December 1st 2022

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All Nippon Airways (ANA) achieved a post-pandemic milestone this month with 3.3 million passengers carried on its domestic network. Read More » It was the first time since February 2020 ANA had recorded more than three million domestic passengers transported in a calendar month. The airline is forecasting it will be at pre-COVID-19 levels of domestic flying during the six months to March 31, 2023.

Japan Airlines (JAL), was not far behind its rival with the 2.8 million domestic passengers it flew in the month.

It also was a milestone month for Boeing with re-started deliveries of 787s to airline customers after a 14-month pause to work through a manufacturing issue with the type.

Within days of the delivery announcement, Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) said it had ordered 16 787-9s, powered by General Electric GEnx engines, to replace its A330-300s, with deliveries to begin from 2025.

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), parent of Malaysia Airlines, also put pen to paper for new aircraft, signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus, Rolls-Royce and lessor Avolon for 20 A330-900s to replace its A330s. Deliveries will be from 2024 to 2028.

Another notable order was Qantas Group’s decision to replace its five 737 freighters with six A321 passenger-to-freighter converted aircraft (A321P2F).

Mid-year financial reports from airlines in the region reflected both the difficult operating conditions carriers faced earlier in 2022 and the encouraging signs for better times ahead.

Examples were Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. They reported a combined 49.6 billion yuan (US$7.1 billion) interim calendar 2022, close to three times their 16.7 billon yuan in accumulated losses in the same half of 2021.

Despite the grim numbers, they stated the domestic market hit bottom in April and is now on a recovery trend.

Qantas Group posted a third annual loss in 2021-2022, a result that reflected the full impact of the Delta and Omicron variants on the business, group CEO, Alan Joyce, said, but added the company’s recovery was happening “quickly and strongly”. Joyce publicly apologised during the month for Qantas operational failings that included scores of cancelled flights, lost luggage and poor punctuality.

In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific forecast its second half calendar 2022, to December 31; will be an improvement from its HK$5 billion (US$638 million) first half loss amid expectations that Hong Kong’s border entry rules would be relaxed.

India carrier, SpiceJet, released its delayed annual financial report this month, reporting a 17.2 billion rupee (US$216.7 million) net loss for the 12 months to March 31, a deterioration from a net loss of 10 billion rupee in the previous fiscal year. Publication of SpiceJet’s fiscal 2022 financial report was delayed after it suffered a ransom ware attack on its systems in May.