Early on this week, aviation entrepreneur Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou announced plans for Fastjet – a start-up rival for established operators such as Ryanair.

But in a curious turn of events, the launch of the service is likely to bring the Athens-born businessman into conflict with the budget airline that he famously founded – easyJet.

Relations between easyJet and Sir Stelios have been decidedly uneasy in the last 18 months.

Despite the fact that the tycoon and their family still own 38 per cent of the airline that he began from the begining in 1995 (with a £5million loan from his shipping-magnate father), discussions involving the two parties have already been icy since Haji-Ioannou resigned from the actual carrier’s board in May 2010 in a row over strategy.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said: ‘By charging for the toilets we are hoping to change passenger behaviour so that they use the bathroom before or after the flight.’That will enable us to remove two out of three of the toilets and make way for at least six extra seats.

I wonder how long it will before disgruntled passengers will simply hold the door open for the next passenger. If this is going to be policed by air staff then that’s extra cost for Ryanair.

Where will they stop? Charging you for oxygen? Make you clean the plane?

Air Asia, the no fills airline of Malaysia had a close shave in Kuching.

An AirAsia aircraft from Kuala Lumpur skidded off the runway as it landed here during heavy rain last night, slightly injuring four passengers.
A passenger, Balai Ringin Assemblyman Snowdan Lawan, said the plane veered sharply to the left and right after it touched down at 10.20pm and then skidded off the runway onto soft ground.

“I was not sure at which section of the runway it skidded as it was raining and dark. When I alighted from the plane, I noticed that the nose-wheel tyre seemed to have been damaged,” he told reporters.

Flight AK5218 of the budget airline had originated from the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Kuala Lumpur.

It is learnt that the four injured passengers were sent to the Sarawak General Hospital for treatment.

Department of Civil Aviation Director-General Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, when contacted, said the department had been notified of the mishap and it had sent its officers, along with AirAsia engineers, to investigate.

He declined to comment further, saying it was understood that the transport minister would issue a press statement on the matter today.

Up to early today, Bernama was unable to verify from the AirAsia representative at the airport here on the number of passengers who were on the flight.

MAB said work to tow the aircraft away from where it had stalled was being undertaken with the assistance of AirAsia engineers but the heavy rain last night had hampered the effort.

AirAsia X will run direct flights between Christchurch and Kuala Lumpur, beginning about next March with four return flights a week.

The airport company says it headed off bids from cities such as Auckland and Sydney for the deal, which, according to an independent study, will be worth at least $70 million a year to Christchurch.

Chief executive Jim Boult says the service will connect Christchurch with many Asian countries using Kuala Lumpur as a hub.

Ensure that if you fly long haul you always have good travel insurance for seniors cover in case of any medical issues.

“We are linked with the fortunes of Asia,” Mr Boult says, “and that’s where the majority of our buisiness is going to come from in the future.

Ryanair reported annual passenger traffic of more than 70 million for the first time today. However, its figures were inflated by close to 1.5 million passengers who did not fly because their flights were cancelled during the ash crisis.

The no-frills giant reported a 13% rise year on year in passengers in July to 7.61 million – the most it has ever carried in a month.

This took its total for the past 12 months to 70.1 million. But the figures are for passengers booked, not carried.

Ryanair revealed 1.45 million were booked on flights that were cancelled “due to the unnecessary closures of parts of European airspace”.

Any trip overseas should be accommpanied by good travel insurance seniors in case you fall ill.

It’s hard to know what fees Ryanair will introduce next but I wouldn’t put it past them charging passengers for getting to their destination alive, says the Daily Mirrir in the UK!

Paying for a Ryanair flight ticket is merely a passport to spend more money.

Priority boarding, luggage fees, scratchcards, sandwiches that taste like scratchcards, you name it Ryanair charge for it. They plan to charge even if you don’t name it.

They’ve threatened for ages to impose a toilet tax so can you imagine what they’ll spread on their sandwiches if that goes ahead? Probably exactly what they spread on them now.

A toilet tax is the 6-4 favourite in the Hills market asking what Ryanair will introduce next. But there’s heavy support – from 10-1 to 8-1 – for a pounds-for-pounds charge, where the heavier you are the more you pay.

If you are travelling around  europe then ensure you have travel insurance for the over 70s to cover you.

They will probably start charging for oxygen next!

Egypt’s first budget airline, Air Arabia Egypt, took to the air Tuesday, with its first international flight leaving the northern city of Alexandria for the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

The company, a joint venture between the UAE-based Air Arabia and Egypt’s Travco Group, said it plans to launch other services to Kuwait, Amman and Beirut.

Air Arabia’s 2010 first quarter profits decreased by around 51 percent to 50 million UAE dirhams (around $13.6 million), compared to same period in 2009, due to higher fuel prices and pressure on yield margins.

The World’s largest budget airline group hopes to offset the free fares, estimated to cost at least 2 billion baht, with earnings from optional services such as in-flight food and beverages and priority boarding.

Thai AirAsia chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld yesterday said the offer was primarily aimed at creating “excitement” in the Thai and regional tourism markets.

If you are travelling to asia ensure you take out travel insurance over 80 to all destinations, particularly if you are a senior.

The free seats will raise the carrier’s load factor from Jan 3 to May 8, 2011, when travel under the promotion is permitted, said an industry source.

Continental was the last among its major competitors to hang on to the free meal concept in economy class, after the pressures of the economic downturn forced many to withdraw the service.

The carrier will continue to offer snacks such as pretzels and non-alcoholic drinks for free, but will charge for meals on domestic flights under six hours long. Longer-haul passengers and those in first or business class will still be offered free food.