Alaska Airline’s First Flight Using Biofuel to Boeing 737 and Bombardier Q400

Alaska Airlines will operate 75 scheduled domestic flights partially powered by biofuel derived from used cooking oil. The first of the these flights, to be operated with Boeing 737s and Bombardier Q400s, will occur Wednesday when two aircraft fly from Seattle-Tacoma to Portland, Ore., and Washington National, respectively.

The fuel, a blend comprising 20% biofuel, is being supplied by broker SkyNRG and made by Dynamic Fuels, which is a joint venture between Tyson Foods Inc. and Syntroleum Corp. AS emphasized the fuel “meets aviation and military safety, sustainability and performance standards.”

The carrier said that it and regional affiliate Horizon Air “will continue to operate select flights between Seattle and the two cities over the next few weeks.” AS and Horizon parent Alaska Air Group chairman and CEO Bill Ayer said, “Commercial airplanes are equipped and ready for biofuels. They will enable us to fly cleaner, foster job growth in a new industry, and can insulate airlines from the volatile price swings of conventional fuel to help make air travel more economical. What we need is an adequate, affordable and sustainable supply. To the biofuels industry, we say: If you build it, we will buy it.”

AAG said it estimated that the 75 flights would emit 10% fewer carbon dioxide emissions compared to its traditionally powered flights. AAG and Boeing were among the group that last year formed Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest.

Airlines Jobs : SkyWest Airlines Plans to Cut 170 jobs from Salt Lake City Airport

SkyWest Airlines has announced it will cut 170 positions from its Salt Lake City workforce.

The Deseret News reports that some baggage handler and ticket agent jobs at Salt Lake International Airport will be eliminated.

Airline spokeswoman Marissa Snow says the layoffs are a result of service reductions on several daily flights.

She says the cuts would be effective late next month for the SkyWest employees who serve Delta Connection flights.

St. George-based SkyWest employs about 11,000 workers in more than 160 locations nationwide, including about 3,000 in Utah.

Qatar Airways Plans Order 60 Airbus Superjumbo Jets

Les Echos newspaper reported, Qatar Airways is in advanced negotiations to place a giant order for 60 airliners built by the European firm Airbus.

The order, which would be announced at the Le Bourget air show in June, would be for 50 A320 NEO aircraft, the re-engined version of the medium-range A320, and for 10 to 20 A380 superjumbo jets.

The airline would also place an additional 50 options to buy A320 NEO aircraft and options to buy an additional 10-20 A380 planes, the report said.

Until now, Qatar Airlines has ordered five of the superjumbo aircraft but has signalled that it intends to buy more.

Virgin America Carrier Announce Reported Operation and Profit in 2010

Virgin America enjoyed its first profitable reporting period in the 2010 third quarter but was unable to sustain the momentum in the fourth quarter, posting a $25.1 million net loss, widened from an $18.8 million net deficit in the 2009 December quarter and pushing the company to a $68.7 million full-year net loss.

The 2010 deficit was narrowed from an $80.8 million net loss in 2009. The San Francisco-based carrier, which launched in August 2007, earned a $7.5 million net profit in the 2010 September quarter (ATW Daily News, Nov. 10, 2010). VX pointed to strong revenue growth in 2010 (up 32.2% compared to 2009 to $724 million) as evidence that it is progressing toward profitability, and noted that the year’s results were hurt by high fuel costs and severe winter storms in the US northeast.

“As a young airline still fueling growth, we continue to move in the right direction with our top line progress and revenue results, especially given the backdrop of global recession and an unprecedented run-up in oil prices since our 2007 launch,” President and CEO David Cush said in a statement issued Thursday. “We’re seeing strong revenue performance in 2011 and with industry capacity discipline we remain encouraged by the outlook. Oil prices remain a concern and as a result we plan to tap the brakes slightly on our 2012 growth plans. That said, as a new airline we’re still continuing to grow overall and look forward to expanding our network in major business and leisure travel destinations like Chicago.” It will launch service to Chicago O’Hare from Los Angeles (twice-daily) and San Francisco (thrice-daily) from May 25.

The carrier, which operates 39 Airbus A320 family aircraft, said its fleet will nearly triple to 113 aircraft by 2019. VX earlier this yearplaced a firm order for 60 A320s including 30 A320neos (ATW Daily News, Jan. 19).

Full-year 2010 expenses rose 25.5% to $736.5 million, including a 65.3% leap in fuel costs to $246.7 million. VX’s 2010 fuel expense was more than double any other of the company’s cost categories. It said it has hedged 50% of its 2011 projected fuel requirements. Some 77% of its first-quarter requirements were hedged at an average crude oil price of $82 per barrel.

