Video: Emirates new "Hello World" branding TVC

Dubai based Emirates airline is trying to evolve its brand from a travel / airline brand to a global lifestyle brand. The carrier set to launch a new global brand platform and direction, themed "Hello Tomorrow,” which positions the global airline as the enabler of global connectivity and meaningful experiences.

Emirates has partnered with Strawberry Frog and will launch promotions it feels will represent the spirit of Tomorrow – Tomorrow Brings Us Closer to; New People, New Experiences, New Styles, New Friends

The airline is targeting a younger audience, launching the campaign on its Facebook page.



As per Sir Maurice Flanagan, Vice Chairman of Emirates Airline & Group.

"Our new corporate image and global marketing campaign both underline the confidence we have in our existing products and services, and the vision we have for the future growth of the airline," “Emirates is not just offering a way to connect people from point A to point B but is the catalyst to connect people’shopes, dreams and aspirations.” “Emirates is connecting people and cultures creating relevant and meaningful experiences that are shaping the world,”

Is the ad conveying the message?

Please do share your thoughts on this advertisement. Do you think the ad conveys the new theme of the airline?

From this ad I am unable to see the efforts of Emirates to synonimise its brand with luxury and innovation. It is an airline of great contrasts offering ultra-luxury on-board showers in its A380 first class, but also cramming passengers into a bone crunching 10 abreast, 17 inch wide seats in the economy class.

"Globalistas"

Emirates, claims represents a group of global individuals they call ‘globalistas’. Globalistas represent individuals who are looking and living for new experiences. They are well travelled, or have aspirations to join the ranks of the well-travelled. The ‘globalista’ is not defined by typical demographic statistics but by the places they have visited and the experiences they have shared. They embrace the unlimited possibility of the future and are open to an invitation to try the unfamilia. The airline also claims these ‘globalistas’ from their 45,000 work force from over 165 different nations.

Are there persons like Globalistas as defined by the airline? And if yes, do you think they exist in significant numbers?

Sure we would all like to just travel the blue skies, but don't we have to work long hard hours to earn the money to pay Emirates to fly us there? That is, assuming, we are travelling Emirates. I would have to work extra long hours to pay for the business class seat, because I sure can't fit in the economy class seat. Or then, maybe, just maybe, a kind reader will donate me the money.

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FAA enplanements forecast for US critically linked to Next Gen Project

Editor's Note: This is a guest post via Ashwin Jadhav

The FAA’s Next Gen project, which involves revamping of the nation’s air traffic system to accommodate the forecasted traffic growth, maintain high standards of safety and increase operational efficiency, uses the above mentioned forecasts as a baseline. The changes in the forecasts determine the urgency of the implementation phases for Next Gen, funding required and further proposals.

The FAA announced a few days back the 2012 forecast for the next two decades. The forecast indicates that U.S. airlines will carry 1 billion passengers by 2024 at an average traffic growth rate of 3.8% per year. Moreover, it will take at least four more years for the airlines to reach the 2007 traffic levels. The numbers indicate a significant demand drop in terms of Next Gen implementation.



Don’t get me wrong, certain aspects of the air traffic management system need modifications, but the demand for the complete overhaul of the system is losing its ground. The Next Gen project, however, is still not being modified based on the needs of the National Airspace System. For example, if more emphasis was placed on Continuous Descent Approaches and other Performance Based Navigation improvements rather than premature airport modernizations, airlines would save millions of gallons of fuel. Subsequently, the reduced CO₂ emissions would have significant environmental benefits, which would align well with the current Global Aviation Targets. After the four-year reauthorization bill passed by Congress last month, the FAA still seeks to expedite the Next Gen implementation.

This exposes the two major concerns in Next Gen which were previously highlighted. Firstly, the project is being continued without any long-term funding and secondly, the gained funding is not being utilized to address the more problematic areas in the National Airspace System. The changing FAA forecast is not having any impact on the Next Gen Implementation Plan , which appears questionable considering the near-term stagnation in passengers and traffic.

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Turbocharging Jet Airway's international operations

By Rishul Saraf and Vinay Bhaskara

Jet’s international operation, which began in 2004 with a Chennai – Colombo flight, today has over a hundred flights daily, which generate nearly 60% of the airline’s total revenues. Jet’s system wide load factors stay around a healthy 80% mark, but their revenues are unable to match up with this, hence denying them of consistent profitability. Jet lost about $74 million on their international operations between March and December 2011.

In their international network, Jet’s two biggest biggest international operational regions are the Gulf where they deploy 32% of their available seat capacity and the SAARC (Indian sub-continent) countries which sees about 27% of their total international seats offered.

Jet’s strongest points are destinations which attract business centric traffic, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, coupled with high operational reliability, a good in-flight-product, and a strong frequent flyer program (FFP).

Although stable in-terms of passenger loads, there are plenty of problems facing Jet on the international front.

Integration
Firstly, Jet needs to effectively integrate their domestic-international operations. Certain routes, like Delhi-Milan and Mumbai-Johannesburg, depend heavily on passengers from beyond their immediate origins and destinations, and therefore well timed and integrated domestic connections. A lack of this much need connectivity, at both ends, is in our opinion the bigger reason for the underperformance of these flights, and not the cut-throat competition from the Gulf Carriers, as we are pre-disposed to believe.

North America and Brussels
Another big issue is Jet's North American operation. Despite impressive loads, and commanding a sizeable chunk of traffic at the European scissor hub, Brussels, Jet's revenues are getting eaten up by the high cost of operating this hub.  In comparison, Air India’s non-stop operations from Delhi to various markets in the US like New York and Chicago, have led to a lot of high yielding passengers shift from Jet to Air India because of more conveniently timed arrivals into the US and Canada, and shorter overall flights.

The problem in a scissors hub is that an airline cannot make significant changes in one of the flights and expect the hub-wide operations to remain stable, which is what limits Jet as far as Brussels is concerned.

However, Jet Airways could hypothetically re-time their entire Brussels hub operation to roughly match the timings of Air India’s nonstops, with the only limit being the operational flexibility of their overextended A330-200 fleet. The Brussels hub would also be strengthened by more destinations on the US and Indian ends. For example, Chicago-Brussels was recently cut by American Airlines, and Jet could effectively step in to replace this service and offer an India-Chicago service.

Jet Airways should also seek to improve ties with Brussels based Brussels Airlines, who operates flights within the EU and to Africa. Further integration between the two carriers would turn Brussels into a viable connecting option on the US-EU, US-Africa, US-Middle East, India-Africa, and India-EU sectors. If Jet and Brussels Airlines were to apply for Anti-Trust Immunity (ATI) in the Brussels hub, the two airlines could coordinate schedules and prices, share profits, and generally shore up their tottering finances.

Alliances
One way to improve system wide yields and effectively compete on mature markets such as the US is to join a major alliance, Jet may or may not be in talks with all three alliances, but going forward they have to decide which one to choose, as the advantages of being in a major alliance, by far, outweigh the advantages of having interlines/code-shares with airlines of all three alliances.

Boeing 777-300ER

One thing that needs to be addressed by Jet on a high priority is their Boeing 777-300ER (77W) utilisation.

