Gate Gourmet won a three-year contract to provide catering and logistics services to GB Airways. GG also signed a deal with Jetstar Airways to supply catering services on its long-haul routes beginning in November. It already supplies Jetstar's domestic routes.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines removed five of its 13 aircraft from service because it cannot afford maintenance and is cutting international flights as a result, Deputy GM Khan Mosharraf Hossain was quoted as saying by Reuters. The aircraft--two DC-10s, one A310 and two F28s--were sent abroad for service. Biman will cut frequencies on routes to Europe and Asia. It ended its New York JFK service last month. It is projecting a BDT6.91 billion ($96.3 million) loss for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007. It owes BDT12 billion to Bangladesh Petroleum Corp., Reuters reported.
Midwest Air Group flew a consolidated 388.6 million RPMs in July, an 18.5% increase over the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 14.4% to 463.3 million ASMs and load factor rose 2.9 points to 83.9%. Yield grew an estimated 8.6% to 14.1 cents and passenger RASM was up an estimated 12.5% to 11.9 cents.
Copa Airlines said yesterday it will shift its alternate airport from Cartagena Rafael Nunez International to Panama's Howard AFB, which was turned over by the US to the Panamanian government in 1999 and has been certified as an international airport. Copa will begin using Howard in October. It said it will save fuel on flights into Panama and allow higher-capacity 737-800s to be used on several of its longer routes.
American Airlines will operate weekly New York JFK-San Jose del Cabo service from Dec. 16 through April 9 aboard a 757. Separately, AA introduced roundtrip Web-based check-in for return flights that leave within 24 hr. of departure.
FedEx Express and pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn. announced a tentative four-year labor agreement reached with the help of the National Mediation Board, which intervened in October 2005. The parties have been negotiating since 2004 and said the deal "is subject to review and finalization of contract language." Details of the agreement were not released.
Air Canada named Senior Director Daniel Shurz VP-network planning. He succeeds Benjamin Smith, new president and CEO of Air Canada Vacations. Also, Senior Director-Strategic Marketing Charlie McKee was named VP-marketing.
US National Transportation Safety Board investigators and Lexington Blue Grass Airport officials confirmed yesterday that alterations had been made to the taxiway that a Comair CRJ200 used before taking off from the incorrect runway Sunday morning and that the lights on that shorter runway were out of service at the time.
Gol said it received authorization to operate 14 weekly flights to Lima aboard 737-800s. It did not announce a launch date. It already flies to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia and intends to start service to Chile this year. Emirates will operate five-times-weekly Dubai-Tripoli-Tunis service beginning Oct. 29 aboard an A330-200. Mesa Airlines will launch 12-times-weekly Albuquerque-Alamogordo Sept. 24.
Qantas announced yesterday that it will partner with Telstra, Panasonic Avionics Corp. and AeroMobile to develop technology enabling passengers to use their cellphones or PDAs in flight. AeroMobile is a joint venture between ARINC and Telenor. New systems will be tested over three months on a 767 operating domestic routes. "This evaluation is the first step toward building a product which will support our customers' business and communication needs into the future," Qantas Group GM-Customer Product and Services Lesley Grant said. "The service will be simple to use.
Boeing confirmed yesterday that Air Sahara is a previously unidentified customer for 10 737-800s. The order, worth more than $700 million at list prices, was placed in the first quarter of this year. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in mid-2009. "This order reflects our confidence both in the growth of India's aviation market and Air Sahara's modernization and expansion plans," President Alok Sharma said.
Globe Air Cargo was appointed ANA's cargo general sales agent in New York and Boston. ANA operates daily 777 service from Tokyo Narita to New York JFK.
US FAA is seeking to institute a new traffic control mechanism at New York LaGuardia that would eliminate the current slot system and encourage airlines to operate larger aircraft into the crowded airport. The agency's proposed rule, which would take effect on Jan. 1, maintains the current hourly limit of 75 scheduled flights, but instead of airlines using slots to operate those flights FAA would create "operating authorizations" that would be granted "based on historic usage." The authorizations could be taken away if carriers use too many regional jets.
China Eastern Airlines lost CNY1.72 billion ($215.4 million) in the first six months of 2006, it told the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, according to the Associated Press. The result compares to a CNY580.6 million loss in the year-ago period. The carrier did not offer additional details. It reported a loss of CNY 955.1 million in the first quarter ( ATWOnline, April 27), implying a CNY764.9 million deficit in the quarter ended June 30.
Taiwan wants to raise the cap on foreign ownership of domestic airlines to 49% from 33%, according to Civil Aeronautics Administration Deputy DG George C.R. Lee, Dow Jones reported. Lee also said the government plans to allow private and foreign companies to construct and operate new airports. It has not decided whether to privatize existing airports.
SkyWest Airlines flew 1.47 billion RPMs in July, a 107.5% increase over the year-ago month reflecting the acquisition of Atlantic Southeast Airlines. Capacity climbed 99.4% to 1.79 billion ASMs, lifting load factor 3.2 points to 82.3%. Mesaba Airlines flew 100.5 million RPMs in July, down 43.9% from the year-ago month. Capacity dropped 42.1% to 147.1 million ASMs and load factor dipped 2.2 points to 68.3%.
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a temporary injunction Friday afternoon preventing Northwest Airlines flight attendants represented by the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA from conducting any strike or work action, granting the airline's appeal and reversing an earlier ruling by the US Bankruptcy Court ( ATWOnline, Aug. 18).
KLM appointed Arend de Jong as senior VP-marketing & network within the Joint Cargo Management Committee of Air France-KLM Cargo. He succeeds Bram Graber, who will become senior VP-KLM Benelux. Pieter Elbers succeeds De Jong as KLM senior VP-network.
The pilots of the Comair CRJ200 that crashed into a field while taking off from Lexington, Ky., Blue Grass Airport early Sunday morning used the wrong runway, National Transportation Safety Board Member Deborah Hersman confirmed in an evening briefing. The aircraft apparently was cleared to depart from Runway 22, the main runway with a length of 7,003 ft. However, it lined up on the shorter general aviation runway, 26, which is 3,500 ft. in length, insufficient for the fully loaded jet to become airborne.
Ryanair and easyJet responded to proposals for low-fare services from the Maltese government. Ryanair proposed flights to the island nation from London Luton, Dublin and Pisa while easyJet offered flights from LTN and Basel-Mulhouse, according to press reports.
Finnair subsidiary FlyNordic said it will trim last year's €17 million ($21.7 million) loss as it cut unprofitable routes during the summer and changes its focus to charter service. It was profitable in July as it transported 116,390 passengers, up 20% year-over-year, with a load factor of 80.6%. It said it will continue to trim its network during the winter. "This year we have begun hedging our fuel purchases in the same manner as Finnair," Deputy CEO Henrik Arle said.
