[www.keralites.net] Major Airlines in Asia - Part-1

 

AERO ASIA - Pakistan

Aero Asia International was a private airline based in Karachi, Pakistan. It operated domestic and international services. Its main base is Jinnah International Airport, Karachi. Since May 2007 the airline has suspended from flying due to issues related to the safety of operations and passenger convenience. Since then the owners and executives have been sourcing expertise, systems and aircraft to facilitate a lifting of the suspension in early 2009 in accordance with the 2007 Draft National Aviation Policy issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority.

AIR ASIA -Malaysia

AirAsia is a Malaysian low-cost airline. It operates scheduled domestic and international flights and is Asia's largest low-fare, no-frills airline. AirAsia is a pioneer of low-cost flights in Asia, and was also the first airline in the region to implement fully ticketless travel. Its main base is the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Its affiliate airlines Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia have hubs at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia, respectively. AirAsia's registered office is in Petaling Jaya, Selangor while its head office is on the grounds of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Selangor.

AIR BAGAN - Myanmar

Air Bagan Limited operating as Air Bagan, is an airline headquartered in Bahan Township, Yangon, Myanmar. It operates domestic scheduled services to 15 towns and cities, as well as to Thailand. Its main bases are Yangon International Airport and Mandalay Chanmyathazi Airport.

 AIR BLUE - Pakistan

Airblue Limited (styled as airblue) is a private airline with its head office on the 12th floor of the Islamabad Stock Exchange (ISE) Towers in Islamabad, Pakistan.It is Pakistan's second largest airline with over 30% share of the domestic market.Airblue operates scheduled flights operating 30 daily services linking four domestic destinations and international services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Muscat and Manchester. It carried 1.4 million passengers on domestic flights in the 2006–07 fiscal year.Its main base is Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.

AIR INDIA - India

Air India is a state-owned flag carrier of the Republic of India. It operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Europe and North America. It is India's oldest and largest airline. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman Point in South Mumbai. It is the 16th largest airline in Asia. Air India has two major domestic hubs at Delhi and Mumbai respectively and one international hub at Frankfurt. London acts as a focus city for the airline.

ARIANA AIRLINES - Afhanistan

Ariana Afghan Airlines Co. Ltd. is the oldest and the national airline of Afghanistan, and is currently the largest Afghan airline, headquartered in Kabul. The airline operates domestic and international passenger services.It is wholly-owned by the Afghan government, with its main base in Kabul International Airport.

ASIANA AIRLINES - South Korea

Asiana Airlines Inc. is one of South Korea's two major airlines, along with Korean Air. Asiana has its headquarters in Asiana Town in Osoe-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Asiana is one of six airlines to receive a five-star rating from Skytrax. The airline has its domestic hub at Gimpo International Airport and its international hub at Incheon International Airport (70 kilometres (43 mi) from central Seoul).

BIMAN BANGLADESH - Bangladesh

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Bangladesh. Its main hub is at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, and also operates flights from Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, earning revenue from the connecting service to Osmani International Airport in Sylhet. Biman provides international passenger and cargo service to Asia and Europe, as well as major domestic routes. It has air service agreements with 42 countries, but only flies to 16. The airline was wholly owned and managed by the Government of Bangladesh until 23 July 2007, when it was transformed into the country's largest public limited company by the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh. The airline's headquarters, Balaka Bhaban, is located in Kurmitola, Dhaka.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS - Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific Airways  is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub at Hong Kong International Airport; the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place. The airline's operations include scheduled passenger and cargo services to 114 destinations in 36 countries worldwide, including codeshares and joint ventures, with a fleet of 126 wide-body aircraft, consisting of Airbus A330s and A340s, Boeing 747s and 777s. The airline also operates fifth freedom flights from Bangkok and Taipei, its major focus cities. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dragonair, operates to 29 destinations in the Asia-Pacific region from its Hong Kong base. In 2009, Cathay Pacific and Dragonair operated 56,000 flights, carrying nearly 25 million passengers and over 1.52 billion kg of cargo and mail.

CEBU AIR - Philippines

Cebu Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific Air, is Asia's third-largest low-cost airline based on the grounds of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Manila Terminal 3), Pasay City, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations. Cebu Pacific Air is currently the country's leading domestic carrier, serving the most domestic destinations with the largest number flights and routes, and equipped with the youngest fleet. Its main base is Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, with other hubs at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Francisco Bangoy International Airport and Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

CHINA AILINES - China

China Airlines (CAL) is the flag carrier of the Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan). The airline is not directly state-owned but is 54% owned by the China Aviation Development Foundation which is owned by the Republic of China. Unlike other state-owned companies in the Republic of China, the chairperson of China Airlines does not report to the Legislative Yuan.

