ROYAL JORDANIAN PLANS LAGOS LINK
Royal Jordanian Airlines plans to launch a new flight between Amman and Lagos before the end of this year and the arrival of its third Airbus A330 on July 28 will help provide the capacity to fulfill its network ambitions. The aircraft has been acquired on a long-term operating lease until January 2017 and will provide the short-term capacity to bridge the gap before the arrival of the carrier’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner: the first of eleven is due in early 2014. It will also enable Royal Jordanian to retire its older A310s from service in the near future. The airline confirms that the aircraft will initially be introduced on its four times weekly Amman – Colombo route from August 1. However, when this service is upgraded to the larger A340 for the Northern Winter schedule, the additional A330 will be used to expand the airline’s network potentially launching flights to the Nigerian capital Lagos before the end of the year, a route the carrier has been studying for the last 12 months. Royal Jordanian introduced its first two A330s into service in May 2010 and now using the type on links to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and London. The aircraft are all configured for 283 passengers with 24 Crown Business Class and 259 Economy seats.
EMIRATES SKYCARGO BOLSTERS LINKS TO BRAZIL
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates Airline, is set to add a third weekly freighter flight to meet the growing demands of the thriving UAE-Brazil trade route. The oil industry is just one of many areas that are bustling in Brazil and last month Emirates SkyCargo delivered two large helicopters for energy giant Petrobras. The helicopters – to be used by Rio de Janeiro oil rigs – were transported from Dubai International Airport to Viracopos Airport in Campinas, a route which the carrier will serve three times a week from September 16. Emirates SkyCargo has been serving Campinas since October 2010, providing much needed support to the booming import and export industry generated by South America’s largest city. The 747-400F which operates the route has a capacity of 117 tonnes, meaning the additional flight will take the weekly total to 350 tonnes in both directions. The service operates via Frankfurt, Germany, on the outbound journey and returns through Dakar, Senegal. In addition to the freighter flights to Sao Paulo, Emirates has been operating a passenger service to Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport, since 2007. It currently flies a 777-300ER on the route which can transport up to 160 tonnes of belly hold cargo a week in both directions. And another 160 tonnes of capacity will be added each week between the UAE and Brazil from January 3, 2012 when the airline launches passenger flights to Rio de Janeiro, via Buenos Aires, also with a 777-300ER. According to the Arab-Brazilian Trade Board, Brazilian exports to countries in the Middle East totalled $6.41 billion (Dhs 23.5 billion) in the first half of 2011, representing a growth of 33 per cent over the same period last year. The UAE is among the three main markets for Brazilian exports, totalling $848.78 million (Dhs 3.1 billion) - an increase of 21.40 per cent over the same period last year. The main products exported were meats, sugar, minerals, coffee and dairy products. Imports from the Middle East also recorded a strong increase in the period, totalling $4.55 billion (Dhs 16.71 billion) in the first half of 2011, a figure 41 per cent higher than the same period in 2010. The main products were mineral fuels, followed by fertilisers and salt.
JET AIRWAYS BOOSTS CAPACITY TO UAE
Indian carrier Jet Airways is to introduce a tenth daily rotation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a new link to Sharjah from Thiruvananthapuram. The new service will commence from October 30 and will be flown using a 154-seat Boeing 737-800 offering 16 Premiere and 138 Economy seats. The introduction of the new flight will further strengthen Jet Airways' presence in the United Arab Emirates. An estimated 538,000 O&D passengers travelled between India and the UAE in the past year, a market dominated by Emirates Airline. Jet Airways is currently ranked as the fifth largest carrier in this market, carrying an estimated 670,000 O&D passengers, approximately 10.4 per cent of the total market. The Thiruvananthapuram – Sharjah route is already served daily by Air India and twice daily by Air Arabia, while Air India Express offers four flights a week. An estimated 244,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year, up 11.3 per cent on the same period last year. However, yields have weakened as average fares have slipped by 6.3 per cent to $148 each way. Jet Airways’ wider Gulf network now covers ten destinations across the Middle East. The additional services to Thiruvananthapuram will complement the airline's existing daily Gulf operations from Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat and Sharjah, as well as Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam to Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. "Jet Airways has established itself as a prominent brand in the intensely competitive Indo-Gulf sector for its service and quality of its in-flight product. We are confident that the new service from Thiruvananthapuram to Sharjah will prove immensely popular with our guests,” said Nikos Kardassis, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Airways. “We believe that this new route has the potential to serve the needs of our corporate and business travelers, especially from the South."
QATAR AIRWAYS INAUGURATES KOLKATA LINK
Qatar Airways has widened its passenger flight network in India further with the launch of daily non-stop scheduled services from Doha to Kolkata, the city formerly known as Calcutta. It now offers 95 passenger flights per week between Qatar and India, serving 12 different destinations in the country, as well as twice-weekly freighter services to Kolkata, one of six Indian cargo destinations. Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state in eastern India, is the country’s third largest city with a metropolis population of over 15 million people. It is also the commercial capital of eastern India taking advantage of its lucrative location on the Hooghly River, and is regarded as the country’s cultural and intellectual capital. Kolkata also once served as the capital city of India. Home to a rich mix of creeds and cultures, Kolkata boasts colonial buildings, monuments, elegant buildings and India’s only tram system – the oldest operating electric tram in Asia – reflecting the days of the British ruling India. And, with excellent connections from Europe, Middle East, Africa, United States and Canada, Qatar Airways’ newest passenger route is expected to appeal to expatriates returning to Kolkata, as well as the international business community having strong commercial links with the city and surrounding areas. “The introduction of our latest destination has been well timed to coincide with the busy holiday season as families travel to and from India, one of our most important markets,” said Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways. “As our 12th Indian gateway, the addition of Kolkata demonstrates Qatar Airways’ commitment to one of the world’s fastest growing economies with India’s rapid pace of development prompting the need for more flights to serve rising demand for air travel to and from the country.
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