XiamenAir operates non-stop Dreamliner flight to Vancouver on 25 July 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

XiamenAir launches its inaugural scheduled flight from Xiamen to Vancouver on 25 July 2016 using its B787 Dreamliner aircraft.

On 25 July 2016, XiamenAir flight MF805 departs from Xiamen for Vancouver at 9.30 pm, arrives in Vancouver on 25 July at 6.40 pm before leaving Vancouver under MF806 at 1.40 am on 26 July and arriving in Xiamen at 5.30 am on 27 July.

Flights leaving Xiamen for Vancouver operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays while flights from Vancouver depart for Xiamen on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

SilkAir flies non-stop from Luang Prabang to Singapore on 31 October 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Increasing tourist traffic flow and closer commercial ties between Singapore and Laos has enabled SilkAir to resume scheduled flights from Singapore to Vientiane and initiate direct non-stop passenger flights from Luang Prabang to Singapore on 31 October 2016.

On 31 October 2016, SilkAir flight MI788 departs from Singapore for Vientiane at 2.20 pm, arrives in Vientiane at 4.15 pm before leaving Vientiane at 5.05 pm and touching down in Luang Prabang at 6 pm. 

The first non-stop direct flight from Luang Prabang takes place at 6.50 pm on 31 October 2016 when flight MI788 departs for Singapore from Luang Prabang and arrives in Singapore at 11.05 pm.

SilkAir first began direct scheduled flights to Vientiane in October 1995 but suspended the route in April 1998.

SilkAir's flights to Vientiane and Luang Prabang are on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. They complement Lao Airlines' current scheduled flights from Singapore to Luang Prabang via Vientiane on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Till then, Singaporeans and foreign tourists can travel with both airlines between Singapore and Laos conveniently and Lao Airlines is the only airline to provide direct flights from Vientiane to Singapore.

Currently, passengers of SilkAir and Singapore Airlines can connect to Lao Airlines' flights to Vientiane and Luang Prabang.

Cambodia Angkor Air's new Siem Reap - Danang and Sihanoukville - Ho Chi Minh City routes

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Cambodia Angkor Air is launching two new regional routes in June and July 2016 using its ATR72 aircraft.

On 17 June 2016, Cambodia Angkor Air flight K6 838 departs from the southern Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville for Ho Chi Minh City at 12.40 pm, arrives in Ho Chi Minh City at 1.40 pm before leaving Ho Chi Minh City at 2.50 pm and returning to Sihanoukville at 3.50 pm under flight K6 839. Services are operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. One-way Super Promotion fare starts at 5 US Dollars.

On 1 July 2016, Cambodia Angkor Air flight K6 840 takes off for Danang from Siem Reap at 2.30 pm, touches down in Danang at 4.20 pm before departing from Danang at 5 pm for Siem Reap and arriving in Siem Reap at 6.55 pm under flight K6 841. Flights are operated thrice weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The lowest one-way fare starts at 98 US Dollars.

In 2018, Cambodia Angkor Air plans to launch direct scheduled flights to Kuala Lumpur from Phnom Penh. Routes under planning stage to be opened later this year onwards include Phnom Penh - Hong Kong, Phnom Penh - Singapore and Phnom Penh - Tokyo.

Emirates launches flights to Yinchuan, Zhengzhou, Yangon and Hanoi in summer 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Emirates launches new scheduled flights to Yinchuan, Zhengzhou, Yangon and Hanoi from Dubai in summer.

On 3 May 2016, Emirates flight EK326 departs from Dubai for Yinchuan at 2.50 am, arrives in Yinchuan at 1.35 pm before leaving later for Zhengzhou and touching down in Zhengzhou at 5 pm.

On the same day, flight EK327 leaves Zhengzhou for Dubai at 9.10 pm, arrives in Yinchuan at 11 pm plus before leaving Yinchuan at 12.40 am on 4 May 2016 and arriving in Dubai at 4.30 am local time.

