The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has been urged to woo major airlines in China to strengthen the clout of the association on the global stage. Singapore Airlines CEO, Chew Choon Seng, affirms this need as the association acknowledges China’s present status and ability at taking a leading position on the world stage.
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Singapore Airlines has been named Airline of the Year in the 2009 OAG Airline Industry Awards. The carrier also won in several categories including Best International First Class, Best Transpacific and Best Europe to Asia/Australasia airline.
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The latest air traffic results from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for end October show flat passenger demand year on year, while airline costs have equally risen. This result comes against a backdrop of carriers cutting capacity to match demand but where this has lead to aircrafts flying fewer hours, leading to a rise in non-fuel costs.
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Preliminary figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show that member airlines carried a total of 10.8 million international passengers in September 2009, effectively matching the numbers carried in the same month last year for the first time in over twelve months. International passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was 0.9% lower in September, but this marked a significant improvement compared to the steep monthly declines recorded over the past year.
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Garuda Indonesia has announced plans to restore its European services from June 1 next year. In this schedule plan, the Jakarta-Amsterdam service will be first up, with the service operating via Dubai.
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warns that a 12% drop in premium traffic was recorded in August compared to the same month last year, although this estimate was better than the 23.5% drop in May.
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Figures released on scheduled traffic for the month of August by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) notes that passenger demand was down 1.1%, which was an improvement compared to the 2.9% decline in July, while freight demand fell by 9.6%, also an improvement when compared to the 11.3% drop in July.
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This year’s Business Traveler Awards 2009 saw Singapore Airlines impressing by garnering five awards for Best Long-Haul Airline, Best Business Class, Best Economy Class, Best Cabin Staff, and Best Asian Airline. Virgin Atlantic won best Premium Economy Class, easyJet took Best Low-Cost Airline, and Emirates was a surprise winner of Best First Class for the first time.
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With the global airline capacity stabilizing in August, analyst can now confirm that capacity growth is once again possible in September showing a slight lift of 1.4% or 4,130,744 seats, compared to September 2008.
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Airlines in the Asia Pacific region can adopt strategies around ancillary services and onboard sales to strengthen their position and leverage opportunities as the Asian economy starts to turn around. According to John Devins, regional director for Asia Pacific at GuestLogix, airlines in the region need to choose whether to perform short-sighted triage on current expenses, or to take a cue from US airlines and consider onboard retail solutions that translate to improved long term business performance.
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Airbus’ latest Global Market Forecast reports that some 25,000 new passenger and freighter aircraft valued at USD3.1 trillion will be delivered from 2009 to 2028. This demand is attributed to factors related to emerging economies, evolving airline networks, expansion of low cost carriers and the increasing number of mega-cities as well as traffic growth and the replacement of older less efficient aircraft with more eco-efficient airliners.
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Global airline losses could total USD 11bn for the year, according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest prediction; a loss that is USD 2bn more than the forecast of USD 9bn announced by the association in June, the latter estimate which was almost double the forecast in March of a USD 4.7bn deficit. This revised prediction was based on rising fuel prices and what the airlines’ Association dubs as “exceptionally weak yields.”
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Airline industry association International Air Transport Association (IATA) notes that more than 50 global airlines lost USD 2.021 billion during the second quarter, bringing industry losses for the first half to over USD 6.0 billion. The airline association reports that while European and Asian-Pacific carriers were worse off than a year ago, North American airlines managed to trim their losses while Latin American and Middle Eastern carriers reported a rise in profits.
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Global airline capacity is showing marginal growth for August 2009, the first month of positive growth for a year. This has been revealed by OAG, a leading business in aviation data, based on its monthly report on trends in the supply of airline flights and seats.
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Southeast Asia’s largest budget carrier, AirAsia, has finalized a plan to raise up to USD 171.6 million in a share placement to strengthen its balance sheet and increase its financing flexibility. The carrier plans to place out up to 481.1 million shares, representing a 20% stake, to buyers who will be identified later.
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As a follow up to a major shareholder restructuring process undertaken in June 2006, a number of airlines in the Asia Pacific region have made significant changes in their collective shareholdings.
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Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is set to offer Australians what it terms ‘bargain’ business and economy class airfares to over 40 European destinations via the carrier’s main hub in Copenhagen, Denmark. This offer comes amidst the strengthening of the Australian Dollar, which gives a great advantage for both holidaymakers and business travelers heading to Europe.
