Spanair : JK : JKK :

La compagnie aérienne espagnole Spanair annonce son intention de remplacer l'année prochaine 11 appareils McDonnell-Douglas par des Airbus, son objectif étant de disposer à terme d'une flotte intégralement composée d'avions du groupe européen.
"L'année prochaine, les contrats de leasing de nos MD-82 et MD-87 expireront et nous voulons saisir l'opportunité d'intégrer des avions d'Airbus", a déclaré un porte-parole de Spanair.

Star Alliance carrier [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] plans to retire its [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] MD-80 fleet by the first quarter of 2012 and is looking to lease [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-family aircraft to replace its Boeing 717s, which are in the process of being returned to SAS Group.Speaking to ATI at Spanair's headquarters in Barcelona, the carrier's strategic planning director, Jim Paton, said it aimed to operate "a single [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] fleet", although no new aircraft orders are imminent.
"I don't envision an order before the next one to two years. We will look at aircraft to lease to replace the 717s," says Paton.
Spanair operates a 35-strong fleet comprising 19 A320s, five A321s, four MD-80s, three MD-87s and four 717s, which it subleases from former owner SAS.
The four 717s are gradually being returned to be operated by SAS subsidiary [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].
Since its acquisition from SAS by a group of Catalonian investors in early 2009, Spanair has reduced its fleet by 10 aircraft and has focused on introducing new international routes to its network.

By next summer, Spanair will operate over 20 international routes, compared with just five in 2009.
"We've focused on where there's a gap in the market - on trunk routes to major European cities," says Paton.

The carrier recently announced new flights to Berlin and Hamburg, where Paton says there is "an opportunity for a full-service offering".
North and West Africa will be a "key area of focus" for Spanair, which is in the process of adding to its network Bamako in Mali, Algiers, Tripoli and Banjul in Gambia.

Spanair in Talks With Turkish Over Investment, Expansion Reports

Spanair SA is in talks with [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] AO, the company known as [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], about allowing the Turkish carrier to buy a stake of as much as 49 percent in the company, Expansion reported.
Conversations between the two parties are “very advanced,” the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the talks it didn’t identify by name.

Spanair ultima un acuerdo para vender el 49% de la compañía a Qatar Airways

La aerolínea Spanair ultima un acuerdo con la compañía Qatar Airways, para que sea su socio industrial y tome el 49% de las acciones, según fuentes cercanas a la operación. Spanair lleva más de un año tratando de encontrar un inversor. A finales de 2010 ya se hablaba de que la firma que preside Ferran Soriano buscaba entre las compañías de los Emiratos Árabes. Fuentes de Spanair añadieron que las negociaciones siguen con varias compañías.

La aerolínea de bandera catalana encargó a Lazard la búsqueda de un socio industrial, una búsqueda que parece haber recalado en la compañía qatarí. Tanto la Generalitat como el Ayuntamiento de Barcelona han apoyado económicamente a la empresa. Más de la mitad del capital está actualmente en manos públicas. En septiembre la Generalitat concedió el último préstamo participativo de 56 millones de euros a la compañía, que cerró 2010 con unas pérdidas de 115,72 millones de euros. El consejero de Economía, Andreu Mas-Colell, insinuó ese mismo mes que no habría más fondos públicos para operaciones similares.

Se prevé que Spanair, que ha llevado a cabo un proceso de reconversión que ha incluido la reducción de flota y cambios en las rutas menos rentables, cerrará 2011 también en rojo, aunque con menos pérdidas. Los fondos propios negativos de la aerolínea alcanzaron los 168,2 millones de euros en 2010. El año pasado Soriano señaló la necesidad de incorporar a un socio industrial que aportara entre 150 y 170 millones para realizar vuelos de largo alcance con la marca Spanair.

Qu'est-ce que c'est que ce bazar ? !

La compagnie aérienne espagnole Spanair a convoqué vendredi un conseil d'administration qui pourrait décider de la cessation de l'activité de la compagnie et la suspension des vols, a-t-on appris de source aéroportuaire.

2012 AFP

Akbar Al BAKER ferait mieux d'orienter les sous de Qatar Airways vers les grandes équipes de 'foot' espagnoles : Real MADRID, Barcelone ... !

Qatar Airways has reportedly pulled out of talks to buy a stake in Spanair.

The Gulf carrier confirmed last week that it was examining a potential acquisition in Europe, where it last year purchased a stake in freight operator Cargolux.

However, a spokeswoman from the Catalan regional government revealed this week that Qatar Airways had "left the negotiations" to acquire a stake in Spanair, according to local reports.

It follows Etihad's decision at the end of 2011 to buy a stake in Air Berlin, the first time a major Gulf carrier has made a major investment in a European passenger airline.

Speaking to Flightglobal the day before the Spanair reports surfaced, Qatar's CEO Akbar Al Baker said: "We are not in a hurry to take on any sick carrier in Europe.

"We want to pick and choose something that will make both airlines stronger."

Puis, on n'appelle pas Akbar Al BAKER "U-urn Ali" pour rien !

Star Alliance airline Spanair has announced that it is halting all operations today, with the last flight expected to arrive at its base at 22:00 after talks with Qatar Airways over a stakeholding and capital injections collapsed.

