Overview
It has been an emotional week in Asia-Pacific aviation as investigators continue to comb the rocky beaches and waters of Reunion for more debris and flotsam after the Malaysian government confirmed the flaperon discovered on July 29 was from missing Flight MH370. Meanwhile, in Mainland China, emotions were inflamed as hours-long ATC delays continue to affect carriers, resulting in Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways cancelling numerous services and Shenzhen’s Baoan Airport being banned from adding routes and frequencies to its network. In Japan, as the nation marks the 70th anniversaries of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, creditors approved a rehabilitation plan for embattled Skymark Airlines that will see ANA take a minority stake, rejecting a rival plan that included U.S. carrier Delta Airlines.
MH370: The search continues Read More »
Airline News
ANA to lead Skymark turnaround
ANA Holdings, parent of All Nippon Airways (ANA), last week won creditor backing to lead the rehabilitation of bankrupt Skymark Airlines, blocking a plan that would have seen U.S. carrier, Delta Air Lines, as its guarantor. The decision gives ANA access to Skymark's 36 Haneda slots, helping it cement its domestic dominance over Japan Airlines (JAL). Read More »
Airline News
Thai Airways International’s (THAI’s) board is to vote on a plan in September for the sale of 30 properties; 19 overseas and 11 local office and staff residence buildings, to further reduce costs, the flag carrier’s chief, Charamporn Jotikasthira, told the Bangkok Post last week. Among the first properties to be sold are its office building in Sydney and the staff residence in London, he said. Read More »
Airline News
Mainland delays increase, Cathay Pacific cancels flights
Chinese airports and airlines were the worst in the world for on time performance last year, according to FlightStats. Among the world's 61 largest airports, the seven worst performers for on-time departures were all airports in Mainland China, with Hangzhou's Xiaoshan, Shanghai's Hongqiao and Shanghai's Pudong taking the bottom three spots, with approximately 37% of flights leaving on time. In 2014, FlightStats said there were 92,839 delays by Mainland carriers, compared with 32,428 delays by carriers in the rest of the Asia-Pacific. Read More »
Airline News
Qantas boss Joyce rules out more investment in Jetstar Hong Kong
Addressing delegates at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit in Sydney last week, Qantas Airways chief, Alan Joyce, said the Hong Kong authorities’ decision to deny Jetstar Hong Kong an air operator’s certificate (AOC) sent worrying signals about the rise of protectionism in the city’s aviation sector. Read More »
Airline News
Scoot eyes Europe, AirAsia demands compensation
Singapore-based long-haul budget carrier, Scoot, is studying potential destinations in Europe and the Middle East as part of its network expansion, its chief, Campbell Wilson, has told Singapore’s TODAY newspaper. Wilson said several destinations were under scrutiny, but their launch would not be rushed given the “abundant opportunities” within the Asia-Pacific. Read More »
People
China Airlines appoints new president
Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) has appointed Dr. Chang Yu Hern, 61, as its new president. Chang is a transportation industry veteran and previously served as chairman of Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Co, the Aviation Safety Council and the China Aviation Development Foundation. Chang’s predecessor, Samuel Lin, will become chairman of Taoyuan International Airport Corp. Read More »
Short Takes
CARGO: Global cargo traffic continued to slow in June, growing 1.2% year-on-year, according to the latest IATA traffic monitor. IATA director general and CEO, Tony Tyler, said the freighter market was stagnating and the remainder of 2015 had “mixed signals.” For the first half of 2015, the global cargo market grew 3.5% year-on-year, with the Asia-Pacific down 0.3%. Read More »
