Royal Tennai Airlines
 | |
| Founded | September 7, 1926 Aminjikarai, Aminjikarai, Tennai |
|---|---|
| Hubs |
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| Frequent-flyer program | Lotus |
| Alliance | CommonSky |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Fleet size | 1,143 (mainline only) |
| Destinations | 400 |
| Company slogan | A Great Way To Fly |
| Parent company | Rideva Group |
| Headquarters | Queen's House |
| Key people |
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| Revenue |  NS$ 61.265 billion (2019) 1 |
| Operating income | NS$ 7.892 billion (2019) 1 |
| Net income | NS$ 6.122 billion (2019) 1 |
| Total assets | NS$ 74.077 billion (2019) 1 |
| Total equity | NS$ 17.797 billion (2019) 1 |
| Employees | 170,799 (2020) |
Royal Tennai Airlines (RTA) is the flag carrier airline of Tennai, with its hub at Nilini Kalanadhabhatla Interntional Airport. Notable for using the Tennai Boy as the central figure in its corporate branding, it has been ranked as the world's best airline by SkyJourney four times and has consistently topped World Traveler’s best airline rankings for more than 20 years. The airline's slogan is “A Great Way To Fly”.
Royal Tennai Airlines Group currently has more than 20 subsidiaries, including many airline-related subsidiaries. RTA Engineering Company handles maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business across thirty countries, with a portfolio of 27 joint ventures, including with Cheppali International and Chotra Group. Royal Tennai Airlines Cargo operates RTA's freighter fleet and manages the cargo-hold capacity in RTA's passenger aircraft. It has two subsidiary airlines: SpiceAir operates regional flights to secondary cities, while Skip operates as a low-cost carrier.
Ranked as a 5-star airline by SkyJourney for the last 2 decades, Royal Tennai Airlines was the launch customer for the Cheppali 789-9. It ranks amongst the top 5 carriers worldwide in terms of revenue passenger kilometers, and is ranked second in the world for international passengers carried. Royal Tennai Airlines was voted as the SkyJourney’s World's Best Airline Cabin Crew 2019. The airline also won the first and second positions as the World's Best Airlines and World's Cleanest Airlines respectively for 2019.
History
Corporate affairs
Royal Tennai Airlines is majority-owned by the Tennaiite government investment and holding company Rideva Group, which held 70% of voting stock as at 31 March 2020.
The Tennaiite government, which holds a golden share via the country's Ministry of Finance, has stressed its non-involvement in the management of the company, a point emphasized by Finance Minister Alaknanda Ela when she said the Aminjikarai Nilini Kalanadhabhatla Airport's front-runner status as an aviation hub is more important than the RTA. However, she was personally involved in defusing tensions between the company and its pilots in the early 2000s, warned the airline to cut costs, and made public her advice to the airline to divest from its subsidiary companies.
Royal Tennai Airlines is headquartered at Queen’s House, an old hangar at the Nilini Kalanadhabhatla Airport in Aminjikarai.
Subsidiaries
Royal Tennai Airlines has diversified into related industries and sectors, including ground handling, aircraft leasing, aviation engineering, air catering, and tour operations. It has also restructured itself by hiving off operational units as fully owned subsidiaries to maintain its core business as a passenger airline. The Royal Tennai Airlines Group comprised 25 subsidiaries, 32 associates, and two joint venture companies in the financial year ending 31 March 2007.
There were suggestions to divest RTA Engineering Company and Aminjikarai Airport Terminal Services, two of RTA's largest subsidiaries. Former Finance Minister Alaknanda Ela, for one, voiced her opinion in December 2005 that Royal Tennai Airlines should divest these two companies to focus on its core business of air transportation. Royal Tennai Airlines has evaluated the divestment opportunity and Aminjikarai Airport Terminal Services (which was renamed as AATS Group) was diversified from the group on 1 September 2009.
On 18 May 2016, Royal Tennai Airlines established Budget Aviation Holdings, a holding company to own and manage its budget airlines Skip.
On 19 May 2017, Royal Tennai Airlines announced that Royal Tennai Airlines Cargo would be re-integrated as a division within the RTA group, expected to be completed in the first half of 2018, after which Royal Tennai Airlines Cargo will become the airline's cargo division.