Operating loss for 2010 was $12.4 million, narrowed from an operating deficit of $39 million in 2009. 2010 traffic increased 15.1% year-over-year to 6.24 billion RPMs on a 16.9% rise in capacity to 7.65 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 81.5%, down 1.3 points. Yield lifted 16.1% to 10.51 cents as RASM heightened 15.6% to 9.46 cents and CASM grew 9.7% to 9.62 cents. CASM ex-fuel lowered 2.1% to 6.4 cents.

Dubai Airports Delays Opening Al Maktoum International Airport for Passengers

Dubai Airports, home to the biggest Arab airline Emirates, said it delayed the opening of Al Maktoum International Airport to passengers until “at least” the fourth-quarter and is keeping the deadline under review.

Passenger operations at Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International, which opened to cargo carriers in June, were scheduled to start in March 2011. The government-funded project is aimed at setting up the world’s busiest airport, with eventual capacity for 160 million travelers.

Emirates, the Arab world’s biggest airline by fleet size, aims in future to shift its base to the new airport from the existing Dubai International Airport.

“DWC is and has always been a long term solution to the capacity expansion plans for Dubai,” the company said in an e- mailed statement on Wednesday. “The focus for the next decade will continue to be Dubai International to accommodate the incredible growth we have been experiencing.”

The expansion of Dubai International includes the construction of the airport’s Concourse 3 and “other facility enhancements designed to boost” capacity from 60 million passengers per year at present to 90 million by 2018, the company said.

Emirates Airlines No Delay Delivery Airbus A380 This Year

Airbus is on track to deliver six to seven A380 planes this year to Emirates airlines, its biggest customer for the superjumbos, an Airbus Middle East executive said on Wednesday.

Dubai government-owned Emirates, among the fastest-growing carriers in the world, plans to increase its fleet to eventually include 120 Airbus A380s.

Fouad Attar, deputy president and head of commercial at Airbus Middle East, said the aircraft maker would deliver “six to seven” A380 jets to Emirates this year.

Asked whether there were any delays in the deliveries to Emirates, he said: “No, they’re all on time. There’s no delay.”

Attar also said Airbus expected 50 to 100 orders from the Middle East and North Africa region and the company would focus on Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and elsewhere in North Africa.

“There’s lot of potential in North Africa,” Attar told reporters on the sidelines of an aviation, adding the political turmoil in Egypt could affect the number of orders.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Tuesday he would surrender power in September, angering protesters who want an immediate end to his 30-year-rule.

Cathay Pacific Airways to Rise Airline Passenger Fuel Surcharge in February

The Hong Kong government said Thursday it approved Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.’s application to raise passenger fuel surcharges by 9%-11% in February because of higher global oil prices.

The fuel surcharge for short-haul flights operated by Cathay Pacific will rise 11% to HK$143 per journey from HK$129, and the surcharge for its long-haul flights will rise 9% to HK$677 from HK$621.

The Civil Aviation Department also approved a request from All Nippon Airways Co. to raise its passenger fuel surcharge for short-haul flights by 11% to HK$143 from HK$129 per journey, it said.

The government said earlier it would review passenger fuel surcharge applications from airlines on a monthly basis instead of every two months, to enable airlines to quickly adjust their surcharges in line with changes in jet fuel prices.

Aviation Job Fair : 3 Aviation Companies (Spirit Aerosystems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin) to Hold Job Fair In Wichita

Three airplane makers are holding a job fair in Wichita this week and 2,200 jobs are up for grabs. The job fair will include Spirit Aerosystems, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin.

It’s not a great sign, but it’s a sign no less. Three of the major aircraft players in the country will be in Wichita this week looking for workers. Unfortunately, many of the jobs aren’t in Wichita, but for those who have been out of work for a year or more, they just might take anything.

“It’s real tough out there right now,” said James McDuffee, who was looking for work at the Workforce Alliance Center in Wichita. “Nobody’s hiring and if they are, it’s minimum wage. But you got to take what you can get sometimes.”

Hopefully with today’s news, workers like McDuffee will have a chance at being employed again soon. Tuesday and Wednesday, Spirit, Boeing and Lockheed Martin are coming together to look for a total of 2,200 workers.

Spirit is looking to hire 200 workers right here in Wichita. Boeing is looking to hire 1,000 workers at their Puget Sound facility and Lockheed is looking to hire another 1,000 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

In an emailed statement to KAKE News, Spirit’s Ken Evans was cautious about the hiring.

“Some positions are backfilling after retirements. Others are in response to upcoming rate increases already announced by customers,” Evans said “Further hiring plans will depend on many factors, including the new 787 schedule which hasn’t been announced by Boeing.”

Meanwhile, the Workforce Alliance Center in Downtown Wichita is urging laid off aviation workers to do as much as possible to expand their skill set to include other areas like health care or information technology.

“We have so many aviation workers right now that all have that aviation background that just a little bit of training above and beyond what some of those have can put you at the top for positions,” explained Kimberly Cronister.

