NewsUnited adds 160 Boeing 737 options to order
United Airlines disclosed that it has 160 options for Boeing 737 Max 9 and 737-900ER aircraft on top of its order for 150 of the aircraft, in a regulatory filing last night. The options are split between 100 for the 737 Max 9 and 60 for the 737-900ER. The aircraft would have CFM Leap-1B and CFM56-7 engines, respectively.
LinkKorean Pleads Guilty To Price-Fixing In Canada
South Korean flag carrier Korean Air has pleaded guilty to involvement in an air cargo price-fixing cartel on certain routes from Canada between April 2002 and February 2006, Canada's competition watchdog said on Thursday.
LinkCourt Extends AMR Exclusivity Until December
American Airlines' bankrupt parent AMR won court approval on Thursday to extend until December 28 its exclusive right to present a plan to emerge from bankruptcy.
LinkTAM Delisted In Brazil After Takeover
TAM, the Brazilian airline recently acquired by Chilean carrier LAN, in a securities filing on Thursday said it has now been delisted by the Brazilian market regulator.
LinkGulf Airlines Set Sights On Saudi SkiesSaudi Arabia's push towards an open skies policy is attracting the interest of major airlines in the Gulf and raising hopes that poor service and overbooked flights that have characterised air travel across the country could soon be a thing of the past.
LinkMerpati inks agreement for 20 C-212 turboprops Struggling Indonesian carrier Merpati Nusantara Airlines has signed an agreement with state-owned aircraft manufacturer Dirgantara Indonesia for 20 C-212 turboprops. The memorandum of understanding, inked in Jakarta on 19 July, is for the C-212-400 variant, says a Dirgantara spokesman when contacted. He adds that the "contract should be firmed soon", but that no delivery schedule has been set for the 20 aircraft. The 26-seat turboprop is priced between $6.5 million and $7.5 million.
LinkEthiopian Airlines orders additional Boeing 777-200LR
Ethiopian Airlines has ordered an additional Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, a deal worth $276 million at list prices. The order will add to the airline's fleet of five 777-200LRs and allow it to add more long-haul routes, says the carrier.
LinkEADS launches ambitious plan to develop detonation engine EADS is hoping a newly approved joint project with Russian researchers will help pave the way to realising an air-breathing or rocket-propulsion technology that promises efficient operations from subsonic to hypersonic speeds up to Mach 5. But while detonation engines are tantalisingly simple, essentially comprising a tube closed at one end in which fuel and oxidiser are ignited to create a jet blast out of the open end, their success is to date mostly confined to laboratory testbeds.
LinkUK to order fourth F-35B next year, Hammond says The UK has taken delivery of its first of three F-35B Joint Strike Fighter test aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth site in Texas, while defence secretary Philip Hammond has announced plans to order a fourth example next year. Short take-off and vertical landing aircraft BK-1 will soon be transferred to Eglin AFB in Florida to join US-led initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) of the F-35.
LinkEtihad gets green light to double Virgin Australia stake
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways (EY) has been given permission by the Australian government to double its Virgin Australia (DJ) shareholding from 4.99% to 10%. EY acquired 3.96% of Virgin Australia Holdings (VAH) in June and has since built its stake to 4.99%. Today’s Australian Foreign Investment Review Board clearance means EY can now further increase its shareholding to a maximum of 10%.
LinkSouthwest Airlines reports Q2 earnings of $228M
Southwest Airlines has reported earnings of $228 million for the second quarter, compared with earnings of $161 million for the same quarter last year. Although fuel expenses rose 3.3% for the quarter, operating revenue grew by 12%. "Record revenues driven by steady growth were sufficient to overcome high jet-fuel prices," CEO Gary C. Kelly said.
LinkForecast: U.S. airlines will report $2B in total profit for Q2The seven largest U.S. carriers will report a total of $2 billion in profits for the second quarter, Airlinefinancials.com predicts. The forecast also sees $37.1 billion in total revenue for the quarter. The seven airlines named in the report are Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United and US Airways.
LinkAmerican Airlines will consider a merger, CEO saysAmerican Airlines CEO Tom Horton says the carrier is considering mergers with several airlines. Although US Airways has publicly thrown its hat in the ring, American is also considering mergers with JetBlue Airways, Alaska Air Group and others. "For many years, I have publicly been a proponent of consolidation as one path to a healthier U.S. airline industry," Horton wrote in a letter to employees.
LinkFedEx plans to replace aging aircraft with Boeing 767s
FedEx plans to replace older jets with Boeing 767s, but it won't take delivery of the fuel-efficient jets until 2014. FedEx CEO Fred Smith said upgrading the fleet is a "very big part of achieving double-digit margins." The current FedEx fleet includes some aircraft built in the 1980s, such as Boeing MD-10s.
LinkEU abandons plan to end liquids ban on planes in AprilThe European Union has abandoned a plan that would have ended a ban on liquids at airport security checkpoints by April. Moving forward with the change would "represent a considerable operational risk mainly due to the scale of the change," an EU statement says. The EU will consider new legislation on the liquid ban in the fall and indicated that a "phased approach" is necessary for allowing liquids through security.
LinkOpinion: Airlines are looking to survive with feesTravelers complain about airline fees but have to recognize that airlines are simply trying to stay solvent, writes aviation blogger Benét J. Wilson. "All of us hunt down the lowest possible fares and pat ourselves on the back," she writes. "But like it or not, airlines are businesses, and businesses need to make money to survive."
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