FL-Group, the Iceland company that owns Icelandair has purchased Danish discount carrier Sterling Airlines, according to a source in Europe.
  The sale will certainly turn the Northern Europe airline business upside down as Sterling had recently purchased Maersk Air and also had announced an ambitious run up of services to several cities from its new hub operation in Helsinki, Finland.
  At this point Sterling Airlines is operating services from all five Nordic country capitals.
  Over the past few days and weeks the Icelandic media has reported on the ongoing discussions between FL-Group and investment company Fons, concerning FL-Group's possible acquisition of the Danish airline Sterling from Fons.
  Earlier this year Fons purchased Sterling and Maersk Air and recently received approval of the Danish competition authorities to merge the two airlines under the name of Sterling.
  FL-Group has been building up a stake in UK airline EasyJet, and now owns 13 per cent of the British airline


Emirates celebrated its Platinum Anniversary last week marking twenty years of service, announcing that it will launch services to Cote D'Ivoire starting 1st February 2006.
Emirates' Chairman HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said:
"There's a sense that the airline has 'come of age', and with its solid grounding is ready to take on even bigger challenges as a leading player in global air transport."
Commenting on the new aerial link to a part of the world once known as Ivory Coast, HRH noted:
"Emirates' Abidjan-Dubai services will open up a 75-plus strong, global destination network to large areas of West Africa including The Republic of Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Niger."
Carrying some 12.5 million passengers and 838,000 tons of cargo last year, Emirates is the world's second most profitable and one of the 20 largest international carriers.
The airline has come a long way since 1985 when it had just three flights from Dubai to Karachi, Bombay and Delhi operated with two leased aircraft.
Currently, Emirates operates close to 200 scheduled flights per day around its network which covers 77 cities in 54 countries - an average of one flight taking off or landing every eight minute.
Happy Birthday and many more happy landings EK!

Cargo To The MAXjet

   MAXjet Airways, Inc. today unveiled its new air cargo program,    MAXjet Cargo that reconnects the fast-growing southeast UK area with the United States.
   With nonstop scheduled services starting in November featuring six flights each week between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and London’s Stansted Airport, MAXjet Cargo offers shippers a non-congested major airport gateway in Europe via Stansted International.
   Based at Washington Dulles International Airport, MAXjet Airways has passenger operational facilities at both JFK Airport and Stansted Airport, the fastest growing airport in the United Kingdom.
   “MAXjet was founded to bring greater value to the intercontinental market by connecting key business cities with a high-quality, low-fare product,” said Gary Rogliano, MAXjet’s Chief Executive Officer. “MAXjet now brings that value and convenience to the freight market, introducing unique cargo capabilities that connect Stansted and the southeast United Kingdom to the United States.”
   MAXjet Cargo said it brings the same value-based pricing philosophy introduced with its scheduled service to its cargo program.
   Committed space programs will offer attractive total cost discounts.
   MAXjet will operate Boeing 767-200ERs on its initial routes, with large cargo doors and flexible container/pallet capabilities.
   With just 102 all business seats in the passenger cabin, MAXjet offers extraordinary payload capabilities to cargo customers.
   MAXjet Cargo is now discussing long-term contracts through its advisors, Triangle Management Services.
   More information can be found at www.maxjet.com/cargo or by contacting Paul Jackson (UK, +44 (870) 950 7900) or Barry    Hansen (U.S., +00 1 317 705 0508) at Triangle at maxjet@triangle.eu.com.
   MAXjet will operate transatlantic routes starting with service from New York to London on November 1, 2005.
   More info: www.maxjet.com.

