SAS’ July figures severely impacted by 15-day pilot strike

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS released this traffic report for July:

During July more than 3,700 flights were cancelled and 380 000 passengers were affected by the SAS’ Scandinavia pilots unions strike action that was concluded on July 19.

In July 1.3 million passengers traveled with SAS, an increase of approximately 23% compared to the same month last year. SAS’ capacity increased by approximately 8% compared with the same period last year. In comparison with last month, the total number of passengers decreased with 32% and capacity was decreased by 23%, which was a result from the 15-day pilot strike. The flown load factor for July was 82%, an improvement of 21 percentage points compared to July last year.

“We sincerely apologize to our customers who were affected by the July strike. We are happy operations returned to normality again allowing us to start regaining our customers’ trust. We also continue executing our restructuring plan, SAS FORWARD and filed for chapter 11 in the US on 5th of July to accelerate the transformation process that will lead to a financially stable airline, that will be able to deliver the service our customers are expecting”, says Anko van der Werff, President & CEO of SAS.

SAS scheduled traffic	Jul22	Change1	Nov21- Jul22	Change1
ASK (Mill.)	2,251	-2.2%	22,086	120.6%
RPK (Mill.)	1,871	36.5%	14,767	273.3%
Passenger load factor	83.1%	23.6 pp	66.9%	27.4 pp
No. of passengers (000)	1,207	18.0%	11,631	198.9%

Geographical development, schedule	Jul22 vs. Jul21		Nov21- Jul22 vs. Nov20-Jul21
	RPK	ASK	RPK	ASK
Intercontinental	129.4%	-2.0%	726.8%	128.6%
Europe/Intrascandinavia	42.1%	11.4%	290.1%	192.7%
Domestic	-40.1%	-44.2%	90.2%	31.7%

SAS charter traffic	Jul22	Change1	Nov21- Jul22	Change1
ASK (Mill.)	396	152.7%	1,600	644.3%
RPK (Mill.)	304	126.8%	1,310	733.8%
Load factor	76.8%	-8.8 pp	81.9%	8.8 pp
No. of passengers (000)	118	111.3%	478	645.9%

SAS total traffic (scheduled and charter)	Jul22	Change1	Nov21- Jul22	Change1
ASK (Mill.)	2,646	7.7%	23,687	131.6%
RPK (Mill.)	2,175	44.6%	16,077	290.9%
Load factor	82.2%	21.0 pp	67.9%	27.7 pp
No. of passengers (000)	1,325	22.8%	12,110	206.1%

1 Change compared to same period last year, p p = percentage points

Preliminary yield and PASK	Jul22	Nominal change1	FX adjusted change
Yield, SEK	1.05	20.9%	4.1%
PASK, SEK	0.87	68.7%	61.2%

			Jul22
Punctuality (arrival 15 min)			67.0%
Regularity			75.4%
Change in total CO2 emissions			118.2 %
Change in CO2 emissions per available seat kilometer,			0.8%
Carbon offsetting of passenger related emissions			32.6%

Definitions:

RPK – Revenue passenger kilometers

ASK – Available seat kilometers
Load factor – RPK/ASK
Yield – Passenger revenues/RPK (scheduled)

PASK – Passenger revenues/ASK (scheduled)

Change in CO2 emissions per available seat kilometers – SAS passenger related carbon emissions divided with total available seat kilometers (incl non-revenue and EuroBonus tickets), rolling 12 months vs rolling 12 months previous year

Carbon offsetting of passenger related emissions – Share of SAS passenger related carbon emissions compensated by SAS (EuroBonus members, youth tickets and SAS’ staff travel) during the month

From fiscal year 2020 we report change in CO2 emissions in total and per Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) to align with our overall goal to reduce our total CO2 emissions by 25% by 2025, compared to 2005.

SAS aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair to launch Helsinki – Mumbai flights

Finnair is launching new direct flights from Helsinki to Mumbai in India tomorrow, August 6.

Flights to the iconic Indian city will initially operate three times a week, increasing to four times weekly in November.

The new route to Mumbai marks the start of Finnair’s second service to India, with the carrier already flying daily to India’s capital, New Delhi.

To mark the celebrations, the inaugural flight from Helsinki will depart following a joint ceremony between Finnair and Finavia, the Finnish airport operator.

As a sweet treat, customers onboard will be served specially crafted chocolates from world famous Finnish confectionist Fazer.

