Southwest issues diversity, equality and inclusion report

Southwest Airlines Co. has released two new reports over the last few days:  

• Southwest Airlines One Report
• Southwest Airlines Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report

The comprehensive reports highlight Southwest's strategic priority to be a good citizen through a focus on People, Performance, and Planet, providing a snapshot of the carrier's key DEI and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts from 2022.

New this year, the 2022 One Report includes information informed by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework, elevating Southwest's reporting on climate-related topics for its Stakeholders. The 2022 One Report also highlights the carrier's refreshed climate strategy that includes goals to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and reduce its carbon emissions intensity by 25 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2035.1

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report

Eurowings corporate customer programme relaunched.

From an attractive discount on the airfare to a prioritized call centre hotline: The new Eurowings corporate customer program “EW4Business” now offers business travellers special benefits when they book Eurowings flights. Starting at 2,000 euros in annual revenue, participating companies benefit and save at least two percent on tickets for non-stop and connecting flights in the entire Eurowings route network for every flight booking – regardless of whether the BASIC, SMART or BIZclass fare is chosen. There is no additional participation fee.

Participation possible from 2,000 euros annual revenue; no monthly fee

Corporate customers receive a discount of at least two percent on all Eurowings fares

Discount applies to direct and connecting flights throughout the entire route network

Business travelers additionally benefit from a dedicated service team in the call center

Imke Schepers, Head of Corporate Customer Program: “With this offer, we are also appealing to the self-employed people and small and medium-sized companies.”

Apart from the discount, corporate customers receive access to a dedicated service team in the call centre. They can also earn status and award miles by quoting their Miles & More customer number.

“After Covid-19, flexible rebooking up to 40 minutes before departure is part of the standard repertoire of Eurowings' product portfolio. That is why we have completely relaunched our corporate customer program to provide business travellers with another important benefit – namely a financial discount – in addition to flexibility,” said Imke Schepers, Head of Corporate Sales & Program Management. “With this offer, we also want to appeal to self-employed people and smaller as well as medium-sized companies. That is why we have also lowered the entry threshold significantly compared to the previous corporate program – from the original 15,000 euros to now 2,000 euros in annual sales.”

868,400 people travelled with Finnair in April.

The Helsinki-based national carrier Finnair has reported strong growth in passenger traffic year-on-year and a solid load factor during April 2023. 

In April, Finnair carried 868,400 passengers, which was 27.7% more than in April 2022 but 8.9% less than in March 2023. Finnair says that the lower passenger numbers in April are because the month was a day shorter and the aircraft maintenance schedule resulted in lower capacity as well as the ending of both Finnish Lapland’s high season after Easter and winter season in Middle Eastern traffic as well as slowing down of corporate travel around Easter.

The negative impact of the Russian airspace closure on Asian passenger traffic figures was, however, visible in April 2023 compared to the pre-pandemic figures. The distance-based reported traffic figures do not take into account longer routings caused by the airspace closure as they are based on Great-Circle distance.

The overall capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), increased in April by 17.0% year-on-year but decreased by 1.6% month-on-month. Finnair's traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs), increased by 45.7% year-on-year but decreased by 6.1% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) increased by 14.6% points year-on-year but declined by 3.5% points month-on-month to 74.2%.

The ASK increase in Asian traffic was 149.7% year-on-year. The North Atlantic capacity decreased by 22.2% as the operations between Stockholm and the North American destinations were discontinued at the end of October 2022. In European traffic, the ASKs were up by 4.4% whereas the Middle Eastern capacity increased by 1,015.7% due to the Qatar Airways cooperation that commenced in November 2022. The ASKs in domestic traffic decreased by 4.3%.

RPKs increased in Asian traffic by 145.1% year-on-year but decreased in North Atlantic traffic by 21.8%. In European traffic, RPKs increased by 19.6%, in Middle Eastern traffic by 904.2% and in domestic traffic by 3.5%.

Allegiant strikes deal with dispatchers union....

Budget carrier Allegiant has advised that it has reached a preliminary deal with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters IBT (union) that represents dispatchers.

The Las Vegas-based company said it had reached a tentative agreement on a two-year extension to the union's initial collective bargaining agreement. The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by the Allegiant flight dispatchers, which is expected to occur by the end of May. Allegiant currently employs 50 flight dispatchers, coordinators, and instructors.

