Asia

We profile China Eastern, the Shanghai-based airline which is attending Routes Asia 2019.

Delegates are able to request meetings with their key airline targets, including Air China, Qatar Airways and AirAsia.

This week: Qatar Airways converts ten A321neos; AirAsia commits to new Lombok hub; Cebu Pacific to add 12 aircraft; Norwegian to cut routes after fundraising and more.

Twenty-one airports and destinations have been recognised by the airline network planning community for their marketing support.

The owner of Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) and low-cost operator Peach has approved plans to order 30 Boeing 737 Max 8s and 18 Airbus A320neos. ANA Holdings has also agreed to buy a $95m stake in the parent of Philippine Airlines.

The region’s leading airlines will be attending the event in March, including AirAsia, Air China and Cebu Pacific Air.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is expanding its network of international routes by launching flights between Japan and two unserved destinations in Australia and India. Meanwhile, rival Japan Airlines is also planning to grow its footprint in the Indian market.

This week: Finnair adds fifth destination in Japan; Frontier Airlines returns to Boston; and AirAsia continues to expand its international network.

Over 60 carriers will be accepting meeting requests when scheduling opens this month.

North Asia continues to be a strong driver of international traffic for Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Routesonline looks at the growth of services between the Philippines airport and cities in China.

Heavyweights from across the region will gather in Cebu City to share insight and debate the predicted outlook for the aviation industry in 2019 and beyond.

Nominations must be received by midnight (GMT) Friday 25 January to be considered for the awards.

A new carrier is set to take to the skies in Vietnam later this year after Bamboo Airways secured its Aircraft Operator Certificate, with plans already in place to expand internationally.

China Southern Airlines is making a bigger play for the Italian market as it seeks to gain ground on its rivals on China - Italy routes.

This week: Tributes paid to Southwest Airlines founder; Qatar Airways takes stake in China Southern; Neeleman’s latest venture firms up A220 order; VINCI Airports to make £2.9bn Gatwick investment and more.

What will the year ahead have in store for the commercial aviation industry? From further consolidation in Europe to a shake-up of global airline alliances, Nigel Mayes from leading consultancy ASM casts his eye on what might shape the aviation world in 2019.

AirAisa will not launch any new airlines over the next three years apart from a subsidiary in Vietnam, chief executive Tony Fernandes has confirmed.

Fresh from opening a new terminal that has increased overall passenger capacity to 12.5 million, Mactan-Cebu International Airport is already targeting further expansion. Erwin Balane, head of route development for The Philippine Department of Tourism, tells Routesonline about its ambitions of growing capacity to 35 million passengers per year by 2025.

As 2018 draws to a close, Routesonline looks at some of the biggest stories making the headlines this year. Part one of our review features the attempted takeover of Norwegian; an interview with British Airways boss Alex Cruz; the first non-stop link between the UK and Australia; and the fastest-growing airports in the world. Plus we were in Quito, Brisbane and Bilbao for the regional Americas, Asia and Europe route development forums.

The number of domestic departure seats in India is set to top 165 million this year, with such “unprecedented” growth driving the need for more than 2,300 new jets over the next two decades.

We profile Cebu Pacific, the Philippine low-cost airline which is attending Routes Asia 2019.

Peach will gradually take over Vanilla Air’s route network from next summer ahead of a full merger of ANA’s two low-cost subsidiaries being completed by late October.

Ahead of Routes Asia 2019, Erwin Balane, head of route development for The Philippine Department of Tourism, discusses why Cebu decided to host the event.

Saudi Arabia is one of the top five international travel markets from India, but a new codeshare deal between Jet Airways and Flynas will seek to improve connectivity even further.

The Indian Ocean may not be one of aviation’s busiest regions but these destinations' eye-catching tourist developments and proximity to rising economies in both Asia and Africa make them destinations to watch over the next few years.