Recently released figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) indicate that international air cargo traffic for 2008, expressed in freight tonne kilometres (FTKs), suffered a 6.1 per cent decline and while member airlines reduced cargo capacity significantly, the average cargo load factor for the year still fell by one percentage point to 65.6 per cent. The AAPA members carried 141.5 million international passengers in 2008, 1.8 per cent fewer than the record levels achieved in … [Read more...] about AAPA figures reveal "shocking" cargo decline
Carriers
Singapore inks OSAs with Czech Rep & Iceland
Singapore has concluded an Open Skies Agreement (OSA) with Iceland giving airlines from Singapore and Iceland full flexibility to operate air services between and beyond both countries, as well as via intermediate points, without restrictions on capacity, frequency and aircraft type. The Singapore-Iceland OSA is also more liberal than conventional OSAs, as it allows for unlimited ¡°hubbing rights¡±, also known as ¡°7th freedom traffic rights¡±, for both passenger and cargo services. … [Read more...] about Singapore inks OSAs with Czech Rep & Iceland
4th runway for Frankfurt but night flights a problem
The Frankfurt airport has been cleared for expansion by a German court after years of trying to get the expansion approved. As a result the airport can soon start building a fourth runway north of the current airport perimeter with an opening date of 2012. But Frankfurt's operator, Fraport and the main operator Lufthansa, also have to deal with the court's preliminary statement that the planned night flight restrictions are not far reaching enough. With Lufthansa's growth rates constrained … [Read more...] about 4th runway for Frankfurt but night flights a problem
Air China expects first loss in 8 years
Air China is expecting to post its first annual loss in eight years due to slumping demand and bad bets on fuel prices, state media reported. The company said in a statement filed with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday that it lost US$994.5 million on fuel hedging in 2008. Chinese carriers are banned from hedging purchases on fuel used for domestic flights, which in the past made Air China less vulnerable than its competitors to rising fuel prices. But jet-fuel prices have fallen more than … [Read more...] about Air China expects first loss in 8 years
Jet-Kingfisher alliance operational in 6 months
The alliance between India's two largest private carriers Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines - which if fully implemented would give the duo a nearly 58 per cent market share - will take six months to be fully operational, according to Kingfisher Chairman Vijay Mallya. Already the two carriers were cooperating "very closely in many ways" but it was not as simple as it sounded to ope rationalise the agreement, signed by them last October, Mallya told the Press Trust of India. "One project is … [Read more...] about Jet-Kingfisher alliance operational in 6 months
Delta aims to trim 2,000 staff
Delta Air Lines, which took over rival Northwest Airlines last year, said it expects about 2,000 staff to opt for early retirement as it aims to trim capacity by up to 8 per cent this year. The latest move by the world's biggest airline highlights a trend among major airlines trying to ride out the global economic recession. In December, Delta, which has about 75,000 staff worldwide, said it would offer employees severance packages, but it didn't say how many jobs it aimed to cut. "We are … [Read more...] about Delta aims to trim 2,000 staff