At present they have five in their fleet and five are leased out to Thai International Airways, which are due to return late next year. Last year Jet had seven of this great aircraft from its fleet leased out to Turkish THY Airlines, and Thai.

It is a very incorrect perception of a lot of people who believe that B77W’s are very big planes for the Indian market. They’re perfectly capable aircraft for the Indian market.

The problem is the way Jet has configured their aircradt couple with Jet's operational and network strategy.

Jet is probably one of the only airlines in the world offering First Class Suites in the Boeing 777 aircraft, and has won global awards for the cabin product. Even their business class is a herringbone configuration with full flat seats. (See pictures here). These cabin products though very luxurious, occupy a lot of space and add on a lot of weight, leading to very high operational costs. Couple this with a competitive market ex-Mumbai especially by the Gulf carriers, married to the lack of Jet participating in any alliance, the carrier loses out as they’re not in a position to price their tickets proportional to the luxury reducing them to razor thin margins.

Jet should strongly consider eliminating their First Class, and downsizing their Business Class and as a worst case increase seats in Economy by changing from the current nine abreast 3-3-3, to the high density 10 abreast 3-4-3 configuration.

Overall there are various positive markers in Jet’s international operations, and results will improve again once the oil prices cool down and the rupee denomination stabilizes, but Jet will have to take certain measures so as to reduce their susceptibility to the ever fluctuating oil prices. Fuel hedging contracts at the moment may not be practical, but if the price of fuel drops below $70 per barrel (West Texas Intermediate) as some analysts have predicted, then Jet would do well to stabilize its fuel expenditure that makes up more than 45% of operating costs.

With the de-facto termination of Kingfisher’s international operations later this month, Jet will have an opportunity to shore up its international operations and return them to net profitability. Promotions targeting former Kingfisher frequent flyers may be in order, as would sales and other attempts to increase the carrier’s share of this lucrative segment. Jet has been afforded an opportunity to grow a profitable business segment, now it just needs to take advantage.

Rishul Saraf is an aviation enthusiast for the last three years when not engaged as an Engineering student. He has a keen interest in Jet Airways.

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Jet Airways consolidates low cost Konnect and JetLite brands but increases brand confusion

Rishul Saraf and Devesh Agarwal

India's largest domestic airline Jet Airways, has announced a unification of its two low cost brands JetLite and Jet Airways Konnect to be called JetKonnect from March 25, 2012.

• As per the airline, a "gradual rebranding" of the JetKonnect brand will commence on March 25, manifesting itself on letterheads, the JetKonnect website, boarding passes, tickets, stationery.
• Signages at all check-in and ticketing counters will have dual branding reflecting the existing Jet Airways and the new JetKonnect logos.
• Ticket sale for JetKonnect flights will commence from March 20 2012, with travel validity from March 25, 2012 onwards
• Effective March 26, 2012 guests to jetlite.com would be automatically redirected to the new, re-branded jetkonnect.com
• Some JetKonnect flights will operate under the S2 code, while others will have flight numbers prefixed by the 9W code. 9W and S2 will also continue their existing Codeshare agreement.

This is definitely a step forward for Jet which has long battled brand dilution and confusion due to presence of multiple brands which frequently overlapped each other.

One step forward, two steps back

Without enlarging, is this a Jet Airways plane or a Konnect?

Our special correspondent Rishul Saraf had proposed, in his earlier article, that Jet Airways should merge its two low cost brands to remove brand confusion.

To eliminate the prevailing brand confusion in the Jet Airways setup, Jet has uplifted Konnect from a temporary sticker on mainline full service Jet Airways planes into a full fledged “JetKonnect” LCC brand, and merging the colour schemes of the JetLite brand (see picture of the new livery here.)

Over the long term this will result in brand recall, but, Jet Airways appears to have taken one step in the right direction, and two steps backwards in the confusion department.

Two airlines, one brand ..... confusion

One has heard of one airline operating two brands, but for reasons unexplained, the JetKonnect brand will be operated under both the low cost JetLite airline code (S2) and the existing full service Jet Airways airline code 9W.

Two airlines, one brand? How will the passenger differentiate the two?

Unfortunately, there is no clarity from Jet Airways. The airline's answer "we will put a small tag line showing Operated by JetKonnect".

This is already being done, which then begs the question, why this branding exercise?

LCC to drag down mainline full service brand ........ what is Jet thinking?!?!

If the confusion between the two existing LCC brands Konnect and JetLite isn't enough, the crew on the new JetKonnect LCC flights will wear the same uniform as the mainline full service Jet Airways, and JetKonnect will offer the same business class cabin on certain routes where guests will receive identical services as on the mainline full service Jet Airways Club Premiere class.

If you can imagine what the planners at Jet are/were thinking, please do post a comment, for we cannot. Talk about downgrading the mainline carrier?

Who is a target customer of Jet for the premium cabin (previously called Konnect Select)? Low fare or premium buyer?

As an Low Cost brand, JetKonnect cannot command the same fare as the mainline Jet Airways, even though it is the same identical cabin, cabin staff, and service offering. At the same time, by offering the same cabin at a lower fare in the LCC brand, the mainline Jet Airways passenger will come to expect the premium cabin for lesser fares, and then over time, will value it less. It is a lose-lose scenario for Jet.

Two airline codes, three brands, complete confusion

Imagine a passenger steps on-board a JetKonnect stickered aircraft, operated under the S2 code, served by a Jet Airways attired crew. How is a passenger supposed to absorb and differentiate the triple combination of airline code, aircraft, and crew attire?

Step back, review, and revise.

The consolidation of the two LCC brands within the Jet stable is desperately needed, and JetKonnect as a permanent brand is welcome. However, the manner in which Jet Airways has chosen to proceed with this brand merger appears to create more confusion instead of removing it.

May be Jet should take a step back, re-think and revise some of its actions, and implement a plan with much more clarity.

What are your thoughts? Post a comment.

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MAPS and Analysis: Kingfisher Shrinks Yet Again