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Indonesia’s Garuda is set to resume flying to Europe in the first half of 2010. This announcement comes after the EU Air Safety Committee recommends the lifting of the flight ban on Garuda and three other Indonesian carriers. The country’s Transportation Minister, Jusman Syafii Djamal, intonated that the European Commission should allow Garuda, Mandala Airlines, Airfast Indonesia, and Prime Air to fly in EU airspace.
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Early indications in the months of April and May showed that businesses in the Asia Pacific region were beginning to resume long-haul travels after a long slump. In effect, the demand on key corporate routes to long-haul destinations in the US and Europe were on the rise.
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According to the June edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, Asia Pacific has recorded a 6% decline in demand, a severe dip- when compared to results from recent years. This decline appears less grim when compared to the 8% drop in general international tourism between January and April compared to the same period last year.
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International airline routes are generally much more complex, and involve more choices of airlines and connection points, than domestic flights within any single country. Airlines claim code sharing and alliances enable them to offer better services through ticketing, baggage transfers, and frequent flyer mileage credits between alliance partners.
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Switzerland’s TAG Aviation Holding’s subsidiary, TAG Aviation Asia, has been granted the coveted Hong Kong Air Operator’s Certificate (Hong Kong AOC) by the Civil Aviation Department. This accreditation comes in the wake of the company’s effort at expanding its aircraft charter, aircraft management, aircraft completion monitoring, and aircraft brokerage services in the country. Read the rest of the article…
India’s premier international airline, Jet Airways, has established itself as a leading carrier on the competitive Indo-UK sector through the introduction of the Première fares to London from several Indian cities. The carrier has launched a special limited period offer for Première passengers from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Pune traveling to London between May 29 and September 30, 2009. Read the rest of the article…
Emirates Airline launched the first commercial Airbus A380 flights to Bangkok, Thailand, this month. The A380 ’super jumbo’ aircraft will serve the Dubai-Bangkok route on a daily basis. The new Thai route extends the Dubai-based Emirates’ A380 presence in Asia after the launch of its A380 flights to Sydney and Auckland in February this year. With an expected increase in capacity of about 30% provided by the change of aircraft, Emirates seeks equally to strengthen its support for popular transit markets. Read the rest of the article…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warns that the aviation industry faces a global loss of USD 9 billion for 2009. According to its revised outlook, this loss is nearly double the USD 4.7 billion estimate predicted in the month of March. IATA reports that indeed this is among the most difficult situation that the industry has ever faced. Comparatively, after the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, revenues fell by 7%. It took three years to recover lost ground, even on the back of a strong economy. The loss estimate for 2008 was also revised to USD 10.4 billion replacing the previous estimate of USD 8.5 billion. Read the rest of the article…
The JAL Group has sought the approval of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) to lift the international fuel surcharge imposed on passenger tickets of Japan Airlines (JAL). The fuel surcharge on international tickets of the Japanese carrier was introduced in reply to the rise of jet fuel prices in 2005. Read the rest of the article…
Companies throughout the Asia Pacific region are cutting back on business-class and first-class travels as businesses keep a tight lid on their finances. The downturn in demand for premium travel is the effect of the ongoing financial crisis worldwide. As a result, Asia Pacific carriers that have built up their premium traffic over the years are in for a difficult period in 2009, as the demand for premium traffic has dropped by an average of 15% to 30% (depending on the route) revealed Derek Sadubin, chief operating officer of the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA). Read the rest of the article…
International and domestic air passenger traffic fell by 11% and 10%, respectively, for the month of February as the financial crisis worldwide continued to grip the aviation industry. Nearly all regions registered substantial setbacks with the exception of international passenger traffic in the Middle East and domestic traffic in Asia Pacific albeit by only 1%. Read the rest of the article…
AirAsia X is going strong in the face of the global economic crisis. As reported by Reuters, revenues for pre-sold AirAsia X tickets for the remainder of 2009 have gone up by 20%. Load factor or the average proportion of seats on each plane is also up from last year by 4%. Read the rest of the article…
AirAsia X, the low-cost long haul carrier of AirAsia, will give away 200 free seats for its inaugural flight to London scheduled for March 11, 2009. Beginning March 5, AirAsia will organize games at road shows to be hosted at strategic locations in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, and Jakarta where attendees have a chance to win the tickets by answering easy questions about the company.
