CommercialAir France-KLM May Reinvest In Alitalia If Conditions MetAir France-KLM will look at reinvesting in Alitalia if the conditions it set for its restructuring are met, the Franco-Dutch airline's chief executive said on Thursday. "Our partnership with Alitalia is very important," Alexandre de Juniac told reporters at an event organized by the European American Press Club. "It's a partner, we've set conditions and if they are met we'll be ready to take a look," he added. Air France-KLM, which had written off the value of its 25 percent stake in Alitalia to zero, saw this stake fall to around 7 percent after it snubbed Alitalia's emergency share issue in December.
LinkBoeing Hiring In S. Carolina As 787 Production RaisedBoeing is hiring contract workers at its factory in South Carolina as it boosts output of the 787 Dreamliner and seeks to avoid manufacturing issues linked to the production increase, according to people familiar with the situation. Boeing confirmed that it is hiring at the facility but declined to provide details. The company was responding to a Wall Street Journal report that said the aircraft maker is adding about 300 contract mechanics and inspectors at its North Charleston facility. The Journal said the contractors were needed in part to avoid production issues with 787 body sections made at the factory that could slow overall output of the high-tech plane.
LinkBusiness Passengers Lift EasyJet RevenueEasyJet's success in attracting cost-conscious business passengers helped the no-frills British airline to report a 7.7 percent rise in first-quarter revenue to GBP£897 million. EasyJet said on Thursday that business passenger numbers rose 8.9 percent in the three months ended December 31, the first quarter of its financial year, more than double the 4.2 percent rise in overall passenger numbers. However, the Luton, England-based firm said the timing of Easter, which this year falls in April and so outside the first half of its financial year, would hit revenues in the six months to March 31. In the first half of last year, revenues got a GBP£25 million (USD$41.5 million) boost from Easter, it estimated.
LinkPAL Delays Cambodian Carrier PlansPhilippine Airlines is deferring plans to invest in a new Cambodian carrier, according to a report in the country's Business World newspaper. The report quoted Ramon S. Ang, PAL president and chief operating officer, as saying: "We are reviewing when to start and whether the project is still viable."
LinkATR plans further ramp-up as annual orders rise 20%ATR’s turnover increased 13% to $1.63 billion in 2013, and the Franco-Italian turboprop manufacturer received 20% more orders than in 2012. The Toulouse-based airframer gained 89 firm orders and 106 options last year, with the larger ATR 72-600 accounting for nearly 90% of the firm bookings. By year-end the firm backlog reached 221 aircraft, which translates to nearly three years of production. ATR puts the backlog’s value at $5.3 billion.
LinkP&W verifies cooling fix for A320neo engine, begins Block 2 tests Pratt & Whitney has verified that a modified cooling flow corrects a potential over-heating problem on an engine for the Airbus A320neo. A tear-down inspection in December showed that the component redesign on the first block of PW1100G-JM engines worked as expected, says Bob Saia, vice-president of P&W’s next generation products. The results keep the engine on track for certification later this year, allowing Airbus to begin the flight test campaign of the A320neo in the autumn. “We’re really pleased,” Saia says. “We’re confident we’ve got the right configuration to meet the requirements for engine certification.”
LinkAuthority criticises crew after An-24 lands shortInvestigation into the Pskovavia runway excursion at Moscow Domodedovo comes just three weeks after an Polar Airlines Antonov An-24 was damaged as it landed short at Yakutsk. The aircraft (RA-46834) had touched down on runway 23R at night in fog – which reduced visibility to 400m (1,300ft) – following a regional flight from Batagay on 3 January. Federal aviation authority Rosaviatsia states that the landing took place at 18:59 but a subsequent airport inspection, at 20:35, found damage to approach lights some 170m before the threshold.
LinkAirbus A330-300 gains Japanese certificationThe Japan Civil Aviation Bureau has issued certification for the Airbus A330-300 aircraft, paving way for the type to enter service in Japan. This comes after the type met criteria specified in the Japanese aviation law, says the country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in a statement.
LinkEtihad, JetBlue Airways to codeshareJetBlue Airways and Etihad Airways have unveiled plans for a wide-ranging codeshare, which will initially cover 40 of JetBlue’s domestic routes. Subject to government approval, Etihad will initially place its code on 40 JetBlue-operated services from New York JFK and Washington Dulles.
LinkRussia's Yamal Airlines temporarily grounds Boeing 737 fleetRussia’s Yamal Airlines has temporarily pulled its Boeing 737s fleet out of service. The Salekhard-based carrier said the grounding is necessary to lower the risk of spontaneous errors pertaining to the deviation or deflection of the elevator.
