Short Takes
May 13th 2016
IATA: Global airline share prices fell by 6.9% in April, erasing the gains seen during February and March, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Wednesday. Read More » North American carriers saw the largest drop at -12.9%, while Asia-Pacific carrier share prices lost 2%. However, IATA says the first-quarter results released thus far indicate a robust overall start to 2016 for industry profitability, with carriers in the Asia-Pacific having reported an average 9.8% year-on-year gain.
MANUFACTURERS: Bombardier has unveiled a cabin design upgrade for the CRJ900 – available within a year – that focuses primarily on creating up to 50% more overhead bin space. Rolls-Royce this week delivered the first Trent900s to Airbus for installation on the A380 on behalf of Emirates Airline. The engine maker will provide engines and TotalCare service for 50 Emirates A380s, the first of which will enter service later this year. In separate news, Rolls-Royce has confirmed plans to reduce its management by another 300 positions as part of its cost-cutting drive.
MRO: Singapore’s ST Aerospace has invested $24.5 million into the expansion of its Guangzhou subsidiary, airframe MRO joint-venture ST Aerospace (Guangzhou) Aviation Services. SIA Engineering Group (SIAEC) this week reported a 3.7% year-on-year net profit of $176.6m for the financial year ending March 31. Taikoo Engine Services (Xiamen), a member of the HAECO Group, has become the first TRUEngine authorized MRO for the GE90 power plant. Triumph Aviation Services Asia has signed a ten-year contract with Lion Air MRO subsidiary PT Batam Teknik to provide repair, tooling, training, auxiliary power unit test cell and certification assistance.
ROUTES: AirAsia will terminate its thrice-weekly Kuala Lumpur-Goa A320 service from June 4. Air New Zealand will replace the B777-200ER with the B787-9 on the Auckland-Buenos Aires route starting October 30, and it plans to add a fourth weekly rotation from December 12 to February 27. Furthermore, it will increase frequency on the Auckland-Shanghai B787-9 route from daily to ten-weekly beginning December 17. China Eastern Airlines will add a thrice-weekly Pudong-St Petersburg B767 service from June 21. Thai Lion Air has postponed the launch of the double daily Don Mueang-Yangon B737-800 service from May 20 to June 16. Singapore Airlines has replaced the B777 with the A350-900 on the daily Singapore-Amsterdam rotation. Turkish Airlines will launch a thrice-weekly Istanbul-Seychelles A330-200 service beginning October 31, and it will reduce frequency on the Istanbul-Taipei B777-300ER route from daily to five-weekly starting October 30.
