JuliusWong

PARIS, April 7 — Boeing overtook Airbus in deliveries in the first quarter, setting itself on course to recapture the coveted number one spot in annual aircraft production for the first time since 2002, company data showed this week. European planemaker Airbus said yesterday its deliveries grew 10 per cent compared with the first quarter of last year to 131 aircraft. On Thursday, its US competitor Boeing announced first-quarter deliveries of 137 commercial airplanes, up 32 per cent from a year earlier. More reading: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/boeing-pulls-ahead-of-airbus-in-first-quarter/

Former Malaysia Airlines B747-4H6 9M-MPI and 9M-MPJ Both Al-Wafeer HZ-AWA1 and HZ-AWA2 had been re-registered for Air Atlanta Icelandic. Both are now being leased to Saudi Arabian Airlines. cn 1091 9M-MPI > HZ-AWA1 > TF-AAE cn 1130 9M-MPJ > HZ-AWA2 > TF-AAD

Scoot’s new ScootBiz business class: not “business as usual" By David Flynn Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson at the announcement of daily Sydney-Singapore flights Scoot is promising fares up to 40 percent lower than full-service carriers such as Qantas and its own parent Singapore Airlines. Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson believes the rich vein of small-to-medium businesses in both Sydney and Singapore is ready to be tapped by an airline which focuses on finding the sweet spot for value – a point which sits somewhere between the lowest ticket price and premium service. “It’s a little bit naive for anyone to believe that there is only one market segment willing to fly a no-frills airline” says Wilson, who aims to ensure “the price gradient from the normal cabin to a premium cabin is not so steep." This means a lot of assumptions about business travel will be swept aside, quite likely including the ‘business class’ moniker itself. Scoot “premium class” Wilson and his team refer to the pointy end of Scoot’s Boeing 777-200 fleet as a premium cabin, while the FlyScoot website calls it Premium Class, to avoid the association with international business class of full-service airlines. “We haven’t decided what we’re going to call it” Wilson admits toAustralian Business Traveller. “We want to get away from the presumption that it’s a full-service business class, but we also want to ensure it’s sufficiently differentiated from the economy so that people will see the value in it.” “But you have to face reality too. A lot of carriers have tried to brand their premium cabin as something other than ‘business class’ with very little success, so most have reverted to calling it business class anyway.” Update: Scoot has settled on ScootBiz as the official name for the front cabin, and on its website openly describes the front cabin as "a Business Class experience". The full ScootBiz offering includes preferred seat selection fast-track check-in at Scoot's dedicated ScootBiz counter priority boarding an iPad for in-flight entertainment in-seat power up to two free meals, with drinks, depending on the flight 15kg or two bags of carry-on baggage 20kg of checked luggage a comfort kit on overnight flights Scoot’s premium seats Names aside, Scoot’s premium seat certainly won’t be business class as most travellers know it. Wilson revealed to Australian Business Traveller that Scoot will use a premium economy seat designed by German firm Zim at the pointy end of its planes. Scoot will use Zim's premium seat for its better-than-economy class, although you can expect a much better colour scheme for the seats and cabin than shown in Zim's generic catalogue shot The more basic cousin of this will be Zim's standard economy seat, shown below. Most of Scoot's Boeing 777s will be filled with Zim's slimline economy seat, while the lack of an inbuilt in-flight entertainment system should keep space free for stretching out your legs under the seat in front Each of Scoot's Boeing 777s will be fitted with 32 premium seats. These will be 22 inches wide, with a pitch of "at least 38 inches" and an 8 inch recline. Wilson doesn’t expect Scoot’s premium economy seat to be a hard sell to business travellers. “Of course you’d take a lie-flat seat if you were given the choice but are you prepared to pay for that privilege?” he asks. “A lie-flat seat consumes a huge amount of space and it’s a very expensive seat to build and maintain. Our target market wants value and they also really just want to get from A to B in many respects.” Wilson says everybody at Scoot “was quite impressed with the comfort and recline in the Zim seat, and we believe our passengers will be as well. We got bids in from all the big seat manufacturers but Zim had the right price, the right product and the right delivery schedule.” From tip to tail, none of the seats on a Scoot plane will be fitted with conventional in-seat video screens. The airline will instead rent out Apple iPads, which will at first be pre-loaded with content although a move to wireless streaming (similar to Qantas' Q Streaming) is tipped by year's end. No points, perks or KrisFlyer privileges Eager to contain costs and avoid cannibalising Singapore Airlines' customer base, Scoot will ditch most off-board business travel benefits. Business class passengers won’t have access to SQ’s Silver Kris lounges, Wilson told Australian Business Traveller. Nor will SQ’s KrisFlyer members get any additional privileges when flying Scoot, such as an extra checked baggage allowance. Scoot won’t be part of Star Alliance or even have a frequent flyer program “in the beginning, although whether that happens in years to come, time will tell” WIlson concedes. “But we want to walk before we run.” Something else you won’t see on Scoot will be a codeshare arrangement with Singapore Airlines – although Wilson doesn’t rule out looser ‘interline’ arrangements under which passengers can book multiple segments of a trip on multiple airlines, with their baggage being transferred between airlines. “There are no plans for codeshare but there may be interline arrangements with other members of the group, maybe even with Singapore Airlines itself, but that would have to be their decision.” Wilson admits he’s already had interline discussions “with a bunch of airlines”, but wouldn't confirm that Virgin Australia was among them. “We’ve expressed our interest (to them) but again, each airline has to make its own decision. If Virgin decided they want to work with us, a traditional interline relationship would be helpful for both parties. But it adds some complexity and costs. Provided we can manage those, we’re willing to work with anyone who is willing to work with us.” On “Scootitude” The X factor in all this, Wilson expects, will be how the airline interacts with its customers, to weave Scoot’s low price into a unique and even enjoyable experience at odds with the perceptions of no-frills airlines. “We don’t believe that ‘no-frills’ means ‘cheap and nasty’” Wilson affirms. “It’s not (Singapore’s) heritage, it’s not the airline group’s heritage and it’s self-defeating in a lot of respects. Any low-cost carrier will struggle for a point of difference because when you take out the frills, what is left to differentiate yourself with?” “It really comes down on how you deliver to the consumer. It has to be on the airline’s personality, the way you interact with people, and that’s what we call Scootitude, or the unique Scoot attitude.” They've got 'Scootitude' – now they have to figure out what it is (and bottle it for the rest of the airline) As Wilson sees it, Scootitude will guide everything from how staff deal with passengers through to internal procedures, manuals and how the ‘fine print’ of a ticket’s terms and conditions are written. “Scootitude will be incorporated right into our DNA.” Throw a dart at any list of marketing buzzwords and you’ll hit something associated with Scootitude – fresh, young, dynamic, different. Maybe even cheeky or funky, yet definitely with that amorphous ‘vibe’. But isn’t this already being done by a number of airlines? “It is” Wilson concedes, “but I’m not sure it’s being done sufficiently well or sufficiently consistently.” So just what is Scootitude, and how is it different? Wilson admits that “to a large extent Scootitude (still) needs to be defined. We’re actually having a couple of days offsite with all of the team to define exactly what it means.” Asked to name non-aviation companies which already display some form of ‘Scootitude’, Wilson is quick to cite Apple. “The brand itself says a lot without saying a lot, in some respects. It would be nice to be regarded in the same way, that the Scoot name or branding doesn’t need to be explained in the same way that Apple doesn’t need to be explained." “I think the way Volkswagen introduced their Beetle remake a few years ago, that was taking a familiar concept and doing something different with it.” The disparate members of Richard Branson’s Virgin empire also gets a nod. “The Virgin group has that unique intangible that people recognise is from the same family. Source: http://www.ausbt.com...siness-as-usual