Source: Daily Express Malaysia at www.dailyexpress.com.my
The “Economic Crisis Barometer” is a survey among UFI members in 44 countries, conducted at the start of 2009, to reveal the overall business climate of the exhibition industry worldwide. Based on the results of the UFI survey, 62% of respondents indicated a decline in business for the period leading up to the end of 2008 due to the economic slump. Although only 38% of this percentage said the decrease represented a drop of 10% or more in their gross revenue. 60% of survey participants anticipate the steady growth of turnover decreases over the next year. But confidence in the resilience of the exhibition industry is high as over 80% forecast its economic recovery after 2009 and that 2011 would be the real kick-off point for a more confident business environment. Read the rest of the article…
The 2009 Asian Aerospace Exhibition and Congress organized by Reeds Exhibition, the world’s leading organizer of trade and consumer events, will be held at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong in September. The Asian Aerospace event is the largest single-focused exhibition and congress for the commercial aerospace and civil aviation market worldwide highlighting the Asia Pacific region. Read the rest of the article…
The latest air travel figures for January 2009 from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reveal the continuous decline in international passenger demand. Compared to January 2008, passenger demand fell further by 5.6% following the drop in December 2008 of 4.6%. The decline marks the fifth consecutive month of contraction. Load factor also fell to 72.8%. According to IATA Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani, the worst is yet to come as the industry is in a crisis worldwide with all regions, save for the Middle East, reporting declines in passenger demand. Read the rest of the article…
AirAsia X, the long haul budget carrier of Malaysia’s AirAsia Bhd, revealed its intention to lease up to five Airbus A340-300s to fly to new markets in Europe and New Zealand. At present the carrier flies to Hangzhou in China, and to the Gold Coast, Perth, and Melbourne in Australia. AirAsia X is scheduled to begin flights to London in March. Read the rest of the article…
China’s air industry is also reeling from the effects of the economic crisis as several Chinese carriers seek emergency capital injection from the government. Shanghai Airlines, China’s first commercial airline, is the latest Chinese carrier to ask for aid. Other Chinese carriers that have sought assistance are China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. Read the rest of the article…
The major slump in Japanese outbound travel in the past five years has prompted several of the country’s international and domestic carriers to seek government financial aid. The request was made by the Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan, chaired by Haruka Nishimatsu, on behalf of Japan Airlines Corp, the biggest carrier in Japan, All Nippon Airways Co. along with other domestic airlines, and presented to the Japanese Transport Minister Kazuyoshi Kaneko. However, the request did not specify a figure for the financial aid. Read the rest of the article…
Japan’s second largest carrier, All Nippon Airways (ANA), posted a net loss of JPY 12.6 billion for the last quarter of 2008 of the fiscal year through March. As a result, ANA expects to lose money for 2009 given that the financial slowdown worldwide has hit the Japanese demand for international travel. Compared to the same quarter a year earlier, the Japanese carrier had a net profit of JPY 12.5 billion. Read the rest of the article…
Japan Airlines conducted a successful biofuel test flight last January 30 using a sustainable biofuel refined mainly from the energy crop, camelina. The demonstration flight from Tokyo used a JAL Boeing 747-300 aircraft with no passengers or freight and lasted for nearly one and a half hours. The biofuel test flight by Japan Airlines is the first of its kind among Asian airlines. Read the rest of the article…
The first jumbo hostel onboard a genuine Boeing 747-200 Jumbo Jet opened last January 15 next to the entrance of the Stockholm Arlanda Airport. According to Swedish entrepreneur, Oscar Diös, CEO and Mastermind of the Jumbo Hostel, the hotel will not only be an exciting alternative for overnight accommodations but will also be a great attraction. Dios added the Jumbo Hostel would help bring increased interest in Stockholm and the region. Read the rest of the article…
Low-cost passenger traffic within Asia Pacific and even in the long haul segment is forecast to grow in 2009, according to Amartya De, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific consultant of Aerospace & Defense Practice. Despite the liquidity crunch in the airline industry, Frost & Sullivan estimates an increase in passenger traffic from emerging economies in Asia Pacific at around 5% to 7%. And since the prices of air tickets had come down to their original levels by the end of 2008, De added, Asia Pacific players would not face any loss for 2009 and may even be left with a few cents in the pocket. Read the rest of the article…
Reports from 165 key airports that participated in the monthly advance reporting system revealed a major drop in passenger numbers last November 2008. The total number of passengers were 2% and 8% lower than in 2006 and 2007, respectively, for the same month. International traffic decreased by 5.8% while domestic traffic worldwide fell by 8.5% for November. Read the rest of the article…