Flights to Yinchuan and Zhengzhou operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays with Emirates' B777-200LR aircraft.

On 3 August 2016, Emirates flight EK388 departs from Dubai for Yangon at 2.50 am, arrives in Yangon at 11 am before continuing its voyage for Hanoi at 12.20 pm and arriving in Hanoi at 2.50 pm local time. 

The return flight from Hanoi for Dubai takes off at 10.50 pm under flight EK389, arrives in Yangon at 12.20 am before leaving Yangon at 1.50 am on 4 August 2016 and returning to Dubai at 5.05 am local time.

Flights to Yangon and Hanoi operate on a daily basis with Emirates' B777-300ER aircraft.

The latest Emirates Timetable is available at all Emirates branch offices.

Scoot launches direct flights to Chennai, Amritsar in May and Jaipur in October 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Scoot is entering the Indian travel market by launching direct B787 Dreamliner flights to Chennai, Amritsar and Jaipur from Singapore. Flights to Chennai and Amritsar are launched on 24 May 2016 while the first commercial flight to Jaipur from Singapore takes place on 2 October 2016.

On 24 May 2016, Scoot flight TZ508 departs from Singapore for Amritsar at 9 am, arrives in Amritsar at 12.10 pm before leaving Amritsar at 1.20 pm and touching down in Singapore at 9.45 pm under flight TZ507. Flights to Amritsar that were previously operated by Singapore Airlines years ago are operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and face indirect competition from Malindo Air which operates a connecting flight to Amritsar via Kuala Lumpur.

On 24 May 2016, Scoot flight TZ502 departs from Singapore for Chennai at 10.55 pm, arrives in Amritsar at 12.10 am before leaving Amritsar at 1.20 am and touching down in Singapore at 8.25 am under flight TZ501. Flights to Chennai that are operated daily face direct competition from IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and replace its affiliate Tigerair's flights to Chennai. Tigerair's final flight to Chennai is on 23 May 2016. Affected Tigerair passengers are being informed of the schedule changes and arrangements.

On 2 October 2016, Scoot flight TZ506 departs from Singapore for Jaipur at 8.35 pm, arrives in Jaipur at 11.30 pm local time before leaving Jaipur at 12.40 am and touching down in Singapore at 8.45 am under flight TZ505. Flights to Jaipur from Singapore operate on Sundays, Mondays and Fridays while outgoing flights from Jaipur to Singapore are on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Scoot is the first and only low-cost airline from Southeast Asia to operate direct flights to Jaipur.

Tigerair operates direct morning flight to Zhengzhou on 28 June 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Tigerair commences thrice-weekly direct scheduled passenger flights to Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, China from Singapore with effect from 28 June 2016. Outbound flights to Zhengzhou depart from Singapore at 12.40 am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and return to Singapore from Zhengzhou in the afternoon. Ticket-sales begin on 22 April 2016.

On 28 June 2016, Tigerair flight TR2938 departs from Singapore for Zhengzhou at 12.40 am, arrives in Zhengzhou at 6.30 am before departing from Zhengzhou for Singapore at 7.30 am and touching down in Singapore at 1.15 pm on the same day under flight TR2939.

Tigerair is the only airline to operate direct flights to Zhengzhou from Singapore. 

Scoot launches scheduled flight to Sapporo on 1 October 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Scoot launches its first scheduled flight to Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido in Japan, via Taipei -Taoyuan on 1 October 2016.

On 1 October 2016, Scoot flight TZ216 departs from Singapore for Sapporo via Taipei-Taoyuan at 6.15 am, transits in Taoyuan at 10.35 am before leaving Taoyuan for Sapporo at 11.55 am and touching down in Sapporo at 4.55 pm. 

At 7.30 pm on 1 October, flight TZ215 leaves Sapporo for Singapore via Taipei-Taoyuan, transits in Taoyuan at 11.05 pm before taking off to the skies at 12.05 am and arriving in Singapore at 4.50 am on 2 October 2016.

