Tag Archives: Madrid

Gestair Cargo rebrands back to Cygnus Air

Gestair Cargo (Madrid) has rebranded back to its original name of Cygnus Air Corporacion.

The airline is currently owned by the Macholfam International (Grupo Gestair) (60%) and IMES (Grupo ACS) (40%) according to Wikipedia.

Top Copyright Photo: Ole Simon/AirlinersGallery.com. This Gestair Cargo color scheme and name was introduced in 2008.

Bottom Copyright Photo: Gunter Mayer. Now ex-Iberia Boeing 757-236 EC-KLD (msn 24121), pictured at Nuremberg at night, is wearing the basic Gestair livery now with Cygnus Air Corporacion titles and the new (old) tail logo.

IAG sinks to a pretax loss of $1.29 billion due to Iberia

International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) (British Airways and Iberia) (London) presented the Group’s consolidated results for the year to December 31, 2012. In addition, IAG presented combined results for the comparative year to December 31, 2011, including Iberia’s first 21 days of January in 2011.

IAG period highlights on combined results:

· Operating loss for the year to December 31, 2012 of €23 million before exceptional items ($29.8 million) (2011: operating profit €485 million). After exceptional items operating loss for the year not including Iberia restructuring and impairment was €68 million, compared to our guidance in November of €120 million

· Before exceptional items, British Airways made an operating profit of €347 million in the year to December 31, 2012 and Iberia made an operating loss of €351 million

· Non-operating charges for the year were €384 million, including €266 million related to non-cash pensions accounting requirements

· Loss before tax for the year of €997 million ($1.29 billion) (2011: profit before tax of €503 million), including restructuring charge of €202 million for the Iberia transformation plan and €343 million impairment of Iberia intangible assets

· Revenue for the year up 10.9 per cent to €18,117 million (2011: €16,339 million), including €872 million or 5.4 per cent currency impact. Passenger unit revenue for the year up 9.4 per cent, on top of volume increases of 2.8 per cent

· Fuel costs up 20.4 per cent to €6,101 million (2011: €5,068 million before exceptional items). Fuel unit costs up 16.8 per cent, or 8.4 per cent at constant currency

· Non-fuel costs before exceptional items, up 11.6 per cent at €12,039 million, including €543 million of adverse currency translation. Non-fuel unit costs up 8.5 per cent, or 3.8 per cent at constant currency

· Capital investment of €1,239 million (2011: €1,071 million) including over €400 million on pre-delivery payments for future aircraft

· Cash of €2,909 million at December 31, 2012 was down €826 million on 2011 year end (December 2011: €3,735 million). Group net debt up €741 million to €1,889 million (December 2011: €1,148 million)

Many will now question what was British Airways thinking when it merged with Iberia to form the IAG? Mergers are not always the answer.

Copyright Photo: With its continued employee strikes, lack of labor peace and a soft economy in Spain, Iberia is a bleeding airline bringing down British Airways and the IAG. Iberia’s Airbus A340-313X EC-KSE (msn 170) climbs away from the MAD hub.

British Airways:

Iberia:

Iberia takes delivery of its first Airbus A330-300

Iberia (Madrid) has taken delivery of the first of the five Airbus A330-302s that will enter service for the Spanish airline this year. The new type landed at 11:46 a.m. (1146) today at Iberia’s T4 hub at Madrid-Barajas airport.

The aircraft, A330-302 EC-LUB (msn 1377), is named “Tikal” and is equipped with IB’s new business and economy class interiors for long-haul flights.

In other news, the flag carrier is facing a new round of strikes by its employees on February 18 and February 22, grounding 415 of the 1,060 flights according to Reuters. The strike is also expected to affect Vueling Airlines and Iberia Express.

Copyright Photo: #SaveIberia. EC-LUB arrives at the MAD base. The new type is due to go into revenue service on the Madrid-Luanda route. Iberia had wanted to introduce a new livery with this new type but has decided to delay any new brand.