The Boeing and Lockheed positions will require a move away from Wichita, however.

“There are certain areas in certain parts of the country that are hiring,” said Michael Burleigh, I-A-M local business representative, “so we want to make sure we get some of our people back to work. Right now, the market here in this town is not very good, so we want to help our people find jobs someplace else.”

The job fair is two days. Tuesday and Wednesday at the Machinist Union Hall near I-235 and Meridian starting at 9am.

Number of Airlines Passengers Using Dubai International Airport Grew by 15.6 per cent

The number of passengers using Dubai International Airport grew by 15.6 per cent in the first 11 months of the year compared with the same period a year earlier.

The increase signals traffic gains for Emirates Airline and fly Dubai as well as the 130 foreign carriers serving the airport.

Passenger numbers reached 42.9 million to the end of last month compared with 37.1m in the corresponding period last year, driven by significant increases in travel to the Indian subcontinent, the GCC and western Europe.

The positive results in Dubai, the largest airport in the Middle East and the fifth-largest international gateway in the world, according to Airports Council International, are being read as an indication that UAE airlines are on track for a positive year after dealing with major uncertainties brought on by the global downturn.

Paul Griffiths, the chief executive of Dubai Airports, said the airport was crossing a “traffic threshold” after passenger numbers surpassed 4 million in October and last month, with a monthly count of 4 million travellers forecast to become the norm next year.

Passenger numbers have gradually picked up after the global downturn, and now airlines expect business travel to be the next step in the recovery.

“It’s really about the premium business traffic. It’s linked to the strength of the corporate sector, and the pickup in world trade growth, which is continuing,” Richard Batty, a strategist at Standard Life Investments in Edinburgh, told Bloomberg.

Revenue at Air France-KLM, for example, is forecast to rise to €27.2 billion (Dh131.29bn) for the year from next April, up 11 per cent on the year to the end of March this year, according to Credit Suisse estimates, largely because of a rise in premium traffic.

Emirates has become one of the most profitable airlines in the post-downturn world, announcing net profit of US$925 million (Dh3.39bn) in its April to September period this year, a fourfold increase on the same period a year ago.

With more than 150 wide-body aircraft in operation, Emirates is preparing to receive significant deliveries from Airbus and Boeing in the next 12 months, enabling additional route launches.

Etihad Airways, after launching operations in 2003 and building up its services to 65 routes as of this month, is on the cusp of reaching financial milestones for this year and next, said James Rigney, the chief financial officer of the airline. “When we take out the aircraft ownership costs and look at the operating performance of the business, we are profitable,” he told bankers this month in London. “With a fair wind, we believe, we are on target to break even in 2011,” he added.

The budget airline flydubaiis expected to continue its rapid expansion next year. It launched in June last year and now flies to almost 30 cities, including points in Russia, Djibouti and Afghanistan. It has 13 aircraft plans to receive an additional 10 next year, all Boeing 737-800s. The airline is now the second-largest operating from Dubai International Airport.

Air Arabia, which in 2008 many industry analysts said was the world’s most profitable airline, plans to continue its regional expansion next year with the opening of its fourth hub, in Jordan. It already has bases in Sharjah, Alexandria and Casablanca.

In October, RAK Airways relaunched operations and now flies to Jeddah, Cairo, Dhaka, Chittagong and Kozhikode.

The International Air Transport Association has warned that while demand for air travel is growing, an increase in fuel prices could pose a challenge for airlines.

Best Airline in World Vote by Condé Nast Traveller

In 2010 TAP was voted “Best Airline in the World” by Condé Nast Traveller and may retain its title in 2011 thanks to its inclusion once again on the “Gold List” from which a winner will be selected, as announced in the December issue of the prestigious international magazine.

The Condé Nast awards, which cover the 350 “best in the world” in all the tourism related sectors are awarded annually in the following categories: Hotels, Resorts, Spas, Countries, Cities, Islands, Car Rental Agencies, Airlines, Cruise Lines, Trains, Technology, Fashion and Beauty.

In the “Airlines” category, Condé Nast Traveller considers criteria such as punctuality, comfort, number of flights, route network, cabin service and safety.

In order to win this prestigious award TAP must have more votes than any other nominee on Condé Nast’s “Gold List” which includes the following companies: Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Iberia, Lan Chile, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, SAS, Singapore, TAM, Thai, Turkish Airlines and Vueling.

Voting takes place online until the end of February 2011 here and is open to all interested parties. As well as voting for their favourites in each category, voters get the chance to win a trip for two on the historic Transcantabrian train.

The fact that TAP holds this award and has been nominated once again, giving it the opportunity to retain the title, is a clear acknowledgement of the company’s focus on quality and its irreplaceable role in the tourism sector.

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