flee

Darn, that blows my theory! So we are back to square one - why is MH so nervous about having the A380? Instead of accepting that they cannot fill the planes up, maybe they should do something to ensure that they do fill them up!

http://www.malaysianwings.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=12631&st=160

Hi everyone, I think that in order to avoid confusion, we should perhaps decide on a meeting point on Saturday morning. Since KC has said that the best traffic takes place early in the morning, maybe we can meet at 7.30 am (or a little earlier, although I am not sure if we have the light!). For those who cannot make it so early we can select another meeting point and time and maybe do lunch before the afternoon session spotting at 3 pm. As the group is not too big, we should probably pm the contact phone numbers to one another so that we can be in phone or text contact should we miss the appointed time at the meeting points. Are there any suggestions on where we should gather?

If MH is so nervous about not being able to fill the A380 on the kangaroo route, perhaps it is true that D7 has already dented their market share with their KUL-STN services. That may explain why they want protection from D7 on to KUL-SYD route. I guess that without a cabin refresh, MH's B744 product is uncompetitive and pax prefer to save some money by flying D7.

National carrier unhappy with Airbus’ delivery delay, considers other aircraft PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which has ordered six A380s from Airbus SAS, may cancel its order if the manufacturer continues to delay its delivery. “We are not happy with the delay and will not rule out anything at this stage,” managing director and chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin said at a briefing after the company AGM and the launch of its Everyday Value Fares campaign yesterday. He said it was “very frustrating” as the carrier had made plans on the usage of the planes. “We have also made plans to let go of certain aircraft before the (scheduled) delivery of the A380s,” he said. “The board’s position is quite clear. We cannot tolerate another postponement,” MAS chairman Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid said. The Toulouse-based Airbus had earlier compensated RM329mil to MAS for the delay. Tengku Azmil said the airline was currently in discussion with Airbus on further compensation. “We want to make money from operation and the target is RM100mil to RM300mil for operating profit for the current financial year. We want to achieve or exceed that,” he said, adding that it was not right to say that MAS needed the compensation to make money. Airbus was initially scheduled to start delivering the A380s in January 2007 but it was postponed to January 2011 following delay in the French aircraft maker’s programme. It was again deferred to August 2011. MAS is now expected to receive the first of six A380s in the first half of 2012. Based on the 2008 catalogue price, an A380 costs between US$317mil and US$337.5mil. Full report from The Star: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/22/business/6515648&sec=business

Very nice pix of the traffic in Vietnam. Thanks for sharing it with us! I will be going there in April 2011. Hope I can find some time to do some spotting (and the weather will be good)!

Maybe MH could consider using its A380 on one of the KUL-CPT-EZE flights. I believe most pax on this route are business travellers and yields are very good. The distance from CPT-EZE is 6,901 km, the distance from KUL-CPT is 9,546 km while KUL-JNB is 8,504 km. If it is an ETOPS issue, then it may be because the South Atlantic does not have nearby airports for emergencies.

I think they have already suffered the delays as Airbus failed to meet delivery targets in 2009. I remember one of SQ's A380 that was supposed to be delivered last year was only received this year. However, I do think that because MH has never made noise about the delays, Airbus did take some liberties. Anyway, lets wait and see what happens. Meanwhile EK is trying to carve out a competitive advantage (while MH sees it as a burden) with the A380. With so many A380s on their fleet, I am sure that they are already getting economies of scale in terms of flying and maintenance costs. The EK CEO is highly positive about this plane: “When the going gets good again, if we haven’t placed our orders and bagged the positions for the aircraft that we want to do the job then we’ll be behind the curve when everybody else is doing it.” EK is looking for even more A380s beyond the 90 it has ordered: “The mapping of the airline actually sees a lot more A380s needed than even that number, and I know that’s difficult for a lot of people to stomach. Whenever we fly the aircraft it fills up,” he says. Makes me wonder why MH is so negative about the A380...

Thanks for the coverage, Iwan! Looks like RMAF Kuantan is the place to go - it is really open! You guys can actually get so close to the aircraft and pilots!

This will be good news for both JNB and EZE pax. This makes for smoother operations and with 3 weekly flights to JNB, MH will be able to adjust to the demand on that route instead of having to juggle three destinations on one flight.

