Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways will be launching new nonstop flights to CAN-Guangzhou, China from March 30th onwards. It will serve the city 5 times a week nonstop from its Doha hub using an A 332. Flight timings are as follows :

QR 874 Dep DOH 0100 Arr CAN 1405

QR 877 Dep CAN 2040 Arr DOH 0110+1

Analysis :

Its really pleasing to see QR taking the initiative to go after another niche market in Asia along the similar lines of its flights to CEB & DPS. This is a very good move by QR as it will have a lucrative monopoly for itself on this key route which has a lot of cargo potential as CAN is supposedly the manufacturing capital city of China. None of its Middle Eastern competitors fly to CAN nonstop from their hub airports thus giving QR a competitive edge in this market segment.

Its main competitors on this route are KQ & CZ who offer flights via DXB to CAN nonstop. Obviosuly QR will be targetting a hefty chunk of 6th freedom traffic obtained from UAE, Saudi Arabia, KWI, LHR & Europe to feed the CAN bound flight as its flights are perfectly timed to cater to these markets.

Emirates

Emirates will be increasing its flights to IST-Istanbul, Turkey from daily to 11 times a week effective October 26th 2008. All 11 weekly flights will be flown using a 2 class B 773ER. The additional 4 weekly flights will be flown on Tues, Fri, Sat & Sun. In other EK related news, the third route for their A 380 is almost confirmed to be SYD-Sydney.

Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines has announced that it will be operating summer seasonal flights to LGW-London Gatwick airport nonstop from its KUL hub between 22nd June and 18th Sept 08. MH will use a B 772ER for this route which will be flown twice a week only. Flights will operate on Thur & Sat only. Flight schedule details are as follows :

MH 7346 Dep KUL 0030 Arr LGW 0700

MH 7347 Dep LGW 1300 Arr KUL 0840+1

In addition, the airline has revealed few changes to its Summer 2008 schedule. The main highlights are as follows :

JED - capacity increased to 4 weekly B 744s between June 25th and end September to cater for the peak summer rush.

NRT - frequencies increased from 12 weekly to double daily B 772ERs.

ADL - frequencies reduced from 5 to 4 weekly B 772ERs.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines has confirmed that it will be flying 4 daily nonstop flights to SYD-Sydney from April 8th 2008. The new daily flight will be flown using a B 773ER where as the other 3 daily flights are flown by 2 B 744s + 1 A 380.

Flight timings are as follows :

SQ 233 Dep SIN 0700 Arr SYD 1620
SQ 234 Dep SYD 1735 Arr SIN 2350

EVA Air

EVA Air has confirmed that it will start operating flights between KIX-Osaka and LAX-Los Angeles effective 30th March 2008. However, initially it will be flown only 3 times a week (Tues, Fri & Sun) using a B 773ER and then later on increased to 6 times a week. Flight schedule details are as follows :

BR 168 Dep TPE 1030 Arr KIX 1400
BR 168 Dep KIX 1530 Arr LAX 0945

BR 167 Dep LAX 1210 Arr KIX 1605+1
BR 167 Dep KIX 1730+1 Arr TPE 1925+1

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways has revealed a lot of interesting changes that are in store for its worldwide route network for Summer 2008 and Winter 2008-09. The major highlights are as follows :

*Note : All below mentioned changes are effective March 30th 2008

BOM / DOH / IAD - will operate a daily SAME PLANE service effective March 30th 2008 using a two class configured B 773ER.

LHR - 4th daily flight to Heathrow will be launched using an A 346 five times a week and an A 332 twice a week effective March 30th 2008. Flight details are as follows :

QR 017 Dep DOH 1635 - Arr LHR 2200
QR 018 Dep LHR 0755 - Arr DOH 1650

QR will start using their B 773ERs daily to LHR from August 2008. However, from October 2008, it will be used to LHR 12 times a week.

PEK - capacity on this route will be increased from 4 weekly A 332s to B 773ERs which will be deployed from Sept 1st 2008. Flight details are as follows :

QR 898 Dep DOH 0130 - Arr PEK 1440
QR 899 Dep PEK 2350 - Arr DOH 0425+1

DOH / GVA / EWR - increased to 6 weekly flights i.e. 1 A 333 + 5 weekly A 332s.

DXB - reduced from 8 to 7 daily flights.

KHI - capacity increased to daily A 321s.

LHE - frequencies increased from 2 to 3 weekly A 330s.

ISB - frequencies doubled from 2 to 4 times a week i.e. 2 weekly A 330s + 2 weekly A 320s.

BOM - capacity increase from daily A 330 to daily B 773ER.