LinkFrench ATC strike could affect European operationsFrench air traffic controls have called a five-day strike from Jan. 27-31, which could cause major traffic interruptions for European passengers. The strike, called by the union Syndicat National des Contrôleurs du Trafic Aérien (SNCTA), the major union of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCO), could lead to flight cancellations and major delays.
LinkColumn: Southwest inspires employees with purpose Carmine Gallo, a communications coach, said Southwest Airlines aims to inspire employees through its purpose of connecting people through air travel. Southwest founder Herb Kelleher once said, "It's not one of the enduring mysteries of all time. A motivated employee treats the customer well. A customer is happy so they'll keep coming back, which pleases the shareholder. It's just the way it works." "Southwest is a great place to work and brings the greatest joy because we have such meaningful purpose," said CEO Gary Kelly.
LinkOpinion: Other airlines may follow in Delta's footprintsDelta has refreshed its 757-200, 737-800, and A319/320 fleets. Some of the new comforts include larger overhead bins, an economy option for extra legroom and fold-flat seats in business class. The carrier has also limited access to Sky Club lounges. These changes may be replicated by other carriers, according to Ed Perkins.
LinkDemand for aircraft grows in ChinaThis year, Boeing expects to deliver about 140 aircraft to China. Last year, the plane manufacturer delivered 143 planes, which was a record for the company. A growing economy in China has made air travel more available, which is raising the demand for aircraft in the country. Last year, China Southern took delivery of 37 jets; it was only second to American Airlines.
LinkAirbus: Lease rates for single-aisle aircraft restored Airbus Group lease rates for single-aisle aircraft have rebounded from a drop prompted by the collapse of Spanair SA and the grounding of Indian carrier Kingfisher, the planemaker’s head of aircraft finance said. “Rates have substantially recovered, after an earlier overhang with the ex-Kingfisher and Spanair planes,” said Nigel Taylor, the aircraft-finance chief of Airbus’s commercial plane unit. Rising deliveries of narrow-body planes to lessors will also continue to support rates, he said. Lessors funded 44 percent of Airbus deliveries last year, when the Toulouse-based planemaker achieved a record 626 deliveries, according to Taylor, who was speaking in an interview at an aircraft finance conference sponsored by Airline Economics in Dublin .
LinkLas Vegas airport implemented new FAA rules ahead of deadlineAlthough not required until this year, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas implemented new rules on takeoff and landing procedures required by the Federal Aviation Administration last year.
LinkSpending bill limits use of federal funds to hire more TSA screeners A provision in the $1.1 trillion spending bill President Obama signed on Friday has stirred concerns about privatization of airport security. The appropriations measure prevents the Transportation Security Administration from using federal funds to hire more screeners if the total number would exceed 46,000 employees. That, combined with a push by some lawmakers for greater use of private-sector screeners, has drawn criticism from the union that represents TSA officers. “This is an effort by some extremist lawmakers who want to return airport security to the pre-9/11 era,” the American Federation of Government Employees said in a statement last week.
LinkStudy: Detroit airport contributed $10.2B to Mich. economyDetroit Metropolitan Airport contributed $10.2 billion to the Michigan economy over the past fiscal year, according to a recent study. "The report underscores the critical importance of providing operational excellence at Detroit Metro Airport because of the enormous effect it has on the economy of our region and state," said Thomas Naughton, the CEO for the Wayne County Airport Authority.
LinkO'Hare gaining ground on Atlanta as nation's busiest?Federal Aviation Administration data shows that Chicago O'Hare airport is gaining on Atlanta as the nation's busiest. While Atlanta had 5.9% more operations than the Chicago hub in 2012, it had only 3.1% more operations last year. Last year, traffic at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport fell 2%.
LinkUnited boosts service for Super Bowl fliers United Airlines is adding 15 additional flights to and from its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport to handle the expected spike in travel around the Feb. 2 Super Bowl. The Super Bowl will be played just outside New York City at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. In a statement touting the flights, United calls Newark Liberty "the airport most convenient to MetLife Stadium, where the Denver Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks" for Super Bowl XLVIII. As you might expect, all of the additional flights will operate between Newark and Denver and Seattle, the cities of the Super Bowl participants. Denver also is a hub for United. For the extra inbound flights to Newark, United will fly four additional flights from both Denver and Seattle. The carrier says it is adding two flights from each city on both Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, using a mix of Boeing 777 and Boeing 757 jets.
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