JET2.COM TO EXPAND FROM GLASGOW AND MANCHESTER
UK low-fare airline is to expand its offering from Glasgow and Manchester airports next summer with services to three more destinations from Manchester and two from Glasgow. The airline will introduce a mix of city and leisure markets from the end of March (except where noted) with new flights from Manchester to Paris CDG (four times a week), Toulouse (three times a week from May 18) and Bergamo (twice weekly from May 16) and from Glasgow to Barcelona (three times weekly) and Murcia (up to three times weekly). The airline will be the only carrier operating from Manchester to Bergamo and will replace bmibaby on the Toulouse link (the low-cost airline is pulling out of Manchester this winter), but it will face strong competition on the route to the French capital, which is already served three times daily by Air France and up to four times daily by Flybe. In the last year an estimated 295,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route, with average fares over $110 each way. From Glasgow, Jet2.com will be the only carrier flying to both Barcelona and Murcia. However, it will face competition from charter operators, which offer package holidays to both destinations.
AIRBERLIN ADDS LINK TO SKOPJE
German carrier airberlin will open a new link between Dusseldorf and the Macedonian capital Skopje from June 25. The airline will offer a single weekly rotation using a Boeing 737-700 but could increase frequency subject to demand. The aircraft will be operating a late night departure from Germany, returning very early the following morning, suggesting that the route is to test the market while maximizing aircraft utilisation. A growing number of airlines are now entering the Macedonian market with Niki and Wizz Air both recently announcing their own plans to add flights from Austria, Italy and the UK. Sky Wings International currently offers a three times weekly service between Dusseldorf and Skopje as well as a weekly flight to Berlin. An estimated 56,000 O&D passengers travelled between Germany and Skopje in the past year, with around 22,000 flying directly between Skopje and Dusseldorf.
DELTA TO REPLACE AIR FRANCE ON CHICAGO – PARIS CDG ROUTE
As part of an ongoing review of its transatlantic activities, SkyTeam member carriers are to switch capacity on some routes between France and the United States, including flights from Atlanta and Chicago to Paris CDG. According to the latest scheduled data in the GDS, Delta Air Lines will replace Air France between Chicago and Paris CDG for the forthcoming winter schedule, a route the French national carrier has served for almost 60 years (it launched flights in October 1953). Delta plans to use a Boeing 767-300ER on the five times weekly route, replacing an Air France A330-200. Meanwhile, it appears that Delta will operate two flights a day on the Atlanta – Paris CDG route, with Air France offering a daily schedule rather than the two flights per day it had originally planned.
VIRGIN ATLANTIC AND CYPRUS AIRWAYS AGREE CODESHARE
Virgin Atlantic and Cyprus Airways have signed a code sharing agreement on routes between the UK, the US and Cyprus. The initial agreement will see Cyprus Airways put their code on Virgin Atlantic flights operating between London Heathrow and Boston, Los Angeles, New York JFK and Newark, while Virgin Atlantic will code share on Cyprus Airways services between Larnaca and London Heathrow. The two carriers expect the code share to come into force on July 25 after obtaining the relevant government approvals.
WIZZ AIR ADDS THIRD LINK TO BRNO
Central and Eastern European budget operator Wizz Air is to introduce a third link to the Czech city of Brno. It already provides a four times weekly service to London Luton and two flights per week to Rome Fiumicino from Brno-Tuřany Airport, but from December 16 will inaugurate a twice weekly link to Eindhoven. The airline already offers non-stop connections to ten destinations from the Dutch facility, where it is currently the third largest operator behind Ryanair and Transavia. According to John Stephenson, Executive Vice President, Wizz Air, the decision to expand in the Czech market has been made possible by the positive attitude from the local government and airport authority. “Our success encourages us to continue expanding our operations, especially where efficient airport infrastructure and willingness to invest into regional development is present,” he said. Alongside its two existing route from Brno, Wizz Air serves 12 destinations from the capital Prague. “We believe Brno offers great growth opportunities for all parties involved. Passengers will have access to low fares, and local businesses will benefit from the increased leisure and business traffic,” John Stephenson added. This announcement follows just a couple of months after Wizz Air announced that it would reduce capacity by over a quarter at Cluj-Napoca in Romania due to a dispute over airport charges.
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