Strategy – Page 1105

  • News

    ANZ optimistic over Ansett buy-out

    1996-05-08T00:00:00Z

    Air New Zealand (ANZ) has set a 30 June target date to complete its stalled NZ$350 million ($241 million) buy-out of TNT's 50% stake in Ansett. In April, the New Zealand Commerce Commission blocked ANZ's bid because it would have resulted in the carrier also acquiring 50% of domestic competitor ...

  • News

    China wins control of Hong Kong airlines

    1996-05-08T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/HONG KONG SWIRE PACIFIC has ceded control of Dragonair and lost to China its absolute majority interest in Cathay Pacific Airways, in a far- reaching settlement ending a year-long battle for control of Hong Kong's airlines. Under a deal struck just 14 months before ...

  • News

    Unique Internationalism

    1996-05-08T00:00:00Z

    THE UK'S OLDEST flying-training school is to close. Air Service Training (AST) blames not the now-ended airline recession, but its own regulator for allowing overseas schools with lower costs to train ab initio pilots for the full UK commercial pilot's licence, and its Government for giving UK students tax incentives ...

  • News

    New Sabena chief warns that costs must be reduced

    1996-05-08T00:00:00Z

    Herman de Wulf/BRUSSELS SABENA'S NEW president, Paul Reutlinger, has warned staff that the ailing carrier needs to shave billions of Belgian francs from its cost base. Reutlinger, who joined Sabena from Swissair after Pierre Godfroid's resignation, says that the carrier needs to make annual savings of ...

  • News

    Easy man

    1996-05-01T14:38:00Z

    EasyJet, the UK low-cost startup, has appointed Ray Webster as managing director. Webster comes from Air New Zealand, and will focus on EasyJet's proposed expansion into Europe. The carrier starts a daily service from London/Luton to Amsterdam from the end of April.   Source: Airline Business

  • News

    So what's in a name?

    1996-05-01T14:04:00Z

    t used to be called Air Inter. Now, its legal name is Air France Europe but it trades as Air Inter Europe. It is majority owned by the Air France Group, but is legally a separate company. In 1997, it will be merged into Air France's European route operation, which ...

  • News

    Still under the influence

    1996-05-01T13:33:00Z

    Everyone in the US says that they want 'clean' elections. But until the long-threatened reform in campaign finance actually occurs, Washington decision-making will always be influenced by corporations, unions and professional interest groups via political action committees (PACs). Witness United Parcel Service. Its PAC, a legal entity set ...

  • News

    Appointments

    1996-05-01T13:30:00Z

    Edward Methot is the new vice president of flight operations at America West Airlines. Swissair has appointed Klaus Knappik head of the cargo and logistics division. Crossair has appointed Josef Felder EVP of the new product management division. Juhani Suomela has become Finnair's EVP ...

  • News

    Rafi resigns

    1996-05-01T11:31:00Z

    El Al's president Raphael Harlev has resigned because of the indefinite postponement of privatisation. The carrier had yet to appoint a successor, at presstime. Meanwhile, the Israeli flag has signed a codeshare agreement with American Airlines on its Tel Aviv flights to Chicago and Newark. The US carrier will put ...

  • News

    Latin American lead

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    Increasingly creative financial mechanisms and new products that insure against political and contractual risks, are providing incentives for private sector investment in Latin American and Caribbean airports. By Ellis Juan.As the air transport sector continues its rapid expansion in an increasingly globalised economy, the entry of fast-growing new participants like ...

  • News

    Europe's cost crisis

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    What does it take to ensure the start up of a profitable low-cost carrier in Europe? Hugh Parry looks at the pitfalls and compares the cost of operating in Europe to what is on offer in the US.Imagine an airline based at London/Heathrow flying to Paris 15 times a ...

  • News

    Dealing in Deutsche marks

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    The German tax lease market is growing, and providing an important source of aircraft funds, but there are fears that any liberties taken with structures could lead to tighter regulation by the tax authorities. Trevor French reports.It doesn't often happen that the arcane world of aircraft finance hits the front ...

  • News

    Mixed fortunes

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    Last year, the 100 largest regional airlines in the world carried 124 million passengers, employed 87,000 people, and flew 2,700 jet and turboprop aircraft. Only just over half provided revenue figures and even fewer divulged profits, but among those that did report financial figures, revenues grew 14.8 per cent to ...

  • News

    Food for thought

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    Cost-cutting and branding are the mantras of today's airline managers and nowhere are the two more entwined than in the catering product - one of the main elements of inflight service that governs customer loyalty. By Mark Odell. In the dual battle for profitability and greater competitiveness the drive for ...

  • News

    No room at the inn?

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    Continued capacity constraints at London/Heathrow have long dictated the US position in liberalisation talks with the UK. Now the physical limits have reached the point where other European hubs threaten to siphon North Atlantic traffic away from Heathrow. By Mead Jennings. TWA, which sold its right to fly to ...

  • News

    Airline news

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    Lufthansa is launching an on-line reservation service that can be accessed through either a CD-ROM format or through the Internet or other on-line services. Distribution of the CD-ROM is in conjunction with travel agents, who will be able to customse their own versions of the disc. South African ...

  • News

    Pressing for open skies

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    The US Department of Transportation has in general had strong support from the halls of Congress of late - especially in the realm of international aviation issues. In a late March floor speech, Larry Pressler, South Dakota Republican and chairman of the Senate commerce committee, spoke on the ...

  • News

    PAL recovery under threat

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    The recovery of Philippine Airlines from disastrous financial losses over the past two years is under threat from rising competition from a growing number of startups with ambitions to launch on to key regional routes. Grand Air and Cebu Pacific Air, which have both made inroads on domestic ...

  • News

    Ansett's Kiwi jaunt drags

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is considering a total takeover of Ansett New Zealand in a final bid to remove obstacles to the proposed merger of Air New Zealand and Australian domestic Ansett. Severing the controlling link between Ansett Australia and Ansett New Zealand appears to be the only ...

  • News

    CLK ponders runway two

    1996-05-01T00:00:00Z

    Forecasters are about to release new traffic estimates that could dictate whether Hong Kong accelerates work on a second Chek Lap Kok runway, which would strengthen its claim as an international hub, as the geopolitical transition now underway in the region begins to undermine its role as the gateway to ...