Friday's Route Development Briefs
British Airways Adds to Nice Offering
British Airways (BA) is to launch a three times daily service between London Gatwick and Nice from March 25, 2012, complementing its existing seven times daily flight (eight at weekends) from London Heathrow. The route is already served by easyJet three times daily with a current demand of around 311,000 O&D passenger a year. BA currently has a 44.5 per cent share of the 993,000 O&D passengers that fly between London and Nice, a city pair that it also serves daily from London City through its CityFlyer subsidiary. But, easyJet dominates the route and its share of the market is growing and the new London Gatwick service will go some way to helping BA compete more effectively with its low-cost rival.
Air Canada and SriLankan Airlines Launch Codeshare
Air Canada and SriLankan Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement that will make flying between Canada and Sri Lanka more convenient. The new partnership will allow travellers to make connections between the two airlines’ services on a single ticket itinerary, with checked-through baggage and other benefits that will create a seamless travel experience. The travel market between Canada and Sri Lanka has been growing at a double-digit rate and this agreement will allow efficient connections between North America and the Indian sub-continent at European gateways such as Frankfurt, London and Paris. Canada is home to Sri Lanka's largest expatriate community.
Air Pacific’s New 737-800 Brings Network Changes
Fijian carrier Air Pacific this week christened the newest member of its fleet in a ceremony attended by dignitaries, members of the business and tourist community and employees and their families. The Boeing 737-800 is the first new aircraft added to Air Pacific’s fleet since 2003 and is due to enter passenger service next month. It will be used to boost the airline’s operations bringing more frequent flights between Nadi and Sydney and enhancing connections to Fiji’s outer islands and resorts and will replace its larger and much older Boeing 767. “This is an exciting development for Air Pacific, our customers and Fiji,” said David Pflieger, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Modernising our fleet with the addition of a new B737-800 will help us better meet the needs and expectations of our customers and travel industry partners and is the latest example of how Air Pacific is transforming itself to be the preferred airline of the South Pacific.” Beginning in January 2012, Air Pacific plans to almost double its weekly flights from Sydney, increasing them from seven to 13 times per week with both morning and afternoon departures, with same day connections from Nadi International Airport to Fiji’s outer islands and resorts. These schedule improvements include the redeployment of Air Pacific’s Boeing 747-400 to Hong Kong.
Amsterdam Schiphol Welcomes One Billionth Passenger
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the largest gateway to the Netherlands and one of Europe’s leading aviation hubs, celebrated handling its one billionth passenger this week. The milestone customer arrived in the Dutch capital on the morning of October 19 on a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight from New York, where she was greeted by a welcoming party including Jos Nijhuis, President and CEO, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Peter Hartman, President and CEO, KLM. “Since the foundation of the airport in 1916, we have built up a network of connections that links the Netherlands to the rest of the world via 303 destinations in more than 100 countries. Schiphol has grown into an airport that is vital to the Dutch economy and an important driving force for job creation in the region. Today we have reached the milestone of one billion passengers and we are celebrating this with passengers, airlines, ground handlers and staff," said Jos Nijhuis. “This is a special day for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.”
Starbow Airlines Expands Domestic Network
Start-up carrier Starbow Airlines is to add flights to another two destinations in Ghana later this month following its launch last month. The carrier inaugurated flights with its BAe 146-300s on September 26 with a 12 times weekly link between its base at Kotoka International Airport in Accra and the city of Kumasi. It will now add a six times weekly Accra – Tamale service from October 26 and a five times weekly Accra – Takoradi link from October 31. Both routes are already served by Africa World Airlines and Antrak Air with an estimated 29,000 and 24,000 O&D passengers travelling during the past 12 months. Looking ahead Starbow Airlines plans to take advantage of the limited capacity in the West African market by establishing regional international links on routes up to three hours in duration. The airline confirms that destinations currently on its radar include Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Monrovia, Liberia; Bamako, Mali; Niamey, Niger; Lagos, Nigeria and Freetown, Sierra Leone.
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