AirlinesAegean’s passenger growth up 5% in 1Q 2017Greece-based Aegean Airlines and subsidiary Olympic Air carried 2.1 million passengers in the first quarter, up 5% compared to 2.01 million the year-ago quarter. International passenger traffic rose 17% year-over-year to 1.1 billion. Domestic traffic was down 6% to 992 million as the Star Alliance member adjusted demand with lower fares and reduced flights, which improved load factors on both domestic and international routes to 76.8%, up 7.5 points year-over-year.
LinkAir France outlines 787 network plansAir France will deploy Boeing 787s to several African destinations during the winter 2017/18 season as its Dreamliner fleet grows. The airline on 19 April received its second 787-9 from Boeing and is scheduled to operate five of the type by year-end. The aircraft (registration F-HRBB) is the first owned by Air France, with its initial 787 – delivered in December 2016 – having been leased from AerCap.
LinkAir France takes delivery of second Boeing 787-9Air France has taken delivery of its second Boeing 787-9, which is scheduled to enter revenue service May 1 to Montreal. The aircraft was handed over to the French national carrier at Boeing’s Charleston, South Carolina plant and ferried to its hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle April 20.
LinkHawaiian posts $37 million 1Q net profit; A321neos to come in OctoberHawaiian Holdings, parent of Hawaiian Airlines, reported a $36.9 million net profit for the 2017 first quarter, down 28.3% from a $51.5 million net income in 1Q 2016. During the investor call April 20, Hawaiian CEO Mark Dunkerley also announced that deliveries of 16 Airbus A321neos, originally scheduled for early 2017 but delayed by several months, will begin in October. As a result, Hawaiian has revised its full-year capacity guidance.
LinkIberia reveals first premium-economy routesSpanish flag carrier Iberia has unveiled its first Airbus A340-600 fitted with new premium-economy seats and revealed first routes. Iberia Maintenance will install the new seats on Iberia aircraft at its Madrid Barajas International hangars, while the airline’s ordered Airbus A350s will come factory-equipped with the new seating section. This summer, the airline will have five A340-600s equipped with the new cabin.
LinkNew flaperon drift tests verify MH370 likely resting placeNew modelling and analysis of drift patterns corroborate analysis from late 2016 that the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER that operated flight MH370 is most likely in a new search area. The Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) conducted further modelling on behalf of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which has been leading the search efforts.
LinkRepublic projects April bankruptcy exitA US bankruptcy judge has approved Republic Airways Holdings' bankruptcy exit plan, putting the regional airline company on track to emerge from bankruptcy protection efore the end of April, Republic announces. “With the work of restructuring complete, we’re ready to come out of Chapter 11 laser-focused on reclaiming our leadership position in the regional airline industry," says Republic chief executive Bryan Bedford in a statement.
LinkJordanian charter carrier Royal Wings to start scheduled flightsRoyal Jordanian’s charter subsidiary, Royal Wings, will reinforce its initial scheduled services from the Jordanian resort of Aqaba, with a second destination. The airline already operates scheduled services from the Lebanese capital of Beirut. It will now offer a 2X-weekly service from the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
LinkSpiceJet selects BoardConnect Portable IFEIndian low-cost carrier SpiceJet has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to equip its fleet with Lufthansa Systems’ BoardConnect Portable inflight entertainment (IFE) and e-commerce platform.
LinkUnited CEO will not take chairman's role in 2018United Airlines says its chief executive Oscar Munoz will no longer become chairman of its board in 2018, following the controversial incident in which police forcibly removed a United passenger from a flight. Chicago-based United is also re-looking executive compensation incentives to improve the airline's customer service, adding that it takes "recent events extremely seriously".
LinkVietJet targets 36% increase in 2017 net profit to D3.4t VietJet Air has set a net profit target of D3.4 trillion ($150 million) in 2017, a 36% year-on-year increase from its D2.5 trillion net profit in 2016. The revenue targets for 2017 is D42 trillion, a 52.7% increase from 2016 revenue of D27.5 trillion.
LinkWestJet joins ULCC scramble as Canada's skies evolve If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Canada's low-cost giant WestJet seems to have heeded that advice, announcing 20 April plans to launch an ultra-low-cost subsidiary late this year. The news, which comes as several other companies work to get ULCC operations off the ground, marks a notable position reversal for executives at Calgary-based WestJet.
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