Orient Aviation’s Week in the Asia-Pacific
By Dominic Lalk
It’s been a terrific week for the flag carriers Down Under. Air New Zealand and Qantas Airways continued their profit runs this past financial year, both posting their second-highest results ever. Both airlines noted an improved uptake of their premium products, prompting the Kiwi carrier to add more business seats to its incoming B787-9s and Qantas saying it would refurbish its entire A380 fleet with more premium cabin seating. Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, is also challenging Airbus and Boeing. He has asked the OEMs to develop an aircraft capable of flying Sydney-JFK nonstop with a full payload by 2022.
Former Etihad Aviation Group CEO, James Hogan, has resurfaced in Geneva as the ‘founder and chairman’ of Knighthood Capital Switzerland. Nobody had seen Hogan since May.
In Hong Kong, Cathay Dragon has announced its intention to order 32 A321neo from Airbus, a significant expansion on its current 23-aircraft-strong A320ceo family fleet, while in Singapore, SilkAir, also on a growth trajectory, will take delivery of 37 B737 MAX 8s from September.
Qantas, Air New Zealand deliver second-highest full-year profits Read More »
News
Cathay Dragon expands with order for 32 A321neo
The Cathay Pacific Group this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus for 32 A321neo aircraft for deliveries from 2020 through to 2023. Read More »
News
Jetstar launches Melbourne-Zhengzhou flights
Jetstar is making further inroads into the Australia-China leisure market. In December, the Qantas Airways subsidiary will launch a twice-weekly Melbourne-Zhengzhou B787-8 service in partnership with China Comfort Travel, a large Mainland travel agency group. Read More »
News
American reduces Auckland to seasonal service
American Airlines’ push into the New Zealand market would be best described as overambitious. Read More »
News
PAL axes Cairns in favour of nonstop Auckland flights
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has announced it would convert its four-weekly Manila-Cairns-Auckland A320 service into a thrice-weekly Manila-Auckland A340-300 nonstop route starting December 6. Read More »
News
DAE completes AWAS acquisition
UAE lessor, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), this week completed the acquisition of Ireland-based lessor AWAS. Read More »
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Myanmar National launches first China route
Myanmar is expecting a massive increase in Mainland tourist arrivals over the next decade. For the time being, flights from the country to China are fairly limited. Read More »
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SilkAir outlines initial B737 MAX operations
SilkAir, the regional subsidiary of the Singapore Airlines Group, will be receiving its first of 37 on-order B737 MAXs in September. Read More »
News
CAL stock soars 30% on Apple deal
Shares of Taiwanese flag carrier, China Airlines (CAL), have risen more than 30%, adding more than US$4.1 billion in market value, on investor optimism that the airline’s cargo division, China Airlines Cargo, will benefit from orders by Apple for the island’s many suppliers for the new iPhone. Read More »
News
Thai Lion Air to receive three A330s
Thai Lion Air, the Don Mueang-based Thai offshoot of Indonesia’s fast-growing Lion Air Group, will receive the remaining three A330-300s the group has on order from Airbus. Read More »
People
James Hogan resurfaces in Switzerland
Former Etihad Aviation Group CEO, James Hogan, has resurfaced in Switzerland. Read More »
Short Takes
Routes: Air India Express will launch a four-weekly Delhi-Madurai B737-800 route on September 15. All Nippon Airways (ANA) will go thrice-daily on the Tokyo-Los Angeles route from October 29 (2xNRT; 1xHND), but it will decrease Narita-Chengdu from daily to four-weekly starting that same day. Read More »
