Lion Air is targeting a flotation of up to $1b in Q1 2020, several sources close to the matter said, as the Indonesian airline resumes growth after a year dominated by the fatal crash of one of its Boeing 737 MAX jets. The budget carrier, which had been awaiting an official report on last year’s crash before making key decisions including a long-delayed IPO, is hoping to fund future aircraft deliveries to service an improving market. Last month’s Indonesian accident report focused on flaws in Boeing cockpit software, while recommending better training at Lion Air and improved US and local regulation. “The Indonesian market is finally showing signs of stability. This is a good time to tap the market,” one individual with knowledge of the plans said. The sources all declined to be named as they are not authorized to speak to the media about the IPO, which would involve Lion Air’s core Indonesian airline and could rank as one of the biggest floats in Indonesia.<br/>
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Ryanair says it has dampened expectations that it would receive the entirety of its planned delivery of Boeing 737 Max airplanes next year. As the Ireland-headquartered reported profit of E1.15b for the half-year to September, in line with the same period of 2018, CEO Michael O'Leary said the airline now expects to receive its first Max planes in March 2020. O'Leary said Monday that "we have reduced our expectation of 30 Max aircraft being delivered to us in advance of peak summer 2020 down to 20 aircraft and there is a real risk of none." Europe's busiest airline has said it would cut flights and close some bases because of delays to deliveries of the plane, which has been grounded globally after two fatal crashes.<br/>
IndiGo said Monday its flights and check-in systems were running normally, after an hours-long outage hit operations at airports, leading to long queues and hassling passengers. IndiGo said earlier its systems had been down across the network since Monday morning. “Our system is up now but has disrupted operations across the network,” IndiGo said in a Twitter post, adding that it was working to bring operations back to normal. The outage added to passenger woes as dozens of Indian flights already faced delays or cancellations on Monday, according to reports, due to a decline in visibility because of air pollution shrouding New Delhi, home to the country’s busiest airport. Hassled travellers affected by IndiGo’s outage posted pictures on Twitter of long lines at check-in counters at major airports.<br/>
Hong Kong Airlines is further reducing its network and suspending a long-haul route in response to increasingly tough market conditions. The carrier announced it will cut its operations by about 6%, and one of the major changes will be the suspension of its flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles in February. The airline said it will be monitoring the market to determine if the route has to be suspended earlier. Frequencies will be adjusted in other markets. Hong Kong Airlines has a 14.4% share of the Hong Kong-Los Angeles market. The other airlines on this route are Cathay Pacific Airways and American. Like its larger rival Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines said the continuing protests in Hong Kong have affected demand and revenue. In addition, “strong competition and overcapacity” in its markets have meant the airline “has been operating in a challenging business environment for some time.” Hong Kong Airlines said it has been making operations adjustments in response to market dynamics, as well as implementing cost-saving measures. However, the carrier has had to introduce the latest network cuts “as challenges in the market continue to escalate.”<br/>
Chinese airliner Juneyao Air will launch direct flights connecting Shanghai to Athens in July, Greece’s tourism ministry said on Monday. Juneyao and Greece have signed a deal on the new route during a three-day visit by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Shanghai. Tourism accounts for about a quarter of economic output in the Mediterranean country, which saw a record number of about 33m visitors last year. About 125,000 Chinese tourists visited Greece in 2018 out of a total 140 million who travelled abroad. Athens wants Chinese tourist arrivals to quadruple to 500,000, the ministry said. “The agreement for a direct Athens-Shanghai air connection will be crucial to achieve that goal,” said Greece’s secretary general for tourism, Konstantinos Loulis. <br/>