Xiamen Airlines Receives Green Light for SkyTeam Membership
Chinese carrier Xiamen Airlines has been formally accepted as a member of the SkyTeam alliance by its membership and will now begin the process leading to full entry into the grouping, which is expected to take place by the end of next year. The airline’s entry will notably increase SkyTeam’s activities in the Chinese market, particularly in the flourishing southeast region of the country. Based in Xiamen, a coastal city in East China's Fujian province, Xiamen Airlines operates a network of domestic and regional services throughout China and Asia, predominantly from the hub airports of Xiamen, Fuzhou and Hangzhou. It offers key international links to Singapore Changi from Fuzhou and Xiamen; to Hong Kong from Jinjiang and Xiamen and to Taipei from Changsha, Fuzhou, Hangzhou and Xiamen. Fujian is one of the more prosperous provinces in China with diverse industries such as clothing, tea production and electronics, while tourism has also seen very strong recent growth and is one of the highlights in the region’s economy. While currently over 90 per cent of the network is domestic, Xiamen Airlines’ goal is to boost its international traffic by expanding to serve major long-haul destinations in Australia, Europe and North America, starting in 2014 and its alliance entry will be mentored by existing member China Southern Airlines, a major shareholder in the operator. “SkyTeam has long recognised the region’s huge economic potential, resulting in our number one position in Greater China. Xiamen Airlines’ membership in SkyTeam will strengthen our offer in the southeastern part of China and the cross-strait markets,” said Michael Wisbrun, Managing Director, SkyTeam. “And while we further capitalise on the expanding network, our members in China will work together to enhance alliance-wide benefits for our customers.”
Cathay Pacific Expands in Japan
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways has announced a further expansion of its code-share services with its oneworld alliance partner Japan Airlines (JAL), boosting its offering to cover more destinations within Japan. Under the enhanced arrangement between the two airlines, Cathay Pacific's ‘CX’ code will be placed on selected Japan Airlines domestic flights between Haneda Airport in Tokyo and eight Japanese cities – Izumo, Miyazaki, Misawa, Matsuyama, Nagasaki, Oita, Tokushima and Ube; between Tokyo’s Narita Airport and Nagoya; and between Sapporo and Nagoya. The arrangement will provide more choice and greater convenience for Cathay Pacific passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Japan, who can now connect to a total of 20 domestic destinations through the codeshare services. “Japan has long been a very popular destination for Hong Kong travellers and we at Cathay Pacific have been putting significant effort into giving our passengers more options for travel to the country,” Rupert Hogg, Director Sales & Marketing. “We are pleased to be able to offer even more domestic destinations through this ongoing cooperation with our oneworld partner Japan Airlines.”
New Darwin – Hong Kong Charter Flight
Australian carrier Qantas is to offer a special charter flight between Darwin and Hong Kong in January which could lead to the introduction of regular air services between the Northern Territory and China. The airline will offer a one-off service on January 21, 2012 which will return one week later on January 28, 2012 and which will be flown using a two-class Boeing 737-800 with a 12-seat Business Class cabin. Additional charters are expected to be added during the year, subject to the success of this inaugural service. The primary purpose of the charter services is to build the market for scheduled operations to China in the future. As one of Australia’s fastest growing tourist markets, the Northern Territory Government has recently announced a China Discussion Paper, which highlights aviation access as a key consideration. The charter program is being managed by aviation consultancy Aspirion and has been structured to allow Australian residents to either book a return week-long trip to Hong Kong, or to travel separately on each of the sectors one way. “This is a great initiative and we fully support it,” said Jim Parashos, Northern Territory Airports Director Airline and Airport Services. “We believe the charter program is a key step in building the market in order to sustain year round scheduled services from China.”
AirAsia Plans Premium Operation under Caterham Jet Brand
AirAsia is set to further broaden its business through the launch of a new ‘premium’ airline which will potentially launch flights on regional routes in Southeast Asia. The carrier, thought to be named Caterham Jet, is expected to be based at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, or Subang as it has become better known, the former gateway to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Aircraft operations at Subang are restricted by noise regulations and are limited to turboprop or small regional jet operations. According to a report in respected industry journal Aviation Week, Caterham Jet will be established as a business aviation company providing scheduled air taxi services with a fleet of ten Bombardier CRJ200s and this will enable it to get around the current legislation. It is expected to serve major regional destinations such as Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore and will be headed, according to the article by Peter Leiman, the man behind the European air taxi operator, Blink.
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