News From Asia 亚洲新闻

Richard Maslen February 17, 2011

NOK AIR INTENSIFIES COMPETITION WITH THAI AIRASIA

Thai budget carrier Nok Air is in discussions with the country’s Department of Civil Aviation to secure a route licence to serve the Bangkok-Narathiwat route. Only three operating licences are permitted on the route and these have already been allocated to Thai AirAsia and Orient Thai Airlines (two), although the latter has only served the route briefly for a short time last year. Nok Air has been interested in flying to the southern province of Narathiwat for a long time and plans to offer a daily schedule using a Boeing 737-400, subject to Government approval. In the year to November 2010, approximately 63,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route, but with average fares of below $60 one-way yields are low and Nok Air could face intense price competition from its low-cost rival as it tries to penetrate the market.

VIETNAM AIRLINES BOOSTS FREQUENCIES TO EUROPE

SkyTeam alliance member Vietnam Airlines is to increase frequencies on some of its flights to Europe during the Northern Summer schedules. From June 1 it will add a third weekly rotation between Hanoi and Moscow Domodedovo, supplementing the activities of fellow alliance member Aeroflot Russian Airlines, which also serves the market, but flying from Sheremetyevo Airport in the Russian capital. Later the same month, from June 20 it will add a sixth weekly rotation on the Hanoi - Paris CDG route, which is also served by SkyTeam partner Air France; while from July 1 a fifth weekly link between Hanoi and Frankfurt will also be introduced, a route not currently served by any other airline.

ANA CONFIRMS TOKYO NARITA – MANILA LAUNCH DATE

All Nippon Airways (ANA) has confirmed that it is to inaugurate its new Tokyo Narita – Manila link on February 27. The Japanese carrier is to offer daily flights on the route with evening departures from Tokyo and a morning return from the Filipino capital. The route is already served by Japan Airlines (JAL) and Philippine Airlines, which together account for 72 per cent of the 520,000 passenger O&D market. Delta Air Lines also flies the route as an extension of a flight from the US. There is a strong tourist link from Japan to the Philippines with around one in ten overseas visitors into the country originating in Japan, a figure that is growing faster than any other market. With a daily schedule ANA will match the offering of Philippine Airlines and Delta, but with JAL offering a double daily service it could find it difficult to attract traffic away from the company, even with the support of connecting traffic from the Star Alliance network.

ANA LOW-COST VENTURE TO FLY A320S

The new Kansai International Airport-based low-cost carrier being established by All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Hong Kong's First Eastern Investment Group has selected the Airbus A320 for its launch. The as-yet unnamed start-up will lease ten 180-seat A320s from GECAS to launch operations in the second half of the 2011 fiscal year. The aircraft will all be powered by CFM International engines.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES TO UTILISE A330-300 TO PERTH

Malaysia Airlines has confirmed that it will use its new Airbus A330-300s on its Kuala Lumpur – Perth route once per week from July 21. The new aircraft, configured with 36 Golden Club Class (business) and 245 Economy class seats, will enter service from May and have already been allocated to services from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, Brisbane, Delhi, Dhaka, Denpasar, Osaka Kansai and Shanghai Pu Dong.

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