OAMag-V7N4-Cover [Converted] - Orient Aviation

p e r s p e c t i v eTOUGH: Korean Air (KAL) made companyhistory in January when it appointedHarry Greenberg as its firstnon-Korean executive vice-president and chiefoperating officer of flight operations, safetyand security divisions. Mr Greenberg spent28 of his 35-year aviation career at Delta AirLines in the U.S. where he was vice-presidentof flight operations before he retired.In 1999, he worked as a consultant forKAL as it began to implement its revampingof flight, safety and security operations, includingthe new US$30 million flight trainingprogramme with Seattle-based FlightSafetyBoeing and the honing of the airline’s fleetto four aircraft types.“Korean Air is an excellent company withdedicated people, but sometimes during thelife of a company it is necessary to achievea new focus. I am here [Korean Air] to helpestablish that focus,” he said.KAL has had a series of high profile accidentsand incidents in recent years whichhas led to the government imposing toughsanctions on the airline. These have includedstripping KAL of lucrative domestic and regionalroutes.In the most recent accident a B747-200freighter crashed shortly after take-off fromStansted Airport in the UK in December, killingall four crew on board.Mr Greenberg will be busy.WOOING: Australian states Queenslandand Victoria have gone out of their individualways to convince Sir Richard Branson heshould set up the headquarters of his plannedno-frills Australian airline within their borders.Queensland has offered a cut in payroll tax, relocationcosts and staff training programmesand incentives.Not to be outdone, Victoria is reportedto have promised to build Sir Richard a newterminal that the airline would have to sharewith another no-frills start-up, also plannedfor 2000.Virgin Australia is planning to investUS$33 million (A$50milllion) and create morethan 500 jobs when it decides where to baseits Australian headquarters, airline operationsand reservations call centre. A locationdecision is imminent. Meanwhile, the newlyknighted Sir Richard has been busy elsewhere.In India he is about to bring much-neededcomfort to the sub-continent’s London boundtravellers when Virgin begins three services aweek on the Delhi-London run with Air India.Pushed by the national government, Air Indiahas agreed to code-share with Virgin on theservice because the Indian flag carrier onlyhas enough planes to use 10 of the 16 authorisedslots on the service. The Virgin bossannounced the three times a week round tripwith a blowing – literally – of his trumpet inthe country’s capital in January.TRANS TASMAN VIRGIN: The UK operator’sdomestic foray may not stop at Australia’sborders. Virgin officials have confirmed privatelyto Orient Aviation that talks are takingplace with New Zealand airports with a viewto launching trans-Tasman services.Described as “preliminary” discussions,such a move would add to the pain of Virgin’sarrival, bringing new heights of competitionHarry Greenberg has been appointedas Korean Air’s first non-Koreanexecutive vice-president and chiefoperating officer of flight operations,safety and security divisionsto what are already hard fought routes betweenAustralian and New Zealand cities.Meanwhile, airline executives at VirginAtlantic are becoming sensitive about thecoverage of the Australian venture. They arekeen to point out it is under that umbrella ofVirgin Express and not the international armof the airline.YES TO THE 3XX: Airbus Industrie mightbe right after all, it seems. When he wasasked at an industry lunch in Hong Kongabout his airline’s view of the Very LargeTransport aircraft, Hong Kong-based CathayPacific Airways CEO, David Turnbull, jocularlysaid: “Well, we have two full planes leavinghere for London tonight within 30 minutesof each other and we could shove (pause) ...hmm, PUT them all on one plane. Yes, we areinterested in the A3XX.” But beyond that MrTurnbull was playing his cards pretty closeto his chest.WATCH THIS SPACE: In the early 1990sVietnam was flavour of the month, touristsand businessmen were flooding into thecountry and the national carrier, VietnamAirlines (VN), could do no wrong. Its revenueand load factors had been spiralling upwardsat an enviable rate.But then the country and the airline wentinto economic decline. But last year, after severalyears of losses, VN was back in the black,albeit helped by government tax breaks.It is now looking to add five aircraft to itsfleet, B777s or A340s are the options.Oh yes, and expect changes at the topbefore the end of 2000, insiders told OrientAviation.BENEATH CONTEMPT: A top-rankingsecurity investigator in Thailand has claimedthat corrupt customs officers are in the pay ofa Golden Triangle drugs lord.The allegations state the drug baronstell customs officers the names of couriersor naïve travellers who are carrying small tomedium amounts of illegal drugs for them.The customs officers home in on them atBangkok International Airport where theyare arrested.The purpose? To convince foreign nationsthat the anti-drugs campaign is working.Meanwhile, said the investigator, hugequantities of drugs are smuggled out of thecountry in cargo holds.OUTSPOKEN: Only weeks into the job,new China Eastern Airlines (CEA) chairman,Li Zhongming, lost no time in speaking tothe Shanghai Daily where he announcedthe first round of talks on the mergers of thethree score plus mainland airlines into tenoperators will take place in February. Until hispromotion, Mr. Li was president of the Shanghai-basedairline. He named Shen Zejiang aspresident and Xiao Liyuan, Zhiong Xiong andWu Yulin as vice-presidents. Cao Jianxiong,CEA’s former chief financial officer, resignedat the time of the December managementrevamp.OVER AND OUT: Top Ansett Australiaexecutive, Ron Rosalky, has been dispatchedto the carrier’s regional subsidiary, KendellAirlines, where he has replaced the formerKendell CEO, Geoff Breust. Ansett also replacedthe senior pilot management team atthe NSW carrier and has brought in six AnsettAustralia captains to oversee the checkingand training responsibilities required as theairline introduces Bombardier’s Canadair jetsinto the fleet.12 | Orient Aviation | February 2000