Air Austral signs firm order for three A220s

Air Austral, France’s Réunion Island-based airline, has signed a firm order for three A220 aircraft, Airbus’ newest family member.

With this order Air Austral becomes the first A220 customer based in the Indian Ocean region. Benefiting from a 20% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions, the A220s will enable Air Austral to reduce its costs and carbon footprint on international routes in the region.

"Air Austral has chosen the A220-300 as part of the renewal of its Medium and Short Haul fleet. These new generation aircraft will join the airline from the end of 2020 with the aim of harmonizing part of its fleet and strengthening its operations” said Marie-Joseph Malé, Chief Executive Officer of Air Austral. The economic and operational performance of the A220 opens new possibilities for the development of our regional network from our main base - Réunion Island - in an efficient and rational way. The 132-seat capacity module, which is more flexible, will allow us to increase our frequencies while offering more comfort to our customers and crews", he added.

Boeing board of directors strips CEO of role as company chairman

In a move that was originally recommended by shareholder advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services Inc and Glass Lewis six months ago, Boeing’s board of directors has stripped Dennis Muilenburg of his chairmanship title shortly after the plane maker was severely criticized over the development of the 737 MAX. The board has confirmed that it still has “full confidence” in Muilenburg’s skills and he will retain his role as CEO, while the company issued a statement saying: “This decision is the latest of several actions by the board of directors and Boeing senior
leadership to strengthen the company’s governance and safety management processes.”

The Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) had found fault in the way that Boeing had made assumptions in the design of the 737 MAX and could have disclosed more information to the FAA. The FAA was also chastised in the way it dealt with certification for the 737 MAX with significant reform recommended in the way it evaluates and certifies new airplanes.

According to Reuters news agency, an internal review in August revealed that Boeing was working to reorganize its engineering reporting lines company-wide to ensure higher ranking officials, including its CEO, get faster feedback about potential safety concerns from lower levels of the company.

Boeing intends to name a new director with extensive safety experience and expertise who will serve on the board as well as a newly created Aerospace Safety Committee. Last week it was confirmed that a key certification test flight would not take place until the beginning of November, the knock-on effect being that any flights would be unlikely to take place until December. 

Qatar Airways schedules A350-1000XWB Copenhagen service in March 2020

Qatar Airways last week filed aircraft changes for Doha – Copenhagen route, for the month of March 2020.

From 01MAR20 to 28MAR20, QR163/164 service will be operated by Airbus A350-1000XWB aircraft, replacing Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

QR161 DOH0135 – 0620CPH 77W D
QR159 DOH0800 – 1245CPH 77W x246
QR163 DOH1540 – 2025CPH 351 D
QR162 CPH0825 – 1635DOH 77W
QR160 CPH1535 – 2345DOH 77W x246
QR164 CPH2140 – 0550+1DOH 351 D

EGYPTAIR resumes Osaka charter flights in W19

EGYPTAIR in winter 2019/20 season plans to resume Cairo – Osaka Kansai service, operating as scheduled charter, after the airline suspended the service for 2 consecutive winter (2017/18 and 2018/19).

From 16DEC19 to 06MAY20, Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will operate this route once weekly.

MS3017 CAI0015 – 1900KIX 773 2
MS3018 KIX2100 – 0350+1CAI 773 2

MS3017 operates on Monday 16DEC19, switching to Tuesdays from 24DEC19. MS3018 operates on Tuesdays, switching to Wednesday on 06MAY20.

MOROCCO: TOURIST ARRIVALS UP 6.4% AT THE END OF AUGUST

A total of 9.266 million tourists have visited Morocco at the end of the first eight months of the year, up 6.4% compared to the same period in 2018, with +8.7% for foreign tourists (TES) and +4% for Moroccans living abroad (MRE), according to the Tourism Observatory.

All the main supply markets experienced increases during this period, notably Italy (+10%), the United Kingdom (+8%), France (+8%), Germany (+7%), Spain (+6%), Netherlands (+6%) and Belgium (+6%), says the Observatory in its latest note on the tourism arrivals in Morocco.

The total overnight stays spent in classified tourist accommodation establishments, for their part, increased by 5.3% compared to the same period in 2018 (+3.3% for non-resident tourists and 9.8% for residents), says the same source, adding that two tourist attractions alone, Marrakech and Agadir, generated 57% of the total overnight stays at the end of August 2019.

These two destinations recorded positive results (+8% for Marrakech and +2% for Agadir), continues the Observatory, noting that Tétouan, Tangier and Oujda have also shown good performances (+28%, +10% and +11%, respectively).

In August 2019 alone, the number of tourist arrivals at border crossings during the month of August decreased by 1% compared to 2018 (+11.3% for the TES and -7.6% for the MRE).

The primary supply markets recorded contrasting results.
Belgium, Spain, and Germany recorded decreases of 5%, 4% and 3%, respectively , while the other markets recorded increases; in this case, the United Kingdom (+8%) and the United States (+6%).

At the same time, the number of overnight stays in classified establishments increased by 4% in August 2019 compared to 2018 (-1% for non-resident tourists and +12% for residents).

Geographically, the destinations of Rabat, Tétouan, and Casablanca recorded an increase in overnight stays of +23%, +31% and +14%, respectively, followed by Marrakech (+5%) and Tangier (+6%).

