Three trade unions representing cabin crews at Brussels Airlines have called for a Dec 1-3 strike to protest against what they view as management non-compliance with certain collective work agreements, Le Soir reported, citing Didier Lebbe, permanent secretary of the CNE union. The pilots have also issued a strike notice from Dec. 11, potentially leading to further disruptions around the end-of-year holidays, the paper said.<br/>
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Turkish Airlines has today unveiled new branding for to-be-spun-out low-cost carrier AnadoluJet, which will operate under the AJet Air Transportation name from next summer. The airline launched the Ankara-based low-cost unit in 2008, initially focused on domestic services in the country and operating out of airports including Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen. AnadoluJet has since grown rapidly, launching international flights in 2020 and its fleet is set to reach 88 by year-end. Earlier this year Turkish Airlines outlined plans to separate out the company as a wholly-owned subsidiary, branded as AJet. It has today showcased the new brand at an event at Turkish Technic’s facility at Sabiha Gokcen airport, ahead of its launch at the end of March next year. Turkish Airlines chairman Ahmet Bolat says: “In line with our goals for the next 10 years, we are proud to have started the establishment process of our AJet. The efforts and dedication we have put in for a long time have paid off, and we will introduce AJet to the skies with the summer schedule at the end of March 2024. ”We fully believe that AJet, with its new name, will become an important part of the low-cost aviation industry on global scale.”<br/>
Having already paid back a E150m COVID-19 government loan – three years early – Aegean Airlines rocketing recovery is accelerating, with 2023 seen being a big profit year. That means dividends will likely be coming to shareholders, said Chairman Eftichios Vassilakis who said the first nine months were the best the company has ever had, winning Skytrax’s Best Regional Carrier for the 12th year in a row. “Aegean has not only fully recovered from the pandemic, but has strengthened its overall position in the market and has recorded a significant improvement compared to 2019,” he said. The ratio of net profit to revenue rose to 12.8% in the last nine months, he said, making Aegean one of the best performers among European airlines with the Coronavirus all but gone and air travel fully back. He predicted that this year will end with operating profits of as much as E415m and profit before tax of E200-215m. Business is so good that the airline is buying an additional three aircraft from Airbus and leasing another, taking its fleet to 50, with the A321neos representing 60% of the total order and 28 planes already delivered.<br/>
Several Chinese Airlines, including Air China, China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines, have cancelled flights to Thailand for the months of December and January due to lower-than-expected bookings. Suttipong Kongpool, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), said 10 Chinese airlines have notified the cancellation of flights to Thailand from next month to January 2024. Originally, 10,939 flights were scheduled for December, but only 5,858 have been confirmed, marking a 46% reduction. For January 2024, out of the initially planned 10,984 flights, the latest confirmation stands at 7,420 flights, resulting in a 32% drop. Piyasawat Amranand, CEO of Thai Airways International’s Business Rehabilitation Plan, attributed the cancellations to China’s economic slowdown and policy to boost domestic tourism. He also said initiatives like granting free visas to Chinese nationals have not resulted in an influx of tourists. Korakot Chatasingha, THAI’s CCO, said the free visa initiative did not significantly boost the Chinese market.<br/>
Air India CEO and managing director Campbell Wilson said the strategy is to contain traffic rights expansion so that local airlines have the opportunity to spin up and attain scale and become competitive There is a need to contain foreign airlines from expanding into India by restricting any increase in flying rights so that Indian airlines can grow, Air India CEO and managing director Campbell Wilson has said. “I think the strategy is to contain traffic rights expansion so that local airlines have the opportunity to spin up and attain scale and become competitive... and then actual liberalisation will happen. It’s very difficult for us to fly an aircraft to North America, if there’s a surplus of capacity that allows people to travel out by someone (airline) else, and so too much just leaks out. India will not get the non-stop capacity from an Indian operator to these markets,” Wilson said. “So it’s a balance that has to be struck, allowing the market to grow. But also incubate your local market, because that’s fundamentally the most beneficial thing that you can do for the economy,” he said while replying to a question on India restricting an increase in bilateral arrangements with several countries.<br/>
