Aviation Briefs
China Southern cuts Philippine services
China Southern Airlines has announced that it is cutting flights to the Philippines amid tensions in the South China Sea.
Xinhua reported that the Guangzhou-based airline will reduce its Manila flights from twice daily to daily on certain dates from 26 May to 30 June, as passenger traffic between the two countries continues to drop. A spokesperson for the airline said the adjustment was made following the cancellation of “a large number of tourist groups”.
China and the Philippines are currently embroiled in a major territorial dispute over the Scarborough Shoal – a small group of islets in the South China Sea.
Cathay Pacific boosts Chennai
Cathay Pacific will increase frequencies between Chennai and Hong Kong later this year. From 1 September 2012, the Hong Kong-based airline will boost services to the southern Indian city from four times a week to daily. Cathay serves Chennai using an Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
VietJet’s Hanoi-Danang flights go on sale
Vietnam’s new low-cost carrier, VietJet Air, is now taking bookings for its new services between Hanoi and Danang. The airline will launch daily flights on the route from 24 May – five days after the launch of another new route connecting Hanoi with Nha Trang. Both routes will be served using a new Airbus A320. VietJet said promotional fares for the Hanoi-Danang flights will start from VND229,000 (US$10.80).
AirAsia has unveiled its new company logo. The design forms part of the company’s rebranding efforts, which recently saw the launch of a new weekend uniform for its cabin crew, and will extend to the roll-out of a new aircraft livery. The low-cost carrier said the new branding was meant to be “bold, innovative, dynamic and progressive”.
Norwegian may fly Dreamliners to Bangkok, HK
Norwegian Air Shuttle has announced that Bangkok and Hong Kong could be among the destinations for its new fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
The carrier has firm orders for six Dreamliners, each seating up to 291 passengers, and said that the aircraft would enable it to offer non-stop services from Oslo to global destinations including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and New York. No further details have been announced, but the first three aircraft will be delivered in 2013, two more in 2014 and one in 2015.
Norwegian is now recruiting pilots to fly its new Dreamliners.
Korean Air to resume Urumqi flights
Korean Air has announced that it will resume services to the northwest Chinese city of Urumqi from 29 May. The flights will operate twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays) between Seoul’s Incheon airport and Urumqi’s Diwopu airport, using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Urumqi, with a population of 2.7 million people, is the capital of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Passengers hurt in China Southern turbulence
Eleven passengers were injured last week when a China Southern Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence. Eight passengers and three crew members suffered fractures and bruises on the Boeing 777 flight from Guangzhou to Shanghai. According to local media, one passenger suffered a broken arm.
The Shanghai Daily quoted one passenger as saying that the aircraft “was plunging for several seconds”, while another reported feeling “weightless”. The incident caused a nine-hour delay on the return flight as engineers in Shanghai inspected the aircraft for damage.
MAS changes baggage rules
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has changed its cabin baggage allowance rules. In preparation for its entry into the oneworld alliance, the new rules will enable economy class passengers to carry one piece of cabin baggage up to 7kg, instead of 5kg previously. Guests in first and business classes are now permitted to carry two pieces of cabin baggage with a maximum weight of 7kg each. The new rules come into force from today.
Hainan Airlines adds first Singapore-Shanxi link
Hainan Airlines launched a new scheduled service to Singapore on Friday. The new route links Singapore’s Changi airport with the northern Chinese city Taiyuan, becoming the first air link between Singapore and China’s Shanxi province. Flights will operate twice a week (Mondays and Fridays) via Haikou, in Hainan province. Services will be operated using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
LAN profits drop
LAN reported a 21.8% drop in net profits in the first quarter of 2012. The Santiago-based carrier posted profits of US$76.1 million for the three-month period – down from US$97.2 million in Q1 2011. Quarterly revenues rose 12.6% year-on-year to reach US$1.54 billion, but LAN said results were impacted by a 14.7% rise in fuel prices.