Starting January 14, 2009 Japan Airlines will offer its passengers codeshare flights from London (Heathrow) to Lisbon and to four other destinations in the United Kingdom (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle) on board British Airways. The latest codeshare agreement will provide smooth connections with minimal transit time from Lisbon and the UK cities onto daily services operated by Japan Airlines between London (Heathrow) and Japan. The new codeshare flights between the two Oneworld alliance members will connect Japan to a total of 31 cities in Europe on 43 routes. Read the rest of the article…
Lufthansa will have to pay more for Austria’s state carrier as the Austrian’s Takeover commission has raised the price to EUR 4.49 per share for the 42% stake of the state holding company, OeIAG. In early December, the German airline was selected by the holding company as the most suitable bidder to purchase the stake. Other carriers that bid for the stake were Air France, KLM, and S7 Airlines, the Russian domestic carrier. Read the rest of the article…
Beginning March 11, AirAsia X, the long haul subsidiary of low-cost carrier AirAsia, will start flying five-times weekly between Kuala Lumpur and the London Stansted airport. Fares start for as low as GBP 99 (USD 149) for one-way travel. AirAsia CEO, Dato Tony Fernandes, predicts the new route may well become a shuttle service with a flight departing every four to five hours. If so, rates could eventually be reduced to GBP 49 (USD 72 for one way), adds Fernandes. Read the rest of the article…
For October 2008, the decline of passenger traffic eased slightly as international traffic growth was down by only 1.4% compared to the same period last year, according to the Airports Council International (ACI). But global traffic remained down at –3.4% owing to poor domestic results worldwide that were down on average by 5%. Growth for the first ten months of 2008 remained flat at –0.6%. Read the rest of the article…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates air industry losses in 2009 would be half of that in 2008, as the drop in fuel prices would counterbalance the decline in passenger numbers. According to IATA, carriers may lose a total of USD 2.5 billion in 2009, half of the total losses incurred by the airline industry in 2008. Read the rest of the article…
AirAsia X will launch direct service flights from Kuala Lumpur to London in March 2009. The new route is scheduled to operate five times a week. According to AirAsia Group CEO, Tony Fernandes, the new London-KL route is the fulfillment of a long-standing dream to provide affordable access between Malaysia and Europe to both ASEAN and European communities without sacrificing comfort. Read the rest of the article…
Indochina Airlines, the first fully privately owned airline to operate domestic flights in Vietnam, flew its maiden flight last November 25th from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. The carrier utilizes the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which has a capacity of 170 passengers with 12 business class seats. The new airline is owned by a group of Vietnamese businessmen chaired by Ha Hung Dung, a well-known Vietnamese pop and music composer and businessman. Read the rest of the article…
Since the middle of 2008, international tourism growth has slowed down on account of rising oil prices and the weakening global economy along with failing consumer confidence in the last few months, according to the latest United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Barometer. But on the whole, growth projections for 2008 remain at 2% on account of the strong performance in the first five months of the year when international tourist arrivals worldwide averaged 5.7%. Read the rest of the article…
Not since 2003 SARS scare has global air traffic dropped at such an alarming rate, says Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In September, passenger traffic fell by 2.9% and cargo traffic declined by 7.7% as compared to the same period of the previous year. Bisignani adds that even the drop in oil prices to half of the July peak was not enough to counteract the slump in passenger demand. Read the rest of the article…
India’s crowded airline sector has been struck with heavy losses as mounting global fuel prices have raised airfares that in turn have led to a decline in passenger numbers. In the fiscal year to March 2008, the Indian aviation sector posted a collective loss of USD 938 million. And for the current fiscal year, analysts expect losses in the Indian aviation sector to reach nearly USD 2 billion. Read the rest of the article…
Bookings are up for the Singapore-based budget carrier Tiger Airways in spite of the crisis plaguing today’s global economy today. According to Tiger Airways spokesman, Matthew Hobbs, the carrier has not seen a decline in the number of travelers mainly because people still need to travel by air and as such are looking for cheaper alternatives. Travelers want the best price and are opting for budget carriers in lieu of premium carriers as it would enable them to continue to travel by air, adds Hobbs. Read the rest of the article…
