10 I Upfront Craig Bright compiles the latest news from businesstraveller.com/asia-pacific


British Airways to axe services to Chengdu


BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA) WILL drop its Heathrow-Chengdu route from mid-January. In a statement the carrier said:


“We regret that we have decided to suspend the Heathrow to Chengdu route. We have a proud tradition of flying to China but despite operating this route for three years it is not commercially viable.”


The final flight will depart Chengdu for Heathrow on


January 13, 2017. BA launched flights to Chengdu, its fourth Chinese destination, in 2013. The route started as a three times-weekly service, rising to five times-weekly in summer 2014 when it switched operations from a B777 to a B787 aircraft, although this was cut back to three times- weekly during the winter schedules. ba.com


Raffles Hotel Singapore to undergo restoration


SINGAPORE HERITAGE PROPERTY Raffles Hotel Singapore will be undergoing an extensive restoration programme, starting January 2017. The last time the property was refurbished was in 1991. However, the hotel will only close in the later months of 2017 for the final phase of the renovation, after which the newly restored property will reopen in the second quarter of 2018. Restoration work will include the


property’s arcade, the main hotel building and the lobby, along with the suites and guestrooms. raffles.com


Qantas resurrects its Sydney–Beijing route


THE AUSTRALIAN CARRIER will be reviving its Sydney-Beijing service with daily flights to Beijing Capital International Airport, beginning January 25, 2017. The service marks the first time the airline has flown the route since it scrapped it back in 2009 following a decline in leisure travel from Australia to


China. The revived route will be served by an A330-200 and will be timed to connect with the carrier’s domestic and trans-Tasman network. The new service also forms part of the expansion of Qantas’s joint-


venture partnership with China Eastern, which will codeshare on the Australian carrier’s new Beijing route. qantas.com


NOVEMBER 2016


US$9.1 billion


Projected global airport IT spend for 2016


26% 84%


26% 54%


41%


of airports plan to introduce kiosks for passengers to download digital content before a flight by 2019


AIRPORT IT TRENDS IN NUMBERS*


of airports plan to provide airport service purchases via mobile by 2019


of airports worldwide currently offer fully self-service bag drop


of airports will provide unlimited free wifi by 2019 (down from 74 per cent currently)


of airports have a cyber security plan only at development stage today


*According to research by SITA businesstraveller.com


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