Overview
ICAO: paradigm shift in leadership near?
This week in Asia-Pacific aviation had an unexpected focus: it is widely believed that the next secretary general of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the 71-year-old United Nations aviation arm, could be its first woman to hold the job and the first secretary general from the Asia Pacific.
Chinese aviation policy expert, Dr. Fang Liu, has been singled out as the most likely successor for outgoing secretary-general, Raymond Benjamin, who will be finishing his second three-year term next month. Liu holds various high-ranking positions with the Civil Aviation Administration of China , including director of its international affairs division. Read More »
Airline News
Big profit bounce in Australasia
Australia’s Qantas Airways has reported an after-tax profit of $160 million, its interim result in four years, reversing a record annual loss of $2.2 billion to last June 30 that prompted calls for CEO, Alan Joyce, to resign. Read More »
Airline News
Japan's biggest airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), has officially confirmed it was considering injecting capital into Skymark Airlines as part of a rehabilitation plan for the bankrupt carrier. Read More »
Airline News
Cathay traffic down, focus on Europe and A340 retirement
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways and regional subsidiary, Dragonair, have reported disappointing passenger figures for January. The airlines carried 2,612,964 passengers, up 2.7% year-on-year for the month, but ASKs increased 7.3%. Read More »
Airline News
Vistara, the full-service joint-venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines that launched domestic service on January 9 operated with a 45% load factor in the first month, according to Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data. Read More »
Airline News
Al Baker rejects discrimination charges
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which represents more than 4.5 million workers in 150 countries, has challenged Qatar Airways chief, Akbar Al Baker, to prove the airline’s contracts are not restrictive, particularly against women. Read More »
Financial Round Up
Garuda Indonesia plans to raise $500 million in a global issuance of sukuk, or Islamic bonds, to refinance its maturing debt. Read More »
People
Last week, Jet Airways re-designated its vice president finance, Ravichandran Narayan, as acting chief financial officer (CFO), effective immediately. Read More »
Short Takes
AIRLINES: Jeju Air, Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Japan, Spring Airlines Japan and Vanilla Air will move into Terminal 3 at Narita International Airport when it opens on April 8. Read More »