Scoot B787 Dreamliner flights under TZ216 departing for Sapporo from Singapore operate on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays while TZ215 terminates in Singapore on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

VietJet Air launches new routes to Kuala Lumpur and Tainan from Ho Chi Minh City in June 2016

News contributed by : PK Chai

Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan

                / KUCINTA SETIA

Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

VietJet Air launches new routes to Kuala Lumpur and Tainan from Ho Chi Minh City in June 2016. To celebrate the new international routes Ho Chi Minh City – Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City – Tainan, VietJet will give away 50,000 promotional tickets just from USD0.

The promotion, which runs from 12 to 18 April 2016 between 12 pm and 2 pm every day, is applied for all tickets on routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Kuala Lumpur, Tainan and Taipei. Travel period for Ho Chi Minh City – Kuala Lumpur route is from 1 June 1 to 30 October 2016; for Ho Chi Minh – Tainan/Taipei route from 22 June to 30 October 2016 excluding public holidays.

Tickets can be booked at www.vietjetair.com (also compatible with smartphones at https://m.vietjetair.com) or at www.facebook.com/vietjetvietnam (just click the “Booking” tab). Payment can be easily made with debit and credit cards of Visa, MasterCard, JCB, and American Express and ATM cards issued by 24 Vietnamese banks with Internet banking.

The Ho Chi Minh City – Tainan City route will be operated on every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 22 June 2016 in about three hours and 15 minutes per leg. The flights depart from Ho Chi Minh City at 10.45 am.and arrive in Tainan at 3 pm. Return flights take off from Tainan City at 4 pm and arrive in Ho Chi Minh City at 6.15 pm.

The Ho Chi Minh City – Kuala Lumpur route will be daily operated from 1 June 2016. Flying time per sector is about one hour and 55 minutes. The flights depart from Ho Chi Minh City at 9:30 am and arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 12.25 pm local time. Return flights take off from Kuala Lumpur at 1 pm and arrive in Ho Chi Minh City at 1.55 pm.

The Ho Chi Minh City – Taipei will also increase flight frequency from one daily round trip per day recently to twice from 18 June 2016 with flight time of three hours 25 minutes per leg.

The flights from Ho Chi Minh City will take off at 1.30 am and 1.45 pm to arrive in Taipei at 5:55 am and 6.10 pm respectively. The return flights depart from Taipei at 6.55 am and 7.10 pm and land in Ho Chi Minh City at 9.20 am and 9.35 pm.

The timings mentioned above are local times.

With its non-stop developing fleet of modern aircraft, passengers will experience the full suite of VietJet’s high-quality services, including SkyBoss as well as opportunities to win economical fares and special surprises from the airline’s promotional campaigns.

Ethiopian Airlines celebrates 70 years of flight services

Press Release by : Ethiopian Airlines

Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan

                 / KUCINTA SETIA

Distributed to Everyone

On 8 April 2016, Ethiopian Airlines celebrates 70 years of dedicated and highly successful air transport services to, from and within the continent of Africa.

With its strong mission of bringing Africa together and closer to the world, Ethiopian has expanded much needed air connectivity within Africa and with the rest of the world in the last 70 years. Leading the way in the past, present and the future; Ethiopian has been an aviation technology leader in Africa and has introduced many new aircraft and systems to the continent.

The result of such a long journey of dedicated service has now culminated in connecting 51 cities in Africa with the major trading centers of the world in five continents and 41 cities around the world.

Every single day, Ethiopian Airlines operate 240 flights with an efficiently designed network of connectivity through its main hub in Addis Ababa with 76 aircraft in service. Along with other Star Alliance partners, Ethiopian's flights cover the entire world.

The fast, profitable and sustainable growth that Ethiopian Airlines has registered in the last 10 years has made it the largest, most profitable and fastest growing airline in Africa. It operates Africa’s largest cargo service, largest and most advanced Aviation Academy and best MRO services.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Tewolde Gebremariam, said “Seventy years is a long time, but Ethiopian is still young, strong, forward looking and ready to contribute its own share of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena in line with the African Union agenda 2063."

