Boeing Tuesday said it had signed a tentative agreement to sell jetliners to Iran, in what would be one of the Islamic Republic’s biggest deals with a US manufacturer since trade sanctions on Tehran were eased. The proposed agreement, which drew swift opposition from those concerned about business dealings with Iran, comes after months of talks between Boeing and Iran Air. Iran’s airlines have indicated a dire need for both medium-haul jets such as Boeing’s single-aisle 737 and long-haul aircraft like its 777 and 787 Dreamliners. Iran Air said Monday it planned to introduce 737 and 777 planes pending approval from its govt and the US. The planes, at least partly acquired through finance leases, would include Boeing’s newest long-haul plane, the 777-9, an airline official said. <br/>
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The owners of Ryanair aim to bring budget air travel to Argentina in 2017, co-founder Declan Ryan told a local newspaper after meeting govt officials in the South American nation. La Nacion reported the move would likely come through an acquisition, and said Andes Líneas Aéreas is a target, citing anonymous sources. Ryanair is present in Mexico and Colombia through investments by its holding company Irelandia Aviation in other airlines. Irelandia Aviation said about US$50m was needed to start operations with an initial fleet of 5 aircraft, according to La Nacion. Ryan said he was optimistic about Argentine president Mauricio Macri's economic reforms but noted high inflation and corruption in the country were still concerns. <br/>
After prolonged delays over the past several years, the Thai offshoot of VietJet Air finally appears ready to begin operations. A formal announcement for the launch of Thai VietJet Air (TVJA) is set to be made within the next 2 months, with scheduled flights to start soon thereafter, making TVJA the fifth major Thai-registered budget airline. Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh, VP of VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Company, confirmed that TVJA was well-primed to begin operations and was only waiting for the "right moment". Binh acknowledged that TVJA's launch of regular flights has been a long time coming, with the protracted 3-year holding pattern allowing the airline to get it right. Binh insisted that TVJA's previous ownership change was not an issue. <br/>
IndiGo will launch a Chandigarh-Dubai flight and plans to resume a Delhi-Bangkok service later this year. This could be the first international flight from Chandigarh, following a litigation in the state high court over lack of international flights from the Punjab capital. In January, the airline had filed a schedule to launch a Delhi-Doha flight but later withdrew. IndiGo has followed a strategy of maximising frequencies at existing destinations, instead of opening up too many destinations within India. It is following the same strategy on international routes and so, the coming months could see the airline add more flights to its existing international destinations. “The focus will not change,” said a source. The other important aspect will be improved fleet utilisation and route profitability, the source added. <br/>
The UK's big discount airlines are warning a “Brexit” vote could spell the end of rock-bottom holiday fares between the UK and the rest of Europe. Among those is EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who said Tuesday it’s “very possible” those routes will become more expensive if the UK votes to leave Europe in the so-called Brexit referendum this Thursday. EasyJet may try to set up a separate business unit on mainland Europe in the event that Brexit forces win the referendum. The CE of Ryanair also has voiced support to “Remain." “One of the great things that EU has delivered is low-fare air traffic,” Ryanair CE Michael O’Leary – often a harsh critic of Brussels – said in May. “We fundamentally believe it’s in the UK’s best interests to stay.” <br/>
Vistara is not rushing to start international operations and will not go for a mega expansion spree that can cause indigestion. Last week, the civil aviation ministry removed the stipulation that airlines must operate in India for at least five years before venturing abroad, while retaining the rule that they need a minimum of 20 aircrafts before starting overseas flights. Vistara, which started in Jan 2015, was lobbying for the scrapping of the 5-year rule. Phee Teik Yeoh, CE of Vistara, which still has only 11 planes, said that international operations can take 12-24 months to launch based on many variables and that fresh capital injection will be required for the proposed operations. "We are not racing against time to start our international operations. And, therefore, there is no urgent need for any acquisitions," said Yeoh. <br/>
Hainan is close to deciding on whether to open a route from Dublin to Beijing in what would be Ireland’s first direct link to Asia’s biggest economy. Hainan, part of the HNA Group which recently bought Irish aircraft lessor, Avolon, has been actively considering the possibility of flying from the capital to Beijing for several months. The group’s COO, William Zhang, confirmed Tuesday that once it has bedded down its recently launched service from the Chinese city to Manchester, that it would focus to Dublin. Zhang said that it was “very likely” that the airline would being flying from Beijing to Dublin, once there was a market for the service and the timing was right. The govt, business groups and the hospitality industry have been anxious for some time to open a direct link with China. <br/>
Hainan Airlines is aiming to return to the Africa/Middle East market with the relaunch of the Beijing-Cairo route in December, according to CAAC. The carrier plans to fly an Airbus A330 on the 3X-weekly service. The last time it operated this route was in 2012. The airline used to operate Beijing-Dubai-Khartoum (Sudan) and Beijing-Abu Dhabi-Luanda (Angola) service, but suspended the routes because of operating losses and the unstable political situation. However, Hainan Airlines still showed an interest in the Africa/Middle East market in 2012 when it launched Ghana’s Africa World Airlines (AWA), a joint venture with the China-Africa Development Fund, Ghana SAS Financial Group and Ghana Social Security and National Insurance Trust. <br/>
AirAsia is considering hiring BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse Group and RHB Capital to help sell its aircraft leasing unit as part of plans to raise funds and strengthen its finances, the group’s CE Tony Fernandes said. The carrier also plans to garner between US$75m and $100m from a sale of new shares in its Philippine arm, Fernandes said. Besides the existing shareholders, “three other parties are also interested” in Philippines AirAsia and the carrier will mandate banks for the sale in 2 or 3 weeks, he said. A potential deal involving the sale of the leasing unit, Asia Aviation Capital, would again highlight the popularity of a lucrative industry that has lured billionaires. As airlines in Asia-Pacific move to triple their fleet, they are finding it cheaper to lease jets rather than own them. <br/>
Many passengers on Spirit Airlines have had it with the carrier’s flight delays and late arrivals. CE Robert Fornaro is trying to do something about their frustration. The CE vows to get customers to their destinations on schedule about 80% of the time by this fall, which would match the industry average. Last year, only 69% of the carrier’s flights arrived on time, the lowest rate of 13 carriers tracked by the US DoT. Improving Spirit’s performance will boost the airline’s rapport with customers, said Fornaro, who took over as CE in January. He’s also trying to soften the carrier’s image for poor service by boosting communications with passengers and providing extra training for employees. While Spirit may never be a leader in punctuality, Fornaro says attaining the industry average probably won’t increase expenses too much. <br/>