- Jetstar to fly Asian routes[Apr. 11, 2006]
Qantas Airways is scrapping its Australian Airlines brand in favour of low cost domestic carrier Jetstar, which is gearing up to fly international routes later this year.
- Mesa Air sets sights on China[Apr. 11, 2006]
Mesa Air Group is eyeing China as fertile ground for new growth, Chairman and CEO Jonathan Ornstein said Friday at a meeting for financial analysts in Los Cabos, Mexico.
- Cathay Pacific, Air China, the investors[Apr. 11, 2006]
A joint statement released yesterday by Cathay Pacific Airways and Air China and investors Swire Pacific, China National Aviation Co. and CITIC Pacific confirmed reports that "discussions are taking place about operational cooperation" between CX and Air China and "realignment of shareholdings" in the two airlines and Dragonair, the Hong Kong carrier owned jointly by CNAC (43.3%), CITIC (28.5%), Cathay (17.8%) and Swire (7.7%).There has been talk of Cathay's increasing its stake in Dragonair as it looks to build a stronger presence on the mainland, while Air China, in which CX owns 9.9%, leans toward joining the Star Alliance (ATWOnline, April 5).
- Singapore Airlines joins chorus for A350[Apr. 11, 2006]
The factions within Airbus that are pushing for a redesign of the A350 gained another ally in Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng.
- Australia: Rex pulls the plug on new airport[Apr. 10, 2006]
Regional airline Rex has decided to abandon Adelaide's new $260 million terminal in yet another blow to the airport's operators, by moving its inbound flights and operations to the unused former international terminal by the end of the month.
- Boeing leads in orders but trails Airbus[Apr. 10, 2006]
Boeing holds a healthy lead over Airbus in terms of new orders for March and the first quarter of 2006, while Airbus delivered more aircraft in the quarter.Airbus booked orders for 19 aircraft in March comprising three A320 family aircraft, four A330s, three 340-300s and nine A350-900s. Finnair was responsible for the majority of the sales, including the A350s and A340s. In March 2005, Airbus booked orders for 80 aircraft of which all but two were narrowbodies.
- BAE in talk to sell Airbus stake to EADs[Apr. 10, 2006]
BAE Systems on Friday informed the London Stock Exchange that it has "entered into discussions with European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co. regarding the sale of its 20% shareholding in Airbus."In the brief statement, the company also said that "discussions are at an early stage." According to the Associated Press, EADS has valued BAE's stake at ?3.5 billion ($4.3 billion). BAE Systems' primary contribution to Airbus is design and production of wings.
- IATA calls for 'robust' regulators[Apr. 10, 2006]
Large European airports are out-of-control monopolies and need to be regulated by newly created national authorities "with teeth," IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said Friday at a meeting between the European Commission and 11 aviation organizations to discuss airport policy.In a direct appeal to Jacques Barrot, EC VP responsible for transport and energy, Bisignani said that since 2001, "Europe's airlines have achieved a 9% reduction in aircraft operating costs, a 24% reduction in distribution and back office costs and a 14% increase in pilot productivity. Airports, on the other hand, gave the airlines a 13% increase in per-passenger costs with a total bill for airlines and their users of $14.5 billion" over the same period.
- Chinese airlines enter high season[Apr. 10, 2006]
From April 10 air travelers in China will pay up to 20 yuan in surcharges as airlines find new ways to cope with rising fuel prices.
- Qantas, Air China apply for arrangement[Apr. 10, 2006]
Qantas Airways and Air China have applied for a code share arrangement on flights between Sydney and Beijing.