Tewolde further added, “The billions of dollars we invested in our modern fleet, aviation infrastructure, human resource development and operating systems are a testimony that shows Ethiopian is positioned in a solid foundation to scale up the growth in its Vision 2025. With the next generation advanced fleet of B-787 Dreamliners, Airbus A-350 and the B-737 MAX, we are very excited to continue to lead the 21st century aviation development in the continent of Africa.

Ethiopian airlines employees, the management and the board of Directors have been demonstrating unique levels of dedication and commitment to their airline and this is the main success factor in the last 70 years.

We have been competing and winning every business of our customers in the hyper competitive global airline industry in the last 70 years, and we are prepared to do so now more than ever in the past. We thank our more than 7 million annual passengers for their strong vote of confidence in choosing to fly with us and for their loyalty and support.

Aviation is a cluster of value chain businesses and we would not have achieved such a remarkable success; had it not been for the strong support of our stakeholders; we thank the various airport authorities, civil aviation authorities, travel agencies, tour operators, cargo forwarders in our main hub Addis Ababa and our global destinations, suppliers and partner airlines, the Ethiopian Government and other governments.”

About Ethiopian Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. In its seven decades of operations, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success. Ethiopian commands the lion’s share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to 92 international destinations across five continents. Ethiopian fleet includes ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as the Boeing 787, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200 Freighter, Bombardier Q-400 double cabin with an average fleet age of five years. In fact, Ethiopian is the first airline in Africa to own and operate these aircraft. Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa with seven business centres: Ethiopian Domestic and Regional Airline; Ethiopian International Passenger Airline; Ethiopian Cargo; Ethiopian MRO; Ethiopian Aviation Academy; Ethiopian In-flight Catering Services; and Ethiopian Ground Service. Ethiopian is a multi-award winning airline registering an average growth of 25% in the past seven years.

XiamenAir launches maiden flight to Melbourne on 30 June 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

XiamenAir's Dreamliner aircraft launches scheduled flight to Melbourne from Xiamen on 30 June 2016. Flights will be operated on Thursdays and Sundays from Xiamen to Melbourne and the return flight to Xiamen will be operated on Mondays and Fridays local time.

On 30 June 2016, the outbound flight from Xiamen leaves for Melbourne at 10.15 pm, arrives in Melbourne at 10.05 am on 1 July 2016 before departing from Melbourne for Xiamen at 12.05 pm and arriving in Xiamen at 7.45 pm on the same day. 

US-Bangla Airlines launches its first international scheduled flight on 15 May 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

US-Bangla Airlines, currently The Most Preferred Domestic Airline of Bangladesh and the only ISO 9001:2008 certified Bangladeshi airline, launches its first ever international scheduled flight from Dhaka on 15 May 2016.

On 15 May 2016, US-Bangla flight BS211 departs from Dhaka for Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, at 3 pm, arrives in Kathmandu at 4.30 pm before leaving Kathmandu for Dhaka at 5.10 pm and touching down in Dhaka at 7.10 pm under flight BS212.

Thrice-weekly scheduled flights of US-Bangla Airlines using Bombardier-built DASH 8-Q400 aircraft leave for Kathmandu from Dhaka on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The airline has appointed Namaste Aviation in Kathmandu as its Nepal GSA and ground-handling agent at the Kathmandu international airport.

Besides Namaste Aviation, US-Bangla Airlines has also appointed SCL Travels, a Thimphu-based Bhutanese travel operator as its Bhutan GSA as it plans to launch the world's first low-cost scheduled flight to Paro from Dhaka using its future B737-800 aircraft.

US-Bangla Airlines informed Sayacinta - Airpost that the airline has ordered a Boeing B737-800 aircraft which it hopes to receive by May 2016 and be able to initiate its inaugural flight into Paro. Passenger and cargo flights of Paro Airport posing risky landings due to high altitude are currently served by Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines and private carrier Bhutan Airlines. 

