Overview
It has been a landmark week in Asia-Pacific aviation as Chinese president, Xi Jinping, visited the United States, heralding peace, cooperation and harmony between the super powers and signing on for 300 Boeing jets and a new Boeing completion plant on the Mainland, its first overseas venture. Change, too, is on its way at IATA, where two senior management announcements were made yesterday. In Thailand, THAI cannot seem to shake off old habits. It is struggling to make ends meet and create a sense of urgency among staff, many of whom appear to take their appointments at the embattled flag carrier for granted and are resisting change. In neighbouring Vietnam, it is a different story all together as flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, targets the Mainland for growth.
Boeing sells 300 aircraft to China and commits to a Mainland assembly plant Read More »
Airline News
THAI boss struggles to change the airline’s culture
Thai Airways International (THAI) chief executive and president, Charamporn Jotikasthira, told The Nation newspaper he felt the majority of the carrier’s 25,000-strong workforce did not share his sense of urgency for drastic reforms, despite the airline’s dire financial situation. Read More »
Airline News
India’s 5/20 Rule to go and Air India announces its longest non-stop flight
Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, has endorsed the scrapping the 5/20 eligibility rule that bars Indian carriers from flying overseas until they complete five years of domestic service and operate a minimum 20 aircraft. As a result, Vistara and AirAsia India may soon commence servicing international destinations. Read More »
Airline News
United adds Xi’an flights as Hainan’s fleet grows
United Airlines has applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the U.S. Department of Transportation for traffic rights between its San Francisco hub and the Western Chinese city of Xi’an, a popular tourist destination close to the famous Terracotta Warriors site. Read More »
Airline News
Vietnam Airlines focused on Mainland growth
Hanoi-based Vietnam Airlines (VNA) this week opened reservations for nine Mainland-Vietnam air links, a strong vote of confidence in the growing economic and tourism ties of the two nations. Read More »
Airline News
Malaysia AirAsia concentrates on secondary hubs for growth
Malaysia AirAsia (MAA) is preparing to establish a secondary hub in Langkawi, after a landmark deal which has resulted in a 70% reduction in charges, initially to launch new services to Guangzhou and Hong Kong, with other destinations to follow. The plan will see at least five A320s based in Langkawi by 2020. Langkawi has a 3,810 metre long runway. Its only regular international services are to Singapore on SilkAir and Tigerair. Read More »
Airline News
Indonesian carriers demand better operating environment
Indonesia’s aviation industry is increasingly unhappy about the country’s fuel supply monopoly, claiming airlines and airports are charged up to 20% more than their regional competitors, as nearly all aviation fuel supply contracts are held by state-owned oil and natural gas corporation, Pertamina. Read More »
Airline News
Etihad raises $700 million and Gulf Air reports better figures
Gulf Air has reported an annual loss of $166 million for FY14, an improvement on 2013’s $247 million loss and much improved from 2011’s $559 million losses. Headquartered in Muharraq, adjacent to Bahrain International Airport, the carrier has described the latest, recently confirmed figures as its “best financial results since 2004”. Read More »
People
Vector appoints new sales managers
Independent MRO provider, Vector Aerospace, has added two regional sales managers to its rotary-wing sales teams in Asia and Europe. Lewis Ho will become a regional sales manager for the Asian region after joining Vector from UTC Aerospace Systems. Matjaz Zaccaria has joined Vector as regional sales manager for Europe after leaving his previous customer support and service manager role at AgustaWestland helicopters. Read More »
Short Takes
ENVIRONMENT: ACI (Airports Council International) and CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation), led by director general, Jeff Poole, have collaborated to launch a new initiative to help reduce noise from aviation. As such, they have published Managing the Impacts of Aviation Noise, a best practice guide for reducing aviation noise, especially for communities near airports. Read More »
