The Weekend Platter ( 06 JULY 2013 ) ISSUE - IV

The News-makers….& their take…..

1.       Shri Tony Fernandes- C.E.O., Air Asia:…..

….. "If you cannot make an airline work with 1.2 billion people, there is something really wrong," .….. ( Yes !! You are right…Tony )

2.       Shri Ajit Singh, Hon Minister of Civil Aviation   - on reducing taxes on ATF….

….hopefully we may get it through…. I have urged the state chief ministers to voluntarily reduce state tax on the ATF to encourage more airlines to fly to their cities….

3.       Shri Ratan Tata….on Air Asia…..

This is a different type of enterprise which Fernandes is bringing. Hopefully, it will spread air travel across India and give a new dimension…. The Tata Group is pleased to be associated with it.”

4.       Shri Deepak Brara, Commercial Director, Air India…..

…..the airline wanted to split direct services between Sydney and Melbourne to give "both cities the benefits of non-stop services……

5.       Dr. Subramaniam Swamy….on the Air Asia deal…….

…"I came at a time when it appeared that this deal was going to go through and Mr Chidambaram seems to be hell bent to clear it, …….

6.       Barry O’Farrell, Premier, NSW, Australia  said …..

 ……This new Air India service will make getting to Sydney and NSW even easier, meaning we can welcome even more visitors from India……

7.       Shri Ratan Tata….on why the Tatas did not venture into the aviation sector earlier…..

 “We didn’t come earlier because we chose to stay out.”

8.       VIP Pilot of Tony Fernandes…..

“My new pilot Sir Ratan Tata flying me to Delhi. Another way AirAsia cuts costs. The Advisor in a pilot,”…… (tweet on Mr. Fernandes)

9.       Mr. Paul Kehoe, C.E.O. Birmingham Airport….

.....this is an opportunity for us to demonstrate that Birmingham can play a role in long-haul traffic….we have created an opportunity for Air India to come along ….

10.   Qantas Spokesperson ……regarding codeshare with Air India….

“Qantas has no plans to establish a code-share agreement with Air India,” …..

11.    Tony Fernandes,..hits back at Subramanian Swamy

…I don't want to get into it. People have suffered because of bizarre rules. Some people have vested interest. India lost many years because of vested interest which is shameful. Other Asian markets have grown and are much ahead.

…& Whats the News from Overseas….

12.   ..World’s Most Expensive Real Estate…….

At almost $1m a square metre, big jets are the world's most expensive real estate… Little wonder then, that a row over elbow space is sharpening the latest contest between Airbus and Boeing…. as Boeing moves to defend its popular 777 "mini jumbo" from the largest version of Airbus's brand-new A350…..

13.   Ultra Long Haul Flight of 20 Hours….

…US manufacturer Boeing in talks with Emirates to develop aircraft that will allow it to fly ultra-long-haul flights of up to 20 hours…(Vow !! Honey I shrunk the Globe…)

14.   …Is Low Cost the New Global Shift in Aviation Business Worldwide….?????

…It seems so….reference Boeing 24,670 the single aisle Next-Generation 737/737 MAX will be needed, compared to 8,590 wide bodies.. due to the growth of low-cost carriers….,

15.   Legacy Airline Alliances have outlived their usefulness…James Hogan,CEO, Etihad

…the consolidation currently occurring throughout the airline industry, we are also seeing more fragmentation within the alliances. This is going to continue as members seek ways to operate profitably in a very competitive environment ….

16.   Global Travel Map is being Redrawn….James Hogan,CEO,Etihad

The global air travel map is being redrawn as emerging markets reshape the airline industry worldwide… Etihad’s strategy was to target growth markets and build “a new ‘Silk Road’” that connected markets via Abu Dhabi as a hub.

17.   Malaysian Authorities see red in Air Asia’s Uniforms…..

…the uniforms worn by female flight attendants… red jackets over white blouses and slightly-above-the-knee skirts….not acceptable. The Transport Ministry has asked the budget carrier to reassess the uniforms to better "reflect the Malaysian culture"….

18.   Pets become Virgin’s Frequent Flyers….

Virgin Australia has launched a Velocity Frequent Flyer program for pets … Velocity program members will earn 300 points for each trip their pet takes on a domestic flight…. pet owners can enter their cat or dog on Virgin's facebook page….

19.   LCC Fly Dubai Introduces Business Class across its Fleet…

..with a 12.1-inch touch screen entertainment system, …an international selection of food… a dedicated cabin crew to assist passengers… on the ground, Business Class travellers will be offered a range of services a dedicated customer service team -to book their flights, gain the benefit of priority check-in, at destination priority baggage collection. Also, later this year, travellers can have access to the Business Class lounge. ( WATCH OUT LCC’s….! This is a major paradigm shift..is it ‘The End’ of Full Service Carriers …)

20.   Government to set up 51 Low Cost Airports…..

…in 51 Tier II and Tier III cities across the country to increase air connectivity…..

