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Tag: Holiday

  • AirAsia X plans for direct flights into Kazakhstan

    AirAsia X plans for direct flights into Kazakhstan

    AirAsia X , the long-haul arm of AirAsia Group Bhd, has met with the Civil Aviation Committee (CAA) of Kazakhstan to discuss the possibility of the airline introducing a direct flight from Malaysia to the Central Asian country.

    The New Straits Times learnt that the meeting was held between AirAsia Group executive chairman Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, AAX chief executive Benyamin Ismail and Kazakhstan CAA chairman Talgat Lastayev as well as representatives from Almaty, Nur-Sultan and Karaganda airports and Kazakhstan embassy to Malaysia.

    The meeting includes discussions on the potential for AAX to introduce a direct route from Kuala Lumpur to Kazakhstan as well as a presentation on the development of the aviation industry in Kazakhstan and the country’s adoption to the Open Skies policy.

    “The interest is there but we must do further research on how to introduce this plan. They (AAX) have expressed interest to use Kazakhstan as a hub for them to fly to the US and Europe,” a source said.

    The potential US and European cities that AAX might fly into include New York, Rome, Milan and Nice.

    The meeting was held at AirAsia’s RedQ office in Sepang on Tuesday.

    Recently, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asked the country to adopt Open Skies policy and expand its international routes while attracting more foreign airlines.

    The sources said that although the move will pose a big competition to Kazakhstan-based airlines, it was time to open the country to the world with more flight connections.

    The move will also help to develop the Astana International Financial Center as well as the country’s tourism industry.

    “Kazakhstan is very excited to have AAX to introduce a direct flight, but of course this is all preliminary. But on Kazakhstan’s side, the country is ready to fully support them (AAX),” another source said, adding that the discussion also included incentives that would be given to the airline such as airport and tariff fees, and marketing support for flight promotion.

    Currently, the only direct flight available is from Almaty to Kuala Lumpur and vice versa via Kazakhstan’s national carrier, Air Astana.

    AAX would be the first international budget airline to fly into Kazakhstan should the carrier introduces the direct flight.

    Meanwhile, Kamarudin expressed his gratitude to Kazakhstan for showing strong interest and offering attractive airport incentives for the airline to fly to various airports in the country.

    “Having been to Kazakhstan, both Nur-Sultan and Almaty, it definitely suits our expansion plan and we have agreed in forming a working team from both parties to seriously explore this possibility.”

    “I would not be surprised to see the flights into Kazakhstan from any of our various hubs some time next year,” he said yesterday.

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  • AirAsia to link Lombok with Surabaya, Yogyakarta

    AirAsia to link Lombok with Surabaya, Yogyakarta

    Low-cost carrier AirAsia is set to launch new routes to Surabaya in East Java and Yogyakarta from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

    The inaugural flight from Lombok to Surabaya will depart on Nov. 25 and be available four times a week, namely on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

    The flight from Lombok International Airport Praya leaves at 8:35 p.m. local time and arrives at Juanda International Airport at 8.40 p.m. local time. The Surabaya-Lombok route, meanwhile, departs at 9.05 p.m. local time and arrives at 11.20 p.m. local time. Surabaya is one hour ahead of Lombok.

    The Lombok-Yogyakarta route will begin on Nov. 26 with thrice-weekly flights, namely on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

    The flight from Lombok will leave at 8.35 p.m. local time and arrive at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta at 9.10 p.m. local time. The return flight from Yogyakarta to Lombok will depart at 9.35 p.m. local time and arrive at 12.05 a.m. local time. Yogyakarta is also one hour ahead of Lombok.

    Both routes will use the Airbus A320, which has a capacity of 180 passengers.

    Veranita Yosephine, deputy CEO of AirAsia Indonesia, said the new routes were expected to boost Lombok’s tourism.

    “The routes also provide options for travelers in Lombok who wish to extend their vacation to destinations in East Java and Yogyakarta, and vice versa,” she said in an official statement.

    Tickets are available at the airline’s official website and app, with prices starting from Rp 446,000 (US$33.91). Promotions are available until Nov. 25 for the travel period of Nov. 25 to March 28, 2020, for AirAsia BIG members.

    As with AirAsia domestic routes, passengers are allowed free luggage of up to 15 kilograms on both routes.

