Strategy – Page 1073

  • News

    United target on legal front

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Low-fare carriers in the US are avidly watching how a predatory pricing complaint against United Airlines by one of their number, Frontier Airlines, pans out. A win for the minnow could encourage other no-frills operators to follow suit. Denver-based Frontier has asked the Department of Justice to investigate ...

  • News

    Indian policy is a let down

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    India's revised civil aviation policy has led to charges of protectionism after it failed to set an investment limit for foreign airlines and airports in Indian carriers. The strategy is being viewed as another setback for Singapore Airlines' planned joint venture with Tata Industries, which remains on hold in the ...

  • News

    Startups slot into Japan

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Japan's incumbent carriers are bracing for their first tussle with new competition in four decades, though analysts doubt that air travellers' expectations of dramatically reduced fares will be met. The incumbents are also facing a battle for the 40 new slots that will be created at Tokyo/Haneda when ...

  • News

    Top of the curve

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    In some airline boardrooms, the champagne corks are finally popping. After years in the doldrums, the airline business appears to be on course to report record profits for the second year running. Still, in this business even the best news tends to come with a few caveats, and this initial ...

  • News

    Alitalia in for a rough ride

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    The European Commission has asked Alitalia to reassess its proposed restructuring plan and even then looks set to rule that the carrier's planned injection is state aid. It will also be looking at Alitalia's linkup with Air France, while both carriers suffer further industrial unrest. The revelation that ...

  • News

    Weber pens strike plea

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Chairman Jürgen Weber is attempting to stir up an internal debate at Lufthansa in a bid to persuade the pilot-dominated DAG union to pull back from strike action. In an unprecedented move Weber sent a letter to all Lufthansa employees in late January outlining the threats to Lufthansa ...

  • News

    Growth at a premium

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    When Salomon Brothers Hong Kong released a report on Malaysia Airlines in late December, it left little doubt that the airline was no gilt-edged investment opportunity. Recommending a 'hold' on the carrier's shares, which put in a weak performance during the carrier's latest financial year, the report's title says it ...

  • News

    It's all in the name

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Martin Shugrue is being self-effacing these days. 'Hey, if it was just me calling up people and telling them about Air Marty Start-up Airlines, that would not get us anywhere,' he admits. What is attracting attention within the industry, he maintains, is the fact that his new airline is called ...

  • News

    Disquiet on the state aid front

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    The debate over continuing state support to Europe's airlines refuses to roll over and die, just like the concept of the national flag carrier, which lies at its heart. With four cases on Brussels' books, 1997 may yet prove to be a landmark year. The European Commission's scrutiny of ...

  • News

    Viasa future looks bleak

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Iberia and the Venezuelan government were playing a game of brinksmanship at presstime after flag carrier Viasa ran out of cash and ceased operations on 23 January. Both sides are believed to be willing to let the airline fold but, according to one source close to the negotiations, ...

  • News

    Macau change

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Li Ke Li, the CAAC's deputy director for international affairs, has been appointed chief executive officer of Air Macau. He replaces Ng Kian-wah, who has returned to Singapore Airlines. CNAC, which controls Air Macau, pushed for the appointment of Li, who has never managed an airline before.   ...

  • News

    Freight frighteners

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    After persistently failing to ensure on-time delivery of its product to Japan by air, a major European pharmaceutical company was forced to take a multi-million dollar stake in a local Japanese drug company to ensure consistency of supply in a last desperate bid to retain a foothold in this lucrative ...

  • News

    Shares rise in the east

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Four days before the Chinese New Year, China Eastern Airlines made an auspicious debut on the world's markets by raising an estimated US$250 million. The success of the issue should pave the way for the other Chinese majors to follow suit, although holding company China National Aviation Corp may well ...

  • News

    Global watch put on nations at risk

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    In these days of globalisation and robust economic growth in almost every region of the world, it is tempting to believe that nothing can go wrong. But in many respects this is the most dangerous phase of the economic cycle when businesses, whether they be banks, manufacturers or airlines, are ...

  • News

    People movers

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Hang on. The flight attendant in the blue Delta Air Lines uniform has an unmistakable Dublin accent, akin to that of her green-clad colleagues on the Aer Lingus Dublin-JFK flight. Either 100 years of Irish immigration to the US have failed to alter speech patterns or airline alliances are taking ...

  • News

    Easy ride on the Hill for mega-deal

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    The face of special-interest politics in Washington is changing, and American Airlines is wearing a smile. An overhaul of the Senate Commerce Committee means the airline finds itself with new-found clout. The rise of Arizona Sen John McCain to chairmanship of the committee is a big win for American Airlines. ...

  • News

    Much ado about nothing?

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    The countdown to full European deregulation has begun, so where's the rush to the starting post? When the final hurdle to full deregulation is swept away on 1 April all airlines in the European Economic Area gain access to cabotage rights, enabling them to fly between any two domestic points ...

  • News

    Qatar finalises fleet renewal plan

    1997-02-26T14:48:00Z

    Qatar Airways has arranged to lease two Airbus A300s to replace its fleet of Boeing 747s on long-haul services from its base in Doha. The airline, which underwent a major management and strategic revamp late in 1996 (Flight International 11-17 December 1996, P10), will introduce two ex-Garuda Pratt & ...

  • News

    BMW R-R

    1997-02-26T12:28:00Z

    Robin Bailey has been appointed head of product support for the BR700 family of engines by German manufacturer BMW Rolls-Royce. Bailey has extensive product-support experience with airlines and manufacturers, including Cathay Pacific, Rolls-Royce, Saab and, most recently, GKN Westland Helicopters, where he was head of product support for the EH ...

  • News

    Lufthansa

    1997-02-26T12:27:00Z

    Lufthansa has named the six-man executive board which is to take charge of the restructured passenger division of the company from 1 April. The company's current executive vice-president for marketing, Frederick Reid, will become head of marketing and network management, as well as being board spokesman. Lufthansa's current sales director ...