Short Takes
September 18th 2015
Codeshares
Starting October 25, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will place its ‘KL’ code on four additional ex-Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Airways services, including Krabi, Luang Prabang, Mandalay and Siem Reap. Qantas Airways and WestJet have expanded their partnership, which saw the Australian carrier add its ‘QF’ designator to 19 additional Canadian domestic services (five ex-Calgary, six ex-Edmonton, three ex-Toronto and five ex-Vancouver). Read More »
Manufacturers
The Airbus Beluga XL program has passed the latest maturity gate milestone, marking the end of the “concept phase,” or design freeze “at aircraft level.” According to Airbus, the maturity gate review demonstrated that the Beluga XL program is robust and mature enough to move to the next phase of development, the detailed design phase. Airbus expects final assembly to begin in 2017. Boeing has begun final assembly on schedule of the first B737 MAX 8 at its Renton, Washington, facility. Sichuan Airlines has signed a MOU with Pratt & Whitney (P&W) for the purchase of PW1100G engines to power 24 A320neo aircraft. The carrier has never announced an A320neo order, but China Southern Airlines, which holds nearly 40% of Sichuan, has ordered 50 A320neos and also agreed to lease 24 A320neos from AerCap Holdings. According to P&W, Sichuan’s A320neo fleet will consist of 15 owned and nine leased aircraft with deliveries starting in 2017.
MRO
Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO) has completed its first C-check on a B787-8 for “a leading international airline” after it earlier this year acquired a simulation-based maintenance training suite for the B787, which made it the first MRO in Greater China licensed to provide computer-based B787 training to its own personnel and third-party customers.
Routes
Air Astana will launch a thrice-weekly Astana-Ulan Baatar E90 service June 2, 2016. All Nippon Airways will replace the B787-8 with the B767-300ER on the daily Narita-Vancouver rotation from October 25. Asiana Airlines will continue to deploy an A380 on one of its two daily Incheon-Bangkok rotations beyond October 25. China Southern Airlines will resume thrice-weekly Guangzhou-Kota Kinabalu A319 operations beginning December 1, and it will replace the B787-8 with the B777-300ER on the daily Guangzhou-Vancouver route from March 27. Flydubai will launch a four-weekly Dubai-Astana B737-800 service from October 26. Jeju Air will add a daily Incheon-Danang B737-800 operation from December 2. Korean Air will cancel its Jeju-Osaka, Jeju-Narita and Incheon-Akita services from October 25, and it will increase frequency between Incheon and Oita from two to three weekly starting January 8, using a B737-800. Mihin Lanka will launch four-weekly Colombo-Muscat A320 operations from October 25, with a fifth weekly frequency to be added from November 11. Philippine Airlines (PAL) will offer a third weekly frequency on the Manila-Port Moresby A320 route to be launched December 18. Qantas Airways will resume seasonal Sydney-Denpasar B737-800 operations from December 4 through to January 29. Qatar Airways will increase frequency on the Doha-Phuket B787-8 route from daily to eleven weekly beginning October 27, and it will add a fourth weekly frequency to the Doha-Yangon A330-200 route from December 5. Royal Jordanian has once again replaced the A330-200 with the B787-8 on the four-weekly Amman-Bangkok-Hong Kong and thrice-weekly Amman-Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur services. Sichuan Airlines will launch a four-weekly Chengdu-Bangkok A321 rotation commencing October 25. Subject to regulatory approvals, Thai AirAsia X will start a daily Don Mueang-Pudong A330-300 rotation from September 28. Ural Airlines will add a thrice-weekly Bangkok-Beijing-Ekaterinburg A320 service starting October 25. Vanilla Air will launch a second daily Narita-Kaohsiung A320 service commencing January 30. Vietnam Airlines will replace the A330-200 with the B787-9 on the daily Hanoi-Narita service from February 1. Xiamen Airlines will add a daily Hong Kong-Fuzhou B737-800 service from October 25.
