AirlinesSlovenia receives ‘several bids’ for Adria AirwaysThe Slovenian government has received several offers for Adria Airways in its second attempt to privatize the state-run carrier. In a brief statement, Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) and the country’s Bad Assets Management Company (BAMC) said it had received several bids for the 91.58% shareholding in Adria Airways held by several Slovenian governmental organizations.
LinkAir Astana reintroduces Dubai flightsKazakhstan flag carrier Air Astana will resume Airbus A320 direct services to Dubai from Astana International Airport on Oct. 25. The 4X-weekly service will complement the carrier’s existing Almaty, Kazakhstan-Dubai service introduced in September 2014 after a four-year gap, as well as its 4X-weekly Astana-Abu Dhabi service. It adds to its regional Middle East access through an existing codeshare agreement with Etihad.
LinkAir Tahiti to sell six ATR 72-500sAir Tahiti has put six ATR 72-500s on the market as part of its fleet renewal program. The aircraft will be remarketed via UK lessor Falko Regional Aircraft as it re-equips with three ATR 42-600s and four ATR 72-600s that it has on order with the Toulouse-based manufacturer. The six -500s were built between 2005-2009 and will be available from this quarter. They have been operated from new by the Pacific Ocean airline, whose route network covers 47 islands in French Polynesia.
LinkAlaska Airlines Increases Overhead Storage BinsBoeing and hometown partner Alaska Airlines celebrated the first 737 featuring Boeing's new Space Bins, which increase the room for carry-on baggage by 48 percent. Alaska is the launch customer of Space Bins. "Alaska is relentlessly focused on making the travel experience better," said Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines vice president of marketing. "We've been on a mission to improve our cabin experience for several years and Space Bins are part of a $150 million investment we've made to make flying more comfortable and enjoyable. By the end of 2017, nearly half of our fleet will have larger bins to accommodate a carry-on bag for virtually every customer."
LinkCode share deal from Delta opens up routes to South AmericaPassengers on Delta Air Lines will be able to access flights to places such as Montevideo, Uruguay, and Santiago, Chile, under a new flight code agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas. The deal "reinforces our commitment to being the best US airline in Latin America and the Caribbean," said Delta Vice President Charlie Pappas.
LinkEmirates Airline looks to expand Australian servicesEmirates Airline is actively looking to expand its Australian destinations into tier-two cities such as Darwin, Cairns, Broome and Alice Springs. Following a recent agreement between Qantas and Emirates to expand long-haul services between Australia and the Middle East/Europe—and the announcement of a potential Perth-London service by the Australian flag carrier—Emirates CEO Tim Clark said the two airlines are both looking to “map the way forward over the next five years.”
LinkFrontier Airlines takes delivery of first A321ceoColorado-based Frontier Airlines has taken delivery of the first Airbus A321ceo to join its fleet. In the last year, Frontier has placed firm orders for 19 A321ceos. The new A321ceos will initially be used on routes from Orlando to Philadelphia, Denver, Cleveland and Detroit. This fall, the carrier opened a new crew base in Orlando to support the A321.
LinkInvestigators Raid Kingfisher Air PremisesThe Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) searched drinks baron Vijay Mallya's home and offices on Saturday, in connection with a probe into a loan granted by mid-sized state lender IDBI to his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Saturday's raids are the latest in a string of investigations around Mallya, heir to United Beverages, which makes Kingfisher beer. His business empire previously included India's largest spirits company United Spirits, but he has since sold most of his shares.
LinkLufthansa Targets Gulf With Premium EconomyLufthansa will launch premium economy service to the Middle East later this month, as it goes head-to-head on quality with Gulf rivals. The German carrier has often been at the forefront of a war of words between established Western airlines and their Gulf competition including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.
LinkBoeing Celebrates Delivery of Oman Air's First 787 DreamlinerBoeing and Oman Air celebrated the delivery of the airline's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The airline ordered six 787-8s in November 2011 as part of its expansion plans. "We are delighted to receive our first Dreamliner which combined with Oman Air's award-winning service will provide an excellent travel experience for our customers," said Paul Gregorowitsch, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air. "Our decision to invest in this game-changing airplane underlines our confidence in the 787 and the value it will add in terms of reliability, operational efficiency and comfort."
LinkSIA A330 suffers nose landing gear collapse at ChangiA Singapore Airlines (SIA) Airbus A330-300 suffered a nose landing gear collapse on 11 October, while the aircraft was parked at Changi International airport. In a statement, the carrier says the nose gear retracted while the aircraft was undergoing a landing gear system check.
LinkHundreds Of Southwest Flights DelayedHundreds of Southwest Airlines flights were delayed on Sunday because of problems on its website, phone lines and airports. In a statement on its website, Southwest said intermittent technical issues were "impacting website performance in creating new bookings and requiring us to process some customers manually as they arrive for travel."
LinkSouthwest offers new flights to Mexico, Central America and the CaribbeanSouthwest Airlines will offer six flights from Hobby Airport in Houston to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The flights will originate from the airport's new international terminal.
LinkSouthwest boosted traffic, capacity in Sept.Passenger traffic for Southwest Airlines increased 11.4% in September. Capacity rose 8.4% for the Dallas-based company that now operates 180 daily flights at Love Field.
LinkTNT Express passes takeover resolutions; warns on 3QTNT Express shareholders have passed a series of resolutions during an extraordinary general meeting, paving the way for FedEx to acquire the company. However, in a trading update released just ahead of the meeting, TNT cautioned its third quarter adjusted operating income will be “materially” lower than in the same period of last year.
LinkTel Aviv to San Francisco flight announced by UnitedUnited Airlines in April will launch a nonstop flight from Tel Aviv, Israel to San Francisco. "This is a response to demand from our customers for direct flights to one of the United States' most popular business and tourism destinations, with the added benefit of convenient onward connections from our San Francisco International hub," said Avi Friedman, United's managing director of sales in Israel.
LinkUnited expects higher Q3 profit margin than predictedUnited Continental Holdings is expecting its third quarter pretax margin to be between 16% and 17%, beating previous estimates of 13.5% to 15.5%, excluding special charges, officials said. The increase in profits comes from a credit card agreement for frequent fliers, according to the company.
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