When full service carrier Kingfisher Airlines enacted a latest round of route and capacity cuts last week, it represented simply the latest evidence that the carrier is headed for bankruptcy and is in a death spiral. Part of the drawdown involved the cancellation of almost all of Kingfisher’s international operations, which occurred after the airlines lessors began demanding the return of the carrier’s widebody Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The majority of Kingfisher’s international routes will be terminated by the 25th of March, with Mumbai-London Heathrow persisting till early April, and Chennai-Colombo and Mumbai-Dubai remaining indefinitely. Even more damning is the spate of domestic operational changes, which see a further 42 flights cancelled in the Summer Season of 2012, bringing the carrier down to around 100 daily flights using 20 aircraft (a mix of A320 family and ATRs- and down from a previous schedule of ~160 flights using 28 aircraft), a far cry from its proud 350 flights per day with 66 aircraft level in Summer of 2011. The nature of these cancellations is also very troubling, as an airline that wanted to become India’s premium, business travel, has instead vacated many of the most important such sectors in the country. Kolkata, the 3rd largest city in India, and 4th busiest domestic airport has been abandoned entirely, while the carrier no longer serves India’s 6th busiest airport at Hyderabad from Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, or Mumbai, nor the important Chennai-Delhi sector. Even in former centerpiece Bangalore (where the carrier once had its single largest operation), Kingfisher operates just 25 flights per day, a far cry from the almost 60 flights per day that they operated two years ago. Other important cities around India, including wealthy Ahmedabad and Amritsar are being canned as well, and the confluence of such cuts will simply force high-value frequent flyers and business travelers into the arms of other airlines (primarily national carrier Air India and private sector rival Jet Airways). See the bottom of the story for a catalogue and map(s) of Kingfisher’s route changes. International cancellations a financially prudent move Beyond these capacity reductions, the carrier’s dance with its various creditors and lenders continues. Fuel and other supplies have been hit and miss over the past few days, leading to random flight cancellations. The easiest comparison to make for Kingfisher’s current situation is that of a wounded deer; Kingfisher’s creditors and lessors are surrounding the wounded airline like wolves, and it is only a matter of time before they pounce (resulting in a Kingfisher shutdown). But that impetus will not be coming from the DGA or Civil Aviation Ministry, as they cannot legally (or ethically) shutdown Kingfisher so long as the airline continues to meet the bare minimum standards of operation (5 aircraft, a base amount of equity, et. al). Either way, the international drawdown is (finally) a move that makes strong business sense on Kingfisher’s part. In contrast to Kingfisher’s operationally profitable domestic flights, their international operations have been hemorrhaging cash for a long time now, posting an EBITDAR loss (earnings excluding taxes, depreciation, amortization, and rents) of 36 crores as opposed to an EBITDAR profit of 161 crores on domestic operations in Q3 of FY 2011-2012. By ending international operations and returning the aircraft to lessors, Kingfisher will save crores of rupees in employee, distribution, and maintenance costs. A large chunk of Kingfisher’s maintenance spend was going towards keeping the three A330s operational, and hopefully the carrier can re-instate some of their grounded A320s and ATRs with some of the released funds. Loss-making routes should never persist at a carrier with financial difficulties on the scale of Kingfisher’s. But curiously, Kingfisher has elected to keep serving just two international destinations, meaning that it will have to continue with many of the structural costs and supplier contracts associated with the overall operation. It will need to keep employees in Dubai and Colombo for just one flight per day, and have separate employees at Colombo to handle the ATRs (as the Chennai-Colombo sector will operate 6 times per week with A320 and once weekly with the ATR 72). This will limit the positive effect on Kingfisher’s finances, as they cannot reduce the full 469 crores of international driven expenditure. Domestic draw-down doesn't have as many benefits Whereas pulling down international operations will be beneficial to Kingfisher’s health, we are not so convinced that doing so domestically will have the same healthful effects. Remember, Kingfisher’s financial liabilities and commitments are still those of a carrier 3 times its planned size this summer. While loss making operations are loss making operations, they still provide cash flow for Kingfisher to keep even more of its contracts from defaulting (as they can pay the bare minimum contractually required without violation). The adverse revenue effects of operating just 100 flights per day extend beyond a linear reduction; what frequent flyers remain are likely to abandon the airline as it can no longer take them where they need to go. There is a required “critical mass” in flights to sustain any full service or established carrier, and Kingfisher is rapidly approaching that line. The biggest losers in Kingfisher’s decline will be the airline’s creditors and shareholders (obviously) who are likely to see all or part of their investments turned to dust. But close behind are the aircraft manufacturers like Airbus and ATR, who have lost a significant source of aircraft orders in Kingfisher. When ATR cancelled Kingfisher's outstanding order for 38 ATR 72-500s last year, more than 15% of ATRs backlog of ATR-72s was wiped out in one fell swoop, a paper loss of more than $300 million. While Airbus as a whole, with its broader customer base, will not be affected as much by Kingfisher’s inevitable cancellation of its orders from Airbus, on a program specific level the effects will still be evident. Kingfisher’s order for 15 A330-200s is around 10% of that variant’s backlog, and the loss of 5 A380-800 orders will also push back that program’s planned break-even point. The lessors will survive, as Kingfisher’s aircraft are highly desired assets (especially A320s) that can be placed with other airlines quite easily, but Airbus will accrue a paper loss of a few billion dollars. At this point, it might be more prudent for Kingfisher to simply cancel their entire order book of 92 aircraft and salvage some funds from the deposits placed with Airbus to secure these firm orders. Kingfisher’s withdrawals will have positive effects on the other carriers in the Indian market; Jet Airways and Air India in particular are well positioned to capture some of the premium passengers and frequent flyers who will leave Kingfisher, and Jet’s international operations should receive a shot in the arm. But the effect internationally and within India will be muted so long as airlines continue stepping in to backfill lost Kingfisher capacity. For example, within days of Kingfisher cancelling its service to London-Heathrow, Virgin Atlantic stepped into resume service, maintaining the overcapacity currently seen on India-London sectors. IndiGo, Jet, GoAir, Air India (not likely but…), and SpiceJet will have to resist the urge to replace Kingfisher’s domestic flights; the resultant rise in fares might push the airline sector back towards profitability. Kingfisher should shut down and re-launch For Kingfisher, the best step forward might very well be to shut down, re-structure its contracts and debt, then re-launch as a smaller carrier. While there are many possible forms that a re-launched Kingfisher could take, we feel that the best strategy is to focus on regaining its frequent flyer base. What has become apparent in reading internet commentary (not a perfect source to be sure) by travelers, is that most still have fond memories of Kingfisher and would fly the airline again in a heartbeat if they could be assured of its viability. Our suggested method is for Kingfisher to re-launch as a Metro focused airline with high frequency flights (at least two, preferably three flights per day on most city pairs). The following 15 cities: Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Trivandrum, Calicut, and Nagpur, would provide a solid base of destinations, and if the carrier were to focus in particular on Bangalore, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad; they could sufficiently operate up to 120 flights per day connecting these destinations with a mix of around 18 A320 family aircraft and 7-8 ATR 72s. Such a network would allow Kingfisher to provide an efficient dispersion of passengers for British Airways and other OneWorld partners (assuming that they’d be willing to induct Kingfisher), and re-attract at least 50% of its former frequent flyer base. Then, if this operation proved successful, the carrier could slowly add more domestic destinations back into the fold. All the while, they should seek to maintain their peak service levels, while running operations efficiently and limiting employee salaries to prevent cost overruns. International operations, the thing that first drew Mallya into his ill-fated acquisition of Air Deccan, should be pushed 2-3 years down the line, and resumed properly with OneWorld backing. Hopefully, Kingfisher will see the light and pursue these types of changes, keeping one of the world’s greatest service quality airlines alive into the distant future. Kingfisher Domestic Operational Changes for Summer 2012 courtesy of airlineroute.net

