ANA warned that the "lethargic nature" of Japan's economic recovery and Japan Airlines' bankruptcy will impact the airline's plans for 2010, although the fourth-quarter delivery of the first 787, slot expansion at Tokyo Haneda and Narita and open skies with the US "will bring important business opportunities" for expansion. In its corporate plan for the fiscal year beginning April 1, ANA said it will cut domestic ASKs by 3.7% from 2009-10 and increase international capacity by 11.2%. Cargo ATKs will rise 21.1%.
LAN Peru will launch four-times-weekly Lima-San Francisco service on July 1 aboard a 767-300. WestJet will launch daily Toronto Pearson-Bermuda flights on May 3 and weekly YYZ-Samana and Montreal-Punta Cana service on June 5. Porter Airlines will launch daily Toronto City-Sudbury flights on March 31. AirBaltic will launch thrice-weekly Riga-Manchester service March 29 aboard a 737.
Avianova, which launched low-fare service from Moscow Vnukovo last August, will transfer its operation to Sheremetyevo's Terminal 1 on March 28. It said it carried more than 130,000 passengers in its first five months of operation.
Carriers to Copenhagen’s new low-cost facility, CPH SWIFT, must meet 30-minute turnaround times. The airport also seeks to process six million additional annual passengers under one roof. Plus the gateway has listed a host of new routings for this year.
TACA’s proposed “merger of equals” with Avianca – expected this year - will create one of the largest airline groupings in Latin America. Combined with a new codeshare agreement with US Airways, which came into effect on January 12, and a tri-hub strategy, TACA is poised to remain a strong brand in the Americas.
Touching down at Zurich airport in dense fog, the A380 was still impossible to miss among the thousands of onlookers, who caught a glimpse of the aircraft during an essential compatibility-testing period. Singapore Airlines plans to introduce the A380 for services between Zurich and Singapore from March 28.
The new decade kicked off in January with the news of AirAsia and Jetstar’s cost-based alliance but the question remains: does this mark the start of a new era for the low-cost model? AirAsia CEO, Tony Fernandes, shares his perspective with Routes News.
Emirates will launch five-times-weekly Dubai-Tokyo Narita service on March 28 aboard a three-class 777-300ER. AirAsia announced the following new seasonal service to India: Kuala Lumpur to Chennai (daily May 17-Oct. 30 aboard an A320), Bangalore (daily May 20-Oct. 30 aboard an A320), Hyderabad (daily July 20-Oct. 30 aboard an A320), Mumbai (four-times-weekly May 6-Oct. 30 aboard an AirAsia X A330) and Delhi (daily Aug. 4-Oct. 30 aboard an AirAsia X A330); Penang to Chennai (daily April 28-Oct. 30 aboard an A320).
