Bulgaria air

Bulgaria air
За резервации на самолетни билети за България Еър посетете www.expedia.bg
Авиокомпания „България Еър“ (IATA код: FB; ICAO код: LZB) е българска авиационна компания, създадена от правителството на Симеон Сакскобургготски през декември 2002 г., един месец след фалита на авиокомпания “Балкан”.

Авиокомпания „България Ер“ ЕАД е член на международната система за разплащания между авиокомпаниите — ИАТА Клиринг хаус, в която е автоматизиран контролът върху приходите по отношение на издаване и отчитане на билети.

Компанията има сключени договори за съвместно опериране (Code share agreement) с „Чешки авиолинии“ и „Аерофлот“, както и сключени интерлайн договори с водещи европейски авиокомпании — „Ер Франс“ и „Луфтханза“.

Към 30 юни 2004 г. „България Ер“ ЕАД е назначен превозвач (носител на националния флаг) от българска страна до 22 държави и осъществява редовни международни полети до 15 от тях (Русия, Германия, Великобритания, Швейцария, Испания, Франция, Италия, Португалия, Чехия, Австрия, Холандия, Белгия, Дания, Швеция и Израел).

Авиокомпанията не разполага със собствени въздухоплавателни средства и не е в състояние в близко бъдеще да генерира приходи в размер, позволяващ подобни мащабни инвестиции. Към 1 юли 2003 г. авиопаркът на „България Ер“ се състои от 4 броя наети на лизинг самолети Боинг B 737-300, а към 4 март 2006 г. те са 5 броя Боинг 737-300 и 4 броя Боинг 737-500.

Първият полет на България Ер е осъществен на 4 декември 2002, по направление София — Лондон — Париж — София с 60 пътника на борда.

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Spanish Tourism Drops As Britons, Germans Stay Home

December 23, 2008
Arrivals of foreign tourists to Spain, the world's second biggest tourist destination, plummeted in November as top customers Britons and Germans stayed at home during the global economic slowdown.

Arrivals fell 11.6 percent in the month from a year earlier, the first double-digit decline in years, with British visitors down 15 percent and 7 percent fewer Germans, Spain's Industry, Tourism and Trade Ministry reported.

Tourism is Spain's second biggest industry and leading destinations Catalonia and the Balearic Islands suffered falls of over 10 percent in November.

Foreign tourist arrivals declined 2 percent to 54.6 million in the 11 months to November, marking another economic blow to Spain during the collapse of residential construction and real estate sectors that are its largest industry.

As well as the global downturn, Britons have been hit by a second whammy with sterling slumping to a record low against the euro.

(Reuters)

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Turkish Airlines Signs Bosnia Carrier Deal

December 22, 2008
Turkish Airlines on Monday signed a deal to buy a 49 percent stake in Bosnia's Muslim-Croat federation flag carrier BH Airlines.

Under its first joint venture deal Turkish Airlines will cover the EUR5 million euros (USD$6.98 million) cost of leasing two aircraft and invest an additional EUR5 million in BH Airlines, its chief executive Temel Kotil said.

"Our aim is to help BH Airlines increase its fleet, improve the services and expand the links Europe-wide," Kotil told a news conference after he signed the contract with Prime Minister of Bosnia's Muslim-Croat federation Nedzad Brankovic.

The federation government owns a 51 percent stake in BH Airlines.

Turkish was picked as the best bidder in an auction for BH Airlines in October. Malaysia's Comintel and a Jordanian consortium that included Royal Jordanian Airlines were among firms that made binding bids for the stake in the company.

Kotil said that Turkish Airlines plans an ambitious expansion program to become one of Europe's leading airlines and pledged to assist BH Airlines in following the suit in the Balkans.

According to the contract Turkish will in two months provide BH Airlines with a Boeing 737, and with another Airbus passenger plane in 2010.

It will keep all BH Airlines employees and the company's name and headquarters.

BH Airlines went bankrupt in 2003 but resumed operations in 2005 after a deal with Hypo Alpe Adria Bank to settle most of its debt. It employs 89 people and transported about 70,000 passengers in 2007.

Following the deal BH Airlines expects to increase its share of the Bosnian air travel market to 30 percent from the current 15 percent.

