11 May 2021

China Aviation Industry Newsletter 11 May

Air New Zealand and Air China extend their strategic alliance partnership Air New Zealand and Air China have extended their strategic alliance partnership on services between New Zealand and China for a further five years. Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said “China is an incredibly important market for Aotearoa, and for Air New Zealand. The renewal of our strategic cooperation with Air China will be a vital boost for our tourism industry as it recovers from the severe impact of COVID-19. Our alliance with Air China has delivered, and will continue to deliver, real benefit to New Zealand – including greater choice, extra seats and more flights into New Zealand. It's a great example of how we can build sustainable air connectivity to and from New Zealand.” CAAC changes its regulation for inbound flights to China to help travellers The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) modified its policy for airlines flying to China. Market observers said the reform is more flexible and helps travellers. If the number of passengers on a flight testing positive for COVID-19 reaches five, the carrier can choose to suspend the flight for two weeks, starting from the fourth week after its arrival. Otherwise, it should control the capacity on each flight with restrictions to operate at a passenger rate of no more than 40 percent for four weeks. Delta Increases Shanghai-US flights capacity Delta Air Lines will increase seating capacity for flights between Shanghai and the United States from 1st  May in response to increasing demand. The carrier will reopen middle seats to passengers on all flights between China and the US, which will increase the capacity of each aircraft by nearly 20%. The carrier is operating four weekly flights between Shanghai and the US via Seoul, based on an agreement between China and the United States. It has replaced the Boeing 777 with its new flagship Airbus 330-900neo and Airbus 350-900 for the flights. Hong Kong Air Cargo Receives Green Light For Nine New Routes Hong Kong Air Cargo announced it has have received approval from the Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) to operate scheduled cargo flights to nine (9) new routes. In December 2020, Hong Kong Air Cargo (HKAC) formally submitted applications to add Chennai, Tokyo, Manila, Jakarta, Delhi, Sydney, Melbourne, Liege and Milan as scheduled service destinations. Mr William Chan, Director of Government and Public Affairs said, “This marks a significant milestone in Hong Kong Air Cargo’s journey. Over the years, we have strived to do our best and serve the community of Hong Kong. The pandemic has been a challenging time globally, and the demand for the transportation of cargo has continued to increase. We are grateful for the approval for these new routes and the opportunity to grow with Hong Kong”. Acumen Aviation © 11 May 2021 All Rights Reserved.