Vietjet's interline agreement with Qatar will make it easier for passengers to connect with the Gulf carrier.
Qatar Airways is building on expanded services to the Vietnam’s Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with an interline agreement with local low-cost carrier Vietjet .
The agreement covers Vietjet destinations such as the popular coastal city of Da Nang as well as Ban Me Thuot , Dalat , Hai Phong , Nha Trang , Phu Quoc, Pleiku and Vinh City. It also includes the international destination of Tapei.
It comes as Qatar is boosting flights to Hanoi to double daily from January 1 and to 10 flights a week to Ho Chi Minh City from the same date.
The new agreement will give travellers from Europe better access to flights across the increasingly popular tourist destination and passengers from Vietnam better access to the Gulf carrier’s services to Doha and beyond.
“The new agreement with Vietjet will offer our passengers even more choice, providing them an easy connection in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi before transferring to their Qatar Airways flights,’’ Qatar chief executive Akbar Al Baker said in a statement.
“Qatar Airways is delighted to celebrate ten years in Vietnam this year, and it is all thanks to the Vietnamese market’s support that we have been able to expand our footprint in this growing market.”
Qatar first began servicing Vietnam with flights to Ho Chi Minh City in March, 2007, and was the first Gulf carrier to offer non-stop service to the South-east Asian nation’s biggest city. It added Hanoi in 2010 and introduced freighter services to Ho Chi Minh City in 2016.
Vietjet is is an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA)-certified carrier boasting a fleet of 45 aircraft, including Airbus A320 and A321s, and operating 350 flights day on 73 routes in Vietnam and the region.
International destinations include Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Last year, Vietjet placed a firm order with Airbus for 10 A321ceo (current engine option) and 10 of the more advanced A321neo aircraft to meet expected growth on its domestic and regional network.
Airbus also finalised a deal to provide the carrier with training services for flight crew and maintenance personnel at the airline’s new facility in Ho Chi Minh City.
Air New Zealand is betting on passengers’ willingness to pay more for a comfortable ride in its latest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The new plane, ZK-NZL, touched down in Auckland on Sunday and comes with a reconfigured cabin with premium seating options.
The airline has boosted the number of seats in its acclaimed Business Premier class from 18 to 27 and its premium economy seats from 21 to 33. This compares with up to 44 seats in Business Premier and as many as 54 in premium economy on its Boeing 777s.
“Since we introduced the Dreamliner, we have seen strong customer demand for our award-winning Business Premier and premium economy cabins and the products and service that come with these,’’ Air NZ chief marketing and customer officer Mike Tod said in a statement.
“Increasing the size of these cabins on our new 787-9 Dreamliners will give more customers than ever the opportunity to experience why Air New Zealand has been named by Airlineratings.com as the best airline in the world for the past four years.”
The Kiwi carrier was the launch customer for the 787-9 in 2014 and its 10th Dreamliner will enter service with an Auckland-Sydney flight on October 15 before heading to the Auckland-Houston route in December 2017.
This will be the first time a Dreamliner will regularly service one of the airline’s North American routes.
The airline has been focused on developing its routes in the Pacific Rim and has boosted international capacity significantly in recent years.
In addition to Houston, the airline has also launched services to Buenos Aires and Ho Chi Minh City, increased its presence in Japan and boosted capacity to markets such Vancouver, Bali and Hawaii.
AirNZ has also started a wi-fi trial on its one of Boeing 777-300s as it looks towards rolling out the service across its entire international jet fleet.
The carrier is using Inmarsat’s global GX satellite constellation and has partnered with Panasonic Avionics as the in-cabin technology supplier.
It expects the Boeing 777-300 conversion to be completed by June, 2018and the B777-200 fleet to start rolling out from April.
“The trial will not only test the technical aspects of the service, it will also gather feedback on pricing options,” said Air New Zealand Chief Digital Officer Avi Golan.
Thai Airways International is among the airlines re-certified under its home country's new regulatory system.
The UN-back International Civil Aviation Organisation has removed a red flag imposed on Thailand in 2015 over safety issues in its aviation sector.
ICAO imposed the red flag over a significant safety concern with the regulatory system as Thailand grappled with a big rise in tourism. An SSC indicates that the state is not providing sufficient safety oversight to ensure the effective implementation of ICAO Standards
The country fell below the global average in all eight of the major safety areas published by ICAO but was particularly poor in terms of operations and organisation.
As a result, Thailand reorganised its Department of civil Aviation into three organisations: the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), the Department of Airports and a search and rescue function within the Ministry of transport.
