Airline Industry Review » Airbus

Where is Your Brand Voice ?

Miyuru — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:22:27 +0000

In building an online brand presence, having a voice of your own – a popular insider as an online brand ambassador – could be very beneficial. It helps to make a brand’s activities online look more closer, credible and responsible to a customer.
Apple has Steve Jobs. Nokia has Anssi Vanjoki. Microsoft has Ray Ozzie. Where is the aircraft manufacturers’ ambassador ?
Needless to say, the first mover in to this space will gain a huge advantage.

P.S: Not just for an aircraft manufacturer, an online ambassador who can influence, will undoubtedly help an airline too.Similar Posts:

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I’m Starting Consultation ( and how to win an exciting gift )

Miyuru — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:35:15 +0000

Yes, I will be available for aviation consultation from today, and I will focus on social media ( for the start ).
Social media is an effective tool to connect with your customers, and to drive sales. And having realised this, many leading companies from most industries have now begun to use social media marketing. The topic is now hot, and trending, everywhere in the world.
The key for many companies to adopt social media marketing is that it is such an effective way of marketing. It only needs so minimal an expense to start using social media, and you get to capture the attention of millions of loyal fans. Using social media makes these fans feel your brand as closer to them, and develops their trust around your brand. And then these loyal fans naturally start spreading Word of Mouth marketing about your brand to their close friends, and so on, and you start to get a constant flow of sales multiplications.
And yet, many airlines are yet to enter social media. But the few ( or, the thousands ) who already did, such as Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, Lufthansa and AirAsia are already reaping the harvests of their efforts, with great brand exposure, direct connections with millions of customers, and increased sales. So, if your competitors are already doing it and seeing success with it, why should not you ?
Perhaps, you have just started using social media and are new to it. Or, may be you did use social media, but could not find success with it ?
Social media is an art. As the world’s most respected online marketing guru, Seth Godin, says

It’s a process, not an event. Dating is a process. So is losing weight, being a public company and building a brand.

.
But if you know the right way to do it, finding social media success is not hard. And I’m here to help you.
To create a tribe around your brand who will spread your message, to increase your sales, to achieve your targets, to deliver your expectations, and to help you find success with social media marketing.
I’m still young, but with my years of experience with building valuable brands on social media and achieving success with them, I’m sure that I can help you succeed too. Over the time, I have advised a number of airlines and market leading companies, and helped them see social media success. And I’m now ready to help you succeed too.
Still not begun social media marketing ? New to it ? Or, already given up ? In whichever the situation you’re, I think I can help you. Let’s discuss.

And what else, I’m also planning to offer a unique service called AirBlog, which will set you up an expectation-exceeding, excellent quality airline blog at a fixed fee. Everything from setting up, designing, search engine optimizing to strategy mapping will be taken care of, and you will only need future article content to keep it running.

- You can read more about my consultation work here .
- You can read more about the revolutionary AirBlog product here .
- You can find me on LinkedIn here .

The umbrella that I use to host my consultation work under will be known as AirSocial.

And now let me move to the exciting news. To celebrate the launch, I’m offering one lucky airline a AirBlog package TOTALLY FREE of charge.

What you get with AirBlog will be a complete blog with
- Server and databases set up
- Blogging software installed and fully tuned up for best reader engagement
- A semantically coded, and navigation enhanced, design
- Full search engine optimization
. Plus, you will also get a future strategy plan for your blog – absolutely free !

To win it, all you have to do is tweet the following message

Win a free package of AirBlog – the revolutionary new one off airline blogging suite by @AirSocial http://j.mp/azHY6i

( Click here to automatically do it with no hassle )
and leave a comment below with your Twitter username.
Just that, and in a week, I will announce the lucky winner !

( Your tweet will be automatically featured in the comments section below & just make sure that you use a valid email address, so we can easily notify you of the victory. )

The only condition is you need to be an airline, airport, aircraft manufacturer or a MRO provider.
If you’re not one of them, tell a friend who works at one of the above places, and stay tuned. We’ll soon have something for you guys too !

Interested in reading more about me ? You can do it here .