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  • Flight Centre fined $252,000 for misleading promotions

    Flight Centre fined $252,000 for misleading promotions

    Flight Centre Travel Group has paid $252,000 in fines after misleading customers with unclear promotions during the 2018 Christmas and 2019 Easter periods.

    The travel group offered customers who spent $1500 on a holiday package during these periods a $250 voucher to use for their next holiday – though failed to disclose that the next holiday needed to be worth more than $5000 to qualify.

    According to the ACCC, over 35,000 customers received these vouchers as part of the promotions.

    “We are concerned that consumers were enticed to purchase their holiday through Flight Centre to obtain a voucher they were not able to use without spending another $5000 when this was not adequately disclosed,” ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said.

    “Businesses are warned that the terms and conditions of any deal or promotion must be prominent so that consumers understand what is involved in redeeming the offer.”

    In addition to the fine paid, Flight Centre has also waived the $5000 minimum spend condition and has extended the redemption period for the vouchers. Those earned during the 2018 Christmas period will be extended from 30 June 2019 to 31 December 2019, while those earned during 2019 Easter will also be extended to 31 December 2019.

    The ACCC notes that the payment of a penalty specified in an infringement notice is not an admission of a contravention of Australian Consumer Law.

    Earlier this year, the ACCC also targeted online retailer Kogan for misleading promotions, stating it made “false or misleading representations about a 10 percent discount promotion”, and would be taking the retailer to court.

    The consumer rights commission alleged Kogan had advertised a 10 percent discount on certain products, though raised the price of around 600 products before the promotion began – in some cases by at least 10 percent.

    “We allege that Kogan’s advertisements were likely to have caused consumers to think they were getting products below their usual price,” Court said in a statement in May.

    “In fact, Kogan had inflated product prices which we say created a false impression of the effective discount.”

    At the time, Kogan denied the allegations, stating they ignore critical facts and matters that are relevant to the situation.

  • Tigerair eyes Davao-Taipei flights

    Tigerair eyes Davao-Taipei flights

    Another international air link will be added to Davao City as Tigerair Taiwan plans to service the Davao-Taipei route within the year or early 2020.

    Department of Tourism Davao Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan revealed that the new route will boost the region’s tourism, trade, and investments

    She said a group of 12 Taiwanese travel agents and an executive from the airline visited Davao Region in July.

    “We tour(ed) them around the city and region. The highlight of our tour was our beach destinations especially in Samal, Davao del Norte,” she said during the agency’s presentation of its accomplishments and updates on Monday, October 7, at Seda Abreeza Hotel in Davao City.

    The regional director said the Taiwanese visitors were impressed with Davao’s tourism destinations.

    “They appreciate more about the people’s hospitality and the food. The tour has strengthened their intention to set up Davao-Taipei route,”she said.

    Rabat-Tan added that Tigerair Taiwan initially planned to launch a chartered flight only but later on decided to push regular direct flights due to the routes viability.

    “If it is not going to push through this year, it will be early next year. Also, we are expecting another visit from them any time within the year but most likely a bigger group will be coming,” she said.

    Sustaining flights

    Following the launch of more direct flights to the city, Rabat-Tan acknowledged the necessity of programs and plans to sustain these flights.

    Trade and tourism roadshows and missions are already set to promote Davao Region and Mindanao as a whole to international markets where Davao has direct link and vice versa.

    “A mission to Taipei composed of Davao tour operators and other stakeholders including city officials is presently being organized. It is more like a Business-To-Business (B2B) meeting. We are in constant communication with the Taiwan group,” she said.

    She also mentioned a Manado, Indonesia travel roadshow with Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is happening this month or in November.

    How are other flights doing?

    Rabat-Tan shared that, in a meeting last week, the Qatar Airways country manager said he was happy with how the Davao-Doha route is performing. She said plans of increasing the flight frequency of the route is being discussed.

    Qatar Airways’ Doha-Davao route, the first long-haul flight in Mindanao, was launched on June 18. It is operating once a week, every Friday.

    Meanwhile, around 50 travel agents from Hong Kong are also set to visit Davao City sometime in November to promote the Davao-Hong Kong link.

    She also shared that Davao-Tokyo route is currently being discussed with the City Government of Davao and Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.

