Why Iceland's WOW Air could be planning to fly from America to India

Full article on forbes.com

WOW Air has confirmed its intention to launch Asian flights during a new wave of long-haul expansion in 2019, but chief executive Skúli Mogensen is remaining tight-lipped about which destinations will be served.

“Beyond next year, with the addition of the A330neos, we will start Asia flights,” he told me last week, referring to the delivery of four next-generation wide-bodies in late 2018. “It is very interesting to see how well Iceland is positioned to make certain connections [with Asia] ... East Coast U.S. is by far the superior route for connections...

Pegasus Airlines may launch Ukrainian subsidiary, order more A321neos

Full article on forbes.com

Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines is considering setting up a subsidiary in Ukraine and may also increase its order for Airbus A321neos, according to Emre Pekesen, sales and network planning director at the low-cost carrier.

Management have held talks with Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry in Kiev about the possible joint venture, which would be majority owned by Ukrainian investors and would fly under a Ukrainian operating license. Pegasus already runs one such joint venture, Air Manas, formerly branded Pegasus Asia, in the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.

“Pegasus always is looking around nearby countries and just waiting for the opportunities,” Pekesen told me...

Interview: Ajay Singh, SpiceJet Chairman

Full article in JPG format: page 44/45 & page 46

India’s government has not always met with universal praise when setting air transportation policies, but the rationale behind prime minister Narendra Modi’s Regional Connectivity Scheme – dubbed Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN), or “let the common man fly”– is hard to fault.

UDAN aims to ensure that the economic benefits of India’s rapid aviation growth are spread equally between all regions, instead of orbiting around wealthy metropolitan areas. The subsidised scheme gives airlines incentives for launching thin routes with regional aircraft, as well as limiting the maximum fare paid by many passengers.

“Aviation cannot be about rich people,” Modi said during a speech in the Gujarati town of Chotila last month. “We have made aviation affordable and within reach of the lesser privileged.”

For low-cost carriers like SpiceJet, engaging with UDAN is as much a commercial necessity as a social obligation. India’s fourth-largest airline has a target of deploying 200 aircraft by 2024 – up from 54 today – amid a scramble for market share in one of the world’s hottest airline sectors, where domestic traffic is growing by 21% a year and 97% of the population still does not fly...