Bangalore – Chennai 2 of 6 Daily service Cancelled
Bangalore – Hyderabad 2 of 5 Daily service Cancelled
Bangalore – Kochi 10 of 24 weekly service Cancelled
Chennai – Coimbatore 2 Daily service Cancelled
Chennai – Hyderabad 1 Daily service Cancelled
Chennai – Mangalore 1 Daily service Cancelled
Chennai – Tiruchirapally 1 Daily service Cancelled
Chennai – Vishakapatnam 1 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Ahmedabad 1 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Amritsar 2 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Chandigarh – Srinagar 1 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Chennai 2 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Gauhati – Bagdogra – Delhi 3 weekly service Cancelled
Delhi – Jammu 1 of 2 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Kolkata 2 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Lucknow 2 of 3 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Pune 1 of 4 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Ranchi – Patna – Delhi 1 Daily service Cancelled
Delhi – Srinagar 1 of 2 Daily service Cancelled
Hyderabad – Pune 1 of 2 Daily service Cancelled
Hyderabad – Rajahmundry 1 Daily service Cancelled
Hyderabad – Vishakapatnam 2 Daily service Cancelled
Kolkata – Aizawl 1 Daily service Cancelled
Kolkata – Bagdogra 1 Daily service Cancelled
Kolkata – Bhubaneswar 2 Daily service Cancelled
Mumbai – Ahmedabad 1 Daily service Cancelled
Mumbai – Coimbatore 1 Daily service Cancelled
Mumbai – Delhi 2 of 11 Daily service Cancelled
Mumbai – Goa 1 of 3 Daily service Cancelled
Mumbai – Kolkata 1 Daily service Cancelled

Kingfisher International Operational Changes for Summer 2012
Routes that will continue marked in blue

Chennai – Colombo 1 Daily service RESUMES from 25MAR12. Airbus A320 operates 6 times a week, ATR72 once a week. This represents capacity increase prior to temporary suspension

IT061 MAA1125 – 1315CMB ATR 3
IT061 MAA1250 – 1405CMB 320 x3

IT062 CMB1415 – 1605MAA ATR 3
IT062 CMB1505 – 1640MAA 320 x3

Mumbai – Dubai 1 Daily service is MAINTAINED on/after 25MAR12, 2-class A320 operating
IT043 BOM2030 – 2200DXB 320 D
IT044 DXB2330 – 0405+1BOM 320 D

Other International routes remains to be cancelled for the moment.
Bangalore – Dubai 1 Daily service Cancelled eff 25MAR12
Delhi – Bangkok 1 Daily service Resumption eff 25MAR12 is Cancelled
Delhi – Dubai 1 Daily service Cancelled eff 25MAR12
Delhi – Hong Kong 5 weekly service Cancelled eff 15MAR12
Delhi – Kathmandu 1 Daily service Resumption eff 25MAR12 is Cancelled
Delhi – London Heathrow Operation until 10APR12
Kolkata – Bangkok 1 Daily service Cancelled
Kolkata – Dhaka 1 Daily service Cancelled
Mumbai – Bangkok 1 Daily service Resumption eff 25MAR12 is Cancelled
Mumbai – Hong Kong 1 Daily service Cancelled since 12MAR12
Mumbai – London Heathrow 1 Daily service Cancelled since 14MAR12
Mumbai – Singapore 1 Daily service Cancelled since 14MAR12
Tiruchirapally – Colombo 1 Daily service Cancelled eff 25MAR12

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MAP: All of the announced routes by airlines for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

To date, the only carrier to enter the new super-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner into service is Japan-based All Nippon Airways (ANA). However, numerous airlines have announced their planned operations for the Boeing 787 as follow:

1. ANA (already in service)
2. Japan Airlines (already delivered; will enter service in March)
3. Air India (already delivered; entry into service [EIS] TBD)
4. Ethiopian Airlines (planned operations begin in June)
5. Jetstar
6. Qatar Airways
7. Hainan Airlines
8. United Airlines

This map summarizes all of the international 787 routes announced by these operators. See more 787 articles.



The launch operator of the Boeing 787 is All Nippon Airways (ANA), who operates the aircraft on a host of domestic services within Japan (centered on their Haneda hub), as well as on a select few global routes from their dual Tokyo hubs at Haneda and Narita (Beijing and Frankfurt from Haneda). ANA has 55 787s remaining on order, with 5 already delivered.





Africa's fourth largest airline Ethiopian Airlines will be using the Dreamliner on services within Africa/Middle East, as well as to the Far East and Guangzhou. Ethiopian has ordered 10 Dreamliners.



The world's largest airline, United Airlines, had previously announced Houston-Lagos on the 787, but due to delays, it has already commenced that route on Boeing 787 equipment. The only currently planned route for the 787 is Houston-Auckland. United has an even 50 Boeing 787s ordered.



Japan's second largest airline, Japan Airlines has announced a host of international routes from both Narita and Haneda; the route to San Diego is notable as San Diego's first ever nonstop Asian flight (Philippines Airlines has served it in the past with a one-stop flight). JAL has 45 787s on order, and will become either the first or second carrier to induct 787 operations to India(Delhi)depending on the new timeline for Air India's 787 integration.



India's beleaguered national carrier Air India is currently "planning" to induct its 787s first on the long rumored Delhi-Melbourne route. However, it is still uncertain whether the airline will take full delivery of its order for 27 787s. We have pictures of the planned Air India 787 interior here.



Middle East heavyweight Qatar Airways has 30 787s on order, but has only announced service on Doha-London Heathrow thus far.



China's fourth airline, Hainan Airlines has applied for long haul services to the US from Shanghai for their first batch of 787 routes (out of an eventual order of 10), a curious choice given that their primary hubs are located in Haikou and Beijing.



Finally, the low cost wing of Australia's Qantas, Jetstar, has announced a series of 787 routes from its Asian hub in Singapore. It is eventually planned that all Singapore widebody operations by Jetstar will become 787s, with the currently used A330-200s being transferred back to parent carrier Qantas. Qantas Group as a whole has ordered 55 Boeing 787s.



In addition to these announced routes, LAN, the third largest South American airline, will announce its initial planned 787 routes at the International Air and Space Fair, FIDAE, in Chile this month on March 27th. Meanwhile, fellow OneWorld member British Airways has said that it will use the Dreamliner on services to Asia without denoting specific destinations.

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Restoring India's Aviation Competitiveness: Tony Tyler

The following speech was given by the CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Tony Tyler, at the India Aviation 2012 Air Show in Hyderabad. Our comments are included in the quote and are italicized and colored red.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to address the opening session of this important event. Congratulations to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry for growing it into a must-attend conference for the country’s aviation sector.

Civil aviation is an important industry for India. Domestically, it connects India’s vast geography more time-efficiently than any other mode of transport. Internationally, it links India to important global markets for trade and source markets for tourism. The Incredible India campaign is well known the world over. Clearly India is investing heavily in promotion to support the economic benefits that tourism brings to the local economy.

Aviation is the backbone of the tourism industry. Aviation may not have catchy jingles like Incredible India, but it is a key economic contributor. IATA recently commissioned from Oxford Economics a study of the economic benefits that aviation brings to the Indian economy. The results are impressive. Aviation is responsible for 0.5% of India’s GDP. It supports 1.7 million jobs. This could be much more. In Canada, for example, a country with a population many times smaller than India’s, aviation supports 2.2% of GDP and 401,000 jobs. In Australia the figures are 2.6% of GDP and 312,000 jobs.

India is a developing economy with enormous growth potential for aviation. On average, people in the US travel by plane about 1.8 times per year. In India, the average is 0.1 trip per year….or turned around, one trip by air every 10 years.

Let’s do some simple maths. If India’s 1.17 billion people traveled at the same frequency as do Americans, a market of 2.1 billion travelers would be created. But even if they only traveled one-third as much, India would have an air travel market of about 700 million—rivaling that of the US.

