Flynas plans to seek regulatory approval this year for an initial public offering that would make it the first carrier to be listed on the country’s stock exchange, part of a broader effort to diversity the economy in the face of weak oil prices. The closely held carrier, which announced an deal for 80 Airbus planes Monday, is working with Banque Saudi Fransi and expects to apply for clearance from Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority by mid-2017, CE Paul Byrne said. In 2016, Flynas recorded its second profitable year since beginning operations a decade ago, he said, declining to provide figures. “We’ve been profitable for the past couple of years, so it’s something we need to think about,” Byrne said. “The percentage to be floated is up to the shareholders to decide.” <br/>
unaligned
Saudi Arabian Airlines' budget carrier Flyadeal will lease 6 Airbus A320s, an Airbus executive said Monday, a sign that the planemaker might again have pipped Boeing in the race to win a big Middle East deal. Flyadeal, which is set to start services in mid-2017, is aiming to operate a fleet of up to 50 narrow body jets by 2020 and Saleh al-Jasser, DG of Saudi Arabian Airlines, said last year Flyadeal would operate leased Airbus or Boeing jets. Airbus's Middle East MD Fouad Attar said Flyadeal would operate 6 of his planes. The current model A320s are being leased through an undisclosed leaser and delivery starts in the second half of the year, a spokesman said, adding that no further deals had been done with Flyadeal beyond the 6 aircraft. <br/>
The Opposition spokesman on Air Malta, Claudio Grech, said Monday that the collapse of Air Malta’s talks with Alitalia led one to say ‘we told you so’ because everyone had raised eyebrows when the talks were started with an airline which was itself in serious difficulties. Many people breathed a sigh of relief that Air Malta would not bind itself with a partner which would have made it irrelevant. Grech was replying to comments made by Tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis, who repeated what he told trade unions Friday about the failure of the talks. He said the talks with Alitalia had been stopped in the interests of the Maltese airline, its route network, the tourism industry and the economy in general as well as developments in the aviation sector. <br/>
Thai Smile Airways will spread its wings further abroad this year to raise the number of passengers to 4.5m and revenue to THB10.1b. “Thai Smile plans to operate more than 10 overseas routes this year,” Woranate Laprabang, acting CE, said Monday. “If the plans are implemented, aircraft utilisation will be increased from 8 hours per day to 10.5,” he said. Beginning Jan 27, the airline will operate daily flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport to China’s Zhengzhou, followed by Indonesia’s Kota Kinabalu March 1 with the same frequency. For the summer schedule starting March 26, the carrier will serve Laos’ Vientiane, Cambodia’s Phnom Penh and China’s Xiamen with 7 flights per week. The airline is also eyeing adding China’s Kunming and Zheng Zhou, and the Philippines’ Cebu and China’s Guang Zhao this year. <br/>
Customers are deserting the embattled Tigerair as the airline continues its attempt to fly its stranded passengers home from Bali. The airline was forced to suspend its flights after the Indonesian govt imposed new administrative requirements on the operation of its flights between Australia and Bali. Hundreds of holidaymakers were stranded as Tigerair struggled to re-accommodate passengers on its parent-airline Virgin Australia, or issue full refunds. When asked if the company had any words of reassurance for its future customers, a Tigerair spokesperson said the airline was trying its best to rectify the situation. The future of Tigerair's Bali service currently hangs in the balance, as the airline continues its confidential talks with the Indonesian authorities. <br/>
Switzerland-based Airberlin subsidiary Belair could be closed down by the end of March, the company has informed employees according to several media reports in Switzerland. Belair has around 280 staff and operates 6 Airbus A320 family aircraft on behalf of Airberlin as well as conducting leisure flights for third parties. “We will outline details about the restructuring of Airberlin, which we implemented last September, when the measures have been decided. We will inform employees and our passengers directly,” an Airberlin spokesperson said. A Belair board meeting is planned for Jan 17. “Belair’s cost-structure became too expensive. Its costs are higher than Airberlin mainline. And Belair stands in the way of the merger between FlyNiki and TUIfly,” a former FlyNiki manager said. <br/>
Emirates is opening up its lounges at its Dubai hub to lower-tier frequent flyer members in what is the latest move by the airline to look for new ways to boost revenues. Emirates, which reported a 75% drop in half-year profit in November, had previously restricted access to these lounges to higher-tier frequent flyer members and business or first class travellers. Skywards frequent flyer members with Blue-tier status, the lowest of 4 membership categories, can pay US$100 to access the airline's Dubai business lounge and $200 for the first class lounge. Other changes to the lounge access policy include Skywards members being allowed to pay for access for non-member travel companions and upgrading from business to first class lounges. <br/>
Pilots at El Al Airlines are once again threatening a work slowdown, just a month after having ended one after having reached an agreement with airline management on a pay hike of nearly 9%. This time the issue is a management decision to send senior pilots and flight instructors over age 65 on a forced leave. The El Al Israel Airlines Pilots Committee said Sunday: “While discussions are taking place to arrange terms of employment, El Al’s management has decided to put one third of pilot and simulator instructors on forced leave." The move comes while the union is involved in talks with management on labour conditions. El Al management maintains it is taking action because the Israeli government has adopted international regulations that prevent pilots from flying commercial flights after age 65. <br/>