AirAsia X has spent a decade finding its feet – only to discover a new wave of low-cost rivals stepping into similar markets. Yet CEO Benyamin Ismail is confident for the future.
The airline, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, is currently undertaking an important fleet modernisation process which will see it receive a total of nine ATR turboprops over the next three years for operation both on main routes and connections from and to smaller islands and communities across the country.
Long-haul arrivals in Western Europe are on the increase – showing its resilience in the face of last year’s terror attacks. It has taken over a year to recover, but long-haul arrivals are starting to surge again, reaching visitor numbers higher than those seen before the Paris attack in November 2015, reports ForwardKeys.
European long-haul, low-cost operator Norwegian is known to be exploring markets in Asia to expand its business formula to the East. It previously only served Bangkok out of Scandinavia, but has now confirmed a London Gatwick - Singapore link, and more routes are set to follow as additional Boeing 787s join the fleet.
In one of the most significant brand expansion in the history of luxury travel and hospitality, Crystal Cruises is not only introducing new ships to its fleet effectively establishing three brand new classes of cruising, but also inducting two commercial airliners to launch Crystal Luxury Air in 2017.
Emirates has announced that it will introduce a second daily service to the island of Bali in Indonesia from July 2, 2017. The new service will be added to meet the growing demand for travel to and from Bali, offering travellers more convenience and connectivity options.
February international passenger demand rose 5.8 per cent compared to February 2016, which was down compared to the 9.1 per cent yearly increase recorded in January. Adjusting for the leap year, however, growth actually accelerated slightly compared to January. Total capacity climbed 3.4 per cent, and load factor rose 1.8 percentage points to 78.4 per cent.
In the international market IndiGo is currently ranked as India’s sixth largest carrier behind local operators Jet Airways, Air India, low-cost carrier Air India Express and Gulf giants Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways. It will this year hold a 4.1 per cent share of international capacity from India, based on published schedules, up from 3.2 per cent in 2016.
Both Japanese and Australian air travellers are flying in greater numbers again when compared with last year, according to the latest data from ForwardKeys which analyses 16 million booking transactions a day. The figures show that from January to mid-March this year total Japanese outbound travel was up 4.1 per cent when compared to 2016 – an encouraging sign for the rest of 2017.
The annual Routes Asia air service development forum was officially handed over to the Australian city of Brisbane today (21 March) at a ceremony in Okinawa, Japan.
Singapore’s Changi Airport was announced as the overall winner of the Routes Asia 2017 Marketing Awards at a ceremony last night (20 March) in Okinawa, Japan.
Singapore's Changi Airport was announced as the overall winner of the Routes Asia edition of the Routes 2017 Marketing Awards which were formally announced during the Networking Evening event which took place in Okinawa, Japan.
India is still failing to address capacity issues and high fuel prices despite a recent rethink of the country’s aviation policy. Speaking at a Routes Talks Focus on India, Mumbai International Airport CEO Rajeev Jain said the new Civil Aviation Policy has failed to address the fundamental problem of ensuring there is enough space for the country’s aviation sector.
Japanese low-cost carriers (LCCs) need to better understand the benefits of high-speed rail if they are to gain a firm foothold in the country’s aviation market, Cranfield University Centre for Air Transport Management Lecturer Dr Chikage Miyoshi said at a Focus on Japan Routes Talk presentation at Routes Asia.
Vietnam's low-cost carrier Vietjet Air is helping to stimulate the nation's air transport connectivity to position it as the fastest growing market across the region. With a low air travel presentation the opportunities for growth are extensive, Jay L Lingeswara, deputy director commercial, strategy and planning at VietJet Air told delegates in the first of today's Routes Talks sessions at Routes Asia.
There are differing views over the value of alliances to the world’s airlines and an increasing view that traditional global airline groupings are no longer the best fit for the changing structure of the sector.
The Asian Pacific region is the most in danger of missing out on passenger growth thanks to its congested airports, said Vijay Poonoosamy, vice president international affairs in the office of the president and CEO of UAE carrier Etihad Airways.
Indian full-service carrier Vistara hopes to take advantage to changes in air service regulations to launch international flights within the next year, its chief strategy and commercial officer, Sanjiv Kapoor, confirmed during a panel discussion at the Routes Asia Strategy Summit in Okinawa, Japan earlier today.
