News From Asia 亚洲新闻

Richard Maslen April 07, 2011

NOK AIR STRENGTHENS LINKS TO NORTHERN THAILAND

Thai low-cost carrier has improved domestic links from some smaller communities in Northern Thailand through the introduction of four new routes to Bangkok Don Mueang. These comprise daily connections to Nan and Roi Et, a four times weekly link to Mae Sot and three flights per week to Loei. These services were launched last week or this week and are being operated by a Saab 340 of SGA Airlines. Nok Air plans to boost capacity later this year when it takes delivery of additional ATR 72 turboprops. There are currently no direct services to these destinations from the Thai capital. Nok Air is also boosting capacity on two of its established routes with a sixth daily rotation from Bangkok Don Mueang to Hat Yai from May 1, operated by a Boeing 737-400, and a second daily flight to Sakhon Nakhon from May 3, using a Saab 340. The airline carried approximately 231,000 and 29,000 O&D passengers on these two routes over the past 12 months respectively. It is the sole operator to Sakhon Nakhon, but competes with Orient Thai Airlines to Hat Yai, securing a 70 per cent share of the traffic in the past year. Thai Airways International and Thai AirAsia also serve Hat Yai from Bangkok’s main airport, Suvarnabhumi International.

HONG KONG EXPRESS TO LAUNCH TO KOTA KINABALU

Hong Kong Express is to expand its network into Malaysia with the launch of a Hong Kong – Kota Kinabalu service. The twice weekly flight will commence from April 12 and will be operated using a Boeing 737-800. The airline currently serves just four markets outside of China and Hong Kong – Osaka Kansai, Okinawa and Sapporo in Japan and Manila in the Philippines, while parent Hong Kong Airlines serves seven destinations in Japan, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The Hong Kong – Kota Kinabalu route is already served by AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines on a daily basis and Dragonair on a five times weekly schedule. Around 177,000 O&D passengers flew between the two destinations in the past year with AirAsia dominating the traffic (40 per cent) thanks, in a big part, to its low-fares, which at an average of $126 each way are almost half the cost of those offered by its rivals.

SE AIR TO ADD MACAU LINK FROM MAY

Filipino carrier South East Asian Airlines (SE Air) has deepened its relationship with new shareholder Tiger Airways by using another of its Airbus A319s to introduce a link to Macau. The daily service from its Diosdado Macapagal International Airport base, or Clark International as it is better known, will be inaugurated on May 27 and will be SE Air’s third overseas destination after Hong Kong and Singapore. Cebu Pacific Airways, Philippines fast expanding low-cost carrier, already serves the route with four flights per week and carried an estimated 48,000 O&D passengers over the past year.

AIR BUSAN SET TO ADD HONG KONG AND TOKYO LINKS

South Korean low-cost carrier Air Busan is to launch flights from its Busan base to Hong Kong and Tokyo Narita, although the later route’s inauguration may be delayed due to current market conditions in Japan. The Hong Kong route is planned to launch on May 18 and will be operated on a three times weekly basis using a Boeing 737-400. This is a strong route for international traffic with approximately 120,000 O&D passengers travelling between the two cities in the last year and the introduction of a low-cost carrier on the route could certainly stimulate the market further. Air Busan is a subsidiary of Asiana Airlines and this expansion is a clear move by the South Korean carrier to boost its own presence on this route. The market is dominated by Korean Air and Dragonair with Asiana Airlines accounting for just nine per cent of the traffic.

SILKAIR RAMPS-UP FREQUENCIES

Singaporean carrier SilkAir is to introduce additional services on its existing routes from Singapore Changi International to Chiang Mai, Manado and Yangon. The link to Manado, the capital of the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, will notably see a fifth weekly frequency across the Northern Summer season from July 5. This route is only flown by SilkAir and has witnessed a strong increase in demand during the current calendar year. Meanwhile, between May 31 and June 28, SilkAir will add a fourth weekly rotation to Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, and during July will offer 17 flights per week to the former capital of Burma, Yangon. It currently offers 16 flights per week on the latter route, a market in which it is the largest operator, holding a 51 per cent share of the 267,000 O&D passengers that travelled between the two destinations in the past year.

AIR CHINA TO USE FIRST 777-300ER ON DOMESTIC ROUTE FROM JULY 1

Air China will use the first of its soon to delivered Boeing 777-300ERs on its Beijing – Shanghai Hongqiao route from July 1, subject to delivery changes, replacing a 777-200 on two of its daily flights. The airline has 19 of the type on order and although these will be mainly used on international flights, Air China plans to also use them on some domestic services, initially for crew training purposes and later to maintain utilisation. The aircraft are due to be configured in a three-class arrangement with 8 First Class, 42 Business Class and 313 Economy seats. Although the 777-300ER is larger than its predecessor, this will actually represent a small decline in seating on these two flights, as the 777-200s have a two-class 345-seat arrangement. The 777-300ER is currently displayed to operate the Beijing – Shanghai Hongqiao until the end of the summer season. Air China’s first international destination for the type is planned to be Frankfurt, with the first scheduled departure tentatively set for September 1.

AIR FRANCE CELEBRATES RETURN TO PHNOM PENH

Air France has resumed flights into Cambodia, almost 37 years since it last serve the country. Its inaugural Paris CDG – Phnom Penh, operated by an Airbus A340-300, arrived in the Asian country on March 31. The airline started flying to Phnom Penh in 1947 when Cambodia was still a French colony but suspended its services in June 1974, just months before the Khmer Rouge closed the borders and launched a radical revolution. Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said the resumption of flights from Paris to the southeast Asian country was part of the airline's growth strategy, but it was also significant from a historical perspective. "It is really emotional," he told reporters at Phnom Penh International Airport after the first flight arrived.

TRANSASIA AIRWAYS OFFERS SCHEDULED MAKUNG – KINMEN LINK

Taiwanese carrier TransAsia Airways has upgraded its four times weekly Makung – Kinmen route to a scheduled operation. The link, which had provided easy access for residents on Penghu County, or Pescadores as it is better known, in the centre of Taiwan Strait into China, via Kinmen Island, was previously flown on a scheduled charter basis. Around 11,000 O&D passengers flew on the route in the past year but this figure solely accounts for the scheduled traffic using Mandarin Airlines and UNI Airways via Chiayi, Taichung and Tainan.

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