Airline Updates
- AirAsia X has announced plans to use Abu Dhabi as a transit hub for flights connecting to Europe, Africa and Central Asia. The low-cost carrier plans, which flies between Kuala Lumpur and London, intends to further expand its network late next year.
- Jetstar Asia is starting service between Singapore and Langkawi in October. No frequency was announced. Jetstar will be the fifth airline plying the route already served by Tiger Airways, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and SilkAir.
Meanwhile, the carrier will resume to its twice-daily Adelaide-Sydney flights starting October 25. The frequency was cut to once daily in July 2008 due to high fuel prices.
- Qatar Airways will ramp up flight frequency from Doha to four European capitals. Doha-Athens will increase from nine to 14 flights weekly between October 25 and March 2010, Doha-Paris will increase from 11 to 14 flights a week from October 25, Doha-Stockholm will increase from four to five flights a week from October 25 and Doha-Madrid will increase from four to seven flights a week starting December 2.
- THAI Airways has just received its third Airbus A330-300, the sixth to be delivered this year – part of its long-term fleet expansion plan. The aircraft has a capacity for 299 passengers in two classes – 36 in Royal Silk Class and 263 in Economy Class. The latest delivery is the 1,000th unit of the long-haul aircraft that Airbus has manufactured to date. By February 2010, THAI expects the delivery of five more A330-300.
Joshua Tan
