The Globe

China closes its skies, then opens them again

The year opened with conflicting orders over China. In one notice, all airlines were told to route around Chinese airspace, though carriers from China, the Soviet bloc, North Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, Myanmar and 12 more countries could still use it. In another, flights were told they could route through China once more.

Pacifica more than doubles its December traffic

LOS ANGELES — Pacifica Airlines carried 2.09 million passengers in December on 11,415 flights and filled 96% of its seats. Passengers a week were up 115% on a year before.

Atlas Globe Airways of Chicago carried 1.05 million passengers, up 2%. Analysts read the figures as pointing to quarterly revenue about 2% above their forecasts. Avalon Air of Dallas carried 944,000 passengers, up 42%, and filled 99% of its seats.

In Europe, Hamburgerluft carried 265,000 passengers, Holland Airlines 145,000 and Purpair of Paris 71,100. QA Browser Staff carried 8,490 passengers and filled only 67% of its seats. Analysts read its figures as revenue about 6% below what they expected.

Alps Air and Jikar Air come to market

GENEVA — A year after their founding, Alps Air and Jikar Air listed the third of their shares held by their original backers.

Alps Air opened at $8.80 a share, valuing the Geneva carrier at $132 million. Jikar Air of Auckland listed at $2.00 a share, a valuation of $30.0 million.

United lists its shares

NEW YORK — United, which flies no scheduled services, listed a third of its shares a year after its founding. They opened at $3.33 each, valuing the company at $50.0 million.

Super profits without passengers

MUMBAI — Super reported no revenue for the fourth quarter of 1972 and an operating loss of $3.57 million. It still made a profit of $6.89 million, or $0.45 a share, against the $0.12 analysts expected. For the full year 1972, Super earned $9.47 million on no revenue.

Atlas Globe meets forecasts

CHICAGO — Atlas Globe Airways reported fourth-quarter revenue of $194 million, up 2%, and a profit of $59.6 million, or $3.97 a share. That was in line with expectations. For 1972 as a whole, revenue rose 18% to $755 million and profit reached $230 million.

New Zealand dollar revalued by 11%

AUCKLAND — The New Zealand dollar was revalued by 11.0%, so that one dollar now buys $1.327. Aircraft, fuel and leases priced in American dollars become cheaper for New Zealand's carriers, among them Jikar Air. Fares and wages in New Zealand dollars, however, now cost the rest of the world more.

Hamburgerluft revenue quadruples

HAMBURG — Hamburgerluft reported fourth-quarter revenue of $83.1 million, up 321% on a year before, and a profit of $15.9 million. Earnings of $1.06 a share were just ahead of the $1.04 analysts expected. For 1972, revenue reached $290 million and profit $52.0 million.

Astronesia reports a $1.66 billion loss

JAKARTA — Astronesia Airways lost $315 million in the fourth quarter of 1972, or $210.14 a share. Analysts had expected a profit of $20.09 a share. Revenue was $20.7 million, against an operating loss of $449 million.

For the full year, the airline lost $1.66 billion on revenue of $79.9 million.

Pacifica beats expectations again

LOS ANGELES — Pacifica Airlines reported fourth-quarter revenue of $587 million, up 88%, and a profit of $198 million. Earnings of $13.18 a share beat analysts' forecast of $12.72.

For 1972, revenue climbed 115% to $1.87 billion and profit reached $644 million.

x airline earns a small profit on no flying

LONDON — x airline reported no revenue for the fourth quarter and an operating loss of $107,000, but ended with a profit of $117,000. Its profit for all of 1972 came to $290,000.

Rhein Main Air opens its first routes

FRANKFURT AM MAIN — Rhein Main Air will fly from Frankfurt am Main to Munich 21 times a week from 5 March. From 6 March it adds 14 flights a week to Hamburg, the home city of Hamburgerluft.

Lakeland Test lists its shares

MINNEAPOLIS — Lakeland Test listed a third of its shares a year after its founding. They opened at $3.30 each, valuing the airline at $49.5 million.

Pacifica orders 20 Boeing 737s

LOS ANGELES — Pacifica Airlines has ordered 20 Boeing 737-200 Advanced jets.

