US budget carrier Frontier Airlines said on Tuesday it has introduced measures under which at least one parent will automatically be seated with any children within their family group who are under the age of 14, at no additional cost. This comes after President Joe Biden, earlier this month, harshly criticized US airlines saying they were charging families unfair fees and vowing to implement new consumer protections. This also prompted United Airlines to announce on Monday "an improved family seating policy" that will make it easier for children under 12 years to sit next to an adult in their party for free. This includes customers who purchase basic economy tickets. The complete policy change will go into effect in early March. US airlines face growing calls in Congress to boost consumer protections after a series of disruptions including a holiday meltdown at Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) that resulted in the cancellation of more than 16,000 flights.<br/>
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Colombian low-cost carrier Viva Air took five of its planes out of service on Tuesday, it said, citing the financial costs of keeping them in the air, while it awaits a decision by the country's civil aviation authority regarding a potential merger with Avianca. The airline recently started a local debt restructuring process to renegotiate debts with its creditors. Viva Air says its financial situation has been aggravated by the rise in fuel prices last year and the devaluation of the Colombian peso. The airline is assisting passengers facing disruptions to their travel plans, it said. Airline Avianca, Colombia's flag-carrier, last April reached a deal with Viva Air to merge with the beleaguered budget carrier. However, in November, Colombia's civil aviation authority objected to the deal, arguing that it represented a risk to competition. The airlines filed an appeal and in January the aviation governing body annulled the merger process citing procedural irregularities, and restarted it. Two other companies - Indigo Partners-backed budget carrier JetSMART Airlines and LATAM, the region's largest airline - have expressed their interest in taking over Viva Air.<br/>
Mexico’s Volaris reported a profit of $28m during Q4 2022, as it expanded capacity and kept expenses flat. The ultra-low-cost carrier said on 21 February that for the full year, it posted a loss of $30m compared with a profit of $106m during 2021. Revenue during the final quarter of the year rose 22% to $820m, from $671 during the same three months a year ago. Revenue for the full year rose 29% to $2.85b from $2.2b. That said, expenses for the quarter and the year rose 44% and 55%, respectively. Jet fuel costs alone jumped 68% and impacted the airline’s profit margin in the short term, chief executive Enrique Beltranena says. “2022 was an important touchstone for Volaris, as it showcased our ability to deliver on the important financial expectations that are within our control,” he says. The airline expanded capacity 26%, and kept costs lower during a period of “significant economic volatility”, Beltranena adds. ADVERTVolaris transported 8.5m passengers during the final quarter of 2022, an increase of 16% over the same quarter a year ago. Domestic and international passengers numbers increased 14% and 26%, respectively, while total capacity, as measured in available seat miles (ASMs), increased 18% to 9.5b. During all of 2022, Volaris transported 31.1m passengers, up 27%, while total ASM capacity for the year rose 26% to 35.3b. It says it expects to add another 10% to its capacity during 2023. <br/>
Indian carrier Spicejet said, on Tuesday, it will consider options to raise fresh capital by issuing securities to qualified institutional buyers amid a string of quarterly losses as competition heats up in the aviation industry. The plan to raise capital comes as Spicejet's cash reserves dwindle and new entrant Akasa Air jostles for a share of the market while rival Air India ramps up its revamp plans with mammoth orders for new aircraft. Spicejet's market share slipped to 7.3% in January from 7.7% in December, while IndiGo retained the lion's share of 56.3%. Akasa grabbed 2.8%, while Air India's share was steady at 9.2%, data from the country's aviation regulator showed. Spicejet's passenger load factor, which measures the percentage of available seating capacity that has been filled with passengers, outdid rivals at 91% in January. Last week, Spicejet postponed its board meeting to approve financial results for the December quarter to Feb. 24. At the board meeting on Friday, Spicejet will also consider issuing shares on a preferential basis after converting outstanding liabilities into equity shares. The airline's total equity and liabilities stood at 88.11b Indian rupees ($1.06b) as at Sept. 30, while cash and cash equivalents were 66.08m rupees.<br/>
