CAPA News Briefs

Oman Air, via its official Twitter account, announced (18-Apr-2021) it signed MoUs with the Sultanate of Oman Pavilion Commission and Taiseer Platform to support small to medium enterprises (SMEs) through increased access to tender and procurement opportunities across the airline's operations. 

Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi, via his personal Twitter account, stated (21-Apr-2021) services from the UK and Denmark to Turkey will resume. Mr Eksi said authorities will require passengers to have a negative PCR test within 72 hours of travelling. As previously reported by CAPA, Turkey suspended services from the two countries in Dec-2020.

Airports Company South Africa reported (19-Apr-2021) the following traffic highlights for Johannesburg Oliver R Tambo International Airport for Mar-2021:

• Passengers: 699,977, -31.2% year-on-year;
  • Domestic: 573,825, -3.9%;
  • Regional: 14,135, -59.0%;
  • International: 107,728, -71.8%;
• Aircraft movements: 10,478, -14.0%;
  • Domestic: 5996, -1.6%;
  • Regional: 742, -26.5%;
  • International: 2697, -25.5%. [more - original PR]

Anambra State's Government, via its official website, stated (19/20-Apr-2021) Air Peace will operate a test flight at Anambra Airport on 30-Apr-2021, marking the first operation at the new airport using a commercial aircraft. The airport will be commissioned by the end of 2021 and will feature a 5700m runway with facilities to handle domestic and international services.

Incheon International Airport Corporation announced (21-Apr-2021) plans to open three duty free retail outlets in the small to medium sized (SME) category at Seoul Incheon International Airport by the end of 2021. The three outlets will span a combined 510sqm. [more - original PR - Korean]

French Polynesia's Institution of Statistics reported (21-Apr-2021) visitor arrivals to French Polynesia for Jan-2021. Details include:

• Visitor arrivals: 3924, -71.9% year-on-year;
  • France: 2001, -15.5%;
  • US: 1528, -72.7%;
  • Canada: 26, -96.6%. [more - original PR - French]

Australia's Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Region Economics (BITRE) reported (21-Apr-2021) the following domestic traffic highlights for Australian airlines for Feb-2021:

• Passengers: 1.6 million, -62.9% year-on-year;
  • Brisbane-Sydney: 138,137, -59.5%;
  • Melbourne-Sydney: 132,147, -80.9%;
  • Gold Coast-Sydney: 68,124, -65.4%;
  • Brisbane-Cairns: 57,986, -26.7%;
  • Gold Coast-Melbourne: 48,932, -64.1%;
  • Brisbane-Townsville: 47,416, -32.5%;
  • Brisbane-Melbourne: 47,297, -80.3%;
  • Adelaide-Sydney: 40,985, -70.3%;
  • Ballina-Sydney: 40,967, +25.7%;
  • Brisbane-Mackay: 38,181, -34.4%;
• Passenger load factor: 58.9% -16.6pp;
  
  • Brisbane-Sydney: 74.4%, -5.5pp;
  • Melbourne-Sydney: 59.7%, -23.9pp;
  • Gold Coast-Sydney: 82.7%, -1.8pp;
  • Brisbane-Cairns: 67.1%, -3.8pp;
  • Gold Coast-Melbourne: 62.7%, -20.6pp;
  • Brisbane-Townsville: 68.6%, -3.1pp;
  • Brisbane-Melbourne: 53.3%, -22.8pp;
  • Adelaide-Sydney: 72.8%, -6.7pp;
  • Ballina-Sydney: 75.5%, -8.3pp;
  • Brisbane-Mackay: 65.0%, -9.3pp;
• RPKs: -65.1%;
• ASKs: -55.3%;
• Aircraft movements: 25,936, -46.4%;
• Seats: 2.7 million, -53.4%. [more - original PR]

Serbia Statistical Office reported (31-Mar-2021) 31,810 visitor arrivals to Serbia in Feb-2021, a decline of 34.8% year-on-year. [more - original PR]

Alaska Airlines announced (21-Apr-2021) it set a course for net zero carbon emissions by 2040, with near term 2025 targets to maintain carbon neutral growth from 2019. The carrier also set goals to be the most fuel efficient US airline and cut the climate emissions from our ground equipment in half. Alaska added it will continue with its recycling programme, sourcing more sustainable packaging for inflight service and offsetting water use with investments in local ecology and habitats. With these goals, the carrier has joined Amazon and over 100 other companies in signing The Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net zero carbon across our business 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. Details of the roadmap include:

• Fleet renewal: Finalised order for up to 120 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, with four already delivered in 2021. The newest MAX aircraft are 22% more fuel efficient on a seat by seat basis than the aircraft they replace;
• Operational efficiency: Expanding use of technology to optimise flight routes for emissions savings, working with government to make better use of airspace and moving toward electric and other renewable options for ground equipment;
• Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF): The carrier currently uses and is partnering to advance SAF production with Neste and SkyNRG. It has also partnered with Microsoft to offset the carbon impact of employees' travel from Seattle to San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles with sustainable aviation fuel. [more - original PR]

American Airlines announced (21-Apr-2021) plans to launch three times weekly New York JFK-Delhi service with Boeing 777-200 aircraft to meet "strong local demand". The carrier will increase frequency to daily from 17-Nov-2021 to 03-Jan-2022. According to OAG, Air India also operates the route. [more - original PR]

India's Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported (21-Apr-2021) the following domestic traffic highlights for Mar-2021:

• Passengers: 7.8 million, +0.8% year-on-year;
  • IndiGo: 4.2 million;
  • SpiceJet: 962,000;
  • Air India: 1.0 million;
  • AirAsia India: 542,000;
  • Vistara: 500,000;
  • GoAir: 612,000;
  • TruJet: 43,000;
  • Star Air India: 19,000;
• Passenger load factor:
  • SpiceJet: 76.5%;
  • Vistara: 64.5%;
  • IndiGo: 66.4%;
  • AirAsia India: 65.1%;
  • Star Air: 70.5%;
  • GoAir: 71.5%;
  • Air India: 70.6%;
  • TruJet: 60.0%. [more - original PR]

Air India, via its official Twitter account, announced (21-Apr-2021) it will suspend services to the UK from 24-Apr-2021 to 30-Apr-2021 due to travel restrictions recently implemented by the UK Government (Business Standard/New Indian Express/The Hindustan Times, 21/22-Apr-2021).