Tuesday's Route Development Briefs
Hainan Airlines to Increase Long-Haul Options
China’s Hainan Airlines is to increase frequencies on two of its long-haul routes from Beijing according to the latest update of its GDS inventory. The carrier will add two additional rotations per week to the Belgian capital Brussels and four more flights per week to Seattle, increasing the latter route to a daily operation. Hainan Airlines currently offers four flights per week between Beijing and Brussels, a route on which it carried around 40,000 O&D passengers during the past year, around 61 per cent of the total O&D traffic. A fifth weekly rotation will be added from March 25, 2012, according to the revised schedule, with the additional sixth flight following from June 29, 2012. For the Seattle route, the existing three times weekly schedule will be increased to four times weekly from March 25, 2012, to five times weekly from May 15, 2012 and then up to a daily basis from June 10, 2012. In the past year Hainan Airlines carried an estimated 40,000 O&D passengers on this service, a route that is also served by Delta Air Lines, currently on a four times weekly basis.
Malta International Airport Appoints New CEO
Malta International Airport has appointed Markus Klaushofer as its new Chief Executive Officer and he is due to take up his position as of January 1, 2012. He is no stranger to the Mediterranean island’s aviation business having previously served on the airport’s Board of Directors between April 2007 and April 2009. Markus, 38, was born in Vienna, Austria and attended the city’s Law School of the University of Vienna. He made a name for himself in the business at Vienna Airport where he worked for seven years, first as Head of Marketing & Sales (including Cargo) and latterly taking over the added role of Business Development. For the past three years Markus has been employed by Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport, initially as Divisional Director for Marketing, Sales & Business Development and more recently as Chief Commercial Officer. In an initial comment following his appointment Markus said it was “an honour” to take up the CEO position at Malta International Airport. “Over recent years, Malta Airport has garnered an impressive set of records and awards and I intend to build on these achievements, keeping in mind the crucial role the airport plays in the tourism industry of the Maltese Islands,” he added.
Aeroflot Plans Nine New Routes Next Summer
Aeroflot Russian Airlines is planning to launch new routes to nine domestic and international destinations during the Summer 2012 schedules, although it has only opened reservations for two of these at the current time. The growth has been made available through an increase of the carrier’s fleet and the arrival of additional Airbus A320 Family and Sukhoi SSJ100 Superjet aircraft. From the start of the Northern Summer schedule on March 25, 2012, Aeroflot will open daily links to Nizhnekamsk and Orenburg in Russia and the Ukrainian cities of Dniepropetrovsk and Dontesk (all planned to be operated by Superjet SSJ100s). The following month, on April 27, 2012 a daily Airbus A319 flight to Stuttgart will be added, while from June 1, 2012 daily links to Alicante, Bologna, Krakow and Tomsk are planned.
South Korea and Macau Sign Open Skies
Aviation authorities in South Korea and the special Chinese administrative region of Macau last week agreed an Open Skies arrangement between the two countries following two days of discussions. The liberalisation of the market will allow airlines from either country to operate as many passenger flights as they wish and will help boost economic and cultural exchanges. There are currently up to 12 flights per week between the Incheon International Airport that serves the South Korean capital Seoul and Macau with Air Macau offering a daily service and low-cost carrier Jin Air five flights per week. The Open Skies agreement is likely to see an increase in capacity in the future as increasing numbers of Koreans travel to Macau to tour the famous casino city or as a gateway to nearby Hong Kong which is just an hour by ferry away.
Danish Air Transport to Serve Albert Picardie Airport
Danish Air Transport (DAT) is to reportedly offer a seasonal air service from the northwest UK city of Blackpool to Albert - Picardie Airport, a facility that serves Albert, a commune of the Somme department in the Picardy (Picardie) region of northern France. The small, mainly general aviation airfield currently has only limited passenger flights and is better known for the arrival of Airbus Beluga transport aircraft collecting components produced at the nearby Méaulte Airbus Factory. DAT will launch services in April and will use a 66-seat ATR 72-200 on the link to Blackpool. UK low-fare carrier Jet2.com had planned to operate twice weekly flights to Albert – Picardie from Leeds Bradford in April 2009 but cancelled the link before it was launched.
Related Content
