San Juan is unlike any other Caribbean market because it has significant outbound travel. With an estimated five million Puerto Ricans living on the US mainland, there is a thriving ‘visiting friends and family’ market. Puerto Rico has the most competitive economy in Latin America and the pharmaceutical and aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industries generate substantial outbound traffic. A strong cruise industry means that Puerto Rico benefits from a year-round aviation market with very little seasonal variation.
Should Southwest be granted permission to serve the Long Beach route, it would be the fifth airport in Greater Los Angeles on the airline’s route map. It currently flies to Los Angeles International, Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, John Wayne Airport in Orange County and Ontario International Airport.
This new slot pair has been reportedly purchased from Air France-KLM and will provide an early morning scheduling option for the Middle East carrier and allow it to introduce a second daily rotation on the Muscat – London city pair.
Puerto Rico’s economy will receive a boost from the aviation industry when its top decision makers gather in San Juan for the ninth Routes Americas air service development forum (February 17-19).
An estimated 250,000 passengers a year are flying between India and Ethiopia with almost 90 per cent of the demand in the first half of 2015 taking advantage of Ethiopian Airlines’ pan-African network to connect via Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport.
The new Tallinn - Edinburgh route will certainly stimulate demand in a market that currently see around 2,500 indirect passengers a year. However, when this city pair was previously served by low-cost carrier Ryanair on a three times weekly basis between January 2011 and the end of the summer, generating just under 30,000 annual passengers, according to UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.
Throughout 2016, associations like IATA are working towards a fairer and improved economy within the region and Peter Cerda, Regional Vice President for Americas at IATA, explained to Routesonline just ahead of this year’s Routes Americas why airlines and governments must work closer together.
The sale of TNT Airways and Pan Air is conditional on the completion of FedEx’s intended acquisition of TNT, expected in the first half of the calendar year.
Aviation has changed beyond recognition over the past 20 years, a period which the Routes events brand has helped facilitate air service development across the world. The company grew out of a need in a more open landscape for airports to market themselves to airlines. Over time, tourist boards joined the dialogue as the benefits of aviation connectivity became clear.
This growth represents a notable change in the network strategy from the state-controlled airline and sees it using the additional capabilities of E-Jet to support market opportunities. Although these initial four return flights are a test, they could lead to a longer schedule next summer or even additional new markets.
The new routes will launch from May 28, 2016 and will operate on a weekly schedule with flights to Ibiza, Malaga and Palma on Saturdays and Faro on Sundays. These are all markets currently served by BA from at least two other London airports – City and Heathrow, while Ibiza, Faro and Malaga are also served from Gatwick.
Rome is the airline’s largest destination in an Italian network that also includes Catania, Milan, Olbia, Palermo, Pisa and Venice. During the summer 2016 schedule it will account for 64.7 per cent of the airline’s total departure capacity in Italy, according to OAG data, offering around 520,000 seats in and out of Rome.
Over the last decade, the city has emerged as an important passenger and cargo destination for the airline in the Indian sub-continent. Since the start of its operations, it has carried over two million passengers on the route and moved up to 105,000 tonnes of cargo in and out of Thiruvananthapuram.
A change of aircraft – Airbus 330-200 to A330-300 – will see an increased capacity on the Beijing - Manchester route, set to launch later this year. The new aircraft will be able to carry 292 passengers: 32 in Business Class and 260 in Economy.
One company that has airport investment and management at the heart of its business is Vantage Airport Group. We recently spoke to Lee Lipton, Director of Air Service and Cargo Development, who leads growth of passenger and cargo traffic at eight airports, to discuss the industry and this year’s aviation trends.
A very small number of Zika virus cases have been confirmed in Puerto Rico, host of Routes Americas 2016. We’ve compiled a summary of the latest health advice to reassure delegates travelling to the island this month.
SeaPort said that after much consideration, its Board of Directors determined that reorganisation was the best path forward for the carrier, allowing the company to achieve long-term viability while maintaining its ability to provide air service to customers and communities. It will continue to provide service without interruption to its reduced network, while also maintaining its interline agreements with Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.
Muscat International Airport broke the one million passenger per month milestone in August 2015 in a strong year of growth for the largest two airports in the Sultanate of Oman.
The budget carrier is closing its bases at Alghero’s Riviera del Corallo Airport in Sardinia and Pescara’s Abruzzo Airport from the start of the winter schedule in late October 2016, while it has also emerged that it will end all flights to Sant'Anna Airport serving Crotone in Calabria, where it is the sole scheduled operator.
Alaska Airlines, which has been in operation since 1932, has announced a rebranding of its aircraft, livery, website and mobile app. It comes at a time of immense growth for the carrier, which has added 90 markets and begun services to 26 new cities in just the past five years.
The hub for fast-expanding network carrier, Emirates Airline and base for growing low-cost operator, flydubai, witnessed a 10.7 per cent surge in international passenger numbers for 2015, helping it to remain the top spot, which it secured from London Heathrow earlier this decade.
For business travellers, a growing segment of easyJet’s passenger count, the new bases will enable the carrier to better serve the demands of its premium passengers in Barcelona and Venice with new earlier morning departures affording a more flexible schedule for same day trip arrangements to Europe’s main economic centres.
