Aerospace Diary

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  NOVEMBER 26, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Singapore Airlines’s recent acquisition of a 10-percent stake in Virgin Australia is a prime example of the wave of strategic realignments now happening in the Asia Pacific air transport sector. (Photo: Airbus) November 26, 2012, 6:00 PM Tough economic times are resulting in innovations by carriers in the Asia Pacific region looking beyond traditional business models through strategic realignments and new product offerings. Recent ground-breaking deals include Virgin Australia selling a 10-percent stake to Singapore Airlines ( SIA ) and buying 60 percent of Tiger Airways; the new partnership between Emirates Airline and Qantas; and Etihad Airways purchasing a 10-percent stake in Virgin Australia. “It is hard to say who is next. Qatar Airways said it would never enter into an alliance, and within a week it was in bed with British Airways,” commented ...

Neelam Mathews Nov 20, 2012 AerospaceDiary caught up with Singapore Airlines dynamic CEO Goh Choon Phong briefly during the AAPA 56th Assembly of Presidents in KL recently. On the possibility of A380 operations to India, Goh said: "We regularly consider new destinations for our A380s and India is indeed a market we would consider operating A380s to in future. At present we have no confirmed plans. However, in response to the question of regulatory approvals, we always treat our discussions with regulatory authorities as confidential." On budget carriers' competition on the Singapore-India route, Goh said: "We face competition on every route on which we operate and this is from many different types of airlines and LCCs. We compete by focusing on providing our customers the best quality products and services, across a wide network. For India in particular, we continue to look at ways to expand our operations to the country, both by SIA and by subsidiary, Silk...