(Reuters)
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Aeroflot Flight Returns To Athens After Bomb Threat

December 22, 2008
An Aeroflot flight from Athens to Moscow turned back in midair on Monday after receiving an anonymous bomb threat, but no explosives were found after police searched the plane in the Greek capital.

The Airbus A319 carrying 49 passengers had been flying for around an hour when officials at Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport ordered it to turn back.

"An unknown man called and said there was a bomb on the Aeroflot plane headed from Athens to Moscow," a Greek civil aviation official said.

"We told the pilot to return to Athens for the appropriate checks. The plane was near the border with Turkey at the time."

Passengers were quickly disembarked from the flight and police conducted a thorough search but failed to find any explosives.

An airport official said that the aircraft would fly to Moscow later in the day.

(Reuters)

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Aer Lingus Rejects Ryanair Bid, Forecasts Profits

December 22, 2008
Irish airline Aer Lingus pledged to make a small profit in 2008 and 2009 as it set out its case against the EUR750 million euro (USD$1 billion) takeover bid from Ryanair.

Aer Lingus, already nearly 30 percent owned by its low-cost rival, said in a statement on Monday the offer significantly undervalued the group and said it could succeed as an independent carrier.

"Despite... extremely challenging conditions, we expect to achieve profit overall in 2008," Chairman Colm Barrington said in an open letter to shareholders, adding that cost cuts and lower fuel prices had boosted the group's prospects.

Director of Corporate Affairs Enda Corneille later said the 2008 profit would be small and would not include the cost of restructuring the airline's work force in the autumn.

"We will make a small pretax profit in 2008 pre-exceptional costs, with the same again in 2009," he said, without giving the exact cost of the restructuring.

Ryanair replied in a statement that it was misleading to forecast a profit when after tax and exceptional items the carrier would in fact make a loss.

"The reality is that Aer Lingus has incurred substantial -- as yet undisclosed -- exceptional costs, and companies have to pay tax, so the result will be another year of substantial net losses," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said in a statement.

Aer Lingus shares closed up 4 percent at 1.51 euros, still at a premium to the value of the offer, while Ryanair's shares were down 2.2 percent at 3 euros.

Ryanair has bid 1.40 euros a share in cash for the portion of Aer Lingus it does not already own and wrote to shareholders directly last week.

The offer values the rump shares at EUR 525 million and the entire airline at EUR750 million -- about half what it offered in an earlier takeover attempt two years ago.

That bid was blocked by the European Commission for being anti-competitive and Barrington said he saw no reason why regulators would think any differently this time around.

Corneille said Aer Lingus had not received any contact from third parties interested in trumping the Ryanair offer. He said the airline would discuss the approach in detail with the Irish government, a 25 percent shareholder, in the new year.

Aer Lingus, which said it had net cash of EUR803 million, is also reviving its route from London's Heathrow to Shannon in the west of Ireland following agreements with staff on work practices.

The decision was welcomed by Ireland's Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey.

(Reuters)

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Aer Lingus Opens Gatwick Base

Aer Lingus Opens Gatwick Base
December 19, 2008
Irish carrier Aer Lingus opened a new base at London's Gatwick Airport on Friday and rejected criticism from Ryanair about its business forecasts in an increasingly hostile takeover battle.

Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion told reporters he completely rejected Ryanair's accusation that the former Irish state carrier was making "contradictory claims and forecasts".

Aer Lingus expects its financial performance to improve in 2009 on the back of a cost-cutting deal with unions and the falling price of oil. It has previously forecast an operating loss for next year and has not yet given specific forecasts for 2009.

"The halving of the fuel price dramatically improves the prospects for the entire industry," Mannion said at a news conference in London.

He declined to give an estimate for operating performance this year or next.

Aer Lingus has come out fighting against Ryanair's EUR750 million euros (USD$1.05 billion) or 1.40 euro a share bid, its second in as many years, with plans to expand its short-haul operations with a new base at London Gatwick airport.

The former state airline said it will operate short-haul services to Ireland and European destinations from Gatwick, its first base outside Ireland.

