Wednesday's Route Development Briefs
Qatar Airways Signs Interline Partnership with Precision Air
Qatar Airways is to enhance its activities in East Africa through an interline partnership with Tanzania’s largest carrier, Precision Air. The agreement allows Qatar Airways’ passengers to connect seamlessly via the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam to and from a wide range of East African cities, such as Moroni – the capital city of Comoros – Zanzibar, Mombasa, Arusha, Kigoma, Shinyanga, Musoma and Tabora.
Air France to End Newark Link
Air France is suspend its route between Paris CDG and Newark Liberty International, but will continue to serve New York by its four times daily link to John F Kennedy International; one of the rotations being flown by an Airbus A380. The French flag carrier currently serves the route on a five times weekly basis using an A330-200 but it is unclear if one of its SkyTeam partners will take over the service when it closes at the end of the Northern Winter 2011/2012 schedule. An estimated 277,000 O&D passengers travelled between Paris CDG and Newark in the past year, up 19.9 per cent on the previous 12 months. Air France has a 19 per cent share of this traffic, but the market is dominated by Continental Airlines, which offers up to two daily flights to its hub at the US gateway.
Interjet Selects San Antonio as First US Destination
Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet is to launch flights between Mexico City and San Antonio from December 1, its first US destination. The airline is to fill the gap left by the demise of Mexicana and take up one of the two licences available to Mexican operators on the route, flying alongside Aeromexico. An estimated 116,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route during the past year, a market that has only declined 3.5 per cent in the past 12 months despite the loss of the former market leader. Interjet will operate 12 flights per week using an Airbus A320, with a double daily service during weekdays and a single rotation at the weekends. The low-cost carrier has been flying for six years and now has a fleet of more than 30 aircraft, although up until now its focus has been on its home Mexican market. It does offer flights to Guatemala and Havana but this latest route expansion could mark a change in business direction for the company.
Ural Airlines to Offer Guangzhou Connection from Russian Cities
Russian carrier Ural Airlines is to establish links to Guangzhou from Irkutsk and Novosibirsk; its first flights into China. The airline will launch a twice weekly flight from Irkutsk on December 4 and a twice weekly link from Novosibirsk two days later on December 6. China Southern Airlines is the only other operator to link Russia with Guangzhou, offering flights to Moscow Sheremetyevo. An estimated 54,000 O&D passengers travelled between Guangzhou and the Russian Federation in the past year.
RAK Airways Confirms Khartoum as Fourth New Winter Destination
RAK Airways has revealed it will introduce flights to the Sudanese capital Khartoum this winter, confirming a story we reported last month (‘RAK Airways Increases GCC Footprint’). This will be the fourth new destination for the Ras Al Khaimah-based carrier this winter, following Kuwait City, Lahore, and Peshawar. The airline will offer a three times weekly schedule from December 15. “We had a clear mandate to fly to 10 destinations within one year of re-launching our operations. With the introduction of our flights to Khartoum, we have achieved our objective and laid the foundation for a successful and profitable future for the airline,” said Omar Jahameh, Chief Executive Officer, RAK Airways.
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