Malev Hungarian Airlines' summer schedule launches today and features flights to 50 destinations in 35 countries, including new service from Budapest to St. Petersburg (four-times-weekly starting next month), Malaga (weekly from May), Split (four-times-weekly from May, increasing to five-times-weekly in June) and Dublin (daily, start date undetermined). Continental Airlines launched daily Newark-Munich service Saturday aboard a 767-200ER. Cathay Pacific Airways will launch thrice-weekly Hong Kong-Moscow Domodedovo service on July 13 aboard an A340-300.
Hawaiian Airlines has long-range expansion on its radar as it prepares to take delivery of the first of nine A330-200s next month. CEO Mark Dunkerley told
Etihad Airways has commenced non-stop flights from its home base in Abu Dhabi to Tokyo, becoming the first Middle Eastern airline to operate to the Japanese capital.
Ryanair yesterday launched new bases at Leeds Bradford and Faro. It has two 737s at LBA, from which it will serve 17 destinations. The LCC plans to transport 1 million passengers per year at the airport. It will base seven 737s at Faro operating 30 routes. It plans to serve 1.3 million passengers per year.
Transaero Airlines said it plans to begin service from Moscow Domodedovo to Beijing (twice-weekly on June 4 aboard a 747-400), Yakutsk (June 24) and Kostanay and from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok (May 21), Khabarovsk (May 22), Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (May 23) and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (May 24).