Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Dec 19 2014 Read full story on- http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2014/12/19/star-alliance-sees-unity-in-diversity-of-culture-and-product/ NEW DELHI: In an era of globalization, increasingly there is a tendency to standardize culture. In this rush to be part of an international cluster, one could easily lose track of the city one is visiting given the disappearance of the national dress and to an extent, local cuisine. It comes as a breath of fresh air when airlines take that extra step to retain a whiff of the best of their national identity. This is apparent in Star Alliance, a membership club of 28 airlines that propagates unity in diversity. Easier said than done? “Not so,” said Star spokesman Christian Klick this week during the alliance’s CEO board meeting in New Delhi. Klick firmly believes that each member airline projects its attitude in service, food, cabin interiors, and crew uniforms, and each makes a big effort to project its ...

Neelam Mathews Nov 19, 2014 The AAPA 2014 Annual Assembly of Presidents in Tokyo was a delight in more ways than one- am referring to the Sake ofcourse! But seriously, following a host of mostly useful sessions, come night and added to the fantastic Imperial Hotel food and drink was a brilliant performance by Japanese artistes who then asked IATA DG to come and try his hand. Tony Tyler is a great sport-have seen him dancing to the beat of the Beach Boys in Hong Kong , to playing a guitar in Astana and now this! His talents seem to know no bounds. Nice to see CEOs- ANA and Garuda CEOS also followed him exhibit the spirit of our industry. Enjoy!

Posted by- Neelam Mathews June 25, 2013 Press Release SEPANG, 25 June 2013 –  AirAsia today announced its decision to terminate its participation in the joint venture with ANA Holdings Inc. under AirAsia Japan with the signing of a termination agreement.  The joint venture, created two years ago under the name AirAsia Japan faced many challenges since its launch. Issues stemmed from a fundamental difference of opinion between its shareholders on how the business should be managed from cost management to where the domestic business operations should be based. AirAsia Berhad through AirAsia Investment Ltd. had subscribed 25,120 voting shares and 23,880 non-voting shares at JPY 50,000 per share, which represented forty-nine percent (49%) of the paid-up share capital in AirAsia Japan. The termination comprises an acquisition of AirAsia’s entire shareholding in AirAsia Japan by ANA Holdings Inc. for JPY 2,450,000,000 (approximately RM80,475,150 base...

Neelam Mathews May 4, 2013 cr-hindubusinessline   Always one to call a spade a spade, we caught up with SpiceJet CEO Neil Mills at the launch of India Aviation 2014. Couldn't spot any other domestic airline CEO at the event. While Mills was very clear in saying there was no FDI planned "for now," he wasn't saying 'never.' Which leads us to believe, there's a pot boiling in the kitchen. Because, can it be a coincidence that there is sudden spurt in buying of the carrier's shares? Word has it that once media-shy Maran picks up 51%, announcements will be made. Who could be SpiceJet's partner? Qatar has denied they are interested- but then, Qatar also denied they were joining OneWorld alliance a day before the announcement. We, at AerospaceDiary, wonder how a budget-full-service alliance would work given the logistics including the FFP and the IATA membership issues. But then, the times they are a changing. ANA, that was said to be in talks ...

Neelam Mathews Jan 25, 2013 Air India will have to wait to fly its 787s as FAA, not NTSB, will decide when the worldwide grounding will be lifted and the investigation "may take some time," NTSB Board Chairman Deborah Hersman, said at an update br iefing in Washington yesterday. “We have to understand why this battery failure resulted in a fire when there were so many protections designed into the system.... This is not something we’re expecting will be resolved overnight, " said Hersman. It is now 17 days following the investigation of the battery incident that led to the grounding of the 787 fleet.“Today I can tell you what we know so far....We know that the lithium-ion battery experienced a thermal runaway. We know that there were short circuits, and we know that there was a fire. The work that we continue to do will tell us why these things happened.” The ANA 787 smoke issue on Jan which led to an emergency landing, is also linked to a damaged ...

Neelam Mathews Jan 12, 2012 Even as JAL reported a fire in the auxiliary lithium battery pack of the 787 and ANA suffered from brake problems, a senior official of the DGCA told Aerospace Diary that "action would be taken once the US NTSB report is released on the 787. He did add: "Air India's six 787s have had no issues and are working well." While fires in batteries are rare, they have been linked to aviation accidents, electric vehicle blazes and exploding smartphones. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has logged 33 instances in which batteries have caught fire on commercial airplanes since 2009. Of those cases, 26 — or 79 percent — involved lithium-ion batteries, according to the agency, writes Japan Times. "Damage from Monday's fire was confined to within about 50 cm of the battery pack, the NTSB reported.  Meanwhile- this is the statement issued by Boeing: Boeing  is confident in the design and performance of the 787. It is ...

Neelam Mathews Dec 23, 2011 Air India will add a fifth weekly on its Delhi – Tokyo Narita service starting March 25, 2012 using a Boeing 777-200LR.  AI competes with Japan Airlines on the route and the splitting the estimated 117,000 O&D passengers. A further 37,000 passengers flew between Delhi and Tokyo Narita via other Asian airports including Thai Airways International, Cathay Pacific Airways and Singapore Airlines.  An Air India ticket is around 25% cheaper than JAL. Singapore Airlines (SIA) has made capacity adjustments between Match 25, 2012 and October 27, 2012 to meet changes in seasonal demand from the travelling public. It is adding an additional daily to Seoul with a fourth flight between Singapore Changi and Incheon International, one of which continues on to San Francisco. Four weekly flights will be introduced to Male increasing from ten a week to a double daily schedule with daytime and nighttime rotations.  In India, Mumbai will see two addi...

Posted by- Neleam Mathews July 21, 2011 ANA Group, Japan’s largest airline, and AirAsia, are teaming up to form AirAsia Japan, a new budget carrier. AirAsia Japan will be the first low-cost carrier to be based at Narita International Airport . Operating under the AirAsia brand, it is to serve both domestic and international destinations when starting operations in August 2012, subject to  relevant approvals. In Japan, the aviation market is undergoing rapid transformation with developments including the expansion of Open Skies agreements and increased domestic competition from road and rail-based travel. In addition, Narita airport, a major international hub serving Tokyo, is seeking to increase capacity with the introduction of a new terminal and is expected to attract many low-cost carriers and foreign airlines, says a statement. ANA has been seeking opportunities to launch a new low-cost business based at Narita and, after analysis, has concluded that partnering w...

Posted by - Neelam Mathews July 15, 2011 Asia's largest budget carrier, AirAsia might sign a joint venture with Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) - to set up a low cost airline likely to be called AirAsia Japan, according to a Malaysian paper. ANA is the eighth largest airline in the world by revenues and the largest in Japan by passenger numbers.  The carrier will serve the domestic market and eventually regional markets, says the report. . AirAsia has joint ventures in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam and might set up a similar one in Japan. AirAsia Japan probably will operate from either Tokyo or  Fukukoa. AirAsia's joint venture in the Philippines is set to take off in October this year from Clark International airport. ANA's rival is Japan Airlines (JAL) said to be in talks with Qantas to set up its own low cost airline.