24 2015

http://finchannel.com/index.php/b
usiness/travel-news
The FINANCIAL -- Etihad Airways direct non-stop flights
between Abu Dhabi and Madrid bring more choice for
travellers as the airline connects Spain to its rapidly
expanding flight network.
Speaking at a media gathering in Madrid to mark the start of the new
capital to capital link, James Hogan, Etihad Airways President and
Chief Executive Officer, said the airlines global network brings major
benefits to Spain and delivers enhanced flight connections to and from
the country.
The event was attended by the UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of
Spain, Her Excellency Dr Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Al-Otaiba, according to
Etihad Airways.
Mr Hogan said: Our new Madrid service gives Spanish business and
leisure travellers greater access to the UAE with a total of 2,096
weekly seats on offer. It also provides convenient two-way connections
via our Abu Dhabi hub to important markets on Etihad Airways strong
global network.
The Madrid service is operated four times per week by an Airbus A330200 aircraft with a total of 262 seats in a two-class configuration: 22
Business Class and 240 Economy Class.
Air travellers can now fly from Madrid, with one stop in Abu Dhabi and
connect conveniently onto 30 destinations across the Gulf region,
Africa, Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia, through
Etihad Airways and its partner airlines.
From Madrid, travellers can connect on the network of Etihad Airways
codeshare partner, Air Europa, to eight cities in Spain including
Barcelona, Bilbao, Gran Canaria, La Coruna, Lanzarote, Palma de
Mallorca, Tenerife and Vigo, and also to Santo Domingo the capital
of the Dominican Republic.

http://finchannel.com/index.php/b
usiness/travel-news
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Still more Spanish cities open up a result of Etihad Airways recently
signed interline agreement with Spanish rail operator, Renfe. The
agreement gives travellers rail transport options beyond Madrid to 28
Spanish cities including Barcelona, Malaga and Valencia. Guests can
also book connections between Barcelona and eight points in Spain.
The greater choice for travellers is a testament to the depth and
strength of our business model. Our partnership strategy enables us to
work with other airlines to offer more flights, to more destinations with
more connections, Mr Hogan said.
In addition to providing access for business travellers and
holidaymakers, Mr Hogan said the new service between Abu Dhabi
and Madrid will also drive and support the trade and cultural ties
between the UAE and Spain.

Currently around 1,000 Spanish companies operate and more than

12,000 Spanish nationals live and work in the UAE and these numbers
are growing. The UAE is Spains largest trade partner across the Gulf
region, with trade volumes almost doubling in the last five years from
EUR 1 billion in 2009 to EUR 1.9 billion in 2014, said Mr Hogan.
Economic cooperation and investment between the two countries has
also witnessed considerable growth across multiple sectors including
petrochemicals, construction, education, health care, transportation
and tourism, and in the small and medium-sized business sector.
There are also significant Spanish investments in desalination, water
treatment and renewable projects in the UAE.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com
Japan's ANA to buy stake in bankrupt Skymark
Airlines
TOKYO: The parent company of Japan's All Nippon Airways
(ANA) said on Wednesday (Apr 22) it was throwing a lifeline to
domestic rival Skymark Airlines by taking a nearly 20 per cent
stake in the bankrupt carrier.
ANA Holdings said it would invest in Skymark along with
private equity fund Integral, which would take a 50.1 per cent
interest in the firm.
The struggling airline's creditors would scoop up the
remaining stake, for a total of 18 billion (US$150 million).
Skymark, Japan's third-biggest airline which flies on domestic
routes, filed for bankruptcy protection in late January in the
face of potentially massive penalties linked to a cancelled
US$2.2 billion jet order with Airbus.
"Integral and ANA have agreed to cooperate to enhance the
value of Skymark and do our best to get its shares listed again
within five years," ANA Holdings said in a press release.
The stock was delisted from the Tokyo exchange last month.
ANA will appoint a new president and Integral will pick a new
chairman once Skymark's rehabilitation plan - which it will
present to Tokyo District Court by May 29 - is approved.
Current chairman Takashi Ide and president Masakazu Arimori
are expected to step down around June, local media said.
Skymark's efforts to turn itself around failed as it struggled
against tough competition in the sector, while its woes
deepened after the deal with Airbus collapsed in the summer.
- AFP/ec