Not interested in consultation ? No problem. Read more of my articles about social media below.

How to use Twitter to Grow Your Sales
Who’s Who in Aviation
The Ancillary Art my eBook on maximizing airline ancillary revenue
Twitter Predicts Sales
The Ultimate Airline Marketing Guide

Thanks a lot for reading, and hope to see you as a client soon !
Sincerely,
M.Similar Posts:

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AirBlue flight 202, A321, crash near Islamabad

Miyuru — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:06:39 +0000

AIR – An AirBlue passenger aircraft with over 150 passengers has impacted Margala Hills near Islamabad and crashed .
Flight ED202 was operating from Karachi ( KHI ) to Istanbul ( IST ). An AirBlue spokesperson confirmed this.

The aircraft was Airbus A321, AP-BJB ( more info below ).
The incident occured at approximately 0943 local time ( 0443Z ) and it was reported that there was bad weather with heavy rainfall at the time.
Reports surface stating the aircraft lost contact with control tower before impacting hills.
An eye witness stated he had seen the aircraft flying very low before impact.

Pakistani TV/BBC image

Photo copyright Twitter user @Rezhasan / Twitpic

Various reports state between 152-159 persons onboard the aircraft including five children. There have been reports of five survivors.
It is believed there was a crew of six.
METARs at the time were
Jul 28 05:00 METAR OPRN 280500Z 09018KT 3500 RA SCT010 SCT030 OVC100 FEW030 25/24 Q1006.9=
Jul 28 04:00 METAR OPRN 280400Z 05016KT 3500 SCT010 SCT030 BKN100 FEW030TCU 29/24 1006.7=

AP-BJB, Copyrighted photo

AirBlue operated a fleet of five Airbus aircraft consisting of two A319s and three A321s. AP-BJB, MSN 1218 was an aircraft built in 2000 . It was originally delivered to Aero Lloyd and was taken delivery by AirBlue in 2006.
According to Airbus, the aircraft had accumulated about 34,000 flight hours and around 13,500 cycles.
AP-BJB was subject of a lightning strike at Trabzon last year, however this is considered as unlikely to be related.
Following the incident, AirBlue has cancelled all of its flights which were due today.
This is the first fatal crash of an A321 and the second write off ( the first having caused by a ground accident ).
This article will be updated.Similar Posts:

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Week in Brief

Miyuru — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 07:21:08 +0000

Week in Brief 6 OCT – 12OCT
* To compensate the delay in taking delivery of its 5th A330, SriLankan Airlines wetleased a Boeing 767-300ER for two months. The aircraft, CS-TQI, in a two class layout is operated to Milan/Rome and Singapore/Kuala Lumpur by Luzair. More info can be found here

* Arkefly will launch a weekly service to Goa and Colombo from Amsterdam on 5 Oct. Flight schedule as follows.
OR465 1720AMS – 0610+1 GOI 763 Day 2
OR466 0650GOI – 0920 CMB 1040 – 1740AMS 763 Day 3
The airline does not have freedom rights between Goa and Colombo.

* British Airways took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER, configured in a four class layout.

* Emirates Airline sold its stake in SriLankan Airlines to the Government of Sri Lanka for $53m.

* Boeing confirmed that it is bringing in the 787 to the Farnborough Air Show. The Twitter hashtag for the event is #FARN10 .

* Boeing received orders for 43 Boeing 737NGs from an unidentified customer.

* WTO delayed the ruling of a court case filed by Airbus against Boeing.

* Lufthansa is reconfiguring its narrowbody aircraft fleet with slim seats which will give a capacity increase similar to buying almost 12 A320s, according to a top executive. Austrian is expected to follow suit.

* China’s ARJ21 regional jet’s flight testing passed the 500hr mark.Similar Posts:

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WTO rules Airbus received illegal subsidies, Boeing claims victory

Miyuru — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:11:49 +0000

WTO yesterday settled a six-year old dispute between Airbus and Boeing – ruling a majority of Boeing’s claims were correct and calling Boeing the winner of the case.

