AirAsia Group releases its preliminary operating statistics - 3rd quarter of 2020

Domestic Recovery Seen in 3Q20 Operating Statistics  

AirAsia Group Berhad continued its recovery momentum into 3Q2020 as key operational metrics improved in September as compared to July, including a 36% increase in passengers carried by AirAsia Malaysia, 79% increase in passengers carried by AirAsia India, and an increase of 65% of passengers carried by AirAsia Thailand. Load factor for the Group increased 7 percentage points (“ppts”) in September as compared to July 2020. These improvements highlight a strong upward rebound trend for air travel demand across key markets for the Group.  

AirAsia Malaysia operated 52% of its domestic capacity in September, in comparison to 40% in July 2020 as travel demand has been on an upward trajectory since 2Q with the easing of restrictions on interstate travel. AirAsia Malaysia achieved a 68% load factor while carrying close to 1.8 million passengers during the quarter. While capacity has been reduced in October 2020 given the conditional movement control order by the government, AirAsia Malaysia is striving to recover to 60% of its pre-Covid domestic capacity by 4Q.   

Saudi Arabian Airline gets 5th Boeing 787-10 aircraft.

Saudi Arabian Airlines  - SAUDIA, the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, marked a milestone with the induction of its fifth Boeing 787-10 aircraft into the fleet earlier this month.

The aircraft arrived in Jeddah on 15th October, from Boeing’s production facilities in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

SAUDIA is one of the first airlines in the world to operate the new aircraft type.

In recent years, SAUDIA has invested significantly in its fleet, acquiring state-of-the-art new aircraft and now operates one of the three youngest fleets in the skies with an average aircraft age of 5 years.  

An award-winning carrier, SAUDIA is one of the Middle East’s largest airlines, operating more than 170 narrow and widebody aircraft.

The airline route network includes more than 95 destinations across four continents to all 28 domestic airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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The Italian Air Force takes delivery of its most advanced Eurofighter Typhoon

Taking off from Leonardo’s plant in Caselle (Turin), the final and most advanced Eurofighter Typhoon of the Italian Air Force was handed over during a ceremony today becoming one of the defence aircraft assigned daily to the protection of the Italian skies. The ceremony was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Gen. Alberto Rosso, the CEO of Leonardo, Alessandro Profumo and the Aircraft Division Managing Director, Marco Zoff.

 

An achievement made possible thanks to industrial and technological capabilities and professional skills in Italy

The Eurofighter Typhoon protects the skies of Italy, Europe, and NATO countries every day and represents an ideal platform for the continuous introduction of new capabilities

Technologies developed for the Eurofighter programme led to a positive spillover effect on a wide range of other industrial applications: from new materials to simulation technologies in a virtual environment

“The collaboration path we are celebrating today, embodied by an aircraft with extraordinary capabilities, is the result of a long-term supranational strategic, political, and industrial vision, which has allowed Europe to have its own security asset, and benefit from a programme that has been able to represent a technological accelerator and a unique engine of development in the history of our continent”, declared Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo. “The Eurofighter Typhoon will be a pivotal element in the path of innovation which is aimed at fully safeguarding European technological sovereignty in the coming years”, he added.

Wizz Air to open 38th base at Bari............The budget airline will base one Airbus A321 aircraft at Bari airport in December 2020

Wizz Air, the budget carrier from Hungary has confirmed its 38 base will be Bari. The airline will base one Airbus A321 aircraft at Bari airport in December 2020. Along with the establishment of the new base and complementing the already operated 16 routes, Wizz Air announced 3 new routes from Bari to Bologna, Turin, Verona, 3 new routes from Milan Malpensa to Naples, Brindisi, Lamezia Terme and one new route connecting Catania with Verona, starting from December 2020. The Bari - Milan Malpensa route’s frequency will be raised from seven to eleven flights per week.

The further development of Wizz Air’s offering from Bari, Milan Malpensa and Catania, as well as the establishment of its 3 Italian base in Bari, underpins the airline’s long term commitment to bring ever more affordable and greener travel opportunities to its Italian travellers. Wizz Air started flying to Bari in 2010, and since then has carried almost 1 million passengers to and from that city. The base establishment will create over 40 new direct jobs. With this investment Wizz Air will contribute to economic development and create hundreds of new jobs in the local job market. 

Rolls-Royce seeks $2.6 billion

in make-or-break share issue

By Sarah Young

Photo  REUTERS/Edgar Su

 Aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce will ask shareholders on Tuesday for 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) in a make-or-break attempt to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, which has stopped planes flying and hammered its finances.

At stake is the future of a company which has been at the heart of manufacturing in Britain for more than 100 years, making engines that powered World War Two bombers and still drive the country’s fighter jets and nuclear submarines.

Investors are expected to back the rights issue, supporting CEO Warren East’s plan to cut 9,000 jobs and close factories to adjust to a lower level of demand from airline customers that fly with Rolls engines on Boeing 787s and Airbus 350s.

