EgyptAir, the national flag carrier of Egypt, is scheduled to start flights on Dhaka-Cairo route from May 14. The airline had initially received permission from Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) to operate weekly two flights – on Wednesdays and Sundays to and from Dhaka, sources at CAAB said. The resumption of flights on this route would boost tourism, trade, and business between the two countries, aviation expert said. In the absence of direct flights, about 35% of passengers flew to Cairo via Dubai.<br/>
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China’s three largest carriers are expected to a “profitable recovery” in 2023, amid tightening yields and “aggressive” capacity expansion, according to analysts from HSBC Global Research. In a report released 2 April, HSBC says that while the ‘Big Three’ – comprising Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – have planned for a ramp-up in domestic flights, with summer capacity expected to be 35% higher than pre-pandemic 2019, the international recovery “remains slower”. The research report follows the release of full-year results, which saw the ‘Big Three’ plunge to record losses in 2022, amid a collapse in passenger traffic demand from China’s ‘zero-Covid’ restrictions. Still, HSBC says a “silver lining” from the poor financial performance has been the “resilient domestic yields”. “The positive takeaway was that average domestic passenger yields grew 9% year on year…beating our estimates and setting the base for a profitable recovery during 2023 when we expect domestic yields should further tighten as carriers divert capacity to international routes,” the analysts note. The ‘Big Three’ also expect domestic airfares to be on the up, citing reasons such as a redeployment of larger aircraft to international flying, as well as strong business travel demand. However, analysts note that “bottlenecks” will stall international ramp-up plans of the ‘Big Three’, which have been slow in resuming flights since Beijing reopened borders earlier this year. “We caution that international capacity ramp-up will be slower due to bottlenecks, including bilateral negotiations on air rights between China and other countries, visa policy, and limited ground handling ability in foreign airports,” they write. <br/>
Air New Zealand’s “next-generation aircraft” will unlock the potential of the regions, says chair Dame Therese Walsh. The national carrier is still “dancing with a number of people on the dance floor” when it comes to making a decision on the new planes, but Walsh is confident they will be the future of the domestic market. Air NZ wants to start trialling next-gen aircraft in the next three years, with the aim of replacing its Q300 fleet – the “backbone” of the regions – come 2030. Air NZ has a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, so Walsh said it was vital they had a “commercial demonstrator” – an aircraft they can “start working with” alongside the 50-seater Q300s – by 2026. By 2030, the ageing Q300s needed to be on their way out, Walsh said on a visit to Marlborough on Tuesday. At the end of last year, the airline unveiled four different zero-emissions planes it was looking to buy. These included an all-electric nine-seater, one that could take off vertically and one fuelled by green hydrogen. They had since added more long-term partners to investigate and accelerate the development of more sustainable options. These new partners included Universal Hydrogen, Heart Aerospace and Embraer, a leader in regional aircraft. Air NZ had also teamed up with Victoria University of Wellington's Robinson Research Institute to help the airline evaluate and validate aircraft propulsion technology as concepts developed. The research institution was a world-leader in developing power electronics and superconducting machines and was working on their application to the aviation industry.<br/>