Aviation Thread [Part 5]

[waltjie]

They are so fucking pathetic!! It's actually hilarious!!!

[SA BOY]

wouldent need the 345 if operating out of Durban or CT, its the hot and high issue AGAIN

[Durbsboi]

Wait, lets see how much money is left in the government kitty, Im sure they can lend SAA some as always

[grjplanes]

Cathay Pacific is now flying 777-300 aircraft out of JNB, makes one wonder if the hot and high issue is really a major issue. They have departures around 13:00, which is pretty much close to the warmest time of the day and then do a 13hour flight to HKG...more than any flight to Europe.
Singapore Airlines is also doing 10hour+ flights from JNB departing around 14:00 with twin-jet 777. I don't believe any of them have restrictions.

[waltjie]

I tend to think it WAS an issue before with older generations of aircraft maybe.... ?

[cthighflyer]

Qatar Airways also have A340s at there disposal but chose to use them on there Lagos and London routes instead and opting to use A330-300s to JNB .I think its got more to with configuration and loads (JC) than altitude for most airlines.

Originally Posted by waltjie

I tend to think it WAS an issue before with older generations of aircraft maybe.... ?

[Bevski]

I reckon hot and high still has a lot to do with it, It is possible Cathay/Qatar/Singapore/Emirates and other 777/330 operators are willing to take the penalty on these flights. Remember thats only 1 flight (on the way back on a return leg) that will be penalised on their network. SAA for example will have penalties on half of their longhaul flights as they all depart from ORT. Just my 2c....

[juzzy]

Originally Posted by Bevski

I reckon hot and high still has a lot to do with it, It is possible Cathay/Qatar/Singapore/Emirates and other 777/330 operators are willing to take the penalty on these flights. Remember thats only 1 flight (on the way back on a return leg) that will be penalised on their network. SAA for example will have penalties on half of their longhaul flights as they all depart from ORT. Just my 2c....

SAA do fly to LHR frm CPT

[Bevski]

Originally Posted by juzzy

SAA do fly to LHR frm CPT

Yep, I knew that, I was talking about flights out of Jhb specifically as its a hot and high airport

[GregPz]

Here's a couple of graphs showing ACSA airports share of passengers since 2003.

[grjplanes]

Comair Looks to Grow Fleet With New Boeings

Julius Baumann

3 August 2009

Johannesburg — COMAIR is likely to place an order for up to six new-generation Boeing 737- 800 airliners, the first time the group will have acquired brand new aircraft for its fleet. The aircraft cost about $40m each.

"We are still in the process of raising the necessary finance and once that is in place we will make a final decision," Erik Venter, joint-CEO of Comair, operators of kulula.com, said on Friday.

Venter said while the acquisition of the jets would require the airline to increase its gearing substantially, the cost benefits -- particular on fuel and maintenance -- were immense.

"There are more cost benefits to owning your own aircraft compared to leasing. And once the aircraft is paid off, the benefits flow straight through to the bottom line."

Comair owns more than half its fleet and generally pays off its aircraft within five years.

Gidon Novick, Venter's partner as joint-CEO, said that despite the slump in passenger demand due to the recession, and despite volatile fuel prices, kulula would continue on an aggressive growth path.

"Lanseria (airport) has been a great success for kulula and we will continue to expand our services from there. We have big plans for Lanseria," said Novick. More than half of kulula's flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town now take off from Lanseria, on the northwest side of Johannesburg, instead of OR Tambo International Airport .

Novick said kulula was also continuing to expand its online travel business and had recently acquired some online businesses, including last-minute game lodge site MT Beds. The airline had added an online travel component to the kulula website.

"Despite the limited and slow broadband available in SA we have managed to build a great online business that now turns over R1,8bn a year and we are keen to continue growing the business, offering more than just flights and travel packages."

In another first for k ulula, which is approaching it eighth birthday, the airline has concluded a deal with retailer Woolworths to supply meals and refreshment on its aircraft.

Venter emphasised that safety remained the group's priority and informed every decision made and said he believed this high standard of safety was what had led to the government's decision to contract Comair to fly the presidential jet.

Venter said Comair continued to look for opportunities in Africa. However, the African skies were still regulated by agreements that often gave preference to state-owned SAA.

[waltjie]

That is good news. And I love the fact that they are focussing so much on Lanseria. I have yet to fly from there however... but I only ever hear good things about it!