Due to the current prevailing economic conditions and excess capacity, Singapore Airlines has started shedding its B777-200ER, with anticipation of new B77W delivery next year. It is confirmed that the new B77Ws will be delivered with new cabins, however details are unconfirmed. 9V-SQG has been re-registered as N321LF and was flown to Portland International Airport (PDX) yesterday (31st March 2012), onwards to Goodyear Airport for storage. It was caught landing at PDX yesterday. Singapore Airlines has also shed four more to its new long haul budget carrier Scoot, starting with 9V-SQA to 9V-SQD.

Fortunately, N104K ex 9M-MME, is now heading for Shaheen Air International. It was caught doing test flight at Miami International Airport on March 23rd, 2012. Click here to see large photo. According to Pakistan Aviation forum, Shaheen Air Interntional will induct 12 B737-400s: Shaheen Air advertisement in today's (February 19) newspaper celebrating introduction of Boeing 737-400 in airline's fleet. According to information in a local newspaper, Shaheen Air will acquire a total of 12 Boeing 737-400 aircraft and delivery of all these aircraft will be completed in December 2012. Aircraft will be delivered one per month. Boeing 737-4H6 (registration N829AR) delivered to Shaheen Air in January is first of these 12 Boeing 737-400s. Shaheen Air Boeing 737-400 is configured to carry 164 passengers. Btw, I think before taking photograph for this advertisement, flight attendant should have been asked to remove that identification card tag, the tag is looking odd. The advertisement also shows cabin of Boeing 737-400 recently acquired by Shaheen Air. The advertisement reads: "Change of Fleet Introducing Boeing 737-400s Now Serving Our Valued Customers Experience unparallel in-flight hospitality with luxurious interior and your own comfort zone with extra leg space. Sit back and enjoy the delicious cuisine served by our well groomed and smiling flight attendants." Source: http://www.historyofpia.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20021&start=30