The expansion will cost GBP100 million pounds in the first year and 120 new jobs will be created. Four Airbus A320 short-haul aircraft will initially be based at Gatwick and that is expected to grow to eight within a year.

"The Gatwick operation will complement our existing services out of London Heathrow, and position Aer Lingus for growth as we roll out new routes and bases in future years," Mannion said.

He declined to comment on a report in an Irish newspaper that said Aer Lingus was expected to restore the Shannon-to-Heathrow link it scrapped last year.

Ryanair said it was concerned comments made by Aer Lingus about its trading performance and prospects following the launch of its recent takeover offer were much more upbeat than those made in Aer Lingus' November 11 interim management statement.

"We, as a large shareholder, are concerned about some of these apparently contradictory claims and forecasts, and their impact upon Aer Lingus' forecast post exceptional net profit (loss) after tax for 2008 and 2009," Ryanair said in a shareholder letter to Aer Lingus.

In the letter Ryanair asked Aer Lingus to clarify the impact of increased costs, the loss of revenue arising from the elimination of fuel surcharges and capacity reductions as well as its expected defence fees.

Ryanair officially launched its attempt to take over Aer Lingus on Monday by writing to its smaller rival's shareholders, asking its all-cash bid despite the rejection by Aer Lingus board and management.

Ryanair, which already owns almost 30 percent of Aer Lingus, has said other investors should vote for the creation of a united Irish airline by January 5.

Ryanair, whose previous bid in 2006 was blocked by the European Commission on competition grounds, hopes the recent wave of consolidation in the sector will persuade the EU to allow a takeover this time.

(Reuters)

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Air France, Alitalia Talks For 2 More Weeks

Air France, Alitalia Talks For 2 More Weeks
Talks on a possible alliance between Air France-KLM and the consortium which bought Alitalia are set to continue for at least another two weeks, a legal source close to the matter said on Friday.

The Franco-Dutch carrier is tipped to win a battle with Lufthansa for a stake of up to 25 percent in Alitalia, which is being relaunched by the CAI consortium as a smaller, more efficient carrier.

CAI's senior executives have said they hope to propose their choice of a foreign partner to the consortium's board by the end of the year in order to have a deal in place when the airline is formally relaunched on January 13.

But the legal source said advisers to CAI and Air France-KLM were still working to resolve unspecified technicalities.

CAI has said it would favor Air France-KLM or Lufthansa over British Airways because the latter has said it is only interested in a commercial alliance, while the other two plan to buy a stake in the Italian carrier.

Italian media have said Air France-KLM is all but certain to notch up the alliance with Alitalia, helped by their long-term commercial ties.

The French carrier tried to buy Alitalia earlier this year, but the deal fell apart over union opposition. Both airlines are part of the Skyteam airline alliance.

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Bulgaria air

Bulgaria air За резервации на самолетни билети за България Еър посетете www.expedia.bg
Авиокомпания „България Еър“ (IATA код: FB; ICAO код: LZB) е българска авиационна компания, създадена от правителството на Симеон Сакскобургготски през декември 2002 г., един месец след фалита на авиокомпания “Балкан”.

Авиокомпания „България Ер“ ЕАД е член на международната система за разплащания между авиокомпаниите — ИАТА Клиринг хаус, в която е автоматизиран контролът върху приходите по отношение на издаване и отчитане на билети.

Компанията има сключени договори за съвместно опериране (Code share agreement) с „Чешки авиолинии“ и „Аерофлот“, както и сключени интерлайн договори с водещи европейски авиокомпании — „Ер Франс“ и „Луфтханза“.

Към 30 юни 2004 г. „България Ер“ ЕАД е назначен превозвач (носител на националния флаг) от българска страна до 22 държави и осъществява редовни международни полети до 15 от тях (Русия, Германия, Великобритания, Швейцария, Испания, Франция, Италия, Португалия, Чехия, Австрия, Холандия, Белгия, Дания, Швеция и Израел).

Авиокомпанията не разполага със собствени въздухоплавателни средства и не е в състояние в близко бъдеще да генерира приходи в размер, позволяващ подобни мащабни инвестиции. Към 1 юли 2003 г. авиопаркът на „България Ер“ се състои от 4 броя наети на лизинг самолети Боинг B 737-300, а към 4 март 2006 г. те са 5 броя Боинг 737-300 и 4 броя Боинг 737-500.