    At present, Davao City has five international direct air links – Singapore; Hong Kong; Quanzhou, China; Qatar; and Manado, Indonesia.

    These routes are currently being served by six airlines namely Cebu Pacific, SilkAir, XiamenAir, Qatar Airways, Cathay Dragon, and Garuda Indonesia.

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  • Vietjet Celebrates Autumn with Hundreds of Thousands of Promotional Tickets

    Vietjet Celebrates Autumn with Hundreds of Thousands of Promotional Tickets

    Vietjet has announced its latest deal with hundreds of thousands of promotional tickets going from S$0 to travel around Asia in the Autumn season.

    Promotional tickets are available for purchase on Vietjet’s official website or on the “Vietjet Air” mobile app from now until 10 October 2019, between the golden hours of 1.00 pm – 3.00 pm (GMT+8). The promotion includes daily return tickets from Singapore to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and all international routes between Vietnam and Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia. All routes operated by Thai Vietjet are also applicable for this promotion.

    Vietjet Vice President Nguyen Thanh Son said, “With an expanding flight network across Asia that includes convenient departure timings with more than 400 flights daily and super-saving tickets priced from just VND0, VND99,000, VND199,000, etc., customers can easily fly anytime and anywhere. Vietjet aims to bring millions of flying opportunities to everyone, meeting air travel demands of passengers, pioneering new direct routes such as Da Nang – Taipei/ Tokyo (Haneda), Ho Chi Minh City – Bali; Ho Chi Minh City/ Hanoi – New Delhi, which helps save transit time for passengers and give them more time to experience the destinations. Besides Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, travelers from other localities like Hai Phong, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, etc. can now easily take direct flights to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.”

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  • AirAsia India Set To Switch Terminals At Mumbai Airport

    AirAsia India Set To Switch Terminals At Mumbai Airport

    AirAsia India has made the choice to change from terminal two at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, to the domestical terminal one. This will mean passengers who are traveling within India will no longer have to transfer through the international terminal to take a standard domestic flight on AirAsia India.

    Mumbai is a popular destination for airlines. So much so that AirAsia India has been unable to get departure gates from the main terminal one at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport since they launched back in June 2014. They have, instead, had to operate their domestic service from the international terminal two.

    This had several disadvantages, such as forcing passengers who are transferring from other domestic carriers to a different terminal to take an AirAsia India flight, as well as passing through different security checks that are normally reserved for international flights. And for those not in the know, the two terminals are far apart and require a bus to transfer between them.

    This is set to change however this October, when the airline begins operating from terminal one and can line up with all the other domestic low-cost-carriers.

    “We are pleased to announce that Mumbai will now be our fourth hub in India, and alongside that AirAsia India will shift its operations from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1B from October 15,” said Sunil Bhaskaran, managing director, and chief executive, AirAsia India.

    AirAsia India flies across the sub-continent. Photo: AirAsia

    But moving to a better terminal for passengers is just the beginning, with the move allowing AirAsia India to make Mumbai it’s new fourth hub in the country.

    “Mumbai will become AirAsia India’s fourth hub in the country after Bengaluru, New Delhi and Kolkata,” AirAsia India said in a press statement back in May “AirAsia India will now connect Mumbai to Kochi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Indore, New Delhi and Bengaluru.”.

    The airline currently flies to 21 destinations across the subcontinent with 23 Airbus A320-200 aircraft. They don’t specifically have any aircraft on order at the moment, but likely that some of the vast 353 Airbus A321neos that are on order to their parent organization will find their way into their fleet.

    They are a subsidiary airline of the AirAsia group, a vast network of low-cost-carriers who’s combined network flies from the United States, to Japan, to Australia and more. AirAsia X, the international arm of the airline, recently took ownership of a brand new Airbus A330neo and is operating the cheapest flatbeds flying in the sky today.

    Needless to say, this move to the domestic terminal sets up AirAsia India for long-haul success in India.

  • AirAsia starts Kuala Lumpur-Belitung flights

    AirAsia starts Kuala Lumpur-Belitung flights

    AirAsia Group Bhd has began flying four times weekly services from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung. This is in addition to the daily flights between Jakarta and Belitung.

