Asia Pacific – Page 249
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AnalysisOutbreak brings mixed fortunes for Asia MROs
While much has been said about how the coronavirus outbreak has affected the airline industry, what is less-known is its effect on MROs. Are MROs in Asia seeing the silver lining of the crisis, or is it also a picture of gloom for many of them?
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NewsAirAsia reinstates Fernandes, Meranun citing independent probe
AirAsia Group reinstated Kamarudin Meranun and Tony Fernandes to their previously vacated positions on 20 March, after the low-cost carrier and its long-haul sister AirAsia X completed an independent probe into Airbus bribery allegations. The was conducted following an investigation into Airbus over corruption allegations. UK court documents list five ...
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NewsA330-800 test aircraft deployed to transport coronavirus supplies
Airbus has been deploying an A330-800 test aircraft to assist with coronavirus protection measures, using it to transport some 2 million masks from Tianjin in China to Europe, where they will be distributed to French and Spanish authorities. The airframer disclosed the measure as it prepares to restart – at ...
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NewsA321 uncontained failure spurs urgent V2500 disk measures
Operators of Airbus A320-family jets are being ordered to remove disks from certain International Aero Engines V2500 powerplants after an uncontained failure resulted in an aborted A321 take-off. The incident occurred on 18 March, says the US FAA, and involved a high-pressure turbine first-stage disk failure. While the regulator has ...
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NewsVietJet suspends Southeast Asia flights
Low-cost carrier VietJet Air will temporarily suspend services on its Southeast Asian network. The suspension will commence from 20 March and affect services to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar and Indonesia. The decision comes amid the global coronavirus outbreak, and follows Vietnam’s decision to grant no visas for a month. ...
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NewsCoronavirus rebound will take time: Air NZ chief
Air New Zealand’s chief executive believes the airline will emerge from the coronavirus crisis after agreeing to government backing on Friday, but a rebound will take time. “I’m pretty sure the airline’s going to be a little bit smaller than what it was, because it will be a bit of ...
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NewsAAPA calls on governments to help struggling airline sector
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has called on the region’s governments to “take immediate action” to help airlines amid the coronavirus pandemic. It notes that travel bans, border closures, lockdowns, quarantines, and other measures will see Asian airlines suffer revenue shortfalls of $60 billion in 2020. “By the ...
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NewsWellington throws financial lifeline to Air NZ
Air New Zealand has secured standby funding of up to NZ$900 million ($511 million) from the government to support the airline as it battles the coronavirus outbreak. The government, which owns 52% of the airline, said on 20 March that the deal allows the carrier to keep operating and will ...
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NewsDeal for 83 Tejas fighters passes bureaucratic hurdle
New Delhi will acquire 83 Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Tejas Mk-1A light fighters for the air force at an estimated cost of $5.3 billion, pending cabinet approval. The acquisition process is moving forward following the finalisation of contractual and other issues by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), according to a government ...
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Airline BusinessAll tunnel, no light for Asia-Pacific airlines
The Asia-Pacific is seen as the engine of future aviation growth, but the coronavirus pandemic has brought its airline sector to its knees. Recent days have seen a collapse in air travel demand in the region. When news of coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan, China during January, comparisons were quickly ...
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NewsChinese carriers’ February traffic collapse amid pandemic hit
February was a difficult month for China’s three largest carriers as the country battled the coronavirus outbreak and was the subject of travel restrictions globally. In traffic results released on 18 March, each carrier saw capacity and load factors collapse, both domestically and internationally. As with January’s traffic results, ...
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NewsQantas and Jetstar suspend all international flights
Qantas and Jetstar are suspending scheduled international flights from late March, in accordance with the Australian government’s advice. Qantas Group says in a statement: “With the federal government now recommending against all overseas travel from Australia, regularly scheduled international flights will continue until late March to assist with repatriation, and ...
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NewsLatest SpaceJet M90 test aircraft embarks on first flight
Mitsubishi Aircraft’s SpaceJet M90 flight-test vehicle 10 took off on its maiden sortie on 18 March. The aircraft, FTV10, registered JA26MJ, took off from Nagoya and conducted a series of performance tests over the Pacific Ocean. Two hours later, the aircraft returned to Nagoya. Source: Mitsubishi Aircraft Flight ...
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NewsDomestic air travel ban hits Philippine carriers
Philippine carriers will bear the brunt of a short-term suspension of domestic air travel from the country’s main Luzon island group, as a “community quarantine” that was first imposed on the metropolitan Manila area has been expanded to include the entire region. The restrictions, effective 15 March for Manila and ...
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NewsJetstar Asia puts all service on hold amid travel restrictions
Jetstar Asia will suspend all services from 23 March to 15 April, in response to “the introduction of new government restrictions across multiple jurisdictions in recent days”. The Singapore-based low-cost carrier will refund affected passengers the full value of their ticket, in the form of a credit voucher valid for ...
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NewsHawaiian suspends Sapporo service into July
Hawaiian Airlines will suspend its three weekly nonstop flights between Honolulu International airport (HNL) and New Chitose Airport (CTS) in Sapporo from 2 April through 18 July due to coronavirus risks, cutting into its revenue hopes for its Japan network. The carrier, which has served Sapporo since 2012, aims to ...
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NewsSingapore Airlines halves capacity, seeks liquidity boost
Singapore Airlines will operate at 50% capacity until end-April and is looking to shore up liquidity. “Given the growing scale of the border controls globally and its deepening impact on air travel, SIA expects to make further cuts to its capacity,” the carrier says in a statement. ...
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NewsVietnam to cease visa issuance for one month
Vietnam will cease issuing visas for incoming visitors over the next 30 days as the country seeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. According to a government web site, exceptions include overseas Vietnamese and their spouses and children, but only if they can submit papers that prove they have not ...
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NewsMalaysia lockdown curtails regional air travel
Travel restrictions are closing in on Southeast Asia, as Malaysia imposes a partial lockdown after seeing a recent spike in coronavirus cases. From 18 to 31 March, citizens are restricted from leaving the country, while foreign visitors and tourists will be denied entry. Nearly all business, government offices and schools ...
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NewsAir NZ cuts trans-Tasman capacity by 80%
Air New Zealand is making cuts to its trans-Tasman network that will reduce capacity by 80%, starting from 30 March to 30 June. The changes are a result of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on travel demand, the carrier says. Carriers flying trans-Tasman routes, February 2020 ...