Credit: Tourism Review

British Airways / Malaysia Airlines begins codeshare partnership from Oct 2019

OneWorld carriers British Airways and Malaysia Airlines starting tomorrow begins reciprocal codeshare partnership, covering service beyond Kuala Lumpur and London Heathrow. Planned codeshare routes from 09OCT19 as follow.

British Airways operated by Malaysia Airlines

Kuala Lumpur – Adelaide
Kuala Lumpur – Alor Setar
Kuala Lumpur – Auckland
Kuala Lumpur – Bintulu
Kuala Lumpur – Denpasar
Kuala Lumpur – Ho Chi Minh City
Kuala Lumpur – Jakarta
Kuala Lumpur – Johor Bahru
Kuala Lumpur – Kota Bharu
Kuala Lumpur – Kota Kinabalu
Kuala Lumpur – Kuantan
Kuala Lumpur – Kuching
Kuala Lumpur – Labuan
Kuala Lumpur – Langkawi
Kuala Lumpur – Melbourne
Kuala Lumpur – Miri
Kuala Lumpur – Penang
Kuala Lumpur – Perth
Kuala Lumpur – Sandakan
Kuala Lumpur – Sibu
Kuala Lumpur – Surabaya
Kuala Lumpur – Kuala Terengganu

Malaysia Airlines operated by British Airways
London Heathrow – Aberdeen
London Heathrow – Belfast International
London Heathrow – Brussels
London Heathrow – Edinburgh
London Heathrow – Geneva
London Heathrow – Glasgow
London Heathrow – Manchester
London Heathrow – Newcastle
London Heathrow – Zurich

HOW INSTAGRAM HAS SHAPED THE TOURISM BUSINESS

Did you know that 48% of Instagram users use this social network to discover and choose the destinations they will visit during their trips? The figure has been growing over the years, making it an essential tool when planning holidays. Instagram impacts the tourism business more and more.

The reason is obvious: Instagram has become part of our everyday lives, but among our contacts, we find family, friends, colleagues… people who we trust in their tastes and recommendations. However, we not only take into account the trustworthy people when making travel plans, a classic Instagram strategy is to follow people who have similar tastes, lifestyles, and motivations, and whose escapades also serve as inspiration for trips.

After all, this social network has, on average, 400 million active users. It is not surprising that many Instagram users have ended up becoming brand ambassadors for their own countries, and even many travel-related brands.

Many hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, and airlines have seen Instagram as a way to reach new customers and markets. It is undeniable that social media are decisive to significantly increase the volume of business for any entrepreneur in the travel and hospitality industry.

This is because, with the right actions, Instagram helps to expand the presence of the business, presenting and promoting a tourism product or service through a channel with a wide, varied and recurring audience.

It is also an ideal way to build a good reputation for the tourism business. It allows you to do brand actions, link with profiles to improve recognition and attributes, and take a stand on issues such as sustainable tourism, training, or cultural heritage, which are essential to build a better online and offline reputation.

In the same way, this social network allows you to study market and customer demand on the digital level – although some data can also be applied outside the online world. Unlike other channels, on Instagram, we can find out exactly what our target audience is like, what their preferred content or products are, and their consumption habits. All in all, this is a great advantage when it comes to managing offers, creating and introducing new products, or setting up a sales strategy

Credits: tourism-

review

Boeing faces deeper EU probe into Embraer deal

Boeing’s ventures with Embraer face a deeper antitrust probe from the European Union as regulators said the transaction threatens to knock out an important rival to the world’s biggest plane makers.

The European Commission has until February 20 to issue a ruling on the deal after opening an “in-depth investigation,” according to a statement issued on Friday. Boeing and Embraer, which had already shifted their target for completing the transaction to early 2020 from this year, have said they expected additional scrutiny once the EU’s initial inquiry ended on October 4.

A so-called “Phase II” investigation from the EU, one of the world’s toughest merger regulators, often raises risks that companies must sell part of their business to eliminate antitrust concerns. The EU said it was worried the deal would “remove Embraer as the third-largest global competitor” to both Boeing and Airbus, which “may therefore result in higher prices and less choice”.

The heightened scrutiny puts new pressure on Boeing’s plan to take an 80 per cent stake in a venture controlling Embraer’s commercial airplane and services businesses.

The move, which would broaden Boeing’s reach into the regional jet market by giving it access to Embraer’s E-Jet family, is intended to position the two companies to better compete with Airbus, which last year took control of Bombardier’s C Series aircraft —now known as the A220.

A Boeing representative referred to an October 3 statement saying the companies “look forward to assisting with” an EU review. An Embraer representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Regulators said they didn’t see any potential rivals from China, Japan or Russia that would be able to replicate Embraer’s competition with Airbus and Boeing within the next five or 10 years. They also flagged concerns that the American aircraft maker and Embraer compete head-to-head for 100-150 seat aircraft, with the Brazilian company a “small but important competitive force” for bigger 100-225 seat aircraft.

“Despite Embraer’s comparatively small-market share it also seems to exert some price constraint on the market leaders Boeing and Airbus even beyond the boundaries of the lower 100-150 seats segment,” the EU said.

Boeing and Embraer are also starting a venture to market the KC-390 military aircraft.

Credits: TheNationalAe