Makivik Corporation and NorTerra Inc., respectively the shareholders of First Air (Ottawa) and Canadian North (Yellowknife), have agreed to hold discussions leading to the merger of their operations consistent with a merger of equals, subject to the successful conclusion of negotiations and regulatory review.
The potential merger is intended to create a single airline entity that builds on the strengths and identities of the two companies. A merger would improve the sustainability of these critical Inuit birthright enterprises and would also create better air services and new economic development opportunities across the north.
Flight operations and services will remain independent and unaffected during the negotiation and regulatory review phases.
Makivik Corporation and NorTerra Inc. will inform the public as discussions progress.
Top Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Formerly operated by KLM, Boeing 737-406 C-FFNC (msn 27232) of First Air taxies at Hamilton, Ontario.
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Bottom Copyright Photo: Gilbert Hechema/AirlinersGallery.com. First Air’s Boeing 737-25A C-GCNO (msn 23790) climbs away from the runway at Montreal (Trudeau).
Air Seychelles (Mahe) has announced a net profit of $3 million (US) for 2013, exceeding by 171 percent its profit of $1.1 million (US) reported in 2012.
Revenue increased by 107 percent to $88.7 million (2012: $42.8 million).
The airlineโs passenger numbers on its international network increased 100 percent to 195,857 (2012: 97,576), while traffic on domestic services in 2013 increased nine percent to 156,617 passengers.
The impressive 2013 passenger traffic growth was aided by Air Seychellesโ acquisition of a second Airbus A330-200 aircraft in March. The same month the island carrier launched three weekly flights to Hong Kong, and increased frequencies to Abu Dhabi, Johannesburg and Mauritius, bringing its total international weekly services to 16, up 100 percent.
Johannesburg and Mauritius enjoyed an additional return service per week, connecting each destination three times a week respectively with the Seychelles. The airlineโs Abu Dhabi services also increased from four to seven return flights per week.
Abu Dhabi was Air Seychellesโ busiest international route, with a total of 90,746 passengers carried between the archipelago and capital of the United Arab Emirates, a year-on-year increase of 178 percent.
Elsewhere, Air Seychelles saw record cargo volumes in 2013 thanks strong demand to and from France, Italy, Hong Kong and South Africa.
Air Seychelles signed four new codeshare partnerships in 2013, entering agreements with airberlin, Czech Airlines, South African Airways, and Cathay Pacific Airways. These codeshare agreements increased Air Seychellesโ virtual network from 19 to 34 destinations.
In October, Air Seychelles announced a multi-million dollar agreement for the purchase of three new Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft (top and below), its largest ever domestic fleet order signalling the carrierโs long-term commitment to its domestic operations. Two of these aircraft are due to arrive in mid-2014, one year ahead of schedule.
Air Seychelles now plans to welcome the new Twin Otters in July, following which, the aircraft will enter into service between Mahรฉ and Praslin, as well as other islands in the archipelago, including Bird, Denis, DโArros, and Frรฉgate.
The third Twin Otter aircraft is expected to arrive in the third quarter of 2015. All three new aircraft are part of a phased business plan to refresh the Twin Otter DHC-6 fleet.
Twin Otters were first introduced by Air Seychelles in the early 1980s and the airline currently operates three DHC-6 Series 300 aircraft and 1 DHC-6 Series 400 aircraft.
The 19-seat twin engine Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 aircraft are manufactured by Viking Air in British Columbia, Canada.
Air Seychelles capped a remarkable year of achievements by being awarded a four-star rating by Skytrax, one of 35 global carriers to hold this accolade.
Both Copyright Photos: Air Seychelles is upgrading its Twin Otter inter-island fleet. Top: S7-CUR (msn 846) is the first DHC-6-400 Twin Otter with a digital glass cockpit.ย Viking Air President and CEO, David C. Curtis, the Seychelles Minister of Home Affairs and Transport and Chairman of Air Seychelles, Joel Morgan, and Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer, Cramer Ball, outline details of the new Twin Otter fleet order at a press conference.
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Video: Air Seychellesย DHC-6-300 Twin Otter landing at Praslin Island Airport (PRI) coming from Seychelles International Airport (SEZ).