RBA to fly Boeing 787 to Melbourne starting August 2013 MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA Saturday, March 31, 2012 MELBOURNE is and will remain a key destination for Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA), with the flag carrier's Boeing 787 Dreamliner scheduled to start flying to the city down under in August 2013, its deputy chairman Dermot Mannion said yesterday. "This is an important step. With the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, RBA will be one of the first airlines in South East Asia to introduce the 787. We will bringing it right here to Melbourne starting in August 2013," said Mannion during an event celebrating RBA's 1st anniversary operating the Bandar Seri Begawan-Melbourne route at Melbourne Zoo. "It is a very exciting project for the airline. It will be one of the first of that aircraft type to visit this airport," said Mannion, adding that it is in line with the emergence of Borneo as a travel experience and Brunei as its gateway. "It's been a tough time in the airline industry and we have not been immune to that, and indeed our ownership has asked us to take a good hard look in the recent times about the future of our organisation and which destination we should serve," said Mannion. "I think, as you all will discover, the 787 is indeed the future of air transport and RBA will be in the vanguard of that effort." The deputy chairman also touched on the flag carrier's re-branding efforts during the event, showing the audience a chart comparing the world's premium carriers and low cost carriers, in which Brunei is in the middle. "(We are) offering a product (which) offers value for money, a product that we believe will considerably be better than the rest of the low cost community in this region and beyond, but almost to the level similar to the premium airlines," said Mannion. "That's the kind of product aspiration that we've got for RBA in the future, we think its a good value proposition for you, the agency and the community and we're very much hoping that you will get good feedback from your passengers as they experience RBA, what we have to offer." Mannion added that RBA is currently involved in promoting a joint centre holiday program between Brunei and Kota Kinabalu, as a result of the airline being voted Airline of the Year 2011 from the state of Sabah in Malaysia. "We will continue to be the largest operator to Kota Kinabalu and we believe that a holiday with some eco-tourism and cultural experience in Brunei followed by perhaps the more traditional resort experience in Sabah is very much the way to go and we believe that would be an attractive product offering for you and your customers here in Melbourne," said Mannion. "We believe we got the right product at the right price using the right aircraft to bring a very good quality of service to you all in the state of Victoria," he added. The last week has proven to be challenging for the national carrier, said Mannion, not only with the launch of Melbourne daily service but also the migration to a brand new, state of the art reservation system. "This is a huge project for our staff here in Melbourne," he said. Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications Dato Paduka Hj Alaihuddin POKDG Hj Mohd Taha, who was also present during the event, said that amidst the growing turbulence and uncertainty in the current global aviation market, the airline's operating environment will always be assessed accordingly with considerations to factors ranging from fuel charges or fuel prices, new aircraft delivery impacts on capacity, aircraft utilisation, revenue generation and consolidation. "Airlines around the world including Brunei would have to endure such changes and adjust themselves rapidly to the dynamics of global airline industry," he said. The permanent secretary went on to say that Brunei International Airport is currently undergoing its expansion project. Having commenced earlier this month, the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. The upgrade will improve the exisiting comfort and operations while creating an iconic visual image of the airport building, he said. "It is envisaged that once completed the capacities and activties of the airport will be increased with highly improved customer comfort, security features and facilities." The Brunei Times Source: http://www.bt.com.bn/business-national/2012/03/31/rba-fly-boeing-787-melbourne-starting-august-2013

Hmmm.....how come she was so hated? Can someone shed some light???