WTO’s 1000 page report released yesterday ( which you can download here ), on case DS316 “European Communities and Certain Member States – Measures Affecting Trade in Large Civil Aircraft”, ruled that launch aid received by some Airbus programs were illegal and must be paid back without delay.

Some highlights from the ruling are as follows

Airbus A380 program received illegal launch aid from European communities
i. Funding from Germany, UK and Spain for A380 amounted to prohibited export subsidies
ii. All of these subsidies and loans ( believed to be $4b ) must be repaid or restructured “without delay”
Some of launch aid for A320/A330/A340 programs deemed illegal subsidies
Some of launch aid for A300/A310 programs deemed illegal subsidies
Subsidies provided for construction of infrastructure at Hamburg and Toulouse ruled illegal
KfW equity acquisition and later stake transfer of Deutsche Airbus ruled illegal
1987,1988,1992,1994 French government equity infusions ruled illegal
Second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth EC Framework R&D subsidies ruled illegal
Various R&D grants by France, Germany, UK and Spain ruled illegal
Boeing’s claims of EIB Loans being illegal were rejected

WTO ruled that Airbus must repay illegal A380 loans or restructure the program’s financing. Airbus was told to abandon its plans for financing the A350 program through use of similar subsidies, to which Airbus has agreed. It was ruled that any future aircraft programs by any manufacturer must only be financed on commercial terms. Boeing won 52 of its 71 claims ( of claims being prohibited per se or being actionable where they have had adverse effects to US interests ) .
Boeing has claimed the ruling a “landmark decision and a sweeping legal victory”.
With the ruling, the A350 program’s financing is now at an uncertain state.
The following specific launch aids for other programs were ruled illegal
A380 – France, Germany, Spain, UK
A340-500/600 – France, Spain
A330/A340-200/300 – France, Germany, Spain, UK
A330-200 – France
A320 – France, Germany, Spain, UK
A300/A310 – France, Germany, Spain

Following Boeing’s case against Airbus, EU filed a case stating Boeing 787 program has benefitted from research grants – for which the ruling is expected on 16th July.
Airbus called Boeing’s claim of Airbus having to repay $4bn “fairytale” pointing out the figure was related to overall size of the loans, not just elements of subsidy.
The complicated nature of the ruling however has enabled both parties to claim victory – where Boeing is claiming victory for Airbus aid being ruled illegal and Airbus claiming victory for the illegal aid being considered not injuring to Boeing.
WTO concluded that had Airbus relied only on market financing, “the increase in the level of debt Airbus would have accumulated… would have been massive”.

WTO Full Report
Boeing’s page on the caseSimilar Posts:

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SriLankan current Fleet and Seating Config info

Miyuru — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:08:14 +0000

SriLankan Airlines fleet and seating configuration information seems to be incorrect at most online sources right now. This even includes the official website.
To help future passengers and enthusiasts find relevant information accurately, I thought of adding a few details on current SriLankan fleet and seating configurations.

Airline : SriLankan Airlines
IATA : UL ICAO : ALK
Base : Colombo, CMB, Sri Lanka.
Fleet size : 12 ( + 1 )
Destinations : 49 including codeshare
Most capacity on :
23 weekly flights to Malé, MLE
12 weekly flights to London Heathrow, LHR
15 weekly flights to Chennai, MAA

Fleet

Airbus A320 – 3

Current config : 12J/138Y
Currently in fleet :
4R-ABG MSN 2908
4R-ABH MSN 2914
4R-ABJ MSN 2564
All aircraft built after 2005
Note : The airline is in the process of evaluating two Airbus A320 family aircraft to be added by IATA Northern Winter period. This might include an A321 aircraft.

Airbus A330-200 – 4 ( + 1 on order )

Currently in fleet :
4R-ALA MSN 303
4R-ALB MSN 306
4R-ALC MSN 311
4R-ALD MSN 313
Current config : 12J/275Y

On order :
4R-ALG MSN 404
Config : 18J/236Y
This particular aircraft, ex-BMI G-WWBB, will be SriLankan’s first to feature lie flat seat beds. The aircraft will be equipped with a Panasonic/Matsushita IFE system.
The aircraft will enter service on ~~1JUL~~ – date pushed back to mid July – and will operate three of twelve weekly London flights, among other flights.