Shortly after the regional government made clear that the airline could expect no further government-backed loans, the Barcelona-based Spanair started to cancel flights during this afternoon. Only flights returning from remote destinations to its Barcelona and Madrid bases still took off.

Spain's public airport operator AENA has prepared special areas at Madrid's Terminal 2 and Barcelona's Terminal 1 to attend stranded passengers, which according to an Aena source may mount to "several thousands" only at these two airports. AENA is asking passengers with Spanair tickets not to go to the airport until they have a confirmed seat on another airline.

Spanair's local competitors Iberia, Vueling and Air Europa have announced contingency plans to accommodate Spanair passengers.

Iberia has announced a flat fare of $79.15 (€60) for Spanair ticket holders on Spanish mainland and Balearic routes, $118.73 for routes to the Canary Islands and $131.92 for any European route.

Additionally, the Oneworld carrier will be operating in coordination with AENA and the Spanish government additional frequencies on routes where Spanair had high market share, namely from Madrid to Barcelona, Bilbao, La Coruna, as well as to the Balearic and the Canary Archipelagos.

SAS, former owner and current minority shareholder of Spanair has released a statement under which it explains the potential impact of Spanair's bankruptcy, saying that it had already written down to 0 the value of its 10.9% shareholding. However, SAS has decided to write down outstanding debts and receivables of around $217.67 million and reserve $36.94 in guarantees and costs due to the bankruptcy.

Spanair was acquired about three years ago by a Catalonian consortium composed mainly by public institutions wanting to convert the airport at El Prat into an international hub with the help of Spanair, which it relocated from Palma de Mallorca to Barcelona for that purpose.

In recent days, rumours about Spanair's bankruptcy gained speed as news popped up that Spanair's president and former president of the Barcelona Football Club Ferran Soriano had already accepted to preside the British Manchester City football club, something Soriano denied only halfheartedly by saying that "he would not leave Spanair".

Spanair's demise can eventually hugely benefit its principal Barcelona based rival, Iberia's low cost affiliate Vueling, also an Airbus A320 operator. Reportedly some Vueling pilots have been taking already courses during the last months to be certified for flying aircraft equipped with the same engines of the Spanair fleet, which might suggest Vueling's preparedness to take over quickly some of Spanair's capacity and routes.

Spanair's domestic market share was 22%, but they did not operate to many destinations, so the actual share on their routes was higher.

Spanair stops flying after Qatar deal falls through

Star Alliance airline Spanair has announced that it is halting all operations today, with the last flight expected to arrive at its base at 22:00 after talks with Qatar Airways over a stakeholding and capital injections collapsed.

Shortly after the regional government made clear that the airline could expect no further government-backed loans, the Barcelona-based Spanair started to cancel flights during this afternoon. Only flights returning from remote destinations to its Barcelona and Madrid bases still took off.

Spain's public airport operator AENA has prepared special areas at Madrid's Terminal 2 and Barcelona's Terminal 1 to attend stranded passengers, which according to an Aena source may mount to "several thousands" only at these two airports. AENA is asking passengers with Spanair tickets not to go to the airport until they have a confirmed seat on another airline.

Spanair's local competitors Iberia, Vueling and Air Europa have announced contingency plans to accommodate Spanair passengers.

Iberia has announced a flat fare of $79.15 (€60) for Spanair ticket holders on Spanish mainland and Balearic routes, $118.73 for routes to the Canary Islands and $131.92 for any European route.

Additionally, the Oneworld carrier will be operating in coordination with AENA and the Spanish government additional frequencies on routes where Spanair had high market share, namely from Madrid to Barcelona, Bilbao, La Coruna, as well as to the Balearic and the Canary Archipelagos.

SAS, former owner and current minority shareholder of Spanair has released a statement under which it explains the potential impact of Spanair's bankruptcy, saying that it had already written down to 0 the value of its 10.9% shareholding. However, SAS has decided to write down outstanding debts and receivables of around $217.67 million and reserve $36.94 in guarantees and costs due to the bankruptcy.

Spanair was acquired about three years ago by a Catalonian consortium composed mainly by public institutions wanting to convert the airport at El Prat into an international hub with the help of Spanair, which it relocated from Palma de Mallorca to Barcelona for that purpose.

In recent days, rumours about Spanair's bankruptcy gained speed as news popped up that Spanair's president and former president of the Barcelona Football Club Ferran Soriano had already accepted to preside the British Manchester City football club, something Soriano denied only halfheartedly by saying that "he would not leave Spanair".

Spanair's demise can eventually hugely benefit its principal Barcelona based rival, Iberia's low cost affiliate Vueling, also an Airbus A320 operator. Reportedly some Vueling pilots have been taking already courses during the last months to be certified for flying aircraft equipped with the same engines of the Spanair fleet, which might suggest Vueling's preparedness to take over quickly some of Spanair's capacity and routes.

Spanair's domestic market share was 22%, but they did not operate to many destinations, so the actual share on their routes was higher.

La compagnie aérienne scandinave SAS a averti vendredi que l'arrêt des activités de son ex filiale espagnole Spanair, dont elle possède encore 10,9%, allait avoir sur ses comptes un impact négatif de 1,7 milliard de couronnes (191 millions d'euros).
© 2012 AFP