Chennai Airport

European woes force changes for the better at Indian Ocean carriers, with Air Austral the latest

Hardest hit from the European economic situation, aside from the carriers that have collapsed, are far away from continental Europe in the Indian Ocean, which contains the self-proclaimed Vanilla Islands grouping of countries: La Reunion, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. These nations' carriers are largely dependent on European leisure traffic, which has evaporated in the dual threat of weakening economies and high fuel prices that provide no stimulation to whatever demand is left.

The starkness of the situation has been demonstrated most recently by Air Austral, which over the northern winter will reduce its long-haul network to a single destination and will postpone – or possibly cancel – its order for two Airbus A380s, following it being unable to pay for a new Boeing 777 awaiting delivery. Air Austral is also looking to partner with Air Mauritius to maintain a connection to Australia, a further sign that the situation in Europe is forcing the Vanilla Island carriers to make medium/long-term strategy changes that will finally strengthen them. Etihad Airways earlier this year acquired a stake in Air Seychelles and is now lending management oversight to the Seychelles flag carrier while the region's other carriers have conducted overdue network reviews.

Rapidly expanding Kenya Airways charts growth with plan to serve every inhabited continent by 2017

Kenya Airways plans to launch its first services to North America, South America and Australia by 2017, making it one of the few carriers to serve every inhabited continent. While these three continents will give Africa's currently fifth-largest airline by seats a global presence, its future is pegged on Asia, with the carrier over the next 10 years planning to launch seven new routes into China, six in the Indian Subcontinent and three across North and Southeast Asia as well as having a growing presence in Europe and the Middle East. It is poised to become Africa's largest carrier.

Growth will be fuelled by Africa's status as a burgeoning market, as well as reliance on partners: Kenya Airways will open routes to SkyTeam member hubs in Xiamen (Xiamen Airlines), Hanoi (Vietnam Airlines), Seoul (Korean Air), Moscow (Aeroflot) and Prague (Czech Airlines). The intercontinental focus follows Kenya's strong emphasis on regional Africa, with the carrier aiming to serve every African nation by the end of 2013. 

Jet Airways-Jetstar interline positions carriers for growth in India, Southeast Asia and Australasia

A new interline agreement between India's Jet Airways and low-cost carrier Jetstar is a significant development for the two carriers and their respective markets. Jet Airways on a single ticket will be able to sell across Jetstar's network from Singapore, which predominantly includes points in Southeast and East Asia (where Jet Airways' network is thin) as well as Australia and New Zealand, where traffic flows to India may shift in the short/medium-term as Air India looks to commence direct flights and Virgin Australia works with new alliance partner Singapore Airlines.

The agreement further evolves Jetstar's hybrid model as Jet Airways passengers, like those of select oneworld carriers, will receive checked luggage and, on long-haul flights, meals and comfort kits on Jetstar flights as part of their ticket whereas other passengers have to pay separately. While this adds complexity and some are sceptical of LCCs moving away from a stripped-down model, blurring the lines and adding complexity is rational when yields and network enhancements outweigh the additional cost.

Kingfisher to join oneworld in Feb-2012 becoming first alliance-affiliated carrier in India/SAARC

Kingfisher Airlines will become part of oneworld from 10-Feb-2012, becoming the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent to join any of the global airline alliances. Air India’s application to become a member of the Star Alliance was rejected at the end of Jul-2011 while Jet Airways is yet to announce its alliance plans but is said to be in discussions with both Star Alliance and SkyTeam (SkyTeam is reportedly in discussions with a number of Indian airlines, including LCCs). Kingfisher Airlines will also be the first of three airlines to join oneworld in 2012, in its largest membership expansion drive for five years, with airberlin set to follow shortly after Kingfisher and Malaysia Airlines joining later in the year.

Joining oneworld will give Kingfisher Airlines, currently facing considering financial pressures, global visibility, brand awareness and scope to improve revenue. According to reports in The Business Standard, Kingfisher is expecting at least a 5% increase in revenue through codeshare agreements with partner airlines. There will also be cost savings through common use of inventories and joint purchases. oneworld’s continued confidence in the struggling carrier is also a positive boost for the carrier, which has significantly reduced capacity and is currently seeking INR6.7 billion (USD127 million) in short-term working loans.

Singapore-India market poised for rapid growth as IndiGo eyes large operation at Changi

IndiGo is aiming to quickly expand its new operation at Singapore and tap into fast-growing demand at the lower end of the Singapore-India market. IndiGo expects to be serving Singapore’s Changi Airport with six daily flights by early next year, which would make it the largest Indian carrier and the second largest carrier overall in the Singapore-India market after Singapore Airlines. The Indian low-cost carrier launched flights to Singapore last week with a single daily A320 frequency from its main base at Delhi.

India's domestic aviation market shows rapid growth in first half

On the surface, India's aviation industry looks to be in rude health, but behind the strong headline traffic figures is growing financial pain. India's airlines reported continued strong domestic passenger growth of 22.3% in Jul-2011 following on from an 18% expansion in the first half of the year. India is now the ninth largest and fastest growing domestic market in the world. The Indian government anticipates that India would become one of the three largest markets in the world by 2020.