A trusted source of Asia-Pacific commercial aviation news and analysis


SEPTEMBER 2020

Week 37

Orient Aviation Daily Digest September 11, 2020

A look at the week in the Asia-Pacific

By Jordan Chong  

Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group had held out longer than most in avoiding the job losses that have ravaged aviation in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Alas, that resistance ended on Thursday night, when the airline group announced 4,300 jobs would go, including 2,400 positions described as involuntary staff reduction measures.

SIA Group CEO, Goh Choon Phong, said it was the hardest and most agonising decision he had faced in his three decades at the company.

It will be a long road back for SIA, as ongoing border closures and slow progress on travel bubbles meant demand was expected to remain depressed for the foreseeable future. Capacity across SIA, SilkAir and Scoot was expected to reach 11% of pre-COVID-19 levels by November. Read More »

 

Daily Digest

Orient Aviation Daily Digest: Japan Airlines expands domestic network as several prefectures lift travel restrictions

September 17, 2020

  • Japan Airlines (JAL) said yesterday demand had gradually increased on its domestic network as several prefectures had lifted restrictions on travel and COVID-19 cases across the country continued to fall. JAL is operating a reduced schedule, but would "closely monitor demand on each route and implement temporary measures, including extra flights and larger aircraft on specific routes", the airline said. The flag carrier will reduce domestic flights by 34% in October compared with pre-COVID-19 levels.

    The oneworld alliance member also will add a third flight each week between Tokyo Narita and Dalian in China until September 30. The third JL829/820 rotation is scheduled for Fridays, adding to existing services on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Read More »

 

Daily Digest

Orient Aviation Daily Digest: Mixed results from two of the major China carriers

September 16, 2020

  • China Eastern Airlines (CEA) carried 8.5 million passengers on its domestic network in August, down 14.9% from 11.9 million 12 months ago. The airline's monthly traffic report, published yesterday, said domestic demand, measured by revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), was down 15.2% year-on-year in August, while capacity, or available seat kilometres (ASK), was 0.77% lower compared with a year earlier. Domestic passenger load factor was 74% this August, compared with 86.6% in the same month in 2019. Read More »

 

Daily Digest

Orient Aviation Daily Digest: Japan’s All Nippon Airways reports improved domestic passenger demand in August

September 15, 2020

  • All Nippon Airways (ANA) flew 1.11 million passengers across its domestic network in August, an 8.5% month-on-month improvement from 1.02 million in July. The Japanese carrier's monthly traffic report showed demand, or revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), was up 10.9% for the month, compared with July, and capacity, measured by available seat kilometres (ASK), rose 53% for the reported period. However, load factor dipped to 30% in August, from 41.4% in July. Read More »

 

Daily Digest

Orient Aviation Daily Digest: Bankruptcy court grants Thai Airways International temporary debt reprieve

September 14, 2020

  • Thai Airways International (THAI) said today the country's Central Bankruptcy Court had accepted the company's rehabilitation petition. In a regulatory filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand, THAI said a planning committee of six people and EY Corporate Advisory Services would prepare a business reorganisation plan and present it to the court in the fourth quarter of calendar 2020.  "Subsequently, the official receiver will call a creditors' meeting to consider the company's business reorganisation plan around early 2021 and the court will issue an order approving the plan and appoint the plan administrator within the first quarter of 2021," THAI said. Read More »

 

News

Singapore Airlines Group to cut 4,300 jobs

Singapore Airlines Group CEO, Goh Choon Phong, said yesterday “having let go of our valuable and dedicated people is the hardest and most agonising decision I have had to make in my 30 years at SIA”, after he had announced 4,300 jobs were to be lost across the airline group. (Message from SIA CEO) Read More »


 

News

Korean Air trims international network for October

Korean Air (KAL) has dropped three international destinations and adjusted frequencies on a number of other routes in its latest October schedule updated this week. Read More »


 

News

Airbus reports 39 deliveries in August

Airbus said this week it delivered 39 aircraft and received one new order in August.

Notable Asia-Pacific deliveries included four A320neos and one A321neo to India's IndiGo, two A320neos to Shenzhen Airlines and one A350-900 to Cathay Pacific Airways, figures from Airbus published this week showed. There were no cancellations for the month. Read More »


 

News

IATA says COVID-19 vaccine delivery “mission of the century”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said this week the global distribution of a potential vaccine for the coronavirus represented the air cargo industry's largest ever single transport challenge. Read More »


 

People

Boeing this week named Ed Dandridge as the company's new senior vice president and chief communications officer. Dandridge, who has been global chief marketing and communications officer at AIG General Insurance since April 2018, begins at Boeing on September 28. He is Boeing's sixth communications boss since 2017. Read More »


 

Short Takes

China Southern Airlines (CSA) said this week it planned to list wholly-owned subsidiary, China Southern Airlines Cargo Logistics, on the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange as part of moves to "further deepen reforms, improve capital allocation and operational efficiency, and to build an internationally competitive modern logistics service provider". Read More »