unaligned

Southwest Airlines' mechanics, who have been in labour contract talks for more than 6 years, deserve a new deal that makes them among the best paid in the airline industry, but the carrier needs "more supplier flexibility" in return, the company's CE said. The labour dispute, one of the biggest to hit a top-4 US airline in more than a decade, has escalated with Southwest's daily out-of-service aircraft doubling, forcing the carrier to cancel hundreds of flights since Feb 15. Southwest CE Gary Kelly said the mechanics deserve a new contract and pointed out that the deal the mechanics voted down last year would have made those workers the highest paid in the industry. He said current talks offer the opportunity to offer even higher pay with no impact on job security "in exchange for more supplier flexibility." <br/>

Southwest Airlines experienced almost 600 flight delays nationwide Friday after a computer problem caused the carrier to temporarily park its fleet. The airline asked the FAA to declare a “brief” ground stop after a glitch with software that automatically downloads flight plans to the agency, an FAA spokesman said. The delays represent about 15% of Southwest’s daily schedule. Flights also were affected by heavy fog in Dallas and by air traffic congestion in Houston. The disruption lasted about 50 minutes, and resulting delays averaged 40 minutes, the airline said. Southwest didn’t provide a number of delayed flights, but said none was canceled because of the computer system problem. About 80 flights have been scrubbed due to weather and the increased number of planes out of service, the airline said. <br/>

A Boeing commercial airliner that belongs to Norwegian Air and was stranded in Iran after an emergency landing in December, took off and will arrive in Sweden early Saturday, a Norwegian Air spokeswoman said Friday. The plane, a 737 MAX model, took off from Dubai Dec 14 bound for Oslo but had to land in Shiraz in Iran because of problems with one of its engines. It had stayed there since, tied by delays over local regulations and waiting for a new engine. Spare parts were needed by its manufacturer Boeing, but because of US sanctions reinstated by the Trump administration, civilian aircraft sales, including servicing and parts, were forbidden in Iran. The 186 passengers and 6 crew that were on-board Dec 14 were able to fly out of Shiraz the next day. <br/>

Flydubai reported a full-year loss of AED159.8m (US$43.5m), reversed from a profit of AED37.3m for 2017. In its annual financial statement, the airline did not clarify if the loss figure represented an operational or net result. Despite a better 2018 second half—which saw a profit of $43m—the full-year results through Dec 31, 2018 were impacted by increasing fuel costs, rising interest rates and unfavorable currency exchange movements. Full-year revenue was up 12.4% year-over-year to AED6.2b. Fuel costs were 29.8% of total annual operating costs, compared to 25% for the year-ago period. Total operating costs were AED411m. Passenger numbers were 11m, a moderate YOY increase. Yield improved by 8.4% YOY. <br/>

Bamboo Airways will sign a deal with Boeing to purchase 10 planes on the side-lines of this week's Trump-Kim summit, an airline executive said Sunday. The carrier, which is owned by property and leisure company FLC Group and made its first flights in January, placed a provisional order last year for 20 Boeing 787 widebody jets worth US$5.6b at list prices. "We will sign with Boeing a deal to buy 10 more Boeing 787s. This is different from the deal signed earlier for 20 Boeing planes," said the executive. Bamboo is currently operating 10 Airbus planes. Bamboo is aiming to open routes to the US after the FAA declared Vietnam complied with international aviation standards, in a move that would allow Vietnamese carriers to fly there for the first time and codeshare with US airlines. <br/>

A Bangladesh Airlines flight bound for Dubai from Dhaka made an emergency landing Sunday in Chittagong, Bangladesh, after a man attempted to hijack the plane, officials said. The Bangladeshi suspect asked to speak to the country's prime minister before dying from injuries in an exchange of gunfire with military commandos, officials said. All 143 passengers and 7 crew members aboard the Boeing 737-800 were safely evacuated. The commandos fired at the suspect after he shot at them when they asked him to surrender, army major general Motiur Rahman said. He said that the suspect was carrying a pistol, but did not say where the shooting took place. Before the suspect was pronounced dead, Rahman had described him as a "terrorist" and said that he had been arrested and was being questioned. <br/>

Hawaiian Airlines submitted a bid for new slots at Tokyo Haneda International Thursday in order to launch 3 daily flights from Honolulu. In its application to the US DoT, the carrier proposed it be allocated 3 of the 12 new daytime slots that Japan has tentatively agreed to grant to US carriers. The carrier launched service to Haneda in 2010. Since then, as Hawaiian Airlines pointed out it its application, it has added nonstop flights from Honolulu to Sapporo, Osaka, and Tokyo/Narita, expanded its Honolulu to Haneda service, and introduced routes from Kona to Haneda. Currently, Hawaiian Airlines operates a total of 31 weekly flights between Japan and Hawaii, including 14% between Haneda and Hawaii. <br/>

Flybe’s flights are continuing as normal following Connect Airways’ acquisition of the carrier Feb 21. Former parent Flybe Group states that its trading entities, including the airline and its digital arm, have been sold to Connect “in accordance” with the terms of the share purchase agreement unveiled in mid-January. “Flybe flights continue to operate as normal,” the group states. As a result of the GBP2.8m sale Flybe Group has been left as an empty company. It says it has “limited cash” as a result of the transaction, but no other material assets. The cash will cover the residual and run-down costs of Flybe Group. “It is not anticipated that, after meeting these costs, there would be any remaining funds available for distribution to shareholders,” the company said. <br/>