Royal Brunei settles in for medium term with expanded Australian services 19th March, 2012 Outline Melbourne goes to daily same-time service with connections optimised for Dubai and London Heathrow Melbourne route also optimised for Manila, Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu connections Losses stemmed but profitability awaits Reduced international network allows for returning of two 777s 787s to further help stabilise finances Regional emphasis right strategy for Royal Brunei Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) this month is increasing capacity to Melbourne and adjusting the schedule there in a bid to generate scale and improved financial performance. The government-owned carrier is settling into its restructured route network that in mid-2011 saw many loss-making long-haul routes eliminated, which RBA deputy chairman Dermot Mannion says is helping create financial stability as costs decrease and cash flow improves. The carrier will continue to monitor its regional network but is unlikely to open new destinations, preferring instead to add capacity when opportunities arise. The restructure left RBA with significant excess capacity on its widebody Boeing 777 fleet but RBA later this year will return two of its six leased 777s and retain the rest until 787s arrive in late 2013. RBA expects the aircraft, combined with a new interior and redevelopments at Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei International Airport, will give the carrier a boost after high fuel prices and increased competition made it undertake the restructure and staff retrenchment. Melbourne goes to daily same-time service with connections optimised for Dubai and London Heathrow RBA launched four times weekly service to Melbourne in Mar-2011, complementing its existing services toBrisbane and Perth as well as New Zealand’s Auckland, all three of which were cut during the restructure. RBA said it was keeping the Melbourne service given the city’s strategic importance and growth rate – the largest internationally in Australia. From 25-Mar-2012, RBA will bring the service to a daily, same-time offering. RBA’s initial schedule was erratic, with two flights leaving past midnight and two during the day. Mr Mannion, speaking earlier this year when announcing the increase, explained the change with an industry adage: “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing daily.” Although Melbourne is a monopoly route for RBA, transfer traffic accounts for 90% of RBA’s long-haul service, and the Melbourne flight is timed to connect with RBA’s daily Brunei-Dubai-London Heathrow service. RBA’s long-haul network is built around its London Heathrow slots, creating a lengthy overnight stay in Melbourne for the aircraft, but Mr Mannion says RBA’s long-haul fleet has slack and he is not concerned about under-utilisation – especially as profitable long-haul routes prove elusive. See related articles: Royal Brunei Airlines adjusts fleet to reflect new strategy and restructured network Royal Brunei Airlines shrinking to remain competitive RBA had competed in the kangaroo route for traffic between Australia and London, but typically had to price below cost given the two stops in Brunei and Dubai. Its restructure saw it turn away from the very competitive, and often low-yielding kangaroo route, but Mr Mannion says it is worth keeping the connection. Potentially more lucrative is the carrier’s one-stop service to Dubai from Melbourne. Only one of Emirates’ three daily flights from Melbourne goes non-stop to Dubai; the other two connect via Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. There is less competition to Dubai than Europe, and Australia-Middle East fares – on Emirates, Etihad or Qatar Airways – are often slightly less than extending the trip to Europe. The demand profile works in RBA’s favour as Mr Mannion says the carrier has strong demand between Dubai and London owing to a good traffic base in Dubai it has accumulated since launching services in 1988. Cargo is also a notable factor for RBA’s Melbourne route. Although most cargo out of Australia is produce and not higher value items, RBA has had to leave cargo on the ground at times. RBA's capacity increase will see the Southwest Pacific region tie with Europe as holding the carrier's third largest number of seats by destination. RBA's Southwest Pacific capacity currently only sees the four-weekly Melbourne services. Melbourne route also optimised for Manila, Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu connections A greater significance for RBA’s Melbourne route is onward connections in Asia, which more typically turns a profit for the airline. About 75% of the traffic on intra-Asia flights is O&D, with the remaining 25% accommodating intra-Asia connecting passengers and long-haul transfer traffic. RBA’s traffic is heavily weighed towards the VFR and ethnic markets. Mr Mannion says demand is particularly strong to the Philippines, where RBA serves Manila daily. While Philippine Airlines operates seven weekly services from Melbourne, Jetstar has also seen the potential of the Filipino market with four weekly services from Darwin. Filipino LCC Cebu Pacific intends to launch long-haul flights to Australia as well as the Middle East in late 2013. See related article: New Cebu Pacific long-haul operation could push out Philippine Airlines but may require hybrid model Mr Mannion also says Bangkok and Malaysia’s Kota Kinabalu are in demand connections. The Australia-Thailand market will see reductions later this month when British Airways (BA) ends 747 service between Bangkok and Sydney while Qantas downgrades its Bangkok-Sydney service from a 747 to an A330. BA and Qantas had used the route primarily for onward traffic to London, so while capacity is being reduced, Qantas will now have to place greater emphasis on selling Bangkok as an O&D market and not a transfer point. RBA’s restructure intentionally trimmed the carrier’s size but not service... Out of Melbourne Jetstar, in addition to Thai Airways, operates to Bangkok. RBA has had a reputation for being a discount full service carrier and intends to maintain its position of competing with the likes ofAirAsia X and Jetstar in offering full service carrier service for less, even if its operating cost is higher. Mr Mannion said RBA’s