NewsRyanair bids to retain pilot workforceRyanair, rocked by rostering errors that have forced the Irish LCC to cancel thousands of flights over the next five months, has appealed to its pilots to stand by the company.
LinkEasyJet set to launch German routes if airberlin deal is finalizedUK-based LCC easyJet plans to launch German domestic flights from Berlin to Stuttgart, Dusseldorf and Munich if a bid to acquire parts of the insolvent airberlin’s short-haul business is finalized. An easyJet supervisory board member told ATW: “It is well known that we submitted an offer for up to 30 airberlin Airbus A320s, which all would be operating mainly from Berlin. If the deal is finalized as planned, easyJet will get a market share in Berlin of 60%,” the source said.
LinkCSeries US import duties would rise to 300% in new Commerce proposalThe US government’s duty on imported Bombardier CSeries airliners would increase to almost 300% after a second ruling issued by the US Commerce Department Friday.
LinkEasyJet reports strong end to financial yearUK-based LCC easyJet anticipates a pre-tax profit between £405-£410 million ($528-$535 million) for its current financial year, despite a challenging market and substantial adverse currency movements.
LinkAer Lingus slams Dublin ‘infrastructure shortcomings’Aer Lingus COO Mike Rutter has strongly criticized facilities at the Irish flag carrier’s home base airport, saying they threaten the airline’s expansion. Rutter said if the situation does not improve, Aer Lingus or its parent, International Airlines Group (IAG), could decide to redeploy new aircraft to other IAG members, which include Spanish flag carrier Iberia, British Airways and Spanish LCC Vueling.
LinkACI: As major airports grow, smallest airports see passenger drop-offIn 2017, there are now 46 airports worldwide that each serve over 40 million passengers per year, a 24.3% year-over-year surge in this elite category of mega-hub airports, according to a new Airports Council International (ACI) annual report.
LinkNew aircraft, engines, technology help reduce maintenance costsAlthough not yet certain, it seems highly probable that aircraft and engine maintenance costs adjusted for general inflation will decline per flight hour and seat mile over the foreseeable future.
LinkWizz Air braces for fleet ramp-up pains Central and Eastern European LCC Wizz Air is preparing to increase its fleet to 122 aircraft by 2020, up from 85, but this rapid growth is putting pressure on its maintenance resources.
LinkMalaysia Airlines eyes European servicesMalaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) is considering launching new service to Europe using some of the Airbus A350s the carrier is scheduled to receive next year.
LinkIATA: Strong summer boosted passenger growth, but slowdown is evidentTraffic on the global air passenger market was up 7.2% year-over-year in August, capping off a solid peak summer traffic season in the northern hemisphere, but there are indications of a general slowdown, according to IATA’s August Air Passenger Market Analysis.
LinkLufthansa to hire 1,000 flight attendants for A380 Munich operationsLufthansa will hire 1,000 flight attendants for its Munich hub as its launches Airbus A380 operations from the Bavarian capital in spring 2018. “From March 25, our A380s will take off for Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Beijing,” Lufthansa Munich hub CEO Wilken Bormann said.
LinkEndeavor Air pilots reach tentative agreement on contract extensionPilots for Delta Air Lines’ wholly owned subsidiary and regional carrier Endeavor Air, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), has reached a tentative agreement with management on an extension of their existing contract through to Jan. 1, 2024. Specific details of revisions to the contract were not revealed.
LinkBrussels Airlines to phase out final Avro RJ100 Oct. 28Lufthansa subsidiary Brussels Airlines will phase out its last Avro RJ100 with a final scheduled flight from Geneva to Zurich Oct. 28. The four-engine narrowbody Avro RJ100 played an important role in the development of Brussels Airlines. When the Belgian carrier was founded 15 years ago, its fleet comprised 32 Avro-type aircraft (12 RJ100s, 14 RJ85s and six BAe146s) that were acquired from Sabena subsidiary DAT.
LinkAirbus begins A330-800 production Airbus announced it has begun A330-800 production in preparation for final assembly in late 2017 and first flight in early 2018. It is also preparing for the first flight of the A330-900. The two aircraft are members of the A330neo family and incorporate the latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.
LinkLight needs shining on other aspects of MH370While walking along a street one evening, so an old story goes, a police officer noticed a man crouched under a street lamp, scrutinising the ground. When the officer asked whether the man had lost something, he replied that he was searching for his house keys. “It’s lucky you lost them under the street lamp,” the officer told him, at which point the man looked up and nodded towards a nearby hedge. “No, I lost them in the garden. But there’s just not enough light there.”
LinkLow-fuel 787 had to declare Mayday repeatedly to Indian ATCInvestigators have disclosed that a diverted Air Canada Boeing 787-9's crew had to declare a Mayday four times over a low-fuel situation before being given approach clearance to Hyderabad. The aircraft had originally been bound for Mumbai but was shuttled between alternate airports owing to capacity problems.
LinkIndia expects to triple aviation market in next 15 yearsNew Delhi says that India has doubled the size of its aviation market in the last four years, and will look to triple it in the next 15 years. Speaking in a televised interview, India's minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha, adds that by the end of the current 2018 financial year, the country will hit 200 million passenger trips.
LinkCR 929 could be an unwelcome widebody rivalIt now has a name: the CR 929-600. Say what you will about modern branding strategy, that name certainly works better than the “Chinese-Russian long-range widebody aircraft”, as Comac and United Aircraft (UAC) had previously described the project. But the CR 929-600 is without doubt the first serious threat to the Airbus and Boeing duopoly in the lucrative market for commercial widebody airliners since the demise of the McDonnell Douglas MD-12 two decades ago.
LinkNorthrop wins contract related to Japan Global HawkThe US Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $130 million dollar contract for long lead work related to Tokyo's acquisition of three RQ-4 Block 30 (I) Global Hawk unmanned air vehicles. The package includes long lead items, an enhances densor suite, spars, and a site survey, says the US Department of Defence. Project completion is expected in 27 July 2018.
LinkAir Canada moving to Amadeus reservations platformAir Canada has dropped its in-house reservation system in favor of Amadeus' Altea Suite. Amadeus entered the North American market this year when it won Southwest Airlines' international reservations business.
LinkHawaiian Airlines sees lift in passenger traffic, load factorHawaiian Airlines' passenger traffic rose 3.4% in September and its load factor rose 1.6 percentage points to 86.6%. The airline also revised its fuel cost per gallon to $1.65 to $1.75, up from its original guidance of $1.55 to $1.65.
LinkAlaska Airlines to rebrand Virgin America flights in April 2018Alaska Airlines will rename flights operated under the Virgin America brand starting in April 2018, selling them as Alaska Airlines flights. Alaska CEO Brad Tilden said in September that he expects to merge Alaska and Virgin onto a single operating certificate in January.
LinkPortland, Ore., airport plans $151M concourse renovationOregon's Portland International Airport has hired international construction firm Skanska to update and expand Concourse E, adding six gates, modifying the baggage handling system and renovating the existing area. The $151 million project is part of a five-year, $1.3 billion facility renovation.
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