http://www.ekantipur.com
German companies propose capital injection into
NAC
KATHMANDU, APR 22 - German-based Lufthansa Consulting and
German Aviation Capital have proposed making a 76 percent capital
injection into Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) to become its
management partner.
During a joint presentation made at the Finance Ministry last Friday, the
two companies which are subsidiaries of the Lufthansa Group, had
proposed overseeing three major departments, namely commercial,
operation and engineering, besides holding the post of chief operating
officer to help the struggling flag carrier enhance its operational
efficiency.
The capital injection could be in the form of cash, equity or assets, said
Suresh Acharya, joint secretary at the ministry, adding that the
companys investment would depend on the negotiations.
Initially, German Aviation Capital had proposed that if NAC signs an
agreement with Lufthansa Consulting, it would help the airline finance
four narrow-body and two wide-body jets.
Following last Fridays presentation, the ministry asked NAC to submit
its input on whether it needed a foreign management partner or not. The
government has also asked for suggestions from the carrier regarding
the type of policy intervention needed to improve its efficiency.
The proposed induction of foreign management is based on NACs 10year business plan submitted to the ministry. Acharya said that the
Financed Ministry was also positive about the German companys
proposal as NAC would not be able to survive under the current setting.
Lufthansa Consulting is an international aviation consultant for airlines
and is an independent subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Similarly,
German Aviation Capital is an aircraft leasing company based in
Frankfurt.

http://www.ekantipur.com
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The two companies had submitted their proposals to the Prime
Ministers Office last month. The corporation has received two
separate proposals from the German companies. Lufthansa
Consulting has proposed providing services in three phases.
In the first phase, it will conduct a gap analysis to identify the
airlines shortcomings. The gap analysis period will last a month
and NAC will have to pay a fee of 295,000 euro for the service.
In the second phase, the company will take over NACs
management. It will appoint its own people to top management
posts like chief executive officer, chief financial officer and chief
marketing officer.
The second phase will last a year, and it may be terminated if
NAC thinks it is capable of handling things on its own.
However, the contract can be extended for two years. NAC will
have to pay a fee amounting to 2 percent of its annual revenue.
In the third phase, the German company will hand the
management back to NAC.
In July 1970, the then Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC)
had invited experts from Air France under a programme to
improve management, and they handled most of the managerial
positions until 1973. In 1972, RNAC acquired its first jet, a
Boeing 727, in cooperation with Air France.
The government has been considering privatising NAC or
bringing in a strategic partner for the last decade. In 2007, it had
initiated a plan to hand over NACs management to a foreign
strategic partner so that it could reform and rescue the troubled
carrier. However, the plan fell apart.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp
Ethiopian Airlines begins Narita flights
NARITA, CHIBA PREF. Ethiopian Airlines first flight to Japan
arrived at Narita International Airport on Wednesday evening,
marking the first Africa-Japan regular flight for 1 years.
Direct flights between Africa and Japan came to a halt when
EgyptAir withdrew from the route connecting Cairo and Kansai
International Airport in October 2013 due to domestic political
turmoil.
Ethiopian Airlines, which operates the largest service network in
Africa, plans three regular flights per week on the Addis AbabaNarita route using Boeing 787 aircraft.
For Narita airport, it was the first direct flight from Africa since
July 2013, when EgyptAir ended flights from Cairo.
The airport will cut its landing fee for the Ethiopian carrier by 100
percent, applying for the first time a discount campaign that
started this month, in order to promote new flights to Japans
main international airport.
The launch of the Ethiopia-Japan route was decided by the
governments of the two countries in December 2013.
In Africa, Ethiopian Airlines currently operates flights between
Addis Ababa and 49 cities. Using transfers at the Ethiopian
capital to those cities will improve convenience for passengers
traveling between Africa and Japan, who previously had to
transit mainly in Europe, airline officials said.