HYD - frequencies reduced from daily to 6 weekly A 320s.

MLE - capacity increased to 9 weekly A 330s.

FRA - capacity increased to 9 weekly A 333s + weekly A 332.

MUC - capacity increased to 6 weekly A 333s + weekly A 332.

CMB - capacity reduced to 12 weekly A 320s + 2 weekly A 330s.

KTM - capacity reduced to 9 weekly A 320s + 2 weekly A 332s.

CEB - frequencies increased from 3 to 4 weekly A 330s.

CDG - capacity increased to 7 weekly A 346s + 5 weekly A 330s.

ZRH - capacity increased to 3 weekly A 333s + weekly A 332.

TXL - capacity increased to 2 weekly AB6s + 5 weekly A 320s.

MXP - frequencies increased from 5 weekly to daily A 330s from Sept 1st 08

Comments :

It is really nice to see QR trying to carve out a nice little niche market for itself by offering "same plane" service from BOM via DOH to IAD. Hopefully, it shall have a positive impact with regards to loads and yield on their IAD bound flights. Another interesting feature of their summer 08 timetable are the increased number of weekly flights flown to LHE & ISB. This goes to show that the airline has successfully lobbied in obtaining more traffic flights for the lucurative Northern Pakistan routes.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines has released tentative details of its Summer 2008 schedule. The main highlights are as follows :

DXB - increased to double daily nonstop flights using a B 773A from May 1st 08.

DEL - increased from daily to 9 weekly B 773As. The two additional flights will operate on Friday and Sunday. Flight details are as follows :

FRI / SUN

SQ 406 Dep SIN 0205 Arr DEL 0555

SQ 405 Dep DEL 0800 Arr SIN 1605

MAA - an additional 11th weekly flight is flown using a B 773A.

HAN - frequencies increased from daily to 10 weekly B 772As.

SGN - frequencies increased from 17 weekly to triple daily B 772As.

ZRH - frequencies increased from daily to 10 weekly B 773ERs.

PEK - capacity increased to double daily B 773As + daily B 772As.

SIN/BKK/KIX - increased from 5 weekly to daily B 772As.

Malaysia Airlines

Malaysian Airlines has released details of its new flights to Lahore, Pakistan which will be flown from April 2008 from KUL via KHI. Flights will be flown 3 times a week using an A 330-300. The flight timings are as follows :

Flights operate on MON/THU/SAT

MH 170 Dep KUL 15:20 Arr KHI 18:15
MH 171 Dep KHI 19:30 Arr LHE 21:10
MH 171 Dep LHE 22:10 Arr KUL 06:50 +1

KLM

KLM has announced that it will be increasing its flights to LAX-Los Angeles for the peak summer season. The service will result in an additional 2 weekly flights be flown using a B 772ER on Tue & Sat. Thus the operation will become 9 weekly i.e. daily B 744 + 2 weekly B 772ER. The flight timings of the new flights are as follows :

KL 603 Dep AMS 1025 Arr LAX 1240

KL 604 Dep LAX 1240 Arr AMS 1025+1

EVA Air

EVA Air has announced that it will be reducing its presence at LAX-Los Angeles by reducing its weekly frequencies from 20 to 19 effective March 30th 2008. From July 2008, BR will fly 6 times a week to LAX from TPE via KIX-Osaka using a B 773ER. It will be the only airline flying KIX-LAX-KIX nonstop.

BMI

British Midland is seriously scouting the market for used B 762ERs and used B 763ERs as it feels that the A 320s and A 321s that it currently uses on the ex BMED routes to Africa and Central Asia are too small to meet market demand + they cannot carry extra revenue generating cargo in the belly. BMI also revealed that its new business strategy is to "Look East" to expand rather than risk a bloodbath by rapidly expanding trans-atlantic operations which would lead to a fares war.

Analysis:

This is a smart move by BMI to base its medium/long haul expansion around the emerging markets of Central Asia, South East Asia and the Middle East. They are members of Star Alliance so instead of wasting money by flying their own aircraft to multiple cities from LHR, they can easily codeshare with fellow STAR partners i.e. UAL & US Airways on their LHR-USA-LHR flights.

With regards to the ex BMED routes, some like TAS, ALA and IKA see flights flown by A 320/A 321s which at times suffer payload restrictions if the route is flown nonstop or they are routed via another city. This diluted the revenue and marketing feasibility of operating the flights. For Central Asia and West Asia flights (BEY/DAM/AMM), the ideal aircraft for BMI to use would be the B 762ER.