Besides Paro, US-Bangla Airlines has applied for landing slots at the international airports of Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, Hong Kong, among other planned Asian destinations. It hopes to launch scheduled flights to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Suvarnabhumi from Dhaka in October 2016.

US-Bangla Airlines currently has a fleet strength of three DASH 8-Q400 aircraft operating daily flights within Bangladesh. Domestic destinations from Dhaka include Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Saidpur, Barisal, Rajshahi, Jessore and Sylhet. 

Owned by the US-Bangla Group, a leading business conglomerate of Bangladesh, and incorporated in the Division of Incorporation, Department of State in New York, US-Bangla Airlines operated its first domestic flight to Chittagong from Dhaka on 17 July 2014. 

Regent Airways flies to Muscat on 7 April 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Regent Airways, currently the second international airline of Bangladesh after Biman Bangladesh Airlines since GMG Airlines and United Airways or UBD in short have closed down operations, is launching inaugural scheduled flight to Muscat, capital city of Oman, on 7 April 2016. The flight departs from Dhaka via Chittagong, Bangladesh's deep sea port.

On 7 April 2016, Regent flight RX0723 departs from Dhaka at 7.15 pm, transits in Chittagong at 8 pm before leaving Chittagong at 8.30 pm and touching down in Muscat at 11.45 pm. Flights departing for Muscat take place on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays.

On 8 April 2016, flight RX0724 departs from Muscat at 12.45 am, transits in Chittagong at 7.30 am before leaving Chittagong at 8 am and arriving in Dhaka at 8.45 am. Flights from Muscat leave for Chittagong and Dhaka on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays.

Flights are operated using Regent Airways' first B737-800 aircraft.

Regent Airways celebrates five years of international flight operations on 10 November 2015. It is incorporated as HG Aviation Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Habib Group, the Chittagong-based conglomerate engaged in a diverse portfolio of business endeavours. 

Regent Airways operates international flights to Kolkata, Suvarnabhumi, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and domestic flights to Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh's tourism capital, with an aging fleet of 2 B737-700 narrow-bodies. 

Besides Muscat, Regent Airways plans to expand its route network to include Kathmandu, Chennai, Colombo, Male via Chennai and Colombo, launch direct routes to Paro, Sharjah, Riyadh, Jeddah and an indirect long-haul route to Seoul-Incheon via Suvarnabhumi over the next five years. 

Tianjin Airlines to launch long-haul flights using A330-200 in June 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Tianjin Airlines that launched new commercial flights linking Huizhou with Haikou and Xi'an on 27 March 2016, is inducting its first Airbus A330-200 aircraft to its fleet on 7 May 2016. After that, the wide-body aircraft will be initially operated on domestic routes from Tianjin to Kunming and Chengdu before deploying the aircraft on long-haul routes to London via Chongqing in June 2016.

According to Tianjin Airlines, the first A330 long-haul flight of the airline to London takes off on 25 June 2016. The flight from Tianjin stops over in Chongqing to pick up London-bound passengers. Tianjin Airlines operates the flights every Wednesday and Saturday.

According to China Aviation Daily, Tianjin Airlines is also deploying the A330-200 on a charter flight to Moscow from Tianjin on 13 June 2016.

Future routes of Tianjin Airlines' A330-200 aircraft include Phuket, Irkutsk, Tokyo-Haneda and Manila. Currently, Tianjin Airlines' international destinations served by its fleet of inclusive Airbus A320 aircraft include Hong Kong, Hakodate, Shizuoka, Ordos, Ulaanbaatar, Suvarnabhumi, Seoul-Incheon and Tokyo-Haneda.

The latest routes of Tianjin Airlines, Haikou-Huizhou and Huizhou-Xi'an, are operated on a daily basis using A320 aircraft. 

