Short Takes
May 18th 2015
AIRLINES: Air India has opened talks with Airbus over a planned order for 14 A320neo to replace its ageing fleet of ex-Indian Airlines A319/320s. China’s Juneyao Airlines plans to float an initial public offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on May 19 to raise up to 715 million yuan ($115 million) to acquire new aircraft and engines. Vietnam Airlines’ first B787-9 has left the Boeing paint shop at Paine Field and is now undergoing pre-flight testing. Read More »
CODESHARES: Aeroflot and China Eastern Airlines will expand their codeshare partnership from May 18, with Aeroflot adding its ‘SU’ designator to China Eastern’s Moscow (SVO)-Xian-Pudong service, and China Eastern placing its ‘MU’ code on Aeroflot’s Moscow (SVO)-Sochi and -Kaliningrad services. Air China and Air Serbia have begun a codeshare partnership whereby the Mainland carrier will place add its ‘CA’ code to Air Serbia’s Belgrade-Vienna rotation and the Serbs placing their ‘JU’ designator on Air China’s Beijing-Vienna service. ETIHAD has added its ‘EY’ designator to eight additional American Airlines domestic services ex Dallas.
MANUFACTURERS: Airbus secured 209 orders in the first four months of 2015, moving ahead of U.S. rival Boeing which so far won 128 orders this year after adjusting for cancellations. However, Boeing remained ahead on deliveries after handing over 250 aircraft to customers, compared with Airbus's total of 196.
ROUTES: Air China has cancelled plans for a twice-weekly Dalian-Sapporo B737-800 service originally scheduled to commence June 3. Air India has ended its daily triangular Delhi-Sydney-Melbourne route, and replaced it with thrice-weekly Delhi-Sydney and thrice-weekly Delhi-Melbourne nonstop services using the B787-8. American Airlines will replace the B777-200ER with the B787-8 on the daily Chicago-Narita rotation from August 18, resulting in the loss of first class on the route. China Eastern Airlines will launch a daily Beijing-Guangzhou A330-300 flight starting June 10. China Southern Airlines will add a twice-weekly Zhengzhou-Nagoya rotation from June 27, as well as a twice-weekly Zhengzhou-Shizuoka service the following day, both using the B737-800. HK Express will add a third daily A320 rotation to the Hong Kong-Osaka route from June 5. IndiGo will add a second daily A320 rotation on the Mumbai-Bagdogra route from June 16. Korean Air will delay the B747-8 on the daily Incheon-Heathrow route by a month to September 2. NokScoot will reduce frequency on the Bangkok (DMK)-Singapore B777-200ER route from daily to five-weekly starting August 3. From September 16, Qatar Airways will replace one of two daily A380s on the Doha-Paris route with the A330-300, and instead will put the vacant A380 on the Bangkok route, resulting in double daily A380 Bangkok operations in addition to twice-daily B777-300ER services. Sichuan Airlines will add a four-weekly Chongqing-Krabi A321 service commencing May 21. Spring Airlines will launch thrice-weekly Harbin-Nagoya A320 operations from June 29, and four-weekly Hohhot-Shijiazhuang-Nagoya A320 operations from the following day. From July 1, THAI will cancel the four-weekly evening departure on the Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur route, reducing overall frequency from 18- to 14-weekly. TransAsia Airways will double capacity on the Taichung-Nanning route with a second weekly A320 rotation beginning June 14. UNI Air will launch a twice-weekly Taichung-Incheon MD90 service from July 2. Xiamen Airlines has started thrice-weekly Xiamen-Amsterdam B787-8 operations.
