NewsGaruda Indonesia reports 2017 loss as fuel inflates costGaruda Indonesia slipped to a substantial net loss in 2017 partly because of increased fuel costs, although the carrier said it is making progress on some of its strategic priorities. The carrier reported a net loss of $213.4 million for 2017, a significant drop from a profit of $9.4 million in the previous year. Garuda achieved a narrow profit of $8.5 million in the fourth quarter, versus a profit of $53 million in the same period a year earlier. Most of its 2017 losses were recorded in the first and second quarters. Subsidiary Citilink suffered a $53.3 million annual loss.
LinkAmerican, Qantas resubmit JV application to DOT American Airlines and Australian flag carrier Qantas are hoping that a revised application submitted to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) Feb. 26 to form an antitrust-immunized joint venture (JV) will be approved. A previous application by the oneworld carriers to gain antitrust immunity was tentatively rejected in November 2016 by DOT, which cited concerns about harm to competition in the US-Australasia market.
LinkUTC considers splitting business into three divisionsThe creation of a standalone aerospace business made up of United Technologies Corp. (UTC) divisions is under consideration as UTC executives contemplate their next move after the expected regulatory approval of its acquisition of Rockwell Collins this summer.
LinkIATA: 2017 hull losses dominated by turboprop accidentsThe global airline industry saw its total accident and fatal accident rates cut by a third in 2017 compared to 2016, well below the five-year average in each category, according to IATA’s 2017 Airline Safety Performance report.
LinkSeamless Air Alliance to provide streamlined inflight connectivity Would-be telecommunications satellite operator OneWeb has joined forces with Airbus, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and mobile network operators Sprint and Bharti Airtel to offer a seamless experience to those passengers wanting to connect their mobile device on board. The Seamless Air Alliance offers member mobile operators to extend their services into airline cabins, via satellite. OneWeb is gearing up for the launch of its first satellites—in a constellation of 900—this year. It pledges to provide users with the same high-speed and low-latency internet they find on the ground.
LinkOman Air to start Turkey, Casablanca, Moscow servicesOman Air plans to launch three new routes this year—to Istanbul, Turkey in June; Casablanca, Morocco in July; and Moscow, Russia in October—as the Oman national carrier continues to expand.
LinkSouth African regulator blocks Airlink-FlySafair mergerSouth Africa’s competition commission has blocked Johannesburg-based regional carrier Airlink’s plans to acquire Cape Town-based Safair, parent of LCC FlySafair. In November, the two airlines announced they were seeking permission to merge under the Airlink umbrella, to create economies of scale, optimize asset use and remove systems duplication.
LinkTyrolean Technik to end turboprop MRO business after 38 yearsTyrolean Technik, a fully owned subsidiary of Austrian Airlines, will downsize its Innsbruck maintenance and repair operations (MRO) by the first half of this year by terminating MRO work on the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 as business declines and cost rises for the type. A spokesperson told ATW the company is considering transferring its Q400 MRO business to either Lufthansa Technik (Malta or Sofia) or Austrian Technik Bratislava.
LinkUS flights form part of Gulf Air’s long-term strategyBahrain-based Gulf Air has detailed its corporate strategy for the five years to 2023, which will see it take delivery of 39 new aircraft and ultimately expand its network to the US. The plan, which follows a 360-degree strategic review, has seven pillars: safety, network growth, innovation, HR, customer focus, revenue versus cost and the airline’s role as a national economic asset.
LinkAir Malta expands route networkMaltese national carrier Air Malta will launch several new routes connecting the Mediterranean island-state with the UK, Sardinia and Sicily. From May 4, the carrier will launch a 3X-weekly service to London Southend Airport, a small facility east of the UK capital, as well as a 2X-weekly service to Cagliari, Sardinia and 1X-weeky to Catania, Sicily.
LinkThomas Cook downplays risk of post-Brexit ownership break-up Thomas Cook's chief airline officer Christoph Debus is hopeful that the pan-European leisure group can find an alternative to being broken up if post-Brexit operational continuity requires changes to its status as a majority UK-owned company. Speaking to FlightGlobal on 26 February, Debus noted that, up to now, Thomas Cook's airlines had been able to operate with multiple air operator certificates (AOCs) spread across European jurisdictions, thanks to trust structures that ensured UK investors were considered EU shareholders by relevant regulators.
LinkGlobal capital demands for new commercial aircraft soar past $120 billionCapital requirements for the airline sector are flying higher than ever before, driven by strong passenger traffic and aircraft fleet demand, transforming aviation into a mainstream finance and asset class.
LinkGroundhandler error saw Jetstar A320 sustain engine damageConfusion between groundhandling staff resulted in a Jetstar Airbus A320 sustaining minor engine damage after ingesting a clipboard that had been left in one of its cowlings. The incident occurred during the evening of 27 October 2017 and involved A320 VH-VGY, which was operating a service from Auckland to Sydney.
LinkAmerican Airlines adds 3rd flight between Joplin, Mo., and DallasAmerican Airlines has announced a third flight between Missouri's Joplin Regional Airport and Dallas. The flight is scheduled intermittently and with different capacities throughout the summer.
Link Chicago close to $8.5B O'Hare expansion dealChicago's city council is close to finalizing an $8.5 billion deal with airlines to expand O'Hare International Airport with a new Global Terminal that would replace Terminal 2 and add dozens of gates large enough to serve international flights. The project will not be funded through taxpayer money and travelers are not expected to see an increase in airfares. Under a new O'Hare lease, the city would issue bonds backed by future higher fees charged to the airlines.
LinkXTi begins critical design review of TriFan 600XTi Aircraft has begun the critical design review of its TriFan 600 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. This process is expected to be complete by early April, the Denver, Colorado-based start-up says, at which time the design will be frozen and construction of a 60% scale prototype can begin.
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