Airline News

Independence Air today will launch six daily flights between Jacksonville and Washington Dulles. The schedule expands to seven daily nonstops Aug. 23. The airline will begin six daily nonstop flights between Nashville and Dulles with the service expanding to seven daily nonstops on July 23 2004. In addition, the carrier will launch eight daily nonstop flights between Syracuse and Dulles. Jul 1, 2004

Independence Air launched six daily nonstop flights between Washington Dulles and Yeager (W. Va.) Airport, seven daily nonstops between Dulles and Albany, six daily nonstops flights between Dulles and McGhee Tyson (Tenn.) Airport and nine daily nonstops between Dulles and Manchester (N.H.). Jul 26, 2004

In yet another delay to the long-running Indian Airlines/Air-India fleet renewal plan, Indian has asked Airbus and Boeing for extensions on the validity of prices while Air-India, which has yet to have its order confirmed, said it is ready for another round of buys. This is the fourth time Indian has been forced to seek an extension of the pricing since its board approved the purchase in March 2002. The carrier has recommended an order for 43 A320/A321s but the buy has been tied up by the seemingly endless number of government approvals it needs as well as a government investigation. At present Indian is waiting for the Public Investment Board to meet and approve the purchase. This was supposed to occur in Jan. but was postponed at the last minute and a new date has not been set. Air-India has committed to purchase 10 A340-300s and 18 737-800s and also is awaiting approvals. On Friday it announced that it is looking at another buy of long-range aircraft but did not elaborate. The campaign to renew Air-India's fleet goes back to the mid-1990s when McDonnell Douglas was touting its MD-11. Jul 7, 2004

Low-cost airline fever has taken off in India with several new carriers emerging. Indian Airlines has announced plans to convert its loss-making subsidiary Alliance Air into a low-cost airline operating new A319s, which would replace 737-200s. Wadia Group announced plans to launch a domestic LCC called Go with a fleet of 100-seat regional jets. Last week, UB Group announced its intention to launch Kingfisher by year end with eight A320s on major domestic routes with fares 30% below current rates. Jul 2, 2004

InteliSys Aviation Systems said its amelia Reservation System has been certified for use on ARINC's iMuse common-use terminals. Jul 1, 2004

JAL Group said its international bookings for the July 16 to Aug. 15 period total 663,140 passengers on a departing Japan basis, 25.9% above the same period in 2003, which was impacted by the Iraq war and the SARS outbreak. The 2004 figures include 601,374 reservations on Japan Airlines and subsidiary JALways, which operates on Pacific resort routes on behalf of JAL, and 61,766 reservations on Japan Asia Airways, the JAL Group carrier serving Taiwan. Domestic bookings totaled 4.3 million, 2.3% below 2003. The figure includes bookings on Japan Airlines' own domestic routes and those of six subsidiaries: Japan Transocean Air, JAL Express, J-Air, Ryukyu Air Commuter, Japan Air Commuter and Hokkaido Air Service. Jul 15, 2004