 

"We are pleased that we reached an agreement in the negotiations with the IBT and our dispatchers. This contract extension comes more than a year before the current one ends, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the negotiating teams for both Allegiant and the union," said Allegiant President Greg Anderson. "Our team of dispatchers plays a critical role in our operations, and we appreciate their commitment to this process."

The current collective bargaining agreement became effective on April 25, 2019, and was scheduled to become amendable on May 31, 2024. The parties opened off-the-record discussions early, resulting in a tentative agreement to replace the original rate increases scheduled for May 31 of this year, and adding two additional years addressing a change in rates only.   

ATSG saw revenues of $501 million in the first quarter of 2023.

Air Transport Services Group, one of the leading global providers of medium wide-body aircraft leasing, contracted air transportation, and related services, has released this week its latest results for the first quarter of the year.

The company reported revenues are up 3% to an amazing $501 million, and its adjusted EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization)  was $138 million, down $20 million. 

Rich Corrado, president and chief executive officer of ATSG, said, "These results, while disappointing, do reflect the operating headwinds we talked about in February, including lower 2023 results at our airlines. The first quarter Adjusted EBITDA reflected lower than expected passenger airline revenues and the continued impact of inflation at our airlines. Our aircraft leasing business, CAM, has seen no reduction in demand for its desirable leased freighters, and continues to invest with the expectation of delivering attractive returns for the midsize freighter aircraft we expect to lease during the rest of 2023 and into 2024."

Segment Results

Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM)

Aircraft leasing and related revenues from external customers in the first quarter were up 8% compared to the first quarter of 2022, primarily reflecting the benefit of eight newly converted Boeing 767-300 freighters leased since the beginning of the first quarter of 2022, offset by lower revenues from engine pooling arrangements for customers leasing 767-200 freighters.

CAM’s first-quarter pretax earnings decreased 2% to $34 million versus the prior-year quarter. Those earnings were impacted by $2.3 million more interest expense allocated to CAM, driven by more aircraft assets, including feedstock in or awaiting freighter modification.

CAM deployed two 767-300 freighters to an external customer during the quarter. One 767-200 freighter was returned upon lease expiration. Ninety-two CAM-owned 767 freighter aircraft were leased to external customers at the end of the quarter, six more than a year ago.

CAM intends to deploy eighteen more freighters in 2023, including twelve 767s and six A321s. Twenty-seven CAM-owned aircraft were in or awaiting conversion to freighters, twelve more than a year ago. That quarter-end total includes nine A321 aircraft and eighteen 767s.

ACMI Services

CDB Aviation delivers the first of two Airbus A321NX aircraft to Volaris

Leasing giant CDB Aviation, part of the China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co. has confirmed the delivery of the first of two Airbus A321neo aircraft fitted with Airbus’ Cabin Flex  (“A321NX”) to its long-standing customer, the leading Latin American airline Volaris.

This delivery is part of the lease agreements signed with the airline in 2021, which includes 13 aircraft. CDB Aviation expects to deliver the second A321NX by the end of 2023, with an additional three A321neos and two A320neos slated for delivery throughout 2023 and 2024.

“We’re thrilled to be celebrating with the Volaris team this inaugural delivery of a GTF-powered A321NX from our orderbook,” said Luís da Silva, CDB Aviation’s Head of Commercial, Americas. “With the latest technologies that improve efficiency and sustainability, this aircraft is ideally suited to expand the reach of Volaris’ market-dominant domestic brand to markets in North and Latin America.”

“We appreciate the ongoing partnership with our colleagues at CDB Aviation in meeting the needs of our fleet renewal strategy that will ensure our airline’s sustainable growth in the long term,” commented Holger Blankenstein, Volaris’ Executive Vice President. “With one of the youngest, most fuel-efficient fleets in the Americas, our team remains committed to bringing the region’s passengers the best flying experience and the most modern technology aircraft.”

1.6 million people travelled with Norwegian in April

Norway's largest airline, the budget carrier Norwegian reportedly carried nearly 1.7 million (1,672,455)  passengers during the month of April with its aircraft 83% full on average. 

