Airline News - Europe.

For more airline news, data and analysis, please go to: http://www.airguideonline.com/order_formsubs.htm Jun 5, 2006 European Court of Justice strikes down transatlantic PNR deal. The European Court of Justice yesterday ruled that the May 2004 agreement between the European Community and the US on the processing and transfer of PNR data by air carriers is illegal. May 31, 2006 Aer Lingus, OneWorld Aer Lingus confirms oneworld departure. Aer Lingus and oneworld confirmed yesterday that Ireland's flag carrier is leaving the alliance.The decision was approved at the airline's board meeting last week, concluding a process that began when former Aer Lingus boss Willie Walsh toyed with leaving the partnership as he began the transformation of the state-owned carrier from a network operator into a point-to-point LCC. The airline joined oneworld on June 1, 2000. It did not provide a timeframe for departure but is required to give its partners one year's notice. Oneworld said the timing and terms for the withdrawal will be considered at the next meeting of its governing board but that it likely will occur early next year when Japan Airlines, Malev Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian are expected to join. The alliance also noted that Aer Lingus is its smallest member, with about 2% of total ASKs offered in 2005, whereas its three new members will increase capacity by more than 20%. "Talks are progressing between oneworld and other airlines interested in joining," it stressed in a statement. The timing and terms for its withdrawal will be considered at the next meeting of the grouping's Governing Board, but it is likely to be in early 2007 at the same time as Japan Airlines, Malev Hungarian and Royal Jordanian officially join the 'club'. Aer Lingus' strategy has changed fundamentally since it became a member six years ago and is clearly no longer compatible with the Oneworld strategy of concentrating on the multi-sector traffic and frequent international traveler. Still the Irish state airline, although due for privatization later this year, Aer Lingus has in recent times repositioned itself as a low fares point-to-point airline. It was also the smallest carrier in the alliance. British Airways withdrew from the Irish market following its partnership with EI. Whether it returns remains to be seen. http://www.oneworld.com http://www.aerlingus.com May 31, 2006 Atlantic Express Jersey is now linked to Stansted with a twice-daily service flown by Atlantic Express, part of the Air Atlantique Group, one of Britain's longest established air carriers. Atlantic says that its fast ATR turboprops are ideal for the operation aimed at business people, leisure travelers and the island's large expatriate population. The airline points out that what people really want is frequency and for the future plans to step up services. Other UK destinations are being considered. Stansted itself now handles 38 airlines serving 145 destinations in 32 countries. Atlantic Express commercial director Basil O'Fee watches as London's Town Crier Peter Moore wakes up the Stansted terminal whilst Miss Battle of the Flowers looks on. http://www.atlanticexpress.co.uk Jun 4, 2006

Estonian Air Estonian Air will close its Talinn-Manchester route on July 1 and its Talinn-Dublin service on Sept. 1. In the autumn, flights to Paris and Hamburg will be suspended for the winter season. Jun 1, 2006 Faroejet Faroejet is a new airline based in the Faroe Islands. Despite a population of only 50,000, air travel between the Faroe Islands and Denmark is buoyant and tourism is the second largest industry on the Islands. In 2004, 140,000 passengers traveled on the direct route from the Faroes to Copenhagen - effectively three times the population of the Islands. The islands, which lie northwest of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway, are a self-governing region of Denmark and with strong business and financial links with the Danish mainland. Traditionally two carriers have been granted mutual concessions to operate this route according to Faroe Islands local regulations, but since 2004 only Atlantic Airways with its fleet of four BAe 146/Avro RJs has offered service. To take advantage of this opportunity a group of Faroese investors banded together in 2005 to form FaroeJet with a single Avro RJ ideally suited to operate from Vagar Airport, which is the only airport on the islands, with its difficult approach and short runway. http://www.faroejet.fo http://www.faroejet.net Jun 4, 2006 Finnair Nagoya, home city of Toyota and a Bullet train stop, is the latest Finnair nonstop destination from Helsinki with flights beginning last Saturday June 3. It is not served direct from the UK. Nagoya is Finnair's third route destination in Japan and its ninth in Asia. Nagoya's brand-new international airport, which opened in March 2005 also goes by the name Centrair Airport. It is built on a man-made island linked by a 30-minute train ride to the city center. The Nagoya area is Japan's third largest concentration of economic activity after Tokyo and Osaka. http://www.finnair.com Jun 4, 2006

Finnair Finnair will launch daily Helsinki-Geneva flights aboard an Embraer 170 and on Saturday will start thrice-weekly Helsinki-Nagoya Chubu flights. It launched Helsinki-Pisa service earlier this month aboard an A320. Jun 1, 2006 Flyglobespan Flyglobespan, the airline division of the very long established Edinburgh-based Globespan travel group, is to put another toe in the water of its English operations by introducing a daily scheduled service to Prague from Liverpool starting in November. The airline very recently announced that John Lennon Airport would become UK base with (again) daily flights to Tenerife. The airline's new service from Stansted to Athens starts on 30 June. http://www.flyglobespan.com Jun 4, 2006 Iberia Iberia will reduce its operations at Barcelona International drastically, Chairman Fernando Conte told the carrier's AGM earlier this week. He said most of the routes it operates from El Prat are unprofitable. In April, Iberia confirmed plans to participate in an LCC that will operate point-to-point routes, largely to counter increasing competition at BCN from no-frills operators like Vueling and easyJet. Ryanair has a base at nearby Girona-Costa Brava. The reduction at BCN will not affect Iberia's successful shuttle service to Madrid. Its pilots union did not take the news well and threatened strike action if the airline does not provide further clarification of its plans. Jun 2, 2006 LTU German LTU German Airlines will start six weekly Dusseldorf-Istanbul flights and five weekly Dusseldorf-Naples flights by November. It also will introduce new daily Munich-Palma de Mallorca service as well three weekly Munich-Alicante flights and twice-weekly Munich-Saloniki service. May 29, 2006 Lufthansa Lufthansa named Jens Bischoff, who had been project manager for the integration of Swiss and Lufthansa, to the post of VP-the Americas. The position will be based in New York and take effect Sept. 1. May 29, 2006