Routes Europe kicked-off in style yesterday with an engaging and thought-provoking Strategy Summit that debated some of the key topics impacting the aviation business across the region. Here's a round up of day one's activities.
At this year’s Routes Europe in KrakówPoland the power of event networking this was highlighted better than ever when a new air link was tentatively agreed during the short coach journey from the EXPO Kraków International Exhibition and Convention Centre and last night’s Welcome Reception at the Stara Zajezdnia Kraków by DeSilva.
The forthcoming UK Brexit vote should be used by the European Union (EU) as an opportunity to have an entire rethink over the political bloc’s problems. Speaking at the Routes Europe 2016 Strategy Summit, in Kraków, Poland, LOT Polish Airlines CEO Rafal Milczarski said he believed the UK’s voters will decide to stay in the EU on June 23. However, even if the decision is made to keep things the same, he urged Brussels not to treat it as a vindication of the current set up.
When US manufacturer Boeing first introduced the Boeing 787 Dreamliner it was marketed as a hub-buster, an aircraft that would enable airlines to fly non-stop point-to-point services between non-hub airports. Now after almost five years of airline service, data does not seem to necessary back up the initial views with only one in four current Dreamliner routes classified as a new air service.
Regional airlines could face a five-year period of consolidation as they are out-muscled by bigger rivals. Speaking at the Route Europe 2016 Strategy Summit in Kraków, Poland, Iberia Regional/Air Nostrum network planning and scheduling director Miguel Oliver said in the last 20 years in Spain, the country has lost 20 carriers.
Speaking in a session on regional carrier trends in Europe, bmi regional's chief commercial officer, Jochen Schnadt, said that bmi regional is seeing the potential to grow capacity in some of its existing markets and opportunities for larger equipment for new route development.
Ryanair first introduced flights into Prague in November 2007 and currently offers at least daily flights from Brussels Charleroi, Dublin and London Stansted. The launch of the base will support the introduction of new daily flights to Bergamo and Rome in Italy and will boost annual capacity by around 100,000 to 625,000 seats.
The weekly flight from Toulouse to Oujda will operate every Monday for a three month period from late June until late September and will be scheduled around the daytime period an aircraft would otherwise be sat idle at the southern French airfield after fulfilling its morning Airbus staff shuttle commitment.
The airline launched the route on April 18, 2016 and is operating three flights a week between the two capitals using a 138-seat Airbus A319 aircraft in a dual business and economy class configuration. This summer a fourth weekly flight will also operate between June 22, 2016 and August 10, 2016.
The Asian-Budapest market last year experienced an impressive 20 percent increase, with the number of Korean visitors alone increasing by ten percent, having tripled over the last five years.
Any new company would retain the Virgin brand but be run at a lower cost as a different corporate entity with different employee contracts. It could operate with a small fleet of twin-engined widebody equipment transferred across from Delta’s mainline fleet to help lower its operating costs if the go-ahead is given.
The European flag carrier, the launch customer for the Bombardier C Series will place its first CS100 into service on flight LX638 from Zurich to Paris Charles de Gaulle on July 15, 2016 before introducing the type across a number of European markets.
Although the Air France-KLM Group low-cost brand has previously served the UK market from the Netherlands, the new links from Paris Orly into England and Scotland’s capital cities by its Transavia France operation represent its first ever flights between France and the UK.
Before the meetings took place at Routes Europe 2016 in Krakow, the Messis and Ronaldos of the aviation world took to the pitch for a charity football tournament. The tournament was sponsored by The Best of France, and it took place at the University of Economics.
Delivering the keynote address at the monthly Wings Club meeting in New York, James Hogan, president and chief executive officer, Etihad Airways said that in an industry dominated by legacy airlines, and with such high barriers to entry, no new network carrier could hope to compete effectively in its own.
Kraków has always been, in many respects, a charmed city. With a history that dates back to the 4th century settlement of Wawel Hill, Kraków has fortuitously avoided destruction, growing into one of the most prominent cities in Central Europe. A city of majestic architectural monuments, cobbled thoroughfares, cultural treasures, timeless courtyards, priceless artworks and legendary beer cellars and gardens, Kraków’s historic centre is the pride of Poland.
The southern Ireland regional facility now has a network of more than 50 routes with nine new routes taking off this year including Düsseldorf with Aer Lingus, London City, Nantes and La Rochelle with CityJet, Madrid with Iberia Express, Cardiff with Flybe, Southampton and Leeds Bradford with Aer Lingus Regional as well as Menorca with Lee Travel and Stein Travel.
Latest figures from VisitBritain state that tourist numbers to the UK from China were up 37 percent in the first nine months of 2015 as more than 200,000 Chinese holidaymakers visited the UK in the nine month period. VisitBritain is hoping to double spending from Chinese visitors to £1 billion by 2020, - they were already among the highest spenders ringing up £2,688 a head and already account for almost a quarter of tourist spending in the UK.
The Chinese city will become Iberia’s first Asian destination ahead of its previously announced launch of flights to Tokyo from October 18, 2016. This year the Spanish airline is also resuming services to Puerto Rico (from May 15, 2016) and to Johannesburg (from August 1, 2016), while its seasonal flights to Boston, previously offered from March to October, will operate through December this year.
Dublin Airport officials are working closely with airline partners to build Dublin Airport as a gateway and a significant growth in transatlantic capacity in particular is helping to provide significant transfer opportunities.
OpenSkies revealed earlier this month that the 767-300 would join its existing 757-200s from August 2016. Our Airline Route blog now confirms that schedules have been updated to include the new arrival with a first scheduled flight of the type due on August 19, 2016.
The new services to Amritsar, Chennai and Jaipur, will boost the SIA Group’s international network into India to 15 destinations, served by its mainline business, regional operation SilkAir, low-cost brand Tiger Airways and now its medium- and long-haul, low-cost unit, Scoot.
Guangzhou, the third largest city in China and capital of Guangdong Province, has won a highly competitive bid to host the World Routes air service development forum in 2018.
The third biggest city in China, Guangzhou, will host World Routes 2018. The prestigious event returning to another Chinese city highlights the importance of this emerging market for aviation and follows its successful hosting in Beijing in 2009 and this year's event in Chengdu later this year.
