LION AIR TO COMPETE ON JAKARTA – KUALA LUMPUR
Indonesian low-cost carrier Lion Air will launch flights between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur later this month, becoming the tenth carrier to offer service on the route. The airline is planning an initial daily schedule from June 29 using a 189-seat Boeing 737-900ER. There are currently more than 120 flights every week between the two cities providing more than 23,000 weekly seats. In the past year an estimated 1.33 million O&D passengers travelled on the route, up 9.4 per cent on the previous 12 month period. It is low-cost carrier AirAsia that dominates the traffic between the two cities through its own operations and those of its Indonesian joint venture. The airline has been able to carve out a 48.8 per cent of the market through its low fares, although based on these estimated figures Malaysia Airlines is actually the most profitable carrier on the route thanks to its much stronger yields. Lion Air is likely to try and compete further on price to attract customers from rival carriers and to stimulate demand further.
SILKAIR ADDS SEVENTH INDIAN DESTINATION
SilkAir is to launch flights between Singapore and Kolkata from August 1, expanding its network in India to seven destinations. The carrier will offer a four times weekly service and will operate alongside its parent company Singapore Airlines (SIA) on the route. SIA currently offers four flights per week but will reduce its schedule to three weekly services meaning that together with SilkAir it will provide a daily link between the two destinations. The revised flights are subject to governmental approvals, with schedules subject to slot availability. IX also serves the Singapore – Kolkata route (four times per week), a market of around 105,000 O&D passengers in the past year. “Kolkata is a vibrant city that is rich in culture and history and known as the commercial capital of east India. It also serves as a base for many multi-national companies,” said Marvin Tan, Chief Executive, SilkAir. “SilkAir looks forward to serving both leisure and business travellers alike on the Singapore-Kolkata route from August 1, complementing the services already offered by our parent company, Singapore Airlines.” SilkAir has demonstrated a strong commitment to India and this growth shows its dedication to further expand in the developing market. An estimated 1.94 million O&D passengers travelled between Singapore and India in the past year, up 16.7 per cent on the previous 12 months. The airline currently offers 30 weekly flights to Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvanathapuram.
AIR CHINA TO LAUNCH DELAYED CHENGDU – TOKYO NARITA ROUTE
Air China will this week inaugurate flights between Chengdu and Tokyo Narita, almost three months later than originally planned. The airline will offer a twice weekly service from June 16, increasing to three rotations per week from July 5. It was originally due to launch the route in March but cancelled the inauguration earlier the same month following the tragic earthquake and tsunami that hit parts of Japan earlier this year. Air China’s Star Alliance partner All Nippon Airways (ANA) will also introduce flights between the two international cities from June 19 on a daily schedule. An estimated 54,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year, the majority connecting via Shanghai Pu Dong on the flights of Air China and China Eastern Airlines. Chengdu’s Shuangliu International Airport Company has witnessed rapid growth over the past decade and is now the largest air hub and passenger and cargo distribution centre in the central western region of China. Last year it handled 25.8 million passengers, making it the sixth busiest airport in China and it is currently working on the construction of a new passenger terminal (T2) due to open in early 2012, to further boost capacity. It will be the host of next year’s Routes Asia forum which is due to take place between April 15 and 17, 2012.
KINGFISHER DIVES INTO INDIAN DOMESTIC MARKET
Kingfisher Airlines has launched nine new domestic routes and in the process has become the only carrier to offer flights between Mumbai-Kolhapur, New Delhi-Pantnagar, and Jabalpur- Indore. In addition, Kingfisher has also introduced direct flights between Mumbai and Thiruvanthapuram and all the flights will operate under the Kingfisher Red brand. "Kingfisher Airlines is always looking for opportunities to improve connectivity. The launch of these nine new flights will further strengthen our presence in the country as the airline with the largest domestic route network,” said Manoj Chacko, Executive Vice President, Commercial, Kingfisher Airlines. Kingfisher is currently the third largest carrier in India by domestic seat capacity, offering more than 285,000 seats to the market on more than 2,500 weekly domestic rotations. These new flights are aimed at opening new markets and to develop improved connectivity to other cities in the Kingfisher Airlines network via Mumbai and New Delhi.
THAI AIRWAYS OPENS EUROPEAN LINK TO PHUKET
Thai Airways International is to offer its first direct service between Europe and the popular leisure destination of Phuket. The Thai flag carrier will offer a three times weekly link to the Danish capital Copenhagen from November 4 until the end of the 2011/2012 Nothern Winter schedules in March 2012. The airline will use a 389-seat Boeing 747-400 on the seasonal flight, complementing its existing daily link between Copenhagen and Bangkok. “We are very proud that Thai Airways has decided to open a second service out of Copenhagen. Airports in Europe have been competing fiercely to win this new route as the airline only has one aircraft available for a new route from Europe in 2011. The choice of Copenhagen Airport emphasises our position as the largest airport in Scandinavia and one of the most important Star Alliance hubs in Europe,” said Carsten Nørland, VP, Sales and Marketing, Copenhagen Airport. Phuket, Thailand is one of the preferred winter destinations for Scandinavians. In recent years, large numbers of Scandinavian leisure travellers have flown to Thailand and Phuket, which offers sun, warm weather and white sandy beaches during the dark and cold winter of the north. In 2010 alone, more than 124,000 passengers travelled from Denmark to Thailand, while the number of passengers travelling from Scandinavia to Phuket rose by 24% year on year.
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