All news – Page 7246
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News
Who's taking a liberty?
The lure of valuable slots at Paris/Orly has attracted four potential suitors for troubled Air Liberté after the carrier entered receivership on 26 September. AOM, Air France Europe, TAT and Virgin Express have all expressed interest and reopened the debate about the French government's competition policy. Saddled with ...
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DOT bridges policy void
Pre-election sensitivities have frozen US aviation initiatives by legislators, leaving policy-making in the hands of Washington regulators. The reluctance of Congress to tackle tough issues is typified by its unwillingness to extend the recently reinstated airline ticket tax past its end-of-year expiry. Before adjourning for the ...
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China offers no guarantee
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has signalled an expansion of operating leasing in China by ordering airlines to cease providing lessors with a Bank of China guarantee. However, future growth may be limited to lessors willing to accept unguaranteed deals and carriers which can prove their own financial health. ...
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Eagle lands in MAS' lair
The Malaysian government has finally acceded to pressure to authorise a second international carrier but will initially protect flag carrier Malaysia Airlines from direct competition. The AirAsia consortium has battled for two years to secure a licence in the face of opposition from MAS and has finally secured ...
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Ansett deals few changes
The shakeup of Australia's aviation sector following Air New Zealand's successful acquisition of Ansett is likely to have more of an impact outside the country than within. ANZ's swoop to appoint Cathay Pacific managing director Rod Eddington to head Ansett is a rare managerial coup in the region. Eddington will ...
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Tan on hiding to nothing?
The boardroom battle for control of Philippine Airlines is finally over but the carrier's ambitious expansion plans now face the threat of intensified competition as the country's independent carriers seek to expand their international presence. PAL chairman Lucio Tan cleared the final hurdles in his three-and-a-half year campaign ...
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Sale loosens state Thais
The Thai government is close to approving the sale of its majority stake in flag carrier Thai Airways International and could cut its present 93 per cent holding to as little as 30 per cent by next year. The Thai ministry of finance, which holds the airline's shares ...
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FedEx Fred is top dog
If there was any doubt that Fred Smith is the most important man in US aviation politics, events in early October dispelled them. It was then that the chairman of FedEx Corp decided to reassert his lobbying muscle. Smith regularly deploys his big guns. In large measure, for ...
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US is set to open up Asia
The US has floated a joint approach to open skies talks with the Asia-Pacific region for the first time. While cynics view the move as an attempt to kick-start stalled talks with Japan and deflect attention from the European focus of recent policy, some officials argue it is a genuine ...
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SIA hopes lift in India
The proposed Singapore Airlines Indian joint venture with the Tata Group is back under government scrutiny. And while the civil aviation ministry insists it will ban all foreign participation in Indian carriers, the weak state of some private Indian carriers suggest the sector may benefit from foreign investment and management ...
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SAA trips on triple threat
South African Airways is having a hard time of it. In mid-October, the carrier was embroiled in a bitter battle with its technical staff and faced a threat of court action from its pilots. Its domestic rivals are turning up the heat through alliances with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. ...
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Garuda threat
The US FAA has given the Indonesian government until the end of December to correct alleged deficiencies in its safety oversight or Garuda will face suspension of its US services. Indonesia has said it will meet the deadline. Source: Airline Business
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Wide smiles at Sabena
It's happy families in Brussels, on the surface at least. Sabena's management appears to have won the support of the unions for the airline's 'Horizon '98' restructuring plan, which will lead to lower labour costs and to more flexible working hours. All four Sabena unions have signed a ...
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Flying franchises
Jersey European Airways has entered a franchise deal with Air France, while Augsburg Airways is to become a Lufthansa franchisee. JEA will operate two BAe146s in Air France Express livery from London/Heathrow to Toulouse and Lyons. Augsburg Airways will paint two Dash 8s in Team Lufthansa colours, flying from Munich ...
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Even the good times aren't good
It may appear to be a vintage year but life for some airlines continues to be troubled. A casual reader of this issue of Airline Business could be forgiven for not realising that 1996 is a vintage year for the the airline industry. Just consider some of the stories: ...
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Slots wrong for regionals
Not surprisingly Europe's regional carriers are up in arms over the European Commission's revision of its slot regulation, which is likely to come down in favour of slot trading. And alternative proposals circulating in Germany have heightened the dismay. The board of airline representatives in Germany (Barig) appears ...
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SAS Express is so simple
SAS has responded to the threat of competition on its profitable Nordic services by piloting a new simplified product, SAS Express. SAS Express is being used to brand 14 daily Stockholm-Oslo services for a three-month trial period from 22 October but could be extended throughout its Nordic and domestic network. ...
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Team works at Alitalia
Alitalia is squaring up to its impending scrutiny by the European Commission with the launch of its low-cost operation, Alitalia Team. But the carrier remains dogged by allegations of predatory pricing and collusion on slots. Brussels opened an investigation into the airline's planned 3,000 billion lire (US$2 billion) ...
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Dragon fired
Dragonair's owners have shelved the planned initial public offering until at least the end of 1997. Citic Pacific, one of the carrier's main shareholders, cited the impact of new route development which would not be fully reflected in the 1996 profits. Source: Airline Business
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Unions balk at BA plans
British Airways is facing a serious confrontation with its two main unions in the wake of plans to slash US$1.5 billion from its cost base in three years. The UK carrier has also come under fire from employees and the financial community over the apparently unfocused nature of its proposals, ...