As far as which new "emerging markets" BMI should look into, ones that come to mind are LHE, DMM, DAC, BLR, HYD & IKA. For all these cities, the ideal aircraft to acquire are used B 763ERs which are available in the used aircraft market. In total 13 used B 763ERs can be leased or bought from various companies. These aircraft were built between 1989-1994 and their specifications can be viewed here :

http://www.speednews.com/EquipmentResults.aspx?Search=Aircraft&Aircraft=767&Type=-300ER

Vietnam Airlines

Boeing has officially confirmed that the state of Vietnam has confirmed placing an order for 12 Boeing 787-800s. Four of those aircraft will be bought by Vietnam Airlines where as the remaining 8 are being purchased by VALC (Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Company) who will dry lease the planes to VN.

Finnair

Finnair has revealed details of its new Asian route i.e. ICN-Seoul which will be flown nonstop from its HEL-Helsinski hub effective 2nd June 2008 using an A 340-300. The flight will be flown 5 times a week.

AY041 Dep HEL 1730 Arr ICN 0825+1

AY042 Dep ICN 1015 Arr HEL 1405

Emirates

Emirates has revealed that its second destination with the Airbus A 380 will be London Heathrow. EK will use the A 380 from Dec 1st 2008 to LHR with the flight numbers being EK 001/002. Flight timings are as follows :

EK 001 Dep DXB 0745 Arr LHR 1135
EK 002 Dep LHR 1345 Arr DXB 0030+1

In addition, EK will be making radical changes concerning equipment being used and frequency increases on many of its routes from March 2008. The main highlights are as follows :

USA - two new cities are to be launched i.e. ORD & LAX. Chicago will see nonstop service from DXB using a B 773ER where as LAX would see the same using a B 772LR.

DEL - increased to 11 weekly flights from March 30th and then further increased to 14 times a week effective July 1st 2008. Aircraft used from July are 4 times a week on the A 332 + 10 times a week using B 777s.

NCE - will get 5 weekly nonstop terminator flights from DXB using an A 332 from Dec 1st 2008. Currently NCE is served 3 times a week via FCO using a 3 class B 773A.

LCA/MLA - increased from 5 weekly to daily i.e. 2 weekly B 773ERs + 5 weekly B 773As.

GRU - increased to daily effective July 1st 2008; all flights will be flown using the B 772LRs.

JKT - capacity increased to 9 weekly nonstop terminator services effective Oct 1st 08 using a 2 class B 773ER for all flights.

SIN - reduced from 24 times a week to triple daily only effective Oct 1st 08.

KUL - capacity increased to 9 weekly terminator flights from DXB all using a 2 class B 773ER.

ACC - to be increased from 5 weekly to daily effective Dec 1st 2008 using an A 343.

MUC - capacity to be increased from double daily A 332s to daily B 772ER + daily A 332 effective July 1st 08.

ZRH - capacity increased to daily B 773ER + 4 weekly A 332 + 3 weekly A 345 effective 26th Oct 08.

PEK - capacity increased from July 1st 08 i.e. 5 weekly B 772LR + 2 weekly B 773ER.

NGO - in flight product standard downgraded from daily A 345 to daily A 343 effective March 30th 08.

MEL - third daily flight to be launched from February 2009; it will be flown nonstop from DXB. This third flight will be flown with either an A 345 or A 380.

Qantas

Qantas has announced that it will be increasing its flights to HKG-Hong Kong from MEL-Melbourne effective April 30th 08 by flying route 10 times a week instead of daily. Currently, daily flights are flown using a B 744 where as the 3 additional flights will see an A 333 being utilized.

Alitalia

Alitalia has announced that it will be launching new nonstop flights to LAX-Los Angeles, USA from its new FCO-Rome hub effective June 1st 2008. Flights will be flown 5 times a week using a Boeing 777-200ER on Mon, Wed, Thur, Sat & Sun.

Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines has confirmed that it has sealed a multi billion order with Airbus earlier on this week for 30 planes. The break up of the order consists of 10 A 359s + 20 A 321s.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand has announced that it will launch new flights to PEK-Beijing nonstop from its AKL-Auckland hub effective 18th July 08. Flights will be flown twice a week using a B 772ER. As a result, flights to PVG-Shanghai will drop from 5 to 3 times a week from this date onwards.

Boeing

Boeing has announced that this week it booked new orders from the following airlines :

DL - ordered 2 more B 777-200LRs.

QF - ordered 31 additional B 737-800s.

3 B 787s - by an unidentified airline (most likely by the airline mentioned below)

Air Astana

Air Astana of Kazakstan has announced that to fuel part of its ambitious expansion plans, it is purchasing 3 Boeing 787s + 6 A 320s. Most of these aircraft will be used to replace medium density Russian made aircraft that have been used for decades.