AirlinesAir Arabia profits dip in 2015Gulf low-cost carrier (LCC) Air Arabia earned net profits of AED 530 million ($144 million) in 2015, down on the previous year’s figure of AED 566 million. Revenue climbed slightly, to AED3.83 billion, up from AED3.73 billion in 2014. The Sharjah-based carrier recorded a 12% increase in passengers at 7.64 million, up from 6.8 million last time. Load factor dipped 2% to 79%. RPKs grew 9.4% to 15.1 billion, while ASKs were at 18.8 billion, up from 17 billion.
LinkAir New Zealand upgrades ATR avionicsAir New Zealand is boosting the capabilities of some of its core turboprop and jet aircraft types by investing in advanced avionics upgrades. The most significant of these moves is the airline’s decision to equip its ATR 72-600s to operate with a high level of required navigation performance–authorization required (RNP-AR). It is set to become the first carrier to use RNP-AR with ATR aircraft at an accuracy of 0.3/0.3, which means flying within 0.3 nautical miles of its navigation track on approach, and the same for a missed approach or go-around.
LinkAmerican Flight Diverted After Cabin Smoke ReportAn American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Los Angeles after smoke was reported in the cabin, local media reported. The smoke report prompted the emergency landing, local broadcaster Fox 11 said, adding that some passengers felt sick and requested medical treatment.
LinkAmerican Airlines to offer service to CuracaoAmerican Airlines plans to debut service between Charlotte, N.C., and the Caribbean island of Curacao. The carrier will deploy Airbus A319 aircraft for the weekly route.
LinkNew Cypriot carrier prepares to launchNew Cypriot low-cost carrier (LCC) Cobalt plans to start operations at the end of March, once its air operator’s certificate (AOC) is finalized, according to CEO Andrew Pyne. Cobalt is “90% through the AOC process” and just needs to complete a facilities inspection and proving flight, Pyne said.
LinkInquiry outlines initial moments after explosion hit Daallo A321Pilots of the Daallo Airlines Airbus A321 which suffered an in-flight explosion after departing Mogadishu initially cited a pressurization issue but did not declare an emergency. French investigation authority BEA has disclosed initial details of the 2 February incident, citing preliminary information from Somali counterparts. It states that flight D3159 to Djibouti had been cleared by Mogadishu tower controllers to climb to 30,000ft, giving the time of this instruction at 08:40UTC.
LinkJetBlue posted 11.7% higher traffic in Jan.JetBlue Airways reported an 11.7% increase in passenger traffic in January on a year-over-year basis. The carrier's load factor also rose 0.7% for the month compared to January 2015.
LinkJetBlue Airways to start venture capital unitJetBlue Airways announced plans to start a venture capital division. Bonny Simi, president of the JetBlue Technology Ventures, said the division will invest in companies with the "right strategic fit."
LinkNorwegian turns a profit in 2015Low-cost carrier (LCC) Norwegian edged back into the black in 2015, recording a full-year profit of NOK246.2 million ($28.7 million), reversed from a loss of NOK 1.07 billion in 2014. Revenue for the year was up 15% at NOK 22.5 billion, compared to NOK 19.5 billion a year previously, with ancillary revenues growing faster, up 20.1% to NOK 3.3 billion compared to the previous 12 months. Passenger numbers rose 7% to 26 million, while load factor climbed 4% to 86%.
LinkCRJ900 in Copenhagen accident was under engine testSAS Group has disclosed that the Bombardier CRJ900 involved in a ground accident at Copenhagen was having its engines tested at the time. The aircraft was not being towed, says the company, but was “undergoing a test of the engines” at SAS’s technical base before the 4 February accident.
LinkThomas Cook Says Bookings RecoveringThomas Cook said its bookings were recovering after customers delayed making travel plans following attacks in Paris last November and in Istanbul in January. Last year there were also attacks in Egypt and Tunisia, making tourists wary of those previously popular winter sun destinations. Thomas Cook said it was offering more holidays in Spain, Cyprus, Bulgaria, the US and Cuba as alternatives.
LinkUnited to fly Australia routes with Boeing 787-9sUnited Airlines plans to deploy Boeing 787-9s on flights to Sydney from Los Angeles and San Francisco. "We believe the mixture of our network, our schedule, the onboard product, connectivity through our West Coast gateway and the superiority of the Boeing 787 will continue to win over our customers," said Alison Espley, managing director of sales for Asia for the carrier.
LinkVirgin Australia returns to profit Virgin Australia reported an A$62.5 million ($43.8 million) net profit for the six months through Dec. 31, 2015, representing a turnaround from an A$47.8 million loss a year earlier. It was its strongest half-year profit since 2010. Virgin reports that all parts of its business improved during the period, which was its fiscal first half. Most notably, wholly owned low-cost carrier (LCC) Tigerair Australia achieved underlying earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) of A$13.9 million, its best-ever half-year performance and a turnaround from losses of A$24.8 million a year earlier. The LCC’s unit revenue rose 9.2%, and yield was up 12%.
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