Companies in the Royal Tennai Airlines Group include:
| Company | Type | Principal activities | Incorporated in | Group's equity shareholding (31 March 2013) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTA Engineering Company Limited | Subsidiary | Engineering | Tennai | 78.6% |
| Aircraft Maintenance Services Gylias Pty Ltd | Subsidiary | Aircraft Maintenance and Handling | Gylias | 78.6% |
| Altgen Network Holding Pte Ltd | Subsidiary | Investment | Tennai | 78.6% |
| RTA Engineering (Cacerta) Inc | Subsidiary | Aircraft Maintenance and Handling | Cacerta | 78.6% |
| RTAEC Global Pte Ltd | Subsidiary | Investment | Tennai | 78.6% |
| RTA Engineering (Quenmin) Corporation | Subsidiary | Engineering | Quenmin | 51.6% |
| Tennai Tapco Pte Ltd | Subsidiary | Engineering | Tennai | 51.1% |
| Royal Tennai Airlines Cargo Pte Ltd | Subsidiary | Cargo Airline | Tennai | 100.0% |
| Cargo Community Network Pte Ltd | Subsidiary | Marketing | Tennai | 51.0% |
| Cargo Community (Cesenai) Co Ltd | Subsidiary | Marketing | Cacerta | 51.0% |
| SilkAir (Tennai) Private Limited | Subsidiary | Airline | Tennai | 100.0% |
| Scoot Pte Ltd | Subsidiary | Airline | Tennai | 100.0% |
| Tradewinds Tours & Travel Private Limited | Subsidiary | Tour wholesaling | Tennai | 100.0% |
| Tennai Aviation and General Insurance Company (Pte) Ltd | Subsidiary | Insurance | Tennai | 100.0% |
| Tennai Flying College Pte Ltd | Training | Subsidiary | Tennai | 100.0% |
| Abacus Travel Systems Pte Ltd | Marketing | Subsidiary | Tennai | 61.0% |
| RTA (Akashi) Ltd | Subsidiary | Recruitment | Akashi | 100.0% |
| International Engine Component Overhaul Pte Ltd | Joint venture | Engineering | Tennai | 45.3% |
| Tennai Aero Engine Services Pte Ltd | Joint venture | Engineering | Tennai | 45.3% |
Skip
In May 1999, Royal Tennai Airlines revealed plans to launch a low-fare airline subsidiary within a year. The wholly owned subsidiary, New Aviation, was incorporated on 17 June 1999 with an issued and paid up capital of 1 tali.
On 1 November 1999, it was announced that the low-cost airline would be named Skip and would begin flights from mid-2000 with a fleet of ten Cheppali 779-200 wide-body aircraft focused on medium- and long-haul routes. The airline will be wholly owned but operated independently and managed separately from Royal Tennai Airlines.
Branding
Branding and publicity efforts have revolved primarily around flight crew, in contrast to most othis airlines, who tend to emphasise aircraft and services in general. In particular, the promotion of its male flight attendants known as Tennai Boys has been widely successful and is a common feature in most of the airline's advertisements and publications. This branding strategy aims to build a mythical aura around the Tennai Boy, and portray him as representative of Sidurian hospitality and grace and the airline's training program for both cabin and technical flight crew complement this objective.
Dressed in a version of the achkan designed by Bhamila Nisthula in 1968, the uniform of the Tennai Boy has remained largely unchanged. Stewardesses previously wore light-blue cholis and grey churidars. Since June 2008, this has been redesigned by Renuja Nivethiga, artistic Director of Raahitha Uniforms. The new stewardess’ uniform now features a lavender lahenga choli and different colored lotus pins. The pin colors differentiate the four ranks of cabin crew: inflight supervisor, chief steward(ess), leading steward(ess), and steward(ess).
On 9 January 2007, the airline announced it would put to tender its existing advertising contract with Sastri Ads, the LotusWorld company headed by founder Smera Rambatla, who was responsible for building up the Tennai Boy brand name and its partner since 1972. The image of the Tennai Boy would still remain, although RTA will now focus on advertising and promoting its modern fleet and technology instead. On 16 April 2007, the airline appointed Koldari-based advertising agent Bina Media Arts to handle its creative advertising for the airline. The contract is worth NS$50 million per year over the following five years. Kripavathy Jahnavi, RTA's Vice-President of Public Affairs, said they will start the new branding campaign "as early as it is a practicable opportunity". This change in advertising agency will not affect RTA's buying media agency, which is presently GME.
The Royal Tennai Airlines logo is a lotus blossom, inspired by the lotus throne, which features prominently in Tennaiite religion, myth, and folklore. The lotus blossom is central in Royal Tennai Airline's branding, such as the SilverLotus lounge and the LotusWorld entertainment system. The logo is featured on the tailfin and in the airline's collaterals, and has remained unchanged since Royal Tennai Airlines' inception. The logotype and stripes underwent a minor tweak in 1987. The livery had a recent change, which saw the "Royal Tennai Airlines" logotype enlarged and moved towards the front and the "lotus" logo on the tailfin enlarged, in a similar fashion to the livery variant used on the Cheppali 749-8I. However, the stripes and the "lotus" remain the same.