    AirAsia Indonesia deputy CEO Veranita Yosephine said AirAsia Indonesia has so far this year, launched new routes from Jakarta to Sorong, from Bali to Lombok and to Labuan Bajo.

    “To facilitate this expansion, the company has grown its fleet to include three new Airbus A320s which are based in Jakarta and Lombok. By year end, we will also take delivery of an additional two new aircraft,” she said in a statement today.

    To celebrate the new route, AirAsia is offering AirAsia BIG members special all-in fares from as low as RM89 from Kuala Lumpur to Belitung, from now until Oct 6, for travel from today until Feb 9, 2020.

    All-in non-member fares meanwhile, will start from RM94 for one-way travel, inclusive of taxes.

    AirAsia shares closed down 3 sen or 1.69% at RM1.74 today, with 8.05 million shares done, bringing a market capitalisation of RM5.82 billion.

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  • Lower AirAsia passenger service charge starts today

    Lower AirAsia passenger service charge starts today

    AirAsia’s reduced passenger service charge (PSC) of RM50 starts today at KLIA2 and other international airports in Malaysia.

    This follows Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s announcement last month that the Cabinet has decided to reduce the PSC for passengers traveling outside of Asean from RM73 to RM50 effective Oct 1.

    AirAsia Group president (airlines) Bo Lingam said as the airports belong to the government, the Cabinet has every power to implement changes to the PSC.

    Bo thanked the government for supporting its cause towards a fair PSC and making air travel affordable. “This will hugely benefit not only air travelers but also the tourism industry and economy as a whole, ” he said.

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  • Thai Airways adds a sixth weekly flight between Brussels and Bangkok

    Thai Airways adds a sixth weekly flight between Brussels and Bangkok

    Thai Airways is very pleased to announce the launch of its 6th weekly non-stop flight Bangkok – Brussels  – Bangkok every Monday.

    As from 28th of October 2019, THAI will operate 6 non-stop flights per week on the route Brussels – Bangkok and return, all operated by Airbus A350-900 including Royal Silk Class (Business) and Economy Class.

    TG934 BKK 00:30 - 07:40 BRU A359 12-4567
    TG935 BRU 13:30 - 05:35+1 BRU A359 12-4567

    Tickets on the new Monday flight can be booked as from today via https://www.thaiairways.be or via any travel agent in Benelux.

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  • Vietnam Airlines cleared to fly to the US

    Vietnam Airlines cleared to fly to the US

    Vietnam Airlines has been allowed to operate direct flights from Hanoi and Saigon to several American destinations. It is the first Vietnamese airline to receive such permission, according to FlightGlobal, a leading news site about the global aviation community.

    The national flag carrier will be allowed to operate flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam’s two biggest metropolises, to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Dallas-Fort Worth. It can also continue these routes to the Canadian cities of Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.

    The permit also allows Vietnam Airlines to operate its flights to the U.S. via stops in Taiwan’s Taipei and Japan’s Osaka and Nagoya airports.

    The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted a Category 1 rating to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) under its International Aviation Safety Assessment program last February, which meant the latter met safety standards to operate flights to the U.S.

    Besides Vietnam Airlines, low-cost air carrier Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways are in the running to launch direct flights to the U.S. and are ordering aircraft for the purpose.

    There are currently no nonstop flights between Vietnam and the U.S. Flights now take 20.5 hours to fly from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco via South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, while the planned direct service to major cities along the U.S. West Coast would take only around 13 hours.

    Thanks to simplified visa requirements, Vietnam has emerged among the fastest-growing international travel destinations for Americans, who are big spenders in the country, shelling out on average $3,233 per trip, according to a survey released last year by travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth.

    Americans are among the top foreign visitors to Vietnam, with 687,226 arrivals last year, an 11 percent year-on-year increase.

    An ethnic Vietnamese population of over 2.1 million in the U.S. is also expected to be a steady source of travel demand.

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  • Cebu Pacific holding ‘9.9’ promo fare sale

    Cebu Pacific holding ‘9.9’ promo fare sale

    Cebu Pacific is holding another seat sale from Sept. 9 to 10. The airline did not specify fares but said new destinations will become available every 8 hours starting midnight Sept. 9.

    From 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. all local destinations except Batanes and Marinduque will be on offer.