Първият полет на България Ер е осъществен на 4 декември 2002, по направление София — Лондон — Париж — София с 60 пътника на борда.

Winter Storm Snarls Air Travel In US Midwest

Winter Storm Snarls Air Travel In US Midwest
December 19, 2008
A winter storm in the US Midwest resulted in widespread flight cancellations and delays, disrupting travel plans for thousands and testing the ability of the newly downsized airline industry to cope with weather-related problems.

Chicago bore the brunt of the snow and ice, which snarled operations at O'Hare and Midway airports. But as the storm headed east, airlines braced for traffic backups.

"Customers scheduled to travel on flights out of our Cleveland and New York hubs and other airports in the Northeast should anticipate delays and some flight cancellations because of the storm," said Continental Airlines spokeswoman Julie King.

The Chicago Aviation Department reported nearly 300 flight cancellations at Chicago's two main airports. At least 500 flights were cancelled at New York's three main airports, most of them at Newark.

American Airlines, which has a hub at O'Hare said it cancelled 45 round-trip flights from O'Hare because of bad weather. Delays ranged from 30 minutes to an hour. The carrier also canceled some flights in New York and Boston in anticipation of winter storms.

"We do thin out flights like that when the weather forecast is certain and we know it will help prevent backups later on," said AMR spokesman Tim Wagner.

US airlines reduced capacity this year to offset high fuel costs and to ensure pricing power as the souring economy erodes travel demand. During the year-end holiday travel season, downsizing brought about a 9 percent reduction of seats for sale, according to the Air Transport Association (ATA), an industry trade group.

As a result, airports are less crowded, but flights are at capacity. The ATA said planes will average 90 percent full during the busiest travel days, December 19 to December 27.

In the last two years, carriers have worked to head off operational disruptions that led to meltdowns at JetBlue Airways in February 2007 and American Airlines in December 2006. In those incidents, weather delays led to major problems that stranded passengers at airports and on grounded aircraft.

Some airlines now cancel flights in anticipation of storms to keep passengers from being stranded at boarding gates. Carriers also are waiving some fees for travelers who need to change plans because of the weather.

Delta Air Lines, for example, is offering refunds to travelers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed. The airline also allows affected travelers to make one-time changes to their itineraries without fees if they are scheduled to travel to certain locations.

US Airways also is relaxing some of its fees for customers whose plans were impacted by December snow storms.

"The airlines just want to get through this as they do any kind of situation," said Terry Trippler, travel expert at TripplerTravel. "Generally they are very, very generous."

(Reuters)

Malev Delays EGM To Resolve Financing

Malev Delays EGM To Resolve Financing
December 19, 2008
Hungarian airline Malev suspended an extraordinary shareholders' meeting on Friday which was meant to resolve the capital problems of the company, Malev said in a statement.

It said the meeting would be reconvened within 30 days but declined comment on local press reports which said Russia's Aeroflot might acquire a stake in the company.

Business daily Napi Gazdasag said on Friday Malev had significant debts and that the shareholder meeting may discuss a potential change in ownership.

Malev, which Hungary sold last year to AirBridge, a firm part-owned by Russian businessman Boris Abramovich, said the meeting, to be held within 30 days, would provide a solution for the situation of the struggling company.

"Malev, similarly to other players in the aviation industry, has faced numerous difficulties this year, such as the huge rise in the price of jet fuel in the first half of the year, the intensifying global recession in the second half, and the strike of Budapest Airport workers from December 10," it said.

"Despite all these (factors) the airline is operating and the shareholder meeting... which will continue in 30 days, will resolve the capital situation of Malev," the firm added.

Malev said the strike at the airport operator had forced it to cancel around 96 flights departing from Budapest, causing losses of several hundreds million forints.

In September, Malev said it expected to post an operating loss this year after jet fuel costs surged.

Earlier this year, Malev signed a financing deal with a Russian bank for a loan of EUR30 million euros to help maintain its liquidity position.

