Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Chief Minister and Minister for Tourism Andrew Barr, speaking at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, stated (07-Dec-2021) select jurisdictions are "living alongside COVID". Mr Barr added there is "not a lot" of political advantage in heavily politicising border closures, highlighting "the more vaccinated the community", the safer it will be. Mr Barr said: "I hope the border wars are behind us".
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Featured Analysis
CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, CTC Corporate Travel Summit and Regional Aviation Symposium04-Dec-2021
CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, CTC Corporate Travel Summit and Regional Aviation Symposium
The CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, CTC Corporate Travel Summit and Regional Aviation Symposium will be held in Sydney on 07/08-Dec-2021.
The hybrid event will mark CAPA’s long-awaited return to in-person events, drawing key leaders and decision makers from across the industry. The bumper summit will feature four events under one roof, combining the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, CTC Corporate Travel Summit, Regional Aviation Symposium and CAPA Gala Dinner.
High profile speakers and panellists will include Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran, Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker, Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka, Regional Express Deputy Chairman John Sharp, Bonza CEO Tim Jordan, Tourism Australia MD Phillipa Harrison, Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram, Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson and Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan.
The emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has caused many Asia-Pacific countries to adjust their border settings, and if they go further down this path in coming weeks it could derail promising signs of recovery in the airline and travel industries.
The Omicron wave once again illustrates the problem of different countries taking widely varying actions, and in some countries there are differences even between states, or between state and central governments. This patchwork of requirements and restrictions risks creating confusion for travelers and airlines. The update below outlines how some key Asia-Pacific markets – India, Japan, Australia and Singapore – have reacted to the latest COVID-19 development.
Premium Analysis
Air Transat-WestJet: another intriguing pandemic partnershipUp until this point in 2021 the most interesting partnerships in the Americas have occurred in the US and Latin America, as American solidified its tie-ups with Alaska and JetBlue and also worked to ensure its stature in Latin America via a new partnership with JetSMART and a deeper relationship with GOL.
Now, in an interesting turn of events in Canada, rivals WestJet and Air Transat have agreed to codeshare on selected routes in order to ensure their competitiveness in the trans Atlantic market, which will emerge as a highly competitive market in the Northern Hemisphere’s summer of 2022 - if the impact of new variants of COVID-19 can be kept in check.
United Airlines operates first commercial service with one engine powered by unblended SAF
Qantas Airways announces Qantas Frequent Flyer 'Green' membership tier
Iberia begins operations of 10,000sqm solar plant
Christchurch Airport announces renewable energy park
Aeroports de Montreal partners with SOFIAC for large scale emissions reduction project
Premium Analysis
Europe's air travel impetus was waning before OmicronBased on current schedules, Europe's 4Q2021 capacity projection has stabilised at 71% of 2019 levels.
Looking ahead to 1Q2022, 88% is projected. However, even before the emergence of the 'Omicron' variant of the coronavirus, the pattern of previous quarters suggests that this is likely to be trimmed.
The World Health Organisation has said that the global risk from Omicron is "very high", dubbing it a variant of concern. There have been some increases in travel restrictions as a result and the outlook for 1Q2022 is now more uncertain.
Europe's capacity recovery has anyway lost momentum in recent weeks. Seat numbers for Europe are 28.7% below the equivalent week of 2019 in the week of 29-Nov-2021. This represents a slide of 4.1ppts over the past five weeks.
Europe is now down from fourth to fifth (just) in the regional capacity recovery ranking. Asia Pacific capacity is down by 36.8%, but the Middle East is slightly above Europe, with seats down by 28.5%. Africa is down by 25.0%, Latin America by 14.4%, and North America by 13.7%.
For Europe and all regions, Omicron's impact will shape the next phase of aviation's recovery.
CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation & Corporate Travel Summit & CAPA Live December (Sydney & Virtual)More
Upcoming Event
7-8
Dec
Sydney: CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation & Corporate Travel Summit & CAPA Live December (Sydney & Virtual)
This year’s CAPA Summit is a hybrid event which includes an in-person delegation in Sydney for local industry participants, as well as a virtual live stream for interstate and global viewers who are unable to attend.
CAPA Live DecemberMore
Upcoming Event
15
Dec
Virtual Event: CAPA Live December
At a time when the aviation industry is searching for up-to-the-minute market intelligence, news, trend analysis and thought leadership, we are delivering a virtual “Summit”, jam-packed with information, data and live interviews.
Recorded at CAPA Live November
CEO Interview with LAM Mozambique Airlines, CEO/General Manager, João Carlos Pó Jorge
Speakers:
- CAPA - Centre for Aviation, EMEA Content Editor, Richard Maslen
- LAM Mozambique Airlines, CEO/General Manager, João Carlos Pó Jorge
CAPA Live is the most sought-after monthly global aviation event. Taking place on the second Wednesday of each month, thousands of industry colleagues from across the globe tune in for their monthly dose of aviation and travel news, analysis, and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. Register here to be part of our growing community.
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7-Dec-2021 11:09 AM
CAPA: 'It will be good news to have four independent operators once Bonza arrives'
CAPA - Centre for Aviation chairman emeritus Peter Harbison, speaking at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, stated (07-Dec-2021) "It will be good news to have four independent operators in the market once Bonza arrives". Mr Harbison added: "Who are the winners? The Australian travelling public but particularly regional cities and airports".
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, speaking at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, stated (07-Dec-2021) "before Christmas" the group is looking to make an announcement regarding purchasing of sustainable aviation fuel. Mr Joyce said 11% of customers are offsetting bookings.
Willis Towers Watson (WTW) announced (05-Dec-2021) the acquisition of Aerosure, an aviation industry specialist focused on the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island region. Aerosure, based in Sydney, will become a part of Willis Towers Watson's (WTW) Global Aerospace business, providing a suite of aviation insurance broking solutions to service Australia and New Zealand, as well as the broader Asia Pacific region. Greg Rector, current managing director of Aerosure, will move into WTW as managing director, Australasia Aviation Division, and will be joined by his colleagues from Aerosure. [more - original PR]
ANA Holdings reported (06-Dec-2021) the following traffic highlights for Oct-2021:
- Passengers: 1.5 million, -66.4% compared to Oct-2019;
- Domestic: 1.4 million, -60.1%;
- International: 55,354, -93.4%;
- Asia & Oceania: 28,012, -94.9%;
- North America: 20,049, -90.2%;
- Europe: 6708, -91.9%;
- Passenger load factor: 39.4%, -36.1pp;
- Domestic: 53.5%, -20.7pp;
- International: 16.9%, -59.5pp;
- Asia & Oceania: 18.6%, -53.4pp;
- North America: 22.7%, -56.6pp;
- Europe: 24%, -57.9pp;
- Cargo volume: 99,743 tons, stable;
- Cargo: 96,421 tons, +0.9%;
- Domestic: 18,461 tons, -44.4%;
- International: 77,960 tons, +24.9%;
- Mail: 3322 tons, -20.8%. [more - original PR]
- Cargo: 96,421 tons, +0.9%;
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Find Out MoreIndividual/Restricted - CAPA-Envest Airline Sustainability Benchmarking Report 2021
The CAPA-Envest Airline Sustainability Benchmarking Report 2021 is the industry’s first single source of truth on emissions, benchmarking airlines and their performance as they transition the net zero operations.
Enterprise Usage - CAPA-Envest Airline Sustainability Benchmarking Report 2021
The CAPA-Envest Airline Sustainability Benchmarking Report 2021 is the industry’s first single source of truth on emissions, benchmarking airlines and their performance as they transition the net zero operations.
Aviation returns to the 1930s
Issue 53
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