    From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cebu Pacific will offer promo fares to Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

    Promo fares to ASEAN destinations, Dubai and Australia will be offered from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.

    The fares will be valid for travel from April 1 to Aug. 31 next year.

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  • Webjet earnings taking a hit from Thomas Cook bankruptcy

    Webjet earnings taking a hit from Thomas Cook bankruptcy

    Digital travel business Webjet is set to feel the pinch of the collapse of British travel company Thomas Cook.

    The online company, which manages the hotel bookings for Thomas Cook’s customers visiting Europe, said it will be impacted by a loss of total transaction value (TTV) in FY20 from Thomas Cook’s demise.

    Webjet has advised that it expected TTV from Thomas Cook to be in the range of $150 million to $200 million (A$221.4 million to A$295.18 million) in FY 2020.

    This is expected to reduce its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) growth this year. An additional $27 million to $33 million of EBITDA was expected in FY 2020, but the impact of Thomas Cook entering liquidation is expected to reduce this guidance by up to $7 million.

    The online travel agent also said Thomas Cook owed it approximately $43.7 million.

    Webjet said, however, that the impairment of any unpaid receivables will be treated as a one-off expense to the income statement and that there will be no material adverse impact on the company’s liquidity because any write-off will be absorbed by existing cash reserves which stood at $211.4 million as of June 30 plus its undrawn debt facilities.

    The online retailer said there will be “no impact on the more than 3,000 hotel contracts Webjet acquired from Thomas Cook in August 2016, which are wholly owned by WebBeds and available for sale to all WebBeds customers.”

    The company added the vast majority of these contracts are currently sold at full margin to non-Thomas Cook customers and have been a key driver of the profitable growth of their European business over the last three years.

    The travel retailer also said there is no change expected to its other expected FY20 earnings drivers indicated in the FY19 results announcement.

    The embattled travel company Thomas Cook has collapsed after last-minute negotiations aimed at saving the firm failed.

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  • Hong Kong protests blamed for less tourists

    Hong Kong protests blamed for less tourists

    Ongoing Hong Kong protests have been blamed for a 40-per-cent slump in inbound visitors to the territory in August.

    Given travelers account for about 50 percent of Hong Kong retail turnover, that figure does not bode well for official retail sales figures for the month, due to be released in early October. A predicted double-digit decline now seems inevitable, especially as the luxury sector is hardest hit by a drop in visitors.

    In a weekend blog post translated by Reuters, finance secretary Paul Chan said August’s year-on-year fall of 40 percent followed a more modest decline of 5 percent in July.

    He said hotel occupancy rates have dropped by as much as half and room rates are down as much as 70 percent as operators battle for a dwindling customer base.

    “The most worrying thing is that it does not seem that the road ahead is easily going to turn any better,” Chan said in his blog, as translated by Reuters.

    Despite chief executive Carrie Lam’s announcement that the much-despised extradition bill was being formally withdrawn (as opposed to suspended), protestors returned to the streets during the weekend. While the majority were peaceful, a small group of radicals smashed up MTR station facilities and lit fires in the heart of the luxury shopping precinct of Central, including one at a station entrance. Those images are playing across television screens and online worldwide, potentially discouraging visitors from traveling to Hong Kong.

    Chan said the Hong Kong protests have severely damaged the territory’s image as a safe international city.

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  • Strandbags unveils new retail store experience at Chadstone

    Strandbags unveils new retail store experience at Chadstone

    Luggage and handbag retailer Strandbags launched a new concept flagship store in Chadstone Shopping Centre over the weekend – the first step in a new bricks-and-mortar strategy which will see some stores triple in size over the next three to five years.

    With handheld payment devices freeing up staff and digital screens showing video and digital content, the Chadstone flagship store is Strandbags’ effort to deliver a world-class shopping experience.

    Strandbags managing director Felicity McGahan said the store was fitted to be unique and engaging, but also to give customers the freedom to shop for what they want, how they want, when they want.

    “Digitisation is giving the customers complete control. They’re in control of us, they’re savvy,” McGahan said.

    “Sixty-four percent of our customers have already researched online before they walk into our stores. So, how do we create a space that supports that? Where they can come in and really engage with the brand?

    “We’ve got to give them a reason to get off the couch and come in-store, and not let them down when they get in there. Trying to find that balance has been really important.”

