NewsCommercial
Lessor Guggenheim Aviation Partners sold, renamed Altavair
New York-based investment firm Guggenheim Partners has sold its commercial aircraft leasing unit Guggenheim Aviation Partners (GAP) to GAP’s Seattle, Washington-based management team. GAP has rebranded as Altavair and will be headed by co-founders Steve Rimmer (CEO, based in Seattle), and Paul Newrick (president and managing director, based in London). The two commercial aviation industry veterans founded GAP in 2003 as a joint venture with Guggenheim, focusing exclusively on acquiring, leasing, converting and selling commercial aircraft and engines.
LinkAirlines
Delta’s Passenger Unit Revenue Falls In September
Delta Air Lines reported a drop in passenger unit revenue for September, measured against the same period last year. Consolidated PRASM (passenger revenue per available seat-mile) was down 3 percent from September 2015.
Link
Emirates foresees being A380's 'market maker'
Emirates will be the "market maker" for the Airbus A380, the Gulf carrier's senior vice-president of corporate treasury Nirmal Govindadas argued today. Speaking at the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers conference in Dubai, he addressed what he referred to as the "noise" over A380 residual values following Singapore Airlines' disclosure that it will not extend the lease on its first example of the double-deck type.
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Icelandair to add 13% capacity in 2017
celandair is to add 13% year-on-year international capacity and has confirmed plans to add another pair of Boeing 767-300s in 2017. The extra capacity—totaling a 13% increase in ASKs, or 8% more flights—will include two new destinations and increased frequencies to several gateways in both North America and Europe.
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Ryanair to add 50 aircraft in 2017
Irish budget carrier Ryanair has detailed its expansion plans for 2017, which will see it add 50 aircraft and create over 3,500 new jobs. The aircraft will be sourced from Ryanair’s existing orders.
Link
Sri Lanka Cancels AerCap A350 Lease
SriLanka has re-negotiated the cancellation of a lease agreement for Airbus A350s, according to a media report. Reuters reported that SriLanka will pay USD$170 million to cancel the lease for four A350s ordered by the previous government.
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Russia’s UTair to develop North Caucasus network
Russia’s UTair Aviation has signed an agreement of intent with the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of North Caucasus Affairs to develop a route network in the North Caucasus region. UTair plans to launch ATR 72 service from Mineralnye Vody and Sochi to Astrakhan, Belgorod, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kazan, Krasnodar, Makhachkala, Rostov-on-Don, Saratov and Samara. The carrier is expected to operate 5,500 roundtrip flights per year to these destinations. The project will run from January to April 2017.
LinkAirports
Cargo aircraft incident disrupts Belfast flights
Operations at Belfast International Airport were disrupted Oct. 4 after a TNT Airways-branded Boeing 737-400 freighter was involved in a landing gear incident, blocking both of the airport’s runways. According to Flightradar24, the 24-year old aircraft (registered OE-IAG, serial number 25168) is operated by ASL Airlines Belgium and was flying in TNT colors at the time of the incident.
Link
Nine US airports added to Global Entry program
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has designated nine additional US airports for the Global Entry program. Originally established on Feb. 6, 2012, with 20 designated airports, the program has grown steadily, with four new airports added in March 2012, eight in June 2013, and seven in January 2015. The nine newly added airports will have Global Entry kiosks installed on or before April 3, 2017, according to an Oct. 4 Federal Register announcement. Once completed, 48 airports in 28 states and Puerto Rico will be equipped for Global Entry-registered passengers.
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New terminal at Russia’s Gelendzhik Airport to open in 2018
Russian airport operator Basel Aero has signed an agreement with Gelendzhik authorities to construct a new terminal at Gelendzhik Airport, which is scheduled to open at the end of 2018. It was originally planned to be ready at the end of 2017. Basel Aero will invest up to RUB520 million ($8.3 million) on the project. The new 5,200 sq m single-story terminal will be able to handle up to 314 passengers per hour.
Link
Military
Israel looking to add to surveillance aircraft fleet
The Israeli air force (IAF) has an operational requirement for additional surveillance aircraft to add to its in-service Gulfstream-based fleet. It is interested in airborne early warning, communications intelligence and electronic intelligence aircraft, an IAF source revealed, adding that regional changes have added to the demand.
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Aviation Quote
The secret of this business is you've got to have a defensive strategy, as well as an offensive strategy.
- Fred Smith, FedEx founder and CEO, The Wall Street Journal, 14 July 2010.
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