All aircraft built after 1999

Airbus A340-300

Currently in fleet:
A340-300
4R-ADA MSN 32
4R-ADB MSN 33
4R-ADC MSN 34
Current config: 18J/296Y
SriLankan was the first Asian carrier to take delivery of A340 aircraft. The above three have been built in 1994 and 1995.

A340-300X
4R-ADE MSN 367
4R-ADF MSN 374
Current config: 18J/295Y
The above two aircraft have been built in 2000.

Currently wet leased
Boeing 767-300ER
CS-TQI MSN 25221
Config : 24C/214Y
The aircraft, made in 1991 and leased from Luzair, does not have any in seat displays.
It currently operates on UL571 CMB-MXP-FCO-CMB ( all three weekly flights ) and UL1316 CMB-SIN-KUL-CMB twice weekly.
The lease duration is for two months.
The aircraft has flat bed leather seats in Business Class with 18 seats @ 70in pitch and 6 seats @ 61in pitch.

Note: Currently the only aircraft with Flat Bed Seats is 4R-ALG.
IFE: In-seat personal displays in all but A320s. In A320s in-seat displays are available on Business Class only. Overhead displays and portable IFE available in Economy Class.
Special note : 4R-ALG Business Class section might be branded First Class.

Technical details
Engine power
A320 – IAE V2527
A330 – RR Trent772B
A340 – CFM56-5CSimilar Posts:

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Alitalia/Air One A330 makes emergency landing following engine fire

Miyuru — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:43:02 +0000

An Air One Airbus A330-200, EI-DIP, operating as AZ615 from Boston, BOS to Rome, FCO was forced to return to Boston after a fire developed on no.2 engine.
The aircraft made an emergency landing and safely stopped.

The aircraft, MSN339, first flew on 15/05/2000 and was delivered to its first owner Canada 3000 Airlines on 26/05/2000. The aircraft is fitted with GE CF6 engines.Similar Posts:

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Emirates Orders 32 More A380s

Miyuru — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:44:27 +0000

Emirates Airline today ordered 32 more Airbus A380s, valued $11.5b at ILA Air Show, Berlin.
This takes Emirates’ total orders for the A380 to 90.
Emirates was already the largest customer for the type.
This is also the largest dollar based valued aircraft order placed ever in the commercial aviation history.
Emirates already operates ten of the type.
This order has now boosted Airbus A380 to become the so-far best sold widebody aircraft of the year.
All 90 aircraft will be delivered by 2017.Similar Posts:

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Minor Collision of US Airways Aircraft

Miyuru — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 01:08:46 +0000

An US Airways Airbus A330 scheduled to fly to Frankfurt collided with a company Airbus A321 at Charlotte,CLT, yesterday. The wingtip of the A330 had sliced into the A321′s rudder. Both aircraft have been reportedly taken out of service.

Photo credit Atrude777 .Similar Posts:

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SriLankan Adds an A330

Miyuru — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:55:39 +0000

SriLankan Airlines has added an Airbus A330-200 to its fleet to aid expansion. The aircraft is on lease from ILFC and is an ex bmi aircraft. This will increase the number of A330′s in SriLankan’s fleet to five – the rest of which were delivered brand new. Total fleet will increase to 13.

Photo AirLivery

Aircraft Details
Current Registration : 4R-ALG
MSN : 404
Previous registration : G-WWBB
First Flight : 09/05/2001
Engines : Rolls Royce Trent 772B
Type : A330-243

The aircraft is due to enter service in July ( or earlier ) and is scheduled to operate at least three weekly flights to London among others – replacing some A340-300s on this 12 weekly route. This could mean that the aircraft may have a seating configuration different to the current A330s in fleet.
The other ex bmi A330, G-WWBM, will soon be subleased to Turkish Airlines. 4R-ALG is currently at Manchester, MAN pending delivery.Similar Posts:

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