Aviation Sector

Finnair third-quarter profits drop

FinnairHelsinki - Finnish flag carrier Finnair on Friday said higher fuel costs and lower ticket prices contributed to a "weak third quarter."

The group posted a pre-tax loss of 22 million euros (28 million dollars), compared to a pre-tax profit of 59.9 million euros for the corresponding business period in 2007.

Turnover increased 2.7 per cent to 559 million euros in the quarter, the carrier said.

Human bones found near wreckage of Steve Fossett's plane

Human bones found near wreckage of Steve Fossett's planeSan Francisco - Search teams have found bones and a driver's license with Steve Fossett's name near the site where the millionaire's crashed plane was discovered in eastern California, officials said Thursday.

Found were a pair of tennis shoes, credit cards and Fossett's Illinois state driver's license as well as bones, which are believed to be human and were sent for DNA testing, Madera County Sheriff John Anderson told a press conference.

German airline DBA closes, parent takes planes and staff

Berlin - DBA, an airline which pioneered competition in Germany, is to cease operations at the end of next month, its owner, Air Berlin, said Thursday.

The move will complete DBA's absorption into Air Berlin, which operates 124 planes and is Germany's second-biggest carrier after Lufthansa.

The management and ground staff of DBA have already been wound up, with functions taken over by the parent.

When open-skies policies came to the European Union, British Airways established the line as Deutsche BA in 1992 to challenge flag carrier Lufthansa, which had been the sole major airline flying German domestic routes.

But it was not a success and was sold 11 years later for a token price to Hans Rudolf Woehrl, a businessman.

Ukraine: Iran will buy, build mid-range An-148 passenger jet

Kiev - A senior Ukrainian aviation official said Iran intends to purchase and later produce a licensed version of a Ukraine's Antonov 148 mid-range passenger jet, the Interfax news agency reported on Wendesday.

Dmitro Kiva, chairman of the Kiev-headquartered Antonov aerospace factory, said Iran "will fully participate" in the subsequent production of the aircraft.

The An-148 is a twin-engine high-wing passenger plane designed for operation at rough airfields. Ukraine developed the aircraft during the 1990s and certified the single flying prototype in February 2007.

Danish low-cost airline Sterling to file for bankruptcy

Copenhagen - Thousands of passengers scrambled Wednesday to find alternative transport after the bankruptcy of low-cost Danish airline Sterling Airlines.

The airline Wednesday filed for bankruptcy and grounded all flights with immediate effect.

The some 1,100 employees were later informed that they had not been fired but were to remain at the disposal of the liquidators.

In a statement on its website, the airline cited that it had been impacted by the global financial recession that started in the autumn of 2007 and led to a "stagnation in the market."

Danish low-cost airline Sterling to file for bankruptcy

Copenhagen - Low-cost Danish airline Sterling Airlines announced Wednesday it was to file for bankruptcy and has grounded all flights stranding thousands of passengers.

In a statement on its website, the airline cited that it had been impacted by the global financial recession that started in the autumn of 2007 and led to a "stagnation in the market."

The carrier also cited "significant fuel cost increases" as a factor that contributed to its problems, as well the global credit crunch that impacted its main shareholders in Iceland.

The Sterling statement said that passengers who had bought tickets online would not be refunded and would have to seek alternative flights home.

Pages