NEWSQantas placed on ratings watch
Rating agency Standard & Poor’s has placed Qantas Group (QF) on a ratings watch, citing concerns about the airline’s international business. QF said earlier this week it expects to report a profit before tax of between A$50 million and A$100 million ($49 million - $98 million) for the financial year ending June 30. For the same period the previous year, QF posted a A$552 million profit.
LinkNorwegian confirms order for 100 A320neos
Norwegian (DY) has firmed an order for 100 Airbus A320neos, following an agreement signed in January. The carrier has not yet made its engine selection. “This order gives us an opportunity to secure and invest in the company's future,” DY CEO Bjørn Kjos said. "Brand new, fuel-efficient aircraft are necessary for us to continue to grow.”
LinkAmerican, pilots to continue mediated negotiations
Mediated talks between American Airlines (AA) and its pilots on a new labor pact, which took place June 4-7 under the supervision of a judge, are slated to continue the week of June 10 as the sides seek to avoid a bankruptcy-court imposed solution later this month.
LinkGermany's Condor To Expand Fleet - Report
German airline Condor, a unit of tour operator Thomas Cook, plans to expand its fleet thanks to strong demand for package tours, Thomas Cook Germany's chief told weekly magazine Focus.
LinkMinisters propose revisions to EU airport noise regulationsThe European Commission (EC) is recommending the adoption of ICAO’s so-called "balanced approach" to replace existing regulation on noise management at the region’s airports. At Thursday’s Council of EU Transport Ministers, the EC recommended that the ICAO standards and EU best practice in noise management become European law in order to even out disparities between states and ensure that certain processes are adhered to where measures are taken to mitigate air traffic noise.
LinkCEO: Lufthansa Group seeks more efficienciesLufthansa Group is implementing several measures to improve the group’s efficiency, including streamlining its fleet and better integrating its business units.
LinkAlligator Airways remains suspended by CASAAustralia’s Alligator Airways remains suspended and grounded by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) as it continues to investigate “a range” of safety issues. The Kununurra-based carrier had its air operator’s certificate and certificate of approval suspended May 3 due to “concerns about aircraft maintenance, failure to report incidents, inadequate pilot training records, a deficient safety culture, an inability of key personnel to carry out their safety obligations and key positions unoccupied or not functional,” CASA said. “These incidents involved forced landings where CASA believes employees of Alligator Airways were aware of significant defects affecting the safety of aircraft prior to flight.”
LinkRolls-Royce to gain full ownership in engine JVRolls-Royce will acquire the remaining 50% of shares in its UK-based joint venture with Goodrich, Aero Engine Controls (AEC). The JV was launched in January 2009, combining the engine controls businesses of the two companies.
LinkAirbus and Boeing announce May deliveriesAirbus in May delivered a total of 45 aircraft, comprising 34 A320 family, eight A330s and three A380s, down from a total of 50 deliveries in May 2011, comprised of 38 A320s, nine A330s, and three A380s. Included among the three A380 deliveries was Malaysia Airlines’ first of the aircraft type, and AirAsia’s 100th A320.
LinkIATA: 2012 forecast left unchanged at $3bn profitIATA has left is global profit forecast for the year unchanged at collective industry profits of $3 billion. Disclosing its latest quarterly update to its 2012 forecast during its annual general meeting today in Beijing, IATA highlights the recent easing in oil prices, robust passenger traffic and signs of a bottoming out in the freight market. This has helped offset the deepening European soveriegn debt crisis.
LinkIATA: SriLankan Airlines to join OneworldOneworld will this morning unveil SriLankan Airlines as its latest member elect during the annual general meeting in Beijing. Full details will be disclosed by Oneworld chief executive Bruce Ashby and SriLankan Airlines chief executive Kapila Chandrasena during a media event at the AGM today.
LinkA380 wing-cracks to require eight-week repair downtimeAirbus A380 operators face a 30,000 man-hour repair programme to address wing-crack issues that have dogged the airliner which will require an eight-week downtime if implemented in one installment. The European airframer confirms that if airlines choose to undertake the repair "nose-to-tail" it will require around eight weeks to implement. However Airbus says that it expects most operators would opt to adopt the phased approach spread out over three two-year heavy checks which is less disruptive. In this case, it expects the repair would extend each two-to-three week heavy check by "a few days".
LinkIATA: Trade body looks to bring air cargo to the forefrontIATA will be underscoring the value of air cargo for the wider economy during the annual general meeting here in Beijing as it looks to raise the profile of this sector of the industry. "One of the messages is to recognise that air cargo is a great driver of global trade," says IATA global head of cargo Desmond Vertannes, noting the sector handles $5.3 trillion worth of goods a year. "People have to understand how precious it is. When it is worth $5.3 trillion and growing, you have to look at the infrastructure."
LinkIATA: Lion's Batik Air to up the competition in Southeast AsiaIndonesia's airline market is set to get even more competitive in 2013 when Lion Air's new premium carrier begins operations. Batik Air will launch services in 2013 with Boeing 737-900ERs on domestic and regional routes. Lion has just signed a commitment for five Boeing 787s for its subsidiary, with its president director Rusdi Kirana previously saying the airline hopes to have widebodies by 2015.
LinkUSMC hopes new method for tracking fatigue life will help extend Harrier to 2030The US Marine Corps is switching to a new way of tracking the fatigue life of its Boeing AV-8B Harrier II fleet as it struggles to keep the venerable jump jet in service until 2030, the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) says. But the USMC is also doing what it can to keep the Harrier's avionics up-to-date as possible, the service says.
LinkDelta to replace majority of its 50-seat regional jetsDelta Air Lines plans to reduce the number of 50-seat regional jets that it contracts with regional carriers to 125, if its Air Line Pilots Association-represented pilots ratify a new labor contract. The Atlanta-based airline would replace 218 of its current 343 50-seat RJs with 70 76-seat RJs at its existing regional carriers, according to a Negotiators' Notepad from the union. Comair, Pinnacle and its subsidiary Mesaba, and SkyWest and its subsidiary ExpressJet Airlines currently operate the smaller jets for Delta.
LinkIntelsat 19 experienced 'unusual' event during launchA SeaLaunch Zenit launch vehicle experienced an 'unusual' event during the 31 May launch of Intelsat 19. Despite reaching its assigned transfer orbit, the Space Systems Loral LS-1300-based satellite fully deployed only one of its two solar arrays.
LinkF-22 Raptor damaged during training flightA Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor from Tyndall AFB, Florida, was damaged last Thursday evening during a training flight, the US Air Force confirms. While the pilot is safe, the aircraft suffered more than $2 million in damage-which classifies the incident as a Class A mishap. The full extent and cost of the damage has yet to be determined, but the service expects that the aircraft will be repaired.
LinkQantas Defence completes last A330 MRTT conversionQantas Defence Services (QDS) has completed its fourth and final Airbus Military A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) conversion. The conversion was undertaken at the company's Brisbane facility, says Qantas Defence in a statement. The aircraft will now be flown to Airbus Military's facility in Getafe, Spain, for final testing.
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