The airline flew 71 aircraft during the month and appeared to operate well with around 83 percent of flights departing on time or within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.  

“We are satisfied with this month’s traffic figures. April is the first full month of our summer schedule with more routes and higher frequencies to our many destinations across the Nordics and Europe. We are particularly pleased with the continued strong booking momentum ahead of the summer season,” said Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian.

“We are very happy to see that an increasing number of passengers choose to fly with Norwegian and I look forward to welcoming new and old passengers onboard in what looks like will be the strongest summer ever for Norwegian. We recommend that customers who need to travel on specific dates and to particular destinations book tickets as soon as possible, as our planes are quickly filling up during the busiest travel periods”, said Karlsen.

A rapidly growing Vilnius Airport offers new opportunities for international business......

Lithuania's Vilnius Airport is doing well and catching up with pre-pandemic traffic levels and is planning for steady growth in the forthcoming months. 

A new departure terminal is already under construction at Lithuania's largest civilian airport and is scheduled to open in 2025. This addition will not only increase the airport's capacity by more than 14,000 square metres, but will also significantly expand commercial space for retailers, caterers, and other service providers. 

Vilnius Airport handled a record 5 million passengers in 2019, and in 2022, after the pandemic, passengers are travelling once again — 3.9 million people flew to and from Vilnius last year. According to the forecasts of Lithuanian Airports, the number of passengers is expected to double over the next decade to around 7.5 million passengers per year. 

“According to our estimates, the number of passengers at Vilnius Airport is expected to grow at an average rate of around 8% per year. We are preparing for this and we are expanding to ensure that we are able to meet the needs of our passengers and to offer them more high-quality places to shop, eat delicious and quick meals, and to receive other services that are relevant to travellers,” says Gintarė Norvilaitė-Tautevičė, the Chief Commercial Officer of Lithuanian Airports. 

Commercial space will grow one and a half times 

Currently, the commercial space of Vilnius Airport is about 3,300 square metres (excluding warehouses, technical facilities, and offices). There are 6 Duty-Free shops, 9 cafés and restaurants, and 11 other retail and service outlets. 

Looking back on Delta’s 45 years flying to London

Delta Air Lines is celebrating 45 years of service from the U.S. to the U.K. with a look back and a look forward.

The world looked and sounded different in 1978. Back then, flares were all the fashion. Charts on both sides of the Atlantic were dominated by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, with songs from film musical "Grease," while TV viewers were gripped by the feuding Ewing family in the Texas-based drama "Dallas."

As times have changed, so has Delta’s global presence. When Delta began flying nonstop from Atlanta to London Gatwick on April 30 that year, it was the airline’s first international flight that touched down using a three-engine Lockheed L-1011, better known as a Tristar. The airline’s international expansion took off, and today Delta has become one of the world’s biggest carriers.

Airline cuisine has also evolved since 1978, when Delta used the start of its London flights to introduce a three-class experience – First Class, Medallion Service (business class) and Economy Class. Today, flights to the U.K. feature three or four product experiences, including Delta One, boasting the freshest regionally sourced ingredients and chef-curated meals. Additionally, Delta is offering an enhanced Delta Premium Select experience, which offers customers an elevated dining experience.

Always entertaining......

In-flight entertainment has advanced, too. Kay Carpenter was a Delta flight attendant on that first London Gatwick flight and is still flying with Delta today.

“This was our inaugural trans-Atlantic flight; we were all excited as Delta took its first leap across the Atlantic. And to add to the excitement, we were showing our first-ever in-flight movie. It was "Oh, God!" with George Burns and John Denver. Today, customers have a huge range of film, TV and audio they can watch at their seat, as well as Wi-Fi access on all flights.

Delta flight attendant Kay Carpenter.

“In fact, so much has changed since that first flight. We offer our customers a much-enhanced service with a wider selection of meals, and seating options, personalized in-flight entertainment and just a more comfortable experience overall. With London being our first trans-oceanic flight, it helped us learn what our international customers wanted as we worked to make Delta the airline of choice.

airBaltic launches summer season 2023 from Tallinn

The Latvian government-funded airline, airBaltic has announced the launch of the summer season 2023 from Tallinn, with four new destinations!

