Air Astana results for the third quarter and nine months 2025: Air Astana announced its results for the third quarter and nine months of 2025, reporting resilient performance with strong revenue and capacity growth. EBITDAR improved through dynamic capacity allocation and effective yield management. Demand remained strong; however, capacity and profitability were affected by Pratt & Whitney unscheduled engine removals, Tenge depreciation, and temporary airport closures. Total revenue and other income increased 10.1% to USD 1,096.8 million (9M 2024: USD 996.5 million). Group passengers carried increased 10.5% to 7.5 million (9M 2024: 6.8 million) with a stable average load factor of 83.0%. Peter Foster, CEO of Air Astana, commented: “We have performed with resilience in the first nine months of the year to grow revenue by 10.1% and improve EBITDAR by 3.5%. This is despite several external challenges which had an outsized impact on the Group’s operations in Q3, our seasonally strongest quarter. While it is frustrating to encounter these issues during our peak season, we are agile operators with a track record of navigating external headwinds.”
Korean Air receives FTE APAC Pioneer Award: Korean Air has been recognised for its leadership in digital transformation and service excellence, earning the 2025 Future Travel Experience (FTE) APAC Pioneer Award and two 2026 APEX Best Awards at the FTE APEX Asia Expo 2025 in Singapore. The FTE APAC Pioneer Award honours the top 10 airlines and airports driving digital innovation in the Asia-Pacific region. Korean Air was recognised for its AI Contact Centre (AICC), a cloud-based platform developed with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that supports service agents by summarising calls and suggesting real-time responses to enhance efficiency and accuracy. Korean Air was also commended for expanding its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) business into AI-based autonomous flight and mission execution. Its collaboration with U.S. defence technology firm Anduril to co-develop autonomous UAVs was highlighted as a model of cross-industry innovation. In addition to the APAC Pioneer Award, Korean Air received Best in Cabin Service and Best in Food & Beverage honors at the 2026 APEX Best Awards for the East Asian region. In September, the airline was also named Best Cabin Service overall and earned the Five-Star Global Airline rating for the ninth consecutive year.
Etihad Guest adds new options: Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, has enhanced its exclusive member experience by allowing every seat to be purchased with miles, and with different layers of flexibility. GuestSeat awards will now be branded as ‘Saver Award’ and provide a low starting price for redemption tickets. These updates are designed to provide members with greater flexibility, transparency, and value when booking flights with Etihad Guest Miles, aligning with Etihad’s commercial fares. The rebrand reflects a more intuitive and relatable way for members to recognise the exclusive value of booking seats at fixed mileage rates. Saver Award seats remain available exclusively to Etihad Guest members offering exceptional value by providing access to every seat at fixed redemption rates. The Saver Award can be redeemed across Etihad’s rapidly expanding network and more than 26 partners, the largest global partnership and frequent flyer network of any non-allied airline; this will soon include Hong Kong Airlines following the signing between the two carriers last week when Etihad launched its route from Hong Kong to Abu Dhabi. In line with the airline’s commercial fares, Etihad Guest will now offer different attributes for guests to choose from, including the option for their award ticket to be fully refundable. In addition, members now can earn Tier Miles on redemption bookings for Comfort and Deluxe fares, starting from 25% up to 50% across all cabins, making it easier for members to progress up through the Etihad Guest tiers faster.
Emirates to launch third daily service to Nairobi: Building on Emirates’ 30th anniversary of operations to Kenya, the world’s largest international airline has announced a third daily flight to Nairobi, commencing 1 March 2026. With the additional frequency, the Kenyan capital will be served with 21 Emirates flights per week, connecting travellers to Dubai, and onwards to the airline’s vast global network of close to 150 destinations. The new flight complements Emirates’ existing schedule into Nairobi, adding an early morning arrival and departure to enhance two-way connectivity with key European destinations, including the UK, France, Norway and Italy, as well as the US. By creating easier access from key markets, the additional frequency will further support Kenya’s tourism goals, which aim to attract 5 million international tourists by 2030. EK717 will depart Dubai at 00:55 hrs, arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 05:05 hrs; the return flight, EK718, will depart Nairobi at 06:50 hrs and arrive in Dubai at 12:50 hrs. In recent months, Emirates has been operating its double daily flights at a healthy seat factor, underlining the growing demand for air travel. The third daily service, operated on a three-class Boeing 777, will boost Emirates’ capacity and provide more access to the airline’s world-class product and services, including its First Class cabins, which Emirates exclusively operates in and out of the city.
Akasa Air set to commence operations from Navi Mumbai International Airport: Akasa Air is set to commence operations from Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). Connecting directly with four Indian cities, Akasa Air will operate its maiden flight between Delhi and Navi Mumbai International Airport on 25 December 2025. This will be followed by the commencement of scheduled flights connecting Navi Mumbai with Goa (eff. 25th December 2025), Delhi and Kochi (eff. 26th December 2025), and Ahmedabad (eff. 31st December 2025). Bookings for flights are now open on Akasa Air’s website www.akasaair.com, Android and iOS app and through multiple leading travel agents. With this, Akasa Air becomes one of the first airlines to commence operations from NMIA, marking a key junction in its growth trajectory. Akasa’s early presence at the airport underscores its commitment to building a future-ready network that is both resilient and scalable. Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, said: “The commencement of operations from Navi Mumbai International Airport represents a landmark moment for Akasa Air and a defining step in India’s aviation evolution. NMIA will serve as a key enabler in establishing a dual-airport ecosystem that enhances connectivity, reliability, and choice for travellers.”
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