Airline News - Asia / Pacific.

Oct 23, 2006

Routes World Route Development Forum will take place in Beijing in 2009. Several facilities planned for the 2008 Olympic Games will be used for the event, which will be hosted by Beijing Capital Holding Co. and Beijing Capital International Airport. Beijing will follow next year's Forum scheduled for Stockholm and the October 2008 event in Kuala Lumpur. Oct 19, 2006

Air Deccan

Air Deccan sells future delivery rights for $100 million. Deccan Aviation, parent of Indian LCC Air Deccan, sold rights to future aircraft deliveries to South Way Aircraft Trading of the Cayman Islands, a special-purpose vehicle, in a $100 million transaction funded by Investec Bank of the UK and Germany's HSH Nord Bank, according to press reports. Oct 16, 2006

China Eastern Airlines 

China Eastern Airlines replaced President Luo Chaogeng with Cao Jianxiong, an executive director at the airline, according to a company statement cited by Reuters that offered no explanation for the move. Luo will remain as a director. Oct 16, 2006

China Southern

China Southern Airlines signed a purchase agreement for six 777Fs, Boeing said yesterday, in a deal Chinese media said was worth $1.84 billion. Deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of 2008. China Southern subsidiary Xiamen Airlines signed for six 737-800s to be delivered in 2010, according to press reports. The latter deal reportedly includes the cancellation of an order for three 787s. Oct 19, 2006

Dragonair

Dragonair will relaunch its Hong Kong-Phuket service, suspended in January 2005 following the Indian Ocean tsunami. It will operate daily A320 flights beginning Dec. 15. Oct 17, 2006

EVA Airways

EVA Air has placed a second "Hello Kitty" jet into service. The Airbus A330-220 is serving the destinations of Nagoya, Osaka and Sendai. The exterior of the aircraft is painted nose to tail with Hello Kitty characters in the garb of airline crew and staff. Decorations inside the aircraft and service also draw on Hello Kitty, from themed menu choices to exclusive duty-free items. This themed aircraft was put into service on October 20, the one-year anniversary of its first "Hello Kitty" jet, which provides service to Fukuoka and Tokyo. Oct 20, 2006

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines expanded its codeshare agreements with China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines. It will place its code on China Eastern's daily Fukuoka-Shanghai service from Oct. 29 and its thrice-weekly Osaka Kansai-Kunming service from Dec. 12. JAL already operates its own service on the former route and serves Kunming through Beijing. JAL also will place its code on Xiamen's twice-weekly Kansai-Hangzhou flights beginning Dec. 8. It already operates its own twice-weekly flight on the route. Oct 16, 2006

Singapore Airlines

SIA looks to be 'premium leader' with long-haul revamp. Singapore Airlines unveiled a $360 million revamp of its long-haul product that positions it at the very top of the premium market. Oct 18, 2006

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines reduced its fuel surcharges Saturday to $18 from $20 on flights to Southeast Asia, to $82 from $90 on flights to North America and to $54 from $60 on all other sectors. Oct 16, 2006

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Editor: Aram Gesar, eMail: [e-mail]

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Oct 16, 2006