Tianjin Airlines flight GS7612 departs from Haikou for Huizhou, a city near Guangzhou, at 7.45 am, arrives in Huizhou at 8.50 am before leaving Huizhou at 9.30 am and touching down in Xi'an at 12 pm. The return flight GS7611 takes off from Xi'an near the evening at 6.20 pm, transits in Huizhou at 9.05 pm before departing from Huizhou at 9.55 pm and arriving in Haikou at 11.05 pm.

Three new Chinese airlines aim to begin operations in 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

China is adding new local airline start-ups to Asia's civil aviation scene almost every quarter since 2015.

Following Colorful Guizhou Airlines and Jiangxi Air which launched passenger flights on 31 December 2015 and 29 January 2016 respectively, three new Chinese mainland local airlines are aiming to begin operations by October 2016. Sayacinta - Airpost features these three airlines Hongtu (红土航空), Air Guilin (桂林航空) and Ningbo Airlines (宁波航空) below.

Hongtu, short for Yunnan Hongtu Airlines Co., Ltd., is formed in Kunming on 16 April 2014 with the IATA code A6 and ICAO call-sign HTU. It receives its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) in April 2015 and receives its first Airbus A321-200 aircraft on 22 December 2015 registered B-8285 and named "Dai" after the Dai tribe in Yunnan. 

Currently, Hongtu has completed its A321 pilot flight training and tests and it has brought forward its inaugural scheduled flight to 21 May 2016 when it launches daily flight from Kunming to Nanchang. Flights to Zhengzhou and Chengdu will follow by 1 October 2016 using the aircraft. It is advertising one-way fare to Chengdu from 400 RMB. Further new destinations to operate inaugural flights to include Changsha, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Jinan, Nanjing and Chongqing. 

In the long-run, Hongtu plans to launch passenger flights from Kunming to Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Suvarnabhumi, Vientiane, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Yangon, Mandalay and Manila.

With the addition of Hongtu, Yunnan Province will have four local airlines. The three existing Yunnan scheduled passenger airlines are Lucky Air, Kunming Airlines and Ruili Airlines.

According to China Aviation Daily, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) approved the formation of Air Guilin on 8 October 2015. Investors in Air Guilin are government-owned Guilin Tourism Development Co with a stake of 60 per cent and the balance stake taken up by Guilin Aviation Tourism Group, created by HNA Group. 

Air Guilin receives its AOC in April 2016. It has its first Airbus A319 aircraft leased from Capital Airlines and named "Guilin" and will purchase two more A319 aircraft from Capital Airlines, member of HNA Group and subsidiary of Deer Air which is affliated to Hainan Airlines.  

The logo of Air Guilin is the figurative design of Elephant Trunk Hill, the symbol of Guilin combined with part of the Chinese slogan of Guilin (甲天下) etched on it and a waving ribbon besides and below the hill design resembling purportedly a stressful bird. The Chinese rate the logo as China's ugliest airline logo to date. 

Air Guilin plans to operate domestic routes within the first few years beginning in the first half of 2016 before expanding its route network to include scheduled flights from Guilin to Singapore, Hong Kong, Suvarnabhumi, Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap, Manila and Kuala Lumpur. Its IATA code is GT. 

Ningbo Airlines is formed on 25 March 2016 by Ningbo Xingye, a joint-venture formed 40 per cent by the Ningbo prefecture-level city Government and 60 per cent by HNA Group, to compete with China Eastern Airlines Zhejiang Branch. It aims to operate its first passenger flight as early as October 2016. Ningbo Xingye will also form Ningbo General Aviation and Ningbo Airlines Cargo at later stages of Ningbo Airlines' development.

According to China Aviation Daily, future start-ups in 2017 include Xinya Air (formerly Tianlong Airlines), a private airline to be based in Dalian formed on the like of Loong Air and Jilin Airlines, based in Jilin city in Jilin Province. 

