Feature: Airline Update
were further improved when Vietnam Airlines inaugurated the first service from Vietnam to the UK in late 2011, flying its Boeing 777s from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. And in April this year, Korean Air launched three Boeing 777 flights a week from Seoul into London Gatwick. India is another long-haul destination of growing interest, but here the aviation picture is mixed. While Jet Airways has recently reported an operating profit of £135 million and an upsurge in passengers driven largely by demand on Middle East routes, Kingfisher Airlines is staggering under financial problems. This has led to a drastic cut in flights while the airline
seeks to recapitalise.
This has been compensated by Virgin Atlantic with its new route from London Heathrow to Mumbai. Passengers on the route are able to experience the airline’s redesigned Upper Class cabin incorporating the new suite with an 87-inch long bed, part of a £100 million investment which includes a new fine dining meal service and more Clubhouse lounges. For American Airlines, the emphasis is on its new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which will enter service in January 2013, including lie-flat beds and a walk-up bar in business class. Back on terra firma, the carrier has two
Admirals Club lounges and a Flagship lounge at New York JFK, facilities travellers worldwide consider an essential component of the Business package. In response, Virgin has unveiled a $7 million, New York-themed Clubhouse at JFK, its all-singing, all-dancing facilities including a cocktail bar, a brasserie, an internet bar for those working on the move, and a Clubhouse spa. Also reacting to demand, Qantas and BA are currently operating jointly in a new lounge at Changi Singapore Airport; Air New Zealand is operating the new Star Alliance lounge in Los Angeles; and Qatar Airways opened its Premium Lounge, inspired by London’s best boutique hotels, at Heathrow earlier this year. This is the airline’s first dedicated facility for First and Business passengers outside Qatar, where it offers the Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport.
Now, Qatar Airways is involved in developing a regional aviation hub, which along with Dubai’s new gateway, is predicted to become one of the world’s principal hub airports. This will be in competition with Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt, Amsterdam Schiphol, Changi Singapore and Heathrow.
Flying into the future
Following the Airbus A380 Super Jumbo’s entry into passenger service with Singapore Airlines in 2007, and the launch of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in ANA livery earlier this year, two more types are joining them in representing the next generation of aircraft. The first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, an upgraded, elongated version of the classic 747, was delivered in May this year to launch customer Lufthansa, which has made 20 of the 36 orders so far received by the company. With a capacity of 467 passengers in three- class configuration, but just 362 seats on Lufthansa aircraft, the 747-8 is up there with the best in the battle to save fuel and reduce carbon emissions. It generates a 30% smaller noise footprint than the 747-400 and brings double-digit improvements in fuel efficiency
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and CO2 emissions per passenger. Designed as a direct competitor to the Dreamliner, the Airbus A350 was due to come into service in mid-2013, but technical problems will delay take-off until summer the following year. Airbus has received some 550 firm orders for the aircraft, with Qatar Airways the possible launch customer.
Available in three versions – the A350 -800, -900 and -1000 - it has seating for between 250 and 400-plus passengers, who will enjoy more headroom, wider windows and larger overhead storage bins than normal, together with the widest seats in its category. And with the most powerful engine ever developed for an Airbus aircraft, the manufacturer claims the A350 will record up to 8% lower operating costs than the Dreamliner.
The new Doha International Airport, situated east of the existing facility, is being built on land reclaimed from the Arabian Gulf, and will have a capacity of 28 million passengers a year when the first phase of the project is completed, doubling to over 50 million after the $15 billion venture becomes fully operational beyond 2015. Muscat International Airport now features its third lounge facility operated by Oman Air catering division. The new Majan Lounge is open to guests of most of the airlines operating through the airport and has been designed by JP Associates (JPA).
A work in progress, Dubai’s Al Maktoum International airport opened to limited passenger operations last year. When fully up and running, it will have five runways, three passenger terminals, hotels and shopping malls, and with capacity for 160 million passengers a year will be by far the world’s largest airport. While new airports are emerging to serve their growing needs, and existing gateways enhancing facilities, the airlines are not only paying court to their money-spinning Business travellers.
©Airbus
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