Overview
It was a decisive week for Thai aviation as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded the kingdom to a Category 2 safety rating, banning its carriers from launching new routes to the U.S. or codesharing with U.S. operators. Meanwhile, in view of the slowing world economy and the recent spate of terror attacks, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has lowered its global traffic forecast through to 2034 from 7.4 to 7 billion passengers. In Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines (MAB) has signed a landmark partnership agreement with Dubai’s Emirates Airline, while at low-cost rival AirAsia, question marks remain after the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) released its final report into Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501 that crashed into the Java Sea last December.
FAA downgrades Thailand for safety oversight deficiencies Read More »
News
IATA lowers passenger forecast
Global air travel demand is expected to soften as a result of adverse developments in the world economy, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The association has predicted passenger numbers will reach seven billion a year by 2034, reversing earlier forecasts of 7.4 billion. Read More »
News
Indonesia AirAsia crash report raises questions about its answers
A faulty component and the crew's inadequate response caused Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501 to crash into the Java Sea en route from Surabaya to Singapore on December 28, killing all 162 people on board the A320, Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) said on Tuesday. Read More »
News
Air India fined; SpiceJet “in talks” with Gulf investor as Vistara grows
Air India has again been caught violating cabin crew flight duty time limits (FDTLs). With the launch of the carrier’s triangular Delhi-Melbourne-Sydney B787 flights in 2013, Air India started a unique “experiment” by flying the same set of cabin crew on both sectors to test for the impact of fatigue, India’s DNA has reported. Read More »
News
MAB returns B777s as it starts Emirates partnership
Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) has signed a strategic partnership deal with the UAE’s Emirates Airline, which will see it terminate its routes to Amsterdam and Paris as part of the turnaround strategy of new chief executive, Christoph Mueller. Read More »
News
American Airlines retains Haneda slot as Hawaiian adds Narita and JAL returns to Texas
American Airlines (AA) will keep its rights to fly between Los Angeles and Tokyo's Haneda Airport, after the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) rejected claims by the previous holder of the slot, Delta Air Lines, that it should be revoked because AA failed to begin operations quickly enough. Read More »
News
Trans-Pacific competition intensifies
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has given draft approval for Qantas Airways and American Airlines (AA) to proceed with their enhanced trans-Pacific partnership for the next five years. The ACCC decision was made on the basis that without it, AA would be unlikely to fly to Sydney and Qantas would be unlikely to resume six times a weekly B747 flights to San Francisco. Read More »
News
Airbus head of sales for the Middle East, Habib Fekih, has confirmed the manufacturer has offered Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) the high-density 615-seat configuration A380 that entered service with launch customer, Emirates Airline, on the Dubai-Copenhagen route this week. Read More »
News
Guangzhou Airport head next to go in Mainland corruption scandal
Xu Xiangdong, deputy general manager of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, has been relieved of his duties after being investigated for "serious violations of discipline”, a euphemism for corruption on the Mainland, according to a statement posted on the website of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the People's Government of Guangdong Province. Read More »
People
Air New Zealand appoints digital chief
Air New Zealand (Air NZ) has appointed former Google executive, Avi Golan, to the new role of chief digital officer, effective from mid-January. Read More »
Short Takes
AIRLINES: Following negotiations with Airbus, China’s Spring Airlines announced yesterday it planned to purchase 45 A320neos and 15 A321neos, in a deal worth US$6.3 billion at list prices. Air Busan has dusted off its plans to pursue an Initial Public Offering (IPO), after rival, Jeju Air, raised US$91.6 million in its stock exchange debut last month. Read More »