Shareholder advisory groups Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis have both urged clients to back the fundraising.

“We find the terms of the proposed rights issue to be reasonable,” Glass Lewis said in a note, while ISS said the rationale was “compelling”.

Investors can buy 10 new shares for every three they own at 32 pence each, a 41% discount to the theoretical ex-rights price.

Qatar might get F-35s despite Israel's objections, Israeli minister says

Photo REUTERS/Amir

An Israeli cabinet minister said on Sunday that a U.S. sale of advanced F-35 warplanes to Qatar could be possible despite Israel’s objections to such a deal given the Gulf state’s links to Iran and Palestinian Hamas.

“I have no doubt that if they (Qatar) want it and are willing to pay, sooner or later they will get it,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who sits in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, told Ynet TV.

“This is a supposition that we must take into account,” he said, arguing that the U.S. administration “ultimately looks out for American interests,” especially in the face of rival stealth jets on offer from Russia and China.

Israel will not oppose U.S. sale of F-35 to UAE

By Dan Williams, Mike Stone

Israel said on Friday it will not oppose U.S. sales of “specific weapons systems” to the United Arab Emirates, in an apparent reference to the F-35 warplanes sought by Abu Dhabi.

Under a principle of preserving Israel’s “qualitative military edge”, the United States consults with it on proposed sales of advanced arms to other countries in the region.

Israel has reiterated a need to maintain its military superiority even since forging official ties with the UAE and its fellow Gulf Arab state Bahrain under deals brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump last month.

Cotswold Airport will be the permanent home to an iconic British Airways 747 aircraft

Cotswold Airport will be the permanent home to an iconic British Airways 747 aircraft for locals and visitors to enjoy......

The Boeing 747, registration G-CIVB, will be permanently retired at Cotswold Airport, near Kemble in Gloucestershire. The aircraft is painted in the unique Negus livery which adorned British Airways planes in the 1970s and 1980s. The aircraft was one of four painted in heritage liveries to mark the airline’s centenary last year. It was also one of the final two British Airways 747s to leave Heathrow last month.

The airport will maintain the aircraft and plans to convert an area of its interior to be used as a unique business, conferencing and private hire venue, as well as a cinema for locals and an educational facility for school trips. It is planned that the aircraft will be open to the public from Spring 2021.

Suzannah Harvey, CEO of Cotswold Airport, said: “It is great news for locals and visitors who will be able to see and experience one of the most iconic passenger aircraft of its time. We’re absolutely delighted to make this happen following its final flight from London Heathrow to Cotswold Airport on 8 October.”

Sean Doyle, CEO of British Airways, said: “It was with great sadness that we retired our two final 747s based at Heathrow earlier this month, so we’re glad Cotswold Airport is able to give one of these aircraft a new home and a new lease of life. The 747, and the Negus livery, are iconic in British Airways’ past, and we hope locals and visitors will enjoy seeing this slice of history for years to come.”

Since entering the British Airways fleet on 15 February, 1994, G-CIVB operated 13,398 flights and flew for 118,445 hours over nearly 60 million miles. Its last passenger flight was from Miami to Heathrow on 6 April, 2020.

A large percentage of all money raised from events on the aircraft will be used to support Cotswold Airport’s scholarship programme and charities. Every year the scholarship helps 10 students who have an interest in aviation related sectors or careers to undertake instructional flight time or experience various aviation career environments. This programme gives the students a fabulous insight, and many have gone on to careers in the Navy and RAF.

Cotswold Airport has supported the Air Ambulance, Help for Heroes and the RAF Benevolent Fund over the years. Usually they do a great Vintage Fly-in Weekend and a Best of British or Revival Festival, which has been attended by 10,000s over the weekends.

An airport steeped in history, Cotswold Airport (Kemble) is now home to a thriving general aviation community and a host of successful businesses. Kemble Air Services Ltd, the owners of Cotswold Airport, are totally committed to making it one of the finest airports in the country without spoiling the natural charm that abounds on this 532-acre site.

RAF Kemble was the former base of the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team until they departed in ’83. Now known as Cotswold Airport after rebranding in ’09 and achieving airport status from the Secretary of State, it is a thriving aviation and business centre with many businesses developing ground-breaking engineering R&D.

After the departure of the United States Air Force in 1993 Kemble faced a bleak future, and looked destined to go the way of so many ex-military airfields – back to agriculture or an industrial estate. However, over the years local businesses have occupied all pre-existing hangar infrastructure as well as many new, purpose built hangars. Aviation is booming at this historic airport. This was largely due to the successful acquisition of the airfield from the Ministry of Defence by Ronan Harvey and a consortium of local businesses in March 2001.

The Buccaneer and Phantom preservation groups will be a new welcome addition in 2020, and a further significant educational and visitor attraction.

