Royal Jordanian reported a 2005 profit of JOD21.7 million ($30.6 million) before deducting a share to be distributed to employees, up 25% from net earnings of JOD17.2 million in 2004. The airline said last year's profit was 33% above forecast. Revenues rose 12% from JOD345 million in 2004 to JOD387 million while expenses increased 11% to JOD352 million.
Delta Air Lines, which is expanding its transatlantic services this summer with 11 new routes and more than 50 daily flights to 29 cities in 17 countries in Europe and India, is looking for still more destinations, especially in Eastern Europe. "It is important for us to have more balance between the domestic and the international business. The demand for new routes to Europe is there," CEO Jerry Grinstein told journalists Monday.
Enigma announced the availability of Enigma InService MRO, which it said is based on the 3C Platform and claimed is the "first out-of-the-box maintenance publishing and delivery solution that provides all the technical support information needed for efficient aircraft service and support."
ANA and its subsidiary airlines face a 24-hr. strike Thursday by pilots dissatisfied with management's stance on new pay and working condition demands. If the strike goes ahead, ANA warned that up to 50% of domestic flights will be affected.
Air Arabia, which launched in October 2003, reported a 2005 net profit of AED32.1 million ($8.7 million) as annual passenger numbers surged 122% to 1.13 million and its network expanded by more than half to 23 destinations. It recently took delivery of its first A320, increasing its fleet to five aircraft. Three more A320s will arrive this year.
Garuda Indonesia will introduce 737-800s on its daily Perth-Bali-Jakarta service beginning March 26, replacing dash 400s. The carrier said the route will be among the first to use the new aircraft because of Western Australia's importance to the Bali tourist trade.
Delta Air Lines needs to have a cost-saving agreement with its pilots soon, CEO Gerald Grinstein said yesterday. "They have to reach that agreement. We have got to get that done by late spring," he told ATWOnline in Atlanta. Delta wants pay and benefit reductions and efficiency improvements valued in excess of $315 million per year from its Air Line Pilots Assn. unit, which has offered $115 million on top of $1 billion in givebacks provided in 2004 ( ATWOnline, Feb. 13).
Sabre Travel Network signed a multiyear full-content access agreement with KLM. Kingfisher Airlines signed a deal with Galileo to make its fares and inventory available on the GDS.
Mesa Air Group has countersued Hawaiian Airlines, according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin. In September, Mesa announced plans to start an inter-island carrier dubbed Project Hele with service to begin in the second quarter of 2006. In an effort to hold off the would-be competition, Hawaiian filed suit, claiming Mesa used proprietary information to bolster its startup proposal ( ATWOnline, Feb. 15).
US scheduled airlines experienced 32 accidents last year, three of which were fatal, resulting in 22 deaths, according to US National Transportation Safety Board preliminary safety statistics. In 2004, scheduled carriers operating under 14 CFR 121 (commercial transport aircraft with 10 or more seats) experienced 23 accidents, one of which was fatal, resulting in 13 deaths.
SkyWest Airlines took delivery of Bombardier's 250th CRJ700 last week in Montreal. It will be SkyWest's first aircraft operated for Delta Connection. It flies 180 CRJs including 57 CRJ700s.
Gol announced that subsidiary Gol Finance is offering perpetual notes to finance the acquisition of 737NGs. The notes will be senior unsecured debt obligations and have no fixed maturity date; however, they are callable at par after five years. The amount of the offering was not announced.
US Airways will launch daily Philadelphia-Portland, Ore., service June 1 aboard a two-class A320. Midwest Airlines is expanding its Kansas City and Milwaukee services from June 1. Frequencies will be added from Kansas City to Boston (to twice-daily), Los Angeles (to thrice each weekday during summer), Milwaukee (to seven flights per weekday), New York La Guardia (to four times each weekday) and San Diego (to twice-daily during summer). Flights are aboard 717s. From Milwaukee, Midwest will offer seasonal nonstop daily service to San Francisco through Sept.
Finnair selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 1700 over the GEnx launch engine to power the nine A350-900s it ordered late last year ( ATWOnline, Dec. 8, 2005). The carrier also holds four options on the new widebody, which will begin delivering in 2011. The engine deal is worth close to €400 million ($487.4 million) at list prices.
Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA issued a statement in support of last week's decision by the Congressional subcommittee on economic security, infrastructure protection and cybersecurity to accept the Leave All Blades Behind amendment attached to the US Transportation Security Administration's reform bill. The amendment would reverse the TSA decision to allow certain kinds of scissors and tools back onboard aircraft ( ATWOnline, Dec. 5, 2005).
JetBlue Airways announced a new leadership structure in its legal, corporate finance, government affairs, supply chain, finance and information technology departments. VP, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary Jim Hnat was named senior VP. Director-Litigation and Regulatory Counsel Joanna Geraghty was named VP-associate general counsel. John Harvey now is senior VP-corporate finance and treasurer and will oversee the carrier's new VP-fuel position. VP-Government Affairs and Associate General Counsel Rob Land was promoted to senior VP.
In conjunction with a study it commissioned to quantify the effect of the inclusion of air transport in the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, the European Low Fares Airline Assn. yesterday declared its support of the "principles" behind the policy but demanded an end to the "sloppy thinking and hysterical persecution" that finger aircraft as a leading emissions contributor. The association also protested the possibility that the EU may limit the scheme to intra-EU flights, thus singling out short-haul carriers and LCCs.
News from Travel Technology Update: American Airlines warned travel agencies that if they use more expensive booking channels, they may be asked to share the expense. In a letter signed by David Cush, vice president and general sales manager, the airline noted that its full-content agreements with the GDSs expire this year, and it reiterated that it may not participate in all four systems. Cush urged agencies to "consider adding other sources of fare content or leaving yourself the flexibility to add other sources of fare content."
Cyprus Airways contracted Mercator to handle its passenger revenue accounting operation. Mercator is part of Emirates Group. Jeppesen will provide its Airport Mapping Database for Thales' On-Board Airport Navigation System developed for Airbus aircraft. Jeppesen's AMDB currently includes 300 major airports, with more being added at customer request. Mesa Air Group selected UltiPro Workforce Management software from Ultimate Software, a provider of Web-based payroll and workforce management solutions.
AerCap, a major aircraft lessor and financier based in the Netherlands, said it signed an agreement to acquire Miami-based AeroTurbine for an undisclosed price. AeroTurbine specializes in aftermarket commercial aircraft engine and parts sales and holds an FAA-approved Certified Repair Station license to support its engine leasing and trading activities. It was founded in 1997 by CEO Nick Finazzo and COO Robert Nichols, who will remain in their current positions, according to AerCap.
China Southern Airlines selected Rolls-Royce Trent 700s to power 10 A330s in a $600 million deal that includes a support package. Delivery of the new aircraft will occur in 2007 and 2008 and will add to the carrier's fleet of four Trent-powered A330s. Rolls said the Trent 700 has won a 42% share of the combined firm and option A330 business and holds the entire market in mainland China and Hong Kong.
BAA said Friday that it had rejected a "pre-conditional" 810-pence-per-share, all-cash buyout offer from Spain's Grupo Ferrovial and its consortium partners. BAA shares closed at 839 pence Thursday. Ferrovial's offer valued BAA, which operates London Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, among others, at £8.8 billion ($15.39 billion.).
