Nigeria’s new national airline will require initial capital of between $150m-300m, and the government is seeking a strategic partner to operate the carrier, the government stated Thursday. The West African country’s previous national carrier, Nigeria Airways, was founded in 1958 and wholly owned by the government. It ceased to operate in 2003. Hadi Sirika, minister of state for aviation, on Wednesday said the government would not own more than five percent of the new carrier, called Nigeria Air. The government plans to launch the airline in December, making good on President Muhammadu Buhari’s election campaign promise. Decades of neglect and lack of investment have left Nigeria with low-quality infrastructure seen as a hurdle to prosperity. The government has said that upgrading it will require private investment. “The initial capital is likely to be in the range of $US 150 to 300m, invested in tranches over time from start up through the first years of operation,” a government document stated. It said the government will provide initial capital but did not state the sum or give further details.<br/>
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Malaysia’s AirAsia Group is set to confirm and expand an order for A330neo long-haul passenger jets, according to sources, handing Airbus a last-minute boost at the Farnborough Airshow Thursday. The confirmation of an order for 66 planes, plus an additional order for around 30 A330neo jets is expected to be announced by AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes later on Thursday. AirAsia is not expected to place additional single-aisle Airbus jet order as it expands A330neo order, sources said. The company was discussing the possible purchase of another 100 Airbus A321neo jets as Fernandes and Airbus went down to the wire in parallel negotiations for an expanded order for larger A330neo jets, industry sources said Sunday. The airline said it would hold a media event on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur at 5:30 p.m. local time for a major announcement related to developing long-haul operations, which are operated by its AirAsia X Bhd arm. AirAsia X has a firm order for 66 of the fuel-efficient A330neo widebody jets to replace its older first-generation A330s but it has been pushing back the delivery dates. The airline also has a firm order for 10 A350s placed in 2009, but Fernandes in April said that jet was “too expensive” and would not be purchased.<br/>
Hawaiian Airlines said Thursday it would buy 10 787-9 widebodies from Boeing with purchase rights for up to 10 more 787 aircraft, putting pressure on rival Airbus to defend its A330neo jet against the Boeing series. The firm order, valued at $2.82b at list prices and announced during the Farnborough Air Show in southern England, confirms an order commitment announced in March. The firm order for 10 787s will be added to Boeing’s order backlog, while the 10 purchase rights will remain as commitments. The Honolulu-based carrier, Hawaii’s largest, dropped an earlier order for Airbus A330neos to go with the Boeing series. The first Boeing 787s are expected to arrive in 2021, the companies said in March. The 787-9 model is the longest-range Dreamliner and Hawaii said the aircraft allows it to offer new destinations to Asia, one of the hottest air travel markets.<br/>
Bombardier said Uganda Airlines signed a firm order for four new CRJ900 jets as the East African nation seeks to resuscitate its moribund carrier after two decades. The country also signed an MOU for two A330neo, Airbus said on its website, without providing cost details. “Based on the list price for the CRJ900 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately $190m,” Montreal-based Bombardier said. The carrier established in 1976 was liquidated in 2001 under a mountain of debt. The state is reviving it with a view to improving transport connections and promoting tourism. <br/>
Shares in China's Hainan Airlines slumped by 9.9% on Friday, close to its daily limit, after a six-month trading suspension during which it undertook a restructuring that would change its owner. Trading in Hainan Airlines' shares had been suspended since January, as had shares in six other mainland-listed companies linked to Chinese conglomerate HNA which is under financing pressure following a $50b buying spree. Its slump reflects ongoing investor jitters around HNA, whose opaque ownership structure and debt-fuelled acquisitions have sparked global regulatory scrutiny. Hainan Airlines, China's fourth-largest airline which is also considered HNA's crown jewel, said in June that its owner would become Hainan Province Cihang Foundation, which is connected to HNA Group, after its restructuring.<br/>
Thai AirAsia will launch the Chiang Mai-Taipei route starting from Sept 30 to serve an increasing number of Thai tourists visiting Taiwan’s capital.<br/>Visa waiver for Thai tourists to Taipei also contributes to the increased interest and repeated visits, Santisuk said. Last year, 292,534 tourists from Thailand visited Taiwan, an almost 50% jump from 195,640 visitors in 2016, according to Taiwanese Tourism Bureau statistics. Taiwan projected more than 300,000 visitors from Thailand to visit the island this year. The no-frills carrier will operate four flights a week on the new route, part of its contribution to national tourism plans, according to the airline. The airline is seeking to use its rapidly growing network of domestic and international flight routes to help draw more people to Chiang Mai.<br/>
Air Italy chief customer experience officer Rossen Dimitrov has stressed during the Farnborough air show that the relaunched Meridiana is "an Italian brand" and that its relationship with Qatar Airways is simply about "learning". The Italian carrier's activities at the show are heavily tied to the presence of 49% shareholder Qatar Airways. Air Italy has a Boeing 737 Max 8 on display alongside Qatar Airways aircraft and is conducting operations from the Doha-based carrier's chalet. But for Dimitrov, himself an ex-Qatar Airways executive, the Italian start-up has a clear identity of its own. "We look at Air Italy as an Italian brand... Qatar Airways is a brand on its own. Qatar Airways is a global brand." He adds: "It's good to learn from Qatar Airways, but in no way do they tell us how to position our brand or how to design our services or product."<br/>
Ryanair has signed its third cabin crew union recognition agreement with the Verdi Union to represent directly employed cabin crew based in Germany. Ryanair’s chief people officer Eddie Wilson said the deal brought the proportion of cabin crew now covered by recognition agreements to over 60%. The airline already has cabin crew recognition agreements in place with Italy’s ANPAC/ANPAV unions and Unite in the UK. “We hope to announce further agreements over the coming weeks, in those countries where unions have approached these negotiations in a practical and positive manner,” Wilson said. “We look forward to working closely with both Verdi and their Company Council in negotiating a CLA [collective labour agreement] for our directly employed German-based cabin crew.” Ryanair is facing disruption during the peak European vacation period because of strikes by pilot and cabin crew unions in several European countries. <br/>
Taiwan has stepped in to help its ally Palau attract more tourists after an airline from the Micronesian nation said it was forced to shut under pressure from mainland China. The island’s battle to protect its few remaining official allies has intensified as its relations with Beijing have deteriorated. Palau has maintained ties with Taiwan but now one of its airlines, Palau Pacific Airways, says it has been forced to suspend operations because of a plunge in mainland Chinese tourists. A letter from the airline’s Taiwanese owner, Sea Passion Group, to Palau’s national congress accused Beijing of branding Palau “an illegal tour destination”, denting its business. The airline said it believed it had been targeted “most likely due to lack of diplomatic status”. A Palau-based member of staff from the airline said the shutdown would happen after August and would halt flights to and from Hong Kong and Macau, the only two routes it operates. Taipei’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that Taiwan’s main airline, China Airlines, has added two more weekly flights to Palau between June and August “to assist in attracting more overseas visitors”. “Helping our diplomatic allies with economic development is one of the important tasks in promoting bilateral cooperation,” it said in a statement.<br/>