All Strategy news – Page 986

  • News

    Olympic maps out recovery plan

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    GÜNTER ENDRES ATHENS November could go down in history as the month when Olympic Airways finally turned the corner in its perennial battle for survival. After the completion of a 12 week evaluation, the new BA Speedwing management team led by former Air Europe managing director Rod Lynch has ...

  • News

    Virgin reluctanctly accepts alliances as a fact of life

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    KEVIN O'TOOLE CHICAGO Even a maverick like Richard Branson is forced to admit that joining an airline alliance is fast becoming a "fact of life". Speaking during Virgin Atlantic's inaugural flight to Chicago, he revealed that contacts have taken place with three of the global groupings. "It's inevitable that ...

  • News

    Taking on the World

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    PETER BENN VIENNA Consolidation appears to be taking shape in the airport world as major groups and financial investors alike begin to build positions with a string of recent acquisitions and management contracts. But where is the trend headed? Airlines have been busy developing their alliance strategies for years, ever ...

  • News

    ANZ ownership debate hots up

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    The debate surrounding foreign ownership of Air New Zealand has been further fuelled by the decision by Brierley Investments, a long-standing major shareholder, to reincorporate in Bermuda and move its headquarters offshore to Singapore. Earlier this year, when the airline was vying with Singapore Airlines for a half interest ...

  • News

    Hong Kong starts US bilateral round

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    Hong Kong and the USA were due to have opened their first round of air services talks in four years in mid November in a key test of Hong Kong's resolve to liberalise. The two-day round was due to have begun on 17 November in Washington DC with ...

  • News

    Cape Town service hits a setback

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    ROGER MAKINGS JOHANNESBURG Plans by Nationwide Air, a domestic South African carrier, to link with Virgin Atlantic in starting a new service between Cape Town and London Heathrow have met with initial failure. Nationwide had applied for a temporary licence to fly the route weekly using a wet-leased Virgin ...

  • News

    Tokyo's promised runways get nearer

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    DAVE KNIBB SEATTLE Three separate initiatives, including a decision on a new airport, are underway to boost runway capacity in Tokyo, which remains Asia's biggest and most congested gateway. Construction could start before the end of the year on a second runway at Narita, allowing more room for regional services ...

  • News

    Alitalia and KLM seek to add Northwest to alliance

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    TOM GILL LONDON KLM and Alitalia have started their joint venture and may be close to gaining US anti-trust immunity for a tripartite alliance with Northwest Airlines. The formal launch of the "virtual merger" at the beginning of November was accompanied by much shuttling of senior executives between Rome, Milan ...

  • News

    In Brief

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    AA-BA revisit alliance In a move that has drawn fire from UK rival British Midland, British Airways has submitted a joint application with American Airlines for US approval to start codesharing between Chicago and New York, and eight UK cities, excluding London. The alliance partners also aim to share ...

  • News

    Air France joins call for single US-EU market

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    KAREN WALKER WASHINGTON DC Air France chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta says he strongly supports transatlantic negotiations between the European Union and the USA and he wants to see the creation of a "transatlantic common aviation area". Spinetta, speaking in November at the International Aviation Club in Washington DC, said a ...

  • News

    In Brief

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    WTO rules on aircraft tax Washington has appealed against a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling that foreign sales corporations are an illegal subsidy. US exporters use these corporations to shield income from tax. That creates opportunities for tax-based leasing on such exports as aircraft. If the ruling stands, Boeing ...

  • News

    In Brief

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    Vanguard to boost short-haul Kansas-based Vanguard Airlines has signed a letter of intent to lease six Boeing 737-200s from US Airways Leasing &Sales for delivery in the first quarter of next year. By expanding its fleet of 13 737-200s the airline says it will be able to pursue its ...

  • News

    The first signs of light?

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    Results of the summer's capacity hike are starting to show through in Europe's latest results, but Commerzbank's Chris Tarry detects signs that the worst may be over. Leading off the latest round of reporting for the major European airlines, both KLM and British Airways have provided the first tangible evidence ...

  • News

    Brighter spots on horizon for USA

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    Given heavy losses from Trans World Airlines and US Airways, the latest round of third quarter results from the US majors could have played much worse on Wall Street than it seems to have done. Most aviation analysts were keen to point to some bright spots on the industry's horizon ...

  • News

    Slots Logjam

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    ALAN GEORGE BRUSSELS KEVIN O'TOOLE LONDON Hopes are growing that the new team at the European Commission could finally end the long wait for new regulations on airport slot allocation. Even the contentious issue of slot trading could be back on the agenda. Could Europe at last be ...

  • News

    Battle for the Big Apple

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    JANE LEVERE NEW YORK The USA's north-east corridor, long a hotbed of airline competition, is entering a new phase of battle as traditional players face new rivals. And not all of them come with wings. There is much at stake in the lucrative north-east corridor of the USA. Salomon Smith ...

  • News

    Judge rules out Canadian's takeover

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    DAVID KNIBB SEATTLE Everything came to a screeching halt late on the last business day before shareholders were set to vote on the counter-proposals from Onex and Air Canada. Quebec judge Justice Wery ruled that Onex's offer to acquire 31% of Air Canada and merge it with Canadian was illegal. ...

  • News

    Aviation industry ready for 2000?

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    TOM GILL LONDON The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is "not anticipating any major" disruption over the new year period, following advances in preparations for the changeover to 2000, despite what appears to still be a patchy picture. More than 500 out of 800 airports audited by IATA have ...

  • News

    British Midland decides on the Star attraction

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    GÜNTER ENDRES LONDON After intensive talks with all the major alliances, with the obvious exception of oneworld, British Midland has opted to team with Lufthansa and the Star grouping. BM is expected to join in spring or summer of next year. The alliance signing is backed by Lufthansa taking ...

  • News

    Mixed messages from Japan

    1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

    On the surface, results from Japan's big three carriers seemed to offer a few grounds for optimism. All showed better operating profits for the first half of their latest financial years, yet concerns linger. Lower fares have stimulated traffic and changes in depreciation have skewed results so it is still ...