Regional carrier Silver Airways says it is introducing new routes between its 3 Florida hubs and Charleston, South Carolina. Launching May 21, just ahead of peak summer travel season, the Fort Lauderdale airline will offer daily service between Orlando and Charleston, 2-times-weekly service between Fort Lauderdale and Charleston, and thrice-weekly service between Tampa and Charleston, Silver says. It adds that it will be the only carrier offering the Tampa-Charleston non-stop connection. The airline will be operating the routes on its new state-of-the-art ATR 72-600 aircraft. Tuesday, Silver applied for US DoT permission to operate flights between the US and both the Dominican Republic and St Maarten on these larger-gauge aircraft. It currently has authority to operate “small aircraft only”. <br/>
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Thai AirAsia’s parent company posted an operating loss of Bt100m (US$3.14m) for the whole of 2019, as costs outpaced revenues. This contrasts with a Bt660m operating profit in 2018. Asia Aviation’s revenue for the year ended Dec 31 2019 rose 3% to Bt41.6b. The company attributed this to a 3% increase in passenger numbers, even as average fares remained flat while load factor was unchanged at 85%. Expenses were up by 5% to Bt41.7b, primarily due to higher costs associated with operating more flights and increased labour costs, the company said in its management and discussion analysis for the year. Net loss came in at Bt474m, reversing last year’s Bt70m net profit. During the year, revenue per ASK fell 4% to Bt1.49. Unit cost declined 2% to Bt1.55, but excluding fuel, this was up by 3% to Bt1.03. <br/>
China Eastern Airlines launched Wednesday a fresh subsidiary - OTT Airlines - to push home-grown aircraft to wider markets, the carrier said on Weibo. The airline said OTT Airlines, which translates to 'one two three' in Chinese, would be the first airline to operate COMAC C919 narrow-body planes, which are undergoing flight testing. The C919 was designed to compete with the Airbus A320 family and the Boeing 737 MAX model that remains grounded. OTT will also operate COMAC's regional jet - the ARJ21. China's C919 single-aisle plane has already received 815 provisional orders, but very few from airlines or leasing companies outside the Asian country. Meanwhile, COMAC is seeking certification from the European aviation regulator to help it operate in many other countries. <br/>