Air Seoul, Asiana Airlines' second budget carrier, will likely begin operations as early as July, entering the country's increasingly competitive LCC market, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Monday. The company, set up to take over Asiana's unprofitable domestic and short-distance international routes, is widely expected to receive an AOC from the ministry next month. Air Seoul plans to fly on the Gimpo-Jeju and other domestic routes, currently operated by its parent firm, as soon as it is licensed. A spokesman said the airline expects it will take about 3 months for the carrier to get aviation approval from foreign countries, adding that it will serve Korean and non-Korean passengers flying between Korea and other Asian nations in October. <br/>
unaligned
Rayani Air, Malaysia’s first Islamic-compliant airline, has been shut down, regulators said Monday, months after it was suspended from flying for breaching aviation regulations. The carrier launched only in December with Muslim flight crew wearing the hijab while non-Muslim members were forbidden from wearing revealing clothing. But after an “investigation into the administration and safety audit” of the airline, the Department of Aviation (DCA) said it has revoked Rayani’s AOC. The DCA launched an inquiry into the airline in April following a string of criticisms from passengers and the govt over delays and last-minute cancellations. That month saw pilots of the carrier, which operates 2 Boeing 737-400s, also go on strike over unpaid wages, further damaging its image. <br/>
Ryanair has announced plans to launch an accommodation service, offering low-cost "Ryanair Rooms" in destinations throughout its network. Launching Oct 1, the service will include hotels, hostels, villas, homestays and B&Bs – with an emphasis on low prices. The accommodation will be booked through Ryanair.com, adding to its suite of travel products which currently include car hire, airport transfers and insurance. "We're going to transform booking accommodation," said Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair's CMO. "More and more customers are looking to Ryanair for products other than flights, and we see this as a natural progression towards Ryanair.com becoming the Amazon of air travel." The airline currently offers accommodation in conjunction with Booking.com, but the partnership will end Sept 30. <br/>
Air Mauritius swung to a pre-tax profit of E16.62m in the year ended March 31 from a loss of E23.57m a year earlier helped by lower oil prices and higher passenger numbers. "The results for the year under review have been positively impacted by lower oil prices and an increase in passengers but tempered by the depreciation of the euro, hedge pay-outs and a decrease in yield," the airline said. The carrier said its passenger numbers grew 10% to 1,499,411. In May it added 2 new destinations, Maputo and Dar es Salaam, and is expected to start operations to Guangzhou, China, in July. Revenue rose to E490m from E465m. It said competition had increased due to more airlines entering Mauritius, including low cost and seasonal charter carriers. <br/>