Aerospace Diary

Press Release A total of 11 flights a week will operate to and out of DEL from 15 th  July SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the  one world alliance will be adding four more frequencies to its current daily operations to/from New Delhi from July 15, 2017. This announcement reinforces the significance of the Indian market and specifically North India for the airline. These flights will each feature an array of bespoke services, world-class in-flight entertainment including a combination of practical timings and signature SriLankan Airlines hospitality services. The purpose of adding these flights is to provide passengers with added convenience and a wider choice in terms of travel between the two countries and seeking onward connectivity. The timings of the additional 4 flights will be as follows: Flight No. From To DEP ...

Jane's Airport Review Neelam Mathews Read full story on janes.ihs.com (subscription) Mattala Rajapaksala International Airport represents part of the island's bid to position itself as a tourism and cargo-handling destination For decades, Sri Lanka relied on a single international gateway at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport. However, this airport has reached saturation point beyond its designed capacity of 6 million passengers per year, processing 7.32 million in 2013. 1565965 The first phase of Mattala Rajapaksala International Airport went operational in 2013. (Neelam Mathews)   "Sources at the airport indicate that AASL is in advanced discussions with Oman Air and held talks with AirAsia X. SriLankan CEO Kapila Chandrasena told  IHS Jane's  that he expects MRIA to become a hub for leisure traffic to the Maldives. The airline plans by 2015 to shift its narrowbody MRO operations from Bandaranaike International to a ne...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS SITA expects the use of new technologies such as Apple’s iBeacon to enhance passengers’ experience at airports. (Photo: SITA/Ernst Tobisch) June 30, 2014, 11:53 AM IT  provider  SITA  has begun using new technologies such as Apple’s iBeacon to provide real-time information on mobile devices to help passengers move seamlessly across airports to board flights on time. American Airlines has become the first airline to use the  SITA common-use beacon registry, launched at the recent  SITA  Air Transport  IT  summit in Brussels. A six-month pilot program at Dallas/Fort Worth will use 100 iBeacons–the largest ever deployment and a precursor to a permanent implementation in eight hubs. SITA  installs the Apple-supported iBeacons on airport walls; they measure about one inch in diameter and carry a range of 2 meters to 100 meters. The iBeacons use Bluetooth low energy and g...

AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS  »  JULY 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Operating largely to and from unimproved airfields, Cinnamon Air’s Grand Caravans sustain significant wear and tear, particularly to their landing gear. Operating largely to and from unimproved airfields, Cinnamon Air’s Grand Caravans sustain significant wear and tear, particularly to their landing gear. July 1, 2014, 12:30 AM Sri Lankan regional airline Cinnamon Air expects a significant boost from traffic resulting from the recent move by its codeshare partner, SriLankan Airlines, to join the Oneworld alliance. Owned by the Saffron Aviation joint venture among John Keels Holdings,  MMBL Leisure Holdings and Phoenix Ventures, Cinnamon operates scheduled domestic services in the South Asian country, as well as charter flights. According to Saffron Aviation director Romesh David, Cinnamon’s traffic could grow “exponentially” as a result of the connection bet...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  JANUARY 6, 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Air Astana plans to take delivery of a third Boeing 767-300ER this year. (Image: Boeing) January 6, 2014, 1:30 PM Resolved on tapping the booming Central Asian market, global alliances SkyTeam, OneWorld and Star Alliance have approached Kazakhstan national carrier Air Astana with offers to join their ranks. In response, the airline recently commissioned U.S.-based Seabury Group to prepare a report on whether it should enter an alliance “and which one, because all alliances want us to join them,” Air Astana president Peter Foster told  AIN  in Astana recently. “The year 2014 will be a big year for us as we will decide how to structure our medium-haul fleet,” said Foster. “Our first consideration will be range and then costs when we evaluate our options.” Over the past two years Air Astana rolled over virtually its entire fleet, replacing all its...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  JULY 1, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS A Qatar Airways Boeing 787 taxies toward its position on the static display line at Le Bourget. (Photo: David McIntosh) July 1, 2013, 10:30 AM Energized by the explosive growth in the Middle East air transport market, Qatar Airways has turned its attention to Scandinavia as it extends Boeing 787 services to Stockholm on August 1, to be followed a month later to both Copenhagen and Oslo. At the recently concluded Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways  CEO  Akbar Al Baker placed a firm order for a pair of Boeing 777- 300ER s along with options on another seven in a deal potentially valued at $2.8 billion at list prices. “When we say options, we always make them firm orders,” he said. “Options [simply] give us the flexibility of moving up delivery dates.” He expects delivery of the first two early next year. “The - 300ER  is a fantastic [aircra...

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 Kuala Lumpur Jan 31, 2013 (Story to follow)

Jan 23, 2013 By- Yash Patel ( Mumbai-based Yash Patel is an analyst with a focus on airline finance, strategy and restructuring) The views published are of the writer alone and not of AerospaceDiary. Credit:20twentytwo ANALYSIS Jet Airways Jet Airways already has an existing codeshare agreement and extensive frequent flyer program/collaboration with Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways. Jet Airways and Emirates recently announced renewal of their respective codeshare agreements. Jet Airways and Etihad Airways recently announced extension of their codeshare agreement on Abu Dhabi-Paris route. Brussels Airlines (Lufthansa has a stake of 45% with approval to further invest in the carrier) is Jet Airways’ existing European Codeshare partner at its scissor hub in Brussels. Both airlines are members of Star Alliance. Jet Airways has been granted additional flying rights to Europe, especially on the India-Frankfurt/Munich routes. E...