Eastern Airlines (2D, Miami Int’l) says it has secured B777 feedstock in preparation for its entry into the cargo market – the express package shipment sector specifically.
In a statement, the passenger carrier said it has acquired thirty-five B777s which it will convert into true, Class-E maindeck freighters that will be capable of carrying a full load of volumetric express cargo non-stop between Asia and the United States. However, Eastern Express Freighters will not be subject to the restrictions on cargo commodities that are imposed on conventional passenger aircraft used as freighters – preighters.
"Due to enter service in the first quarter of next year, the Eastern B777 Express Freighters will be first to market," it said. "The innovative design converts the main deck cabin of the widebody B777, the -200, -200ER, and -300 series into a true cargo aircraft. This allows the entire volume of the main deck cabin to hold low-density, express freight cargo."
According to Steve Harfst, Eastern Airlines President and CEO, future derivative plans call for the inclusion of a palletized loading system and an Express Main Deck cargo door. Eastern Air Cargo will offer general cargo sales, cargo charters, ACMI/wet-leasing and dry leasing.
The P2F STC engineering will be undertaken by Foxtrot Aero LLC, another of Eastern Air Holdings’ subsidiaries.
The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows Eastern currently has two B777-200(ER)s in its fleet alongside one B767-200, three B767-200(ER)s, and six B767-300(ER)s all of which are/have been used for passenger flights.
Having lost a controlling stake in El Al Israel Airlines (LY, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) last year, Knafaim Holdings has now set its sights on acquiring a 49.9% stake in TUS Airways (U8, Larnaca). Under the terms of a May 26 letter of intent, Knafaim, controlled by Israeli businesswoman Tami Mozes-Borovitz, will invest USD5 million while US businessman Kenneth Woolley will buy the remaining 50.1% for USD4 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of July, a stock exchange disclosure said.
Knafaim Holdings, whose stake in El Al diminished when the Israeli flag carrier applied for a government bailout, will own the shareholding in TUS via its Global Knafaim Leasing subsidiary. Woolley is the controlling shareholder of Pennsylvania-headquartered Eastern Airlines (2D, Miami Int’l), which rebranded itself from Dynamic International Airways (2D, Greensboro) in 2018.
TUS currently has a single A320-200, on lease from AerCap, according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, with a second of the type soon to be delivered from the…
Eastern Airlines (2D, Miami Int’l) has suspended its transatlantic ambitions after it dropped Sarajevo from its Summer 2021 schedule, ch-aviation schedule analysis has indicated.
The Pennsylvania-headquartered carrier planned to serve the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina weekly out of Chicago O’Hare, using its B767-200(ER) widebodies and starting on May 28, 2021. The route has now been removed from the airline’s schedule.
As such, Sarajevo will not gain its first transatlantic service and will remain connected exclusively to destinations in Europe and the Middle East.
Eastern Airlines also removed its only planned domestic service from New York JFK to Anchorage Ted Stevens, which was also due to launch on May 28. The airline will continue to focus on serving destinations in Latin America out of Boston, Miami Int’l, and New York JFK, using its fleet of one B767-200, three B767-200(ER)s, six B767-300(ER)s, and two yet-to-be-inducted B777-200(ER)s.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating a northeastern US alliance between American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) and JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) on competitive grounds, The Wall Street Journal reported.
While the investigation has not been made public, both airlines have implicitly acknowledged it, with American Airlines underlining in a statement that both it and JetBlue were “fully cooperating” with the DOJ.
The investigators are concerned that the alliance could lead to anticompetitive changes affecting key US northeastern hubs. Both airlines maintain that the cooperation would be beneficial to passengers.
The investigation is ongoing, and the DOJ has yet to reach any conclusions. However, the department’s final ruling would be subject to overruling by the Department of Transportation (DOT), which has the final say on competition matters in the aviation industry.
The DOT approved the alliance on January 10, 2021, with the two airlines unveiling the first batch of codeshared and coordinated routes in February 2021.
However, despite the January approval, the DOT’s proceedings regarding the alliance are…
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US's Eastern Airlines to enter cargo market with P2F B777s – ch-aviation
