AirlinesAlitalia to decide on Air Malta investment by late JuneAlitalia chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is aiming to make a decision on whether to invest in Air Malta this summer. There are strong cultural and commercial bonds between Italy and Malta and, in April, Alitalia confirmed it was considering taking a 49% stake in Air Malta.
LinkNo sightings of EgyptAir MS804 in first hours after disappearanceThe disappearance of EgyptAir flight 804 over the Mediterranean Sea early May 19 came as Egypt had begun making progress in shoring up international travel to the country in the aftermath of the suspected inflight bombing of a Russian Metrojet Airbus A321 shortly after departure from Sharm el Sheik on Oct. 31, 2015. The Egyptair Airbus A320 disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea about 0230 local time on May 19, 280 km (174 miles) from the Egyptian coast. It was near the end of a scheduled flight, MS804, from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Cairo.
LinkDiscussionEgyptAir A320 wreckage foundDebris from the wreckage of the EgyptAir Airbus A320 that went missing over the Mediterranean Sea in the early hours of 19 May has been found, says the airline. Wreckage was located near the Greek island of Karpathos, according to a statement on the airline's website.
LinkFinnair secured financing for its newest A350 aircraft Finnair has secured financing, arranged by
BNP Paribas, for its fifth Airbus A350-900
XWB, which was delivered on 29 April 2016. The transaction amounts to approximately
EUR 128 million, implemented using a Japanese Operating Lease with Call Option (JOLCO) structure. “This transaction represents yet another successful A350-900 financing for Finnair, and the third we have done using this structure. We are thrilled that financiers and investors are enthusiastic about the A350 as a long-term investment, since this aircraft type is the base from which we will continue to execute our growth strategy in Asia”, states Finnair
CFO Pekka Vähähyyppä.
LinkRuili Airlines orders six Boeing 787-9sKunming-based Ruili Airlines has ordered six Boeing 787-9 aircraft, in a deal valued at $1.54 billion at list prices. The aircraft will be used for international expansion. A delivery schedule was not released. Launched in May 2014, Ruili operates a fleet of nine aircraft on 16 domestic routes with 46 daily departures.
LinkScoot, Tigerair to merge into single LCC holding companySingapore Airlines (
SIA) plans to combine the management of its low-cost carrier (
LCC) subsidiaries Scoot (long-haul) and Tigerair (regional) into a single body. The Singapore flag carrier has formed a new subsidiary called Budget Aviation Holdings, which will own and manage both LCCs following the recent delisting of Tigerair from the Singapore Stock Exchange.
LinkSilk Way Airlines confirms An-12 crash in AfghanistanAzerbaijan’s Baku-based Silk Way Airlines has confirmed its Antonov An-12 freighter crashed on May 18 at 1430 local time, in southern Afghanistan. According to the carrier’s statement, seven out of nine crew members were killed. Two technicians, both Ukrainian citizens, survived. It was reported the aircraft was rented out, but the carrier did not confirm details.
LinkDiscussionSouthwest to raise quarterly dividendSouthwest Airlines
CEO Gary Kelly announced a dividend of 10 cents per quarter, a 33% boost from the prior dividend of 7.5 cents per quarter. "On a cumulative basis over the past five years, including today's increase, our quarterly dividend has grown more than twenty fold," Kelly said in a statement on Wednesday.
LinkUnited CEO sends letter to loyalty program membersOscar Munoz, president and
CEO of United Airlines, sent a letter to MileagePlus members about the "new spirit" of the carrier. "This new spirit is the passion of our employees for what this airline can achieve, and we're seeing it where you have said matters most -- getting you to the places you need to be comfortably and on time," he wrote. "We're posting record on-time and baggage-delivery performance."
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