Return flights from London to Mumbai start from £481 in Economy Class and £1,505 in Business Class (including all taxes and charges).

Flights will depart Helsinki at 17:55, arriving into Mumbai at 05:15 the following morning. The return flight departs the Indian city at 07:10, arriving into Finnair’s home at 14:05.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

JetBlue lands in London Gatwick from Boston

JetBlue Airways has announced it has officially launched service from Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) to London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW). JetBlue’s daily nonstop service is part of the airline’s focus city strategy and its long-term transatlantic growth plans. London was the largest nonstop market not currently served by JetBlue from Boston and is among the most requested destinations from the airline’s large Boston customer base.

Last year, JetBlue launched its first-ever transatlantic service from New York-JFK to both Heathrow and Gatwick, London’s largest and busiest airports. The carrier plans to grow its transatlantic presence this year with new service from Boston Logan to London’s Heathrow Airport, launching September 20, 2022, and an additional Gatwickdeparture from New York starting October 29, 2022. Between JetBlue’s New York and Boston focus cities, the airline will offer five daily flights between the U.S. and the U.K. by October.

Schedule between Boston (BOS) and Gatwick (LGW)
Daily service starting August 4, 2022 (Eastbound) & August 5, 2022 (Westbound)
*all times local

BOS-LGW Flight #2104	LGW-BOS Flight #1926
6:37 p.m. – 6:35 a.m.(+1)	12:25 p.m. – 3:13 p.m.

JetBlue flights between the U.S. and London are scheduled to operate using the Airbus A321LR aircraft with 24 Mint suites, 114 core seats and the sleek and spacious Airspace cabin interior. The A321LR– offering the range of a wide-body but with the economics of a single-aisle aircraft – along with the airline’s acclaimed service and attractive fares has proven to be a winning combination for flights between the U.S. and London.

We're wicked excited our first flight from Boston to London finally takes off today. 🇬🇧 Now you can fly from the Charles to the Thames with our sky-high experience and down-to-earth fares. Learn more: https://t.co/w8pWLSm8xT pic.twitter.com/sztggOzWnT

— JetBlue (@JetBlue) August 4, 2022

JetBlue is launching its third route to Europe today with the launch of Boston-London via @Gatwick_Airport! I took the Airbus A321neoLR operating the route last months, here’s a sneak of what travelers on the new route can expect. @JetBlue @MajaGedosev @BostonLogan pic.twitter.com/Q98QeUWMx4

— Tom Pallini (@tpallini) August 4, 2022

JetBlue aircraft photo gallery:

Is Northern Pacific changing its business plan? Files to fly to Mexico

Northern Pacific Airways (Anchorage) may be changing its plans due to the high cost of fuel.

Initially the airline had proposed to fly from the United States to Asia via an Anchorage hub. Operations have yet to begin.

On August 3, 2022, the new airline applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for authority to fly to points in Mexico from the U.S.

The carrier also stated it wanted to start operations before the end of the year if this new authority is granted.

Operations would be flown with its Boeing 757-200s.

Atlas Air Worldwide to be acquired by an investor group led by Apollo together with J.F. Lehman and Company and Hill City Capital for $5.2 billion

Atlas Air Worldwide has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo (NYSE: APO) together with investment affiliates of J.F. Lehman & Company and Hill City Capital in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise valuation of approximately $5.2 billion.

Under the terms of the agreement, Atlas Air Worldwide shareholders will receive $102.50 per share in cash, representing a 57% premium to the 30-day volume-weighted average trading price per share of Atlas Air Worldwide common stock as of July 29, 2022¹. Upon completion of the transaction, Atlas Air Worldwide will become a privately held company and shares of Atlas Air Worldwide common stock will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Atlas Air Worldwide will continue operating under the Atlas Air Worldwide name, be led by John Dietrich and the current executive team and maintain its global presence.

¹July 29, 2022 represents the last full trading day prior to market speculation regarding a potential sale of the Company.

Approvals and Timing

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter 2022 or first quarter 2023, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Atlas Air Worldwide shareholders and receipt of regulatory approvals.

In other news, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. today announced second quarter 2022 net income of $88.3 million, or $2.65 per diluted share, compared with net income of $107.1 million, or $3.53 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2021.