This year the carrier has added the leisure destinations of Split in Croatia, Rhodes, Dubrovnik, and Heraklion.   

Thomas Ramdahl, Senior Vice President of Network Development at airBaltic: “We are committed to providing our passengers with seamless travel experiences and improving connectivity to and from our home cities in the Baltics. With the launch of the summer flight season from Tallinn with four new summer destinations, we are excited to offer even more options to our passengers. We are grateful for the invaluable contribution and cooperation of our partners, including Tallinn Airport, in making this possible. Moreover, this summer season already the third airBaltic aircraft is based in Tallinn, and, thanks to the growing amount of passengers, we are delighted to see that our market share in Tallinn keeps growing.”

Eero Pärgmäe, Member of the Board at Tallinn Airport: “The opening of a new route is a very happy day for the airport. Today we are celebrating the opening of four airBaltic summer routes which makes us four times happier. airBaltic is an important and long-term partner of Tallinn Airport. We are very delighted that this airline clearly emphasizes further plans to invest in Tallinn Airport and at the same time improve connectivity options for Estonian travellers. The market share of this company in Tallinn is growing, which means that our local passengers increasingly appreciate convenient opportunities to travel on the routes offered by it and high level of service.”

Photo by Jaanus Jagomägi on Unsplash

Michael T. Steen named as incoming Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Air Worldwide

Atlas Air Worldwide has confirmed that Michael T. Steen, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Atlas, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, in line with the Company’s long-term succession plan, effective June 15, 2023. 

Mr Steen succeeds John W. Dietrich, who is retiring from the Company after nearly 25 years. Additionally, the company announced that Spencer Schwartz, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is retiring from his role, effective June 15, 2023.

Mr Steen has more than 30 years of experience in aviation and logistics, including 16 years of executive leadership experience with Atlas. He has served as Chief Commercial Officer since 2007 and has been responsible for leading the Company’s strategy and growing market share, as well as developing and diversifying the Company’s roster of blue-chip customers. In addition to his role at Atlas, he currently serves on the Board of Directors at CHC Helicopters. A new chief commercial officer will be named following Mr. Steen’s appointment as CEO.

“Michael’s leadership experience, strong track record of innovation and success, and consistent focus on the company’s customer-centric mission makes him the ideal candidate to lead Atlas forward in its next phase of growth,” said David Siegel, Chairman of the Board. “On behalf of the Board, we look forward to working closely with Michael to execute on Atlas’ strategic growth plans and continuing to build on the Company’s strong commitment to safety, quality and service excellence.”

Joby Aviation Reports First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

Joby Aviation, one of those firms that are developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, has just released details of its First Quarter 2023 results. 

The company continued to maintain a strong balance sheet with $978 million in cash and short-term marketable securities at the end of the quarter, excluding approximately $180 million of net proceeds from its public offering, led by Baillie Gifford, which was announced earlier today and is expected to close on May 5, 2023. These additional funds are expected to be used to accelerate Joby’s early production, enabling the business to capitalize on near-term revenue opportunities without impacting the funds available to carry the company through to type certification of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Key operating highlights from the quarter:

First company-conforming aircraft is nearing completion and is on track to roll out, as planned, in the first half of this year

Signed a $55 million contract extension with the Department of Defense that includes the provision and operation of up to nine aircraft, with the first two to be stationed at Edwards Air Force Base by early 2024

A further three Area Specific Certification Plans (ASCPs) were submitted to the FAA, bringing the total to 11 of 13 ASCPs submitted. Two additional ASCPs were accepted by the FAA

Four U.S. Air Force pilots learned to fly the Joby aircraft, becoming the first uniformed personnel to fly an eVTOL aircraft through transition as sole pilot-in-command

Commenting on the results, JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO, Joby, said: “Already in 2023 we’ve achieved significant milestones in production, testing and funding, and I’m incredibly excited about our progress as we move towards our goal of launching commercial service in 2025.

“The decision by Baillie Gifford to invest further in Joby is a testament to their long-term belief in the electrification of transportation and their track record speaks for itself. We couldn’t be more proud to have their support,” he added.

Kerissa Khan MRAeS elected President of the Royal Aeronautical Society

The Royal Aeronautical Society has confirmed that Kerissa Khan MRAeS has taken over as President of the Society at its AGM on 4 May 2023.

