Anyone who believes the days of global alliances – Star, oneworld and SkyTeam – are numbered is ignoring reality. Read More »

The year 1988 is fondly remembered by Koreans as the eyes of the world were focused on the Seoul Olympics. Read More »

There is hardly a better example of the divergent views splitting industry and analysts about the value of global airline alliances than the new partnership being forged between Dubai-based Emirates Airline and Australia’s Qantas Airways. Read More »

Indonesia’s rapidly expanding budget carrier, Lion Air, may be secretive about its core financial position – it doesn’t release profit details – but it is far from coy when it comes to grabbing the limelight. Read More »

When the AirAsia group was given the thumbs up to launch AirAsia India last month, there were a couple of surprises in store. Read More »

He was known as “Mr Bow Tie”, but there was nothing effete about James Strong, the former managing director of Qantas Airways, who died last month aged 68.Read More »

When Airbus released its latest market forecast for the Asia-Pacific in late February the manufacturer’s chief operating officer, customers, John Leahy, had a familiar story to tell. In the next two decades carriers in the region will spend a staggering $1.6 trillion on some 9,870 new passenger and cargo aircraft. That’s 35% of the world total. Read More »

There was nothing foreboding about the Ides of March for aircraft manufacturer Airbus. In mid-month, the Toulouse-headquartered planemaker announced combined orders for 351 A320s, A321s, A320neos and A321neos plus 35 options. Read More »

Virgin Australia’s bid to return to the low-cost budget airline business by buying a controlling 60% stake in Tiger Australia has hit a snag. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which had been due to hand down a ruling on whether to allow the deal to go ahead by mid-March, has delayed its decision. It said it wants more information from Virgin and needs more time. Read More »

A B777-200 powered trans-Atlantic journey from Amsterdam to New York has marked the commencement of the world’s first regular biofuel powered international services. The historic March 8 flight was powered by fuel produced from used cooking oil delivered by global biofuel supplier, SkyNRG to KLM. Read More »

Jetstar CEO, Jane Hrdlicka, told luncheon guests in Sydney in March that the planned launch of joint venture, low-cost carrier, Jetstar Hong Kong, is expected to be pushed back by six months to December this year. Read More »

A new Air Pacific A330-300, bound for Fiji, stopped over in Hong Kong on its way from Toulouse to Nadi, Fiji last month, where industry guests were given a preview of the airline’s cabin upgrade. Read More »

All Nippon Airways (ANA) has announced executive management changes at its Tokyo headquarters following ANA’s shift to a holding company structure this month. Read More »

AIRLINES: China’s HNA Group, which owns Hainan Airlines, is planning the establishment of a jointly-owned subsidiary in the remote western Chinese city of Urumqi, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The privately controlled airline and tourism conglomerate said the new airline’s other major partner would be the Urumqi municipal government. China Southern is planning to establish a hub in Urumqi. Read More »

Cost-cutting, a late pick-up in flight demand and a year-end boom in cargo helped Cathay Pacific Airways reverse its 2012 first half loss of HK$935 million (US$121.1 million) into a second half net profit of HK$1.85 billion. Read More »

The good news for airlines from the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest profit forecasts, released last month, is that the world’s carriers are going to make more money, nearly half of it thanks to higher income from Asia-Pacific carriers. Read More »

Asia-Pacific airlines carried a total of 18.3 million international passengers in December, 7.3% more than the same month last year. The increase reflected an overall improvement in trade activities and business confidence. Read More »