The worst is yet to come for the aviation industry as continuing global economic slowdown threatens to destroy travel demand. According to IATA Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani, the state of the aviation industry remains grim as high oil prices and falling demand poisons profitability. Read the rest of the article…
Japan Airlines (JAL) and Air Nippon Airways (ANA), two of Japan’s largest airlines, plan to trim down their flight services in order to bring down operating costs as a consequence of rising fuel prices. JAL will close down 12 domestic and five international routes, at the same time, reduce frequencies on five other routes. ANA is expected to cut down services on 10 routes, which includes two international routes. The flight cuts are expected to generate savings of up to JPY 13 billion for JAL and about JPY 3 billion for ANA, annually. Read the rest of the article…
The economic slowdown is affecting travel demand according to the latest air traffic data from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). For July 2008, AAPA member airlines carried 12.6 million international passengers, 0.6% less than the same period last year, although traffic measured in RPK (revenue passenger kilometers) increased slightly by 0.8%. Overall capacity, measured in ASK (available seat kilometers) continued to outdo demand rising 2.5% year-on-year. Read the rest of the article…
After a six year wait, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) finally hosted its first international flights last August 1. This is a major step for NAIA-3 in becoming the premier gateway of the Philippines. The terminal initially opened for domestic commercial operations last July 22. Three domestic carriers namely Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines Express, and Air Philippines have moved their operations to terminal. Read the rest of the article…
New rules enforced by the European Union now provide for trouble-free air transport services for the disabled and elderly in EU airports. Starting July 26, elderly and disabled passengers will gain access to the same air transport services afforded other passengers flying to or from as well as passing in transit through airports in the European Union, at no extra cost. The new rules are intended to put a stop to discrimination and provide the disabled and elderly passengers the assistance they need when traveling, says Antonio Tajani, the European Commission Vice President responsible for transport. Read the rest of the article…
India’s online travel agents (OTAs) intend to charge their clients a Service Fee on sales in light of the looming zero commission policy to be adopted by domestic and international carriers starting October 1st. Big players in the Indian OTA industry like Arzoo.com, Cleartrip.com, Travelocity.com, and Yatra.com consider the implementation of a service fee model as the only feasible choice for them to gain from air bookings after October since the bulk of their revenue is from air bookings. Read the rest of the article…
In response to the intended scrapping of airline commissions starting October 1st, major Indian travel agencies warn they will stop selling domestic and international air tickets if a resolution to the intended zero-commission policy was not ironed out at the scheduled meeting of leading airlines and agents on July 24. The move to stop selling air tickets will affect air travelers that could face problems booking or canceling tickets through company-owned ticketing counters or through the internet, which is not a popular option for international travel. Read the rest of the article…
Finnair opened direct flights to Seoul from Helsinki last June, making it the only airline flying non-stop from the South Korean capital to Northern Europe. The route flies five times a week aboard the new Airbus A340-300E long-haul aircraft on Finnair’s fleet. Flight time is 8 hours and 55 minutes from the Finnish capital and 9 hours 50 minutes from Seoul. Read the rest of the article…
Finnair will be increasing its connections between Asia and Europe for the 2008-2009 winter season, as it adjusts its Asia flight schedules providing additional flights between the two continents. In doing so, the Finnish carrier hopes to increase passenger sales and load factors to meet the growing pressure caused by fuel price hikes. Read the rest of the article…
The second package of legislation for a Single European Sky (SES II), intended to improve safety, cut costs, and reduce delays, has been adopted by the European Commission. This translates to lower fuel consumption saving airlines up to 16 million tons of CO2 emissions at the same time cut their annual cost by two or three billion Euros. The total reorganization of the European Air Traffic Management system will be instrumental in managing the expected doubling of air traffic by 2020. Read the rest of the article…
The completion of air service talks between India and Germany raises the number of weekly flights to 69 from 50. Consequently, the agreement allows Lufthansa to raise flight frequencies to both Mumbai and Kolkata. From Mumbai, the German carrier will launch daily connections to Munich, which currently flies only three times a week. Daily flights from Kolkata, from the existing five times a week connection, will also take place. Read the rest of the article…
