Short Takes
September 7th 2015
AIRLINES: Etihad Airways is seeking $500 million in loan facilities for fleet expansion, two sources have told Bloomberg. PAL Express is looking to replace its existing fleets of Dash 8-300s and Dash 8-400s with newer models of the same type, PAL chief, Jaime Bautista, told Reuters. Korea’s T’way Air has been granted a Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP) by the U.S. Department of Transportation; initially, the LCC will operate a daily Incheon-Guam B737-800 service from September 24. Read More »
CODESHARES: Hong Kong Airlines and Air Mauritius have signed a codeshare agreement by which the Hong Kong carrier will place its ‘HX’ code on Air Mauritius’ twice-weekly Hong Kong-Port Louis rotation.
MANUFACTURERS: Boeing has said Nippon Cargo Airlines scrapped orders for four B747-8Fs, valued at $1.5 billion, leaving the manufacturer with zero orders for the jumbo jet this year. Boeing and Emirates Airline last Thursday celebrated the simultaneous delivery of three B777s – two B777-300ERs and one B777F – marking the entry of the 150th B777 into Emirates' fleet. Airbus delivered the 74th A380 to Emirates the same day, and the 20th A330-300 to Hainan Airlines on September 1.
MRO: Taiwanese carrier, Mandarin Airlines has signed a six-year contract with StandardAero for maintenance and repair services on the auxiliary power units (APUs) of its E190 fleet. Robert Cords, president of StandardAero airlines and fleets, said the firm has been actively pursuing business in Asia-Pacific and the agreement marks “an important step” in the region.
ROUTES: Air India will add a fifth weekly frequency to the Delhi-Pudong B787 route starting October 30. All Nippon Airways (ANA) will reduce frequency on the Narita-Dusseldorf B787-8 route from daily to five-weekly from January 4 through to February 4; it has cancelled its Narita-Paris launch planned for October 25. Bangkok Airways will add a sixth daily rotation on the Bangkok-Phnom Penh A319/A320 route beginning January 15. China Eastern Airlines will introduce a thrice-weekly Kunming-Ho Chi Minh B737 service commencing October 22. Malaysia’s Firefly will launch a thrice-weekly Langkawi-Kota Bharu AT7 service from October 27. Hainan Airlines will launch a thrice-weekly Haikou-Macau B737-800 rotation from September 25. Commencing October 25, Japan Airlines (JAL) will reduce frequency on the Narita-Beijing route to one daily B737-800, in addition to cancelling its daily Narita-Guangzhou service, as it increases flights to both cities from Haneda. NokScoot will launch a four-weekly Don Mueang-Taipei B777 service starting October 25 (delayed from September 26). Philippine Airlines (PAL) has postponed its twice-weekly Manila-Port Moresby A320 launch from October 25 to December 18. Qatar Airways will add an eighth weekly rotation to the Doha-Brussels B787-8 route starting December 4; and it will replace the A320 with the B787-8 on the daily Doha-Kolkata service from December 1. Saudia has said it will deploy its new B787-9, configured 24J274Y, on the thrice-weekly Riyadh-Guangzhou and twice-weekly Jeddah-Guangzhou routes from March 1. Thai AirAsia has “established its new hub at U-Tapao Airport” and will launch a four-weekly Nanning A320 service September 25, followed by a thrice-weekly Nanchang A320 service starting the next day. Thai Airways International (THAI) will reduce frequency on the Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur A330/B787 route from 19 weekly to twice daily starting October 25; and it will replace the B777 with the B787 on the five-weekly Bangkok-Denpasar route from October 1. Vietnam Airlines will launch a thrice-weekly Nha Trang-Beijing A321 rotation from January 15.
