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14 NEWS ADVERTORIAL Opening New Routes to the Far East Vietnam Airlines now flying Airbus A350 to SE Asia – scooping numerous international awards Vietnam Airlines arrived at this year’s ITB Berlin with more than one reason to offer a broad Asian smile. At the recent CAPA (Asia Pacific Aviation & Corporate Travel) Summit in Singapore, Vietnam Airlines was awarded the airline of the year. The prize was awarded to the Vietnamese airline due to its rapid growth, high profitability and its successful partial privatisation. According to CAPA, Vietnam Airlines, with a growth rate of 19% in passenger numbers in the year 2016, was the fastest-growing state air carrier in Southeast Asia and one of the fastest-growing full-service airlines in the world. Compared to the previous year, the airline recorded a profit increase of 6.7%. The airline was also recognised at global level with two other prestigious awards: ‘World’s Leading Cultural Airline’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline - Premium Economy Class’ by World Travel Awards at the Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2017. The awards were received by Mr Le Hong Ha, Vietnam Airlines’ Executive Vice President. Graham E Cooke, Founder and President, World Travel Awards said: “A well-deserved congratulations to Vietnam Airlines on their success at the 24th annual World Travel Awards. ‘World’s Leading Cultural Airline’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline - Economy Class’ are two prestigious international awards that place Vietnam Airlines firmly at the top of the travel industry. I hope their recognition, both by their peers and members of the public, will inspire them to aim ever higher in the pursuit of excellence.” Le Hong Ha, Executive Vice President, Vietnam Airlines said, “We are very honoured to receive the two prestigious awards at the same time. Last year we were Asia’s leading airline in two categories - ‘Asia’s leading airline - economy class’ and ‘Asia’s leading cultural airline’, so this year’s awards are definitely a giant leap - a testament to our commitment to bring the best of Vietnamese culture into the world’s most modern aircraft, including Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB-900.” This year, Vietnam Airlines also ranked 14th among the 20 best premium class airlines in the world by Skytrax. Vietnam Airlines’ Premium economy class is available for both Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 on routes between Vietnam and the UK, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, offering generous legroom as well as near-flat reclining seats, bringing increased convenience. Priority on-ground assistance is available to Premium Economy passengers, saving time with seat selection, check-in, baggage handling and gate boarding. From 2018, fast track services for Premium Economy passengers, including priority security lane and immigration lane, will be available at several Vietnamese as well as international airports. NEW FOR 2018: VIETNAM AIRLINES WITH AIRBUS A350 AND INCREASED FLIGHT FREQUENCIES Vietnam Airlines launched the new Airbus A350-900 XWB (eds: Extra Wide Body) on routes from Frankfurt to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from January 2, 2018. Seven aircraft of this type have already been delivered and fly from Vietnam to Paris (France), Shangai (China) and Incheon (South Korea) as well as to Kansai and Tokyo (Japan). In total, Vietnam Airlines has ordered 14 Airbus A350, which will be delivered up to 2019. The airline has also increased flight frequencies from Frankfurt from nine to ten flights per week, meaning in 2018, Vietnam Airlines flies six times a week to Hanoi and four times a week to Ho Chi Minh City. Both flight routes are travelled nonstop in a flight time of about 10.5 hours. The A350 XWB benefits from being built with over 70% advanced materials; combining carbon composites (53%), titanium and modern aluminium alloys, to create a lighter and more cost-efficient aircraft while also reducing maintenance requirements. The Vietnam Airlines A350 is equipped with a total of 305 seats: Business class has 29 seats and the economy class is equipped with 240 seats, while there are 36 seats in the award-winning premium economy class. The A 350 therefore offers 10% more capacity compared to the 787 Dreamliner used previously Vietnam Airlines will receive four A350’s in 2018, 2019 and eight Boeing 787-10’s leased by ALC in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The company will receive 20 A321 NEOs leased by ICBC, ACG and ALC during 2018-2019 VNA’s fleet will include 110 aircraft by 2020 and 150 aircraft by 2030, all of which are modern and fuelefficient. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 21 st March 2018 www.itb-berlin-news.com
NEWS 15 Istanbul’s Massive New Airport Ready by Year-End © Messe Berlin GmbH Europe’s largest airport is ready to open its doors this year. According to Turkish authorities, the massive Istanbul New Airport will open on October 29, 2018, which marks Turkey’s National Day. It will be located 35 km from Istanbul city centre but only 25 minutes away by a fast underground rail line. The airport will be the largest air facility in Europe and will reinforce Istanbul’s status as a major gateway between Asia, Europe and Africa. The first phase of the airport will be able to accommodate 90 million passengers a year on opening date. A year later, expansion will give the airport the possibility of welcoming 120 million passengers. In its ultimate phase, Istanbul’s new airport will have a capacity for 200 million passengers. The terminal will dock 143 aircraft with the check-in area providing 500 counters. Immigration will be equipped with 228 passport control counters, assuring fluid passenger movements within the terminal. Three runways will accommodate up to 3,500 air movements per day Eurowings @ ITB Berlin 2018 Eurowings Switches Long- Haul Flights from Cologne/ Bonn to Düsseldorf Eurowings is reviewing its long-haul network strategy with the transfer of most long-haul flights from Cologne/Bonn to the neighbouring airport of Düsseldorf. The latter counted last year 24.6 million passengers, twice as much as Cologne with 12.4 million and it has also a larger high-yield traffic due to strong business travel movements. Eurowings’ transfer to Düsseldorf starts by the end of March and should be completed for the next winter season in October Jean-Marc Janaillac Air France-KLM CEO and Naresh Goyal Founder Chairman, Jet Airways Air France Targets Indian Market Since 2015, Air France has steppedup cooperation with Indian carrier Jet Airways with new flights to Bangalore and Chennai respectively out of Amsterdam and Paris. India is increasingly attracting the interest of all airlines around the world. IATA expects India to displace the UK as the third-largest aviation market by 2026. While recording some 135 million passengers in 2017, the association estimates that India air transport could reach 442 million by 2035. Air France has been looking for a long time to build up partnerships in India. The cooperation between the Air France Group and Jet Airways goes back to 2014 with a first agreement. An important date was the closure of Jet Airways Brussels Europe/North American hub in 2015 and the transfer of flights to both Amsterdam and Paris. 2017 saw a further development of the relations between Air France-KLM and Jet Airways. A code share agreement was signed to connect India with Europe and North America via Paris or Amsterdam as well as the launch of Bangalore-Amsterdam and Chennai- Paris. The entire network of Air France/KLM and Jet Airways covers now 44 Indian cities and 106 European destinations while 64 weekly flights link the hubs of Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam- Schiphol and four destinations in India: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. Jet Airways recently announced it would strengthen Chennai as a hub with more flights to South and Southeast Asia Turkish Airlines Announces Airbus and Boeing Orders Turkish Airlines announced during ITB Berlin, that it had placed orders for a total of 60 new wide body aircraft. 6 are due to be delivered in 2019, 14 in 2020, 10 in 2021, 12 in 2012, 11 in 2023 and 7 in the year 2024. According to the company, a total of 30 B787-9 aircraft, of which 25 firm and 5 optional, will be purchased from Boeing and a total of 30 A350- 900 aircraft, of which 25 firm and 5 optional will be purchased from Airbus. Commenting on the closed orders, Ilker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines said, “This great step, which will further strengthen our ever-expanding fleet for 2023, our Republic’s 100th year, and bring our passenger’s satisfaction to a much higher level will bring a great acceleration to the steady rise of our country’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, and will also be a considerable added value for Turkish Civil Aviation” ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 21 st March 2018
