Qantas Airways' new low-fare subsidiary Jetstar will launch services next week from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to 10 eastern Australian destinations, using 14 125-seat Boeing 717s transferred from QantasLink. The airline, which will rival Virgin Blue, will receive the first of 23 177-seat Airbus A320s in July. The A320s will have replaced all the 717s by mid-2006.
Source: Flight International
Lufthansa Group expects to close its deal to acquire a 41% stake in ITA Airways in the fourth quarter after securing conditional European Commission clearance for the transaction.
Air France-KLM has warned that travellers avoiding Paris due to the forthcoming Olympic Games could cause a revenue hit of up to €180 million ($193 million) at its French operations.
WestJet’s operations over the long Canada Day weekend have been massively disrupted by striking mechanics, forcing the airline to cancel hundreds of flights and disrupt the air travel plans of thousands of passengers.
