Short Takes
May 31st 2019
CODESHARES: Cathay Dragon and Japan Airlines this week began a code share partnership from Hong Kong to Bangalore, Chiang Mai, Dhaka, Fukuoka, Kolkata, Okinawa, Penang and Tokyo Haneda. Read More » China Eastern Airlines (CEA) and KLM will expand their codeshare with KLM designated on CEA flights to 46 Mainland domestic routes from Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Kunming, Shanghai Pudong and Xiamen.
LEASING: CALC Group, a full value-chain aircraft solutions provider for the global aircraft industry, has signed a five-year unsecured revolving syndicated US$840 million loan to finance part of Pre-Delivery Payments (PDP) for new aircraft orders. It is Asia’s largest aircraft PDP financing to date. Seventeen banks, mainly Hong Kong branches of Mainland Chinese banks, were involved in the syndicated loan. Air Lease Corporation (ALC) has delivered one new A350-900, equipped with Trent engines, to Sichuan Airlines. It is the first ALC A350-900 to be delivered to an airline in China. BOC Aviation has placed four 737-800NGs with India’s Vistara and will deliver two CFM Leap 1A-powered A320neo to the full service joint venture in the second half of this year. The lessor also delivered three 737-800s, equipped with CFM 56 engines, to Delhi-headquartered SpiceJet this month.
ROUTES: Full service carrier, Batik Air, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s Lion Air Group, this week launched its first direct international route _ from Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta to Penang in Malaysia – with 737-800NGs. China Eastern has introduced Wuhan to Mandalay and Yangon with 737-800s. In June and July, LCC IndiGo will begin flying A320neo from Delhi to Bangalore, Chennai, Jaipur, Ranchi, Vardodara and Varanesi and from Mumbai to Goa. Spring Airlines will launch a direct four times a week Shanghai-Yangon service on July 1. Thai AirAsia will commence a three times a week service between Phuket and Jakarta on July 2. Qingdao Airlines has been flying three times a week between Qingdao and Mandalay with A320s since May 24. Xiamen Airlines will suspend Xiamen-Shenzhen-Seattle from October 29.
