Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based ultra-LCC Spirit Airlines will equip its entire fleet with inflight Wi-Fi capability by mid-2019 as part of an ongoing effort to revamp its image and improve the value proposition of its product.
The South African government has agreed to make a further cash infusion into its loss-making national carrier, South African Airways (SAA), as it seeks to establish conditions for a decisive turnaround strategy.
After several years of shrinking margins in the Gulf region, an improvement in yield margins helped LCC Air Arabia to post profits of AED110 ($30 million) for 1Q 2018, up 8% compared to AED102 million for the year-ago quarter.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will switch out its Airbus A380 on the Zurich-Singapore route with an A380 version fitted with the latest onboard cabin productions and innovations, starting this summer.
North Korea has committed to taking steps to improve its airspace safety, which could open the way for airlines to resume using North Korean airspace for overflights.
Lufthansa subsidiary Brussels Airlines’ pilot union has called for strike action on May 14 and May 16, which is expected to create significant disruption to flight operations, the carrier confirmed to ATW.
São Paulo-based LCC GOL reported a BRL220.8 million ($66.8 million) net profit for the first quarter of 2018, down 6% from BRL234.9 million in 1Q 2017.
WestJet pilots, taking a major step closer to a costly showdown with the airline’s management, overwhelmingly approved a strike if the two sides fail to agree on a new contract during the last-ditch conciliation process currently underway.
Panama-based Copa Holdings reported a first-quarter 2018 net profit of $136.5 million, up 35.1% over net income of $101 million in the 2017 March quarter, as strong demand overcame rising fuel prices.
Santiago-based LATAM Airlines Group posted a $94 million net profit for the first quarter of 2018, up 43.2% compared to 1Q 2017’s $66 million net income, driven by a 50% year-over-year (YOY) rise in operating income.
US Senators from both parties lamented the lack of privacy protections under current FAA guidelines for operating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS), possibly paving the way for future legislative action.
US-based Harris Corp. will build and operate a new aviation telecommunications network for India under a contract the company signed May 10 with Airport Authority of India (AAI), that country’s air navigation service provider (ANSP).
Germania Group’s Switzerland subsidiary, Germania Flug AG, will expand operations in Zurich by 36% over last year, as the carrier responds to market changes as a result of consolidation in the German aviation industry following airberlin’s 2017 insolvency.
The Russian government will inject RUB6 billion ($95 million) into the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) program to increase sales of the regional aircraft.
WestJet’s first business-class cabins, the signature feature of its new Boeing 787-9s, will help the carrier revamp its onboard experience throughout its network—part of its strategy to move further away from its low-cost regional carrier roots and become “a global network airline,” WestJet president and CEO Ed Sims said.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on May 9 named 10 local, state and tribal governments the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has selected to participate in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) to test small drone applications within their jurisdictions.
Boeing’s April orderbook was dominated by American Airlines’ April 6 order for 47 787s, which helped to lift the US manufacturer’s gross commercial aircraft order total for the year to 321, nearly double the total for Airbus.
Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg has said making sure Airbus and Boeing are held to the same requirements or given the same opportunities in any Iranian aircraft sales will be the top priority now that President Donald Trump is withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal.
Icelandic LCC WOW Air appears to be on the verge of announcing flights to India, firming up plans for a strategic shift toward Asia, as reported by ATW in April.
Chongqing-based China Express Airlines reported a 2018 first-quarter net profit of CNY82.3 million ($13 million), up 6.3% compared to net income of CNY77.4 million in the year-ago quarter.