On an adjusted basis, EBITDA totaled $215.6 million in the second quarter this year compared with $243.7 million in the second quarter of 2021. Adjusted net income in the second quarter of 2022 totaled $97.3 million, or $3.36 per diluted share, compared with $121.8 million, or $4.10 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2021.

Fleet

During the second quarter, we took delivery of the first of our four new Boeing 747-8Fs. The remaining three aircraft are expected to be delivered throughout the balance of this year. As announced in February 2022, all four of these aircraft are placed with customers under attractive long-term agreements.

In addition, we look forward to the deliveries and placements of the four new Boeing 777-200LRFs, for which we are in advanced negotiations. We expect the first aircraft to be delivered late in the fourth quarter of this year and three more throughout 2023.

As previously disclosed, we are purchasing five of our existing 747-400Fs at the end of their leases during the course of this year, the first of which was acquired in March and the second in May. We expect to complete the remaining three aircraft acquisitions between August and December 2022.

Acquiring these widebody freighters underscores our confidence in the demand for international airfreight capacity, particularly in express, e-Commerce and fast-growing global markets, and will drive strong returns for Atlas in the years ahead.

Atlas Air aircraft photo gallery:

Saudia launches the Riyadh – Zurich route

Saudia inaugurated the first direct flight to its new international destination Zurich, Switzerland in collaboration with the Air Connectivity Program.

To commemorate the occasion, SAUDIA organized an inauguration ceremony at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in the presence of the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Switzerland to the Kingdom, Dr. Andreas Schaller, the Chief Commercial Officer of SAUDIA, Mr. Arved Nikolaus Von Zur Muhlen, the VP Strategy & Communication from the Air Connectivity Program, Mr. Sultan Alotaify, and the VP of Route Development Ms. Anita Gackowska, along with a number of government officials working at the airport.

At the departure gate, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place to launch the new route as SAUDIA employees bid farewell to the traveling guests.

The aircraft was received with a water salute to welcome the first direct flight from Saudi Arabia in Zurich International Airport where SAUDIA held another celebration for the return flight from Zurich to Riyadh in line with its goal to bring the world to the Kingdom. The event was attended by the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Switzerland, Dr. Adel Siraj Mirdad, and the Regional SAUDIA Manager in Europe, the Mr. Hisham Bindkhail.

SAUDIA’s new route connecting Riyadh to Zurich will further utilize the airline’s extensive fleet, catering to guests with a range of convenient check-in methods, high-quality onboard services, and a comfortable flight experience that underlines the flag carrier’s commitment to excellence.

FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR ZURICH

Flight number	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Frequency
SV 0235	Riyadh 8:45	Zurich 14:05	Twice a week (Sundays and Wednesdays)
SV 0234	Zurich 15:20	Riyadh 21:55	Twice a week (Sundays and Wednesdays)

*All times local.

Saudia aircraft photo gallery:

Air Greenland’s new Airbus A330neo exits the paintshop

Airbus has issued the first photos of Air Greenland’s new Airbus A330neo after it exited the Airbus paintshop.

The new flagship aircraft is named “Tuukkaq”.

Air Greenland aircraft photo gallery:

IndiGo now exits passengers from both sides of the aircraft with a third ramp

IndiGo has launched a quicker way of exiting its passengers, using a third ramp to disembark the passengers.

IndiGo launches third ramp for disembarking passengers

Additional ramp to make disembarkation quicker by 5-7 mins

Additional ramp to help in faster turnaround time for aircraft@IndiGo6E to deploy additional ramp for disembarkation across the country in 3 months@CNBCTV18Live pic.twitter.com/dCx3sp3KTM

— Anu Sharma (@awnusharma) August 4, 2022

IndiGo aircraft photo gallery:

Aergo Caital leases a Q400 to SATA Air Azores

Aergo Capital Limited has delivered one Bombardier Q400 aircraft bearing manufacturer serial number 4380 to the Portuguese airline, SATA Air Acores.

Skyworld Aviation provided assistance in arranging the deal.

Air Premia to lease two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from Aergo Capital

Aergo Capital Limited has remarketed two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, bearing manufacturer serial numbers 63314 and 63315, to be delivered on operating lease to Air Premia.

The transaction is being executed on behalf of UKEF, with the lease agreement signed in Singapore. Aergo Capital has acted as the asset manager and remarketing agent with the first aircraft (63314) being delivered in the coming weeks and the second aircraft (63315) scheduled to deliver early in 2023.