Pacifica spreads out from San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacifica Airlines announced twelve more routes from San Francisco, a day after it ordered 20 Boeing 727-200 Advanced jets.

• From 29 March: Boston, 14 flights a week; Cincinnati, San Antonio and Vancouver, 7 a week each.
• From 3 April: Baltimore, 21 a week.
• From 18 April: Portland and Phoenix, 14 a week each; Albuquerque, 7 a week.
• From 24 April: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, 14 a week each.
• From 1 May: Cleveland, 14 a week; Toronto, 7 a week.

Alps Air surprises the analysts

GENEVA — Alps Air reported first-quarter revenue of $32.3 million and a profit of $8.60 million, or $0.57 a share. Analysts had expected a loss of $0.06 a share. The airline carried 70,700 passengers in March and filled 97% of its seats.

Jikar, United and Lakeland report profits

AUCKLAND — Jikar Air made a profit of $194,000 on first-quarter revenue of $6.05 million, where analysts had expected a loss. Its March traffic was weaker: it filled only 28% of its seats.

United made a profit of $296,000 without any revenue. Lakeland Test earned $406,000 on revenue of $582,000, and its one aircraft flew full in March.

Holland Airlines wins a seafood freight contract

AMSTERDAM — Holland Airlines has won a contract from London Seafood Exports to carry 41 tonnes a week from London to Frankfurt Rhine-Main for eight months.

QA Browser Staff returns to profit

CHICAGO — QA Browser Staff reported first-quarter revenue of $2.79 million, up 20%, and a profit of $655,000, or $0.04 a share. Analysts had expected a small loss.

Jikar Air to fly to Los Angeles

AUCKLAND — Jikar Air will fly from Auckland to Los Angeles, the home of Pacifica Airlines, twice a week from 14 May.

Atlas Lifecycle Test cabin crew to strike

CHICAGO — Cabin crew at Atlas Lifecycle Test will strike for four days from 7 June.

HIGHLINE listed at $12.8 billion

ROME — HIGHLINE listed a third of its shares a year after its founding, at $853.27 a share. That values an airline flying a single aircraft at $12.8 billion.

Dongwoo air takes off from Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — A new airline, Dongwoo air, has been founded by dongwoo to fly from Los Angeles, where it will compete with Pacifica Airlines. Outside investors put in $16.5 million.

Its first routes are:

• From 3 July: Chicago, 7 flights a week; Denver, 5 a week.
• From 9 July: Las Vegas and Sacramento, once a week each.

The airline is also launching a frequent-flyer programme.

Aeroflot adds routes from Yekaterinburg and Kaliningrad

MOSCOW — Аэрофлот (Aeroflot) will fly daily from Yekaterinburg to Kharkiv, Makhachkala, Volgograd and Novy Urengoy from 4 July, and to Bishkek from 18 July.

From Kaliningrad, it adds daily flights to Ufa from 25 July, Astana from 26 July and Kharkiv from 27 July.

Aeroflot opens a new terminal

MOSCOW — Аэрофлот has opened its new terminal at SVO.

War closes Middle East skies

Egypt and Syria have attacked Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. Airports have closed and flights across the Middle East have been cancelled.

Arab producers embargo oil to the West

Arab oil producers have cut output and embargoed Western buyers, in protest at support for Israel in the war. Crude prices are set to quadruple within months. Jet fuel is being rationed in places, and airlines are raising fares and trimming schedules.

Pacifica pushes on from Los Angeles despite fuel squeeze

LOS ANGELES — Despite the oil crisis, Pacifica Airlines announced nine more routes from Los Angeles.

• From 5 December: Tampa, 14 flights a week.
• From 18 December: Philadelphia, 21 a week.
• From 25 December: Pittsburgh, 21 a week; Toronto, 14 a week; Orlando and Montreal, 7 a week each.
• From 26 December: Charlotte, 7 a week.
• From 1 January 1974: Kailua-Kona and Anchorage, 7 a week each.

Crashable Airlines to fly to Düsseldorf

AMSTERDAM — Crashable Airlines, which shares its Amsterdam home with Holland Airlines, will fly to Düsseldorf seven times a week from 15 December.