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Man in southern China arrested for making fake bomb threats against 5 flights

The Canadian PressMay 16, 2013 00:00
BEIJING, China - Chinese police say they have detained a man suspected of making fake bomb threats this week against five domestic flights. Police in the southern city of Shenzhen said they arrested the man early Thursday in a rental home in the city of Dongguan. The man is accused of making threats Wednesday against five flights headed to Shenzen and Xi'an from other cities. The flights were operated by Shenzhen Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Juneyao Airlines.

Air France says it will cut 500 cabin jobs this year

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 09:06
Air France wants to trim its cabin crew by 500 through a voluntary retirement scheme, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Air France-KLM has suffered from a fall of competitiveness in recent years, under pressure from low-cost operators and the rise of airlines in the Middle East and in Asia. In January last year, the company announced a vast restructuring plan called "Transform 2015." It set aside 471 million euros ($610 million) under this plan to cover expenses related to cutting its workforce to boost productivity.

Air France-KLM reports mounting losses in Q1 on lower hedging gains

The Canadian PressMay 3, 2013 03:30
PARIS - Air France-KLM says its losses mounted sharply in the first quarter compared to a year earlier, when earnings were boosted by a gain in the value of oil price hedging contracts the airline uses to manage its fuel costs. Air France-KLM says it lost 630 million euros ($821 million) in the January-March quarter, compared to a loss of 379 million euros a year earlier. Last year's result benefited from a 220 million euros gain on the airline's hedging contracts.

Korean Air finalises share purchase in Czech Airlines

April 11, 2013 00:15
South Korean flag carrier Korean Air said Thursday it had finalised a deal to buy a 44 percent stake in troubled Czech Airlines (CSA) in a bid to expand lucrative long-haul routes to Europe. With the deal signed on Wednesday, Korean Air has become the second-largest shareholder in the state-run carrier following Czech Aeroholding, which holds a 51.7-percent stake, Korean Air said in a statement. Korean Air, the South's top airline operator with a fleet of 155 aircrafts flying to 45 countries, paid 2.64 million euros ($3.44 million) for the stake.

Two Chinese airlines record falls in 2012 profits

March 26, 2013 08:15
Higher fuel costs and weak demand for air travel caused a slump in the net profits of two of China's biggest airlines last year, according to annual reports released on Tuesday. China Southern Airlines, the country's biggest airline by fleet size, said that its net profits plunged 48.7 percent year-on-year to 2.62 billion yuan ($422 million) in 2012. In a separate exchange filing, flag carrier Air China said net profits dropped 34.5 percent from a year earlier to 4.64 billion yuan in 2012.

Romanian airline Tarom says to shed 10% of workforce

March 21, 2013 14:16
Romanian airline Tarom said Thursday it planned to cut its workforce by 10 percent this year through a voluntary departure programme. The company aims to reduce its workforce to 2,030 by the end of the year, but Tarom said in a statement the voluntary departure programme could be extended. A member of the SkyTeam alliance of 19 airlines including Air France and Delta Air Lines among others, Tarom suffered a loss of 53 million euros ($68 million) last year but aims to return to profitability from 2015. at/rl/gk

Air France CEO to step down early - report

March 21, 2013 11:15
PARIS (Reuters) - Air France-KLM <AIRF.PA> Chief Executive Jean-Cyril Spinetta plans to quit nine months before the scheduled end of his mandate, website La Tribune reported on Thursday. Spinetta's resignation would pave the way for Alexandre de Juniac, head of the group's Air France unit, to take the reins at the parent company, the site said, citing unnamed sources. An Air France spokeswoman declined to comment.

Delta in talks to buy jets from Airbus, Boeing - sources

March 21, 2013 00:45
PARIS/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc <DAL.N> is in talks to purchase small and wide-body jets from Airbus <EAD.PA> and Boeing <BA.N> in deals potentially worth about $6 billion (3 billion pounds) at list prices, two people familiar with the matter said. Potential orders involve about 20 each of the planemakers' most popular families of jets - the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 in the medium-haul, narrow-body class and the Airbus A330 or Boeing 777 in the long-range, wide-body category, the people said.

Czechs sell 44% of flagship carrier CSA to Korean Air

March 13, 2013 08:45
The Czech government on Wednesday approved the sale of a 44-percent stake in the troubled national carrier Czech Airlines (CSA) to Korean Air, Prime Minister Petr Necas told reporters. "We consider this a very important step to enable the development of both CSA and the Prague airport," Necas said. Korean Air, which is to pay 2.64 million euros ($3.44 million) for the shareholding, was expected to finalise its purchase on April 9. Last year, global auditors Ernst&Young estimated the value of the Czech Republic's 95.7-percent stake in CSA at 5.8 million euros.

Syria to buy civil aircraft from Ukraine: SANA

March 12, 2013 11:46
Syria will buy 10 civilian aircraft from Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov for its state-owned airline, the official SANA news agency said on Tuesday. "Cabinet has approved a contract between Syrian Arab Airlines and Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov for the purchase of 10 civilian aircraft, in a bid to strengthen Syria's fleet," SANA said. The report did not specify the type of aircraft. Syrian Arab Airlines currently only runs flights from the strife-torn country to Armenia, Iran, Russia and several Arab states.
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