"The main problem for our company is not its outstanding debts, which are not unusually high considering the industry... It is primarily the method of resolving the capital situation which needs to be decided," the company said.

Malev said earlier this year it would lay off 400 staff, or around 21 percent of its active work force, and halted long-haul flights to Toronto, New York and Bangkok.

On Friday it said its work force had been cut by 250.

(Reuters)

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Kenya Air Warns Of Likely Service Disruptions

Kenya Air Warns Of Likely Service Disruptions
December 19, 2008
Leading African airline Kenya Airways warned on Friday its operations could be disrupted in the coming days if a fuel shortage in the country does not abate.

The carrier operates about 75 daily flights from Nairobi's main airport to 43 destinations.

East Africa's largest economy has a fuel shortage, which the state-owned Kenya Pipeline Corporation blamed on power outages at its pumping stations, according to local media.

"If the situation does not improve within the next one to two days, our operations will be severely affected," Kenya Airways chief executive Titus Naikuni said in a statement.

"I would like to assure our passengers that we are doing all we can to maintain our schedule integrity, especially during the festive season," Naikuni said.

The airline posted a 63 percent drop in pretax profits to KES1.05 billion shillings (USD$13.8 million) in the first half.

It blamed the weaker returns on high fuel prices, a strong local currency and a political crisis earlier in the year that discouraged visitors to the country.

(Reuters)

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Continental Airliner Runs Off Runway, 38 Injured

Continental Airliner Runs Off Runway, 38 Injured
December 21, 2008
Thirty-eight passengers were injured when a Boeing 737 airliner went off a runway and caught fire at Denver International Airport on Saturday night, Denver Aviation Manager Kim Day said.

None of the injuries were life-threatening, but the injured passengers were taken to area hospitals, Day told reporters at a news conference.

There were 112 passengers and crew members on the 737, Continental Airlines flight 1404, which was taking off en route to Houston, Day said.

Denver assistant fire chief Steve Garrod said the plane "crashed, caught fire" and flames extended into the cabin. He said the right wing was cracked, as was the fuselage.

The fire chief said he did not believe the plane had become fully airborne because if it had, "you would have seen a lot more damage."

Denver's temperature was about 10 degrees, but "ice was not a factor," Garrod said. He said passengers apparently evacuated using emergency slides.

(Reuters)

Malaysia Approves New Low-Cost Airport Plan

Malaysia Approves New Low-Cost Airport Plan
December 21, 2008
The Malaysian government has approved the construction of a new MYR1.6 billion Malaysian ringgit (USD$461.4 million) low-cost carrier terminal in the southern state of Negri Sembilan, the online version of the New Straits Times reported on Saturday.

The new airport will be built under a private finance initiative by conglomerate Sime Darby and budget airline AirAsia, said Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat.

AirAsia flew about 18 million people this year using the present low-cost carrier terminal in Sepang, which can only accommodate 15 million passengers a year at maximum capacity.

The new airport will be part of an "integrated city", which will house five townships, in the town of Labu.

It will have the capacity to handle 25 million passengers a year.

(Reuters)

British Airways To Reschedule Lagos Flights

British Airways To Reschedule Lagos Flights
British Airways said on Sunday it will reschedule its flights to arrive earlier in Lagos beginning January 1, after Nigeria's aviation ministry threatened to ground its operations there.

New Aviation Minister Babatunde Omotoba earlier this week warned the British carrier that its operations would be halted in Lagos from Friday if its flights from London continued to land later than 6 pm (1700 GMT).

"British Airways will be rescheduling the arrival of BA 75 from London to 1755 from 2105 from the 1st of January 2009. This is in response to concerns from its valued Nigerian customers on the late arrival time into Lagos," the company said in a statement.

BA said January 1 was the earliest it could make these changes, which will affect around 6,000 passengers.

Travel from the international airport to Victoria Island, the city's financial district, can take up to four hours depending on the traffic and armed robberies are common, especially during the evening.

Lagos, a city of 14 million people, is eager to improve its crime-ridden image, a major disincentive to investors in Africa's most populous nation.

