Orient Aviation’s Week in the Asia-Pacific
By Dominic Lalk
It’s been a good week for AirAsia X after the Malaysian long-haul budget carrier secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) clearance to fly to the U.S. In the interim, the Rolls-Royce bribery scandal that has been rocking the region for a week now, is taking its toll on the AirAsia Group. The latest findings suggested Rolls-Royce paid for the upkeep of a private jet used by the group’s top executives in exchange for signing engine and maintenance contracts with the UK engine manufacturer.
In Honolulu, Hawaiian Airlines said the delay of its A321neo deliveries will severely impact its operations and revenue, while in Colombo the government of Sri Lanka has shortlisted three candidates for a 49% holding in struggling SriLankan Airlines.
In Abu Dhabi, Etihad Aviation Group has announced James Hogan’s mid-year departure and in Australia Virgin Australia CEO, John Borghetti, was a recipient of an Order of Australia for his contribution to the Australian aviation industry.
AirAsia receives U.S. approvals and rejects Rolls-Royce bribery allegations Read More »
News
Hawaiian “forced to refine capacity plans” amid A321neo delay
Airbus has informed Hawaiian Airlines that the delivery of its first three A321neos would be delayed by another three months to the fourth quarter of 2017. Read More »
News
Hogan to depart Etihad in second half; Emirates embarks on modest restructuring
Etihad Aviation Group president and CEO, Australian-born James Hogan, will step down from the fast-expanding conglomerate in the second half of 2017, the group announced on Tuesday. Read More »
News
Hainan Airlines to establish Chengdu base as parent nears Hahn Airport purchase
Following talks with local Communist Party boss, Zhou Xianyi, Hainan Airlines president, Sun Jianfeng, said the two parties agreed to launch various aviation-related projects in Chengdu, capital of China’s Sichuan Province, including the establishment of a secondary Hainan base and the strengthening of Chengdu’s MRO, cargo, general aviation and FBO capabilities. Read More »
News
Last year was an important year for the region’s lessors, with all of them increasing their fleets and securing new airline customers. Read More »
News
CAAC releases passenger and on-time performance data
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) this week said passenger throughput on the Mainland in November grew 13.6% year-on-year, to 39.7 million. Read More »
News
ATR in no hurry to develop larger variant despite shrinking order backlog
Franco-Italian turboprop manufacturer ATR will likely develop a larger variant at some point in the future, but it is in no hurry to do so, ATR CEO, Christian Scherer, told Reuters this week. Read More »
News
SriLankan sale enters next round of negotiations
The Sri Lankan government on Monday said it had shortlisted three bidders for equity of 49% in flag carrier SriLankan Airlines, including Texas Pacific Group, PeaceAir Pvt Ltd and Maldivian company Super Group Partners. Read More »
People
Borghetti receives Order of Australia
John Borghetti, a former Qantas Airways senior executive and current CEO of its arch rival, Virgin Australia, on Thursday was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the aviation industry, tourism development and as a supporter of the arts and sport. Read More »
Short Takes
Manufacturers: Boeing said on Wednesday it expects to deliver between 760 and 765 commercial aircraft in 2017, topping 748 deliveries in 2016. It also reported a 2016 net profit of $4.9 billion, down 5% year-on-year, marking the OEM’s second consecutive year of decreasing earnings. Read More »
