Struggling Fastjet said Tuesday that after 3 years at the helm its CE Nico Bezuidenhout would step down to re-join a business that he founded. Media reports last month suggested that Bezuidenhout could return to Mango Airlines as its top boss, a role he previously held for nearly a decade. Bezuidenhout could not immediately be reached for comment. Fastjet said Mark Hurst, its deputy group CE, will lead the airline until a permanent replacement is appointed. The airline, which operates in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, has faced several issues related to its dwindling cash pile and was saved from going under after striking a deal to raise funds late last year. Bezuidenhout said last week that Fastjet expects to be profitable on an underlying basis in 2019. <br/>
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Garuda's low-cost arm Citilink is preparing to launch long-haul services in Q4 with Airbus A330-900s. Citilink's CE Juliandra Nurtjahjo says the airline will receive 2 A330neos between October and December, which will enable it to launch flights into Frankfurt and Jeddah. Nurtjahjo explains the move to launch long-haul flights is part of its long-term business plan and a strategy alignment with Garuda. He adds that Frankfurt was chosen as the first long-haul destination due to its status as a major European hub alongside Amsterdam and London. The German city's hub status also means passengers can connect easily to other destinations. Besides Germany and Saudi Arabia, Citilink is looking to expand into Australia and Vietnam, though the Citilink chief did not share further details. <br/>
Wizz Air has posted a 19% increase in passenger numbers for June as a string of new routes continues to drive growth. The company also increased its average capacity by 1.7 percentage points on the previous year to 95%. The figures build on a recent period of growth for the airline, which has opened dozens of new routes to Poland, Austria and Georgia. Wizz Air said it has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to buy 20 new aircraft, which will be delivered from 2023 onwards. The airline hit the higher end of its profit forecasts last year, despite a sharp drop in earnings over the winter. However, its profit margin dropped by 1.4 percentage points as increased fuel prices hurt its cost per seat per kilometre. The airline said it expects robust demand over the summer. <br/>