Virgin Australia: Brand valuable in competitive market
The loyalty battle is joined! Virgin Australia has doubled Qantas' loyalty offer and is targeting those travellers who want lounges and a loyalty programme but also value great prices, said Virgin Australia's newly appointed CEO Jayne Hrdlicka, speaking at the CAPALive on 9-Dec-2020
It's going to be a competitive environment, but Virgin Australia was one of the most loved brands due to its relationship with guests and its authenticity, and the airline intends to hang on to its market share.
The airline was not in a healthy shape when it went into administration. Ms Hrdlicka agrees those problems need to be fixed.
Some key highlights from Ms Hrdlicka's interview with CAPA chairman emeritus, Peter Harbison, can be found below.
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AirAsia - huge data opportunities - and....
AirAsia will be back stronger in 2021, with international operations starting to open up within the next six months. AirAsia X is needed within Asia as a medium haul airline.
The airline is talking to the Malaysian government about receiving a USD250 million soft loan over five years, with capital raising taking place over next two to three months.
The airline will take all the planes on order, but it needs time to regrow. The new logistics company will need freighters.
Talking at the CAPA Live on 9-Dec-2020, AirAsia's Group CEO Tony Fernandes spoke with CAPA's chairman emeritus Peter Harbison. Some key highlights can be found below.
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Agility pays off for Sun Country Airlines
Being small and nimble is definitely a competitive advantage for airlines navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, and perhaps no other airline gives credence to that theory than the US ULCC Sun Country Airlines.
An optimally timed launch of cargo operations for Amazon, and a rebound in charter flights, have helped Sun Country start the process of rebounding a bit faster than larger airlines.
The company is not blind to the fact that US demand trends are being affected by rising COVID-19 case counts in the country, but Sun Country's business diversification has become an asset during the pandemic.
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Hong Kong increases its stake in nearby Zhuhai Airport
There are several urban regions that are large economic clusters, and which are supported by more than one airport, even where the cities are not in the same country and where the airports are separated by water. One of them is in Europe, with Copenhagen and Malmö and their airports at either end of the Øresund Bridge.
But an even more impressive example can be found in what is known as the Greater Bay Economic Region, which includes Hong Kong, Macau, and the Guangdong province of China, and in particular, the latter's Zhuhai Airport. All are connected also by a bridge and tunnel - the world's longest.
Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) is a 55% shareholder in Zhuhai Airport and is now looking to increase its stake there, as what has always been the junior partner is undergoing a sharp capacity recovery and big gains in cargo volume, while neither is the case at the Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok Airport.
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CAPA Live - Vaccines and shorter term solutions
As the aviation industry prepares for the arrival of newly announced vaccines for the COVID-19 virus, it is clear the impact for travel and transport will be significant. Not only is there a rush to understand how these will be distributed around the world in the next 12 months but also an understanding of the industry once it is widely available.
The Dec-2020 edition of CAPA Live - a monthly virtual summit, offering insights, information, data and live interviews with airline CEOs and industry executives across a next-gen virtual event platform - gathered industry leaders and experts to focus heavily on the outlook for 2021 and examine the rollout of the vaccine and its impact on aviation.
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Incheon Airport: a strategic advisor for new Central Polish Airport
Korea's Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) should really be listed as a Major Global Investor in the CAPA Global Airport Investors Database, yet nine years after it first registered interest in foreign airport investment and operation it still has only two investments to its name.
Nevertheless it has picked up many consulting and strategic advisory roles along the way, and that is how its most recent concession, in Kuwait, started.
Now, it may have the opportunity to extend another advisory role, for the massive New Central Polish Airport, into one of operation and investment as this ambitious project to build a 100 mppa central airport for the whole of Poland ("The Solidarity Transport Hub or Central Communication/Transport Port"), connected by high-speed rail to major cities, threatens to get out of control.
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SPECIAL REPORTS: Aviation Sustainability and the Environment
This regular weekly CAPA report features a summary of recent aviation sustainability and environment news, selected from the 300+ news alerts published daily by CAPA. This week's issue includes: United Airlines pledges to reduce 100% of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; British Airways and ZeroAvia enter agreement for hydrogen-powered aircraft exploration; Dallas Fort Worth Airport: Absolute carbon emissions reduced by 79% since 2010; UK Climate Change Commission provides key recommendations for Sixth Carbon Budget; European Commission outlines aviation decarbonisation targets.
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