THE last week of June has certainly been eventful for the aviation sector, particularly as speculation swirls about a potential equity deal between Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia. Reports suggest the Middle Eastern powerhouse is looking to purchase 20% of the Aussie carrier, in a move that would challenge Qantas’ market dominance.
The Flying Kangaroo has made big moves of its own this week, announcing extra capacity Qantas and Jetstar services between Sydney, Brisbane and Port Vila, following the collapse of Air Vanuatu last month. The boost will see an extra 150,000 seats added every year between the countries.
Qantas also became the only airline to offer direct flights between Perth and Paris, with the new route kicking off this week. It is also renewing its regional fleet, with QantasLink agreeing to purchase an additional 14 Dash Q400 planes, which are 30% faster than the predecessor models.
It’s not all positive news though. It’s just been revealed that Bonza was likely trading insolvent for at least two months before it entered voluntary administration. Hall Chadwick’s latest report concluded that the carrier’s directors would have known well before 30 April that funding from the airline’s parent company would dry up, but continued to allow it take bookings.
The findings come at the same time as new research from YouGov finds that half of Australians believe the Federal Government should support low-cost carriers like Bonza, in the interests of ensuring affordable air travel.
Turning to cruise news now, the industry has enjoyed an uplifting week, starting with Carnival Corporation outperforming its initial second quarter sales, which hit US$5.8 billion. The positive results have put Carnival on track to achieve its best year on record, despite the sunsetting of P&O Australia.
In an exciting development for the luxury segment, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has unveiled its first Asia-Pacific season, which will see Luminara, its third upcoming superyacht, operate 10-15 night sailings, visiting almost 30 ports across 10 countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and Thailand.
Meanwhile, CLIA is gearing up for its biggest-ever Cruise 360 event, set to attract an unprecedented number of travel advisors and cruise leaders. Taking place at the International Convention Centre Sydney on 30 August, the full-day conference and trade show will follow the association’s first-ever River Cruise Showcase on 29 August.
Speaking of upcoming industry events, Travel24 is also shaping up to be a big success, with ticket sales growing by the day and an exciting speaker line-up announced, featuring the likes of Minister for Trade and Tourism, Hon Don Farrell, and ATIA CEO, Dean Long. Grab your tickets for the Sydney event on 08 August HERE.
Signing off now,
Janie