Airlines are preparing to resume direct flights between Jeju Island and Chinese cities as China's COVID-19 infection wave and virus situation seems to have entered a phase of stabilization. Jin Air, Korean Air's budget airline, is preparing to resume its flights between Jeju Island and the Chinese city of Xi'an based on the belief that the operation of the flights may be possible starting from next month at the earliest. "We are keenly monitoring related situations both in Korea and China," a Jin Air official said. Hong Kong Express Airways is also preparing to operate flights between Jeju Island and Hong Kong from late next month. The resumption will be decided after the government lifts its Jan. 2 measure, which restricted all flights arriving from China to landing at Incheon International Airport only. This measure was enforced as part of tightened curbs on travelers entering from China amid a surge in coronavirus infections in that country. According to sources in the airline industry, the government is expected to lift the measure soon as China's COVID-19 numbers have continued decreasing in recent weeks. The ratio of infected patients among travelers inbound from China has continued to fall for five consecutive weeks and reported 0.7% in the second week of February, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Amid the downward trend, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has actively asked the government to lift more COVID-19 curbs so as to attract back more Chinese tourists. According to the province, some 11,000 Chinese tourists visited Jeju Island last year, down 99% from the 1.13m tallied in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic began.<br/>
AirAsia X is in “varying degrees of engagement” with lessors to add at least three more Airbus A330s to its fleet, amid optimism about “ever-thriving” travel demand. The additional widebodies will take its total fleet to 17 A330s by April 2024, according to a presentation issued alongside the airline’s quarterly financial results. AirAsia X currently has seven operational A330s, with a further seven yet to return to service. The disclosure is on top of plans outlined in November, when it released earnings for the July-September quarter. It said then that it targets operating 13 aircraft by mid-2023, and hinted it was open to leasing additional aircraft to boost its fleet. The airline’s latest fleet plan sees it operating 17 A330s from 2024 to 2026, when it will start taking delivery of its first A330neo. A year later, AirAsia X will receive its first A321XLR. Airline chief Benyamin Ismail previously told FlightGlobal that the airline remains committed to taking delivery of its A330neos and A321XLRs, despite slashing its order book as part of restructuring efforts. The optimistic fleet ramp-up comes as the airline posts its second consecutive quarterly profit, benefiting from the year-end peak travel season, coupled with what it calls an “upward fare trend”. For the three months to 31 December 2022, the Malaysia-based carrier reported a net profit of close to MYR150m ($33.8m), a five-fold jump quarter on quarter. AirAsia X also states that this was its best financial results in nearly two years of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the carrier to suspend almost all of its services. Revenue for the period was up three-fold compared to the previous quarter, at MYR339 million. The airline carried close to 338,000 passengers, four times the number carried in the previous quarter. However, the figure is well below the 1.6m passengers it carried in the October-December quarter in pre-pandemic 2019. <br/>
The Australian Government has agreed to extend technical assistance to Air Niugini for its fleet replacement program, with Papua New Guinea's (PNG) state enterprises minister William Duma and Australian high commissioner to PNG, Jon Philp, signing a MOU on the matter on February 16 in Canberra. Also signatory to the MOU was David Kavanamur, managing director of Air Niugini's state-owned parent entity, Kumul Consolidated Holdings. “The Australian government recognises the importance of securing Air Niugini’s future fleet as a critical infrastructure solution for PNG," said Philp. Air Niugini is looking to replace its two B767-300(ER)s with a pair of B787-8s. Air Niugini ordered four of the type from Boeing at the 2014 Singapore Air Show with the first due to be delivered in 2020. However, early that year Air Niugini pushed back delivery until 2024 to "give the airline more time to complete a broader review of its fleet plans." Boeing's latest undelivered order data indicates there are still four B737-8s on order but PNG media are now reporting that Air Niugini will take two, with deliveries no earlier than 2026. “This program is key to the airline’s financial reform and long-terms viability," said Duma. “This will be the largest and most important transaction in Air Niugini’s history.”<br/>