The AGM also elected David Chinn as President-Elect.

The President provides leadership of the Council and of the Society in pursuit of its objectives. They uphold the values, and reputation of the Society as well as the interests of the members. The President is an ambassador of the Society representing it at key engagements, influencing the global standing of the Society in furthering the advancement of aeronautical art, science and engineering.

“We are entering an exciting new era for aerospace, aviation and space innovation. We are the transformation generation pioneering novel ways to fly. This pioneering spirit is the foundation that the Royal Aeronautical Society has been built upon, bringing together the best innovators, disrupters, researchers and inventors who dared to make flight possible. The Royal Aeronautical Society has been leading the way since 1866, at the heart of the community that empowered the first flight by the Wright Brothers and the invention of the jet engine by Sir Frank Whittle, sparking the first and second aviation revolutions respectively. It is an honour and a privilege as President to stand on the shoulders of giants to convene and lead this global community at the forefront of the third revolution in flight. Once again, we will dare to make flight possible - sustainable, accessible and inclusive flight that addresses the challenges we all face today.” – Kerissa Khan MRAeS, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

United to triple Sustainable Aviation Fuel use in 2023.......

United Airlines is planning to use 10 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel in 2023 – about three times more than 2022 and 10 times more than in 2019

United also welcomes new corporate participants to its Eco-Skies Alliance program, who will contribute to the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel

United has purchased more SAF and expects to fly more miles using SAF this year than any airline

The U.S. mega-carrier, United Airlines has announced that it will begin using a blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on departing flights from San Francisco International Airport and is planning to use a SAF blend later this year at London Heathrow Airport, which could put the airline on track to use approximately 10 million gallons in 2023, nearly three times more than 2022 and close to 10 times more than 2019.

"It's remarkable to see that in just a few years United has exponentially increased its SAF use," said United Chief Sustainability Officer Lauren Riley. "While 10 million gallons of SAF in 2023 represents a fraction of what we need, we have also made big investments in producers that are using everything from ethanol to algae, to CO2, to help increase our available future supply. We believe these investments, along with our continued collaboration with policymakers, cross-industry businesses, and other airlines will help us scale this brand-new industry to achieve comparable success to solar and wind."

To date, United has invested in the future production of over five billion gallons of SAF - more than any airline – and as a result of today's announcement, the carrier will fly more miles in 2023 than any airline. United has used SAF blends at Los Angeles International Airport since 2016 and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam since 2022 and continues to use SAF at those airports in 2023.

The SAF deliveries commenced at San Francisco Airport in April, with United receiving 1.5 million gallons of SAF for departing flights, the remainder of United's SAF supply will be used at Los Angeles International Airport and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. London Heathrow Airport is expected to begin receiving deliveries of SAF later in 2023. Once the SAF is delivered to London Heathrow, it will mark the first time United would participate in London Heathrow's SAF incentive program.

Eco-Skies Alliance Round

airBaltic's first anniversary of Tampere base with the launch of two new destinations

To celebrate the first anniversary of its Tampere base, the Latvian airline airBalt has launched two new destinations.

Tampere is the first base for the carrier outside the Baltics and has thus far proved to be a success. No doubt buoyed by Finland's own national airline Finnair, starting to reduce and consolidate domestic and regional flights.

airBaltic has launched two new direct destinations from the city of Tampere,  to Milan in Italy and the popular French holiday destination for the rich and famous - Nice. The airline connects Tampere with eight destinations and will continue to base one of its Airbus A220-300 in Tampere for the summer season.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “Exactly one year ago, airBaltic reached a significant milestone in the history of the airline, opening its first base outside the Baltics – in Tampere. We are glad to celebrate already one year of the base and the start of the summer 2023 season in Tampere together with our passengers, partners, and media. We continue to be committed to Tampere, our home city, and further improving connectivity to and from the region.”

Petri Vuori, Finavia’s Senior Vice President, Sales and Route Development: “We are happy to welcome airBaltic’s new routes to Nice and Milan at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport. They are a great addition to Finavia’s route network and strengthen the already wide range of connections from Tampere to popular destinations in Europe. We are also excited to continue our great partnership of the past year and inspire travel locally from and to Tampere.”