The CAAT confirmed Monday that ICAO had lifted the red flag status after a visit in September by a team to verify progress to correct 33 safety and related findings “mainly on air operator certification”.
The ICAO team also visited two airlines that recently had their AOC’s recertified, it said.
The ICAO decision leaves Malawi, Kyrgyzstan, Haiti, Eritrea and Djibouti as the countries still displaying the red marker.
ICAO is due to submit an official audit report to Thailand this month but authorities acknowledged the need to continue to improve aviation standards.
“CAAT aims to raise the level of effective implementation of Thailand and achieve the percentage of global average in each category of aviation safety by introducing the regulatory system which will increase the compliance with ICAO standards and recommended practices, the performance of its personnel and the sustainability of Thailand’s aviation industry,” the Thai authority said on its website.
The Nation quoted CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop as saying the removal of the red flag would facilitate higher growth for Thailand’s aviation sector. He also vowed to continue to upgrade the country’s regulatory standards.
The authority is also pushing ahead with moves to re-register Thai-registered airlines and re-issue air operator’s certificates (AOCs).
Major passenger airlines such as Thai Airways International and Thai AirAsia have already been re-certified and the remaining operators are expected to have new AOCs by January.
Those operators who have not received a re-certified AOC are banned from flying internationally.
ICAO officials said in June that the country’s procedures for issuing AOC’s had improved after regulators worked with the organisation and consultants.
The US Federal Aviation Administration’s website on Tuesday still showed Thailand as category 2, meaning it does not meet ICAO standards.
Oman Air, the self-proclaimed “boutique airline” among much bigger Persian Gulf airline giants, is cutting back on ambitious goals set out in richer times.
“It was our plan to operate a fleet of 70 jets by 2020, serving 75 destinations. Now we have adapted that to just 60 aircraft,” Oman Air chief executive Paul Gregorowitsch told journalists in Hamburg, Germany.
Oman Air CEO Paul Gregorowitsch
The Sultanate of Oman is one of the biggest Gulf states in size, equal to Poland or Italy, but inhabited by only 4.4m people.
Oman Air was founded as a regional carrier in 1993, entering intercontinental markets in 2007 with flights to Bangkok and London-Heathrow.
Last year, Oman Air carried 7.7m passengers in its fleet of 47 aircraft, compared to 6.4m in 2015.
But now the economic situation of the Gulf states has deteriorated dramatically with a permanently fall in oil prices.
“There is a cash shortage in the whole Gulf region,” says Gregorowitsch, a Dutch national who previously served as chief operating officer at Air Berlin.
While the current oil price hovers around $US55 a barrel, “we will never get back to $80 or $90,” predicts the CEO, “but they continue to spend money in the Gulf as if oil would still sell for $90.”
Oman and the whole region “faces enormous economic challenges and needs to become more sustainable. We are forced to operate more in the way of a normal, commercial business, while remaining the national airline,” says Gregorowitsch.
By 2020, Oman Air wants to operate 40 narrow- and 60 wide-bodies.
Four Embraer E-175s will leave the fleet soon and, from next year, the first of 20 Boeing 737 MAX8s ordered will arrive: six in 2018 and seven in 2019, replacing the current 737-800s.
It is not clear yet which long-haul aircraft Oman Air will operate in the future.
“The question, that will be answered by the board also for political reasons, is whether we replace the A330s with A350s or streamline our portfolio to operate a pure Boeing fleet,’’ says Gregorowitsch.
“I would be very much in favour of going all-Boeing, as it brings huge economic benefits.”
OMAN AIR REDEFINES ITSELF
As with all Gulf carriers, Oman Air is currently in a state of redefining itself because of changed fortunes.
“Dubai was built on a credit card and now is not generating cash anymore, an airline consolidation in the Gulf is long overdue,” the Oman Air chief says.
In contrast to its neighboring states, it is not a case of Big is beautiful in Oman.
“The Sultanate aims to be sustainable, all income is reinvested in the country and not poured into wars as elsewhere,” the airline executive says.
“Members of the government are traveling less and often not in premium classes, and most importantly, we don’t get any more state money.”
Gregorowitsch is the only Gulf airline boss openly admitting to receiving state aid.
In 2015, Oman Air received the equivalent of $US153m from state coffers. Last year it was US$104m, “and this year it was zero,” according to the CEO.
This means his airline has to look for new allies.
One of them is Lufthansa with which there is an “excellent” partnership already, Oman Air has codeshare agreements with no less than 35 carriers.
Gregorowitsch does not see his carrier joining an alliance but would not rule out a merger.
“If we don’t want to end up like Malév or Sabena we need growth, and that is possibly only to be had with a partner,” he says.