Yes, I agree. Besides why are people so confident that between now and 2012, the aviation industry traffic will not recover? Besides, it is good that the MH management learnt how to fill the planes. Just look at SQ, their A380 flights are in high demand and their cheapest discount tickets are not available on those flights.

Sri Ramani, Yes those pix are much better than those under hazy conditions and white skies. Perhaps its a Friday and the bulis are not so diligent patrolling OH. Good job and thanks for sharing!

Rolls-Royce celebrates first run of latest Trent engine Friday, 18 June 2010 Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has celebrated the first run of the Trent XWB, the latest member of its Trent® aero engine family. The Trent XWB, the fastest-selling Trent engine programme ever, with more than 1,000 ordered, ran for first time on June 17 on a testbed in Derby, UK. The engine’s first run meets programme commitments set out in 2006. The engine, which will power the Airbus A350 XWB family of aircraft, is the sixth Trent family member. The first Trent aero engine, the Trent 700, began service in 1995 and the engine family has now accumulated more than 40 million hours in service. Specifically designed for the Airbus A350 XWB family, the Trent XWB is the most fuel efficient and environmentally sensitive large engine design available today, with 28 per cent better fuel efficiency than pre-Trent generation engines. Mark King, Rolls-Royce President - Civil Aerospace, said: ‘’This is another significant milestone and once again demonstrates Rolls-Royce’s track record of consistently delivering on major leading-edge technology programmes. The Trent XWB will lead the aerospace industry in terms of quality, efficiency and environmental performance.’’ Didier Evrard, Head of the A350 XWB Programme, Airbus, said: “This is a great day for the A350 XWB programme, for Rolls-Royce and Airbus. The first engine run of the Trent XWB has been achieved fully on time with our schedule and is a major milestone that marks the coming to life of the new aircraft.” The first run starts the most extensive pre-flight programme in Trent history, before the start of flight tests on an Airbus A380 testbed next year and A350 XWB flight tests in 2012. Seven development engines will be running by early 2011. More: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/06/18/343426/picture-a350s-trent-xwb-engine-runs-for-first-time.html http://www.rolls-royce.com/civil/news/2010/100618_first_run_xwb.jsp

Its all about money, isn't it? Here is a piece of real estate ripe for exploitation. The govt. is so desperate for money spinning projects that it has to sell the nation's treasures to fill their pockets.

Azizul, Thanks for your analysis. Yes it is a little surprising to see PEN slip - perhaps the SQ pull out is affecting arrivals. However, I think that for 2010, it should recover since AK has opened up some new routes out of PEN. KBR is no surprise as I see most AK, MH and FY flights are packed. I guess the absence of a convenient road and rail transport system is causing the people to use air services.

This is good news - a brand new leased plane! Will it be fitted with the MAS cabin?

It would seem that airlines are realising that getting new aircraft is very costly these days and the increased efficiency is insufficient to overcome the high acquisition costs. Add to that the delivery delays of new, unproven aircraft and the equation is quite clear. As such, airlines may now decide to wait until new aircraft comes into service before placing orders. The latest airline to refresh cabins on existing aircraft is Swiss: Swiss to retrofit entire A340 fleet by mid 2011

During taxy-out for departure, the left wingtip and leading edge (slat) hit the adjacent aerobridge resulting in substantial wing damage. The aircraft was grounded for repairs. Source: http://www.jacdec.de/news/news.htm

Bigger image here: http://www.airliners.net/photo/AirAsia-X/Airbus-A330-343E/1724121/L/&sid=b1bf9a43bf9b3a4b18014dd9a7d8759b

I am driving down from KUL on Friday and should arrive after lunch. After attending to some business, I plan to visit Singapore Flyer to shoot some dusk shots. After that, I should be free to meet up with anyone who is free - please PM me with your contact details.

Fuyoh, very saturated blue skies!

MH might probably decide to soldier on with the B772s until they get new B787 or A350 planes. As some have said here, old planes are still OK provided the cabins are refreshed. Fully amortised old planes may also have lower total cost of ownership, thereby increasing yields.

It will probably be a 734 since MH is deploying the 738s for longer regional routes.

KC, Better late than never! Superb coverage, as usual. And great traffic at SIN. Hope to see you there next weekend for the MW anniversary.

Chaity, Thanks for sharing. Now I await its release on A.net.