Such development will not happen overnight. But the Indian market is growing at about twice the global average—about 12% domestically and 8-9% internationally.

There is no doubt that India is a market with big potential and that aviation could be a much more significant contributor to the Indian economy. But there are no guarantees that this will occur without well-coordinated policy measures—measures which will enable competitiveness.

The Indian aviation industry that I see today faces major hurdles. Air India—the national carrier—is being sustained on life support of state aid. The difficulties at Kingfisher are well known. And the sector as a whole is not generating the sustainable profits that one would expect from such a large high-growth market.

I am not here to point fingers or apportion blame. The state of today’s Indian aviation industry is the result of a number of factors—not least of which was an aggressive expansion by the country’s airlines that took effect just as the world encountered a pair of massive economic shocks in succession. By that of course, I am referring to the skyrocketing oil price in 2008 that shifted almost overnight into a global financial crisis.

Today, I would like to explore some measures that could help turn the fortunes of Indian aviation around.

For background, let’s remind ourselves of the global trends. In December we forecast that the world airline industry would squeeze out a profit for 2012 of just $3.5 billion on revenues of $600 billion. That is about a 0.6% margin. If we are right about that, since 2001 the industry will have lost $26 billion on revenues exceeding $5.5 trillion. As I have said many times before, we are an industry that is all about turnover with very little leftover.

As with any global overview, this misses the regional detail. If we look more closely at this year’s anticipated performance, we see European carriers losing $600 million—primarily owing to the fragile state of the European economy. And we see Asia-Pacific carriers set to earn $2.1 billion. This is down from the $3.3 billion that the region made in 2011, but it will still be the region that delivers the largest absolute profit. India’s contribution to Asia-Pacific profitability, however, will be negative. Carriers here look set to continue delivering collective losses estimated in the billions of dollars.

As I see it, an agenda to build competitiveness in Indian aviation rests on four pillars:

• Taxes
• Infrastructure
• Costs and
• Investment policies

I will address each individually.

Taxes

Let me start with taxes. Yesterday the Minister of Civil Aviation mentioned the need to make air travel more accessible. One way of achieving that is by taxing it less.

Our concern over the application of the 10.3% Service Tax to air tickets as well as to services that airlines purchase, such as landing and air navigation fees, is well known. There is the legal argument that it contravenes the provisions of the Chicago Convention. While MOCA is quite familiar with ICAO principles, the Ministry of Finance continues to ignore international obligation. Removing the burden of the Service Tax would improve the competitiveness of Indian aviation, boost access to both domestic and international connectivity and drive economic growth.

Service taxes in the EU have already reduced the competitiveness of carriers like Lufthansa and British Airways, especially on long haul connections. This is one reason why the MEB3 airlines (Etihad, Emirates, Qatar) have been so successful in growing into the EU. If Mumbai and Delhi are ever to develop as true connecting hubs, these service taxes must be abolished.

Even more damaging however, is the tax on fuel. All fuel is subject to an 8.24% excise duty. Then domestic flights face state fuel taxes of up to 30%. The result is destroying the competitiveness of Indian airlines. Globally, fuel accounts for about 32% of an airline’s cost base. For Indian carriers it is 45%. MOCA has understood this and is lobbying to reduce the burden.

MOCA is seeking to address the issue of high jet fuel prices by allowing airlines to directly import fuel. So far the impact has been limited because we believe the Competition Commission of India and the Petroleum Ministry have not yet mandated access to off-airport transport and storage infrastructure.

The high cost of jet fuel has been hijacking the competitiveness of the Indian air transport industry for over a decade—with every flight that has taken off or landed on the sub-Continent. We appreciate the effort to start to address the issue. It is now clearly recognized by all that fuel taxes are sucking the life blood from the Indian aviation sector. The industry is now in crisis and we need a coordinated effort among all Ministries—at national and state levels—to restore competitiveness.

The mission for such a coordinated effort is clear. Taxes—particularly state taxes—should be removed and a National Access Regime must be established for jet fuel. Such a regime should allow users, including airlines, access to critical fuel infrastructure at reasonable prices.

To be honest, the states do not even need to go so far as to cut the fuel taxes entirely, just decrease them. A 15 percentage point cut (from an average between 22 and 25%) would restore the Indian airline sector to tangible profitability. Moreover, as with the Laffer curve, states can get more revenue in the long run by lowering rates and growing aviation. The states should seek to increase fuel tax revenues by incentivizing India's airlines to use more fuel (via operational growth), not by taxing it at stiflingly high rates. The economics of direct importation of fuel are murky at best; import duties will eat away a lot of the gains, and Indian states are likely to add entry duties to make up the lost revenue any way.

Infrastructure

Staying on the topic of infrastructure, some good progress has been made with India’s airports—particularly those using the public private partnerships (PPP) model. Arriving in Hyderabad early yesterday morning, the immediate impression was positive—and light years ahead of my memories of what the airport infrastructure was even a decade ago. I am looking forward to seeing the new terminal at Delhi later today, which I am told is even more impressive— and completed in 36 months.

When India wants to build world class infrastructure, it clearly can succeed. Why then is Navi Mumbai so long delayed? Its two runways and potential to handle up to 60 million passengers per year is badly needed to serve India’s economic capital. The first phase was meant to open in 2014 but construction has not yet begun. Land acquisition is not even complete.

India shares the NIMBYism ("Not in my backyard"- people who argue against infrastructure and other development because it affects them personally while helping the country as a whole) and perverse environmental arguments of the west, but infrastructure development is far more crucial to our economic growth. Plus, the Indian government's speed at approving such projects makes the tortoise look like Usain Bolt.

Even with recent expansion, the facilities at Mumbai are bursting at the seams. Navi Mumbai is not an option. It is critical. And the only way that I can see it being completed without further delay is if the government—all Ministries—coordinate their efforts to facilitate success--as they did for Delhi’s new terminal.

Industry is a willing partner in developing critical infrastructure. In 2008 we successfully worked with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to fund Data Link services in the Bay of Bengal with a $4 per flight fee over four years. The data link was successfully installed, and is improving airline operations. There is surplus in the account. Airlines want to use it in a Project India initiative that will develop strategies to reduce delays and improve the efficiency and robustness of air traffic management. Where we see value and a clear return on investment, airlines are willing partners in developing infrastructure capabilities.

While industry would certainly be an efficient partner in infrastructure development, India must carefully ensure that the experience with Bangalore International Airport (BIAL)'s runway via Larson and Toubro is not repeated. India's Air Traffic Management system could use a makeover however; Metro airports are already suffering huge delays during peak flight times.

Cost

But of course, investments must be cost efficient and affordable. I praised the developments at Delhi Airport. The new terminal and third runway have been a much needed boost to the sector. For the first time ever, India has a facility capable of connecting traffic in an efficient hub operation. Overall airport charges at Delhi, using market rates, are aligned with those in Seoul, Auckland or Madrid. But if you convert this to a purchasing power parity rate, the current rate is about 50% or higher than charges at major hubs such as Heathrow, Paris or Tokyo. With that, cost-efficiency gains would be expected.

