Short Takes
August 31st 2015
ROUTES: Air India Express has launched thrice-weekly Varanasi-Sharjah B737-800 operations. American Airlines will cease its daily Philadelphia-Tel Aviv A330-200 service from January 5, but will continue to codeshare with partner El Al on the route. Read More » China Southern Airlines will add a thrice-weekly Guangzhou-Wuhan-Rome A330-200 service, as well as a thrice-weekly Guangzhou-Christchurch B787-8 service, both commencing December 16. From December 28 through to March 31, Delta Air Lines will double frequency on the Narita-Koror B757-200 to four weekly rotations. Emirates Airline will replace the B777-300ER with the A380 on one of its three daily Dubai-Frankfurt services from January 1. Etihad Airways will increase frequency on the Abu Dhabi-Tehran A320 route from ten-weekly to double daily starting October 2. Jeju Air will increase frequency on the Incheon-Kansai B737-800 route from daily to double daily beginning December 11. Jetstar Pacific has launched twice-weekly Haiphong-Macau A320 charter operations. From October 25, low-cost carrier Jin Air will launch double daily Busan-Kansai operations, as well as four-weekly Busan-Cebu operations, both using the B737-800. Malindo Air will launch daily Penang-Singapore B737-800 operations from October 25, as well as twice-weekly Kuala Lumpur-Penang-Tiruchirappalli B737-800 operations starting the following day. Qatar Airways will reinstate its daily Doha-Nagpur A320 service beginning December 1. From October 25, Skymark Airlines will increase frequency on the Kobe-Kagoshima B737-800 route from daily to double daily; and it will cancel its double daily Kobe-Sendai rotation. Spring Airlines will launch a thrice-weekly Fuzhou-Bangkok (BKK) A320 service on September 23. SriLankan Airlines has tentatively scheduled its last A340-300 service for November 1 on the Colombo-Doha route. Tigerair has added a fifth weekly rotation on the Singapore-Ipoh A320 route. South Korea’s T’Way Air will become the first low-cost carrier to serve the Kansai-Guam market as it launches thrice-weekly B737-800 operations starting October 1. Xiamen Airlines will add a daily Fuzhou-Narita B737-800 service from September 24, in addition to its four-weekly Xiamen-Narita B787-8 rotation.
CODESHARES: Aeroflot and Saudia have started a reciprocal codeshare agreement whereby the Russian carrier placed its ‘SU’ designator on Saudia’s Jeddah-Cairo, Jeddah-Istanbul, Riyadh-Dubai and Riyadh-Istanbul services, while the Saudi carrier added its ‘SV’ code to Aeroflot’s Sheremetyevo-Cairo, Dubai, and Istanbul routes, as well as its St. Petersburg-Istanbul route. Air Astana has added its ‘KC’ code to Bangkok Airways’ services to Koh Samui, Phuket and Krabi (ex-Suvarnabhumi). Air China and South African Airways (SAA) will resume their codeshare partnership from October 29, with Air China placing its ‘CA’ designator on SAA’s Johannesburg-Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth services, while SAA will be adding its ‘SA’ code to Air China’s Beijing-Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Johannesburg and Pudong flights.
LEASING: BOC Aviation reported an interim net profit, after tax, of US$171 million, a 5% increase over the same six months, to June 30, in 2014.
MANUFACTURERS: Boeing has completed the firm configuration for the 777-9X. The -9X variant will seat approximately 400 passengers and have a range exceeding 7,500 nautical miles. It is slated to enter service in 2020, two years ahead of the smaller -8X variant. GE Aviation has received a $400 million GEnx-1B engine order from Qantas Airways to power the carrier’s recently ordered eight B787-9s. Deliveries will begin in 2017.