[juzzy]

now if only their prices would come down abit

[waltjie]

Originally Posted by juzzy

now if only their prices would come down abit

TRUE!

[joburg]

Greg do you have figures for Lanseria Airport? Or maybe not because they're not owned by ACSA? It would be interesting to see the passenger growth of the airport in relation to OR Tambo

[Cigar]

Good good news re the B738s, now is a good time to buy! When Comair leased those 737-800s at the beginning of last year they (Comair) were very impressed and started to look then already apparently. I wonder if they would operate for Comair or Kulula? Well done Comair!

[grjplanes]

Is it possible that this can be SA Express? They were expected and rumoured over the last year to order more aircraft from Bombardier. The amount of aircraft ordered looks perfect to suit them now in the short-term, replacing most of Dash 8-300s as well as some CRJs. And to keep it quiet for now seems clever, due to the current row over SAA's Airbus order?

August 3, 2009
Toronto – Bombardier Aerospace announced today that it has received a signed, firm order for five Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners. The airline which placed the order has requested to remain undisclosed at this time, and has also taken options on an additional five Q400 NextGen aircraft.

Based on the list price for the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the firm order contract is valued at approximately $159 million US, and could rise to $332 million US if the five options are exercised.

The transaction announced today increases firm orders for Q400/Q400 NextGen aircraft to 362, with 245 delivered as of April 30, 2009. Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft are in service with, or have been ordered by, 30 operators around the world.

Source: Bombardier Aerospace
Posted by: just4airlines.com at 0114h UTC Aug 04, 2009

[GregPz]

Originally Posted by joburg

Greg do you have figures for Lanseria Airport? Or maybe not because they're not owned by ACSA? It would be interesting to see the passenger growth of the airport in relation to OR Tambo

Nothing very recent as Lanseria doesn't release stats for some reason. In 2006/2007 they handled approx 550,000 so by now it must be close to 1 million.

[grjplanes]

Lanseria could be heading to the 1million mark soon, but not yet.
Currently there is 58 Kulula flights to and from Lanseria (37 to CPT and 21 to DUR).
If they were to operate all flights with 737-400s with 162 seats there is capacity for 497 988 departing or arriving, so 995 976.
BUT, they do operate several flights actually with 737-300s and -200s with less capacity and they have a tendency to cancel several flights also.
Even so, if they were to have all on 737-400 capacity and have a good load factor of 80%, the number of pax would be just under 800 000.
I don't think there is any other scheduled operators at the moment, Charlan Air operated briefly about 4/5 years ago, and both LAM and Air Botswana suspended their 2 or 3 weekly flights to MPM and GBE respectively in the last 2 years.

[Ron2K]

SAA 'costing state too much'

August 05 2009 at 06:29AM
By Political Bureau

The DA has repeated its plea for the privatisation of South African Airways and Mango, as well as the country's ports, to reduce their burden on the state and improve service.

The official opposition on Tuesday charged that the monopoly the state-owned airlines held was "not healthy" for private sector competition and was costing the state too much.

The government in 2008 bailed out SAA to the tune of R1,6-billion, and the airline company told Parliament in June that it might need another injection of R1,5bn in 2009.

Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan was recently rapped over the knuckles by the ANC for warning that struggling parastatal companies could be sold off to reduce their continuous drain on state coffers.

Hogan had said it would be difficult to justify further bailouts under the current economic conditions.

But the statement was later declared out of tune with the ANC's Polokwane resolution that state-owned enterprises should be harnessed to build the developmental state and create jobs.

Presenting the DA's proposals for building transport capacity, the party's Stuart Farrow said yesterday that SAA, SA Express and Mango should not be allowed to "dictate the size of the market" and that private airlines should be allowed to fill gaps that existed because of their lack of capacity.

"SAA should be privatised, provided the right buyer can be found. The key to success in air transport is healthy private sector competition, with the state being involved in regulating, supporting and managing aspects such as safety and the environment," said Farrow.

"SAA and SAX hold a monopoly on international and domestic routes and they are a continued burden on state funding."

Repeating its election promise to privatise the ailing national carrier and the Airports Company of South Africa, the official opposition said this would also take care of the dwindling skills base to maintain the airlines' fleets, with much of their repairs now being done in China.

The DA's transport plan, "On the Move", further suggests that ports should be "privatised, leased or concession ed" to lower costs to the state and ensure a higher level of service.


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