Short Takes
April 1st 2013
AIRLINES: China’s HNA Group, which owns Hainan Airlines, is planning the establishment of a jointly-owned subsidiary in the remote western Chinese city of Urumqi, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The privately controlled airline and tourism conglomerate said the new airline’s other major partner would be the Urumqi municipal government. China Southern is planning to establish a hub in Urumqi. Read More »
CODE-SHARES: Japan Airlines (JAL) and one of its part-owned companies, low-cost carrier, Jetstar Japan, have commenced a joint code-share and mileage programme partnership. Jetstar is a joint investment airline owned by the Qantas Group, the Mitsubishi Corporation, the Century Tokyo Leasing Company and JAL. Singapore Airlines and Virgin America have added a joint frequent flyer partnership to their code-share agreement, signed in December last year.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Global GDS, Amadeus, has signed a long-term content agreement with Taiwan’s China Airlines and its subsidiary, Mandarin Airlines. RAMCO Systems, a global provider of aviation software, won a contract to provide its software to the Hevilift Group. Hevilift operates across the region often in areas of low internet penetration, including Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Ramco’s web-based systems enable near possible real time communications via satellite connections.
LEASING: Abu Dhabi National Leasing Company (ADNL) and Airbus have signed an agreement to share services and experience in structuring, operating and financing lease transactions for new and used Airbus airliners. AWAS has acquired an A320 and B737-800 on long-term leases to Air Pacific (about to be renamed Fiji Airways) and Volaris Airlines. China Aircraft Leasing Company (CALC), which signed an agreement for 36 A320s in late 2012, has announced US$500 million firm order for CFM56-5B engines to power 25 of the new A320s. China Everbright, which owns 48% of CALC, said in March it planned to spin off the aircraft leasing company to further benefit from the expansion of Mainland Chinese aviation. CALC forecasts it will have 100 airplanes on its books in two years.
MRO: Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services Co Ltd, has completed its first B737-300 passenger-to-flight conversion, in partnership with Aeronautical Engineers Inc., to Kenya Airways. A second B737-300 conversion and re-delivery is scheduled to arrive in the airline’s Nairobi headquarters from Shanghai in June. Canadian MRO, Vector Aerospace, has opened an engine repair facility in Brisbane, Australia, to service and repair Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A, JT15D, PW100 and PT6T engines and complete overhaul and test capability for the PT6A engine.
ROUTES: China Airlines has become the first Taiwanese carrier to offer flights, at twice weekly, to tourist city, Takamatsu, from Taoyan in Taiwan. Garuda Indonesia will increase its Bali-Melbourne service to daily this month and introduce daily Bali-Brisbane flights from August 1. Chicago-headquartered United Airlines will increase its frequency between Hong Kong and Guam to four times a week this month, providing better transit links to the resort destinations of Hawaii, Saipan and Palau.
TRAINING: Canadian simulator manufacturer, Mechtronix, will deliver a Cessna Citation CJ1 Full Flight Simulator (FFS) and two Full Flight Trainers to the Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) in Guanghuan, Sichuan province, China.