2020 should see the fruition of the new RNP (GNSS) approach being implemented, a further significant infrastructure development and service offering from Europe’s largest privately owned airport.

Ronan’s company Kemble Air Services Ltd (now managed by his daughter, Suzannah Harvey) operate the airfield and manage the whole site.

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Finnair Cargo is ready for the Covid-19 vaccine challenge

Finnair Cargo is ready for the Covid-19 vaccine challenge

Finnair Cargo is preparing to carry Covid-19 vaccines. Several pharmaceutical companies have stated they are in the latter stages of testing a vaccine for Covid-19, suggesting it is time to start planning the supply chain. It is anticipated that air cargo will be one of the main forms of transportation.

Finnair Cargo was the first airline in the world to receive IATA’s CEIV Pharma certificate in 2015. “We have a history of excellence in pharma logistics and with our new terminal, we have lifted all the monitoring and control to 100% in our premises.” says Fredrik Wildtgrube, Head of Global Sales at Finnair Cargo. 

For the logistics chain, there is not yet publicly available information on the exact requirements for transporting vaccines.  

“It is a known fact that there is always a risk when transporting temperature-sensitive items, that’s why our job is to make sure we protect the product integrity in all possible ways.” says Tommi Voss, Head of Operations at Finnair Cargo.  

Swoop kicks off its winter schedule with inaugural flights from Toronto Pearson

The Canadian budget airline from WestJet -  Swoop has launched its operations at Toronto Pearson Airport, safely completing flights from Toronto to destinations in Montego Bay, Edmonton, Kelowna and Halifax. The inaugural operations continue this week with additional flights to destinations such as Abbotsford and Cancun.  

On Monday Swoop launched its operations at Toronto Pearson Airport, safely completing flights from Toronto to destinations in Montego Bay, Edmonton, Kelowna and Halifax. The inaugural operations continue this week with additional flights to destinations such as Abbotsford and Cancun.  

This begins the airline's winter schedule which includes the return to Kelowna International Airport and the addition of non-stop service to popular sun destinations. With its accessible and affordable airfares, Swoop is connecting more Canadians in the GTA with a safe and responsible travel option.

Virgin Atlantic launches new India flying from Manchester

Virgin Atlantic is delighted to announce it will be launching services to Delhi and Mumbai from Manchester as the airline ramps up flying from its home in the north.  

Flying three times a week from Manchester to Mumbai beginning in December and twice weekly to Delhi starting in January, these new services will go on sale on 20th October.

Virgin Atlantic launches a duo of new routes from Manchester to Mumbai on 19th December and to Delhi on 5th January benefiting half a million Indian diaspora living across the north

With more than 16 million Indians living outside of their country and 500,000 living across the north of England, India has the world’s largest diaspora. These new services will open up more than 130,000 seats between Manchester and India and aim to respond to the large, fast-growing demand to visit friends and relatives as well as capturing demand for business and leisure travel to the region as global economies gradually recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

 As well as flying customers, Virgin Atlantic will offer a fast, efficient cargo service presenting new opportunities for companies looking to export and import goods such as fresh produce, pharmaceuticals and textiles between prime markets in the UK, US and India.

Air Canada Offers Customers Service on its All-Business Class, Jetz Aircraft Fleet to Select Winter Destinations

Air Canada is making its fleet of all-Business Class, Jetz charter aircraft available to customers for commercial flights as it redeploys the fleet on popular winter routes. Each of the airline's four Airbus A319 Jetz aircraft are configured with only 58 North American Business Class seats -- less than half the normal number of seats on this aircraft type -- providing an elevated level of comfort and service.

"Air Canada is very pleased to offer its customers a unique opportunity to travel like a pro athlete or a VIP and experience our premium Jetz service. Customers booking on a Jetz flight will enjoy such amenities as its all-Business Class seating configuration, upgraded meal service, and shorter boarding and deplaning times. These features, combined with Jetz's other attributes, create a private-jet-like experience," said Mark Galardo, Vice President of Network Planning and Alliances at Air Canada.

Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Recognized With 14 Condé Nast Traveller 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards

The Roosevelt New Orleans Photo Hilton

Condé Nast Traveller announced the results of its 33^rd annual Readers’ Choice Awards, recognizing 14 unique properties within Hilton’s luxury portfolio. Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts earned 11 property awards and Conrad Hotels & Resorts earned three property awards for best-in-class hotels around the globe.

The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. More than 715,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers submitted an incredible number of responses rating their travel experiences across the globe.

Of the 14 Hilton luxury properties recognized, six were ranked in the top five, and eight properties were ranked in the top 10 in each of their respective categories. Two properties secured the coveted number one ranking with The Roosevelt New Orleans, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel ranking as the top hotel in New Orleans and Waldorf Astoria Beijing coming in as the first choice among all hotels in China.