Corporate Travel News

Regional Express (Rex) released (06-Oct-2017) the core flight schedule for Cooma-Sydney route, which the carrier will operate five times weekly throughout the upcoming summer. The service will operate in conjunction with Rex's Sydney-Merimbula service. Additional direct frequencies will be added to the core schedule during the winter snow season in 2018, with details to be released in the coming months. [more - original PR]

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) director-general Saleh Bin Nasser Al Jasser said the carrier will enter discussions with Boeing and Airbus for around 30 narrowbody aircraft for its new LCC subsidary flyadeal before the end of 2017 (Reuters, 05-Oct-2017). Flyadeal commenced operations on 23-Dec-2017. The carrier is leasing eight A320s from DAE Capital in the interim.

CAPA - Centre for Aviation stated (05-Oct-2017) Monarch Airlines has proceeded to return aircraft to lessors. The carrier, upon ceasing operations on 02-Oct-2017, has returned a total of nine A320/A321s to their respective lessors as of 04-Oct-2017.

SAS announced (05-Oct-2017) five new routes and increased capacity on existing routes from Aarhus Airport in summer 2018 as part of a cooperation agreement with the airport to boost connectivity. New routes include Stockholm, Oslo, Munich, Mallorca and Split, with the later two operating as seasonal routes during summer 2018. The carrier will also extend Malaga route to year round and increase Copenhagen frequency. EVP & COO Lars Sandahl Sørensen stated there is "significant potential in the area" and the services will fill a gap in the market (Check-in.dk/The Local.dk, 05-Oct-2017). The capacity expansion is estimated to add more than 300,000 seats p/a to the airport which will result in 200,000 additional passengers p/a. [more - original PR - Danish]

IATA reported (05-Oct-2017) "stagnant" domestic demand in Australia for Aug-2017, with RPKs declining 0.1% year-on-year. IATA stated RPKs have been trending sideways in seasonally adjusted terms "over the past year or so, although domestic capacity has trended down over the same period", at an annualised pace of around 2% since late-2016. As a result, domestic Australia passenger load factor grew by more than two percentage points. [more - original PR]

Jet2.com announced (05-Oct-2017) plans to increase capacity over winter 2017/2018 from London Stansted, Manchester Airport and Leeds Bradford in response to increased demand. Jet2.com CEO Steve Heapy commented: "A number of factors have resulted in increased demand for our award-winning flights and ATOL protected package holidays... We won't be stopping at these winter flights, so keep an eye out for further announcements about additional Summer 18 capacity very soon". [more - original PR] [more - original PR - II] [more - original PR - III]

JETGO, via its official Facebook account, reported (05-Oct-2017) it will take delivery of its first 50 seat Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet in the US in mid-Oct-2017. The aircraft will be flown back to Australia by two of the carrier's pilots, with a route encompassing Arizona, Alaska, Russia, Japan, Philippines and then Horn Island (Australia) over a five day period.

CAPA - Centre for Aviation, in a report entitled: 'Virgin Atlantic: Air France-KLM relationship may help in improving network coverage', stated (05-Oct-2017) Virgin Atlantic's anticipated entry into the North Atlantic JV based around SkyTeam members Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM will probably not immediately change the shape of its network in a significant way. It will certainly not directly alter its competitive position on its routes from the UK. Virgin Atlantic's new relationship with Air France-KLM should improve Virgin's access to wider markets in the future. Air France-KLM has a much more geographically balanced network and, over time, this should help to widen Virgin's global commercial footprint, particularly if the new Air France-KLM shareholder China Eastern is also brought into its sphere of influence. [more - CAPA Analysis]

IATA regional VP for the Middle East & Africa Muhammad Ali Albakri stated (05-Oct-2017) the practice of blocking airlines funds in Africa is not the answer to addressing significant economic challenges. He said: "Airlines are powerful economic enablers and if they cannot recover revenues which are essential to covering their costs they will be unable to provide the connectivity that is vital for countries' economic growth". Mr Albakri noted IATA had success in Egypt where the Government has completely cleared the backlog of funds. Mr Al Bakri urged other Governments, specifically Angola and Sudan, "to follow suit". [more - original PR]

Cook Islands reported (05-Oct-2017) the following arrivals statistics for the 12 months to Jul-2017:

• Total visitor arrivals:155,230, +15% year-on-year:
• Largest source markets:
  • New Zealand: 105,072, +16.9%;
  • Australia: 24,578, +5%;
  • Europe: 11,122, +12%;
  • US: 7436, +27%;
  • Canada: 2664, +29%.
• Average length of stay: 8.8 nights, +3.5%. [more - original PR]