restructure intentionally trimmed the carrier’s size but not service. RBA over the last year has grown service to Kota Kinabalu, which is part of Malaysia but like Brunei on Borneo. The city, a hub for ecotourism growing in popularity, is one of the fastest growing airports in Malaysia. RBA’s capacity has increased from eight weekly services in 2011 to presently 15 weekly services. One destination RBA’s Melbourne flights do not connect well to is Singapore, but Mr Mannion says the market, which RBA serves with two daily flights, is one of the carrier’s highest in terms of point-to-point traffic. “We have a large proportion of our traffic originating in Brunei or destined for Brunei, so that route to Singapore doesn’t need external feed. It’s a substantial trunk route,” Mr Mannion says. RBA this month is seeing the introduction of another A320 that brings its Airbus narrowbody fleet to five. Expansion will mainly come on adding frequency to existing destinations than open new routes. Losses stemmed but profitability awaits RBA’s long-haul network was almost entirely transfer traffic and loss-making; the government was effectively subsidising traffic that did not benefit the country and decided to end that standing. “Our ownership, and rightly so, doesn’t see any future in incurring losses on routes where over 90% of the traffic doesn’t connect to Brunei” as an origin or destination, Mr Mannion said. “There’s no strategic rationale at all for it. We’re now operating in an environment where our route network needs to stand much more on its own two feet.” Although RBA would like to increase the percentage of local traffic on its long-haul flights, Mr Mannion does accept that transfer passengers will comprise the far majority. “I think 20% [local] would be a terrific target but I very much doubt if you could do more than that,” he said. “Let’s be realistic. Brunei is a small market. There are only 400,000 people there. In order to launch the kind of international operations we have, there is always going to have to be a significant reliance and dependence on transfer traffic, and we don’t apologise for that.” The small market size Mr Mannion mentioned is reflected in the capacity profile of Brunei Airport, the country's sole passenger airport and where it accounts for 70% of all capacity. Only four other airlines currently serve Brunei. While Mr Mannion says RBA’s remaining long-haul routes from the restructure – Dubai, London and Melbourne – are important for the airline, he acknowledges they are important for the Government too. RBA is not publicly discussing a return to profitability, but Mr Mannion says the restructure is bringing stability and reducing costs. Further savings will be achieved when RBA returns two of its 777s later this year. Reduced international network allows for returning of two 777s All five of RBA’s 787s are due for delivery by the end of 2014, by which point most of the remaining 777s will have been returned... RBA leased six 777-200s from Singapore Airlines (SIA) in 2010 to allow it to retire ageing 767s, which were supposed to be directly replaced by 787s, which have encountered numerous delays. RBA’s reduced international network will allow it to return two of the leased 777s – one third of its long-haul fleet – in mid-2012 as the original contract stipulated, and not earlier as RBA had explored. All five of RBA’s 787s are due for delivery by the end of 2014, by which point most of the remaining 777s will have been returned. RBA will have flexibility with the 777 fleet in the event of further 787 delays. 787s to further help stabilise finances RBA’s first 787 is due around Aug-2013, although further delays are likely given recent Boeing delays for other customers. The aircraft will feature a new interior – its leased 777s use SIA’s old interior – RBA is currently developing. Mr Mannion says RBA wants to connect the interior with the themes of Brunei – tranquility, rejuvenation, peace – as part of an effort to build local traffic into Brunei. RBA is the 787’s launch operator in southeast Asia and, assuming current delivery schedules, expects its entire long-haul network to be flown by 787s by the end of 2014. Its London route will remain a one-stop service via Dubai given the traffic importance, Mr Mannion said. Even if RBA wanted to operate non-stop, Mr Mannion said, the 787 would not be able to fulfill the mission. “The 787 is not capable, and nor designed to be. We never bought it with that in mind.” The aircraft will bring not only a step change in efficiency but also reduced capacity from the 777-200s, which will better match RBA’s demand profile. The 787-8, the only variant RBA has ordered, seats 240 in a standard two-class configuration while the 777-200 seats 400 in a standard two-class configuration. (These figures are typically high; RBA seats 285 in its 777-200. Of the 787 configurations airlines have announced so far, most are under 200 seats in a two-class configuration.) See related article: Announced 787 configurations RBA’s order for five 787s provides more than coverage to accommodate its long-haul schedule. Mr Mannion previously told CAPA he expected to operate the 787 on high-demand Asia routes like Shanghai. Under more hubristic times RBA had agreed with Boeing to take 777-300ERs, but Mr Mannion said the reduced long-haul flying has eliminated the need for the aircraft. “RBA did have a contract for four 777-300ERs but we will not be taking delivery of those aircraft,” he said. “We’re in negotiation with Boeing how to resolve that.” Regional emphasis right strategy for Royal Brunei Airlines globally are increasingly realising that supporting unprofitable long-haul flights is unsustainable, especially as fuel prices and competition increase. RBA has the right strategy to emphasise regional routes. While the additional Melbourne flights will add significant long-haul capacity, history shows daily services and same-time frequency do let airlines leverage scale. RBA’s short-haul network is more robust and the carrier will be carefully watching its markets to see where it can add capacity. The 787 offers the biggest opportunity for RBA to improve its long-haul network, provided the Brunei Government is still willing to accept Dubai, London and Melbourne as strategic destinations. Source: http://www.centrefor...-services-70052