Gulf Air (Bahrain) has announced that it will be resuming its flights to Athens, with four weekly flights to Athens International Airport starting on June 16.
Gulf Airโs four weekly flights will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration, featuring 14 Falcon Gold Class seats and 96 Economy Class seats.
Gulf Air took the difficult decision to suspend services to Athens in March 2012 for commercial reasons following a prolonged period of challenging operating conditions.
Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-214 A9C-AF (msn 4158) arrives in Doha.
Jet Airways‘ (Mumbai) flight 9W 117 from London (Heathrow) to Mumbai flew over the busy German airspace ย without radio contact on March 13, five days after Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370 disappeared. Boeing 777-35R VT-JEG (msn 35163) was flown for 30 minutes without positive radio contact from the cockpit crew.
Both pilots, who failed to notice they had lost air traffic control radio contact, were suspended by the company.
Read the full report from the Economic Times: CLICK HERE
Previously the airline on February 12, 2014 had inaugurated flights from the new international integrated terminal T2 at Mumbaiโs Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on this route to London Heathrow.
Jet Airways’ flight 9W 118 from Mumbai to London Heathrow became the first international flight to take off at 1320 from India’s most new, modern and spacious Terminal 2.
Copyright Photo: Nick Dean/AirlinersGallery.com. Sister ship Boeing 777-35R ER N834BA became VT-JEL (msn 36563) on delivery.
Qingdao Airlines (Qingdao, Shandong Province), a Chinese start-up airline, has taken delivery of the companyโs first ever aircraft, an Airbus A320 aircraft equipped with Sharklets, on lease from Hong Kong-based China Aircraft Leasing Company (CALC). The airline will become a new operator and make its first commercial flight from its home base of Qingdao in Eastern China to Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan Province in Southwestern China, later in April.
The A320, powered by CFM56 engines, features a comfort two-class cabin with eight business and 144 economy class seats.
Sharklets are made from light-weight composites and are 2.4 meters tall. They are an option on new-build A320 Family aircraft and standard on all members of the new A320neo family. They offer operators up to four per cent fuel burn reduction on longer range sectors and provide the flexibility of either adding an additional 100 nautical miles range or increased payload capability of up to 450 kilograms.
Qingdao Airlines placed an order for 23 A320 Family aircraft in 2013 (see photo below).
Top Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured A320-214 D-AXAJ at Hamburg (Finkenwerder) became B-9955 (msn 6061) on the hand over yesterday (April 10).
Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong) today (April 10) announced that it will launch a four-times-weekly service to Manchester on December 8, 2014 (subject to government approval).
The Manchester service will be operated by Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft.
Flights will depart from Hong Kong to Manchester every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Departures from Manchester are also on these days.
Copyright Photo: Stephen Tornblom/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-367 ER B-KPS (msn 39232) climbs away from Los Angeles International Airport.
Dniproavia Airways (Dniproavia National Aircompany) (Dnipropetrovsk) will start a new route between Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine and Vienna, Austria on April 30. Scheduled flights to the capital of Austria will be operated three times a week โ on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft.
Because of the loss of the Black Sea resorts in the Crimea, Dniproavia Airways is also developing new routes for the summer, offering alternative Black Sea resorts.
Starting on April 27, 2014 Dniproavia Airways starts direct scheduled flights between Dnipropetrovsk and Georgian cities of Tbilisi and Batumi.
Dniproavia Airways also starts a new route between Dnipropetrovsk and Istanbul on April 28, 2014.
Direct flights will be operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Flights en route Dnipropetrovsk -Tbilisi will be operated on Sundays:
Dniproavia is also planning a program of regular flights to the resorts in Bulgaria โ from Dnepropetrovsk to both Bourgas and Varna.
The airline had previouslyย ceased all operations on January 8, 2013 but managed to resume partial operations on February 1, 2013. The airline resumed full operations on April 2, 2014 after sanctions were lifted by the government although some routes are limited due to the current tensions in the eastern portion of the Ukraine and the Crimea which is now controlled by Russia.
The airline issued this statement:
Specific sanctions which have been applied to the Dniproavia since November 2013. According to the order of Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, the sanctions are now lifted.
