XL Airways Offers Expanded Transatlantic Schedule
French leisure carrier XL Airways is to inaugurate flights from Paris CDG to San Francisco and will offer an enhanced network of flights between the French capital and New York during the summer 2012 season. The airline will offer a weekly rotation on the Paris CDG – San Francisco route from May 26, 2012 and will add a second rotation from June 11, 2012. These flights will be operated using an Airbus A330-200 and will continue until the first week of September 2012. Meanwhile, on the Paris CDG – New York JFK, one of two markets XL Airways already serves in the US, a previously announced reduction of capacity has been abandoned and instead an additional fortnightly rotation is being added, increasing the total number of summer flights. The French carrier had previously modified its GDS inventory in November 2011, cutting the route from five flights per week to just three during summer 2012. However, in an update last month it has reverted back to the original five times weekly offering with the addition of a sixth rotation operating on three Tuesdays in July and August. XL Airways also offers flights between Paris CDG and Las Vegas, a link that will be operated weekly between May 31, 2012 and September 13, 2012 rather than on the twice weekly basis that it had previously served the route.
airberlin Offers New Channel Island Connection
German carrier airberlin is to offer a summer seasonal link to the Channel Islands with a weekly service to Guernsey and Jersey from Frankfurt and Hanover. The flights will be operated between April 28, 2012 and September 22, 2012 using a Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 and will fly on a combined Hanover – Guernsey – Jersey – Frankfurt – Guernsey – Jersey – Hanover routing. airberlin provided seasonal links from both Guernsey and Jersey to Dusseldorf and Hanover during 2011, but the addition of Frankfurt marks a development in its network strategy. An estimated 4,000 O&D passengers travelled between Guernsey and Germany in the past year with more than doubled this number, around 10,000, flying to or from Germany from Jersey.
Flybe Ends Domestic UK Flights from Manston
UK low-fare carrier Flybe is to suspend its last remaining route from Kent’s Manston Airport at the end of the Northern 2011/2012 winter schedule as the current economic environment has made it “unsustainable” to operate. The closure of the link to Edinburgh from March 25, 2012 follows just a short time after Flybe suspended operations to Manchester from Manston. “Our ongoing commitment to Manston has been reliant on the success of the Edinburgh service that we launched in May 2010. Despite extensive marketing of this route both in Scotland and throughout SE England, the challenging economic environment with which we are all faced has meant passenger numbers remain at unsustainable levels, and are insufficient to financially justify its continued operation,” the airline said in a statement this week. According to official UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data, Flybe carried approximately 18,000 passengers on the Manston – Edinburgh route over the eight month period between May 2010 and December 2010. In its last update the CAA revealed that around 2,560 passengers travelled on the route in October 2011 down six per cent on the same month the previous year, continuing a downward trend. The closure of the route will once more leave Manston without any year-round scheduled passenger routes. The airport does have a number of cargo visitors, seasonal passenger links to the Channel Islands and one-off charters to Continental Europe, and its management is working to bring a hub connection to the south eastern English facility.
Estonian Air Adds Seasonal Tallinn – Venice Service
Baltic carrier Estonian Air is to launch a seasonal service to the Italian city of Venice from the country’s capital Tallinn during summer 2012. The airline is to fly twice weekly on the route between June 9, 2012 and September 1, 2012 enhancing travel options for holidaymakers between the Baltic States and the Adriatic coast. Demand for the new seasonal link was partly brought to the airline’s management’s attention by an online customer survey which asked consumers which destinations they would like to fly to from the Estonian capital. “The definite winner was Venice,” said Rauno Parras, Chief Commercial Officer, Estonian Air. “Venice is an attractive recreation and holiday area by the Adrian Sea where we have not offered any direct flights before.” In the past year an estimated 92,000 O&D passengers travelled between Estonia and Italy, a market that is currently only served on a scheduled basis by Ryanair with year-round flights between Tallinn and Bergamo Orio al Serio.
