Spirit Airlines is adding 2 international destinations to its network with service to new cities in Ecuador and Haiti. The routes will launch from Fort Lauderdale this spring, expanding what is already Spirit’s largest base of operation. March 22, Spirit will begin flying from Fort Lauderdale to Guayaquil, Ecuador. The carrier will fly 1 daily round-trip flight throughout the year. April 12, Spirit will launch service to Cap-Haïtien on the north coast of Haiti. On that route, Spirit’s year-round schedule will feature 3 flights a week. Spirit billed Guayaquil as the “Gateway to the Galapagos.” The city will become Spirit’s only destination in Ecuador. In Haiti, Cap-Haïtien International Airport is the second busiest airport in Haiti, according to Spirit. Spirit already flies from Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince with non-stop service to Fort Lauderdale. <br/>
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The CE of Aseman Airline unveiled plans to renovate and expand its fleet with new planes, saying the Iranian airline has received 15 passenger planes over the past 3 years. Hossein Alaei said Sunday Aseman Airline has plans to boost its fleet with modern planes. A total of 15 Boeing, Airbus and Fokker planes have joined the fleet of Aseman over the past 3 years, he added, expressing the hope that an agreement with Boeing would come into force without the US administration’s obstruction. In April 2017, Aseman signed a major contract with Boeing to purchase 60 passenger jets. Aseman is going to receive 30 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes with a list price value of US$3b under the contract, which also provides the Iranian airline with purchase rights for 30 additional 737 MAXs. <br/>
El Al has confirmed it will discontinue its UP budget brand as the company revises its European market business to implement a new economy fare-structure system on European El Al mainline flights. The new product sale to Europe will launch April 30 on departing flights from Oct 15. In addition, the carrier named former pilot and current VP-commercial Gonen Usishkin as its new CE, replacing David Maimon who announced in November he would step down after 4 years in the job. Usishkin will take up his new position in the coming weeks following a transition period. UP began operations in March 2014 with 4 Boeing 737-800s on flights from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International to Berlin Schoenefeld, Prague, Larnaca (Cyprus), Budapest and Kiev Boryspil. <br/>
In recent years, fuel surcharges have been commonplace in the global airline industry, even after oil prices plunged beginning in 2014. Japan is fairly distinct in having a govt-regulated system in which fuel surcharges correspond directly to jet fuel prices -- on a lagging basis. During 2015 and 2016, falling fuel surcharges created a big unit revenue headwind for Hawaiian Holdings in Japan. By contrast, rising jet fuel prices are now pushing fuel surcharges higher on routes between Japan and Hawaii -- providing a nice tailwind for Hawaiian in its largest international market. Jet fuel prices have been on an upward trajectory since Jan 2016. As a result, fuel surcharges began to reappear last year. Japan is Hawaii's largest source of international tourists. As a result, it's a very important market for Hawaiian Airlines. <br/>
AirAsia may consider listing the Malaysian business in future, its group CE said Monday. "I just don't want to close anything else and any venture out right now," Tony Fernandes said without elaborating on listing details. "The one reason we may do a small offering on Malaysia is just to ascribe value to (make it) easily understood." AirAsia is seeking to list its units in Southeast Asia under a single holding company as well as sell some of its non-core assets and stake in joint ventures to monetise select investments. The company has recently announced a plan to transfer its listing to a new holding company. Under the proposed corporate rejig, AirAsia Group will assume the listing of AirAsia with Fernandes continuing to helm the company as the group CE for the soon-to-be-listed entity. <br/>