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES - China

China Southern Airlines is an airline headquartered in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China. It is regarded as the "flag carrier" for Southern China. China Southern operates domestic, regional and international services. In 2008, China Southern was the world's 5th largest airline by passengers carried, and Asia's largest airline in terms of both fleet size and in passengers carried. It is also the 4th largest airline in the world in domestic passenger traffic and 6th largest in scheduled domestic passenger-kilometres flown. China Southern carries more domestic cargo than any other airline. It is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

EMIRATES AIRLINES - United Arab Emirates

Emirates Airline is the largest major airline in the Middle East. It is the national airline of Dubai, United Arab Emirates and operates over 2,400 passenger flights per week, from its hub at Dubai International Airport Terminal 3, to 105 cities in 62 countries across 6 continents , the company also operates three of the ten world's longest non-stop commercial flights from Dubai to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston, with all except San Francisco on the Boeing 777-200LR. The flight to San Francisco is currently served by a Boeing 777-300ER. Emirates is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, which has over 50,000 employees, and is wholly-owned by the Government of Dubai directly under the Investment Corporation of Dubai.Cargo activities are undertaken by the Emirates Group's Emirates SkyCargo division.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Etihad Airways is the flag carrier airline of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Etihad is the Arabic abbreviation for الإمارات العربية المتحدة – United Arab Emirates. Established in 2003, Etihad commenced operation on November later that year.

The airline operates close to 147 daily flights to 64 destinations in 42 countries, via a fleet of 54 aircraft. Its operation is heavily centered in Europe and Asia, as well as Oceania, Africa and North America. Its main base is Abu Dhabi International Airport, with its head office in Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi.

EVA AIR - TAIWAN

EVA Airways Corporation (pronounced "E-V-A Air(ways) is an airline based at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, Taiwan operating passenger and dedicated cargo services to over 40 international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. EVA Air is largely privately owned and flies a fully international route network. It is the second largest Taiwanese airline, next in size to its main rival, China Airlines. EVA Air is headquartered in Lujhu, Taoyuan County.

GARUDA INDONESIA - Indonesia

Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier and national airline of Indonesia. It is named after the mystical, giant bird Garuda of Hinduism and Buddhist mythology. It is headquartered at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, near Jakarta.

According to the sacred texts of Hinduism and Hindu mythology, Garuda is the carrier of the God Vishnu; a representation of Garuda appears in the coat of arms of Indonesia. The airline's main hub is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, and the airline also has a hub at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali. The airline flies to a number of destinations in Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Australia. It also previously flew to several destinations in North America. From June 2007, Garuda, along with all Indonesian airlines, was banned from flying to the EU. However, this ban has been lifted since July 2009.

GMG AIRLINES - Bangladesh

GMG Airlines is a private airline of Bangladesh with its head office in the AAA Tower in Nikunjo-2 Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is Bangladesh's largest and oldest private airline operating domestic, regional, and international services, upholding the image of Bangladesh to the world. Its main bases are Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, and Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong. On 17 June 2009, Beximco Group bought a stake in GMG Airlines and has injected cash in the airline.

GULF AIR - Bahrain

Gulf Air  is the principal flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Headquartered in Muharraq, adjacent to Bahrain International Airport, the airline operates scheduled services to 45 destinations in 28 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe. Its main base is Bahrain International Airport. and major destinations include London, Paris, Dubai and Mumbai.

The airline is part of the Oneworld global explorer fare. It has extensive codeshare agreements with other airlines and special partnerships with Jet Airways and Oman Air's Frequent Flyer Programs.

IRAN AIR-Iran

Iran Air or Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations. Its main bases are the Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport for international flights and Tehran Mehrabad Airport for domestic flights . It is headquartered on the grounds of Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.

ANGKOR AIRWAYS -Cambodia

Angkor Airways Corporation is a defunct airline based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This carrier started service in 2004 and had been substantially invested by Taiwan's Far Eastern Air Transport(FAT) as its subsidiary to make use of the Angkor International Airport in Siem Reap as its hub and as a fast transit station between Taiwan and People's Republic of China(where direct flights between the 2 locations were banned due to the political status of Taiwan), while meantime also operated some charter flights in the East Asia and Southeast Asia region. All its fleets were wet leased from the FAT.

JAPAN AIRLINES LTD - Japan

Japan Airlines International Co., Ltd. (JAL) is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. Flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport, as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport. The airline and four of its subsidiaries (J-Air, JAL Express, JALways, and Japan Transocean Air) are members of the Oneworld airline alliance.

With Regards
Salim Kalladi