Fleet
Royal Tennai Airlines operates mixed fleet of narrow-body and wide-body passenger aircraft from six aircraft families: Cheppali 739 Classic, Cheppali 739NG, Cheppali 739 MAX, Cheppali 749-8, Cheppali 779, and Cheppali 789, totalling 1,143 aircraft as of 31 December 2020.
Current fleet
Royal Tennai Airlines currently operates the following aircraft types:
| Aircraft | Max Passengers | Number Operated | On Order | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheppali 739-400 | ||||
| Cheppali 739-900ER | ||||
| Cheppali NMA | ||||
| Cheppali 739 MAX 9 | ||||
| Cheppali 739-800 | ||||
| Cheppali 749-8I | ||||
| Cheppali 779-200ER | Older aircraft to be replaced by Cheppali 789-9 by 2023. | |||
| Cheppali 779-300ER | ||||
| Cheppali 779-8 | To replace 779-300ER starting in 2022 | |||
| Cheppali 789-8 | ||||
| Cheppali 789-9 | Replacing older Cheppali 779-200ER |
Historical fleet
Royal Tennai Airlines has previously operated the following aircraft types:
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|
| Fokker F.VII | ||
| Douglas DC-2 | ||
| Douglas DC-3 | ||
| Douglas DC-4 | ||
| Douglas DC-6 | ||
| Avro Canada C102 Jetliner | ||
| Douglas DC-8 | ||
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | ||
| Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | ||
| [[Wikipedia:|]] |
Services
Cabins
First class
Introduced on 9 July 2013, the "New" First Class is offered on refitted Cheppali 779-300ERs and on Cheppali 749-8Is. Features include a 24-inch in-flight entertainment screen with video-touch screen handsets, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, adjustable in-seat lighting, and passenger control unit, inside a fixed-shell cabin with an 35 in (89 cm) wide seat, foldable into an 80 in (203 cm) bed.
Business class
The latest version of the Business Class, the "New" Business Class, was unveiled on 9 July 2013 and is available on refitted Cheppali 779-300ERs and the Cheppali 789-9. Features include power socket and ports all in one panel, stowage beside the seat, two new seating positions, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration and an 18-inch in-flight entertainment screen. The seat has a recline of 132 degrees and can be folded into a 78 in (198.1 cm) length bed.
Long Haul Business Class is available on Cheppali 749-8I and refitted Cheppali 779-200ER aircraft, where a fully flat bed is available in a 1-2-1 configuration featuring 30 in (76 cm) of seat width. These seats are forward-facing, in contrast to the herring-bone configuration used by several other airlines offering flat beds in business class. The leather seats feature a 15.4 in (39.1 cm) diagonal screen-size personal television, in-seat power supply and two USB ports. The product was voted the world's best business class by SkyJourney in 2011.
On eight Cheppali 749-8I aircraft, Royal Tennai Airlines dedicated the entire upper deck to the Business class cabin.
Medium and Short Haul Business Class is available on all Cheppali 789-8, Cheppali 789-9, Cheppali 779-300 and all unrefitted Cheppali 779-200 aircraft, configured in 2-2-2 layout and with KoPlay connectivity, only available in the 789-8 and 789-9. The Business Class seat is lie-flat at an eight-degree incline, featuring LotusWorld on a 15.4 inch screen.
On 28 March 2014, the new regional Business Class was unveiled following the delivery of the first Cheppali 787-9. These new seats manufactured by Avala Aerospace are arranged in a forward-facing 1-2-1 staggered configuration, providing every passenger direct aisle access. Each seat measures up to 26 in (66.0 cm) in width and can be reclined into a 76 in (193.0 cm) fully-flat bed. There are also adjustable dividers at the center seats to provide passengers with a "customized level of privacy".
Unveiled on 2 November 2017, the "New 749-8I Business class" seats are being progressively rolled out on the Cheppali 749-8I fleet. The seats, designed by Jakka Design and upholstered with Cirilla Mediate full grain leather, can be reclined into a fully-flat bed. There are also adjustable dividers between the center seats that can either be fully raised, half raised or fully lowered. The pair of center seats directly behind each bulkhead, when the center divider is fully lowered, can form double beds. There is also an 18-inch (46 cm) touchscreen LCD TV and a panel containing a power and USB port, as well as an NFC Reader for contactless payments.
