Thursday's Route Development Briefs
Finavia Adjusts Traffic Fees
Finnish airport operator Finavia has announced that air traffic fees collected from airline operators will increase by 1.6 per cent next year rather than the previously announced 6.2 per cent after it made some adjustments to its charges for 2012. Finavia says that the during the past few months market conditions have changed more rapidly than anticipated and in order to stimulate demand it is keeping air traffic fees at a lower level to support development across the country’s airports and ensure good flight connections both at home and abroad. According to Finavia, in a price comparison of Europe’s 23 main airports, Finland’s largest air gateway, Helsinki Vantaa, is the fourth most inexpensive facility.
Ryanair Offers Links to Turku
Irish budget carrier Ryanair is to expand its activities in the Finnish market by introducing four routes and ten weekly flights to the Southwestern city of Turku. The airline claims the new services will deliver around 100,000 passengers per year increasing traffic at Turku Airport by between a quarter and a third. Ryanair will offer twice weekly flights from Girona and Malaga and three times weekly services from Brussels Charleroi and London Stansted from the start of the Northern Summer 2012 schedules at the end of March. Operations at Turku are currently limited to domestic routes and destinations across the Baltic and Scandinavian regions, although budget carrier Wizz Air does offer flights to Gdansk in Poland and Orbest Orizonia Airlines seasonal charter links to Las Palmas.
JetBlue Launches International Link from Westchester County Airport
JetBlue Airways this week inaugurated the first international flight from Westchester County Airport (HPN) offering travellers from the north of New York City the opportunity for an alternative option to reach Nassau in the Bahamas. The airport is located approximately three miles northeast of central White Plains and serves the greater New York metropolitan area, as it is about 33 miles north of Midtown Manhattan and is often used by those who wish to avoid the congestion of the other New York airports. JetBlue is offering a daily Embraer 190 service between Westchester County and Nassau, a destination it already serves from its main base at New York JFK. "Nassau has been a great destination for JetBlue and we're excited to provide service that will make it much easier for people in Westchester County and Connecticut to reach the Caribbean," said Dave Clark, Director Schedule Planning, JetBlue Airways. "A lot of our JFK customers live in Westchester County and Connecticut and would prefer to fly from their community airport, so we are providing what they asked for, non-stop service to a fantastic Caribbean destination from the airport right in their community."
T’Way Airlines to Serve Fukuoka
South Korean low-cost carrier T’Way Airlines is planning to launch regular links between Seoul Incheon and Fukuoka, subject to Government approval. The route will be only its second international service following the recent launch of flights between Seoul Incheon and Thai capital Bangkok. T’Way Airlines plans to provide a twice daily offering on the route using a Boeing 737-800 with the inaugural flight scheduled for December 20. Fellow South Korean carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines already serve the route on a three times daily basis using a mix of narrow and widebody aircraft. An estimated 635,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year, up 3.1 per cent over the previous 12 month period. During this period average one-way air fares also increased from $193 to $221, although the arrival of a low-cost competitor could see these fall once again when T’Way Airlines enters the market as it seeks to gain market share from its rivals and stimulate demand further.
LAM Mozambique Set to End Lisbon Service?
LAM Mozambique could be set to drop its sole long-haul route and only connection to Europe after closing reservations for its Maputo – Lisbon service from later this month. According to the airline’s latest GDS inventory the twice weekly route, currently operated by a leased Boeing 767-300ER, will close from November 23. Flights on this route were only relaunched earlier this year as part of a revised business arrangement with TAP Portugal. The European flag carrier also offers two flights per week and it is possible that LAM may simply codeshare on its flights in the future. An estimated 56,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year, up 33.0 per cent on the previous 12 months. LAM holds a 34 per cent share of this traffic, carrying an estimated 19,000 O&D passengers during the period; its fares being on average around 25 per cent cheaper than those offered by TAP and popular with outbound and price-sensitive leisure travellers.
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