http://www.anna.aero/
Turkish Airlines grows in Lufthansas backyard;
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden to become 14th German
destination from Atatrk in June
Turkish Airlines has long had a significant presence in the
German market, partly as a result of the large number of
inhabitants of Turkish origin. Ten years ago the Star Alliance
carrier was already serving nine German cities from its main hub
in Istanbul. Between 2005 and 2011 (six years) the number of
flights between Germany and Istanbul increased by 50% with
the addition of no new services. However, between 2011 and
2015 (four years) the number of annual flights has increased by
60% and four new destinations have been added; Bremen in
April 2012, Leipzig in May 2012, Friedrichshafen in May 2013
and, most recently, Mnster/Osnabrck in June 2014.

http://www.anna.aero/
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While Turkish Airlines is rightly proud of the fact that it flies to
more countries than any other airline in the world, flying to as
many as 13 destinations in a single, foreign country is also fairly
unusual. How thrilled fellow Star Alliance member Lufthansa is
about this is unknown. The two airlines are involved in a joint
venture, SunExpress, a leisure airline based in Antalya, which
also focusses on the Germany-Turkey market. Since 2011, there
is also a Frankfurt-based subsidiary, SunExpress Germany,
which operates flights from various German airports to leisure
destinations across Europe and North Africa including Bulgaria,
Croatia, Egypt, Greece and Spain as well as Turkey. This carrier
will be the operator of Eurowings planned long-haul operations
from Cologne Bonn Airport starting this winter.
Majority of connecting passengers are staying within
Turkey
anna.aero was curious to analyse which of Turkish Airlines
many onward destinations from Istanbul were the most popular
in 2014 with passengers on the German routes to Istanbuls
Atatrk. Maybe unsurprisingly given the airlines extensive
domestic network, and the high number of Turkish diaspora
living in Germany, the vast majority of the most popular routes
were to other destinations in Turkey. For the purposes of this
analysis, Mnster/Osnabrck was omitted as there was less
than a full year of data available.

http://www.anna.aero/
(Continue)
#5
#4
#3
#2
#1
WF in Aug
destination destination destination destination destination
14

erman
airport

Izmir

Kabul

Antalya

Adana

Ankara

33

Frankfurt
(FRA)

Izmir

Beirut

Tehran

Antalya

Ankara

28

Berlin (TXL)

28

Dsseldorf
(DUS)

28

Hamburg
(HAM)
Munich
(MUC)
Stuttgart
(STR)

Adana
Tel Aviv

Antalya
Kabul

Izmir
Ankara

Kayseri
Izmir

Ankara
Antalya

Adana

Kayseri

Izmir

Ankara

Antalya

28

Trabzon

Izmir

Kayseri

Antalya

Ankara

26

Kabul
Shanghai

Tehran
Adana

Antalya
Ankara

Izmir
Antalya

Ankara
Izmir

21

Cologne
Bonn (CGN)

18

Nuremberg
(NUE)
Hannover
(HAJ)
Bremen
(BRE)

Tehran

Diyarbakir

Ankara

Antalya

Izmir

17

Adana

Beirut

Ankara

Izmir

Antalya

Ankara

Dalaman

Bodrum

Izmir

Antalya

Leipzig (LEJ)

Friedrichsh
afen (FDH)

Trabzon

Ankara

Kayseri

Izmir

Antalya

http://www.anna.aero/
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Ankara, Antalya and Izmir are by far the most popular onward
destinations. The only non-Turkish destinations to make the top
five from any German airport are Beirut, Kabul, Tehran, Tel Aviv
and most curiously, Shanghai (from Nuremberg). Of these only
Tehran (from Berlin) made the top three. However, the #1 final
destination for all German routes was, not surprisingly, Istanbul
itself.

http://www.anna.aero/
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On all of the 12 routes that have been operating throughout all
of 2014, the proportion of passengers on the route that were
travelling point-to-point between the German airport and
Istanbul Atatrk was between 35% (Leipzig) and 50%
(Friedrichshafen).
Where next for Turkish Airlines?
Looking at the ranking of Germanys airports in 2014, the
biggest (by annual passenger numbers) that do not have
connections to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines at present are;
Berlin Schnefeld, Frankfurt Hahn, Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden,
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Paderborn/Lippstadt and Memmingen,
all of which were busier airports in 2014 than Friedrichshafen. If
we exclude Berlin Schnefeld and Frankfurt Hahn as alternative
airports to cities already served, that suggests that Dortmund
should be the most likely next destination in Germany. However,
it will in fact be Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden (less than 100
kilometres from Stuttgart) which Turkish Airlines will start serving
with four weekly flights from the end of June.

