Shanghai Airlines (SA) plans to purchase about 50 aircraft by 2010 in an attempt to expand at home and abroad after joining Star Alliance in December, Xinhua reported, citing company president Fan Hongxi. This year, the airline will grow its fleet from 53 to 60, expanding its annual capacity to 300,000 tonnes of cargo and mail. SA has nine Boeing 787 aircraft on order, which will be delivered starting next year. “We aim to develop new international air routes by using Boeing 787 … [Read more...] about CHINA: Shanghai Airlines to expand fleet
CHINA: SIA to buy stake in China Eastern
Shares in China Eastern Airlines (CEA) and Singapore Airlines (SIA) were suspended at the end of last month amid reports that Singapore would soon buy up to a quarter of the loss-making, Shanghai-based carrier for nearly US$1 billion. Although at press time, no official announcement about the purchase had been made, analysts said that a deal would bolster access to booming eastern China for Singapore Airlines, and beef up China Eastern’s balance sheet to help it compete with rivals … [Read more...] about CHINA: SIA to buy stake in China Eastern
Gateways
Three large composite fuselage sections for the 787 Dreamliner were delivered to the Boeing plant in Everett last month via the Dreamlifter, a specially modified 747-400 used to transport 787 major assemblies. Sections 47 and 48, wrapped in black, are the two aft composite sections of fuselage for the Dreamliner, while the all-composite forward section was wrapped in white. … [Read more...] about Gateways
Overcapacity tempers air cargo
The announcement last month of the establishment of a new air services agreement between the US and China, which will more than double the number of passenger fl ights by 2012 and offer airfreight operators “greatly expanded commercial freedom” constitutes, for the air freight part of the deal, a lot of hot air. “It is absolutely historic,” declared US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters in a conference call after reaching agreement with her counterpart, Chinese … [Read more...] about Overcapacity tempers air cargo
Lack of infrastructure hampers India’s air cargo growth
India’s Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel recently promised a blueprint for the air industry’s expansion by 2020, including plans for a series of airport upgrades by 2010. A prime project is a cargo centre at Nagpur due for completion next year, which Patel hopes will boost India’s nascent air cargo market.“We hope to see that Nagpur becomes...something like Memphis, a major hubfor cargo in India,” Patel said Tax incentivesare one tool the Indian governmentis … [Read more...] about Lack of infrastructure hampers India’s air cargo growth
Champ's ULD Manager exploits ULD's value as an asset
There are over a million of them in use, with a collective value of over US$ 1 billion, and every year airlines spend over US$ 200 million maintaining, repairing and replacing them. It’s the Unit Load Device, and despite its familiarity and ubiquity it’s actually a very valuable asset that needs to be managed. Managing global ULD inventories is a major challenge for airlines, but the benefits of effective managementare many and varied: • Stock levels at stations are controlled … [Read more...] about Champ's ULD Manager exploits ULD's value as an asset
