South African Airways has taken delivery of an Airbus A320, the first of a batch of three it is leasing from Hong Kong company CALC. The initial aircraft is a 2016 airframe powered by International Aero Engines V2500s. It was formerly operated by Vietnamese carrier Pacific Airlines – previously Jetstar Pacific – before the company ceased operations earlier this year. CALC says it has “quickly redelivered” the A320 to SAA, which becomes a new client for the lessor. It states that the delivery demonstrates CALC’s “dedication to broadening its presence across the African continent” as well as the southern hemisphere. SAA has been adapting its business strategy and fleet plan as it seeks to establish itself as a profitable carrier, following the collapse of a long-running effort to privatise the airline.<br/>
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Neetu Chopra was set to travel from Mumbai to Bengaluru to give a motivational speech last week when hundreds of cabin crew at Air India’s budget carrier called in sick, disrupting nearly 200 flights. The 35-year-old, who made headlines riding across India on a scooter to raise awareness for women’s safety, spent a sleepless night at the airport. She was eventually rerouted through Jaipur but missed her event. “How many people like me are suffering and are mentally harassed by this?” Chopra said. She will “never ever” again fly with Air India Express. “It was the very worst experience.” The walkout last week was the latest turmoil to hit Tata Sons’ aviation business. Along with angering customers, it put the spotlight on challenges the 156-year-old conglomerate faces as it merges four different airlines and modernises the Air India franchise after taking it over in a $2.4b deal two years ago. With steadily more Indians taking to the skies — the country has one of the world’s fastest growing domestic aviation markets — the overhaul of Air India is crucial to New Delhi’s attempts to position the country as a global hub, with dozens of new airports being built around the nation. As the group attempts introduce a new pay structure, restive staff could be Tata’s “Achilles heel”, said Addison Schonland, partner at AirInsight Group, a US aerospace analysis company. “Airline employees have the ability to destroy the passenger experience and you don’t want that in a highly competitive market,” he said. “No airline can afford to fight with its employees . . . industry labour is at a premium and it must train many more.”<br/>
On November 15th, 2018, the news released by China Southern Airlines shook the civil aviation industry. As the first Chinese airline to join one of the three major airline alliances, China Southern Airlines officially announced on that day that it would withdraw from the SkyTeam Alliance. In explaining the reasons for withdrawing from the SkyTeam Alliance, China Southern Airlines stated that this decision was "based on the needs of its own development strategy to better adapt to the new trends in the global aviation industry cooperation model." After over a year of preparation, on January 1st, 2020, China Southern Airlines officially parted ways with the SkyTeam Alliance, ending their relationship that had lasted for 12 years, 1 month, and 16 days. As early as November 15th, 2007, China Southern Airlines officially joined the SkyTeam Alliance, becoming the first large-scale airline in China to join one of the three major alliances. At the signing ceremony, Liu Shaoyong, then chairman of China Southern Airlines, also exchanged gifts with Zhao Lianghao, chairman of Korean Air, who represented the SkyTeam Alliance. Less than a month later, on December 12th, an Air China A330 aircraft and a Shanghai Airlines B767 aircraft carrying 19 CEOs of Star Alliance member airlines landed smoothly at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK). At the soon-to-be-opened Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital Airport, Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht announced to the attending member airlines of Star Alliance and guests from all sides that Air China and Shanghai Airlines officially joined the Star Alliance. This backgrounder has more.<br/>
EVA Air has disclosed a purchase for four Boeing 787-10s, boosting its widebody backlog. The deal, announced in a stock exchange filing, states that the cost of each aircraft is “will not exceed $488m”, according to the Taiwanese operator. It did not add further details about the deal, such as a delivery timeline. According to Cirium fleets data, EVA Air has 11 -10s in operation, with another two on order. The aircraft, powered by GE Aerospace GEnx-1B76 engines, are mostly deployed on intra-Asian routes. EVA also has four -9s in service, with a further nine aircraft on order. It disclosed an order for five -9s in March 2023, with deliveries to commence in 2025. In January this year, the Star Alliance carrier also firmed up orders for 18 Airbus A350-1000s and 15 A321neos, which will replace its Boeing 777-300ERs and A321ceos, respectively. <br/>