Instead, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) proposed a 740% increase that would make it the world’s most expensive airport. The Airport Economic Regulatory Authority, or AERA, knocked that back to 340% to be implemented in two stages. If that materializes, Delhi will still become the world’s most expensive airport. India’s aviation industry is sick. Adding a $300 million headache to it will put it in intensive care from a cost perspective. And it also is estimated that a 5-7% decrease in demand will result. Such an increase in charges would certainly fit the Ministry of Tourism’s “Incredible India” description, but it will come with a fall in tourist arrivals and further damage to local and international airline connectivity.

Given the broad economic implications of such an increase, it is important that the government takes immediate action. First 340% is unacceptable. It would be a shock to the system that would ripple throughout the economy.

DIAL is a national asset that spurs economic activity far greater than its fiscal losses. Perhaps India's government should step in to eat some of the costs. Because of over capacity in the Indian market, foreign carriers are very sensitive to the effects of huge airport cost increases on their marginal Indian services. Low cost carriers in particular could be driven away in droves, as their margins will be hurt the most.

The Ministry cannot stand by and let this happen. It must intervene with a broader context. This should take into consideration the long-term development of Indian aviation at its hubs. And if need be, the concession contracts, which at Delhi channel 46% of revenues to AAI, need to be rethought with the aim of offsetting aeronautical charges. The solutions are readily available and there is no reason why the 340%, or any increase of this magnitude, should be allowed to go through. And of course, even though we are discussing Delhi, we are also keeping a watchful eye on Mumbai to avoid any similar proposals.

And while we are at it, a few other issues should be addressed. Any legitimate revenue claw-back under the current regulatory structure must be spread across a number of years, not crammed into the next two. An urgent review should look at the structure of charging for international versus domestic. We all use the same airport and runway. There is no justification for differential charges or charges based on distance flown. In fact, like the application of the Service Tax, it contravenes ICAO rules. Finally, there should also be a review of the allocation of aeronautical and non-aeronautical assets to be more in line with other major international airports.

Investment

Last on the agenda, I should like to comment on the recently much discussed issue of foreign direct investment for Indian airlines.

The 49% cap on foreign investment in airlines aligns with general practice globally. But the complete exclusion of foreign airlines from investing in Indian carriers set by the Ministry of Commerce is unique to India. Given that foreign airlines could invest to own 100% of mass rapid transit systems, ports and harbors, hotels and tourism, inland water and ocean transport, toll roads or tunnels in India, it is unique in the domestic context as well.

MOCA has proposed that the restriction be lifted so that foreign airlines could own up to 49% of an Indian domestic carrier. This would allow strategic tie-ups with foreign airlines cemented by an equity stake. Such equity partnerships have strengthened airlines such as Lufthansa-SWISS-Austrian-Brussels Airlines, Air France-KLM-Alitalia, LAN-TAM and British Airways-Iberia, just to name a few. What is the public policy imperative of denying this possibility to Indian carriers?

I hope that it will be given due and positive consideration by the Indian cabinet.

But I want to be very clear in stating that allowing foreign airlines to invest in Indian aviation is not a panacea. Without addressing the other three pillars—costs, taxes and infrastructure—it may only be a theoretical exercise because, under current conditions, the odds are stacked against any investor making a positive return on investment in the Indian aviation sector—and no-one is likely to come forward unless they see themselves making a profit.

We agree that FDI is not a panacea, in fact those were our exact words back in January. India's government should go further however, and allow full mergers between Indian airlines and foreign carriers. A Jet Airways-Brussels Airlines merger would solidify their US ops substantially.

The Agenda

The problems facing the Indian aviation sector are severe and beyond the control of airlines. Solving them will require a government-wide team effort. MOCA can and has taken steps in the right direction, but without the support of the Ministries of Tourism, Finance, Environment and Petroleum and the Competition Commission, the major changes that are needed cannot take place.

Many committees and groups of government officials have looked at remedies in the past. Another committee is not the answer.

I would suggest that a common vision—expressed in a National Aviation Policy strongly linked to an implementation plan—could be a way forward. Such a policy would need to re-build competitiveness by addressing the difficult issues of tax, cost, investment and infrastructure, building on the ground work already being done within MOCA and in consultation with industry.

The situation in India today is critical and we must move forward urgently. Through IATA, I can certainly pledge the resources of the industry to support the development of such a policy with the greatest amount of determination and speed.

EU ETS

I hope that the speed and determination of India in dealing with the issue of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is a good indication of what can be achieved with coordinated policy measures.

Managing aviation’s 2% share of global man-made CO2 emissions also sits at the top of the industry’s agenda. Airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and manufacturers have committed to:

• Improve aircraft fuel efficiency by 1.5% annually to 2020
• Cap net CO2 emissions from 2020 with carbon-neutral growth
• Cut net emissions from air transport in half by 2050 compared to 2005

We will achieve this with a four pillar strategy covering improved technology, better operations and infrastructure and economic or market based measures.

Optimizing routes, improving air traffic management, investing in new and more fuel-efficient aircraft, and developing sustainable biofuels for aviation are all elements of the solution. And India has potential to contribute to all of these.

At the same time, a key, if temporary, pillar of our strategy is market based measures. These must be coordinated among governments to avoid market distortions, ensure fairness and avoid carbon leakage. These are the essence of the principles adopted by ICAO at their 2010 Assembly as a guide for developing a global framework for market based measures by 2013.

Unfortunately, Europe has chosen a go-it-alone regional approach with the inclusion of international aviation in the EU ETS from this year. This is driving discord at a time when we need harmony. Why? Because non-European states, India included, see the intention to tax non-EU airlines for emissions over non-EU territory as an attack on their sovereignty.

India hosted an initial meeting of states opposing Europe’s plans. This was followed in Moscow where India was among 24 states represented. They issued a declaration urging a global solution through ICAO and outlining possible actions if Europe continues on its unilateral and extra-territorial path.

No one wants a trade war. But the prospects are growing more likely.

There is a solution. And that is ICAO—where global standards and solutions for air transport are made. The EU deserves full credit for bringing the emissions issue to the front and center of the global aviation agenda. And I believe that recent indications coming from Europe point toward their understanding that a global agreement through ICAO is the way forward. Now it is time for Europe sincerely to take a stake in making the discussions and decisions at ICAO a success.

I chose these words very carefully because, if I understand the international mood correctly, non-European states will be looking for some proof of Europe’s sincerity. That will mean doing more than simply reiterating its determination to implement its scheme even as it professes to support a negotiated agreement through the ICAO process.

We agree. Kudos to India's government for finally taking a stand on something beneficial for its airlines.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate two statements that I firmly believe:

• The first is that aviation is a team effort. It works best when all the parts are operating in coordination and with a common vision. That is true for how India should develop a National Aviation Policy. And it is equally true for how the world must address the vital issue of climate change.
• The second is that aviation is a force for good in the world. The connectivity that this industry provides links goods to markets, people to business, reunites families, supports tourism and facilitates journeys of discovery. Aviation generates tremendous wealth—both material and of the human spirit. And it has almost infinite potential.

If we combine the two of these in the context of India today, we have a motivation and a way forward to ensure that aviation delivers the best that it can to India and its economic development.