http://www.anna.aero
Turkish Airlines starts seventh US route to San
Francisco
Turkish Airlines, has added another spoke to its
burgeoning Istanbul Atatrk (IST) hub, with the start of
services to San Francisco (SFO). Commenced on 13
April, the 10,792-kilometre sector, joins existing US
services to Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New
York and Washington as well as additional Americas
services to Montreal and Toronto in Canada, Buenos
Aires in Argentina and Sao Paulo in Brazil. The five times
weekly service is flown by the Star Alliance carriers 349seat 777-300s, and it is currently the only airline to offer
this particular city pair.

http://money.livemint.com/news/
Jet Airways to sell Boeing 777 and Airbus A330
planes Report
Jet Airways, Indias premier international airline, is
reportedly planning to sell all its wide-body Boeing 777
and Airbus A330 planes to raise cash and retire a portion
of its Rs 12,000-crore debt. The company had a fleet of
117 planes, a mix of turboprop, narrow-body and widebody planes. It flies the Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s to
London, Paris, Brussels, Newark, Toronto and Hong
Kong.
At present, the company does not fly all its wide-body
planes. It only uses five Boeing 777s and seven A330
aircraft and has leased the remaining 10 aircraft to Etihad
Airways and Turkish Airlines.
Meanwhile, the company is seeking shareholders
approval next month to raise up to $400 million through
issue of securities on private placement basis. The airline
is planning to issue secured and/or unsecured, listed
and/or unlisted non-convertible debentures and/or
subordinated debt instruments and/or other debt
securities or bonds. The proposed amount would be
within the company's overall borrowing limit.

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local
Airplane missing after leaving Creswell
The Civil Air Patrol searches from the air for the plane
that was heading for Vancouver, Wash.
The Oregon Civil Air Patrol will expand its search this morning
for a light single-engine aircraft that was reported missing after
departing from Creswells Hobby Field airport on Tuesday
evening.
A pilot with no passengers was flying a Piper PA-28 Cherokee,
Federal Aviation Administration regional spokesman Allen
Kenitzer said Wednesday.
The Piper was reported missing sometime after taking off from
Hobby Field about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, bound for Pearson Field
Airport in Vancouver, Wash., Kenitzer said. The pilot did not file
a flight plan, Kenitzer told The (Vancouver) Columbian.
The pilot was not immediately identified.
A Lane County Sheriffs Office official confirmed Wednesday
night that a missing person report was being compiled on the
pilot, but said the pilots name wouldnt be released until the
report is completed, probably sometime today.
Three aircraft and 15 people were involved in Wednesdays
search, which was requested by the Air Force Rescue
Coordination Center.
Todays search will be expanded with additional aircraft and
flight crews, Lt. Col. Thomas Traver said. The search will be
launched from the patrols incident command center at Aurora
State Airport north of Woodburn, he said.

http://centreforaviation.com/news
Minneapolis St Paul Airport pax stable, cargo down
14% in Mar-2015. Handles 8.3m pax in 1Q
.
Minneapolis St Paul International Airport passenger
numbers stable - traffic highlights:
Mar-2015:
Passenger numbers: 3.2 million, +0.1% year-onyear;
Cargo volume: 16,365 tonnes, -13.8%;
Freight: 14,725, -7.6%;
Mail: 1640, -46.1%;
Aircraft movements: 35,193, -4.1%;
1Q2015:
Passenger numbers: 8.3 million, +1.4%;
Cargo volume: 48,198, -5.0%;
Aircraft movements: 96,167, -4.1%.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com
World's biggest aviation market in 2030 will be China:
IATA
China is expected to overtake the United States to
become the world's biggest aviation market in passenger
turnover by 2030, said Tony Tyler, CEO of International
Air Transport Association (IATA), on Wednesday.
China's aviation industry has grown in quality as well as
quantity in the past 25 years, Tyler said.
"The impressive achievements [China has made] to date
give us confidence that even more improvements are
possible," he said.
By 2034, about one fifth of the world's passengers are
expected to come from China, go to China or transfer via
China, he said, citing improved infrastructure such as the
new Beijing international airport.
The Chinese aviation industry can improve its services in
areas such as reducing flight delays, streamlining new
route applications and introducing more effective air
controls, Tyler said.

