Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews May 20, 2013 Thai Indigo Airlines has a handle on twitter with as many as 97 followers and zero tweets.  Apparently it is a new happening. Or is this a a social media strategy to deal with Thai AirAsia? Or am I reading something more into it that doesn't exist? Am I missing something here? Will keep you posted.

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  FEBRUARY 25, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Malaysia-based AirAsia has announced plans to launch a new domestic airline in India before year-end. (Photo: Airbus) February 25, 2013, 1:52 PM Malaysia’s AirAsia has unveiled plans to launch a new domestic airline in India by the fourth quarter of 2013. Under the terms of a deal announced on February 21, the largest low-fare carrier in Asia will hold a 49-percent stake–the maximum holding permitted by the Indian government for a foreign investor–in the new airline. AirAsia is partnering with major Indian industrial groups Tata (to carry a 30-percent stake) and Telestra Tradeplace (21 percent). AirAsia chairman Tony Fernandes has decided against buying into an existing Indian domestic airline, as he could have done under foreign investment rules revised last year. By contrast, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways recently confirmed plans to buy 24 percent o...

AIN Air Transport Perspective » January 16, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews Europe's ETS, higher UK passenger duty taxes and high airport and handling costs in India have convinced AirAsiaX to refocus on Asia. (Photo: AirAsia) January 12, 2012, 10:24 AM AirAsia X, long-haul subsidiary of Malaysia’s AirAsia, the largest Asian budget carrier, plans to withdraw 11 weekly services to Mumbai and Delhi in India and 10 weeklies to its only European destinations—Paris and London—from its Kuala Lumpur hub. Services to Mumbai and Delhi will cease from January 31 and March 22, respectively, while flights to London and Paris will end on March 30 and March 31. “The implementation of the Emissions Trading Scheme and escalating Air Passenger Duty taxes in the UK, which will rise yet again in April, have forced our decision to withdraw our services to Europe,” said Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X. AirAsia X has faced excess capacity a...

Low-Cost carriers Aviation Daily Oct 20 , 2010 , p. 15 Neelam Mathews Budget carrier Thai AirAsia will launch four flights to Bangkok from Delhi and a daily from Kolkata on Dec. 1, using an Airbus A320 . The carrier wants to tap Hong Kong, Macau and some Chinese destinations from Bangkok for the Indian market. It may also launch Bangkok-Mumbai service in the second half of 2011. As the market grows, AirAsia will increase operations from Chennai in southern India to Kuala Lumpur, starting Oct. 31 to 11 from seven flights a week. Thailand is one of the fastest-growing markets for Indian travelers for tourism and events. Last year, arrivals from India to Thailand increased by more than 14% to 614,566 visitors, ranking fifth in Thailand’s international arrivals. For the first eight months of this year, Indian arrivals jumped 20% year-on-year, marking a significant growth for this sector, CEO Tassapon Bijleveld...