star

SIA says it will consider applying for antitrust immunity with Vistara, as part of expanding the areas of cooperation between the two carriers. An official at the company's India office was recently quoted in Indian media as saying that they and its joint venture unit are "in (the) initial stages" of working out an antitrust immunity pact for the latter's impending international operations. Should it come to fruition, such an agreement would allow both SIA and Vistara access to each other's ticket booking systems, and enable them to build connections and align networks. "We already have co-operation with Vistara in many areas including codesharing and frequent flyer programme ties. We naturally are working on more potential areas of co-operation, and should it be necessary we will consider applying for antitrust immunity with the relevant authorities," says SIA. SIA had previously said that Vistara plans to launch international operations in the second half of 2018 - three months earlier than its previous forecast. Vistara is also scheduled to receive its 20th aircraft by the end of the current financial year, which ends on 30 March. The carrier will then receive two more aircraft in mid-2018, which will be mainly put on international services.<br/>

SAS has confirmed it is in final negotiations with Airbus for a large batch of A320neo narrowbodies following a Reuters report, citing SAS CFO Goran Jansson, that the carrier will purchase 40-50 aircraft. An SAS spokesman said he could not confirm precise quantities: “I’m not sure we’re talking about numbers at the moment; that was [Reuters’] interpretation. The only thing we’re confirming is that we’re in final negotiations.” SAS is in the midst of receiving an earlier batch of A320neo-family aircraft, with 17 out of an order of 30 now in service and the remainder likely to be delivered by year-end. The new order will be used to replace SAS’s current fleet of around 70 Boeing 737-600s, -700s and -800s. The spokesman said any new order would be primarily for the A320neo model. No delivery schedule had yet been set. He also declined to comment specifically on Reuters reports that the new aircraft were likely to be acquired via a Japanese operating lease with call option. <br/>

With a mix of strategic investments and partnerships, airline acquisitions, and efficient service delivery, Ethiopian Airlines hopes to take over Africa’s skies and change air travel on the continent. This week, the carrier announced it bought a 45% stake to revive Zambia Airways, which went into liquidation way back in 1994. The airline is also in talks with other African governments including Ghana to re-launch their national carriers. Last year, negotiations to manage Nigeria’s biggest private airline Arik Air fell through, but the company has already reportedly expressed interest in two other initiatives in Africa’s largest market. Ethiopian Airlines already operates Malawian Airlines through a deal signed in 2013, and partners with privately-owned ASKY Airlines through a hub in Lomé, Togo. This determination to spread itself across the continent is driven by its overarching strategy to establish multiple hubs that would ease connectivity and help it cash in on the growing air travel market in Africa. As the largest airline in Africa by revenue and profit, Ethiopian currently runs 97 passenger and freight airlines and flies to more than 120 international and domestic passenger and cargo destinations. Yet under its Vision 2025, the airline not only wants to become the leading aviation group in Africa but also improve passenger and cargo transport, increase airport services, and expand its aviation academy. By becoming the missing link, analysts say Ethiopian wants could facilitate the flow of investment, trade, and tourism. If it all goes to plan, it could also connect smaller and secondary airports; increase competition, and eventually make Africa’s airspace travel-friendly.<br/>

United said it recently began printing its inflight magazine, Hemisphere, on lighter paper, cutting 1 ounce from each magazine. It now weighs 6.85 ounces. In an internal message to employees, United said it has also switched to lighter paper on its seatback service guides. The carrier operates 744 mainline planes that vary in size, carrying 50 to 366 passengers each. For a typical 737 plane carrying 179 passengers, the reduction would mean about 11 pounds per flight. The airline said that slight weight reduction is saving 170,000 gallons of fuel a year, or $290,000 in annual fuel costs. Last year, United stopped on-board sales of duty-free items — such as perfumes, chocolates and liquor — cutting 1.4m gallons of fuel a year at a cost savings of $2.3m.<br/>