CTC – Corporate Travel Community each week brings you a roundup of the most thought-provoking and interesting comments from those industry leaders in the know.
BDL GM: Additional burdens favouring airlines and hubs outside the EU
German Aviation Association (BDL) general manager Matthias von Randow stated “additional burdens imposed on air traffic in Germany and Europe over the years have favoured airlines and hubs outside the EU at the expense of European companies”. Mr Von Randow said passenger flow analyses “show an erroneous development that urgently needs to be corrected”, which “makes it all the more important to achieve a competition-neutral design when it comes to the major future tasks of climate protection”.
Boeing: Brazil well placed to support aviation decarbonisation
Boeing president for Latin America and Caribbean and VP for global policy Landon Loomis stated: “Brazil has the technical capacity, qualified workforce and raw material to post the concrete results and impacts needed for us to solve together this global challenge of how to decarbonise aviation”. Mr Loomis also noted that Boeing “is one of the world’s largest buyers of sustainable aviation fuel”.
Lufthansa Group CEO: We are well on track to achieve our mid-term goals
Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr, via the carrier’s official Facebook account, stated the group “made huge progress in our development from an aviation to an airline group” in 2Q2023. Mr Spohr added: “We are well on track to achieve our mid-term goals, allowing us to continue to invest: in our fleet, our products and services, our people and our sustainability endeavours”.
London City Airport CEO: Connectivity ‘critically important’ to city’s future
London City Airport CEO Robert Sinclair said retaining air travel connectivity is “critically important to London’s future”. The comment follows the Newham Council’s rejection of the airport’s expansion plans, which would raise the annual passenger cap from 6.5 million to nine million passengers and result in longer hours of operation. The airport has submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Mr Sinclair added: “It’s right that there should be an opportunity for organisations such as us to appeal those local decisions… There are challenges out there from Frankfurt, from Dubai, from Singapore, from Paris, from New York and I think one of the things that has always made London so attractive is its connectivity”.
Capital A focusing on Cebu growth through Philippines AirAsia: CEO
Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes stated the company plans to expand in Cebu through Philippines AirAsia, adding: “Our main growth will be in Cebu”. Mr Fernandes said: “Our team is now working out on putting plans together to grow flights to and from Cebu. As we speak, we now have Japan, South Korea, and China”. He noted: “We will do more flights to Bangkok and Bali connecting to Cebu”.
Copenhagen Kastrup Airport CEO: Airport operation and development becoming more expensive
Copenhagen Kastrup Airport announced plans to invest DKK1.6 billion (EUR214.74 million) in 2023, primarily to develop the airside terminal area between piers B and C. Planned works include expansion of the passport control and baggage reclaim areas, with completion of initial phases scheduled for 2027. CEO Thomas Woldbye said: “We’re facing the challenge that it has become much more expensive today to run and develop the airport due to increased salary costs, tightened regulatory requirements as well as interest expenses and repayment of our debt”.
Frontier Airlines to end 2023 with 136 aircraft, further delivery delays to be ‘modest’: CFO
Frontier Airlines EVP and CFO Jimmy Dempsey, via the carrier’s 2Q2023 earnings call, reported the carrier expects to end 2023 with 136 aircraft in its fleet. Mr Dempsey noted the carrier experienced “significant” aircraft delivery delays in 1H2023, however Airbus has assured the carrier that any further delays should be “modest”. Mr Dempsey stated Frontier ended Jun-2023 with 126 aircraft following the delivery of three A321neos in 2Q2023.
Solomon Airlines focusing on South Pacific partnerships: CEO
Solomon Airlines CEO Gus Kraus stated the carrier has been “extremely busy” in 2023 commissioning a second international aircraft into commercial service and developing partnerships with Air Vanuatu and other Pacific partners in the region. Mr Kraus said: “We are also preparing to welcome onboard the influx of international visitors who will fly here for the Pacific Games”.
EgyptAir to initiate India codeshare discussions, ‘promising market’, says CEO
EgyptAir chairman and CEO Mohamed Moussa reported the carrier is preparing to initiate discussions to finalise a codeshare agreement with an Indian carrier. Mr Moussa stated India is a “promising market” for the carrier, adding the codeshare agreement would result in “good connectivity to other destinations such as mid-Africa and West Africa”. EgyptAir launched twice weekly Cairo-Delhi service on 04-Aug-2023.
Spirit Airlines CEO: GTF engine issues to ground at least 10 aircraft through 2024
Spirit Airlines president and CEO Ted Christie reported scheduled A320neo family aircraft engine checks will result in the grounding of at least 10 aircraft during most of 2024. Mr Christie stated the ongoing Pratt & Whitney GTF engine issues are “yet another frustrating and disappointing development”.
Rostec CEO: Russian carriers will need Russian aircraft ‘badly’ in the coming years
Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov stated Russian carriers will need Russian aircraft “badly” in the coming years. Mr Chemezov said: “Our airlines need them badly because starting in 2025 they will have to part with all foreign planes that will require major repairs and so on”.