SIGNS OF IMMINENT CONSOLIDATION
At the same time, the airline chief sees signs of imminent consolidation already in the Gulf:
“The current integration of the offerings of Emirates with Fly Dubai, which now serves eleven destinations on behalf of Emirates, is a good example,’’ he adds. “ And I wouldn’t rule out a merger of Emirates and Etihad.”
The next important step for Oman Air will be the long-delayed opening of the new airport in Muscat, just opposite the old one.
It will now start operations on March 25, 2018, for the summer schedule, while the ceremonial opening will take place on National Day, November 23.
“The second runway and the last part of the terminal haven’t been finished yet,” Gregorowitsch observes. “They had the same problems as Berlin’s new airport with fire protection installations and high-voltage cables. Also, everything was ordered in times of richness, only the most expensive outfitting, from within it looks like a mixture of a palace and an art museum.”
At first, it was perfectionism delaying the opening but lately, standstills have been due to a cash shortage, meaning contractors couldn’t be paid and stopped working.
After moving to the new complex, Oman Air plans to establish new routes to Hong Kong and Seoul.
“Otherwise, we’d rather go double daily than to open up new routes,” says the CEO.
Currently, there are two flights a day only to London and Kuala Lumpur, while Bangkok is served three times a day and there is one daily flight to each Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Paris, Milan, and Manchester.
Air New Zealand is expecting 19 million passengers by 2020. Image: Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand has received permission to re-use untouched snacks and beverages from international flights arriving in Auckland as part of an initiative to reduce landfill.
The airline has received permission from New Zealand authorities to distribute 40 inflight products on future flights that were previously sent to landfill because of New Zealand’s tough biosecurity controls.
They can only be reused if they are removed from an aircraft untouched and sealed.
Previously, New Zealand quarantine rules had required all unused in-flight product to be sent to landfill to be burned or buried.
The airline expects the initiative, called Project Green, to save about 150 tonnes from landfill annually. It has already diverted 13 tonnes — including 266,000 plastic cups, 480kg of sugar packets and 3.5 tonnes of bottled water — in its first month.
Products approved so far include sealed beverages and unopened snacks and the airline says more items will be added in coming months.
The program, developed over 18 months with provider LSG Sky Chefs and New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, comes as airlines globally grappled with 5.2m tonnes of inflight waste in 2016.
The airline says the project has required a change in onboard processes, particularly for cabin crew who play a key role by returning unused items to stowage and separating goods correctly.
“Project Green is an outstanding example how airlines can work with border regulators to develop solutions to reduce cabin waste without comprising quarantine controls.” Air New Zealand Head of Operational Delivery Alan Gaskin said.
AirNZ also announced it will plug in its jets to gates to provide them with power rather than use on-board auxiliary power units, small jet engines in the tail of the aircraft.
It estimates that using electricity from the gate will save about 4500 tonnes annually in carbon emissions.
Aircraft are plugged directly into electrical power at gates at both Auckland and Christchurch international airports. AirNZ is also in talks with Wellington airport to introduce a similar system.
“In the first month of trialing this new process in Auckland with just its Boeing 777 and 787-9 long-haul fleets, the airline saved 475,000kg of carbon and 188,000 litres of fuel – more than the volume of fuel required to fly a Boeing 777-300 from Auckland to Los Angeles,’’ the airline said.
Seventy-two countries representing 80 per cent of international aviation have now signed up to the voluntary phase of a global carbon offset scheme but international airlines want more to join in.
A year after the an historic agreement to establish the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), a call has gone out for greater urgency in the industry’s push to tackle global emissions.
At the top of IATA’s list is broadening the International Civil Aviation Organisation-backed CORSIA scheme.
“CORSIA was a historic demonstration of what can be achieved when governments and industry work together,” IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac told a sustainable aviation summit in Geneva this week. “Implementing it will be a critical enabler of aviation’s commitment to carbon neutral growth from 2020.”
The world’s first global industry pollution agreement will start as a voluntary scheme from 2021 to 2026 but will then become mandatory across the aviation.
Airlines will have to buy carbon credits to offset growth in emissions, a move that is expected to account for less than 2 per cent of revenues but has raised concerns in some states about costs.
The scheme will include provisions to deal with special circumstances such as those of fast-growing airlines and airlines which have made significant investments to improve environmental performance already.
Some 65 countries signalled a year ago that they would take part in the voluntary phase but only seven have joined since then.
Parties that indicated they would sign up for the voluntary scheme include Singapore, the Uhnited Arab Emirates, the US, European States and some smaller nations. However, Russia and India were among those who have said they will not participate in the first phase.
IATA’s de Juniac described the 72 countries participating in the voluntary phase as “an impressive start”.
“But CORSIA will be an even bigger success if more countries join in,’’ he said. “Now is the time for the industry, along with those governments already on board, to step up efforts to broaden participation.”
The international airline group says airlines will need to establish systems for monitoring ad verifying carbon out as they prepare for CORSIA.
It also warns that governments will need to finalise the technical details of CORSIA early on so that e systems are ready when the scheme is implemented.
Other areas IATA wants addressed as it pursues its goal cutting the industry’s net emissions to half their 2005 levels by 2050 include sustainable aviation fuels and improved infrastructure.
It wants more government involvement in establishing an aviation biofuels industry that can produce fuel at competitive prices and improvements to infrastructure such as air traffic management.
“Air navigation services remain stuck in the architecture of the mid-20th century, while aircraft embrace the technology of the 21st century,’’ de Juniac said. “The political issues which create artificial borders in the sky must be tackled to unlock emissions savings and generate economic opportunities.”
A move by American and JetBlue to cut seat pitch—knee room between seats—is putting passengers to the test, a noted aviation consultant and former airline executive believes.
American Airlines is moving to re-configure economy class on its fleet of Boeing 737-800 twinjets, putting in a dozen more seats into what some would argue is an already cramped economy cabin.
“There’s no evidence yet of passenger backlash, at least among price-sensitive [passengers],’’ says Robert W. Mann, president of R.W. Mann and Company. “But the fact remains, business passengers can’t get any work done” with the new squeeze.
American is reworking its 737-800s to hold 172 instead of the current 160 seats, and modifying its fleet of Airbus A321s to accommodate 190 passengers.
Meanwhile, JetBlue is upping the ante by squeezing 12 more seats into the revamped interior of its mainstay Airbus A320.
Ironically, both airlines not that many years back touted extra legroom in coach.
How all this sits with high-yield business travelers, flyers who must adhere to their company’s rules that they fly economy, remains to be seen.
Mann asserts: “In the short term the airlines are designing a product that [passengers] can’t use. It’s forcing them to either buy up in fare structure [to premium economy seats with more pitch] or find other alternatives.”
It’s not just knee room that’s got flyers fuming. Mann says business travelers “can’t open a laptop screen” to work in-flight.
“Anything above the tray table has less space available with these new slim line seats,” he says.
All of this shrinkage is playing out against a political backdrop.
A measure introduced by Representative Steve Cohen made it into the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill. The Cohen Amendment would require the FAA to “establish a minimum seat size on commercial airlines as well as a minimum distance between rows of seats to protect the safety and health of airline passengers.”
Already in existence is an FAA rule that passengers flying commercial airliners must be able to evacuate a cabin filled with smoke within 90 seconds, with half the exits blocked.”
Whether that rule weathers the realities of real-life evacuations in ever-tighter aircraft cabins remains very much to be seen.
Thai Airways international is expanding its Airbus A350 network with plans for a long-awaited Melbourne service to be followed by a second A350 flight early next year.
The airline received the first of 12 A350s in August, 2016, and destinations served by the fuel-efficient plane now include London, Frankfurt, Rome, Milan and Brussels.
The first Melbourne A350 service, which touched down October 1, will replace a Boeing 777 to operate Thai’s daily non-stop Melbourne-Bangkok afternoon service with connections to Europe and other destinations.
But it came a year later than originally expected.
It was originally scheduled to start flying to Melbourne in September, 2016, but the airline said at the time the service would be delayed because the approval process required by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority would not be completed in time.
With the service now underway, Thai says it plans to also operate the evening flight from Melbourne with the A350 from February, 2018, “subject to confirmation”.
Thai’s A350s are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and a combination of composite and titanium materials means advantages such as better fuel burn, a more comfortable cabin altitude and reduced maintenance costs.
The airline has 32 lie flat business class seats in Royal Silk Class with a seat pitch of up to 46 inches, a 16-inch touchscreen with on-demand content and a 1-2-1 configuration giving aisle access from every seat.
Its 289 economy class seats, with a seat pitch of 32 inches and an 18-inch seat width, come with an 11-inch touchsreen.
The A350’s economy class.
Meanwhile, the Thai carrier also recently opened new lounges in the popular holiday resort of Phuket.
The new Royal Orchid lounges are located on the fourth floor of Phuket International Airport’s international terminal.
Designed to showcase the Thai’s trademark orchid theme and a sea wave concept, the lounges feature different zones and a range of amenities such as high-speed wi-fi and USB power ports.
