2016 in review: Routesonline's most read

The growth of major European airlines, ongoing developments within Gulf carriers, and exclusive interviews with key industry figures all make the top ten for the most-read stories of 2016.

Aircraft stories, most notably concerning the big birds, also proved attractive for Routesonline’s audience of airline, airports and suppliers.

1 Virgin Atlantic considers new low-cost Gatwick offshoot
2 Emirates reveals new A380 interior for ultra-long-haul routes
3 World Routes Interview: Malaysia Airlines plans possible A380 wet-lease operation
4 Norwegian set to open up to four 737MAX bases for 2017 transatlantic growth
5 IAG boss sees place for A380 in Iberia and Aer Lingus fleets
6 Ryanair closes Alghero and Pescara bases due to local tax hike
7 CityJet set to open up to four aircraft operation at London Southend
8 Qatar Airways reveals curious list of future routes for 2017 and 2018
9 Where is Norwegian’s latest long-haul base?
10 Singapore Airlines to switch Houston stopover from Moscow to Manchester
11 The A350-1000 takes flight, but where does the A350 currently fly?
12 SWISS outlines initial Bombardier C Series Routes
13 Tianjin Airlines confirms London as first long-haul destination
14 Virgin Atlantic boosts Transatlantic offering from Manchester
15 American Airlines to deploy Dreamliner to Manchester
16 British Airways enhances its Gulf drive
17 Broken Dreams - has the hub-buster been busted at Routes Europe?
18 The curious case of the Qantas 787-9
19 Emirates has good feeling for Florida potential
20 The Dreamliner effect on route development
21 Delta and Virgin Atlantic in Transatlantic route reshuffle
22 The Chinese Dragon roars in the UK
23 Ryanair to fly from Oslo’s international hub as it closes Rygge base
24 UK airports vie for new routes after relaxation of UK-China bilateral
25 Lufthansa boosts Munich long-haul flying ahead of A350 delivery
26 Norwegian set to fly long-haul from Edinburgh
27 Viva prepares for new Latin American airline launch
28 Indirect traffic: The key to new routes?
29 bmi regional in market for larger aircraft
30 Dublin - London now the busiest city pair in Europe
31 Emirates hits double-digit daily services on London route
32 British Airways adds longest direct route with Santiago return
33 Qatar Airways plans Las Vegas debut ahead of Routes Americas
34 JetBlue hints at transatlantic flights as it boosts A321 order
35 Chengdu adds nine more long-haul routes in World Routes signing
36 Qatar Airways announces network expansion
37 OpenSkies adds widebodies as 767 joins current 757 fleet
38 TAP gets support from Azul for fleet renewal and TAP Express launch
39 Salam Air set for Oman LCC birth
40 Qatar Airways to steal Emirates title of world’s longest commercial flight
41 Norwegian finally gets US decision: they will fly under Norwegian Air International
42 Ryanair’s German expansion hits a major hub
43 easyJet opens new Barcelona and Venice bases as network growth continues
44 ANA announce ground-breaking new route
45 Etihad shrinks in San Francisco to develop in Dallas
46 Qantas takes its biggest hop on the Kangaroo route between Australia and UK
47 Garuda confirms Indonesia’s new direct link from London Heathrow
48 Flying under the radar - HNA Group continues airline spending spree
49 UK start-up plans socially responsible way to POP to India
50 WOW air explores new markets ahead of Airbus neo arrivals