http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net
China must boost airspace capacity: IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on
China to continue strengthening safety and to optimize its
airspace capacity further to reduce flight delays.
It is clear that China is fully dedicated to supporting its overall
development with a strong air transport industry. The efforts of
the CAAC to implement the State Safety Plan, upgrade
systems, open new routes, develop new airports, reduce delays
and much more are greatly appreciated by airlines.
By 2034, China will be the worlds largest passenger market,
with one in five passengers travelling to, from or within China.
Adopting global best practices to improve safety and optimize
airspace capacity will support the successful development of
Chinese aviation, said Tony Tyler, IATAs director general and
CEO.
Improving Safety
China has an exemplary safety record. There have been no jet
hull losses in Mainland China since August 2010. The combined
efforts of the Chinese aviation industry, including government,
airlines, airports, air traffic control, and many others have built a
first class safety record for China, said Tyler, speaking at the
Beijing International Forum on Civil Aviation Safety..
Tyler also highlighted two opportunities to enhance Chinas
safety regime with (1) audits for airlines not qualified for IOSA
and (2) greater attention to the shipping of lithium batteries:
In Greater China, there are 25 airlines on the IATA Operational
Safety Audit (IOSA) registry. IATA just launched the IATA

http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net
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Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) which caters to operators
that are not eligible for an IOSA audit, either because they
operate aircraft below the maximum take-off weight of 5,700 kg,
or operate a business model that does not conform to IOSA
standards, such as private charters. I encourage the Chinese
industry to take advantage of this opportunity to introduce global
standards to those airlines not covered by ISOA, said Tyler.
Tyler also expressed concern on the safe carriage of lithium
batteries. China is a major production center for lithium
batteries. Ensuring the safe carriage of this cargo is a major
concern for the Chinese air transport industry. Because of the
complex supply chains involved, it is crucial that all stakeholders
are aligned, said Tyler. To support the growth of awareness and
knowledge-sharing on this issue in China, IATA has released the
new Lithium Battery Shipping Guidelines in Chinese. This
document is designed to guide shippers and manufacturers step
by step through the shipping process.
Optimizing Chinas Airspace
Nearly 70,000 flights operate to, from or within Mainland China
every week, about 10% of the global total. China should be
congratulated for managing such a large number of flights. It is a
major accomplishment, especially given the complex mix of civil
and military concerns involved as well as the phenomenal rate
of growth. While there is no question that these flights are being
handled with safety as a top priority, flight delays are still a major
issue for airlines and their passengers, said Tyler.
Tyler highlighted five priority areas where further improvements
in airspace capacity can be pursued.

http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net
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Use existing airspace more efficiently by allowing international
flights to use domestic air routes. The ideal situation would be to
eliminate distinctions between international and domestic
operations, or at least to have all current domestic routes open
for international operations.
Reduce restrictions on entry/exit points and simplify procedures
for re-routing requests. This will allow airlines to make the best
use of meteorological conditions, such as wind, to fly more
efficiently.
Introduce air traffic flow management. This will improve
predictability for flights.
Maximize the full potential of civil-military cooperation through
flexible use of airspace by civil aircraft when it is not being used
by the military. More advance notice and alternative routings
when military exercises require route closures will also help
airlines manage the situation more effectively for their
passengers.
Maximize the potential to be gained in interoperability from the
investments made to introduce performance based navigation
(PBN) in China. The potential for PBN to allow for routerestructuring and more direct routes has not yet materialized.
Much progress has been made to improve the efficiency of
Chinas air traffic management. I appreciate the tremendous
challenge just to keep pace with annual growth of 8% or greater.
The impressive achievements to date give us confidence that
even more improvements are possible, said Tyler.