Analysis for Asia

Asian carrier Hong Kong Airlines is expected to introduce flights into Europe and in particular resume services between Hong Kong and London as it takes delivery of its new Airbus A350-900s. The carrier, part of the HNA Group, has already confirmed Hong Kong – Los Angeles as the debut market for the type, but is understood to be very close to making a decision on London services, in an arrangement that could see it partner with Virgin Atlantic on the city pair.

CAPA attended the 2017 IATA AGM in Cancun to catch up with key members of the aviation industry for an exclusive interview on CAPA TV. To review all of CAPA TV’s videos, visit centreforaviation.com.tv

Vietnam Airlines is aiming to attract more transit traffic beyond its Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh hubs to help support its Australia flights in a challenging environment. The Vietnamese flag carrier has been impacted by Jetstar’s May-2017 launch of flights to Ho Chi Minh from both Melbourne and Sydney, which has resulted in overcapacity in the Australia-Vietnam market.

Israel’s El Al has never been seen as being at the cutting edge of the passenger experience, but that could all change as the airline takes a modern approach to flying with the introduction of its first two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners into its fleet during the second half of this year. A significantly raised cabin and in-flight offering on the type will see the carrier bring added competition on its flights into Europe from September 2017 and North America and Asia from October 2017.

Royal Brunei Airlines is planning to resume expansion in 2018 as the airline increases its fleet from 10 to 14 aircraft. The resumption of flights to Brisbane is under consideration as well as upgrading the Brunei-London route from one-stop to non-stop, which will result in a one-stop product for the Melbourne-London market.

Virgin Australia has forged a codeshare with Hong Kong Express to support connections beyond its new Hong Kong-Melbourne service to mainland China.

CAPA’s 2017 LCCs in North Asia Summit was hosted last week and included a variety of high profile industry leaders discussing topical issues related to aviation.

The CAPA-ACTE 2017 Melbourne Aviation and Corporate Travel Summit, recently took place with some of the most incredible discussions from a wide range of expert speakers.

SilkAir plans to upgrade its premium product in the Cairns market in 4Q2017 after it takes delivery of its first batch of 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The 737 MAX 8 will offer an improved business class product, 50% more spacious, compared to the 737-800 but the same economy product.

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