Chile’s JetSMART Airlines SpA is increasing its fleet of planes in Argentina as President Javier Milei seeks to deregulate the aviation industry and dismantle the flagship airline’s dominance in the domestic market. The low-cost carrier, backed by Bill Franke’s Indigo Partners LLC and American Airlines Group Inc., has invested at least $160m in Argentina this year, including adding two more planes to its fleet operating domestic routes, CEO Estuardo Ortiz said in an interview. In total, JetSMART has 10 of its 41 planes operating in Argentina. Ortiz praised Milei for revamping an industry fraught with labor strikes and high operating costs that often result in losses on the bottom line. But the executive made clear JetSMART isn’t interested in buying state-owned Aerolineas Argentinas SA, which Milei is trying to privatize. Instead, Ortiz expects JetSMART to increase its offering of flights and seats during the South American summer. “Our secret is keeping the business simple and staying focused on our airline. M&A doesn’t involve those goals,” Ortiz said. “The government has taken the correct approach. It is a market that has been badly distorted for many years.”<br/>
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Ryanair has warned it may cut the number of flights from the UK by up to 10% next year blaming tax rises on air travel, which are set to increase further following Labour’s Budget this week. Europe’s largest low-cost carrier said the decision to raise air passenger duty would reduce travel to and from the UK by up to 5mn passengers. Michael O’Leary, CE, said the government had “promised to deliver growth” but instead its first budget had “damaged growth, damaged tourism, and damaged air travel to [and] from the UK”. “Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ idiotic decision to further raise the UK’s already high air travel taxes will deliver cuts, not growth,” he added. Air passenger duty is charged on each ticket sold for a domestic or international flight departing the UK and is calculated on the length of a journey and whether a passenger is in an economy or premium seat. It typically rises in line with the retail price index, and was already due to rise on some flights in April 2025. But in its Budget the government said passengers will also face an additional 13% increase on all commercial flights from 2026-27, equivalent to £2 for passengers flying on an economy short-haul flight, and £12 for long-haul. Taxes on the largest private jets will rise by an extra 50%, Reeves also announced on Wednesday. The airline has threatened to shift flights away from countries with high taxes. Ryanair has warned it could cut 1.5mn seats from its flights to and from Germany because of its aviation taxes. The latest warning from Ryanair comes after the carrier said last month it would fly fewer passengers than planned next summer because of ongoing delivery delays from Boeing. <br/>
The High Court must pause the effects of a Dublin Airport passenger cap to prevent “imminent, permanent and irreparable harm”, Aer Lingus lawyers have said. Seeking urgent intervention from the court on Friday, Paul Sreenan SC said the airline expects to lose E84m in Revenue next year and up to E130m in 2026 due to the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA’s) imposition of caps on traveller numbers. He said the company is heavily reliant on “use them or lose them” take-off and landing slots at the airport, 80% of which must be availed of in a season to secure them again the next year. Airlines have a right under EU law to their “historic” slots, but many of these would be lost if the cap takes effect, said Sreenan. Aer Lingus, Ryanair and a consortium of American airlines are urging the court to rule in their favour in advance of the allocation of Dublin Airport slots to carriers in six days’ time. ACL’s (Airports Coordination Ltd’s) distribution of slots is confined by the IAA’s assessment of the airport’s capacity and passenger cap.<br/>
Dubai-based Emirates Airline is set to expand its services to China, aiming for a 40% increase in flights, the Gulf News of the United Arab Emirates reported Friday, citing Adnan Kazim, the airline's CCO. To meet the rising demand, Emirates is reintroducing the wide-body airliner, Airbus A380, on its China routes, reversing an earlier shift to smaller Boeing 777 aircraft that could reduce the airline's seat capacity by nearly 30%, according to the Gulf News. Kazim highlighted that Emirates is coordinating with Chinese authorities to further boost flight frequencies, either by adding new routes or enhancing capacity on existing ones, the report said. He expressed optimism about the potential for continued growth in Chinese passenger traffic. "We're quite optimistic, seeing that China business is gradually coming back and people have started traveling," Kazim said, adding that China remains a "healthy" market for Emirates. Currently, Emirates operates daily flights to the Chinese megacities of Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou.<br/>
Greater Bay Airlines is opting to explore routes less travelled with plans to expand its flight coverage to more cities in Japan as part of an aggressive scramble for customers as carriers in Hong Kong engage in “cutthroat” competition. The city’s smallest carrier has set its sights on the city of Yonago in the western region of Tottori prefecture to cater to avid tourists from Hong Kong and to expand its flight destinations in Japan beyond Tokyo and Osaka. Starting late last month, the company has been operating return flights between Hong Kong and Yonago Kitaro Airport every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The airline is currently the only local carrier to offer air travel to the city. With the launch of the new route, the airline now covers eight destinations, including Taipei, Seoul, Bangkok, Manila and Haikou in Hainan province. A Post search on the carrier’s website showed that a return ticket for a trip to Yonago between November 14 and November 19 was priced at HK$2,618 (US$336). Airline CEO Liza Ng Shiow-lan said the company was battling “cutthroat” competition from other airlines, with the carrier opting to explore novel destinations, particularly in a country as popular as Japan, to build up customer appeal.<br/>