Despite posting huge losses in 2009, Air France-KLM plans to start negotiations later this year to buy 100-150 long-haul aircraft worth up to USD38 billion at list prices. The order is anticipated for 2011 at the earliest. The carrier is thought to be considering the B787-9 version and the Airbus A350-900 to replace its A330s, A340s, B777-200s and MD11s (KLM still has 10 MD11s in the fleet). The carrier is also weighing up the A350-1000 and the new version of the B777-300 to replace its existing B777-300s and B747-400s.
The twin-aisle B787-9 is a slightly bigger version of the B787-8, seating 250-290 passengers. It has a range of 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles (14,800 to 15,750 km) and a cruise speed of Mach 0.85.
The A350-900 is the first model scheduled to enter service in 2013, seating 314 passengers in a three-class cabin nine-abreast configuration. Its range is similar to that of the B787-900 at 15,000 km (8,100 nautical miles). Airbus claims that the A350-900 will have a decrease of 16% manufacturer’s weight empty (MWE) per seat, a 30% decrease in block fuel per seat and 25% better cash operating cost against the B777-200ER, against which it was originally targeted.
The A350-900R variant also will feature higher engine thrust, strengthened structure and landing gear of the A350-1000 (below) giving it an estimated range up to 17,600 km (9,500 nautical miles), potentially enhance able to 19,100 km (10,315 nautical miles), thereby better able to compete with the B777-200LR and capable of non-stop flights from Paris or Amsterdam to Auckland. The A350-1000, which has an 11-frame stretch over the -900, is scheduled to enter service at the end of 2015. It is the largest variant of the A350 family and will seat 350 passengers in a three-class cabin nine-abreast layout with a range of 14,800 km (8,000 nautical miles). It is designed to compete with the B777-300ER (also under consideration by AF-KLM and to replace the A340-600.
Annus horribilis
With 202.5 million passenger-kilometres flown in the financial year ended 31-Mar-2010, AF-KLM, which merged in May-2004, is Europe’s largest airline. 2009-10 was, according to its CEO, Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, an ‘annus horribilis’ as it had to contend with the global recession and the still not fully explained loss of an A330-200 out of Rio de Janeiro in May-2009. (The search for the flight recorders has again been suspended this week and legal claims could top EUR25 million). Added to this was the impact of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, which has cost it EUR260 million in revenue, and counting.
This contributed to a net loss of EUR1.56 billion (USD1.93 billion) for the fiscal year, almost double that of the previous year, as revenues fell by 15% and passengers by 4.1%. Even so, management is confident it can at least break even in 2010/11, with KLM perhaps recording a small profit as it saw passenger and cargo figures start to pick up in the last quarter of 2009-10.
See related report: British Airways completes woeful year for Europe’s Big Three. Outlook brighter
Air France took delivery of its first A380 on 30-Oct-2009, the first European airline to do so. It has 12 A380s on order. But the heavy operating losses it experienced caused it to consider deferral of delivery of some A380 and B777 passenger and cargo aircraft, though it ultimately did not do so. KLM has no A380s on order.
Air France-KLM has been a key player in the much-anticipated consolidation of the European airline industry, and throughout 2008/9 had been actively in a successful pursuit of Alitalia, eventually acquiring a 25% stake. However, its pursuit of CSA Czech Airlines, one of the biggest privatisation efforts in central and Eastern Europe, did not have the same ending, AF-KLM withdrawing from the tender process due to the impact of the economic environment on the airline industry. It did, however, seek to strengthen its partnership with CSA.
It is not been all bad news for Air France-KLM, which did benefit from the IPO of the GDS Amadeus in Apr-2010 to the tune of EUR146 million to EUR210 million, funds it will use to pay down debt. The deal, Western Europe’s largest since 2008 netted EUR1.32 billion in total.
It is not been all bad news for Air France-KLM, which did benefit from the IPO of the GDS Amadeus in Apr-2010 to the tune of EUR146 million to EUR210 million, funds it will use to pay down debt. The deal, Western Europe’s largest since 2008 netted EUR1.32 billion in total.
Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation
No comments:
Post a Comment