Virgin Australia is working to secure slots that would allow it to launch a new Asian destination in 2018. CE John Borghetti says the airline is keen to add a second Asian route in addition to its Melbourne-Hong Kong services. “We’ve got the aircraft, we’re just missing slots and we’re just working on that,” he says. ”I’d like to think that by this time next year we will have slots.” Borghetti would not be drawn into discussing which cities the airline is looking at, although it already holds rights to fly daily services to mainland China from Australia’s major cities. Previously, he has pointed to the shortage of slots at Beijing Capital International and Shanghai Pudong International airports as factors that have stopped it from moving ahead with launching China services. <br/>
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Virgin Australia's board has revealed it has been considering mopping up the minority shareholders on its register and making the airline a private company. The company's chair Elizabeth Bryan said Wednesday that the board had discussed privatising the company, but that there was "no outcome to report to the market at this stage". Etihad Airways, SIA, HNA Aviation Group and Nanshan each own about 20% of Virgin Australia, while Virgin Group owns another 10%. That leaves less than 10% of the company's shares traded freely on the stock market, which has led to speculation Virgin could buy back these remaining shares - worth about A$175m at the current share price - and take the company private. <br/>
Ryanair has rolled out a series of new digital initiatives as part of its Always Getting Better (AGB) improvement program, including connecting flights at Porto Airport in Portugal. Under the fourth year of AGB, Ryanair has upgraded its accommodation platform Ryanair Rooms, launched a Chinese website and gone live on Ryanair Tickets, where passengers can book London West End shows. More events and attractions will be added to Ryanair Tickets over the coming months. The carrier has also added more personalisation for customers booking through MyRyanair, so passengers can see preferred routes and recent searches, as well as recommended products and services. Ryanair said this forms “the first phase of an extensive personalisation upgrade, with tailored special offers to follow.” <br/>
Sun Country Airlines is throwing in the towel on scheduled flights to Cuba, citing shaky demand and restrictions on travel to the island. The privately held airline told the US DoT in a motion earlier this month that it would relinquish its rights to operate the scheduled flights to Santa Clara and Matanzas, from Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Trump administration Wednesday released a list of restrictions that would make it more difficult for US citizens to travel to the island, including ending the so-called "people-to-people" cultural exchanges that were permitted under loosened rules introduced by the Obama administration. The rules take effect Thursday. President Donald Trump in June called for an end to some of the recently loosened travel regulations. <br/>
SIA says that its India unit, Vistara, plans to launch international operations in the second half of 2018. SIA Group CE Goh Choon Phong adds that Vistara will receive its 20th aircraft by the end of the current financial year, which ends March 30. He also says that the carrier is expecting 2 more aircraft to be delivered in mid-2018, which will be mainly put on international services. Vistara previously said that they will be leased Airbus A320neos, bringing its total fleet to 22. Goh, however, declined to reveal Vistara's first international destination, except saying that it will be announced by the carrier "in due course". Vistara has brought forward aircraft deliveries by3 months in a bid to launch its international operations earlier. Vistara currently has 13 A320ceos and 3 A320neos, with another 4 of the re-engined variant on order. <br/>
Thai AirAsia is strengthening its footprint in China with an expanded network and more frequent flights. TAA will introduce 2 new routes -- Bangkok-Chengdu and Phuket-Kunming -- Feb 1 next year to bring its overall Thailand-China connections to 22 routes across 14 cities. Kathleen Tan, AirAsia president for China, said the high potential of the Chinese market propelled the airline's continued network expansion there. She said AirAsia flights to China have an average load factor of 87%, a satisfactory level for the group. AirAsia started flying to China in 2004 and entered Chengdu from Kuala Lumpur in 2009, a route that it continues to operate on a daily basis, sustaining a load factor of 86%. Thai tourists are increasingly fond of visiting China, while Chinese have become the biggest nationality in terms of arrivals in Thailand. <br/>
Serial start-up airline executive Ed Wegel has announced plans to re-launch former widebody freighter operator World Airways as a long-haul passenger carrying airline flying Boeing 787s using an ultra-low-cost model. US-based investment firm 777 Partners acquired the intellectual property of World Airways, named Wegel as founding CE of the re-launched carrier and disclosed ongoing discussions with Boeing to order up to 10 787s. 777 Partners and Wegel are attempting to revive an airline that once operated as a rival to Pan Am Airways in international, long-haul operations. But World converted to mostly freighter and charter operations after the 1980s, flying Boeing MD-11s and 747s. The carrier ceased operations in 2014 after a 66-year run. <br/>
Once Southwest Airlines starts flying to Hawaii as early as next year, it may well add a compelling wrinkle to its schedule: flights between the islands. The carrier is mulling whether to include some in-state travel along with its trans-Pacific routes, which the company plans to offer starting next year. Southwest CE Gary Kelly said last month that island-hopping flights are something it’s “obviously” considering—they’re attractive in terms of year-round demand, easy weather, and steady prices. While Southwest would face off against Hawaiian Airlines, a deeply entrenched competitor which enjoys a virtual monopoly in the state, it does have a secret weapon. Andrew Watterson, the Southwest executive who oversees revenue and is in charge of cracking the Hawaii nut financially, worked at Hawaiian for 3 years and knows the market well. <br/>
Wizz Air boss József Váradi has confirmed he is hoping to get his hands on the slots at Luton airport left vacant by failed rival Monarch. The CE said it was not yet clear how the slots Monarch held for its four Luton-based planes would be distributed. KPMG, the administrator for the defunct airline, lost a judicial review at the High Court Wednesday over whether it has the right to sell them. It is thought industry body Airport Co-ordination Limited may now be able to redistribute the slots, giving priority to newer airlines. Váradi said that once the process was clear, he would be keen to take control of the slots. Váradi added that he did not think that turmoil in the airline industry - which this year has seen the collapse of Alitalia, Air Berlin and Monarch - had come to an end. <br/>