Aviation is critical to India's continued growth as an economy. Already, service sectors (such as IT) are a huge part of India's economy, and air travel is an important tool for service professionals. As India's economy continues to grow, diversify, and globalize; the links provided by airlines will only grow in importance. India's Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)must take the proper steps to ensure this country's aviation competitiveness.

I am also very confident that the Ministry of Civil Aviation is moving in the right direction of addressing India’s challenges. And I would like to commend the tireless work of Dr. Nasim Zaidi. Over the last two days I have seen his passion in trying to bring together the concerns of aviation stakeholders into ideas that can be turned into positive action.

I too personally am passionate about aviation. And I am an Indian optimist. IATA will be fully engaged in doing whatever it can in the team effort to turn Indian aviation into the great success story that it has the potential to become. For me, India should not settle for a bronze medal in the world of aviation….it has pure gold potential. Together, let’s make it happen.

Readers, do you agree with Mr. Tyler's commentary?

Please post a comment below.

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Emirates Launches Dubai-Washington DC

Earlier this week, Middle Eastern giant Emirates announced that it had plans to add service to 3 or 4 destinations in the US from its Dubai hub over the "next few years."

As an interesting start to this latest round of US expansion, the carrier has announced new service to Washington-Dulles International Airport effective September 12th. The route will be served with 354 seat Boeing 777-300ERs, with 10-abreast economy class (304 seats), 42 business class seats, and 8 first class suites.

The flight schedules for the new route are as follow:

EK231 DXB 02:20 IAD 08:50
EK232 IAD 10:55 DXB 08:00+1

Washington D.C. becomes Emirates' 7th destination in the United States and third to launch in 2012 after announcing Dallas-Fort Worth and Seattle in late 2011.

Some industry observers were surprised at the choice of Washington, considering that such central US cities as Chicago and Miami have yet to receive Emirates service. But at the same time, Washington D.C. is one of the fastest growing business regions in the nation, thanks to its proximity to the federal government. The region (including parts of Virginia and Maryland) is home to more than 120,000 Indian-Americans (more than 150,000 South Asians in all), third largest in the US behind New York City/New Jersey and Chicago.

Thus there is a very strong case for service to Washington D.C., as evidenced by the strong success of Qatar Airways on their Doha-Dulles flights.

Moreover, with Etihad having announced their service to Washington D.C. almost a year in advance, Emirates has now managed to upstage their "quasi-rivals" from Abu Dhabi, gaining valuable customer recognition before having to deal with Etihad.Expect to see Emirates announce at least 1, maybe 2 more US destinations before the end of this year; most likely to Chicago, Miami, or maybe even Atlanta or Boston.

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Photos and Videos: Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner cabin interiors revealed

At the India Aviation 2012 show in Hyderabad, Boeing finally unveiled the interiors of its 787-8 Dreamliner meant for delivery to Air India today. Bangalore Aviation was one of the first publications to be invited on board the long awaited aircraft. Line Number 35, test registered N1015B, which when delivered to Air India will become VT-ANH.

This video is a quick video walk through. We have focussed more on the economy class section as this is the bulk of passengers that Air India will carry. Photos of the business class cabin follow below the fold.



The business class cabin in a six abreast 2-2-2 configuration, but unlike competitors who offer a "lay-flat" seat, Air India gives its premium passengers full flat seats with a whopping 78 seat pitch.

The in-flight entertainment system (IFES) is from Thales with generous video screens.

There is in-seat power and USB connections allowing passengers to connect their own personal digital devices like iPod and iPhone a view personal content.

What is impressive that all economy class seats also feature the same in-seat power and USB connections, one for each seat.

In economy the USB is in the seat-back while the in-seat power is below the seat. One power connection for each seat. No sharing.

The economy class is a much more tightly packed nine abreast 3-3-3 configuration with seat widths of only about 17.5~17.8 inch widths with pitch of 32 inches. We cannot understand why Air India did not choose the more comfortable eight abreast configuration like launch customer All Nippon Airways.

The narrow seats with longer seat pitch reminds of Boeing 737 configurations. Observe the electronic window dimming control. Each window in the background is at one of five different settings available.

The 787 features huge overhead bins. As long as passengers put their bags correctly, space should not be a problem. In this photo, four of the standard 22 inch carry-on "strolley" bags are placed side by side.

The aircraft features the Boeing Sky Interior with the mood lighting.

The new electronic window dimming system is displayed in this photo. Each window is at a different level of control, also see the size of the windows.

This video demonstrates the dim-bright control on the new windows.



Hope your enjoyed this story. Share your thoughts via a comment.

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Bangalore Aviation completes four years, passes one million visitors mark

Dear Readers,

We began our journey four years ago on 14 March 2008, and with your support, friendship and love, have grown to become one of India's leading aviation websites.

Today we get over a 100,000 pages views a month from across the world and are acknowledged for our independent analysis.

We are deeply thankful and grateful to the over one million unique visitors who have graced the pages of Bangalore Aviation and have showered us with bouquets and brickbats. Both help us constantly improve.

On behalf of Vinay and Vedant

I extend our kindest regards

Devesh Agarwal
Editor

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Exclusive Photos: Cabin interiors of Embraer Legacy 650 2012 version

At the India Aviation 2012 show, Bangalore Aviation was invited by Brazilian executive jet airframer, Embraer, to be the first to view the new cabin and interior of the 2012 version of their Legacy 650 business jet which is on public display for the first time in the world.

The new interior includes the Honeywell Ovation® Select, all digital, cabin management system and a state-of-the-art system featuring a full, high-definition video system and media input and includes iPod and iPhone docking systems, USB, HDMI, VGA and Composite Video ports, Blu-ray player and a 3-D moving map. There is an 8.9” touchscreen CMS passenger control monitor in the galleys for master control of video, audio, lighting, temperature, and water and individual touch screen controls located throughout the cabin. XM Radio is included for US operations. Monitors up to a 32” credenza version, 24” bulkhead configuration and/or individual seat monitors are offered.

We were extremely impressed with the effective maximisation and space utilisation by emplying ingenious techniques. For example the front lavatory as demonstrated in this video.

Enjoy the rest of the photos. Click on any one for a high resolution view.

Cabin features three sections. This is the front section. Middle section has the multi-purpose table.

The rear toilet allows access in to the rear cargo hold for in-flight access

Front galley

Under-table computer connections console. Video, HDMI, component video, USB, Firewire, Ethernet

Touch control pad and iPhone connectivity dock

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Kingfisher Airlines to cease international operations as lessors take re-delivery of airline's A330 aircraft

The international operations of financially beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines have all but collapsed as lessors have commenced demanding "re-delivery" (industry parlance for return) of the wide body Airbus A330-200s which constitute the mainstay of the international flights.

The actions are ironic as Dr. Mallya acquired Capt. Gopinath promoted Air Deccan to hasten Kingfisher's entry in to international operations. The Air Deccan acquisition is widely seen as probably the worst decision made by the flamboyant business tycoon, one which most likely marks the commencement of the downfall of the airline.

As per airline sources, who are not authorised to speak to the media, on February 24, the airline voluntarily signed an undertaking to return an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, registration VT-VJN, air-frame number MSN 3823 to the lessor. On March 5, the lessor made a formal request for re-delivery of the aircraft. On March 9, Kingfisher has informed the DGCA and on March 13, VT-VJN performed flight IT001 from Delhi to London Heathrow and was handed over.

