Briefs

Lufthansa will increases its share in Italian regional Air Dolomiti from around 22 percent to about 52 percent, and eventually gain 100 percent ownership through a tender offer for the remaining shares. Air Dolomiti President Alcide Leali said he will sell his 31.2 percent share in the regional to the German carrier next month. Value of the transaction is placed at around 40 million euros ($43.8 million). Air Dolomiti feeds Lufthansa's Munich hub with a fleet of ATR 42-500s, ATR 72-500s and CRJ200s.

German cargo regional airline City-Air Germany will replace its four Metroliners with Saab 340Bs for service into Berlin from Muenster/Osnabruck and Dortmund. It will also introduce new service between Berlin's Templehof airport and Salzburg, Austria. The airline presently serves eight markets within Germany as well as service to Copenhagen from Cologne, Muenster and its home base at Padeborn.

Swedish carrier Malmo Aviation will code-share with Virgin Express for service linking Brussels to Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Stockholm beginning this summer. Malmo will provide three daily flights between Brussels and Stockholm's downtown Bromma airport, and twice daily flights between Brussels and Gothenburg. Malmo operates a fleet of Avro RJ100s. Malmo recently replaced its fleet of BAe200s with the RJ100s. The RJ100 is the largest airliner allowed to operate into Bromma airport. Virgin Express will use its 737s for thrice daily service between Brussels and Copenhagen. The new code share agreement allows Virgin Express to end its relationship with SN Brussels and begin operations into Bromma rather than the less convenient Arlanda, located some 30 miles from Stockholm city center.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air will share service between Seattle, Wash., and Boise, Idaho, with Alaska operating two daily flights beginning June 8, replacing three Horizon flights. Horizon will continue to operate five daily flights between the two cities. The new shared service will increase the route's capacity by 12 percent. Alaska will fly the Seattle-Boise route with 140-seat MD-80 while Horizon will use both the Bombardier CRJ and Q400 turboprop. Alaska and Horizon also share routes between Seattle and Portland, Spokane and Vancouver, and the Portland-San Francisco market.

Aviation Today