(Reuters)

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Australia Watchdog Sues Singapore Airlines Cargo

Australia Watchdog Sues Singapore Airlines Cargo
December 22, 2008
Australia's competition watchdog sued the cargo unit of Singapore Airlines on Monday, the third carrier it has prosecuted on allegations they were involved in international price-fixing.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has already taken legal action against Qantas Airways and British Airways, extracting fines from both airlines totalling AUD$25 million (USD$17.1 million).

"The ACCC continues to investigate other airlines, some of which are assisting voluntarily, while others are not," ACCC Chairman Graeme Samuel said in a statement announcing the new legal action against Singapore Airlines.

"The ACCC expects to be able to finalise its investigations with a number of airlines shortly."

The commission accused Singapore Airlines Cargo, between 2001 and 2005, of entering into arrangements with other carriers to fix the price of a fuel surcharge and a security surcharge. The watchdog is suing for unspecified penalties and costs.

"SIA Cargo will defend allegations by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that it, and several other airlines, have engaged in cartel conduct," a spokesman said.

"SIA Cargo is committed to competing successfully and fairly, within the requirements of the relevant competition law in Australia. With the matter now before the court, it would be inappropriate for SIA Cargo to comment in any more detail at this stage," the spokesman said.

Regulators worldwide have been probing more than 30 airlines over the issue, which erupted in February 2006 when US and European officials raided airlines as part of investigations into the imposition of fuel surcharges in international air cargo.

(Reuters)

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Thai Airways Sees 2008, 2009 Revenues Weaker

Thai Airways Sees 2008, 2009 Revenues Weaker
December 22, 2008
Thai Airways said on Monday the global economic crisis and recent shutdown of Bangkok's main airports would pull 2008 revenue growth below 10 percent, and the impact would continue in 2009.

The airline would miss its revenue growth target of 3-5 percent next year, Executive Vice President Pandit Chanapai told reporters, saying he was still working on a new figure.

"The target will have to be revised as we accept that global economic slowdown will certainly affect us. But we will use every way to win back tourists," Pandit said, adding it would increase overseas flights to India and the Middle-East.

The airline expects to lose about THB 500 million baht a day from the week-long siege by anti-government protesters that paralysed Thailand's tourism industry in the middle of the peak season and stranded more than 230,000 travellers.

The national carrier also said its "cabin factor" -- the percentage of seats sold -- would fall to 70 percent this year from a previous forecast of 73 percent, and compared to 77 percent in 2007, Pandit said.

The airline was reconsidering its 10 year business plan, including aircraft arrangements to match real demand, Pandit said, without giving further details.

The airline has said it plans to lease or buy 34 Boeing and Airbus passenger planes as part of a 10 year plan to replace its fleet.

It said in January it wanted to procure 65 aircraft worth THB400 billion to upgrade its 91 plane fleet over the next 10 years.

(Reuters)

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BA Orders New Fleet For London City Routes

BA Orders New Fleet For London City Routes
December 22, 2008
British Airways has ordered 11 Embraer aircraft to replace the current short-haul CityFlyer fleet operating out of London's City airport, the airline said on Monday.

The order includes options for three more aircraft and the whole deal is worth GBP376 million pounds (USD561.7 million) at current list prices, British Airways said.

CityFlyer will take delivery of the first aircraft from September 2009 and the more fuel-efficient jets will operate on routes from London City Airport to Scotland, Ireland and Europe.

"This significant investment in new aircraft further demonstrates British Airways' commitment to services into and out of London City for our customers," said Peter Simpson, managing director of BA CityFlyer.

(Reuters)

Hungary Airport Unions To Protest At German Embassy

Hungary Airport Unions To Protest At German Embassy
December 22, 2008
Striking unions at Budapest Airport will demonstrate outside the German embassy on Monday morning to push for a deal with the German airport operator on a new collective agreement, news agency MTI reported.

Two unions at Budapest Airport, operated by Germany's Hochtief, launched a strike two weeks ago to demand a new collective agreement and a halt to layoffs.

The 13-day-old strike initially caused severe delays and flight cancellations at Hungary's biggest international airport.

However, most flights were running on schedule last week when the airport operator enlisted foreign workers to ensure the smooth operation of passenger security controls.

The unions have said Budapest Airport employed foreign blacklegs to circumvent striking employees.

(Reuters)