    According to McGahan, the Chadstone flagship is the first in a new line of Strandbags stores, underpinning a complete redesign and refresh of the core brand.

    Contrary to many of its peers, this refresh is not part of a turnaround strategy, or an effort to stave off slowing sales – with the business selling a handbag every five seconds, a wallet sold every six seconds, and a suitcase every 12 seconds.

    “There’s a saying: The time to fix the roof is when the sun’s shining,” MacGahan said.

    “It’s not a broken business, and I’ve spent a lot of time understanding what makes it successful. This is about evolution. We’ve got to keep moving, keep changing. Retail is changing, and the experience is very important.”

    The luggage retail market is growing at a rate of five percent year-on-year, according to McGahan, which has enabled the brand to quietly grow its footprint.

    In the last year, Strandbags has up-sized 25 of its stores and is looking to do the same across many more over the next three to five years with the improvements seen in the Chadstone flagship to be rolled out across its store fleet.

    “We see a mega-store opportunity. We see large stores as well, and then obviously core stores as well. Chadstone is just another proof point to say that this is the right strategy,” McGahan said.

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  • AirAsia eager to introduce bio-fuel powered flight, supported by Airbus

    AirAsia eager to introduce bio-fuel powered flight, supported by Airbus

    AirAsia Group Bhd is expected to introduce a biofuel-powered flight in the future as the airline initiated research and developments (R&D) into aviation biofuels supported by Airbus SE.

    Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has expressed interest to explore the production of alternative and sustainable aviation biofuels in Malaysia.

    “However, it is too early to comment right now but obviously, we as an airline would like to do more in biofuels. We can not do it alone. So, it is great that Airbus supports our vision of trying to get biofuels into the aircraft. Hopefully that dream is not so far away with Airbus’ support,” Fernandes said after the signing ceremony between AirAsia and Airbus involving the airline’s 42 new aircraft orders in Kuala Lumpur last Friday.

    Market observers believe the move likely to cut the group’s jet fuel cost and reduce carbon emissions.

    Fernandes said aviation biofuels R&D requires a lot of work involving comprehensive studies on how the alternative fuel burns compared with the conventional kerosene jet fuels.

    He said technical support from airframe maker Airbus SE would facilitate the airline’s initiative to develop its aviation biofuels.

    Airbus had last Friday announced it would increase participation in the Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC) to provide more funds for joint research programs.

    Airbus is also one of AMIC founders, which is set to appoint an Innovation Technical Director to support the non-profit organization including into aviation biofuels in Malaysia.

    This was also part of Airbus’ US$120 million (RM505 million) planned investments announced last week comprising three initiatives to further develop Malaysia’s aviation and aerospace industry.

    Under the initiatives for AMIC, Airbus said the programs benefitting from additional funding such as alternative and sustainable aviation biofuels.

    Inter’s Romelu Lukaku was allegedly subjected to racial abuse during the match against Cagliari at Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy. – EPA

    Chief executive officer Gauillaume Faury said Airbus’ new initiatives also include the expansion of the company’s wholly-owned maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility – Sepang Aircraft Engineering (SAE); and the establishment of the Airbus Malaysia Digital Initiative.

    “These initiatives will significantly enhance our presence in Malaysia, which is one of our most important markets in Asia,” he said at a press conference at the signing ceremony of the firm order between AirAsia Group and Airbus here, recently.

    He said Airbus’ initiatives would also strengthen its win-win partnerships with Malaysia, contributing to the development of the Malaysian aerospace sector and enabling the company to benefit from the competencies and skills available in the country.

    Major airlines had been experimenting for years with biofuels in an effort to reduce both carbon emissions and their reliance on fossil fuels.

    According to Bloomberg, several major carriers were planning larger-scale usage of biofuel in 2019 and 2020, including JetBlue Airways Corp and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.

    Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had approved a resolution that called on governments to continue working towards the implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

    Having agreed through the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), CORSIA would limit net carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation at 2020 levels to achieve carbon-neutral growth.

    The first test flight with biojet fuel was undertaken by Virgin Atlantic in 2008. As at June 2019, more than 180,000 commercial flights using sustainable aviation fuels have been performed, according to IATA.

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