EasyJet has explored setting up a separate European business if Britain votes to leave the EU at a June 23 referendum. With less than 2 weeks to go, polls show Britons are still evenly split on how to vote. EasyJet, which supports Britain staying in the bloc, has looked at establishing a holding company in order to get an AOC in an EU country. It has also examined making more use of its Swiss air operator's certificate and its EasyJet Switzerland subsidiary as part of its contingency planning. A spokeswoman for EasyJet said the EU's single aviation area had given airlines freedom to fly across the continent and the airline had contingency plans in place in case of a vote for Brexit. "It is clear that an exit would take several years and that this would allow the UK to renegotiate its relationship with the EU," she said. <br/>
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Eurowings has been approached by potential partners but is not interested in restructuring struggling carriers, executives said. "There are some viable options out there," Karl Ulrich Garnadt, a board member at parent Lufthansa and head of Eurowings, told investors. "We have a very clear picture of what's in the market, we have been approached, but there are no decisions yet." Eurowings sees two types of potential partners - efficient airlines that fly direct routes with a low cost base which are coming up against their growth limits, and small and medium sized carriers that have come under pressure from LCCs in their home market, Eurowings development executive Max Kownatzki said. "We're not a point of collection for ailing airlines that need to be restructured," he said. <br/>
GoAir, which recently became eligible to fly overseas with the induction of 20th aircraft in its fleet, may become the first Indian budget airline to take wings to Europe, subject to govt nod. GoAir has expressed its intent to fly abroad from next year and indicated Europe among several other regions in this regard, a top Civil Aviation Ministry official has said. “GoAir has expressed its intent to fly overseas from next calendar year. It has indicated some regions,” Civil Aviation secretary R N Choubey said, adding that Gulf and Europe were some regions that the carrier was looking at. However, the airline “has not yet submitted a formal plan in this regard,” he said. When pointed out that the airline does not have the type of aircraft for the long-haul operations, Choubey said they could be considering “hopping flights”. <br/>
Emirates may offer premium-economy seats in a reversal of its resistance to a class combining a touch of luxury with reasonable fares, as declining oil revenues prompt Middle Eastern customers to tighten travel budgets. Introducing a cabin pitched between coach and business would improve fare flexibility as falling crude prices prompt a "paradigm change" in travel habits among wealthier passengers and companies exposed to the Persian Gulf that took hold elsewhere after the recession, Emirates president Tim Clark said. Emirates has previously avoided the industry's rush to economy-plus products for fear of cannibalising sales of more lucrative seats. With oil reaching a 12-year low in February, the airline is now finding it tougher to fill the world's biggest fleet of wide-body jets. <br/>
AirAsia CE Aireen Omar said growth potential across the ASEAN region is still good, despite some signs of a slowdown. Omar said, “There are potentials for more connectivity as well as frequencies” throughout the 10-country regional grouping. However, she said slow progress on the ASEAN Open Skies agreement across ASEAN members has affected potential expansion rates. “Had Open Skies policy and liberalisation of the sector taken place earlier, AirAsia would have expanded at a much faster pace,” she said. Omar cited harmonisation of standards, licensing and safety as key factors needing attention in the region’s aviation sector, but said that even without a fully implemented regional Open Skies policy, LCCs like AirAsia had successfully used joint ventures to expand regionally. <br/>
SaudiGulf Airlines will be licensed to start domestic flights in the Gulf nation from June 22, the Saudi aviation regulator, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), said June 10. SaudiGulf Airlines is one of 2 new carriers that have been preparing to launch services within the Gulf state under the country’s stated intention to liberalise its domestic aviation scene. This is currently dominated by Saudia, which holds some 90% of the market, with hybrid carrier flynas making up the remainder. SaudiGulf, which will initially use 4 Airbus A320s before acquiring 16 Bombardier CS300s, has been awaiting an AOC from GACA for more than 18 months, as has the second planned entrant to the Saudi market, Qatar Airways-backed Al Maha Airways. <br/>