Monday's Route Development Briefs
Velvet Sky Adds New Domestic Routes
South African budget carrier Velvet Sky is to expand its network this winter with new links between Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. The new routes will be introduced from the first week of November and will see two or three weekly flights between Cape Town and Durban and three weekly flights from Cape Town and Durban to Port Elizabeth, increasing to four times weekly from December 2. In addition to opening up this new coastal route, Velvet Sky will also the frequency of its flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town to up to seven flights per day as well as introducing additional evening flights between Johannesburg and Durban. With existing flights from Johannesburg to both Cape Town and Durban, the airline says launching the Cape Town – Durban route was a logical addition, to complete its network triangle. The growth will be facilitated by the arrival of another two Boeing 737s into the Velvet Sky fleet.
Singapore Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines in Codeshare Deal
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has expanded its network in Africa, although it will not be adding its own flights to the continent. The carrier has entered into a codeshare arrangement with future Star Alliance partner Ethiopian Airlines enabling it to offer a new link to Addis Ababa from November 1. Under the agreement, SIA will add its ‘SQ’ code to Ethiopian’s daily flights between Dubai and Addis Ababa. On a reciprocal basis, Ethiopian Airlines will add its ‘ET’ code to seven SIA-operated flights per week between Singapore and Dubai. SIA currently serves this route eleven times every week.
Shandong Airlines Expands Domestic Offering
Shandong Airlines is to expand its domestic offering this winter by introducing flights on eleven new routes. The airline, a subsidiary of Air China, operates mainly domestic trunk routes from Jinan, Qingdao and Yantai to major cities in China. Its expanded network from the end of this month will see the introduction of new services between Jinan and Beihai, Beijing, Dongsheng, Fuzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Nanchang, Ningbo, Shantou, Taiyuan, Wuyishan and Zhuhai; with direct and one-stop options between these destinations. There will also be new links from Xiamen to Chengdu, Jingdezhen, Juzhou and Luoyang, while flights will also be offered on the Qingdao – Zhengzhou – Chongqing and Yantai – Taiyuan – Xi’An routes. Shandong Airlines carried an estimated 9.0 million O&D passengers on its domestic route network in the last year giving it a 3.6 per cent share of the total domestic market. The carrier increased its share by 0.3 percentage points over the previous 12 month period as its traffic figures grew by 18.6 per cent (click here to see flight schedule information from www.airlineroute.net).
Etihad Airways Increases Flights to Riyadh
Etihad Airways is to increase its flights between Abu Dhabi and the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh during the Northern Winter schedules. The carrier currently operates the route eight times weekly, competing with Saudi Arabian Airlines and carrying an estimated 18,000 O&D passengers, a 41 per cent share of the market between the two destinations. Etihad plans to introduce an additional three weekly flights on the route from October 30, adding two further rotations from November 10, increasing to 13 flights per week.
Singapore Changi Reports Growth in Traffic
Singapore Changi Airport handled 3.82 million passenger movements in September 2011, an increase of 12.5 per cent over the same month last year. Aircraft movements grew in tandem, increasing 16.4 per cent to 25,500 movements during the month, according to the latest statistics from the airport. This means that for the first nine months of the year, Changi Airport handled 34.2 million passenger movements, a year-on-year increase of 11.3 per cent. Interestingly, traffic on low-cost carriers, which accounts for a quarter of the total at Changi, increased 26.0 per cent, while traffic on full-service carriers grew just 7.1 per cent during the same period. Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia have been the major contributors to passenger traffic growth at Changi Airport year-to-date, says the airport, however, the sustainability of this growth may be impacted by weaker travel demand to and from Europe and the United States as a result of increasing economic uncertainty in these regions.
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