Hahahs!! FlyBagEatBed and FlyBagEatBedShower are one mouthful...who can say it in few seconds???

China Halts 10 More Airbus Orders - Sources March 15, 2012- China has suspended the purchase of 10 more Airbus jets, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, raising the stakes in a potentially damaging trade row over European Union airline emissions charges. The move to delay the purchase of extra A330 planes brings to USD$14 billion the value of European aircraft caught up in tensions over the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, which has angered countries including China, India and the United States. It comes amid urgent efforts to find a solution to the row, which airlines fear could provoke an aviation trade war capable of causing travel disruption and hitting air traffic rights. Earlier this week, Airbus said China had blocked the purchase of 35 long-haul A330s and 10 Airbus A380 superjumbos worth a total of USD$12 billion. Airbus did not name the airlines involved, but industry sources said the A380s were earmarked for Hong Kong Airlines, 46-percent owned by HNA Group, the parent of Hainan Airlines. The row is over a cap-and-trade scheme which could levy charges for carbon emissions for flights in and out of Europe. Foreign governments say the EU is exceeding its legal jurisdiction by charging for an entire flight, as opposed to just the part covering European airspace. The European Commission argues the scheme is needed to cut rising emissions and help the world fight climate change. Aviation industry sources said on Thursday that despite the latest pressure on aircraft sales, hopes were tentatively emerging of a possible formula that would give the UN's aviation body, ICAO, time to negotiate an alternative global deal. They said one possible scenario called for the EU to suspend the application of its scheme to foreign airspace and get nations talking, something the EU is so far unwilling to do because of fears that the momentum for action would be lost. There are few signs that negotiating an ICAO deal would be easy, however. The question of what role developing countries should play in curbing emissions threatened to derail a top-level meeting of the Montreal-based body this week, according to one official who attended Wednesday's meeting. 'LONG-TERM DAMAGE' China has so far directed its threatened retaliation at wide-body aircraft capable of reaching Europe from China, not A320 short-haul jets assembled in China for the local market. In all, 55 aircraft have been swept up in the dispute, equivalent to about 10 percent of the aircraft ever delivered to China by Airbus, which claims 47 percent of the Chinese market. While the A380 purchase is a firm order, meaning it cannot be cancelled without losing a deposit, the threatened A330 deals are still in the pipeline -- either being negotiated or waiting for the required official approval from the Chinese government. "Aircraft sales are different from selling wine or cars, you can't switch the sales button from off to on from one day to another. A red traffic light in aircraft sales can destroy years of sales efforts and damage-repair will take years," said Rainer Ohler, head of Airbus public affairs and communications. Those stakes were highlighted on Wednesday when rival Boeing hinted at billions of dollars of fresh sales for its 777 long-haul mini-jumbo, which has been selling well in China. "I think you're going to see both sales of narrow-bodies and wide-bodies (in China) continue to grow," James Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing's commercial division, told a conference. "We sold 30 777's over there last week and had a lot of discussions with other customers about more." A Boeing spokesman said these included 10 jets already announced. Boeing is in "advanced discussions" for the other 20. (Reuters)

Kingfisher Recovery Plan "In 2-3 Days" March 15, 2012- India's cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines will have a full recovery plan in place in 2-3 days that will address its financial issues and restore dozens of flights, its chairman said on Thursday. Kingfisher, controlled by flamboyant drinks baron Vijay Mallya, has almost halved its daily flights from the scheduled 200 after several pilots refused to report to work and a suspension by global industry body IATA from its settlement system restricted bookings through overseas agents. The carrier, which has debt of USD$1.3 billion, is facing near collapse as banks have so far refused to lend it more for day-to-day operation and massive cutback in flights have reduced revenues, leaving the carrier with little cash to pay its employees, airports and tax authorities. "In 2-3 days time you'll hear the full plan," Mallya said on a query on financial restructuring of the company at a press conference after he met about 80 pilots to assuage their fears on delayed salaries. Scores of pilots have resigned from Kingfisher in the past six months. "I have their (pilots) assurances that certainty of the schedule will be maintained," Mallya said, without elaborating on when pilots' salaries will be paid. One foreign airline and two non-airline foreign investors are interested in buying stake in the Indian carrier, Mallya said. The Indian government is considering allowing foreign airlines to buy stake in Indian carriers and a decision could be announced soon. Kingfisher needs at least USD$500 million immediately to keep flying and USD$800 million to return to full operations, according to the Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (CAPA), an industry consultancy. Kingfisher's troubles have become representative of India's airline industry that is struggling with high fuel costs, cut-throat competition and low fares. Five of India's six airlines are in the red and all local carriers together are likely to lose USD$2.5 billion in the fiscal year ending March, according to CAPA. (Reuters) Source: http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1331851319.html

