Unlocking Philippines’ Potential as an International Air Hub
New airports planned for the greater Manila region have potential to unlock the Philippines’ potential as a new regional hub in the Asia-Pacific region. Cebu Pacific board advisor, Garry Kingshott, tells Smart Aviation APAC that the Philippines’ geographic location provides…
Airport Projects Must Adopt Fair-Trade Principles: PATA
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is advocating fair-trade principles as the basis on which airport construction projects are undertaken. PATA’s CEO, Dr Mario Hardy, tells Smart Aviation APAC that airports, especially those built in recent years to capture the…
TransNusa Acquiring Five More ATRs
Indonesia’s TransNusa is doubling its ATR fleet by acquiring five ATR 72-600s and is also phasing out its Fokker 50 and BAe 146 aircraft this year. The airline has one ATR 42-500 and four ATR 72-600s, but plans to receive…
PNG Air Offering Wet-Leases on Dash 8s
PNG Air is looking to offer wet-leases on its Bombardier Dash 8s as it reorganises its fleet. The airline’s acting CEO, Paul Abbot, tells Smart Aviation APAC that depending on the jurisdiction, it is offering full aircraft, crew, maintenance and…
Airport Privatisation Must Consider All Stakeholders: IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says governments need to make sure that all stakeholders will benefit from airport privatisation rather than the focus being on how much money can be raised through it. IATA’s Asia-Pacific director of airport, passenger,…
Singapore and Malaysia Agree to Suspend Restriction Area, Seletar ILS Implementation
Singapore has agreed to suspend its implementation of instrument landing system (ILS) procedures at Seletar Airport while Malaysia will suspend its permanent restricted area over Pasir Gudang for one month. The immediate one-month suspension of the permanent restricted area…
Bangkok Airways Plans New MRO Operation at Sukhothai Airport
Bangkok Airways plans to start construction of a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operation at Sukhothai Airport in northern Thailand this year. Christophe Clarenc, Bangkok Airways’ senior vice president of maintenance and engineering, says construction will start beginning of…
Regulatory Environment Stymieing Regional Aviation Development: Strombeck
The civil aviation regulatory environment is inadvertently hampering the development of regional aviation in Asia. Christian von Strombeck, the former director of operations for Indonesia’s Susi Air and Philippines’ Air Juan, says there is a real need for regulatory reform…
Singapore Protests Setting up of Restriction Area over Southern Johor
Singapore’s Ministry of Transport has raised concerns regarding a notice to airmen (NOTAM) published by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) declaring the establishment of a “permanent restricted area for the purpose of military activities over Pasir Gudang”. The…
Nepal Domestic Carriers in Fleet Expansion Mode
Nepal’s domestic carriers are adding at least seven 70-plus seat aircraft in the first quarter of 2019 as demand rockets. Three of the major players—Yeti Airlines, Buddha Air and Shree Airlines—say they have regulatory approvals to receive ATR 72s and…
Operators of Smaller Regional Aircraft Need to Stay Ahead of the Competition: Strombeck
There will always be a role for smaller turboprop aircraft, because these aircraft can access airports larger aircraft are unable to land at, and smaller aircraft are the right size for developing new routes. So says Christian von Strombeck, former…
PNG Air Cautiously Optimistic Despite Weak Economy
Papua New Guinea’s PNG Air expects its business to improve slightly in the coming years even as economic conditions remain weak. In his interview with Smart Aviation APAC, PNG Air’s acting CEO Paul Abbot attributes his optimism to recovering disposable…