…Imphal and Bhubaneshwar airports to go International….

21.   Jet & Etihad working on standard Aircraft Interiors….

The two airlines are working towards offering a standard interior product for their long-haul flights….. they will sign deals for common interiors, in-flight entertainment systems, engines and maintenance to get economies of scale…..

The Gr8 Drama…and the Dramatis Personae…..

Well done, Shri Naresh Goyal !! The drama is on, running “ House Full “ since the last week. You brought them all on stage in one stroke. What a Miracle ….!! Keep it up….rarely do we get to hear or see such luminaries….on one platform performing….though solo…..

22.   Shri Ajit Singh, Hon Minister of Civil Aviation   There is no question of revising the bilaterals,…. looking at the growth in air traffic out of India, in fact we might have to give more bilaterals (to various countries),…..

23.   Shri Gurudas Dasgupta- Senior CPI leader - wrote to the PM,

…the Jet-Etihad deal "went through only because UAE was licensed to fly 37,000 additional seats to India every week... without these, Etihad was not interested in buying (a) portion of Jet".

24.   Shri Yeshwant Sinha – BJP

"This deal smack of a scam. It is already stinking. There should be an inquiry into who is responsible,….

25.   Shri Prabodh Panda- CPI and Shri Nishikant Dubey – BJP wrote to CVC

demanding the deal be investigated. "I had stated (in the letter) how the deal has been struck just to benefit the private players, which will hamper the interest of the state-run Air India…… Delhi airport, which is attempting to emerge as an international hub, would also suffer at the cost of Abu Dhabi…..

26.   Shri Dinesh Trivedi, MP, Trinamool Congress……

wrote to the prime minister, demanding the deal be stalled. "The question that needs to be asked is why the tearing hurry. Especially when Air India does not want it ….

27.   Shri Sitaram Yechury, Chairman - Standing Committee…..

…… told… that the government tweaked national policy to pave way for a private deal. Soon after, the share-purchase agreement itself came under the scanner. It was clear that Etihad was calling the shots at Jet despite only a 24% stake……..

28.   Shri Jaswant Singh – BJP……

…. the situation is such that after the approval by the union government, substantial investment was made within 24-hours. It points towards collusion, which should never happen…..

29.   Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, BJP spokesperson, said

….It seems now there is something wrong in this deal as well. We are not against FDI in aviation, but if there is a scam in FDI, we will oppose it,….there is something fishy in this deal. The Prime Minister's Office should clarify its stand on the issue, ……

30.   Shri Manmohan Singh, C/o PMO issued a statement…

….. there are no differences between Ministries over the air services agreement between India and Abu Dhabi…. Reports of rift within the Government on the India-UAE (Abu Dhabi) BAS Agreement and the Jet-Etihad equity proposal are "factually incorrect and baseless…. there is absolutely no disagreement within the government or between the Ministers and the Prime Minister on the matter….. The Prime Minister is neither washing his hands off the Bilateral Air Services Agreement nor is the PMO trying to do a U-turn on the issue now…..

31.   Smt.  Sonia Gandhi- Chairperson UPA,,,,,

….had a meeting with Shri Ajit Singh, MoCA….??????( Silence is Golden……)…

32.   Shri Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce, GoI…..

.... granting additional traffic rights to Abu Dhabi would create a favourable sentiment towards India in that emirate and would be helpful in attracting investment from the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund…..

33.   Shri M.K. Lokesh, India’s Ambassador to Abu Dhabi….wrote….

….a favourable consideration of the request from the Abu Dhabi authorities for additional capacity allocation for their carrier will go a long way in alleviating their concerns for clearing the way for further investments from UAE to India…..

34.   Shri Salman Khurshid, Foreign Minister, GoI…wrote to his UAE counterpart…..

….We believe that we should sustain and nurture the investment momentum including in the aviation sector and let our relations continue to grow at their natural strategic pace for the mutual benefit of our peoples. I understand that our minister of civil aviation will be in touch with his counterpart in due course……

35.   Shri P. Chidambaran, Finance Minister, GoI…..

.... On 22 April, at the direction of the Prime Minister, Chidambaram had called a meeting of Khurshid, Sharma and aviation minister Ajit Singh in the capital on the negotiating team’s mandate for the Abu Dhabi talks…they were allowed to offer up to 40,000 seats, code share agreements and any other terms that would benefit the country….

 

& Finally….The best summation by a Pax of Airlines Today

Posted by: Oldsterry  Sunday, 16 June 2013….  “ It hasn't been very long ago that US carriers set the bar when it came to equipment and service. Now we ride around in rust bucket MD-80s while Emirates provides showers and other luxuries typically associated with private jets.”” 

Have a Real Great Weekend !!!

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