Iberia:

Iberia to eliminate now 3,807 jobs

Iberia (Madrid) now says it will cut 3,807 jobs. The airline failed to impress its unions with this lower number of job cuts and faces new rounds of strikes later this month according to this report by Reuters.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Iberia:

Strikes against Iberia are cancelled for this month, Iberia to drop three more Madrid routes

Iberia (Madrid) will not be dealing with any strikes this month. The unions have called off their December strikes and will readjust their strategy against the company in January. Iberia issued the following statement:

For Iberia, “calling off the strike can and should be a first step along the necessary path of dialogue and negotiation, which is the sole reasonable way to resolve the company’s problems without harming customers.”

The unions decided to call off the strike after meeting with Iberia Management under the auspices of the mediation and arbitration service. No agreement was reached at the meeting, despite Iberia’s undertaking to be flexible in considering the proposals advanced by the unions. However, though the opportunity to move forward was missed, the meeting could be another step towards future negotiations. Iberia hopes that in the future the possibilities of dialogue and negotiations will be exhausted before any new strikes are called since they inflict great harm on the company and its customers.

Iberia is delighted that its customers may now look forward to travelling without problems, though it regrets the damage already caused to company’s public image and to its business.

Iberia also thanks the mediation and arbitration service for its herculean efforts two bring the tow side closer together. Though no agreement was reached, its efforts had very positive results for Iberia’s customers.

Meanwhile Iberia will drop three more routes from Madrid in January: Athens (January 9), Cairo (January 21) and Istanbul (January 21) per Airline Route.

Iberia:

British Airways wants to cut 400 cabin staff positions

British Airways (London) is currently in negotiations to cut 400 cabin staff positions according to this report by Reuters.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Bernardo Andrade. Boeing 767-336 ER G-BNWS (msn 25826) climbs away from Madrid bound for the London Heathrow hub.

British Airways:

Vueling Airlines to add 28 new routes from Barcelona next summer

Vueling Airlines (Barcelona) is again increasing its route network at its home airport next summer. The low-fare airline issued the following statement:

Vueling in 2013 will for the fourth consecutive year, will expand operations at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport, where it plans to reach 100 direct destinations during the upcoming summer season. Highlights include new routes especially attractive to the business traveler as London-Gatwick, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf, as well as a significant increase in flights to new cities in Germany, France, Italy and Scandinavia.

In the last two seasons of summer, the company has launched a total of 45 new destinations that have made the second El Prat airport in Europe after Frankfurt, with greater flight of short and medium haul by your company dominant airline. The goal is that by 2014 Vueling Barcelona will become the European leader in this type of connections.

Of the 28 new routes planned for next summer IATA season, which begins in March 2013, highlights five never before operated from El Prat: Dresden (Germany), Rennes (France), Fez (Morocco), Rhodes and Kos (Greece ). The airline also added four new countries to its network: Gambia (Banjul), Finland (Helsinki), Bulgaria (Sofia) and Luxembourg.

Vueling, which already flies to London-Heathrow, starting in 2013 the route London-Gatwick Barcelona. It also launched routes to other European cities and North particularly attractive to business travelers and Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Turin and Casablanca. With this, the company responds to the demand for direct connections between Barcelona and different regions of interest to businesses. The goal is to reach Vueling end of 2013 to 50% of business travelers on its flights.

To meet this new offering, the airline will increase the number of aircraft based in El Prat from 34 to 43 and will include 500 new employees, including pilots, cabin crews and support personnel from different categories and specialties.

With this new momentum, Vueling consolidates its leadership position in El Prat, which currently has a market share of 30%, operating over 240 flights daily. Under this increased activity, Barcelona Vueling expects to attract a greater number of travelers who visited the city during the summer of 2012 on flights of the company, which was 4.7 million.

