Vol. 24 No. 1 February 2017 orientaviation.com UPPING AVIATION’S ANTE IATA director general and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, targets heads of state in his lobbying campaign Malaysia Airlines Rolls-Royce bribery HNA Group buys plans 2019 IPO scandal centres on Asia into “Trump Corp.” IndustryIndia’s insight:growth airline explosion The fl exibility to fl y as many cycles as you want, to the destinations you want, as often as you want. LEAP. The architecture of reliability. cfmaeroengines.com CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines PERFORMANCE | EXECUTION | TECHNOLOGY MORE TO BELIEVE IN C38261.002_CFM_UTLIZIATION_OrientAviation_Oct16_273x202_v1.indd 1 03/10/2016 12:23 CONTENTS Volume 24, Issue 1 COVER STORY 20 UPPING PUBLISHED BY AVIATION’S ORIENT AVIATION MEDIA GROUP Mailing address: ANTE GPO Box 11435 Hong Kong Office: IATA boss, Alexandre de Juniac, 17/F Hang Wai Commercial Building, wants to engage heads of state in 231-233 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong building understanding of aviation’s Tel: Editorial (852) 2865 1013 value to the global economy E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.orientaviation.com Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Christine McGee E-mail: [email protected] Chief Correspondent Tom Ballantyne Tel: (612) 9638 6895 Fax: (612) 9684 2776 E-mail: [email protected] Greater China Correspondent Dominic Lalk Tel: (852) 2865 1013 E-mail: [email protected] COMMENT AIR FREIGHT North Asia Correspondent 5 Structural discipline works 24 Asia-Pacific air freight spike spurs hopes of Geoffrey Tudor industry recovery Tel: (813) 3373 8368 E-mail: [email protected] ADDENDUM 6 Etihad Aviation Group CEO, James Hogan, MRO TRAINING India Correspondent R. Thomas departs the group for the investment industry 25 IATA introduces virtual reality MRO training Tel: (852) 2865 1013 6 THAI boss, Charamporn Jotikasthira, acts fast on E-mail: [email protected] Rolls-Royce bribery information MAIN STORY Photographers 7 Turbo accidents impact region’s safety record 14 Ending the profit rollercoaster? Rob Finlayson, Graham Uden, Ryan Peters 7 Supplier issues easing says Airbus in its 2016 review Chief Designer Chan Ping Kwan Printing LUNCH WITH ORIENT AVIATION Printing Station(2008) 8 Malaysia Airlines Berhad CEO and group managing director, Peter Bellew, forecast the ADMINISTRATION carrier’s IPO for 2019 General Manager Shirley Ho E-mail: [email protected] INDUSTRY ADDENDUM ADVERTISING 29 Airbus expands Silicon Valley data mining Asia-Pacific, Europe & Middle East partnership Clive Richardson 29 Japan Air Commuter launches new era with ATR Tel: (971) 50 554 6608 E-mail: [email protected] 29 SITA focuses on region with leadership appointments The Americas / Canada Barnes Media Associates 29 China Airlines and Japan Airlines strengthen Ray Barnes formal co-operation Tel: (1 434) 770 4108 Fax: (1 434) 927 5101 NEWS BACKGROUNDERS 29 Booming parcel business boosts China’s Ameco E-mail: [email protected] 10 Asia-Pacific rocked by Rolls-Royce bribery scandal 30 France’s Safran buys troubled Zodiac Aerospace [email protected] 12 Chen Feng conglomerate romances “Trump 30 British solutions company, IFS, introduces IT corp.” as shopping spree accelerates airline operations tool Follow us on Twitter @orientaviation 13 Germany’s 24/7 Hahn airport close to deal with also - keep up with the news of the week with Orient Aviation’s Week in China’s HNA group INDUSTRY INSIGHT SPECIAL REPORT the Asia-Pacific 18 Governments avoiding responsibilities to airline INDIA’S AVIATION EXPLOSION © All rights reserved passengers reports IATA 26 India to be the third largest airline market in the Wilson Press HK Ltd., 19 TransAsia collapse resets aviation in turbulent world Hong Kong, 2017 Taiwan 28 Air India still “sick” says chairman Lohani FEBRAUARY 2017 / ORIENT AVIATION / 3 B:212 mm T:202 mm S:182 mm NOW’S THE PERFECT TIME TO EXTEND YOUR SUCCESS. B:283 mm S:253 mm T:273 mm 777-300ER. A BETTER WAY TO FLY. The Boeing 777-300ER’s unique combination of superior range, outstanding fuel effi ciency and passenger-preferred comfort has created long-range success for carriers around the world. And with recent upgrades that further reduce costs and boost revenue, now’s the perfect time to add to that success, in the air and on the bottom line. The 777-300ER makes every fl eet a more profi table fl eet. That’s a better way to fl y. boeing.com/777 Job Number: 1054973 Version: B 777-300ER Client/Brand: Boeing/BCA Date: 5-19-2016 12:58 PM APPROVALS File Name: 10549738vB_BCA_777300_202x273.indd QC: Justin O’Brien Bleed: 8.3465” x 11.1417” Gutter: None Publications: Orient Aviation PA: Steve Hutchings PR: Pat Owens Trim: 7.9528” x 10.748” Folds: NoneNone Notes: None RET: Greg Olsen PP: Kim Nosalik Safety: 7.1654” x 9.9606” Media/Color Sp: PRINT/4/c AB: Kathleen Candelaria TM: Deanna Loperena/Alyssa Gabriele Scale: 1=1 Country: None Vendor: None Actual Size: 202x273 Language: English Output%: None GCD: Eugene