Kingfisher cancels international routes Published: 14/03/2012 Kingfisher Airlines confirms it will drop international routes and that investment from a foreign airline is on the horizon. In a statement, the carrier announced: “We are curtailing our wide-body overseas operations that are bleeding heavily. To this end we have already returned one Airbus A330-200 to its lessor in the UK. Positive and immediate action is being taken on all fronts to cut costs.” Kingfisher did not specify which destinations would be dropped or when these cuts would happen in their statement. However, according to industry website airlineroute.net, the carrier’s GDS system shows that some flights have already ceased to operate. So far, the carrier has already stopped operating flights from Delhi to London Heathrow (as was predicted here earlier), from Mumbai to Singapore and from Mumbai to Hong Kong. On March 15, the carrier will cease its five weekly services between Delhi and Hong Kong. Then, on March 25, Kingfisher will stop operating daily service from Delhi to Bangkok, Dubai, Hong Kong and Kathmandu; from Mumbai to Bangkok and Dubai; from Bangalore to Dubai; and from Chennai to Colombo. Finally, on April 10, the carrier will no longer operate the Mumbai-London route. In an official statement, which bemoans the wide “sensational speculation and assumptions” about the airline's troubles, Kingfisher confirmed “there is an interest from perspectives” in terms of possible foreign capital coming in, but it will have to stay within the existing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit of 49 per cent and be subject to regulatory approval. For more information, visit www.flykingfisher.com Source: http://www.businesstraveller.asia/asia-pacific/news/kingfisher-cancels-international-routes Statement From Kingfisher Airlines - Mumbai, March 14, 2012 Despite the shortage of crew, Kingfisher Airlines operated 101 flights on March 13th and will operate 101 flights on March 14th. Our prime mission is to maintain schedule integrity by predicting in advance what we can with the sole objective of minimising, if not eliminating guest inconvenience. We try hard 24X7 to inform guests in advance of cancelled or combined flights and to give them the option of travelling on other airlines or to take a full refund. There will, inevitably, be a small number of guests who are inconvenienced partially because we could not access them personally but only via their agents. Kingfisher apologises to all those who were affected. Whilst many of our pilots and engineers have expressed their disappointment, we not only sincerely apologise to them but wish to advise that our Chairman will meet the pilot fraternity on Thursday March 15 in Delhi. There is a lot of sensational speculation and assumption about us. We request one and all to appreciate the serious handicaps we face not only because of our frozen accounts but because of the operating environment. We are working hard to resolve the issues that confront us given the current environment. We would like to confirm that we are curtailing our wide body overseas operations that are bleeding heavily. To this end we have already returned one Airbus A 330-200 to the lessor in the UK. Positive and immediate action is being taken on all fronts to cut costs. We are trying to protect the interests of our valuable employees. We share their pain caused by unpaid salaries and we are also trying to protect their jobs apart from paying salaries. Whatever the schedule we operate, we would like to assure our valued customers that your flights will depart as shown and on time. The suspension of our ICH and BSP accounts with IATA resulted from the freeze of our IATA accounts by the tax authorities. We have, obviously suffered as guests are not able to book seamlessly through IATA travel agents as before. This serious handicap has been partially mitigated by encouraging our travel partners to establish booking arrangements on their individual platforms. Nevertheless, this greatly influences our ability to operate certain flights and it is, therefore, incorrect to assume that pilots are solely responsible. We continue to work with the tax authorities to arrive at a solution to de-freeze our accounts as early as possible. We are also working with our Bankers to realise the urgent interim working capital as approved in the Bankers Consortium meeting held on February 17th. This is not dependant on State Bank of India as widely reported. We fully understand that State Bank of India can only consider additional facilities once our account with them is standard and this has been debated and minuted at the last Consortium meeting. The Government's final verdict on removing the restriction on investment by a foreign airline within the existing FDI limit of 49% is awaited. We can confirm that there is interest from prospectives on this basis. Finally, we wish to assure all guests, employees and all stakeholders that we are doing our very best. Prakash Mirpuri Vice President - Corporate Communications Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. Source: http://www.flykingfisher.com/media-center/press-releases/statement-from-kingfisher-airlines.aspx

Cikgu Kenneth's plane AOG.......poor bird..

The news of D7 axing Christchurch is gathering pace. It is sad that whatever from the rumour mill in Malaysia will turn out to be true, just a matter of time. Sadly Azran Osman Rani, initially, insisted that they were not chopping any route, rather labelling it as 'under review'. D7 is trying to avoid double embarrassment and double whammy from the public by axing so many route at the same time. Of course, I agree economy sensitive airlines like A7, AK has every right to drop loss-making route; in public perception it is a total different story for them. D7 has finally realised that long haul low cost doesn't work. Why would one want to be cramped in tight seat pitch and narrow seats when you can travel with full fare carriers with around the same price after all the add-ons?? Jetstar has been pretty careful when planning, sticking to Asia Pacific Rim only. Perhaps D7 should use bundled pricing system to attract more customers like what Jetstar is doing. Scoot is about their bundled fares as well.