Besides Barcelona, Vueling will also grow in most of its other operating bases. Next season, there will be more flights from Bilbao to Canaries, Greek Islands and the route to Berlin will operate from the beginning of the summer. From Malaga and Alicante, there will be more routes to France and Benelux.Baleares will increase capacity on some of its existing routes, such as Palma-Moscow spends three to five times a week. Paris Orly and Amsterdam increase capacity in existing flights. And finally, in Canary thinking times will improve the business traveler and the connection with northern Europe through the company’s hub in Barcelona.

Vueling renews communication code and presents a new class Excellence for the business traveler Vueling continues to work to improve services for the business traveler. This launches the new class to Excellence, a very competitive price, offers all the elements required by the passenger to fly with flexibility, convenience and speed. Different cabin seating, lounge access, preferential boarding, ergonomic head, snack on board, total flexibility changes and extra points loyalty plans of the company are some of the attributes of this rate.

All these developments are part of a significant change for the airline: a new communication code that aims to project maturity and current size of the company without sacrificing the innovative spirit that has always characterized the brand. The starting point of all the work of the company is its people.

All this is included in a brand new concept:

LOVE THE WAY YOU FLY

It is a concept that denotes quality international service and closeness and trust.

Vueling Airlines:

AeroMexico to launch nonstop Mexico City-London (Heathrow) flights on December 14

AeroMexico (Mexico City) is planning to launch nonstop Mexico City-London (Heathrow) service starting on December 14. The route will be operated three days a week.

Read the full story from lainformacion.com (in Spanish): CLICK HERE

AeroMexico:

El Al orders two more Boeing 737-900 ERs

El Al Israel Airlines (Tel Aviv) and Boeing (Chicago) today have announced that the Israeli national carrier has finalized an order for two additional Next-Generation 737-900 ERs (Extended Range), adding to El Al’s previous order in March 2011, bringing the total number to six 737-900 ERs on order.

The 737-900 ERs will replace two larger, single-aisle Boeing 757-200s (above), which ceased production in 2004, and permit the carrier to expand. The 737-900 ER can seat up to 215 passengers in a single-class configuration and has a range of up to 3,235 nautical miles (5,990 km).

El Al’s 737-900 ERs will also feature the innovative Boeing Sky Interior, enabling the airline to differentiate themselves from their competitors by offering their passengers a more comfortable travel experience. The 737 Boeing Sky Interior features new modern sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, LED lighting to enhance the sense of spaciousness and larger pivoting overhead stowage bins.

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton. Boeing 757-258 4x-EBU (msn 26053) completes its final approach into Madrid (Barajas). The two 757s will be replaced with the newer 737-900 ERs.

El Al:

Ryanair cuts flights at Madrid and Barcelona due to the Spanish departure tax increases

Ryanair (Dublin) is cutting its presence at both Madrid and Barcelona in response to the Spanish departure tax increases.

The company issued the following statement:

“Ryanair has confirmed deep cuts to its flights at Madrid and Barcelona this winter in response to the Spanish Government doubling airport departure taxes at both Madrid and Barcelona El Prat airports on July 1. From November, Ryanair will make the following reductions in Madrid and Barcelona:

Madrid:

· 3 aircraft cut (from 14 to 11);

· 11 routes cancelled;

· 24 route frequency cuts;

· 252 weekly flights cut;

· 1.3 million passengers lost (from 5.3 million to 4 million);

· 1,300 local jobs lost (ACI).

Barcelona El Prat:

· 2 aircraft cut (from 13 to 11);

· 4 routes cancelled;

· 22 route frequency cuts;

· 240 weekly flights cut;

· 1 million passengers lost (from 5.4 million to 4.4 million);

· 1,000 local jobs lost (ACI).

Ryanair cuts are the unavoidable response to the Spanish Government’s doubling of airport taxes at both Madrid and Barcelona El Prat airports. These extortionate tax increases are particularly damaging to Spanish tourism, jobs and the economy at a time when Spanish youth unemployment stands at an alarming 50%.”

Ryanair: