AirAsia X Boosts Capacity to Tokyo
Long-haul, low-cost carrier AirAsia X has announced plans to increase capacity between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Haneda. The airline currently offers three flights per week on the route but will increase to a six times weekly schedule from March 23, 2012 and to a daily basis from June 22, 2012. The increase in frequency is part of the airline’s recently announced realignment plan which will focus on increasing services to its core markets in Australasia, China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. The increase in flight frequencies to Tokyo (Haneda) follows AirAsia X’s recent announcement of its latest Australian route to Sydney from April 1, 2012. AirAsia X says it has carried over 100,000 passengers between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Haneda with an average passenger load factor of 75 per cent. The airline incurred a drop in passenger traffic from March to June 2011 due to the Tohoku tragedy. However, it says, demand has rebounded with healthy two-way traffic consistently above 80 per cent. “The increase in flights to and from Tokyo is in response to the growing demand for the sector, which continues to see steady increase in passenger traffic and yields from the time AirAsia X first began flying into the Japanese city on December 9, 2010,” said Azran Osman-Rani, Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia X. “With our wide network and strong brand affinity in Japan, we remain focused to grow our existing core markets and are geared up to capitalise on the continuous increase in demand for air travel to and from Japan. We will also leverage on our affiliate airline, AirAsia to provide a feeder network for intra-ASEAN travel as the world shifts its focus towards Asia and the emerging markets across ASEAN,” he added.
SAA Expands its African Reach
South African Airways (SAA) has further enhanced its African network with the addition of the Central African city of Point Noire in the Republic of the Congo. The airline inaugurated twice weekly flights from Johannesburg on January 26, 2012; its fourth new destination on the Continent in the 2011/2012 financial year following Bujumbura in Burundi, Kigali in Rwanda and Ndola in Zambia. Pointe Noire is the second largest city in the Congo, after the capital Brazzaville and the main commercial centre of the country. Pointe Noire is the center of the oil industry in the Congo which is one of the main oil producers in Central Africa. SAA does not currently serve any other points in the country, although Interair does provide twice weekly flights between Johannesburg and Brazzaville. SAA plans to significantly expand its reach across Africa. It now offers links to 21 destinations in the Continent but plans to add additional flights in the coming months. It plans to increase its passenger numbers by 37 per cent over the coming three years and by 2015 plans to almost double its fleet to 94 aircraft. In the past year an estimated 40.58 million O&D passengers travelled within Africa. SAA already dominates this market with a 16.2 per cent share of the traffic, a long way ahead of its closest rivals EgyptAir (6.1 per cent), Arik Air (5.8 per cent), Kulula.com (5.0 per cent) and Kenya Airways (4.8 per cent).
Royal Jordanian Ready for Misrata Launch
Oneworld alliance member Royal Jordanian is making final preparations to resume flights between Amman and the Libyan city of Misrata; its third destination in the North African country after Tripoli and Benghazi. It will offer two flights per week from January 28, 2012 and plans to increase capacity once the new service had bedded down. Alongside the growing movement of Jordanian and Libyan businessmen between the two countries, Royal Jordanian expects a large proportion of the traffic on this route to come from Libyan citizens visiting Amman to receive treatment and various medical services at Jordanian hospitals. According to the airline’s President and Chief Executive, Hussein Dabbas, there are already a large number of Libyans being transported to Jordan for medical treatment, a more local alternative than travelling into Europe. Misrata has developed considerably in the past four decades following a mass migration of Libyans to the city, which is located on the Mediterranean Sea, just over 200km east of Tripoli. This has helped the local economy grow and the city is now home to a population of an estimated 350,000 people and is the home of some of the country’s significant businesses, including the Libyan Iron and Steel Company. Royal Jordanian will now operate 12 weekly flights between Jordan and Libya with the new Embraer E-Jet service to Misrata complementing its existing six times weekly link to Tripoli and four times weekly service to Benghazi. These routes were recently resumed after being suspended for around ten months following the political tensions in Libya last year.
Cebu Pacific Opens Filipino Link to Cambodia
Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific, the largest domestic operator in the Philippines, is to expand its international network and become the only airline to provide regular passenger flights from the country to Cambodia. The company will introduce a three times weekly rotation between Manila and Siem Reap from April 19, 2012, mainly targeting leisure travellers visiting Angkor Wat. According to the UNESCO World Heritage Center, Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. The Angkor Archaeological Park contains the remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th century, including the famous Temples of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Bayon. “Adventurous backpackers usually travel by land from Ho Chi Minh or Bangkok to Siem Reap, just so they can visit Angkor Wat, part of the Angkor World Heritage site. Now, Cebu Pacific can fly them to Siem Reap on its trademark lowest fares,” said Candice Iyog, Vice President Marketing and Distribution, Cebu Pacific. The budget carrier already has an extensive network from the Philippines to destinations in the ASEAN region, with 12 weekly flights to Bangkok, four weekly flights to Brunei, daily flights to Ho Chi Minh, four weekly flights to Jakarta, three weekly flights to Kota Kinabalu, twice daily flights to Kuala Lumpur, and up to seven daily flights to Singapore. It will commence a new direct twice weekly Manila - Hanoi link from March 17, 2012.
AirBridgeCargo Expands its Capabilities
Russian scheduled cargo carrier AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) is looking to further expand its network and increase its offering in existing markets after introducing the first of five Boeing 747-8F freighters into its fleet. The aircraft was formally handed over on January 26, 2012 and joins older 747-400 and -400ERF variants in ABC’s fleet. "The introduction of the Boeing 747-8F represents a huge commitment to our customers since we are investing in state of the art equipment to further expand our network," said Tatyana Arslanova, Executive President, AirBridgeCargo Airlines. "We have a firm belief that our established and new customers will greatly benefit from the additional features the airplane will provide such as enhanced payload." The 747-8F is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet and 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than its predecessor, the 747-400F. The stretch provides customers with 16 per cent more revenue cargo volume, which translates to four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets. The addition of the 747-8 to ABC's fleet is an important step in its long-term business strategy. The airline is due to receive its second and third examples in March and September 2012 and the last two aircraft on order are scheduled for delivery in 2013. In addition, ABC has options for five more 747-8s. The arrival of the new equipment will enable ABC to retire older models and at the end of the year it plans to have a fleet of three 747-8Fs and eight 747-400s.
Ethiopian Airlines Adds Dammam Link
Ethiopian Airlines is to introduce a new service between Addis Ababa and Dammam, the capital of the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia. The new link will commence from February 12, 2012 and will support an increase in demand for flights between the Kingdom and East Africa. Dammam is a developing metropolitan and industrial area that lies on tip of land stretching out into the Persian Gulf and which is seeing an increase in international air connectivity. The city is a major seaport, involved in a wide variety of export and import, is a centre for petroleum and natural gas and is also well known for its tourist attractions. “The new flight services to Dammam provide opportunities for business people as well as tourists to explore Dammam’s investment and leisure potentials,” said Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines.
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