Not everyone is ready to commit time to this yet,” says Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) president Peter de Jong, referring to the lack of Asian tourism industry players at the first PATA conference on climate change held in Bangkok last April. The event was dominated by westerners according to organizers and regional airlines were noticeably under-represented as invitations sent to Asian companies were met with disinterest. Read the rest of the article…
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) warns rising cost of fuel prices affecting airline operations worldwide would put global economies at risk. Airlines are an essential part of today’s society and also the lifeblood of global commerce and industry, according to PATA president and CEO Peter de Jong. Calling to mind the effects of the SARS outbreak five years ago when people stopped flying, de Jong noted that a drastic reduction in airline operations and the closure of important routes would surely put economies at risk. Read the rest of the article…
Two Chinese carriers, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, intend to reduce their number of international flights within the region in light of the escalating cost of fuel. The cutback in the number of flights is only temporary, according to a spokesman for China Southern, adding that it was a better alternative to halting services permanently on these routes. Read the rest of the article…
Singapore Airlines will increase its A380 service on the Singapore-London route on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Starting July 16, customers flying on the SQ318 to London from Singapore and on the flight back, SQ321, will enjoy the highly acclaimed cabin products and flying experience of the world’s largest passenger aircraft. With the additional service, the number of Singapore Airlines’ flights between the two cities will step up from seven to eleven times a week. Read the rest of the article…
Beginning June 3, the ‘JL’ code of Japan Airlines (JAL) will be placed on non-stop international flights operated by Finnair between Helsinki and three Japanese cities namely Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo. The expansion of the bilateral code share agreement of the two carriers will connect Japan to 25 cities in Europe. Read the rest of the article…
The upcoming golden week will see a 5.6% decrease in passenger traffic for Japanese carriers particularly to long haul destinations owing to the poor alignment of national holidays mixed with the weekdays during this period. For this season, the number of passengers booked with the JAL Group and the ANA Group for the period between April 25th and May 6th totals 252,951 with an average load factor reaching 63.3%, indicating a drop of 2.2 percentage points. The number of available seats also went down by 2.2% to 399,868 compared to the same period last year. Read the rest of the article…
In the next five years, the total number of aircrafts in Asia Pacific will increase by 49%, net of disposals, according to the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) based on information contained in the latest Ascend Global Aircraft detailed global fleet forecast. Regional airlines are expected to take delivery of one new aircraft daily. By 2013, the report reveals a 35% increase of the wide body aircraft fleet to 1,585 units, a 51% increase in narrow bodies to 3,195 units, and a 113% increase of regional jets to 375 aircrafts owing largely to the anticipated growth in China. Read the rest of the article…
The US economic slowdown is affecting industry revenue according to the latest figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). For February 2008, the average global passenger load factor (PLF) fell to 73.3%, the most significant drop in four years. Compared to the same period in 2007, the industry recorded a growth of 7.4% worldwide. According to Giovanni Bisignani, CEO of IATA, passenger demands taking into account adjustments for the impact of the leap year increased by 4% to 5%, indicates that though demand is still growing it is also slowing down. Read the rest of the article…
Raghu Menon recently assumed the post of Chairman and Managing Director of Air India succeeding V. Thulasidas who retired end of March. Mr. Menon will take on the responsibility of integrating Air India and Indian Airlines following its merger in 2007. At the same time, oversee the expansion and upgrade of the carrier’s fleet and product offers as well as its entry into the Star Alliance group of airlines. Read the rest of the article…
Hong Kong-based long haul budget carrier, Oasis Airline applied for the appointment of a provisional liquidator with the Hong Kong Court last April 9, 2008 after only 18 months in operation. Effective immediately, all flight schedules of the airline have been canceled until further notice leaving an indefinite number of passengers stranded in Hong Kong as well as in London and Vancouver. Read the rest of the article…
Adam Air ceased operations last March 18 under orders from the Indonesian government due to shortcomings in its operational, training, and maintenance procedures. Although the airline may reapply for permission to operate again within three months, Adam Suherman, the airlines President Director, says the decision to fly again would be up to the shareholders. However, Suherman believes the closure was for the best since staff morale had already declined on account of the company’s financial troubles. Read the rest of the article…
