AirlinesAir France-KLM To Increase Summer CapacityAir France-KLM plans to increase capacity on its services by 1.5 percent this summer, driven by a 15 percent increase on flights operated by its Transavia budget carrier. The Franco-Dutch airline group said it would offer 0.1 percent more long-haul capacity on its network as it resumes services between Paris and Tehran, increases flights to the United States and China, and launches a new route between the French capital and Astana.
LinkAmazon To Lease 20 Boeings For Cargo DeliveryAmazon has signed a deal to lease 20 Boeing 767 freighters from Air Transport Services Group to handle more of its own deliveries in the United States. Amazon, which relies on carriers such as United Parcel Service and FedEx to deliver most of its packages, spent USD$11.5 billion on shipping last year.
LinkCathay Pacific posts 90.5% net profit increase in 2015Cathay Pacific Airways has posted a net profit of HK$6 billion ($774 million) for 2015, up 90.5% compared to a net profit of HK$3.15 billion for 2014. The Hong Kong-based carrier attributed the improved performance to low fuel prices, along with strong economy class demand that offered higher load factors throughout the year.
LinkEmirates reveals new Boeing 777 business classEmirates officially revealed its new Boeing 777 business class seat this morning at international travel trade show, ITB Berlin. The seat appears to have made good on airline president Tim Clark’s promise of taking the B777 seat’s “design and comfort to the next level” – but that level isn’t necessarily ahead of rivals’ offerings.
LinkEurowings Pauses Long-Haul ExpansionLufthansa's low-cost unit Eurowings will not make a decision on expanding its long-haul fleet until it improves an operation that has been beset by delays, a Lufthansa executive said. Lufthansa wants to make Eurowings the third-largest low-cost carrier in Europe, behind Ryanair and easyJet, but its efforts to expand into long-haul, starting with two jets, stuttered when technical problems occurred and one of its flights to Cuba was delayed over 60 hours.
LinkOman Air wet leases 787-8s from Kenya AirwaysOman Air is to take two Boeing 787-8s from Kenya Airways on a three-year wet lease arrangement. The aircraft will be added to the Omani national carrier’s small but growing fleet of Dreamliners. It is understood the two new aircraft will be used to operate a planned second daily return flight between Muscat and London Heathrow.
LinkQatar Air Says Pratt & Whitney Engines Not Adequately TestedQatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker kept up pressure on Pratt & Whitney over delays and technical problems, saying engines for its Airbus A320neo aircraft had not been adequately tested. Qatar Airways was due to be the first airline to receive the recently updated aircraft, but has refused to take them because of engine problems and last month threatened to switch to alternative engine supplier CFM International.
LinkRyanair Launches Private Jet ServiceIrish budget airline Ryanair has launched a private jet service in its latest move into the higher-margin business sector, offering a single Boeing 737 for charter to companies and sports teams. The plane, which is painted in the Ryanair livery, will be offered "at the most competitive rate around," said spokesman Robin Kiely. Champagne and gourmet food will be available at extra cost, he said.
LinkSAS narrows net loss to $29 million for 1Q FY2015-16 SAS Scandinavian Airlines posted a first-quarter FY2015/2016 net loss of SEK246 million ($28.7 million), narrowed from a SEK640 million net loss a year ago. The first-quarter of SAS’s financial year runs from Nov. 1, 2015 through Jan 31, 2016. First-quarter revenue for the Stockholm-based airline was SEK8.28 billion, down 1.2% year-over-year (YOY).
LinkTigerair expands service to China, Malaysia & JapanSingapore-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Tigerair plans to launch a new 4X-weekly service from Changi Airport to Sunan Shuofang International Airport in the tier-two Chinese city of Wuxi. The Airbus A320 service will begin at the end of April 2016. Wuxi, capital of Jiangsu province, is close to another key city, Suzhou—both key destinations in the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone.
LinkVirgin America Reports February 2016 Operational Results Virgin America Inc. today reported its preliminary operational results for February 2016. The airline's traffic (measured in revenue passenger miles) increased 20.9 percent on capacity (measured in available seat miles) that was 21.3 percent higher from the same month in 2015.
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