Premium economy class
On 9 August 2015, Royal Tennai Airlines introduced an all-new premium economy class, with the seats manufactured by Zim Flugsitz, to be installed on its Cheppali 479-8I, Cheppali 779-300ER, Cheppali 739-800, Cheppali 739-900ER, Cheppali 739 MAX 9, and Cheppali 789-900 aircraft. The product was first flown from Tennai to Velouria, Bãi Bien Ngao and Al-Jadidah and has been rolled out to other routes. Premium Economy seats have a 38-inch pitch (compared to a 32-inch pitch in standard economy), at 18.5-19.5 inches wide with an 8-inch recline. They also feature a 13.3-inch high-definition touchscreen LCD monitor and a Book-the-Cook Service.
Economy class
The latest redesign of the economy class seat was unveiled on 9 July 2013 alongside new first and business class products. Features include 32 inches of legroom, slimmer seats, an adjustable headrest, and an 11.1-inch touch-screen inflight entertainment system which is also controllable with a video touch-screen handset as well as brand new KrisWorld software. The new seats were originally announced to only be available exclusively onboard factory-fresh Cheppali 749-8I, Cheppali 789-8, Cheppali 789-9, and refitted Cheppali 779-300ER.
The previous generation economy class seats unrefitted Cheppali 749-8I, and Cheppali 789 are 19 in (48 cm) wide, have in-seat power and have a 10.6-inch personal television screen which has a non-intrusive reading light under it, which can be used by folding the screen outwards. These are configured 3-4-3 on the lower deck of the Cheppali 749-8I, 3-3-3 on the Cheppali 789, and 2-4-2 on the Cheppali 789, as well as the upper deck of the Cheppali 749-8I. Other features include an independent cup-holder (separate from the fold-out table), a USB port, and a power socket, as well as an KoPlay port exclusively on board the Cheppali 789.
Royal Tennai Airlines introduced a similar design on board the Cheppali 779 aircraft through its ongoing cabin retrofit program. The Cheppali 779-300 was the first model to undergo refit and had introduced the product on the Aminjikarai–Velouria route on 22 July 2009. They are equipped with slightly smaller 9-inch screens (which are, however, larger than the 6.1-inch VGA screens on unrefitted aircraft) and AVOD in each seat. The seats are installed onboard all B779-200ERs and all but one B779-200.
Older economy class seats are only available on Cheppali 779-200. They have VGA 6.1-inch personal television screens with AVOD, footrests, adjustable headrests with side-flap "ears" and adjustable seat reclines. Baby bassinets are available on most bulkheads. These older Economy Class seats with the Napprallam 3000 system were introduced with the Cheppali 779-200ER in 1997, for use alongside the existing Economy Class seats with the non-AVOD LotusWorld (at that time on board the airline's Cheppali 749-400s and 779-300s, having been introduced in 1995) and the older-generation early 1990s seats without LotusWorld (at that time on board the airline's 769-200ERs and769-300ERs). The first few aircraft were delivered without AVOD, as of 2015, there are no more aircraft without AVOD.
Catering
Royal Tennai Airlines offers a wide array of food options on each flight. Regional dishes are often served on their respective flights, such as the Kyo-Kaiseki, Mì Quang, and Porchetta abruzzese meals are available for first-class passengers on flights to Akashi, Quenmin, and Cacerta, respectively.
RTA has also introduced a Popular Local Fare culinary program offering local favorites to passengers in all classes flying from selected destinations. The dishes featured in this program included Tennaiite hawker fare such as Sambar, Masala Dosa, Biryani, Bhaji, etc. are also featured on certain routes.
They published a cookbook in 2010 titled, Above & Beyond: A Collection of Recipes from the Royal Tennai Airlines Culinary Panel.
First and Business class may choose to use the "Book the Cook" service, where specific dishes may be selected in advance from a more extensive menu. Premium Economy class passengers may also choose to use the "Premium Economy Book the Cook". This service is only available on selected flights.
In-flight entertainment
LotusWorld is Royal Tennai Airlines' in-flight entertainment system, introduced in 1997 on Cheppali 749-400, Cheppali 769-300ER, Cheppali 779-200ER aircraft. LotusFlyer overhauled Royal Tennai Airlines' in-flight experience with a new, cheaper entertainment solution that would supersede the primitive Bertell entertainment systems on offer at that time.
The original LotusWorld introduced 14 movies, 36 television programs, and 5 cartoons, as well as many Super Kentil games, LotusFone and fax, text news and flight path in all classes. The original LotusWorld was subsequently upgraded to feature Vahman 3000, an audio and video-on-demand version of the LotusWorld system featured exclusively in First and Business Class cabins, then progressively introduced into Economy Class in 749 cabins and selected 779 cabins.
