for long periods have revived momentum in the US Congress for legislation outlining passengers' "rights" and governing airlines' actions in those situations.
Eurocontrol and DFS, the German air navigation services provider, contracted the Sofreavia/SITA consortium to supply the next generation of data link gateway systems known as the Data Link Front End Processor. All ANSPs in Europe will need to upgrade and/or complement their ATM infrastructures with DL-FEP equivalent functionality by circa 2010, as outlined in the Data Link Implementation Rule expected to be adopted by the European Commission under the Single European Sky initiative's Interoperability Regulation by year end.
Royal Jordanian selected IER to supply its Common Use Self-Service check-in platform. The project was initiated by RJ in cooperation with IATA, which selected Amman's Queen Alia International to launch the CUSS program in the Middle East. IER installed 15 IER 978 kiosks equipped with ATB, GPP and bag tag printers, a passport reader and a barcode reader at AMM and Aqaba. It also provided RJ with the full CUSS application.
Bmibaby will base an additional 737 at Birmingham, lifting its BHX fleet to nine. It will launch four-times-weekly service to Jersey and increase daily frequencies to Edinburgh and Glasgow International.
Skybus Airlines, a proposed low-fare startup, ordered CFM56-5Bs to power the 65 A319s it ordered last fall ( ATWOnline, Oct. 27, 2006). The deal is worth $750 million at list prices, according to Safran Group. Engines will be Tech Insertion models. Skybus expects to take delivery of its first aircraft in late 2008 and commence flying from Columbus, Ohio, the following spring.
Pegasus Airlines will start a twice-weekly Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen-Zurich service on March 20. The Turkish carrier said it will open new routes to Germany, Austria and Denmark this summer. It operates 16 737s, including 12 737-800s, to 16 destinations. It will take delivery of 12 new -800s through the end of next year. Spanair launched 12-times-weekly Girona-Madrid service. Armavia will start weekly Yerevan-Cologne service on March 29 using A320s.
Air Mauritania 737 that was hijacked in the northwest African country last week ( ATWOnline, Feb. 16) escaped harm in Las Palmas thanks to a quick-thinking pilot who braked hard then accelerated quickly on landing, knocking the hijacker down and giving flight attendants time to throw boiling water on his face. Passengers then helped subdue him, Spanish officials told the Associated Press. The armed hijacker reportedly demanded to be flown to France, where he hoped to seek political asylum.
Airbus announced that CIT Group signed a firm order in December for five A330s and 10 A320 family aircraft. To date, CIT has ordered 112 A320 family aircraft, 25 A330s and five A350s; 73 have been delivered.
Sabena technics signed a three-year contract with Martinair covering MRO on V2500-powered A320-200s. Sabena technics will provide full support as well as component repair services comprising pool access and consignment stock.
Frontier Airlines said the Frontier Airline Pilots Assn. ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with 67% of those voting approving the deal, which goes into effect next month ( ATWOnline, Jan. 8).
Kuwait Airways is preparing for a major fleet renewal. According to the Arab Air Carriers Organization, KU is negotiating with both Airbus and Boeing to buy up to 34 aircraft and expects formal proposals from the manufacturers in the next few weeks. It currently operates three A320s, two A310-300s, five A300-600s, four A340-300s and two 777-200s.
Lufthansa flew 8.59 billion RPKs in January, a 7.4% increase from the year-ago month. Capacity was up 5% to 11.86 billion ASKs and load factor climbed 1.7 points to 73.6%. US Airways Group airlines flew 4.87 billion RPMs in January, up 4.7% from the year-ago month. Capacity grew just 0.8% to 6.65 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 2.8 points to 73.3%. Cathay Pacific Airways flew 6.62 billion RPKs in January, down 0.1% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 1.8% to 8.6 billion ASKs, dropping load factor 1.4 points to 77%. CX's traffic now includes Dragonair.
Aeroflot is committed to phasing out its remaining Tu-134 and Tu-154 aircraft by 2010, according to press reports. Fourteen Tu-134s are scheduled to leave the fleet this year and be replaced by A320s and Sukhoi RRJs. The Tu-134 served the carrier for approximately 40 years. Aeroflot Chairman and CEO Valery Okulov told this website in November that Aeroflot's fleet plan calls for 65 A320 family aircraft and 30 RRJs on its short- and medium-haul network ( ATWOnline, Nov. 22, 2006). It currently operates 88 aircraft.
MTU Maintenance signed an open-ended contract with Cathay Pacific Airways for MRO on 15 CF6-50E2s powering 747-200Fs. Work will be performed at Hannover Langenhagen. Separately MTU Hannover named Uwe Blocker president and CEO, effective March 1.
Australian Treasurer Peter Costello assured the public that the A$11.1 billion ($8.7 billion) bid for Qantas by Airline Partners Australia will undergo intense scrutiny to ensure it falls within the national interest. Costello promised media last week that "scrutiny will be very vigorous" and the government intends to enforce the Qantas Sale Act, which prevents the airline from being majority foreign-owned.
Environmental pressures may influence Boeing to offer two solutions for the 737 replacement market, although the effort on that front still is relatively low-key. Speaking to ATWOnline late last week, Commercial Airplanes President Scott Carson suggested that environmental issues are a "top priority" at Boeing and that it may move the baseline for the 737 replacement higher than the current 90-200 seats to a 130/230-seat platform.
British Airways flew 8.87 billion RPKs in January, down 2.8% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 1.5% to 12.76 billion ASKs, dropping load factor 3 points to 69.5%.
Estonian Air flew 689,800 passengers in 2006, a 7.3% increase over 2005. Load factor rose 1 point to 62%. Chairman Olev Schults said the airline suffered a net loss for the year, "caused mainly by the considerably lower than expected market growth, a series of technical problems and consequent extraordinary costs." The company will publish its results in April.
Northwest Airlines plans to emerge from bankruptcy by the end of the second quarter with an anticipated equity value of $6.5-$7.7 billion, according to its disclosure statement filed yesterday with a US Bankruptcy Court.
TAM reported full-year unit revenues of BRL0.21 ($0.10), a 2.5% improvement over its 2005 performance. Yields fell 1.9% to BRL0.29 and load factor rose 3.3 points to 73.9%. Unit cost dropped 4.3% to BRL0.18, or 5.9% to BRL0.12 excluding fuel. The airline said it exceeded its 2006 guidance in all categories save CASK, which it forecast cutting by 5%. It said the 6.7% year-over-year rise in fuel costs was the cause. Fourth-quarter RASK decreased 6.3% to BRL0.19 against a 9.8% decline in CASK to BRL0.17, or 6.5% to BRL0.11 excluding fuel.
Republic Airways reported $79.5 million in net income for 2006, a 31.1% increase over the $60.7 million earned in 2005, as revenues grew 26.3% to $1.14 billion and operating income surged 33.9% to $212.6 million. Expenses climbed 24.7% to $930.5 million, primarily due to increases in maintenance and landing fees as well as "transition costs" associated with new flying for Continental Airlines and US Airways.
Boeing yesterday announced the finalization of UPS's order for 26 767-300ER freighters ( ATWOnline, Feb. 6) and said the aircraft, to be delivered from 2009 through 2012, will be powered by GE CF6-80C2s.