Virgin Australia chief executive John Borghetti has called for a long-term and coordinated approach to the development of an biojet industry in Australia.
Borghetti made the call after announcing the airline group would work with US renewable fuel supplier Gevo to introduce sustainable aviation fuels at Brisbane Airport.
The deal will mark the first time biofuels will be blended with regular jet fuel at an airport in Australia and only the third time in the world after Los Angeles and Oslo.
The project, which will run for two years in conjunction with the airport and the Queensland Government, is also the first time biojet produced by Gevo’s alcohol-to-jet process will be blended with an airport’s regular fuel supply.
The Virgin Group will be responsible for coordinating the purchase, supply and blending of the fuel and expects to receive the first shipment of biojet from the US company’s Texas plant in the coming months.
Borghetti described the Brisbane venture as “an early step” and said there was more work to be done.
But he said it was an essential step towards making the widespread use and production of sustainable aviation fuel a commercial reality in Australia
“The industry is showing real promise but is still in its infancy,’’ he told a gathering of aviation heavyweights attending the Sir Reginald Ansett Memorial Lecture in Canberra on Tuesday.
“The reality is, like all new industries it needs support to get the efficiencies of scale that make it cost competitive.
“Sustainable aviation fuels are safe, but they are not yet commercially viable in our country. We need to bridge the gap between science and business, build scale and make these fuels widely available.
“This requires a coordinated effort from all stakeholders — airlnes, airports, governments, fuel suppliers and others. And it will take some time.’’
Borghetti’s call was echoed by International Air Transport Association director general Alexandre de Juniac who noted in a separate announcement that an increasing number of commercial flights were using sustainable fuels.
But he said there was only a small amount produced at a competitive price.
“Our call for government action on SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) is clear: they should be given the same incentives as alternative fuels for other sectors,’’ de Juniac said. “And we have also made it clear that we are not interested in alternative fuels that disturb the ecological balance.”
Biofuels are essential to an aviation industry commitment to carbon-neutral growth and a reduction in net aviation CO2 emissions, relative to 2005 levels, of 50 per cent by 2050.
There are now a range of processes that produce biofuels certified to meet the rigorous standards applied to fossil jet fuel but with significantly reduced life-cycle carbon emissions.
Tests have also shown that biofuels have a slightly higher energy density and lower sulphur content than traditional fuels.
The alcohol used in the Gevo process can be derived from sustainable sources such as sugarcane begasse, molasses, wood waste and agave.
The company’s biojet from Texas and will be made using isobutanol from a commercial plant in Minnesota.
But Gevo chief executive Patrick Guber said there would be significant opportunities for biojet production in Queensland, an expectation echoed by the state’s Premier.
“When I visited Queensland last year for the Biofutures Industry Forum, I discovered the depth and diversity of your agriculture sector,” Guber said.
“We believe Queensland offers huge potential for low-cost sugar feedstocks to produce biofuels. It really opened our eyes to Queensland’s potential for sustainable aviation fuels based on Gevo’s alcohol-to-jet technology.’’
Singapore Airlines’ first Boeing 787-10 has rolled out at the US manufacturing giant’s facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, as heads towards delivery in 2018.
The Singaporean carrier is the launch customer for the biggest version of the Dreamliner and has 30 aircraft on firm order with an intent to take 19 more.
Boeing said the aircraft will now be painted in the Singapore livery and will begin its system checks, fueling, and engine runs.
Singapore is due to take delivery of the first aircraft in the first half of 2018 and will operate it on medium-haul routes. The 787-10 can carry more passengers but does not have the range of the popular 787-9.
It is an 18-foot (5.5m) stretch of the 787-9 and can carry up to 330 passengers in a two-class configuration up to 6,430 nautical miles (11,908kms) with what the manufacturer says is 25 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency per seat.
“Boeing is excited to have finished final assembly of the first 787-10 Dreamliner for Singapore Airlines,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes senior vice president Asia Pacific & India Sales Dinesh Keskar, said in a statement.
“With its unprecedented efficiency, greater capacity and the Dreamliner’s known preferred passenger experience, the 787-10 will be an important part of the airline’s future fleet.”
The 787-10 started flight testing in April this year and there are 177 orders for the plane.
The first 787 entered service in 2011 and Boeing estimates it has flown more than 190 million people on more than 560 unique routes around the world, saving an estimated 18 billion pounds (8.16bn kilos) of fuel.
The composite plane offers a higher cabin pressure and humidity and bigger windows to boost passenger comfort.
Qantas plans to use the 787-9 to fly non-stop between Perth, Australia, and London and will pick up its first plane in mid-October.
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