Aerospace Diary

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  »  OCTOBER 14, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Garuda Indonesia expects to become SkyTeam’s 20th member in March. (Photo: Airbus) October 14, 2013, 1:20 PM SkyTeam reports solid progress in Garuda Indonesia’s preparations to join the alliance in March next year, when it expects the Jakarta-based airline to become the only Indonesian carrier affiliated with a major international grouping. Garuda’s enrollment would make it the 20th SkyTeam member and the tenth from Asia. “The integration is going on well and Garuda has worked hard to meet the membership criteria required to join the alliance, which includes its new  IT platform—Amadeus,” SkyTeam managing director Michael Wisbrun told  AIN . “Garuda’s membership will give SkyTeam a unique advantage…[offering] access to Southeast Asia’s largest economy.” While SkyTeam continues to extend its global reach, Brazil and India remain two “wh...

Neelam Mathews Oct 2, 2012 Once considered a slow mover, Sky Team is going places and finding ways to face challenges of how to increase value since major world carriers are already aligned to alliances. SkyTeam hopes to have a platform finalised in early 2013 and to conduct a trial with a hybrid carrier or LCC, although it is not naming potential partners, says CAPA. SkyTeam is upfront in saying it is targeting airlines in Brazil and India with this new partnership platform. (This does not come as a surprise as the alliance previously indicated it was looking to expand in Latin America and India), says the report. In India, IndiGo is the largest domestic carrier and, unlike many others, is healthy. It is not only an obvious target but there have been discussions between IndigGo and SkyTeam, says CAPA.   This was ofcourse, till just a couple of years ago, unthinkable! Top Indian domestic airlines ranked on seat capacity: 24-Sep-2012 to 30-Sep-2012...

Neelam Mathews July 31, 2012 At a recent meeting during the second visit this year of DG IATA Tony Tyler, Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal told Aerospace Diary when queried, that the carrier was in talks with an international alliance. When queried when the announcement would be made, Goyal dismissed it with a: "We will announce it...." With Jet not permitted to talk to Star Alliance following the Air India fiasco, OneWorld still holding its umbilical cord with shamed (by IATA) Kingfisher, this leaves only SkyTeam. There has been another school of thought that is convinced Jet will not join an alliance easily as it tends to make partnerships with airlines the world over to suit its routes and ambitions.

Dec 17, 2011 SkyTeam , the global airline alliance, has unveiled its brand new check-in co-located area at Terminal 2 Beijing Capital International Airport.  The new facility brings together Air France, Aeroflot, Alitalia, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, KLM and Vietnam Airlines, as part of SkyTeam members’ efforts to collaborate in order to improve customer benefits and deliver a superior SkyTeam experience. This is the first time that SkyTeam, airline alliance in the Greater China region, has operated out of a common location in China, says a statement. SkyTeam’s Beijing facility includes 50 check-in desks, with a further 10 self-service kiosks available by the end of the year. Premium passengers benefit from dedicated check-in counters. “The co-location of SkyTeam carriers worldwide is an integral part of our strategy as it offers tangible benefits to both our customers and our members,” said Gordon Humpherys, SkyTeam’s VP of Airport Services....