Orient Aviation’s Week in the Asia-Pacific
By Dominic Lalk
The focus at this week’s Singapore Airshow was on digital transformation and MRO services. The major OEMs also issued updated fleet demand forecasts for the Asia-Pacific and predicted ever more aircraft would be needed in the region in the next two decades.
On the airline front, Air Belgium announced plans to resume an A340-300 service between Brussels and Hong Kong from March, which will put it in direct competition with Cathay Pacific Airways. Cathay partner, Air China, also announced it would introduce Panama City to its network via an add-on leg from Houston, Texas.
AirAsia X is considering B787s versus A330 neos for its fleet and will shift operations from Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport to Avalon Airport. Japan Airlines (JAL) has increased its codeshare network again and Russia’s Aeroflot has committed to 50 Irkut MC-21-300s.
MRO Services take centre stage at Singapore Airshow Read More »
News
IATA and CAAS to establish safety research centre in Singapore
On Wednesday, the International Air Transport Association director general and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) director general, Kevin Shum, signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to establish a global Safety Predictive Analytics Research Center (SPARC) in Singapore. Read More »
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Virgin Australia retires Embraer fleet and accepts final B737NG
Virgin Australia has retired its last Embraer E190 jet after a flight from Newcastle to Brisbane. Read More »
News
Air Belgium plans to launch Charleroi-Hong Kong A340 flights from March
It looks like market re-entrant, Air Belgium, could beat Cathay Pacific Airways in launching the first nonstop route between Brussels and Hong Kong. Read More »
News
Air China to launch Panama City route
Air China has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) for traffic rights between Houston and Panama City. Read More »
News
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has begun retiring the B777-200LR from its fleet after the airline terminated routes to Sao Paulo, San Francisco and, as of next month, Dallas. Read More »
News
AerCap’s Kelly defends Hainan Airlines business model
CEO of lessor AerCap, Aengus Kelly, has said Hainan Airlines’ business model was “viable” and that the leasing company would continue to do business with Hainan and its subsidiaries. Read More »
News
Japan Airlines expands codeshare partnerships
Japan Airlines (JAL) has expanded its codeshare partnership with oneworld fellow, Qatar Airways. Read More »
News
Aeroflot signs US$5 billion deal for 50 MC-21s
Russia’s Aeroflot will lease 50 Irkut Corp. MC-21-300 short- to medium-haul aircraft from Rostec leasing unit, Avia Capital Services. Read More »
News
AirAsia X mulls B787s and confirms move to Melbourne’s Avalon
AirAsia Group founder and CEO, Tony Fernandes, has once again said that the airline group might not remain an all-Airbus operator for too long. Read More »
News
Bangkok Airways orders four ATR72s
Turboprop manufacturer ATR was the only OEM to announce new commercial aircraft orders at this week’s Singapore Airshow. Read More »
People
Swire Pacific Ltd on Thursday announced that chairman, John Slosar, would retire from his positions at the conglomerate and its subsidiaries, Swire Properties and Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO), from July 1, but would remain the chairman and a director of Cathay Pacific Airways. Read More »
Short Takes
OEMs: The newest member of the Airbus A330neo Family, the A330-800, has rolled out of the paint shop, on track for its first flight in mid-2018. Read More »
