Brussels Airlines yesterday became the 26th member of Star Alliance in ceremonies in the Belgian capital, 12 months after it was invited to join and following the conclusion of a strategic partnership with Lufthansa, which acquired 45% of parent SN Air Holding in June.
Los Angeles International will receive $150 million from the US government over the next two fiscal years to support the completion of an inline baggage screening program in "several" LAX terminals by the end of 2012, the airport operator announced. Total project cost is $670 million.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes hopes his AirAsia X subsidiary will serve either New York JFK or Newark next year, he told the Bernama news agency. Malaysia Airlines pulled out of EWR and now flies only to Los Angeles in the US. "We are very keen to enter the US market, which has good business potential," Fernandes said ( ATWOnline, September 2009).
Qatar Airways is celebrating the launch of scheduled services to Australia following the airline's inaugural flight into Melbourne on Sunday... and is promoting itself in Europe as the fastest link between London and the Victoria capital.
Airlink E-135 overran the wet runway at George Airport in George, South Africa, and crashed through a fence yesterday morning when landing on a flight from Cape Town. Minor injuries were reported and damage to the aircraft was "substantial," according to Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network. There were 33 people onboard. In September, a Jetstream 41 operated by South African Airways' regional partner crashed on a repositioning flight near Durban ( ATWOnline, Sept. 25).
Qatar Airways launched its Australian service Monday, a thrice-weekly Doha-Melbourne flight aboard a 777-200LR. Service becomes daily on Jan. 1. QR plans to fly to Sydney next year. Cathay Pacific Airways will launch four-times-weekly Hong Kong-Milan Malpensa flights on March 28 with a 777-300ER. It currently operates six-times-weekly freighter service to MXP. In addition, daily HKG-Toronto service will be increased to 10-times-weekly from March 28 and twice-daily HKG-Los Angeles service will become 17-times-weekly on May 1.