Tax Notices, which became the basis to seek special sanctions โ introduction of individual licensing regime of international business activities โ had been recognized by the Court as illegal and were canceled. Nevertheless, the special sanctions had been applying to the Dniproavia Airways for five months, which had hampered greatly the economic activities of the Company: performance of daily payments in foreign currency for spare parts and components, airport services and air navigation, fueling, passenger handling. Also, as a result of the abovementioned sanctions customs clearance of the aircraft components was almost blocked.
Special sanctions applied to Dniproavia are lifted by the Order of Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, dated April 2, 2014.
Thus, since April 2, 2014, Dniproavia has recommenced its normal operating activities.
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Dniproavia now operates only the Embraer ERJ 145, retiring its Boeing 737s during the sanctioned period. ERJ 145EP (EMB-145EP) UR-DNK (msn 145039) is pictured at Stockholm (Arlanda).
American Airlines Group (American Airlines and US Airways) (Dallas/Fort Worth) has issued its new fleet update (see below) for 2014. Overall the fleet will grow by only three aircraft this year. The Group will take delivery of 83 new mainline aircraft during 2014, namely 10 Airbus A319s, 42 A321s, three A330-200s, 20 Boeing 737-800s, two 787-8s and six 777-300s (more Airbus aircraft than Boeing aircraft). The Group expects to retire during 2014 26 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82/83s (MD-80s), 14 Boeing 737-400s, 22 757-200s, 13 767-200s and five Airbus A320s.
The last eight Boeing 737-400s being operated by US Airways (top) are expected to be retired before the end of the third quarter (September 30).
On the regional side, the Group is significantly reducing its Embraer ERJ 140 fleet but it will also operate a large amount of inefficient 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200s (138) and Embraer ERJ 145s (118).
Here is the full report:
In addition, according to Airline Route, American Airlines and US Airways will begin assigning certain routes to either American or US Airways:
Effective June 1: American Airlines routes to be operated entirely by US Airways:
Charlotte โ Chicago (OโHare)
Charlotte โ Miami
Los Angeles โ Phoenix
Effective July 2, the following American routes will be operated by US Airways:
Miami โ Detroit
Miami โ New Orleans
Miami โ Raleigh
Miami โ Tampa
Effective July 2, the following US Airways routes will be operated by American:
Phoenix โ Detroit
Phoenix โ Newark
Phoenix โ Orange County
Phoenix โ Seattle
Top Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. A significant milestone is approaching quickly. US Airways has had a long association with the Boeing 737 and the last 737-400 is expected to be retired before the end of September according to this fleet update. Boeing 737-4B7 N433US (msn 24555) taxies to the runway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
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Bottom Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. American is quickly replacing the older Boeing 767-200 ERs currently being operated between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles with newer Airbus A321s. The last AA 767-200 is expected to be retired on May 7 according to ch-aviation although the type will continue with US Airways into 2015.ย American Airlines’ Boeing 767-223 ER N335AA (msn 22333) departs from Los Angeles bound for New York (JFK).
Piedmont Airlines’ (2nd) (US Airways Express) (Salisbury) flight attendants, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), have voted to ratify a new five-year collective bargaining agreement that was reached on March 6. The new contract was ratified by the airline’s 180 flight attendants who are based in Harrisburg, PA; Salisbury, MA; Charlottesville, VA; Roanoke, VA and New Bern, NC.
Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier (de Havilland Canada) DHC-8-102 N908HA (msn 015) of Piedmont Airlines (2nd) taxies to the runway at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) hub.
Alaska Airlines‘ (Seattle/Tacoma) 2,500 clerical, office and passenger service employees, who are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), have ratified a new five-year contract. The contract was approved by 62 percent of those who voted.
The contract includes pay raises and job security provisions, among other improvements.
The previous three-year contract became amendable on January 1, 2014 and a tentative agreement was reached on February 3, 2014. Contracts in the airline industry do not expire. Once they become amendable, the current contract remains in effect until a new agreement is ratified.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-4Q8 N754AS (msn 25095) arrives at Anchorage International Airport (ANC).
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