Prefecture-level city-owned Jilin Airlines initiated in March 2016 as part of Jilin Province's aviation tourism project for the next few years aims to operate northeastern Chinese passenger air routes to Shenyang, Changchun, Dalian, Harbin, Beijing, Tianjin and internationally to Pyongyang, Seoul-Incheon, Sapporo, Chita, Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Vladivostok, among other cities in North, Northeast Asia and Russia.

Inflight Review : Spring Airlines A320

Inflight Review by : Gan Yung Chyan
                              / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to Everyone

Airline : Spring Airlines A320 in old livery. 

Routes : from Shanghai-Pudong to Singapore, Suvarnabhumi, Siem Reap, Danang, Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Seoul-Incheon, Japan at convenient and some red-light timings. Spring Airlines also flies to at least 10 Chinese cities including Fuzhou, Beihai and Shijiazhuang from Suvarnabhumi. Spring Airlines should introduce new flights from other Chinese cities to Singapore and morning flights after 10.30 am to Singapore from Shanghai-Pudong. ***

Aircraft : The A320 seat legroom of Spring Airlines is narrow like Tigerair. There is no inflight entertainment. **

Baggage Requirements : On international flight sectors, a carry-on baggage measuring 115 cm in total is not accepted by Spring Airlines but station managers of Spring Airlines at Singapore and other international airports outside China accept the measurement as long as the carry-on baggage can be bent to appear 90 cm in total and not more than 7 kg. Suggest carry the soft MountainSmith backpack, duffel bag, while travelling with Spring Airlines to avoid hefty fines.  Passengers have to pay to check-in hard carry-on baggage on domestic flights. Follow the baggage regulations in the pictures above. **

Safety Demonstrations : Adequate.  *****

Inflight Service / Onboard Meals and Refreshments : Meals, refreshments and beverages must be purchased. Spring Airlines sells one local flavour hot meal onboard flights from Suvarnabhumi and Singapore to China, for instance. On the Bangkok route, Thai curry rice is served. Other two hot meal options are Chinese-style. The choices are narrower than the selections in the inflight menus of Southeast Asia's LCCs. Meals, refreshments and beverages must be purchased. An inflight menu is provided in each seat.** 

Postcard / Stationery : There are no aircraft postcards. The barf bags are collectibles. **
 

Inflight Magazine  : The inflight magazine Spring Airlines is now an inflight duty-free-cum-airline internal magazine. There are no route maps, only special news reports on the airline and pages of duty-free items onboard for sale. It is a thinner magazine. The inflight magazine was a thick book from 2013 to 2014.**

Sky Shop : See comments on Inflight Magazine. **

Surcharges :  Yes. **

Bookings : Spring Airlines's web-site is monitored in Shanghai with both Chinese, English, Thai, Korean and Japanese versions. Singapore and international bookings are preferably done on its English section en.ch.com but first apply for a log-in identity and a password before booking. Its web-site accepts online international debit card and credit card payments. Elsewhere, tickets can be purchased at Ctrip using Mastercard. Tickets purchased cannot be cancelled and refunded. Changes of flight dates are permitted subject to fees and fare differences. Managing bookings can be done on-line. Web-check-in is currently under development.  ***

Check-In and Departures : Check-in at the relevant airports three hours before international departures. Flights do not depart on time.**

Ground service in  response  to passengers' requests and enquiries : Poor. There is no ticketing agent office or branch office of Spring Airlines in Singapore. The station manager declines to reveal his contact number. Ground handling is done by SATS. Contact amanda.qiang@ch.com in Singapore on matters pertaining to online ticketing difficulties and checking-in matters for departures from Singapore. Any further queries can be forwarded to Spring Airlines via Facebook. The Facebook staff in Shanghai respond to queries on weekdays.**

Overall Impression :  There is room for improvement for Spring Airlines in terms of customer service, marketing and ticketing services. Overall, Spring Airlines is a two-star airline. **

** Poor / two-star
*** Good / three-star
***** Very good / five-star
****** Excellent / six-star (the highest category)