ANA Holdings said Thursday it would merge its units Peach Aviation and Vanilla Air by March 2020, to sharpen the competitive edge of its budget carrier business and tap growing travel demand in Asia. The integrated low-cost carrier business, which will be known as Peach and become Japan’s largest budget carrier, plans to enter the medium-length international market by the fiscal year starting in April 2020. ANA is a major player in the growing budget aviation market in Japan with Tokyo-based Vanilla and Osaka-based Peach competing against Jetstar Japan, as well as a newly re-launched AirAsia Japan. “Competition is becoming increasingly fierce with the entry of overseas airlines and we thought now was the time to combine our strengths,” Vanilla President Katsuya Goto said. Low-cost carriers from other parts of the region, such as Hong Kong Express and Singapore’s Scoot, have been adding flights to Japan as the nation becomes an increasingly popular tourist destination for Asian travelers.<br/>
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Ryanair's plan to buy Laudamotion will add Airbus planes to the Irish low-cost carrier's fleet for the first time and could herald an improvement in relations with the European planemaker. The acquisition by one of the world's biggest airlines, which now operates 430 Boeing 737s, marks an unusual step in the low-cost business, where carriers tend to stick to a single aircraft type to keep costs down and operations simple. The move to buy 75 percent of Vienna-based Laudamotion could also signal a shift to form a multi-airline group in the low-cost business, mirroring traditional operators such as IAG and Lufthansa that each run several carriers. But CE Michael O'Leary is starting small with Airbus, although he said he had harbored aspirations to develop an Airbus fleet at Ryanair for "some years". The Laudamotion deal gives Ryanair 15 Airbus A320, with plans to double that in three years. By comparison, Ryanair aims to have 570 Boeing 737s in five years, ensuring it stays one of the biggest clients for the Seattle-based firm even as it forms a new link with the European manufacturer. "This obviously gives them more bargaining power," said Mark Simpson, an analyst at broker Goodbody, which has a "buy" rating for Ryanair. "If they are going to 600 aircraft, do you have 400 Boeing and 200 Airbus? It gives them flexibility."<br/>
A Fly Jamaica Airways crew member is accused of attempting to smuggle nearly nine pounds of cocaine through John F Kennedy International Airport in New York - by sticking it down his trousers. Federal officials said that during a security search late last week, Hugh Hall, a Jamaican citizen, was found to have four packages filled with white powder strapped to his legs. Authorities confirmed that the substance was cocaine – about US$160,000 worth, according to a statement from US Customs and Border Protection. Hall was taken into custody Saturday on federal illegal drug smuggling charges, authorities said. His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday. Federal officials said Hall and the other crew members from Fly Jamaica Airways Flight 272 were selected for inspection Saturday at the airport in Queens, New York.<br/>
Canadian controllers intervened to stop a Jazz Bombardier Q400 from departing Thunder Bay airport without clearance, as a second aircraft prepared to land on an intersecting runway. The Jazz aircraft had been cleared to position and hold on runway 25 ahead of a flight to Toronto on 9 March, according to the Transportation Safety Board. But it states that tower controllers saw the turboprop initiating its take-off roll "without a clearance". The second aircraft, a Wasaya Airways Beech 1900D, had already been cleared to land on runway 12, which intersects the far end of runway 25. In a bulletin on the incident the safety board says controllers instructed the Q400 to stop, and to exit the runway and wait on taxiway B, owing to an inbound Pilatus PC-12 conducting a medevac flight to runway 25.<br/>
South Korean low-cost carrier Air Seoul has introduced an annual pass that slashes fares on flights to Japan by up to 75%. Air Seoul's "Mint Pass" offers discounts from 67 to 75%, the Asiana Airlines subsidiary said Wednesday. The deal name refers to the airline's livery colour. The airline, with destinations in Japan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and Guam, has been targeting niche markets in Japan. The Mint Pass deals are limited to Yonago, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Shizuoka, Toyama, Nagasaki and Ube. For three roundtrips, the "Mint Pass J1," originally 600,000 won ($560), is available for 199,000 won. The "J2," for five roundtrips, is down from 1m won to 299,900 won, while the "J3," for seven roundtrips, has been slashed from 1.4m won to 399,000 won. The deals can be purchased by submitting a registration form downloadable from the airline's site, starting Wednesday. The Mint Pass can be used anytime between May 1, 2018 and Apr. 30, 2019.<br/>
A young airline with big ambitions will turn its attention to San Francisco International Airport on Sunday when it launches a non-stop flight between its home airport in Hong Kong and SFO. Hong Kong Airlines will operate the non-stop service four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline plans to expand to daily flights by August 18. With the addition of this flight on Sunday, the San Francisco-Hong Kong route will boast up to six flights per day. "Being able to connect these two big developing areas, and being able to offer travelers one more option, I think Hong Kong Airlines is in a very special place to do that," said George Liu, the airline's chief marketing officer.<br/>