Overview
The Mainland’s anti-graft campaign continued in full swing this week, as the deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Zhou Laizhen, is being investigated for "suspected serious violations of discipline", usually a euphemism for corruption. At the same time, China’s influential HNA Group accelerated its global shopping spree with the acquisition of 23.7% of Azul Brazilian Airlines. In the Philippines, flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) appears to have chosen the Airbus A350 over rival Boeing’s 787 for its long-haul fleet renewal, while in Malaysia, AirAsia Berhad, Asia’s largest budget carrier, could be in trouble after reporting a $96 million third-quarter loss.
Air India sells Dreamliners for $1.06 billion as SriLankan goes “Red-to-Black” Read More »
News
PAL set to order the A350 as Star Alliance says it is interested in Philippines LCCs
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is "close" to committing to at least six A350-900s, including an undisclosed number of High Gross Weight (HGW) variants, to replace its outgoing fleet of six A340-300s, CAPA has reported. Read More »
News
Mainland corruption scandal sinks top CAAC official
The deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Zhou Laizhen, is being investigated for "suspected serious violations of discipline", the Communist Party's anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), said in a statement on its website on Tuesday. Read More »
News
The Mainland’s fast-growing hospitality conglomerate, Haikou-headquartered HNA Group, has agreed to buy 23.7% of Azul Brazilian Airlines for $450 million, underscoring its undiminished appetite for global influence in the aviation and tourism industries. Read More »
News
Jiangxi Airlines plans January launch; Spring expands in Heibei
Jiangxi Airlines, the venture of Xiamen Airlines in conjunction with the Jiangxi provincial government, is expected to launch flights in January 2016, according to general manager, Wu Xiangyang. Read More »
News
THAI facing industrial action?
Embattled Thai Airways International (THAI) has assured staff it plans no salary cuts for middle management and line workers, following speculation that ground staff would launch industrial action in response to the carrier’s cuts to employee benefits. Read More »
News
Qantas evaluates the B777X; Air NZ to fly to Ho Chin Minh City
Qantas Airways group CEO, Alan Joyce, told a media lunch last week the carrier was studying the B777-8X to potentially launch non-stop ultra-long-haul routes to the U.S. East Coast, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Read More »
News
Citilink mulls A321 as Indonesia rejects $1.2 billion Lion Air airport plan
Indonesia has tightened security at airports across the country because of an increased terrorist threat, the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) said Wednesday. Read More »
Financial Round Up
AirAsia posts $96 million third quarter loss
Tony Fernandes’ AirAsia Berhad has reported a net loss of 406 million ringgit ($96 million) for the third quarter ended September 30, having made a net profit of 5.4 million ringgit in the year-ago period. Read More »
Financial Round Up
Korean carriers report robust results
Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines boosted their operating profits in the third quarter ended September 30. Read More »
Financial Round Up
Air Arabia has reported a third quarter net profit of 235 million dirham ($64 million), down 6% year-on-year, as revenues increased from 1.06 billion to 1.1 billion dirham. Read More »
People
South African Airways (SAA) has appointed Musa Zwane as the state-owned carrier’s seventh chief executive in less than four years. Read More »
Short Takes
MANUFACTURERS: ATR has opened a representative office in Beijing, as it aims to tap into the potentially lucrative Mainland market. The facility, located in close proximity to Beijing’s Capital Airport, will be headed by ATR VP-sales China, Wang Qi. Read More »
