AirlinesAeroflot wins $16.4 million in new contract cargo businessRussia’s Aeroflot has gained RUB1.2 billion ($16.4 million) in revenue for contracted cargo space in the bellies of its passenger aircraft for its 2016 summer schedule, which started on March 1. According to Aeroflot, the number of companies contracting cargo space on its aircraft has risen from 29 to 44. It pointed to the growth of freight forwarding operations in the Russian Far East as part of the reason for the rise.
LinkAir Canada CEO comments on CSeries letter of intentAir Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu said the carrier carefully considered its recent letter of intent to purchase up to 75 Bombardier CSeries aircraft. "We think that is a very good airplane. We studied it for a very long period of time," Rovinescu said.
LinkAmerican to offer new menu on international premium cabinsAmerican Airlines plans to serve new meals on its first- and business-class cabins on international flights. The carrier already began serving a new menu on its flights from the US to Sydney.
LinkEmirates Sees Lower Oil Industry DemandEmirates will show "significantly higher" 2015/16 annual profits, but some business has evaporated due to the recent slump in oil prices, its president Tim Clark said. The Dubai carrier is considering downgrading A380 services to Houston because of falling demand from the oil industry, which overall represents its biggest corporate customer, Clark told reporters during the ITB tourism exhibition in Berlin.
LinkPressure On Kingfisher Boss Mallya Ratchets UpA group of Indian banks, seeking to recover more than USD$1 billion in loans from Kingfisher Airlines, has taken possession of nine trademarks related to the defunct carrier as the mystery over the whereabouts of its chief, Vijay Mallya, deepens. Mallya, who built his fortune with Kingfisher Beer and is a guarantor to the debt, left the country last week, a lawyer for the lenders told the Indian Supreme Court. The banks have asked the court to demand his return and to impound his passport.
LinkPegasus continues upward trajectory in 2015Turkish low-cost carrier (LCC) Pegasus earned a 2015 net profit of TL291.5 million ($111.5 million), considerably improved over 2014’s figure of TL15.7 million. Full-year revenue was TL3.48 billion, up from TL3.08 billion a year previously. Much of the improved profits came from favorable fluctuations in the currency exchange rate and cash flow hedging compared to 2014. The profit from operations was TL111.8, which was actually a decrease on 2014’s figure of TL143.3 million.
LinkFuel price decline eases Qatar's concerns on A380 efficiencyQatar Airways delayed deliveries of four on-order Airbus A380s out of concern about the economics of operating the double-deck type before the recent fuel price decline. Four A380s – which had been scheduled to join the Gulf carrier's fleet this year and in 2017 – were deferred by a year each, the airline's chief executive Akbar Al Baker said today at the ITB travel fair in Berlin. A delay was agreed with Airbus more than two years ago because Qatar needed to "protect" itself against high fuel costs, he explains.
LinkUnited Airlines posted higher traffic in Feb.United Continental Holdings posted a 2.7% increase in passenger traffic as measured in revenue passenger miles for February on a year-over-year basis. The carrier also reported a 6% boost in capacity for the month.
LinkVolotea to replace 717s with used A319sVolotea will phase out all its Boeing 717s in favour of a fleet of 30-40 used Airbus A319s over the next two to three years. Chief executive Carlos Munoz says the Spanish-headquartered low-cost carrier will replace its 19 717s with "mid-age" A319 narrowbodies of 10-12 years' vintage and "typically second-lease" from "large lessors like GECAS or AerCap".
LinkCrashed CRJ flight data points to anomalous pitch traceFlight-data recorder information from the crashed West Atlantic Bombardier CRJ200 freighter indicates evidence of a spurious pitch reading immediately before the autopilot on the jet disengaged. Swedish investigation authority SHK has stated that, while the aircraft was in cruise, the captain expressed sudden surprise before the aircraft’s autopilot disengaged and the jet entered a rapid descent.
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