September 2009 Archives

Delta Air Lines is unlikely to take a majority stake in Japan Airlines if the ongoing talks, reported by various news organisations, come to fruition.

There is likely to be opposition from the Japanese government to such a move, especially since it has spent trillions of yen helping to prop up a carrier still seen as a national institution. A stake that does not give it a majority stake in JAL would be more palatable within Japan.

Regardless, the move would serve both JAL and Delta very well. JAL needs a cash infusion to keep it going and greater access to the US market, while Delta would gain from the opening up of Tokyo's Narita and Haneda airports.

JAL, in particular, needs to look into the possibility seriously as this could help to to refine its operations and compete more effectively against domestic rival All Nippon Airways.

They have to sort out various details, including JAL's oneworld alliance and Delta's SkyTeam alliance membership. There could also be opposition from other airlines, who might say that the tie-up is anti-competitive. But these are not insurmountable.

There is an added element to this issue - Delta's strategic plans. The carrier's management, buoyed by a strong cash balance, have obviously decided that trans-Pacific routes are a priority. Look at the airline's plans to form a joint venture with Virgin Blue in Australia.

This growth strategy would be a major challenge to the likes of American and United Airlines, as well as the carriers on this part of the world, on these highly lucrative routes. They are not likely to give up without a fight.

Want to know how Thailand's elite travel? Here are pictures of the first of four ATR 72-500s in VIP configuration ordered by the Royal Thai Air Force. This remaining three will be delivered by end-2009, says ATR.

"This first ATR features a state-of-the-art VIP cabin interior and will be dedicated to the transport of the Thai Royal Family, as well as other government and military officials," says ATR. Still not as plush as the Airbus A318 Elite corporate jet (see post below or just click on this hyperlink) I say!

How about this for a cool New Year's celebration? Australian specialist tour firm Antarctica Sightseeing Flights is chartering a Qantas Airbus A380 to do a unique commercial flight over the south polar region on 31 December.

These are pictures of previous flights using a chartered Boeing 747-400 and the view is simply breathtaking. The organisers say that this is the first commercial flight by an A380 over Antarctica and it is the only aircraft permitted to do so on New Year's Eve.

The aircraft will fly figure-eight patterns above the polar terrain for up to four hours. Under strictly controlled conditions, it can descend to a minimum of 3,077 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level or 615 metres (2,000 feet) above the highest terrain within 180 kilometres.  

The flight will originate in Sydney and fly via Melbourne to reach Antarctica. Passengers will be over the ice at midnight and be the first in the world to see the light of the new year, say the organisers.

Two other flights are also planned for the southern summer - a second A380 service direct from Sydney on 24 January, and a 747-400 from Melbourne on Valentine's Day, 14 February.

Sounds interesting, but it may also get a bit boring after a while - I mean, there is only so much of the ice that you can watch before it all seems the same. That's just me, though. For those who are keen, visit www.antarcticaflights.com.au.

This Airbus A318 Elite corporate Jet is based in Shenzhen and managed by Hong Kong's BAA Jet Management. This is the first Airbus corporate jet on display at a show in Hong Kong, and here are some of the finishings inside.

I could get used to this flying like this and the lifestyle...I just don't have the $70 million to spare!

So how do you try to reconcile with your pilots who are on strike? Well, if you take a leaf out of the book of Jet Airways chief Naresh Goyal, you call them terrorists!

Okay, I can understand that he is really frustrated with the situation. And the issue does seem to have gotten out of hand with so many flights cancelled.

But really, talk about making an already bad situation worse...

Mitsubishi Aircraft has unveiled significant changes to its MRJ regional jet, including the addition of a stretched 100-seat variant and switching from using carbonfibre composites to aluminium for its wings. The cabin's height has also been increased.

These changes have been made after the airframer talked to several potential customers, especially those in Europe and the USA. A stretched version is needed to appeal to a regional jet market that appears to be moving towards aircraft that can take slightly more passengers, and a larger cabin will be welcome as well.

Moving away from composites for the wing could give it more flexibility in the design and production stage, although that is still moot.

The biggest challenge ahead of Mitsubishi is the schedule. The final design will be frozen about eight months later than expected in mid-2010, while the first flight and deliveries will slip by three to six months. The company will have one more test aircraft to compress the test time, but it will still be tight.

It was good for the company to get all of these changes incorporated into the early design changes, but the proof will lie in the pudding - it now needs to go get another customer apart from launch customer All Nippon Airways to commit to the aircraft.

The biggest challenges for Mitsubishi Aircraft are still ahead of the company.

Chaos reigned in Indian airports as Jet Airways pilots went on strike yesterday and today, with the airline and union representatives blame each other for the action that left thousands stranded.

Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal threatens to even shut down the airline if the action continues, and the situation is just another chapter in what has been a horrible year for the Indian airline industry. And it looks like it will be a long time before the situation returns to normal in the country.

Asian Aerospace 2009 begins tomorrow in Hong Kong, and one highlight will be the presence of the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac).

This is the first time the company has displayed a model of the C919 narrowbody, its challenge to the dominance of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 family of aircraft in the market segment.

The show looks like it might be busier than two years ago, and we will be covering it on our website and on this blog.

SIA has decided to defer the delivery of eight Airbus A380s by six to 12 months, a move that will help it to better match capacity with demand. Perhaps, the only surprise is that it took so long for the carrier to decide on this.

Several other airlines have deferred aircraft, and SIA was running out of routes to deploy the aircraft on. This will give it some breathing space and start putting the aircraft into service at a time when the global economy and demand for air travel starts to improve.

Judging by these pictures, which came out in the Chinese media, I think that the PLAAF will be even more closely scrutinised than before!

China's first female fighter pilots will wear a specially designed "anti-G" flight suit, according to the country's media. The suit took the People's Liberation Army Air Force 15 months to develop, according to the reports. I have no complaints....

Singapore could have a long-haul low-cost operation in two years if Jetstar Asia gets its way, and that will only be good for the country and its Changi Airport.

The island has been marketing itself as a major regional air transport hub, and the authorities should welcome any move that enhances that reputation. Jetstar Asia's plans will do just that.

The carrier is clearly more confident after Qantas increased its stake earlier this year. It plans to sign interline agreements with several airlines and bring their passengers onto its network, add more airbus A320 aircraft, and begin operations on several short-haul routes in the coming months. A long-haul service would be an extension of that.

Singapore Airlines will watch this move closely and its response will be interesting. While it holds its own against the other full service carriers that offer flights out of Singapore, a low-cost rival to its lucrative long-haul market is a different kettle of fish.

One option could be for SIA to follow Qantas and start up a long-haul low-cost subsidiary like Jetstar. That would have major implications for its regional subsidiary Silkair and low-cost associate Tiger Airways. The next year should be quite interesting.