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The launch of Jade Cargo International, the joint cargo carrier announced by Lufthansa Cargo and Shenzen Airlines is likely to take place this autumn. Operations originally had been expected to begin in the first quarter of 2005. The carrier's first route will link Shenzen and Shanghai but aircraft selection is still up in the air. Shenzen holds a 51% stake in the new company, LHC has 25% and European Investment Institute DEG has the remaining 24%
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Branson looking to set up new Australian carrier
Virgin Group chief Richard Branson has floated plans to establish a second Australian flag carrier in partnership with local investors that will focus on routes to China, Japan and the US by the end of 2005.In a move that is sure to antagonize Singapore Airlines, Branson said the Australian government should give precedence to the proposed new venture in allocating rights to service the US West Coast. SIA, a 49% shareholder in Virgin Atlantic, is seeking to gain rights to begin Sydney-Los Angeles flights in the middle of next year.
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According to Branson, the venture is likely to be separate from Virgin Blue, which remains 25.6% owned by Virgin Group. He said the new operation would require the support of the Australian government and would need to be treated equally with Qantas. He also let slip that Virgin Blue soon will announce the launch of a frequent flier scheme to strengthen its position with corporate and goment travellers.
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Bisignani sees more losses in 2005 if fuel prices continue to climb
Although traffic and capacity continue to grow, IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani warned that if fuel prices continue to rise, the industry could see more red ink this year."If the average price of oil settles at $43 per barrel for the year, the total cost of fuel to the industry will exceed $73 billion," Bisignani said. "Clearly 2005 will be another year of industry losses, despite aggressive airline cost cutting."
For the two months ended Feb. 28, overall industry traffic was up 7.3% while capacity increased 6.8%. Load factor for the period was 72.7%. |
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Air travel on rise for Fiji
The rapid growth within Fiji's aviation industry has resulted
in an 18 percent increase in passengers for
international and domestic local carriers. Two
local airlines, Air Pacific and Air Fiji, agreed
the recent upgrading of fleet, extra flights and
the introduction of competition had increased air
traffic in Fiji. The total number of passengers
carried by local airlines on international flights
was 594,736 from 537,766 in 2003 and this marked
an increase by 10.6 percent. The total
revenue per ton kilometers performed for
international flights increased from 266,832 to
287,592, a 7.8 percent increase compared to 2003. |
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Air Pacific's general manager sales and marketing Craig McCarthy said in The Fiji Times that the increase in passenger traffic was due to Air Pacific's increase of flight frequency and the introduction of flights by Virgin Blue and Freedom Air.
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Mexico launches new airline, Click
Mexicana de Aviacion said it will launch Mexico's first low-cost carrier in July, moving the government closer to privatizing its airline industry.
The new airline, called Click Mexicana, will start ticket sales in May and flights in July as part of a plan to sell Mexico's leading airlines Mexicana and Aeromexico this year.
Mexicana and Aeromexico were brought under government control when they went bankrupt in the mid-1990s. Regional airline Aerocaribe is being converted into the no-frills carrier Click to be packaged with Mexicana for the sale, while Aeromexico is to be sold together with another smaller carrier.
Mexicana said Click will initially fly nine round-trip routes from Mexico City to Saltillo, Nuevo Laredo, San Luis Potosi, Oaxaca, Zihuatanejo, Huatulco, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Villahermosa and Merida.
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UK travellers chose US over Western Europe
Visits abroad by UK residents rose by 4 percent during the 12 months ending in February 2005, to 64.2 million, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed. Visits to Western Europe fell by 1 percent (to 49.2 million) but visits to North America rose by 16 percent (to 4.9 million) and visits to other parts of the world rose by 24 percent (to 10.1 million), according to the Office for National Statistics
data." Over the same period, visits by overseas residents to the UK also rose, by 12 percent to 28.1 million,” UK's official statistics group said. “There was an increase in visits from residents of Western Europe by 11 percent (to 18.2 million), from North America by 7 percent (to 4.4 million), and from other parts of the world by 21 percent (to 5.6 million). |
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China to be 3rd largest market for business travel
American Express Business Travel released the result of its second survey of corporate travel management service in China market on April 13 in Shanghai. The survey has found that China will become the world's third largest market for corporate travel in five years after the fastest growth in the world.
The survey shows that the spending on international business travel by China approximates US $ 4.2 billion a year, which is 17 percent of the Asian market for business travel. This, plus some US $ 20 billion spending on the domestic business travel in China, comes to nearly US $ 25 billion.
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The robust growth of China's GDP is very likely to secure a two-digit rise of China's business travel market in the years to come. It is estimated that the number of Chinese business travellers will be 5 times as many as that at present by 2020. Global giants such as American Express, Kar Shun Travel, Rosenbluth have all made their forays in China. Their operation in China are mostly based on joint ventures.
According to China's WTO document, solely foreign funded travel agents will be allowed as of the end of 2005. Chinese travel companies such as Ctrip, Elong, have all launched their business travel services.
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