 

  SkyTeam Cargo newest member is Northwest Airlines Cargo.
  The announcement was made in Seoul by Ken Choi, (left) President of Korean Air Cargo.
  “We welcome Northwest Airlines to SkyTeam.
  The additional destinations and frequencies of NWA Cargo, added to the capabilities of seven existing SkyTeam Cargo airlines, continues to give the alliance a wide range of strategic options as well as marketing abilities."
  “NWA Cargo’s freight forwarder customers are larger and more global than ever,” said Jim Friedel, (right) President of NWA Cargo. “To meet our customers’ growing demands, we must continue to expand our network. We look forward to working with SkyTeam Cargo to add new destinations to our network, while also simplifying the airline’s cargo business by adopting the standardized SkyTeam product line.”
  SkyTeam Cargo was founded in 2000 by Aeroméxico Cargo, Air France Cargo, Delta Air Logistics, and Korean Air Cargo. Alitalia Cargo and CSA Cargo joined SkyTeam Cargo in 2001, KLM Cargo joined in 2004, and NWA Cargo in 2005.

Air Arabia To Nagpur

  Air Arabia LLC, the first and only low-fare airline in the Middle East and North Africa region is now the first discount international airline to fly to Nagpur in Central India.
  Air Arabia’s Chairman and CEO Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Thani led the delegation of senior officials, media, invitees and passengers on the inaugural flight on October 17.
  Sheikh Al Thani told FlyingTypers:
  “Air Arabia is delighted to be the first International airline to fly to Nagpur.
  “We have a history of creating destinations and bringing affordable travel to more people across the region.
  “We look forward to doing the same in Nagpur with thanks to the Indian Government and Civil Aviation Authorities for granting us rights to fly here.
  Flights from Nagpur to Sharjah operate on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
  Flights to Nagpur are to operate thrice a week, on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
  The operation will also connect major cities around Nagpur to the Middle East, as there are good rail and road connections to key cities in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and the rest of Maharashtra. www.airarabia.com.
T. Ghosh

The German low-cost carrier Air Berlin and its Austrian partner NIKI have taken delivery of their first A320 aircraft in a ceremony at historic Berlin-Tempelhof airport. Air Berlin has orders in for 60 A320s while NIKI is buying 10 of the type. Guggenheim Aviation Partners has ordered two more 747-400 Boeing combi-to-freighter conversions. Both deliveries will take place in 2008. Guggenheim previously ordered five 747-400 passenger-to-freighter conversions.

Subcontracting makes for strange bedfellows,” Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, told a reporter upon hearing news today (October 19) that EADS NV, the parent company of Airbus SAS, will make a key part of the Boeing B787. EADS as a subcontractor on the 787 Dreamliner is a jaw dropper, considering that Boeing and Airbus are facing off in court in a U.S. versus Europe trade battle. When you think about it, the news, first reported by The Seattle Times, makes sense in an aircraft building industry that has consolidated down to just a few world players with the chops to get the job done. Still, Airbus building Boeings makes one wonder.

Award mania continues as Singapore Airlines Cargo now has a Certificate of Approval from the Cargo 2000 quality benchmark program that sets standards for shipment handling. The carrier got passing grades from Cargo 2000 on its operations from Singapore to Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne and Tokyo. The airline said it is working to lift itself compliant everywhere else it flies.

The second A380 (MSN004) took flight yesterday (October 18) at 10.49 a.m. at Toulouse, France.
The first A380 (MSN001) commenced airborne testing last April, and has successfully completed more than 100 flights with over 350 flight hours.
Elsewhere the line is rolling.
Meantime Singapore Airlines, the first carrier to receive the Airbus A380 emerges from the hangar like the Cheshire Cat (in reverse) from Alice in Wonderland.
The first A380 for Emirates is yet to be viewed.
At the point Emirates A380 production gets going, considering EK ordered 43 of the super birds—about 30% of the A380 order book, Toulouse will no doubt appear like a new hub for the Dubai carrier

Are the legacy U.S. flags abandoning the domestic market to the discounters? The party may be over for Continental Airlines as United, American and Delta ramp up new international destinations every day. Bankrupt Delta said Tuesday it will add 11 new routes between the United States and Europe/Middle East in 2006 in a bid to become the world's largest transatlantic airline. Stay tuned . . .