NewsRyanair claims 'conspiracy' afoot over Air Berlin assetsIrish budget carrier Ryanair is protesting a proposed Lufthansa acquisition of Air Berlin assets, following Air Berlin's filing for administration. Ryanair is accusing the German government of a "conspiracy" to "carve up" Air Berlin and is submitting complaints to German competition regulator Bundeskartellamt as well as the European Commission.
LinkAtlas Air CEO talks about shift to express shippingBill Flynn, CEO of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, discusses his company's increased focus on express shipping over heavy freight, a shift that led Atlas to sign an agreement to provide services for Amazon.com. Flynn said 70% of Atlas' freighter fleet will be devoted to express services by 2018.
LinkEmployment at US airlines grew 2.8% in JuneUS airlines employed 698,901 people in June, up 2.8% compared to 2016. American Airlines reported a 2.3% increase in employees, while Southwest Airlines saw a 5.8% increase.
LinkChile's Sky hunts for more A320neosChile's Sky Airline is on the lookout to lease more Airbus A320neos, as it embarks upon a fleet renewal and expansion. The Santiago-based carrier has already committed to six A320neos, for delivery in the second half of 2018. Three of the aircraft are being leased from SMBC Aviation Capital, and the remaining three will come from Air Lease Corporation.
Link'Intense competition' swings Cathay to HK$1.7bn loss in H1The Cathay Pacific Group swung to an operating loss of HK$1.7 billion ($217.3 million) for the first half of 2017, reversing from the HK$664 million profit posted the same period a year ago, reflecting intense competition and downward pressure on yields.
LinkNew reports offer clues to MH370 locationThe Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released two new reports that analysed data gathered during the surface search for Malaysia Airlines MH370. The reports, prepared by Geoscience Australia and the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), analysed satellite imagery taken on 23 March 2014 – two weeks after the Boeing 777-200ER went missing over the Southern Indian Ocean.
LinkFrigate Ecojet revised as four-engined design Russian developers of a 300-seat aircraft with a characteristic wide elliptical fuselage have opted to modify the proposal substantially, revising the design as a four-engined transport rather than a twinjet. The aircraft – developed by Frigate Ecojet, and rebranded as the 'Freejet' – will be powered by modern engines introduced for the single-aisle market.
LinkSurging expenses drive down US airlines’ 1H 2017 earningsUS airlines’ expenses grew at more than twice the rate of revenue in the 2017 first half, leading to a 23.3% year-over-year (YOY) decline in pre-tax profitability. Airlines for America (A4A) reported that the nine publicly traded mainline US passenger airlines (Alaska Airlines/Virgin America, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines) earned a collective pre-tax profit of $9.2 billion in the first six months of 2017 compared to a pre-tax profit of $12 billion in the first half of 2016.
LinkRoyal Jordanian seeks to stimulate yieldsRoyal Jordanian (RJ) has announced a series of measures to strengthen its income as the airline faces increasing competition in its home market. The Jordanian national carrier, as one of the smaller flag carriers in the region, has found itself under increasing pressure in recent years on two fronts.
LinkLondon Stansted and Manchester airports to swap CEOsUK airports operator Manchester Airports Group (MAG) is rolling out a £1 billion ($1.3 billion) investment program and swapping the CEOs of Manchester and London Stansted airports into one another’s roles. Current Manchester Airport CEO Ken O’Toole has held his position since February 2013, while Stansted Airport CEO Andrew Cowan has been in place since April 2016. The two executives will switch roles in September.
LinkRyanair adds more connecting flightsIrish LCC Ryanair has doubled its connecting flights at Milan Bergamo from 25 to 50 routes, marking the latest step in a wider expansion in Ryanair-to-Ryanair connections. Ryanair began offering connecting flights from Rome Fiumicino in May, meaning passengers can through-book Ryanair flights and transfer airside without collecting their bags.
LinkJuneyao Airlines to open base at Beijing’s new airportChina’s Juneyao Airlines plans to set up a base at Beijing’s new airport, which is scheduled to go into formal operation in 2019. The Shanghai-based carrier said the move is part of an international expansion strategy to increase capacity in the Beijing market by 2020. Juneyao is a Star Alliance connecting partner.
LinkRussia establishes new aircraft certification unitRussia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has established a unit responsible for aircraft design, engines and propellers certification. The new unit includes previously created subdivisions that were involved in the certification process as well as communication with aviation administrations from other countries.
LinkGulf Air, Aegean ink codeshareBahraini national airline Gulf Air and Greece’s largest carrier, Aegean Airlines, have announced a codeshare partnership widening their respective networks across Europe and the Middle East. Passengers will now have codeshares on Gulf Air flights from the airline’s Muharraq hub, via Athens, to and from Brussels and Rome on Aegean, while travelers from Geneva, Milan and Vienna can codeshare on Aegean flights via Athens to Bahrain with Gulf Air.
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