Air Bagan suspends operations, vows to return in October

Air Bagan (Yangon) suspended all operations on August 16. The company is vowing to reorganize and return in October with additional aircraft. The company has been struggling since an ATR 72-500 with 49 passengers skidded off the runway on landing at Yangon on July 24 in a heavy rainstorm. The airline was down to one operational ATR 72 and could not maintain its schedules.

Air Bagan started operations on November 15, 2004.

Read more from the Myanmar Times: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Richard Vandervord/AirlinersGallery.com. ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-500) XY-AIK (msn 592) taxies at the Yangon base.

Air Bagan aircraft slide show:

Route Map (click on the map for the full size view):

Nok Air takes delivery of its first direct-purchase Boeing 737-800

Boeing (Chicago, Seattle and Charleston) and Nok Air (Bangkok) have celebrated the airline’s first direct-purchased Next-Generation 737-800 (the pictured 737-88L HS-DBT, msn 61293). The delivery marks the first of seven Next-Generation 737-800s the airline has on order with Boeing.

Nok Air will also introduce Boeing’s new 737 MAX 8 in the next couple of years.

Nok Air is a low-cost carrier that operates an all-Boeing fleet of Next-Generation 737-800s.

Above Photo: Boeing.

Nok AIr aircraft slide show:

Nok Air is celebrating its 11th anniversary.

Sriwijaya Air takes delivery of the first two Boeing 737-900 ER airplanes

Sriwijaya Air (Jakarta) and Boeing (Chicago, Seattle and Charleston) on August 20 celebrated the delivery of two new Next-Generation 737-900 ER (Extended Range) airplanes (PK-CMO and PK-CMP). This is the first all-new airplane delivery for Sriwijaya Air, Indonesia’s third largest carrier.

The airline operates an all-Boeing fleet of 737 airplanes and offers flights to various Indonesian destinations and a select few international cities.

Copyright Photo: Joe G. Walker/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-9LF ER PK-CMP (msn 41843), previously planned for UTair, is named “Keiginan”. The new jetliner is pictured on a test flight from Boeing Field in Seattle on August 15.

Sriwijaya Air aircraft slide show:

United Airlines’ flight attendants file for federal mediation

United Airlines‘ (Chicago) flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), have filed for federal mediation under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board (NMB).

According to AFA, the filing was done “in order to bring three years of negotiations to a close and allow United to complete its merger with Continental/Continental Micronesia.”

AFA continued:

“A clear dispute exists and it is time for federal mediation. We are calling on management to negotiate a fair contract within the reality of record profits. Three years after the talks for a joint contract began, management doesn’t seemed focused on negotiating a contract Flight Attendants can ratify,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson. “The longterm success of United Airlines depends upon current executives finishing this merger, which includes negotiating a joint Flight Attendant contract, and making good on promises to employees, Capitol Hill and the traveling public.”

Mediation under the Railway Labor Act is a formal, statutorily prescribed process. The mediator directs the negotiations with statutory authority including time and place of meetings, subjects to be discussed in a given week and the general approach to negotiations. NMB mediation is not binding arbitration. The contract would only become effective by agreement of both parties and it would be subject to membership ratification. If mediation does not result in an agreement, the union may petition for a release, which would lead to a strike deadline. AFA is focused on reaching an agreement that Flight Attendants can ratify and which contributes to completing the operational integration of United Airlines.

Without a joint contract, Flight Attendants continue to work separately and on airplanes that are designated as pre-merger United, Continental or Continental Micronesia. This leads to inefficiencies for the airline and Flight Attendants, and these inefficiencies are often experienced by passengers as well. Negotiations updates are posted on OurContract.org and further explanation of mediation and the positions of the Union and Company may be found on this website.

“Management’s failure to participate in realistic merged contract negotiations seems to be a symptom of a larger problem for our airline. We are concerned that management is not focused on completing this merger or running United Airlines for longterm success. A three billion dollar share buy back and investment in a foreign airline without any attempt to invest in United’s frontline is troubling. Management needs to position United to compete with any airline in the world. That starts with negotiating fairly with the women and men who breathe life into the Friendly Skies,” Nelson stated.

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-222 ER N793UA (msn 26946) approaches the runway at London (Heathrow).

United Airlines aircraft slide show:

FedEx and its pilots reach a tentative agreement

FedEx Express (Memphis) and its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. The tentative agreement is subject to a final ratification vote of its members. ALPA issued this statement:

On Wednesday, August 19, FedEx pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), reached a tentative agreement (TA) with FedEx management on an amended collective bargaining agreement. The parties have been actively negotiating since 2011. Discussions started in 2011 under a special interim discussions agreement that had originally been made by both parties to assist in narrowing the field of open items in order to conclude formal bargaining in a timely manner. Formal bargaining began in January 2013 when Section 6 openers were exchanged with management. On October 31, 2014, FedEx management filed for mediation with the National Mediation Board (NMB), and negotiations have been conducted under NMB guidance.

The new agreement is subject to review and finalization of contract language. Terms of the tentative agreement are not being released, as they first must be reviewed and approved by the FedEx ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC). If approved by the FedEx MEC leadership, the TA will be subject to a ratification vote of over 4,000 FedEx pilots. If ratified, the contract would become amendable in 2021.

Copyright Photo: Paul Ferry/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-236 (F) N915FD (msn 24120) departs from Luton Airport near London.

FedEx Express aircraft slide show:

American Airlines to drop the Philadelphia – Tel Aviv route

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) has announced it will stop service on the nonstop route between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv effective on January 4 (January 5 on the westbound flight). The Airbus A330-200s assigned to the unprofitable route will be reassigned.

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-243 N290AY (msn 1480) approaches the runway at London (Heathrow).

American Airlines aircraft slide show:

ANA’s expanding Star Wars fleet

A new video from ANA.

KLM modifies its Boeing 787 order

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) has changed its order for six Boeing 787-9s to the larger 787-10.

According to the carrier, this is not an additional order. The aircraft are expected as of 2020.

Image: KLM.

QANTAS to introduce the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in 2017 with the first of eight aircraft

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) will enter a new era of global opportunities, fuel efficiency and passenger comfort when the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner joins the QANTAS International fleet from 2017.

The national carrier will acquire eight Boeing 787-9s to gradually replace five of its older Boeing 747-400s on QANTAS International routes and open up a range of potential new city pairs. Four Boeing 787-9s will arrive in financial year 2018 and four will arrive in financial year 2019. This will leave the QANTAS Group with its six youngest reconfigured Boeing 747-400s.

Announcing the decision after a rigorous assessment process, QANTAS confirmed it had met the strict conditions for re-investment in a new long haul fleet type:

A return to strong profitability for Qantas International in financial year 2015, with the business reporting underlying Earnings Before Interest and Tax of $267 million – a turnaround of $764 million compared with financial year 2014 – and Return On Invested Capital above its cost of capital.
Net debt reduction of $1.1 billion since financial year 2013.
A competitive business case, including a new agreement with Qantas’ long-haul
pilots. This agreement incorporates a 30 per cent productivity increase.

QANTAS will retain 15 further options and 30 purchase rights for additional Boeing 787s, with significant flexibility over the timing of delivery should they be exercised.

QANTAS will work with its team of internal experts and external designers to develop worldleading cabin interiors for the new Dreamliner. This will add to the aircraft’s unique features, including improved cabin pressure, larger windows and technology to reduce turbulence.

QANTAS Boeing 787-9 Fact Sheet: CLICK HERE

Top Image: QANTAS.

Image Below: QANTAS. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight deck.