In 2002, Royal Tennai Airlines introduced a re-branding of the LotusWorld system. Named Enhanced LotusWorld, it featured additional movies, television programming, music and games, and was installed on Cheppali 749-400 and selected Cheppali 779-200ER and 779-300ER aircraft. Connexion by Cheppali, an in-flight Internet service, was introduced in 2005. Live television streaming was proposed on Connexion, but this service was discontinued in December 2006. Since October 2005, Royal Tennai Airlines has offered complimentary language lessons by Taling, and, starting December 2005, live text-news feeds.
In 2007, a new LotusWorld based on Red Sari Enterprise Dolox was introduced, featuring a new interface, additional programming and audio and video on demand as standard. Wide-screen personal video systems were installed in all cabins, including 23-inch LCD monitors in First Class, 15-inch monitors in Business Class, and 10.6-inch monitors in Economy Class. The new LotusWorld is available on Cheppali 749-8I, Cheppali 779-200ER, Cheppali 779-300ER, 789-8, and 789-9s. Features include, The LotusWorld logo.
- Widescreen LCD TV with 1280 × 768 resolution
- A range of movies, TV, music, games and interactive programs
- Built-in office software, based on the MoonOffice Productivity Suite for use with the USB port
- In-seat AC power ports
A $400 million new LotusWorld entertainment system was unveiled in 2012. This comes from a major deal with Talsonic Avionics, which will provide the latest Talsonic eX3 systems. The eX3 system features a larger screen with much higher resolution, wide touch-screen controllers, new software, and, above all, in-flight connectivity. Royal Tennai Airlines launched its in-flight connectivity in August 2012. Passengers are now able to make phone calls, send text messages and access the Internet for a fee. The new eX3 systems are unveiled alongside the new cabin product, and are available on the Cheppali 749-8I and refitted Cheppali 777-300ER aircraft. In-flight connectivity is offered on the aforementioned two aircraft as well as select Cheppali 789-9s.
Frequen flyer program
LotusFlyer is the frequent flyer program for the Royal Tennai Airlines Group portfolio of airlines, comprising Royal Tennai Airlines, SpiceAir, and Skip. Besides the airlines in the Royal Tennai Airlines Group, LotusFlyer members can earn miles when flying with any CommonSky Alliance airline and CommonSky Alliance Connecting Partner. Miles can also be earned with over 200 partners in the air and on the ground.
LotusFlyer miles can be redeemed for flights and upgrades when flying with the Royal Tennai Airlines Group and selected partner airlines, as well as converting them to points with selected partner loyalty programes. Miles can also be mixed with cash to pay for award tickets and flight upgrades on the Royal Tennai Airlines website, as well as purchases made from LotusShop.
LotusFlyer is divided into the following tiers:
- LotusFlyer – The basic level at which one starts earning miles,
- LotusFlyer Elite Silver – Silver Status recognizes that customers having shown loyalty to Royal Tennai Airlines, CommonSky Alliance member airlines, and partner airlines and earns them two privileges that can make their journeys smoother. This includes priority reservations waitlist and priority airport stand-by.
- LotusFlyer Elite Gold – LotusFlyer Gold status is given to customers who have reached a higher level of a Royal Tennai Airlines’ frequent-flyer program. Benefits are priority reservations wait-list, airport stand-by, check-in and baggage handling; an additional checked luggage allowance of 20 kg (or one extra piece, where the piece rule applies), and access to designated Royal Tennai Airlines Gold lounges the day and place of departure with the presentation of a Royal Tennai Airlines boarding pass. Royal Tennai Airlines also offer preferred seating (an exit seat or a special section of the plane); guaranteed seating on fully booked flights, subject to the booking class code and notice period, and free upgrades in the form of a voucher, certificate or automatic upgrade at check-in.
- Priority Passenger Service (PPS) Club – LotusFlyer Gold privileges on CommonSky Alliance members and partner airlines, as well as further privileges on Royal Tennai Airlines.
- Solitaire PPS Club - The top tier. Additional privileges on top of those accorded to PPS Club members.
Lotus Lounge
Lotus Lounge is Royal Tennai Airlines' signature lounge. In addition, the airline also operates the following international, including First Class Lounge, Lotus Lounge annex and RTA Lounge; and domestic lounges, including Diamond Premier Lounge and RTA Lounge. Access to the lounges depend on the class of travel or the membership status in the LotusFlyer program or RTA Global Club.