Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Oct 13, 2015 Facebook Twitter DELHI: As airlines get a breather from plunging oil prices and tech-savvy, mid-level managers accept the fact that their ‘road warrior’ status doesn’t always come with first- or business class benefits, some sage upgrades by airlines are being implemented. Arguably chief among them is the introduction by non-US carriers of premium economy – a class of product that can give regular flyers on a budget a reasonable shot at affordably avoiding the economy class crush. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is the latest carrier to join the premium economy bandwagon; firstly on its A380s. But will SIA extend this new product to the new ultra long-range Airbus A350-900ULR, which  after an amendment to its A350 order is now poised to enable the reinstatement of all-premium, non-stop service from Singapore to the US from 2018? The airline, which  pushed for the ULR , isn’t saying explicitly. “We ...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Dinesh Keskar, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ senior v-p of sales for Asia Pacific and India. [Photo: Neelam Mathews] March 13, 2014, 4:35 PM Airbus and Boeing released their outlooks for the Indian airliner market over the next two decades on at the India Aviation show in Hyderabad this week, with both  OEM s estimating different figures. Boeing forecast demand in India for 1,600 new airplanes worth $205 billion, with the country’s fleet expected to grow more than five times in size over the next 20 years, while Airbus estimated a slightly more conservative 1,290 aircraft worth $190 billion. “India’s demographics are highly favorable to the growth of air transportation,” said Dinesh Keskar, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ senior vice president of sales, Asia Pacific and India. “The share of India’s large population entering the workforce is growing and India could have the world’s fourth-largest econom...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS With removal from the EU’s safety black list, PAL can now fully justify its acquisition of Airbus A330s (below) along with A321s. (Image: Airbus) July 11, 2013, 12:28 PM Philippine Airlines ( PAL ) has become the Philippines’ first and only carrier removed from the  EU  air safety black list, an operating ban imposed three years ago within the 28-state European Union ( EU ). Meanwhile, the  U.S.  Federal Aviation Administration has begun to reassess the Category 2 rating it issued to  PAL  in 2009. Category 2 carriers cannot start new services to the  U.S.   FAA  safety inspectors arrived in the Philippines a few weeks ago, leaving  PAL  executives hopeful that they can soon proceed with plans to expand services into the  U.S. Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines ( CAAP ) director-general William Hotchkiss said raising safety standards had r...

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...