|
BA News interactive
News Article | more news | archived news
Air France to delay A380 deliveries
Air France-KLM is to delay delivery of two Airbus A380 aircraft in the face of the global economic crisis.
Last month the airline announced that it would delay delivery of several aircraft by two to three years as it seeks to rein in costs, including Boeing 777-300, Boeing 777 cargo, and some Airbus aircraft.
It also announced that it would cut as many as 2,000 jobs after lower ticket revenues and dwindling cargo volumes pushed it to a third-quarter loss.
The airline has now announced that it will defer some of the A380s it has on order to save money on down payments.
Chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said: “It’s mainly from the six or seventh aircraft that we may move or adjust our schedule, which will create some saving on the down payment this year and the year after.â€
Delta may cancel Dreamliner orders
Delta Airlines has given the strongest signal yet that it will not take some or all of the 18 Dreamliners it has on order.
The aircraft were ordered by Northwest, which is now part of Delta, and Delta has said it will most likely want more of the bigger 777s from Boeing instead.
In a regulatory filing this week, Delta said it had dropped from the report the 787s on firm order.
The 787 is about two years late. Northwest was to have been the first US airline to operate the Dreamliner, but with 25 787s or order, Continental is now likely to be the first US carrier to put the plane into service if Delta doesn’t take the 787s that were supposed to go to Northwest.
Delta executives have indicated over the past months that, as it integrates its fleet with that of Northwest, Delta will seek significant changes in aircraft orders that both airlines have placed with Boeing.
So far this year, Boeing has had 31 of its 787s orders cancelled by two customers – a Russian airline and a Dubai leasing company
Air China needs government cash injection
Air China has asked the government for a cash injection of at least three billion yuan ($439 million) in the face of the worsening global recession.
The country’s three biggest airlines – China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Air China – have all warned of losses for 2008.
The company has submitted a request for a government cash injection and expects to get at least as much as the three billion yuan expected by rival China Southern, chairman Kong Dong said.
“We definitely want a government cash injection as the whole industry is suffering losses now,†he added.
e per finire, un appello.. sbrighiamoci a fare foto a tutto quello che passa...
Deloitte warns of more airline failures
Leading accountancy firm Deloitte has warned that further airline failures are likely during the unprecedented trading conditions.
Deloitte said that wildly fluctuating fuel prices and exchange rates, combined with the deepening global economic downturn, are combining to turn a difficult market into one of extreme turbulence.
The global recession has prompted a dramatic drop in load factors, which has forced airlines to take aircraft out of service and rethink plans to order replacements for existing planes. Airlines are having difficulty finding financing, resulting in deferrals, delays, and an inability to take delivery of new aircraft.
Graham Pickett, airline partner at Deloitte UK, said: “Although the reduction in fuel prices will provide a small respite for airlines this winter, the next six to 12 months is likely to see further significant changes, losses and failures within the industry.
“Capacity and routes may to be cut further as business travel continues to fall. Premium class travel fell by 13 per cent in December compared with December 07, following the 11.5 per cent year on year drop seen in November.
“Meanwhile it remains to be seen how much the collapse in consumer confidence will affect leisure bookings in 2009. We also see less travel to the Eurozone and US due to the weakening pound against those currencies, and less city breaks, with more focus on just one holiday.â€
He added: “Consolidation is increasingly likely. Although merger and acquisition activity has almost dried up in most other industry sectors, the huge fixed cost base of airlines makes it an attractive option in difficult times.â€
|
Iscriviti
Login
FAQ
Cerca
