Carry on: Terracotta army comes closer, Virgin long-haul revamp and more

Terracotta Army marches closer
China’s famed buried army of terracotta soldiers dating back to 210 years BCE will be easier to visit by the end of this year. Shenzhen-based Hainan Airlines will start a new service to Auckland from December 31, with a Xi’an-Shenzhen-Auckland routing. Emperor Qin’s mausoleum was discovered in 1974 and is now one of China’s main tourist attractions. Xi’an is the oldest of China’s four ancient capitals and was once known as Chang’an. It is at the start of the Silk Road across China’s northwest. Hainan Airlines is affiliated with Hong Kong Airlines (see next item) and is the third Chinese airline that will start services to Auckland before the end of this year. 

Hong Kong Airlines boosts flights
The new Hong Kong Airlines service to Auckland is being expanded before it has even started. The daily service starts on November 10 and will now operate 10 times weekly from December 10 to February 12 using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The airline has also announced its new Hong Kong-Seoul Incheon route will launch on December 16, using A320/330 aircraft.

Virgin revamps long-haul network
Virgin Australia plans to launch a new Perth-Abu Dhabi service and will resume nonstop flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles. Perth-Abu Dhabi will operate three times weekly with Airbus A330-200s from June 9, 2017, while Melbourne-Los Angeles will run five times a week with Boeing 777-300ERs from April 4, 2017. Virgin is also dropping its three times a week Sydney-Abu Dhabi flights from February 4, 2017, and reducing Brisbane-Los Angeles from daily to six times weekly.

Air New Zealand takes Dreamliner to Vietnam
For the 2017 season, from June 24 to October 25, Air New Zealand will operate two non-stop services a week from Auckland to Ho Chi Minh City using the 302 seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in four seating options: Business Premier, Premium Economy, Economy and Economy Skycouch.

New Korean carrier in Cairns
Part Auckland Airport-owned Cairns Airport is getting another Asia carrier. Jin Air plans to introduce its first operation to Australia with a twice-weekly Seoul Incheon-Cairns service. It will be operated by a Boeing 777 and initially run from December 14 to February 5, 2017.

Thai further delays A350 debut
Thai Airways International has further delayed planned its Airbus A350-900XWB debut on the Bangkok-Melbourne route. It was due to launch on October 1 but this has now been postponed until October 28. Until then, the route will continue to be operated by Boeing 777 aircraft.

Satellite navigation comes closer
A new satellite-supported system designed to replace radar as New Zealand’s main aircraft tracking technology is a step closer. Airways New Zealand has secured French company Thales as a supplier of ground infrastructure for its Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS–B) network. ADS-B uses satellite GPS systems, aircraft transmitters and a network of ground station receivers to follow aircraft with a more precise level of accuracy. With a network of ground receivers installed even in remote locations, the system will detect aircraft in places where there is limited radar coverage, such as behind mountain ranges and at low altitudes in regions such as Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and much of the South Island’s west coast. ADS-B is the global standard for airspace surveillance and its introduction here is a key part of the New Southern Sky programme to modernise the aviation system over the next 10 years. 

Domestic fares rise in Australia
Australian domestic airfares have moved to five-year highs. A monthly report from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics shows the index for business class travel at 95.7 points in September, up from 90 points a year earlier and at its highest level since reaching 107 points in November 2011. The index has risen for the past 13 months on a year-on-year basis.

Air NZ plans new Melbourne lounge
Air New Zealand says it will open its all-new Melbourne Airport lounge in early 2017. It will resemble the new business class lounges that have opened in Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney.

Qatar upgrades Sydney to A380
Qatar Airways will switch from a Boeing 777-300 to an Airbus A380 on its Doha-Sydney route. This represents a 44% increase in seat capacity on a route launched on March 1, 2016. The 517-seat A380 has a tri-class configuration of eight seats in first class, 48 seats in business and 461 in economy. Qatar took delivery of its first A380s six months ago and also flies them from Doha to London and Paris. Qatar Airways will also introduce additional capacity to its two South American gateways from December 1 when it upgrades its existing aircraft operating on the Doha-Sao Paulo and Doha-Buenos Aires route from a Boeing 777-200LR to a Boeing 777-300ER, which has an extra 100 seats.