Varnado Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black AD: Sarah Frazer Fonts: Helvetica Neue (65 Medium, 75 Bold; Type 1) CW: Chloe Lebamoff AE: Megan O’Malley/Katie Bunimovich ALL CONTENT WITHIN THIS FILE IS FOR OUTPUT ONLY BY END PRINTER/VENDOR. CHANGES, SHARING AND/OR DISTRIBUTING CONTENT IN WHOLE OR IN PART ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. LICENSING RIGHTS AND APPROVALS MUST BE REQUESTED AND APPROVED TO/BY FCB CHICAGO. Images: 10549738ct03_r1_sPOR_BCA_777300_208x275.tif (344 ppi; CMYK), Boeing_white_50mm.eps COMMENT Structural discipline works Historically, when the global economy collapsed, airline the industry and the improved financial health of airlines profitability followed suit. As a result, again historically, have not only been about low oil prices. airlines often have had to sell their product, the airline Last year, jet fuel prices averaged US$52.10 a barrel. seat, at a loss. IATA forecasts that will increase to $64.90 barrel in 2017. Now, for the first time in the history of formal With no hedging, higher jet kero costs will add almost $25 recorded airline statistics that has not happened. The billion to airline costs for the 12 months, yet carriers’ net shock of the oil spike of 2007, followed by the Global profits are expected to fall by only $5 billion for the year. Financial Crisis of 2008, forced airlines to put in place Severe restructuring at many airlines, and other the necessary structural reforms that rescued it from the measures such as the densification of seats on aircraft fluctuations of global economic performance. and increasing ancillary revenue, are positioning carriers Since 2010 the world’s economy has not performed to better handle the many and varied shocks that come well but the airline industry has improved its collective their way. numbers. In 2017 a record has been set. The industry These improvements will endure, said IATA, even will have achieved its the eighth consecutive year of if low oil prices disappear. This reassuring news also aggregate profitability. reinforces the fact that in this new, digitally dominated While some airlines never learn from their world, industry restructuring is the necessary path to mistakes – most commonly erroneous fleet planning and sustainable profits. consequent price wars - many do, including airlines in the In 2017 and beyond, restructuring is no longer a Asia-Pacific. three or five-year program. Change is now a constant in International Air Transport Association (IATA) chief any business, not just airlines. And at airlines, those that economist, Brian Pearce, said at a recent IATA media don’t adapt to the new world probably won’t be around briefing that the structural improvements taking place in for much longer. ■ TOM BALLANTYNE Chief Correspondent Orient Aviation Media Group The most trusted source of Asia-Pacific commercial aviation news and analysis ORIENT AVIATION ORIENT AVIATION CHINA “It has established itself as the primary source of information on industry topics in the Asia-Pacific region” FEBRUARY 2017 / ORIENT AVIATION / 5 ADDENDUM Etihad Aviation Group’s James Hogan moves on to finance Etihad Aviation Group president and CEO, provided new opportunities for thousands of Priorities for the business, said H.E. James Hogan, has announced he will leave Emiratis and has been a critical element in the Mazrouei, were continuing a company-wide the Abu Dhabi-headquartered airline and remarkable progress of Abu Dhabi and the strategic review to ensure success in a travel group for the investment world, along UAE. We look forward to James’ continued challenging market. with the group’s CFO, James Rigney. association with Abu Dhabi in new ways.” “We must ensure the airline is the right A global search has commenced to size and the right shape. We must continue replace Hogan, who plans to leave the group to improve cost efficiency, productivity and in the second half of this year. Rigney also revenue. We must progress and adjust our plans to depart from the company at an airline equity partnerships even as we remain unspecified date this year. committed to the strategy.” The Etihad Aviation Group board of Speaking in Dublin a day earlier, Hogan directors announced the news on January 24 said five of the Etihad Aviation Group’s seven when they said Hogan “had first initiated the airline equity investments already were transition process last year with the formation delivering a return. “However, we faced in May of the Etihad Aviation Group, now greater challenges with airberlin and with a diversified global aviation and travel Alitalia,” he said. organization”. “Both are operating in very competitive Etihad Aviation Group chairman, H.E. environments and need to address Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, longstanding issues facing their businesses. said: “we are very grateful to James. In just I believe airberlin’s strategy is now on track ten years, he has overseen the growth of the and Alitalia is finalizing a business plan to company from a 22 aircraft regional carrier address its issues.