Loss-ridden THAI avoided a record net loss in 2015 after its performance in the October-December period posted a net profit, thanks to substantial cost reductions and more efficiencies. The carrier posted a net profit of about THB4b in Q4 last year, narrowing its 2015 net loss to about THB14b, compared with a THB15.6b net loss in 2014, said a company source. The company posted a net loss as high as THB18.1b for the 9 nine months of last year. THAI's board will convene Feb 29 to announce its operating results in 2015 as well as the company's targets and directions for next year. The results show the company is on the right track in how it has addressed the accumulated losses, the source said. THAI's ASKs declined by 6.2%, while the airline set an earlier ASK reduction target of 15%. <br/>
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An ANA Boeing 787 bound for Tokyo made an emergency return to Kuala Lumpur Monday after receiving a warning that the temperature of the exhaust gas from its right engine was very high. The pilots of Flight 816 shut down the turbine and landed with the left engine, an ANA spokesman said. All 203 passengers and 11 crew members are safe. The company has yet to determine the cause of the warning. The 787 was fitted with engines from Rolls-Royce, which said that it’s “working with ANA to provide support and technical assistance.” Boeing said separately that it’s aware of the incident and also working with the airline. Rolls-powered Dreamliners use the Trent 1000 engine, which together with the Trent XWB deployed on Airbus' A350 is set to be the biggest growth driver at the company over the next decade. <br/>
Adria Airways carried 1,045,442 passengers on scheduled flights in 2015, representing an increase of 14% compared to the year before, the company said. It operated a total of 17,931 flights, up 8.3% year-on-year. However, the average cabin load factor declined from 70.5% in 2014 to 68% last year. The carrier says it used larger aircraft in a bid to cut costs, which resulted in the 2 point decline in occupancy. Adria hasn't published its financial results, although it is believed to have recorded a net loss of E5m. The airline saw revenue drop by 75% on its Moscow service over the past 2 years. Adria also experienced problems with its Zurich flights after SWISS launched services to the Slovenian capital. However, Swiss suspended its Ljubljana flights this January, with Adria retaining a monopoly on the route. <br/>
United Continental is finalising a second deal with Boeing for new single-aisle jets that would enable the manufacturer to block smaller rivals Bombardier and Embraer from gaining a coveted spot in the airline’s fleet, according to people familiar with the negotiations. United is expected to order 25 737s in the newest deal, the people said. Boeing in January won the first of 2 expected United single-aisle deals, agreeing to sell the airline 40 737-700s, the smallest single-aisle jet Boeing builds. The 118-seat jets are already a staple in United’s fleet. A new United-Boeing deal would be a significant blow for Bombardier which has sought to build sales momentum for its new CSeries jets, which represent the company’s first effort to compete head-on with Boeing and Airbus in the market for jets seating well over 100 passengers. <br/>
This is not what Oscar Munoz needed. As the United Airlines CE continues to recuperate from a heart transplant in January, many of the more than 9,000 mechanics who work for the airline are loudly expressing their displeasure with the carrier and its contract negotiation efforts. Late last week, hundreds of United mechanics, who belong to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, picketed 3 United maintenance facilities in Houston, San Francisco and Orlando to visibly protest what they claim is bad treatment of an important group of employees. The picketing comes just days after United mechanics overwhelmingly voted down a tentative contract proposal and authorised a strike. Leaders at the mechanics union said they would petition the National Mediation Board for a strike release. <br/>
David Neeleman, the founder of JetBlue Airways, is set to return to JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at JFK Monday to announce a business partnership between TAP Portugal and JetBlue. Neeleman said the new deal between TAP and JetBlue will see daily flights from Lisbon to Boston starting June 11 and flights to JFK beginning July 1. JetBlue now has 45 foreign airline partners, which leverage JetBlue’s domestic and Caribbean routes to funnel their passengers onward. Neeleman and a partner purchased half of TAP last year. JetBlue CE Robin Hayes lauded the TAP connections. The new flights, which will be offered on 271-seat Airbus A330 planes, are part of a larger build-up of TAP flights to the US. TAP already flies from Lisbon to Miami and Newark, N.J. <br/>