Aeroflot signed (01-May-08) an agreement with Panasonic Avionics for eX2 in-flight entertainment systems to be installed in ten A330s this year. Aeroflot has also signed a contract with Teledyne Controls for its Class 2 Electronic service Bags (EFB) for the carrier’s fleet of 56 A320s and B767s.
American Airlines confirmed that it is "exploring opportunities for cooperating" with Continental Airlines and British Airways, which may reportedly result in a cross-border operational coordination, marketing and pricing alliance between the three airlines (Star Telegram, 01-May-08). The carriers are expected to seek anti-trust immunity for their proposed alliance. American Airways and British Airways are members of oneworld, while Continental is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, although it stated early this week that its membership in SkyTeam is being reviewed.
SkyEurope reports (30-Apr-08) the following financial/traffic highlights for the three months ended 31-Apr-08:
• Revenue: EUR53 million, +32.2% year-on-year;
• Operating costs: EUR67.9 million, +29.8%;
• Net profit (loss) before tax: (EUR11.3 million), compared to a loss of EUR13.8 million in the corresponding period last year;
• Passenger numbers: 857,900 tonnes, +44.1%;
• Passenger load factor: 70.7%, -5.1 ppts
Aer Arann launched services from Galway and Waterford airports to Amsterdam on 01-May-08.
bmi appointed (30-Apr-08) Ian Heywood as Commercial Director at bmi's mainline operation, effective mid-May-08, to fill the vacancy left by Adrian Parkes. Mr Heywood is currently VP Global Sales and Distribution at Qatar Airways. Lufthansa plans to acquire purchase Sir Michael Bishop’s majority stake (50% plus one share) in bmi next year. bmi holds 11% of the slots at Heathrow Airport.
clickair and Germanwings announced (30-Apr-08) an online marketing agreement to make selected services between their networks available on their respective websites. Effective immediately, passengers browsing clickair's website for services from Barcelona to Germany can select clickair’s own destinations (Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich), but also Stuttgart and Cologne, whereupon they are redirected to the Germanwings website to complete the transaction. Conversely, Germanwings passengers originating from Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich will now have the option of selecting Barcelona as a new destination.
clickair: “We are delighted to offer these new connections to our customers. It exemplifies two key traits of our airline: giving the broadest range of choices to our passengers and implementing them through an innovative, yet simple method”, Alex Cruz, CEO. Source: clickair, 30-Apr-08.
Sterling Airlines appointed (30-Apr-08) Fredrik Kinnunen as the company’s new Director of Direct Sales.
Croatia Airlines announced (30-Apr-08) plans to launch services from Zagreb to Podgorica, Pristina, Düsseldorf and Copenhagen – see Route Changes Table for more information.
Air Arabia confirmed plans to open its third hub at Rabat International Airport (Morocco) in 4Q08, to offer connectivity to Europe and North Africa (Emirates Business, 01-May-08). The carrier entered a JV with Morocco-based Regional Air Lines in 2007.
Air Arabia: "We do not have an exact date yet, but we are looking at starting operations from our Morocco hub sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. The whole objective is to connect to Europe, North Africa and more Middle East destinations via Morocco," CEO, Adel Ali. Source: Emirates Business, 01-May-08.
Continental Airlines reports (01-May-08) the following traffic highlights on Atlantic service in Apr-08:
• Passenger traffic (RPMs): +10.7% year-on-year;
• Passenger load factor: 75.3%, -6.4 ppts.
US Air Transport Association forecasts (01-May-08) US airlines’ total fuel costs would increase 72% year-on-year in 2008, and stated that “major capacity cuts” could occur if ticket price increases cannot cover the increase.
Air Transport Association: “If high oil prices persist, then the very nature of air travel as we know it will be forced to change: if airlines cut service as much as some industry analysts have indicated is necessary, passengers will see fewer daily flights to many cities, more crowded planes and more inconvenience overall,” Press statement, 01-May-08.
Airbus announced (29-Apr-08) the opening of a Material and Logistics Centre at the Dubai Airport Free Zone, to facilitate a quicker response to customer needs. [more]
Airbus: “With predicted passenger traffic growth of over 6% and cargo of 5% in the next 20 years, the Middle East will undergo one of the biggest aviation growth rates of anywhere in the world, so a world class logistics centre in the region is essential”, Tom Enders, President and CEO. Source: Airbus, 29-Apr-08.
Emirates is expected to acquire more A380s, according to Airbus CEO, John Leahy (AME Info, 30-Apr-08). The carrier is scheduled to take delivery of the first of 58 A380s in Aug-08. Meanwhile, Emirates announced that a “large part” of the USD110 million in “liquidated damages” it received in FY07/08 came from Airbus, as compensation for late delivery of its A380s (Daily News, 30-Apr-08).
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Europe Airline Daily: Main News: 2 May 2008 
