Category: Shipping and Transport

SINGAPORE, Nov 10, 2006 (AFP) – Costs, not competition, worry Tony Fernandes of AirAsia Bhd, who said Friday he foresees continued expansion for the Malaysian-based lowcost pioneer. “The only thing that we worry about is our cost,” said Fernandes, the airline’s group chief executive. “There can be a hundred low cost carriers out there. It […]

TOULOUSE, France, Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) – As rain clouds gather over European aircraft maker Airbus, the giant plane at the root of its problems is set to jet off on for a tour of the Asia region next Monday for a final round of technical tests.EADS, or the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, […]

SINGAPORE, Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) – Asia should further liberalise its airline industry to unleash the region’s full growth prospects or risk losing billions in unrealised potential, industry experts said Thursday.“Often they are liberalisation’s biggest winners,” said Herdman. “We must ensure that the regulatory framework keeps pace with industry needs.” “We need one more revolution […]

November 6, 2006 (LBO) – Dubai’s Emirate Airlines Monday reported a steady profit growth as the carrier flew more passengers and carried more cargo to offset historically high fuel prices. For the six months ended Sept 30, net profit was up 29 percent to 323 million dollars over the same period last year. Emirates’ operating […]

Nov 01 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines said Thursday that it would launch a regional charter service carrying cargo to South Asia, even reaching destinations not connected by scheduled flights. SriLankan Cargo currently offers scheduled services to 50 destinations in 28 countries, serviced by dedicated freighters and 14 mainline Airbus Aircraft. With the new service, businesses […]

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1, 2006 (AFP) – Piracy declined globally this year, but Chittagong in Bangladesh was now the world’s most dangerous port, with a rise in piracy there and in some other key hotspots, a watchdog said Wednesday.The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recorded 174 attacks on the high seas in the first nine months […]

Oct 31, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka plans to throw open the aviation corridor along the southern and eastern coast of the island for commercial traffic from next month, officials said Tuesday. As part of the ‘Ruhunu Open Skies’ policy which kicks off from Nov 19, authorities also plan to open up the skies for […]

Oct 30, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s first budget airlines to fly international routes are struggling to get off ground, with approvals pending from Sri Lanka’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Meanwhile, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority denied knowledge of a government sponsored budget carrier, which according to weekend media reports, hopes to start up operations. […]

October 25, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s conglomerate John Keells Holdings Ltd Wednesday said it has raised its ownership in port operator South Asia Gateway Terminals (Pvt) Ltd to 33.75 percent. “The success of SAGT further proves the ability of Sri Lankan companies to develop and add value to large scale infrastructure projects,” Ratnayake added. […]

Oct 23, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to expand and re-surface its runway to handle jumbo sized A380 airbus aircraft, capitalising on delays that have pushed back release of the new super-sized planes to 2009. Part of Emirates plans also includes new aircraft possibly 777-300s or A340s for Sri Lankan Airlines, though beefing up […]

Oct 20, 2006 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines says it will consider lowering fuel surcharges on tickets in January if oil prices continue to fall, while it also expands further into Indian metropolitan cities this winter. The airline is currently buying jet fuel at 1.92 dollars a gallon, down from the highs of 2.28 dollars a […]

Oct 13, 2006 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines is ripe for expansion and is looking for about 11 new planes to beef up airline seat capacity, says Tim Clark, Managing Director of SriLankan. SriLankan Airline’s net profits as at end March this year, rose to 797.93 million rupees over 7.66 million rupees, while group net profit […]