Cathay Pacific Airways celebrated recently as the airline took delivery of its 75th airplane purchased directly from Boeing, a 777-300ER. “The 777 allows us to economically offer non-stop service to the major gateways of the world,” said John Slosar, chief operating officer, Cathay Pacific Airways. “The 777 has great passenger appeal, so it’s really a core airplane for us. It has completely changed our business model over the last three years and enabled us to … [Read more...] about PHILIPPINES: Cathay takes delivery of 75th aircraft from Boeing

Air cargo throughput at Hong Kong’s main cargo terminal - Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl) - rose 41.9 per cent in April from a year earlier. A total of 10,080 tonnes of air cargo were handled on 23 April alone, the highest daily tonnage throughput Hactl ever handled, the company said in a statement. Total air cargo volumes in April totalled 248,027 tonnes. Cargo exports in April jumped 53.5 per cent from a year earlier, while imports were up 32.1 per cent. Lilian Chan, … [Read more...] about HONG KONG: Hactl’s April throughput surges 42%

All Nippon Airways (ANA) reported a net loss of US$616 million for its fiscal year ended 31 March, significantly widened from a $45 million deficit in the prior fiscal year. The carrier also warned that “conditions for the aviation industry remain severe” despite a “steady recovery from the global recession.” “In the midst of the global recession brought on by the financial crisis in the US, aviation demand also dropped due to the effects of H1N1 influenza in … [Read more...] about JAPAN: ANA sinks to US$616 million loss

Manufacturers of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) devices expressed optimism based on robust quarterly profit forecasts driven in part by Chinese demand for LCD products, according to Reuters. Korean LG Display, the world’s second-largest LCD manufacturer which supplies Apple’s new iPad device, projected shipments will increase by 10 per cent in the second quarter. It reported a US$712 million operating profit in January-March, beating expectations after a loss-making 2009. … [Read more...] about CHINA: China LCD market looking up

More A380s will soon appear in the skies over Asia, with Lufthansa set to begin operating the ‘super-jumbo’ in services to China and Japan. Lufthansa announced that Tokyo and Beijing will be the first destinations of scheduled flight services of the airline’s new flagship, the Airbus A380. Johannesburg in South Africa will be the third A380 destination for the German airline. Lufthansa was the first European airline to fly into Asia with an expedition flight to China … [Read more...] about CHINA: Lufthansa to replace Asia B747s with A380s

Rising product inspections in China – up 34 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 compared with the same period a year earlier – indicate the growing health of global trade, according to quality control company AsiaInspection. The private inspection company says the quarterly statistics are a good barometer of worldtrade and indicate some interesting trends. First quarter 2010 inspection figures indicate economies around the world are recovering from the recent global … [Read more...] about CHINA: Rise in inspections reaffirms recovery