Thai Airways International Pcl is considering a possible order for as many as 90 mostly widebody aircraft from Airbus SE and Boeing Co. as part of a longterm fleet renewal, according to people familiar with the matter. The airline intends to add as many as 80 twin-aisle jets in a mix of firm orders, options and purchase rights, said the people, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. It is also closing in on a deal to lease about a dozen smaller narrowbodies, some of the people said. The carrier hasn’t decided on the final composition of the deal, and the contours of an order could still change, some of the people said, adding that an agreement might come in the next few weeks. Representatives for Boeing didn’t respond to a request for comment, while Airbus said it doesn’t discuss customer negotiations before they’re announced. An order of that magnitude would extend a rush for widebody aircraft this year as airlines look to renew their fleets with more modern, fuel-efficient engines. Boeing brought back a huge order from Emirates this month at the Dubai Air Show, and Airbus has won an unprecedented number of commitments for its A350 model this year. Thai Airways CEO Chai Eamsiri said in an interview in June that the airline would formally send out a so-called request for proposal to both Airbus and Boeing that month for aircraft it expects to receive starting in 2026. At the time, the CEO said he’s in the market for about 30 new widebody jets as well as well as several more A321neos for its regional Thai Smile unit. The airline declined to comment on the latest discussions. One of the people said the order may consist of as many as 40 aircraft from Boeing, most likely the 787 Dreamliner model. An Airbus order hinges on engine-maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc, the sole-supplier for A350 and A330neo jets, the people said. Eamsiri has criticized Rolls Royce for its tougher stance on pricing.<br/>
Singapore Airlines on Friday increased the frequency of services from its home base to Perth by adding four more services per week. The carrier previously flew three times a day, seven days a week, but will now add a fourth flight on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The news will add competition for other airlines operating the route, including subsidiary Scoot, which flies 12 times a week, and Qantas, which flies once daily. Singapore will use its fleet of A350-900s on the extra flights, adding 220,584 more seats annually. It comes months before a planned increase was due to occur next year. Australian Aviation has reported regularly this year how international aviation in 2023 overtook domestic in its pandemic recovery. Domestic aviation initially recovered to near pre-pandemic levels last year but subsequently recorded some of the worst delays and cancellations in history as staff shortages and COVID isolation took hold. This year has presented a very different story. Weeks ago, for example, Sydney Airport revealed it had doubled its international traffic in the last 12 months. In October, 1.3m passengers passed through the international terminal, representing a 90.3% recovery from the same month in 2019. However, the airport’s domestic COVID-19 recovery currently stands at just 87.6%, despite domestic services not dealing with issues of international border closures and restrictions. Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert has consistently blamed alleged slot hoarding by the major airlines as a reason for the airport’s sluggish domestic recovery, an accusation Qantas and Virgin have vehemently denied.<br/>
Tourism operators on Niue are “thrilled” after Air New Zealand announced a second weekly flight to the tiny Pacific island during autumn and winter next year. The national carrier will fly on a Tuesday and Saturday from April until the end of October. Currently, Air NZ runs a seasonal, twice-weekly service but only until the end of January. Director of Tourism Micah Fuhiniu-Viviani said operators are “absolutely thrilled” with the second service from April. “This really does compliment the hard work our team and the wider tourism industry has put in over this last winter, where not only demand to travel to Niue was at an all-time high but satisfaction levels of our visitors are off the charts,” said Fuhiniu-Viviani. “While we did get the larger A321 arriving to service some of this demand, we really needed another one. We appreciate the commitment Air New Zealand have shown to Niue in acknowledging this and making the flight a fixture for 2024.” Air New Zealand Head of Pacific Islands, Brent Roxburgh told Stuff Travel that the airline knows “how important the ... services in to and out of Niue are to the local community”. “We’re excited to be offering twice-weekly flights again from April 1 to October on our A320 aircraft, connecting New Zealand and Niue and giving customers an opportunity to escape the cold for the tropical sunshine in the winter months.” Niue Tourism is currently undergoing upgrades to the island’s infrastructure and services, as well as a makeover for the airport terminal and resealing the runway.<br/>