AirAsia seen riding out rough patch An AirAsia Airbus A320 (foreground) sitting on the tarmac while another Air Asia aircraft taxis at the low-cost air carrier terminal of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Picture: AFP (KUALA LUMPUR)- Thursday, March 8, 2012 AFTER a decade of unbroken success, expansion and accolades, recent events have brought budget airline pioneer AirAsia and its flamboyant boss Tony Fernandes down a little closer to earth. Fernandes, who built AirAsia into one of aviation's biggest successes, will this month cease unprofitable London and Paris routes served by long-haul unit AirAsia X in the first step back for his fast-growing low-cost network. Malaysia-based AirAsia's 2011 profits were halved to US$186 million due to rising fuel costs and global uncertainty, competitors are proliferating, and the company faces allegations of poor service and deceptive practices. But despite the unfamiliar negative news, the route pullback and a resulting refocusing on Asia could leave Fernandes's empire even stronger, more focused, and still a step ahead of its competition, analysts said. "Their prospects remain very strong," said Shukor Yusof, an aviation analyst with Standard & Poor's in Singapore, citing continued healthy forward bookings and effective management. "It is still the leading low-cost carrier in this part of the world and will be for some time yet." Fernandes, 47, took over near-dead AirAsia in 2001 and, with his motto "Now everyone can fly," built it into Asia's largest no-frills carrier, tapping into the wanderlust of the region's emerging middle class. Routes spread quickly in Southeast Asia and the 2007 launch of AirAsia X extended the reach to China, India and later Europe. But the days of global expansion seem over, for now. Besides London and Paris, Mumbai routes were chopped in January and Delhi flights stop this month. Analysts said the group, which currently serves about 80 cities worldwide in more than 20 countries, appeared to have discovered the limits of the budget airline model. "What AirAsia X has found out is that once flights get up to nine, ten hours or more, you struggle to make money with the low-cost model (due to fuel costs and the need for enhanced passenger services)," said Brendan Sobie of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. The European foray was useful for marketing. Fernandes, who already owned the Lotus now renamed Caterham Formula One team, bought English Premier League team Queens Park Rangers last year, allowing him to emblazon AirAsia's logo across player jerseys. AFP Source: http://www.bt.com.bn...out-rough-patch

Obviously, I know for sure will be stairs for both ends. What I am talking about is the open area after the stairs. Air France installed an inflight museum, Emirates with showers, Singapore Airlines and China Southern Airlines with their seating couches. Similarly, KE put an open sky bar-cum-lounge at the back-end of upper deck and a inflight shopping kiosk at end of main deck. MH is any way, are miles behind other premium airlines in terms product innovation and creativity!

Looks very nice. It seems like a lot of airlines are now moving towards "V" configured J class. Pioneered by US Airways, Air New Zealand, CX and LH are now using them as well.

After the much hoo-ha on the livery, everyone will now be guessing what MH will put at the front end and back end of upper deck. Hopefully MH can be creative in making full use of the areas.......fingers and toes crossed~~~

Marketing Magazine reveals that: "Malaysia Airlines has finally awarded its creative account to Ogilvy after a 10-month long pitch process. " Ogilvy is famous for being 'thinking out of the box"......

A close up picture..... When the English proverb states:" Two wrongs doesn't make a right"....They must have foresee MH 'double blunder'......OMG! MH, I was really hoping this new livery is not the final one!! Musnah harapan.....the new 'malaysia airlines' and inverted wau logo....I feel like crying....T.T

IMO, I don't think the ROI would be great for A330P2F. The process of stripping and reinforcing the floor and steel beam may require longer period of downtime and may not worth it. Unless someone copied FedEx, buying every single possible DC-10 or MD-11 to be converted to gain best possible marginal benefit, buying a new A332F would be a better choice. CX is trying to get rid of their B747BCF as they found out ROI of converted pax aircraft is lower that what they had initially thought.

(Same post as in another thread) Hey guys, I saw a preview of the new livery. The new livery comprises of upsized, bold malaysiairlines in navy blue near L1 door, with the wau bulan in complete navy blue at tail. The cheatlines are gone, replaced with two strokes of wavy-like ala CX's white paint-brush stroke, but inverted.. MH's two strokes of waves covers the back of plane like a ribbon wrapping around it..... I honestly hope this design is not the finalised....I maybe wrong.....

Hey guys, I saw a preview of the new livery. The new livery comprises of upsized, bold malaysiairlines in navy blue near L1 door, with the wau bulan in complete navy blue at tail. The cheatlines are gone, replaced with two strokes of wavy-like ala CX's white paint-brush stroke, but inverted.. MH's two strokes of waves covers the back of plane like a ribbon wrapping around it..... I honestly hope this design is not the finalised....I maybe wrong.....

A380 was originally created to ease congestion in busy airports like LHR, JFK, to lesser extend SIN. We may get to see quite a number of A380s at our neighbour soon. LHR will definitely see most A380s.

This airline has death sentence written all over.....wonder how long it would last?? Most of their A320s has been repossessed.....If RBS starts to repossess their ATR 72, KF is dead.....