LOT to Add Transfer Options to Summer Schedule
European flag carrier LOT Polish Airlines is to revise its schedules for Northern Summer 2012 as it attempts to enhance the position of Warsaw’s Chopin International Airport as a regional hub. The airline is to introduce minimum connection times at the facility and has submitted its draft proposal to International Air Transport Association (IATA) to modify its timetable to ensure a greater number and more efficient transfers in the Polish capital. “This is yet another improvement being introduced by LOT and Warsaw Airport with the thought of our passengers and their convenience and comfort in mind,” said Marcin Piróg, Chief Executive Officer, LOT Polish Airlines. “It means that we’ll not only be providing LOT passengers with a faster transfer at the airport itself, but we’ll also be offering them wider access to our routes via our reservations system.” LOT acknowledges that its current network has not been tailored to the hub-and-spoke business model with its schedule not maximising onward connection opportunities. Despite this around ten per cent of the traffic currently using Warsaw Chopin Airport are transfer passengers and numbers are expected to double once LOT’s revised schedule is introduced. “With an offer like this, we can compete unashamedly with the largest of hubs and attract passengers from throughout Central and Eastern Europe,” said Micha³ Marzec, Airport Director, Warsaw Chopin. LOT is expected to offer a 30 minute connection for flights arriving from the Schengen Area and departing for the Schengen or Non-Schengen Area; 35 minutes for flights arriving from the Non-Schengen Area and departing for the Schengen or Non-Schengen Area and 40 minutes for long-haul routes and flights arriving from some specific markets such as Yerevan and Tel Aviv.
Iceland Express Reduces in Scale
Icelandic low-cost carrier Iceland Express is to offer a reduced seasonal programme in Summer 2012 as it prepares itself for increased competition in the local market. The airline has had a tough few months following the launch of rival Wow Air and then the closure of Astraeus Airlines at the start of December 2011: the UK charter carrier had operated Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft on Iceland Express’ behalf. The airline is now operating two Airbus A320s leased from Holidays Czech Airlines, part of Prague-based Czech Airlines, but has had to modify its network due to the reduction of its fleet. According to the airline’s latest schedules, flights from Reykjavik to Aalborg, Edinburgh, Friedrichshafen, Newark, Oslo, Stockholm, Winnipeg and Zurich are not planned for summer 2012, while its service between Akureyri and Copenhagen will also not operate. There will also be capacity reductions on routes from Reykjavik to Alicante, Berlin, Billund, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, London Gatwick, Paris CDG and Warsaw when compared to last summer. Iceland Express already competes with Icelandair but will face increased competition from this summer when WOW Air inaugurates flights on 12 international routes from Reykjavik with effect from June 1, 2012. This network includes seven markets already served by Iceland Express. In the past year, thanks in part to an aggressive network expansion and new links to North America, Iceland Express had increased its share of the Icelandic international O&D market from Reykjavik to 23.6 per cent, up from 17.5 per cent in the previous 12 month period. This was mainly at the expense of Icelandair whose own share fell from 74.8 per cent to 65.8 per cent during the period.
Amsterdam Schiphol Closes in on 50 Million Passenger Milestone
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the main international air gateway into the Netherlands, handled 49.8 million passengers in 2011, a 10.2 per cent increase on the previous year when the airport welcomed 45.2 million passengers. Despite the global decline in air freight, cargo transport at the facility remained stable, recording 1.5 million tonnes of cargo, while total air transport movements rose by 8.8 per cent from 386,319 to 420,245. "Our transport results are favourable,” said Jos Nijhuis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Schiphol Group. “We served a record number of passengers in 2011 - almost 50 million. Schiphol's European market share has also grown as a result. In terms of passenger volume, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has recaptured its ranking as Europe's fourth-largest airport.” The past 12 months were a landmark year for Amsterdam Schiphol as the airport welcomed its billionth passenger since its inception in 1916. The airport's network was further expanded in 2011, growing from 301 to 313 of direct destinations. Naturally, local carrier KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was the main driver of the growth and alongside its SkyTeam partners added a number of major intercontinental markets to the Schiphol network, including Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Havana and Orlando, while European destinations grew from 162 to 169 in the 12 month period. “Our extensive network of connections is crucial for maintaining the Netherlands' attractive business climate,” highlighted Jos Nijhuis who acknowledges that 2012 could be a tough year for the airport. “This year will be a challenging year, in which we are expecting to see passenger volumes stabilise and cargo volumes shrink,” he added.
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