Spain and Canary Islands

Iberia increases African presence with services to Accra and Nouakchott

Iberia’s planned service to Accra and Nouakchott will give Spain its first routes to the West African nations of Ghana and Mauritania. The services, to be operated with A319 and A321 equipment, respectively, will provide links for business travellers into the economic centres of each country. Iberia’s presence in Africa is strongest in the north and west, so the new services continue that strategy as the African market grows.

IAG earnings fall 34% in 3Q2011, but full-year bullish outlook retained

International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), the owner of oneworld members British Airways and Iberia, reported a 33.5% year-on-year fall in operating profit due largely to fuel price increases in the quarter. Despite elevated fuel prices, which are not expected to relent, and deteriorating economic outlooks for Europe and the UK, IAG stands out amongst European carriers as having the most bullish outlook for the full-year. This reflects competitive advantages that accrue to IAG, namely, its exposure to the lucrative and hitherto resilient long-haul market from London.

Europe’s airlines press European Commission to ensure Single European Sky targets are met

There are few subjects that Europe’s airlines can agree on, but the lamentable state of the European air traffic control system is one of them. This week, industry bodies representing all sectors of the European air transport market blasted the efforts of European member states and their air navigation service providers (ANSPs) on reducing costs and increasing efficiency for falling short of where they should be.

Air traffic inefficiency and the high costs associated with Europe’s patchwork air traffic management (ATM) system are estimated to cost the European aviation industry between EUR4 billion and EUR5 billion p/a. The delays and inefficient routings punish both passengers and airlines, increasing flight times and distances and driving up fuel burn and greenhouse gas emissions, a particularly galling situation given the entry of aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme next year.

easyJet pushes further into France, throwing down the gauntlet to Air France

easyJet has announced plans to open two new and permanent bases in France, at Nice and Toulouse, which the LCC says will be operational by summer 2012. The carrier will base two A319 aircraft each at the airports, which will be the carrier's 21st and 22nd network bases, as part of efforts to strengthen its French domestic and pan-European network.

easyJet’s moves into provincial France mirrors those being made by national carrier Air France, which is desperately seeking to turnaround its loss-making short-haul business by pushing short-haul capacity out of Paris. easyJet’s plan could be a major headache for the French flag carrier as it aims to cement its dominance in regional France. As easyJet noted, with such a low LCC penetration, relative to neighbouring countries, the LCC onslaught is unlikely to ease anytime soon.