As per the records of India's civil aviation regulator, the DGCA, the lessor is M/s Nightjar Ltd., 33, 41, Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Sources indicate one more aircraft is due for re-delivery to a lessor. Most likely this is air-frame VT-VJL which has technicalled in Mumbai and therefore has not yet been re-delivered till now.

VT-VJO and VT-VJK have been lying idle in a state of disrepair for a long time.

This effectively leaves only one A330-200 aircraft operating. VT-VJP will fly the Delhi London Heathrow route till March 25, when Kingfisher has officially announced the cessation of international operations with the exception of the Mumbai-London Heathrow route, which will operate till April 9.

The end of operations has been on the cards. With Kingfisher Airlines being suspended from the IATA Clearing House (ICH), payments to airport operators, fuellers, ground-handling and catering companies, overseas, all essential for operations, were disrupted, and patience only works for so long.

From back in 2009, Bangalore Aviation had expressed concern on the poor manner in which the airline has conducted its international operations. 

Adding insult to injury, Kingfisher's mentor for its aborted entry in to the oneworld alliance, British Airways, has announced a cancellation of the code share agreement between them.

On the sidelines of the India Aviation 2012 show, civil aviation ministry authorities expressed anger at the situation, but also said as long as Kingfisher Airlines met the conditions of their license (a certain amount of equity and a minimum five air-worthy aircraft) it was difficult to justify cancellation or suspension of the airline's license unless passenger safety was directly at risk. The regulator DGCA Mr. E.K. Bharat Bhushan expressed anger saying "there is situation of distrust rapidly building, and this cannot go on indefinitely".

One can only feel sad at the turn of events. Even today, in the darkest hour, many a frequent flier shows allegiance to the brand, and will fly the airline again. By not paying a simple Rs. 300 Cr. tax bill, the bank accounts of the airline were frozen, and the situation has spiralled out of control.

When asked if Dr. Mallya has shot himself in the foot, a senior official told Bangalore Aviation, "Not the foot.......he shot himself in the head."

Post your views via a comment.

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Emirates celebrates, gets ready to receive 1000th Boeing 777

Emirates, the largest operator of the Boeing 777 aircraft, celebrated the unveiling of the 1,000th Boeing 777 during a special event at the manufacturer’s plant in Everett, Washington State.

When it is delivered later this month, this aircraft will be registered as A6-EGO, and will become the 102nd Boeing 777 in Emirates fleet. The airline still has another 93 777's on order.

The factory celebration was attended by more than 5,000 Boeing employees, suppliers and government officials, including Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, a delegation of dignitaries from the UAE and senior Emirates executives.

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Air India's first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner lands in Delhi

The 35th Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner painted in national carrier Air India livery touched down in the capital New Delhi earlier this afternoon.

The aircraft currently registered N1015B which will become VT-ANH when delivered to Air India, lifted off from King County International Airport better known as Boeing Field at 10:01 Pacific time under the radio call sign Boeing 236 to perform the 14 hour non-stop flight.

N1015B is outfitted in Air India's livery and an inviting passenger interior featuring full business and economy-class cabins. This aircraft has been used by Boeing for the certification testing of the GEnx engines. The flight testing concluded just last week.

Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes said

"We're proud to bring the world's most advanced commercial airplane to India, especially when it proudly displays the colors of national flag carrier Air India," "This week even more of our airline customers will experience the game-changing technologies and innovations the 787 has to offer."

The Dreamliner will be on static display in New Delhi till tomorrow and will then fly to Hyderabad to debut at India Aviation 2012 on March 14.

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The transition into Air Traffic Management continues with the AORRA

Editor's Note: This is a guest post from Ashwin Jadav

Global aviation is steadily progressing through the modernization of technological infrastructure into the new era of seamless air transportation. A major component of this transformation is a complete overhaul of the air traffic control (ATC) system within developed nations, ultimately resulting in the transition to air traffic management (ATM).

In modern-day flight operations, flight planners and dispatchers file a route or flight plan (FPL) using existing navigational infrastructure. The flight then flies the assigned trajectory which includes airways, waypoints, VORs and other nav-aids (as mentioned in the FPL). In the event of traffic congestion, adverse weather or any emergency, air traffic control (ATC) may choose to modify the aircraft’s route, thereby altering the FPL. Conversely, using a bottom-up approach, flight dispatchers could select their trajectory initially based on these factors and then fly the trajectory once approved by ATC. The concept of Random Routing, although not a brand new one, has evolved into a much broader concept called Air Traffic Management (ATM). A Random Route by definition is a trajectory that is picked prior to a particular flight based on traffic patterns, upper winds, weather forecasts, etc. for that particular flight. The benefits of this approach, however, are maximized on long-haul flights.

The Atlantic Oceanic Random Routing RNAV Area (AORRA) is one of the largest expanses of airspace that permits flights to fly without restricted ground navigational aids within its boundaries. It is located between the American and the African continents mainly in the Southern hemisphere. Although a revolutionary means for seamless navigation, the AORRA has not been able to fully utilize the potential of long range aircraft and provide maximum benefits. There were just a few entry and exit points (nav aids / waypoints) on the AORRA boundary via which an aircraft can enter or exit the airspace. In order to completely randomize the trajectory within the AORRA, an increased number of entry/exit “gates” were needed.

*Note: Area Navigation (RNAV) can be defined as a method of navigation that permits aircraft operation on any desired course within the coverage of station-referenced navigation signals or within the limits of a self contained system capability, or a combination of these.

Being two of the airlines that use the airspace most frequently, Delta Airlines and Emirates joined hands with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) to initiate a pilot project. Delta’s focus was mainly on the Atlanta – Johannesburg long-haul route while Emirates concentrated on their Dubai – Sao Paulo route. The working group has successfully placed several waypoints on the AORRA boundary for flexible entry and exit. Further, resultant issues such as the intersection of the North American-African and Eurpoean-South American flight corridors were addressed. Since, giving flights additional flexibility would result in multiple possibilities of flight paths on these corridors intersecting, flight level rules were established. Due to the under-developed airspace structure of the African continent, the transition waypoints into/from the AORRA airspace were limited. The implementation of new airways connecting the domestic structure with the AORRA airspace was successfully completed in mid-2011. Finally, the working group presented a paper proposing the additional expansion of the AORRA boundary. The successful implementation of the proposal would bring the AORRA boundary closer to the African continent allowing aircraft to use existing ground infrastructure to aid navigation. The working paper presented at the South Atlantic Group meeting (SAT/16) can be found here.

Not surprisingly, other major air traffic management projects such as the U.S. Next Gen and European SESAR use trajectory optimization and flight flexibility as their foundation. Adding additional flexibility to such airspaces and implementing Random Routing could result in massive time and fuel (thereby CO2) savings for long-haul flights within ‘low density and permitted’ airspaces.

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Video: Malaysia Airline's first Airbus A380 revealed

The first Airbus A380 of national carrier Malaysia Airlines was painted recently. In this time lapse, video watch the A380 in the paint shop.

Observe the subtle changes between the existing livery and the new livery on the A380. Doesn't the font look awfully similar to neighbouring Singapore Airlines? What are your views? Share a comment.

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